Returning to the county opera troupe in 77

The incident of the thief at the primary school caused a huge uproar among all the actors and staff of the theater troupe that very night, even more shocking than the sound of gongs and drums during the performance.

Although the thief was taken away by the police, the various surprised discussions continued almost all night long.

On the large communal bed made of desks pushed together, Chen Xiangdong was sandwiched between Qin Pangzi and Liu Dezhu on either side. The two of them kept asking him questions, one after another, until he finally drifted off to sleep in the middle of the night.

The next morning, Zhu Zhengwei and Lin Datou, who had been taken by the police to give statements, returned to the primary school with yawning Lin Gouwa and Li Mancang.

The first thing Zhu Zhengguo did upon returning was to convene a morning meeting with all the troupe's staff on the playground.

He briefly introduced the arrest of the theft gang that happened last night, and emphasized that security should be further strengthened in the future, whether performing in the countryside or in the theater compound, to prevent similar incidents from happening again.

A group of people craned their necks to watch Zhu Zhengkuo stand on the stage and speak eloquently. At the end of his speech, he announced something else: "Among the delinquent children who were kidnapped by theft gangs, we have contacted and notified the families of three of them overnight. They should be sent home today."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over Lin Gouwa and Li Mancang in the audience, and said, "As for these two kids, I've already discussed it with the police. In order to share some of the burden on society, our county troupe is prepared to take them in as temporary workers to replace Comrade Chen Xiangdong in his stage management duties."

As soon as the words were spoken, a commotion immediately broke out in the crowd.

"What? You're going to hire them as temporary workers?"

"These two kids are so young, what kind of work could they possibly do?"

"Hey, what are you saying? Dongwazi isn't much older than them, and he's doing just fine."

Liu Dezhu nudged Lin Datou on the shoulder and gave him a sly look: "Well done, Datou. Your nephew didn't get through the training program, but you managed to get Secretary Zhu to make him a temporary worker. You could say you turned misfortune into a blessing in disguise."

This time, Lin Datou, contrary to his usual behavior, didn't argue with Liu Dezhu. He rubbed his hands awkwardly and chuckled, "Isn't this all thanks to Secretary Zhu? Anyway, it's not like I'm a permanent employee. Having a temporary job to do is a blessing for Gouwa, as long as I can make a living."

Fatty Qin winked at him: "Big Head, Secretary Zhu helped you so much, are you planning to continue following Old Jia's lead?"

Lin Datou just gave an awkward grin but didn't respond. But anyone with eyes could see that after today, one of Jia Dafang's four generals would likely defect from Cao Cao's camp.

Even after the event ended and the crowd dispersed, Lin Gouwa and Li Mancang, who were standing in front of the stage, were still grinning foolishly.

The performance at Xiqiaopo had already ended. If it weren't for waiting for Zhu Zhengguo and Lin Datou to finish giving their statements at the police station, the county troupe would have been heading back to the county town much earlier that morning.

The tractor was already waiting outside the school gate, just waiting for the props to be loaded onto the truck.

After breakfast, the production crew busied themselves dismantling the stage. Chen Xiangdong called Lin Gouwa and Li Mancang, and together they carried the knife and gun handles, loading the already sorted and packed costumes and prop boxes onto the truck bed.

Just after nine o'clock, everything was loaded onto the trucks, and five tractors carrying the troupe staff and performance props sped away from Xiqiaopo. By the time they returned to the troupe's compound, it was already past two in the afternoon.

Yu Baoliang, who stayed behind at the troupe, had already kneaded the dough until it was smooth and rested it thoroughly. He rolled it into large sheets and layered them, then carefully cut it into several large basins. After hearing the sound of the tractor driving into the courtyard, he quickly used a large iron strainer to scoop the dough into the pot.

The employees, who were already starving, lined up in a long queue at the canteen window, with someone shouting from time to time, "Give us more, we're all starving!"

After returning, Fatty Qin and Li Qiufang quickly washed their hands and went into the kitchen to help Yu Baoliang with the cooking.

Li Qiufang deftly scooped out the noodles, while Fatty Qin lined up the large bowls at the window and sprinkled them with chopped green onions, soy sauce, salt, and minced garlic.

The white noodles are scooped out and placed in a large bowl. A layer of chili powder is sprinkled on top, and then a spoonful of boiling hot oil is poured over them. With a "sizzle," the aroma of the scalded chili powder and the fragrance of scallions and garlic instantly fill the entire canteen.

Chen Xiangdong and Li Mancang each held a large bowl, squatted at the entrance of the canteen, and slurped up the noodles with gusto, not minding the heat.

Li Mancang wolfed down his food, smacking his lips as he ate: "It's so delicious! I haven't had such fragrant oil-splashed noodles in ages."

Chen Xiangdong laughed and said, "Eat slowly, no rush. If you're not full, you can get another bowl later."

Li Mancang devoured a large bowl of noodles in less than two minutes. He let out a satisfied burp and smiled somewhat sheepishly at Chen Xiangdong: "Brother Xiangdong, I'm full. Is there any work to do this afternoon?"

Chen Xiangdong slurped the last noodle into his mouth, wiped his mouth, and said, "The props are all taken down, and there's nothing else to do. The job of stage manager is actually only busy during performances; otherwise, it's quite relaxed."

As he spoke, he remembered something else and asked, "By the way, has Secretary Zhu arranged a place for you to stay?"

Li Mancang nodded: "Secretary Zhu told me to stay in the woodshed first, and Lin Gouwa will share a dormitory with Teacher Lin."

"Hey, what a coincidence! I just moved out of the woodshed and you moved in right after." He laughed and said, "This is fate between us brothers."

Li Mancang also chuckled foolishly.

"Mancang, where are you from? Your accent doesn't sound like someone from Dongping County."

When this topic came up, Li Mancang's expression visibly stiffened for a moment, and he stammered, "My hometown is... Linshi County..."

Upon hearing this, Chen Xiangdong was taken aback and exclaimed in surprise, "Linshi County? That place is nearly two hundred miles away from Dongping County. How did you manage to travel so far to Dongping County?"

In the 1970s, traveling across counties and cities was not easy.

Without a letter of introduction, it's almost impossible to move an inch, let alone find a hotel or a meal.

Chen Xiangdong could hardly imagine how Li Mancang, a half-grown child with no money, had traveled all the way from Linshi County, 200 miles away, to Dongping County.

Li Mancang lowered his head, his hands tightly gripping the hem of his tattered cotton-padded jacket with the cotton batting showing through, a clear look of panic flashing in his eyes.

Chen Xiangdong immediately realized that this kid probably didn't come to Dongping County through the proper channels...

Li Mancang was unwilling to talk about it, so he stopped asking and stood up with his bowl in his hand: "Anyway, there's not much work this afternoon. I'll show you around the courtyard so you can get familiar with the troupe's environment."

As he spoke, he patted Li Mancang on the shoulder, who was looking up at him, and said with a smile, "Now that you've joined the troupe, we're all family, so don't be so reserved. The people in the troupe are all really nice; you'll see once you've been here a while. By the way, you haven't received your bedding and uniform yet, have you? You're new here, so you might not know where the production crew office is. Come on, I'll show you there."

Li Mancang grunted in response, stood up, and gave him a grateful look: "Thank you, Brother Xiang Dong."

"Don't mention it. If you encounter any trouble in the future, just tell me. You've been calling me 'Big Brother' for so long, shouldn't I take care of you, my little brother?"

Chen Xiangdong waved his hand, and Li Mancang grinned, following behind him as they walked through the student dormitory and headed towards the front yard.