Returning to the county opera troupe in 77

An emergency mobilization meeting lasted less than twenty minutes before it turned into a collective criticism and grievance session.

Every time Jia Dafang was about to speak, he was interrupted by a chorus of complaints. Eventually, he could only wave his hand helplessly and awkwardly end the meeting: "Sigh, alright, alright, let's adjourn. We'll discuss the specifics later. Everyone, go back to your own business."

The crowd quickly dispersed, gathering in twos and threes to discuss their departure.

Liu Dezhu chuckled and patted Guo Jufu on the shoulder: "Old Jia is oversimplifying things. Does he really think everyone in our troupe is a god? Who can put together a new play in just a few days?"

He Jianshe, who was standing next to him, sighed: "He wants the troupe to get a new play so that they can show their face at the Hongzhou performance, but they also have to consider the actual situation."

Chen Xiangdong followed behind the group with a furrowed brow, his mind racing with thoughts: if he forced himself to perform "The Storm of Miaoling," the end result would probably be a major setback, and he would also lose face for the Dongping County Troupe.

But since I know this path is a dead end, I can't just stand by and watch everyone jump into the pit.

He turned his head and glanced behind him. Jia Dafang had already disappeared, while Zhu Zhengwei and Han Wenxue were still standing there, looking worried, chatting idly.

Chen Xiangdong paused, thought for a moment, then turned and walked towards them.

"Time is so tight, I'm really afraid our troupe will botch the performance. Old Han, what should we do?" Zhu Zhengwei sighed.

"This performance is the largest in Hongzhou in recent years. It's said to be for selecting promising talents and choosing the best for next year's provincial-level outstanding drama showcase." Han Wenxue's eyebrows furrowed, and he sighed, "The provincial leaders will be coming to watch. If we mess this up, our troupe will be embarrassed."

Zhu Zheng rubbed his hands together, as anxious as an ant on a hot pan: "Suddenly moving the performance date forward by two or three months, is this not going to kill us?!"

Han Wenxue gave a wry smile: "Then what do you suggest we do? The official document has already been issued, and the schedule for Hongzhou region has been adjusted so that 15 county troupes will perform on the same stage... Sigh, I'm so worried."

Chen Xiangdong had already walked up to the two men when he stopped in his tracks: "Secretary Zhu, Deputy Regiment Commander Han."

The two looked over at the same time. Zhu Zheng saw that it was Chen Xiangdong, and his expression softened slightly: "Oh, it's Xiangdong. What's up?"

Chen Xiangdong carefully chose his words: "Secretary Zhu, I think few people in our entire regiment agree with what Commander Jia said at the meeting. The biggest concern is that we won't have enough time... I have an idea, but I don't know if it's appropriate."

Zhu Zheng nodded and said, "Just bring up any ideas you have. We'll discuss whether they're suitable or not together."

Chen Xiangdong thought for a moment and said, "Let's not talk about costumes and props for now. Let's just talk about how our troupe is under too much time. We have less than ten days to rush into rehearsing a new play. We haven't even memorized the lines properly, our singing is stumbling, and we haven't even practiced the scene transitions and blocking. If we suddenly get stuck while singing, the drumbeats are out of sync, and the lighting can't keep up with the actors' steps, it'll be a huge joke."

Han Xuewen nodded: "That's exactly what we're worried about..."

"So," Chen Xiangdong continued, "I was thinking, instead of trying to grab attention with a half-baked, flawed new play, why not perform some well-established, reliable plays?"

After he finished speaking, he looked at the reactions of the two men. Zhu Zhengwei and Han Wenxue both frowned and remained silent.

"I feel that when the provincial authorities come to inspect, they're looking at the overall quality of the performance, not necessarily something new and unconventional. 'The Storm of Miaoling' is really risky; if it flops, we'll be at the bottom of the rankings in Hongzhou. Our 'Ode to Qin Chuan' isn't a new play, but we've been working on it for so many years; we could rehearse it with our eyes closed. At the very least, we should get a mid-to-upper-tier ranking, right?"

Zhu Zhengwei's tightly furrowed brows relaxed slightly: "So you mean...?"

Seeing that Zhu Zheng was somewhat tempted, Chen Xiangdong quickly pressed his advantage: "Our troupe wants to perform a new play at the festival and make a good impression on the provincial leaders. Don't the other troupes have the same idea? If everyone performs a half-baked new play, many troupes will definitely make mistakes. Why don't we just play it safe and aim for a decent ranking, rather than something outstanding? That's better than finishing at the bottom...right?"

He deliberately dragged out the last syllable, while also observing the expressions of the two people.

Zhu Zheng, quick-witted as ever, was indeed somewhat swayed by what he said. He said in a deep voice, "What Xiang Dong said does make some sense..."

On the other side, Han Wenxue shook his head and looked at Zhu Zhengkuo: "The old play is sure to be a success, but the problem is with Director Jia... He's determined to win an innovation award for that new play. Can we persuade him?"

"This..." Zhu Zhengwei was immediately at a loss. The troupe was still under the control of Jia Dafang, and he, the newly transferred secretary, was not sure if he could persuade Jia Dafang.

Chen Xiangdong chuckled and said, "We haven't submitted the performance list yet, so we still have time."

"What do you mean?"

Zhu Zheng and Han Wenxue both looked over, and saw Chen Xiangdong holding up two fingers: "Let's tell Commander Jia this: to ensure the performance goes perfectly, we need to have two plans. First, we'll work overtime to rehearse 'The Storm of Miaoling.' Second, we'll have a backup plan: we'll use 'Ode to Qin Chuan' as a substitute. We'll rehearse the new play first, and before going to Hongzhou, we'll have an internal dress rehearsal to see how it goes. If it's really unsatisfactory, then we'll switch to the second plan."

Zhu and Han's eyes lit up immediately. Zhu Zheng smiled and said, "You're really clever, kid! This method may sound a bit 'slippery,' but it has somehow found a way out."

Han Wenxue laughed and patted Chen Xiangdong on the shoulder: "Hey, you're quick-witted! After the rehearsal, there won't be much time left. Even if Lao Jia is stubborn, he can't gamble with the reputation of our entire troupe, can he?"

Chen Xiangdong then flashed that harmless, simple smile again: "Hehe, I just want our group to get better."

Zhu Zheng thought for a moment and muttered, "It's best to keep this a secret from everyone, so that no one will let it slip and it will reach Lao Jia's ears."

Han Wenxue nodded in agreement, "Yes, yes, the fewer people who know, the better!"

Seeing that both of them were looking at him, Chen Xiangdong quickly patted his chest and said, "Secretary Zhu, Deputy Regiment Commander Han, don't worry, I'll keep my mouth shut."

After confirming the feasibility of this method, Zhu Zhengguo and Han Wenxue couldn't wait to go and discuss it with Jia Dafang.

Chen Xiangdong breathed a sigh of relief as he watched the two figures hurriedly leave.