Returning to the county opera troupe in 77

The list of people going to Hongzhou to participate in the performance was finally finalized the day before departure.

A group of people stood on tiptoe to watch in front of the red paper posted outside the rehearsal hall.

Lu Meiyin plays the female lead, Pan Lanxiang is still the second female lead, and He Jianshe is still the male lead.

Qiao Haizhu and Lin Datou looked at the names on the list and couldn't help but sigh.

Qiao Haizhu remains the same eternal second male lead, while Lin Datou is on the list this time, but his assigned position is not the drummer he longs for, but the cymbal player... still a minor character as always.

Chen Xiangdong was short, so he could only squeeze to the front to see the list. When he saw the name Chen Xiangdong in the "drummer" column of the band's list, he couldn't help but grin and excitedly pump his fist.

Finally, I got a chance to play!

After this performance, he finally got a place in the troupe and was no longer the stagehand whose name no one could remember.

That evening, the cafeteria made an exception and added two dishes as a farewell meal for everyone.

The next day, just as dawn was breaking.

Two long-distance buses, which the troupe had arranged in advance, came from the county bus station, followed by a large Liberation truck specifically for transporting props.

Chen Xiangdong got up early, quickly made his bed, put on his work clothes, turned up his collar neatly in front of the small mirror, wet his comb, combed his hair into a three-seven part, looked at himself in the mirror from side to side, and became more and more satisfied.

After this makeover, he actually does resemble a handsome young man with delicate features.

"Dongwa, hurry up, the car's here!"

A shout came from outside the door, and Chen Xiangdong hurriedly replied, "Coming, coming!" He quickly picked up the burlap sack containing the drum from the corner of the wall and stepped outside.

I hurried to the troupe's gate and saw three vehicles parked there. The last one, a large Jiefang truck, was half-loaded with prop boxes, while the two older buses in front had their doors open, and the troupe members were lining up to get on.

"Here! Here!"

He Jianshe, standing at the door of the bus ahead, waved to him. Chen Xiangdong quickly took two steps and boarded the bus.

The seats in front were all occupied, so he carried the sack and walked straight to the back. A person sitting by the window in the back row made him pause in surprise.

"Master! What brings you here?"

The man wearing sunglasses by the car window is none other than Liu Dezhu.

Lu Meiyin sat next to Liu Dezhu, smiling as she pointed to the empty seat across the aisle: "Sit here, no one's here."

Chen Xiangdong nodded with a smile, stuffed the sack under his seat, and as soon as he sat down, he saw Liu Dezhu turn his head towards him: "Commander Jia was worried that you might get stage fright, so he asked me to come along and cheer you on."

Lu Meiyin turned to the side and gave Liu Dezhu a reproachful look: "What do you mean by Commander Jia! Are you trying to save face for yourself? Yesterday you were muttering that with such a big show, Dongwa was worried that he might be embarrassed since it was his first time seeing such a scene. You kept pestering me to take you to find Commander Jia so you could come along and keep Dongwa in check."

A few low chuckles immediately rang out from the front row seats. He Jianshe turned around from the front row and laughed, "You rascal, you always like to pat yourself on the back. You said Commander Jia invited you? Turns out you begged to come."

Liu Dezhu, his secret exposed in public, immediately blushed and nudged Lu Meiyin's arm with his shoulder, muttering, "You talk the most!"

Lu Meiyin wasn't annoyed. She smiled and turned to look out the window: "Who told you to always act so important?"

Seeing Liu Dezhu's embarrassed expression, Chen Xiangdong felt a surge of warmth in his heart. He could clearly feel the care and concern these three masters, Liu Dezhu, Fang Zhengsheng, and Feng Zhengxiao, had for him.

He chuckled and said, "With my master backing me up, what am I afraid of! I'll just bang on it with all my might!"

Liu Dezhu didn't say anything, but the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curl up slightly, thinking to himself that his apprentice was still giving him face...

The straight-line distance from Dongping County to Hongzhou is only a little over two hours by car.

Although the road was winding and full of twists and turns, it was a newly built asphalt road. The bus ran smoothly and steadily on it, and the passengers did not feel any bumps at all. It was much more comfortable than when we went to the countryside to perform, when we were jostled around in the sidecar of a tractor and our bones felt like they were going to fall apart.

Before 10 o'clock, the bus entered Hongzhou City.

Chen Xiangdong wiped the hazy fog off the window and looked out at Hongzhou City, which was much larger than Dongping County, and couldn't help but feel a little emotional.

Along the wide main road, most of the buildings are three or four stories high with gray brick walls. Pedestrians and bicycles surge back and forth like a tide, and occasionally a few stylish Volga cars drive past the bus, always eliciting exclamations of surprise from the passengers.

"This is a big city after all! Look at those cars, so stylish! I've never seen cars like that in Dongping County!"

"Isn't that obvious? Can a county town and a prefecture be considered the same?"

Amidst the laughter and chatter of the group, the bus turned onto a narrow street and stopped in front of the Hongzhou Grand Theater.

This performance is of great significance, and all three main leaders of the troupe came along by car.

At the theater entrance, the staff warmly greeted Jia Dafang and Zhu Zhengguo, shook hands and exchanged pleasantries for a while, and then led the Dongping County Troupe towards the guesthouse opposite the theater.

As we entered, the receptionist smiled apologetically at us and explained, "There are so many people participating in this performance that almost all the guesthouses in Hongzhou City are full. This guesthouse across from our theater is occupied not only by the Dongping County troupe but also by the Shiyao County troupe. Because rooms are limited, we'll have to make do with two people per room. The conditions are basic, and we're really sorry."

As soon as he finished speaking, Han Wenxue waved his hand with a smile: "When we went to the countryside to perform, what didn't we stay in cowsheds and thatched huts? Being able to share a room with two people is already a high-level treatment."

Some people in the crowd chuckled and echoed, carrying their luggage and prop boxes as they surged into the guesthouse.

Chen Xiangdong and Lu Meiyin helped Liu Dezhu and followed behind the crowd. As they walked, they noticed that the people in front of them suddenly slowed down and all looked toward the counter in the lobby.

At the counter, a man with gray hair was leaning to the side, whispering something to the accommodation manager behind the counter. Although the man's light gray Zhongshan suit had faded a bit from washing, the way he stood there gave off an air of uprightness and integrity, like a pine tree.

Han Wenxue, who was walking at the front, squinted at the man's profile for two seconds, then his expression suddenly froze. He exclaimed in astonishment, "Brother Kui?"

Jia Dafang, standing beside him, frowned slightly, clearly recognizing the man. Zhu Zhengkuo, carrying a briefcase, looked completely bewildered, glancing around before whispering to Jia Dafang, "Who is this?"

Jia Dafang kept a straight face and didn't say a word.

The man called "Brother Kui" turned around in surprise. When he saw that it was Han Wenxue opposite him, his face was full of surprise: "Wenxue? You guys live here too?"

He Jianshe, who was in the crowd, quickly went to greet him, exclaiming with delight, "Oh my, it really is Brother Kui!"

"Brother Kui? Where is he?" Hearing the commotion, Liu Dezhu excitedly gripped Chen Xiangdong's hand.

Chen Xiangdong followed the crowd's gaze and was taken aback when he saw the man's appearance.

Han Zhengkui? What's he doing here?