Returning to the county opera troupe in 77

Who is Han Zhengkui?

Everyone in the troupe who is a bit older knows him.

The once-famous "Number One Martial Clown of Northern Shaanxi" possessed superb stage skills, with his acrobatic tumbling and falling movements clean and nimble. When he played Shi Qian, the Drummer, he could walk around the table on his feet without spilling a drop of water from the teacup he was holding.

The three pillars of the Dongping County Opera Troupe were Fang Zhengsheng, a martial arts actor; Feng Zhengxiao, a painted-face actor; and Han Zhengkui, a martial arts clown.

In that heyday, these three would put on a show, and wherever they went, the theater was always packed. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say they were incredibly popular throughout much of Northwest China.

However, as things changed, he and Feng Zhengxiao had to leave for distant lands due to some special reasons. And this departure lasted for a full ten years.

Chen Xiangdong helped Liu Dezhu squeeze through the crowd to Han Zhengkui and called out, "Brother Kui, do you still recognize me?"

Han Zhengkui stared at Liu Dezhu, who was wearing sunglasses, for a moment, then looked surprised and asked, "Liu Dezhu? Hey, what happened to you, you idiot?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Dezhu's face darkened, while Lu Meiyin, He Jianshe, and the others beside him couldn't help but burst out laughing. Liu Dezhu hurriedly waved his hands and said, "I'm not blind, I'm not blind, I just have an eye disease, it'll be fine in a while."

"It hurts your eyes?"

Seeing that Han Zhengkui still seemed somewhat suspicious, Han Wenxue quickly coughed and changed the subject: "By the way, Brother Kui, what are you doing here? Are you still performing?"

Hearing this, Han Zhengkui's eyes drooped slightly, and he shook his head with a smile: "After wandering outside for so many years, I'm tired too. A couple of years ago, I joined the Shiyao County Theater Troupe with an old friend, and now I only occasionally go on stage to play minor roles... For us old folks, we're content as long as we can make a living."

Although he spoke casually, everyone present could still detect a hint of melancholy in his words.

In this life, Han Zhengkui doesn't know Chen Xiangdong yet, but Chen Xiangdong has long had his eye on him.

In his previous life, he had personally witnessed Han Zhengkui's performance on stage after the old opera was unbanned. He was almost sixty years old, yet his movements were as agile as a nimble ape. He flipped, kicked, and pounced, landing silently with his feet moving so quickly that it was as if he were stepping on a string of scattered beads, creating a gust of wind on the stage.

Now, Fang Zhengsheng and Feng Zhengxiao have both become Chen Xiangdong's masters, and he has absorbed their skills one by one. But Han Zhengkui's agile kung fu is something he can't help but envy.

Thinking about it is one thing, but figuring out how to bring it up is another.

Just as he was pondering how to get closer to Han Zhengkui, Liu Dezhu spoke up first: "Shiyao County? Why don't you go back to our Dongping County? Hei Ye came back a while ago and is now living in the theater with Fang Ye."

Han Zhengkui was taken aback: "Old Hei went back?"

"It's been almost a month since I got back," Liu Dezhu said with a smile. "When you come back too, wouldn't it be perfect for the rest of us to get together, have a few drinks, and maybe even get a seat around the table?"

"This..." Han Zhengkui's expression shifted slightly, his mind indeed stirred.

Chen Xiangdong watched this unfold, a smile playing on his lips. He couldn't help but secretly give Liu Dezhu a thumbs up. As long as he could persuade Han Zhengkui to return, the apprenticeship arrangement would be a sure thing.

Just then, a bald old man walked over from the second-floor stairwell. His head was shiny and smooth, and even when he wasn't smiling, his eyes exuded a cheerful air. His eyes were like two black beans embedded in his face, making people want to laugh just by looking at him.

He waved to Han Zhengkui from a distance: "Old Han! What are you dawdling for? I've already torn up the roast chicken and poured the wine, just waiting for you."

