Returning to the county opera troupe in 77

Jia Dafang and Zhu Zhengguo, who had rushed back from Hongzhou, didn't even have time to drink water before they started shouting excitedly in the courtyard as soon as they entered the troupe's compound.

Jia Dafang stood in the front yard, a smile he couldn't hide on his face, and ordered Qiao Haizhu, who was peeking out of the canteen with a steamed bun in his hand, "Qiao Haizhu! Go and call all the trainees to the back yard, prepare for a meeting!"

Zhu Zhengkuo wasn't idle either; he was waving towards the staff dormitory: "Ma Dongmei! Quickly notify all staff members to come to the backyard; we have important news to announce!"

He was holding a briefcase, waving it at Ma Dongmei, and grinning broadly with a ruddy complexion.

Hearing the commotion, Chen Xiangdong also came out of the canteen and glanced at Zhu Zhengkuo: "Secretary Zhu, you just got back and haven't eaten yet, have you? Why don't you have a bowl of porridge to tide you over?"

To everyone's surprise, Zhu Zheng waved his hand confidently and said with a smile, "No rush, let's finish announcing the important news first before we eat."

As soon as he finished speaking, he turned and started walking towards the backyard.

Before eight o'clock, employees and trainees who had received the meeting notice were already gathering in twos and threes in the backyard.

Li Zhangqing, munching on half a black steamed bun, squeezed next to Chen Xiangdong, his cheeks bulging, and asked indistinctly, "Brother Xiangdong, what's this meeting so early in the morning? Is there any important news?"

Chen Xiangdong thought for a moment, then lowered his voice: "I reckon it's about the Hongzhou performance. Looks like our troupe got a pretty good ranking; didn't you see Old Jia and Old Zhu grinning from ear to ear?"

Liu Dezhu, wearing those sunglasses, leaned closer and gestured with his chin toward Jia Dafang at the front of the crowd: "Didn't we already know before we came back? 9.7, that's at least in the top five."

Fatty Qin wiped his hands on his apron and muttered, "If we win an award, won't everyone get an extra two pounds of meat for the New Year? It's been ten years since my second uncle and the others left, when has our troupe ever received any honors?"

"All you're thinking about are those two pounds of meat!" He Jianshe chuckled. "Can't you have some higher aspirations?"

Fatty Qin rolled his eyes at him: "I'm in charge of the ladle in the kitchen. If I'm not eyeing the meat, am I eyeing doing backbends and splits?"

More and more people gathered in the backyard, whispering and murmuring amongst themselves. Seeing that most of the people had arrived, Jia Dafang cleared his throat and raised his hand to quell the noise until it subsided before speaking:

"Comrades, I've called you all here today to announce some important news!"

He paused deliberately, his gaze sweeping over the faces looking at him: "Our Dongping County Troupe won the first prize for outstanding performance in the Hongzhou region at this year's Hongzhou performance!"

"What?"

A chorus of gasps erupted from the audience!

"First place! Really?"

"Us? Number one in Hongzhou?"

"So...does that mean we've turned things around?"

A cacophony of surprises and disbelief erupted in the courtyard.

Upon hearing the news, Chen Xiangdong was also stunned. He got first place with a score of 9.7.

He clearly remembered that in his previous life, a county theater troupe had won first place with a score of 9.8!

History has once again taken a wrong turn... but no matter what, it's a good thing.

"Ahem!"

Zhu Zheng coughed twice, waved his hand to signal for quiet, and then said with a smile, "Let me correct you, it's a tie for first place! Linfeng County also got 9.7 points, tying us for first prize in Hongzhou."

"Yes, yes! Tied for first place, that's still first place!"

Jia Dafang, hands on his hips, laughed and said, "No matter what, we've really made a name for ourselves in the entire Hongzhou region this time! Yesterday, I already reported this great news to the county by phone. The county leaders also said they'll try to give everyone a month's salary as a reward! To encourage everyone for this significant honor they've brought to Dongping County!"

These words were like a bombshell dropped into the water, and the crowd instantly erupted in cheers.

Ultimately, no honor is as real as cash, and this month's salary bonus is something you can actually pocket.

Li Zhangqing, Fu Xiaoyue, and the other students were so excited that they jumped up and down on the spot, cheering excitedly.

They received their first paycheck at the beginning of this month, and just a few days later, they're getting paid again. How can they not be happy?

Zhu Zhengke continued, "In addition, Comrade Lu Meiyin won the Outstanding Performance Award, and the orchestra won the Outstanding Accompaniment Award! Furthermore, next year our troupe will participate in the provincial opera performance competition together with the Linfeng County Troupe. So, in the coming year, everyone must continue to work hard, rehearse new plays well, and strive to win another major award!"

"good!"

Another round of loud cheers erupted from below.

Chen Xiangdong was also delighted. He had only been a government employee for a short time, but he had already received his salary several times. When he took leave to go home in a while, his parents would be overjoyed to see all this money.

Liu Dezhu grinned widely, showing off to the people around him, clearly genuinely happy: "Look! My apprentice went up to play the drums and even won an award for outstanding accompaniment! If it were an old hand like me playing, what would happen?"

Lin Datou rolled his eyes: "You're crooked, you're crooked, okay?!"

Fatty Qin waved his hand in the crowd and shouted, "Our troupe has finally had its moment after all these years! Tonight, the kitchen will prepare a special dish to cheer everyone up!"

"What's the main dish, Master Qin?"

Someone in the crowd immediately chimed in, their voice filled with delight and a hint of teasing, "Is it steamed pork with rice flour? I love that!"

"Stewed mixed fish would also be good; the flavor is wonderful!"

A group of people joined in the commotion, but Fatty Qin just smiled mysteriously: "Just wait, I guarantee you'll all be eaten without a sound!"

As the meeting ended, the troupe members went about their own business. Chen Xiangdong walked slowly, but he was thinking about something else.

Next year, we will participate in the provincial performance competition. Judging from the current situation, for a considerable period of time, the entire troupe will probably be focused on "The Storm in Miaoling", rehearsing new plays, refining singing techniques, assembling the orchestra, and repeatedly polishing the script.

What others didn't know, he knew very well that the old plays would be unbanned next year, and those plays that were suppressed back then, the veteran artists that were shelved, and the costumes that were buried at the bottom of the prop box would all come back to the stage.

Those veteran artists who have been frustrated and unfulfilled, those stars who have honed their skills in old opera troupes all their lives, are about to return to the spotlight.

If we continue down the current path and spend nearly a year rehearsing "The Storm of Miaoling," it will coincide with the lifting of the ban on old plays. No matter how much modern plays are polished, they will be as thin as a piece of paper that can be torn at the slightest touch in the face of the overwhelming influx of "old-fashioned" plays.

The outcome of the simulation is predictable.

He was considering whether to give the troupe some advance preparation, or at least come up with a way to invite the three masters, Feng, Fang, and Han, to come out of retirement early and train a group of capable newcomers for the troupe.

It definitely won't work with Jia Dafang; he was the one who reported and persecuted the three masters back then.

On the other hand, Zhu Zhengkuo's side might be a possibility. Perhaps we should find an opportunity to sound him out first?

"Dongwazi! Hey, over here!"

Just as he was thinking about how to bring it up with Zhu Zheng, a voice suddenly came from the front.

Looking up, I saw Fatty Qin chuckling as he approached, rubbing his hands together and saying, "Come on, lend me a hand."