Han Zhengkui raised his hand to the man and replied, "Coming, coming," then smiled at Liu Dezhu and the others, "That's my old buddy, the one I met back in the day when we were performing in a troupe in southern Shaanxi. His name is Mao Shidao. He was a household name as a clown in that area of ​​southern Shaanxi."

Liu Dezhu, Han Wenxue, and even Chen Xiangdong had never heard of the name Mao Shidao.

But one person in the crowd suddenly changed his expression. Zhu Zheng stared at the bald head and blurted out in surprise, "Is he Mao Shidao, the famous clown who caused a sensation throughout southern Shaanxi with his performance of 'The Great Coffin Splitting'?"

As soon as he said that, everyone else turned to look at him in astonishment.

Mao Shidao had already strolled up to him, his beady black eyes scanning Zhu Zhengqu's face. He seemed surprised that anyone could recognize him: "You recognize me?"

Zhu Zhengguo had already taken a few steps forward to greet him, grasped Mao Shidao's hands with both of them, and said with unusual excitement in his voice: "Hello, Master Mao! My hometown is in southern Shaanxi. I was fortunate enough to see your performance before! That year, you performed 'The Great Coffin Splitting' and 'Rolling Lantern Bowl' on the stage in Huailin Township, and I was sitting down watching you."

Mao Shidao was taken aback at first, then sighed with some emotion: "That must have been many years... I never expected to meet someone from my hometown here. It's not easy, not easy at all."

Jia Dafang took the room key, walked past the group with a dark expression, and muttered, "Always getting mixed up with these scum and remnants..."

This caused Chen Xiangdong, Liu Dezhu, and others to frown.

Han Zhengkui and Mao Shidao seemed used to being pointed at and talked about, and didn't react much. Zhu Zhengkui, however, glanced unhappily at Jia Dafang's retreating figure and whispered, "Ignore him. Mao Shi, why aren't you in southern Shaanxi? Why did you go to Shiyao County?"

Mao Shidao and Han Zhengkui exchanged a glance, then reached up and touched their bald heads, saying with a wry smile, "Sigh, it's a long story... Alright, let's not talk about it anymore. Our troupe is performing the day after tomorrow, so we'll have to stay here for two more days. I'm staying in room 201. Come up and chat with me when you have time."

After saying that, he patted Han Zhengkui on the shoulder, and the two went upstairs one after the other.

Watching Mao Shidao's figure disappear at the top of the stairs, Zhu Zheng clicked his tongue twice and muttered to himself, "What a pity for the amazing skills of these old artists... Sigh, I wonder if they'll ever see the light of day again..."

The Dongping County Troupe's accommodations were arranged on the third and fourth floors. Chen Xiangdong helped Liu Dezhu and followed the room number to find room 319 at the end of the corridor on the third floor.

The room was small, with two single beds against the wall and a red-painted wooden coffee table between them.

Chen Xiangdong helped Liu Dezhu to lie down on the bed by the window. He rested his head on his hands and suddenly sighed inexplicably, "Back then, the veteran performers of the Dongping County Opera Troupe were all incredibly skilled. When I first joined the troupe, I remember that wherever the troupe went, the fans followed, and the theater was always packed..."

Chen Xiangdong also sighed, "Ah, if only these people could be on stage again... I've never seen a proper performance of an old play."

Liu Dezhu's walnut-shaped eyes could now open only a tiny slit. Using that faint light, he turned to look at Chen Xiangdong: "Hey, don't think too much about it. Tomorrow our troupe will be the first to perform. Let's take advantage of this time to go over the rhythm again. If we're confident, we won't panic when we're performing."

Chen Xiangdong nodded: "Okay, give me some more feedback, and let's see if we can finish it in one go tomorrow."

However, before he could finish speaking, there was a knock on the door.

The master and apprentice looked up at the same time, and Liu Dezhu called out towards the door, "Who is it?"

There was a moment of silence outside the door, followed by a reply: "It's me, Han Zhengkui."