Returning to the county opera troupe in 77

"Simmer it for over an hour, then braise it for another two hours, and the offal will be ready to eat."

As various spices were thrown into the large pot, an enticing aroma immediately wafted from the bright red broth.

Chen Xiangdong closed the pot lid, patted the spice residue off his hands, and saw Li Mancang beside him twitching his nose and swallowing his saliva. He couldn't help but laugh: "Don't rush, I'll serve you a bowl when it's done cooking."

Li Mancang chuckled and glanced at Qin Pangzi and the others: "Then I want to eat gourd head soup!"

Fatty Qin grinned: "You little coward, you actually have a good appetite. Of all the intestines, the gourd head is the chewiest. Since you put in the effort today, I'll give you two large intestine heads, is that enough?"

"That's enough, that's enough!" Li Mancang nodded repeatedly like a chick pecking at rice, his mouth almost crooked from smiling. "It's only by following Brother Xiang Dong that we can eat well."

"So, the job of tending the fire today is yours?" Chen Xiangdong squatted in front of the stove, poking at the sparking firewood with fire tongs:

Li Mancang immediately patted his chest and assured him, "Don't worry, I guarantee I'll complete the mission!"

Fatty Qin used a spoon to skim the foam off the surface of the soup noodles along the edge of the pot, then looked back at Chen Xiangdong: "Once the beef offal stew is ready, send some over to my second uncle and the others."

Chen Xiangdong laughed and said, "Sure, let's let Teacher Feng and the others try it first."

After saying that, he left the kitchen and headed towards the theater. Today he was going to learn the spear techniques of martial arts, and after a busy morning, he finally had some free time.

A few of the old rooms behind the theater had been vacated a few days ago, and Han Zhengkui and Feng Zhengxiao lived next to Fang Zhengsheng's small room.

As Chen Xiangdong approached the back door of the theater, he saw Feng Zhengxiao sitting on the steps, listening to a radio. Feng merely gestured with his chin as Chen Xiangdong walked over: "Your teacher Han has been waiting for you inside for ages. He said he'd teach you spear flourishes today. If you'd come any later, he probably would have gone to the theater troupe's compound to look for you."

"I've been busy preparing snacks for you guys to go with your drinks, I'll go right now." Chen Xiangdong chuckled and strode into the theater.

On stage, Han Zhengkui held a white waxwood spear, twirling the shaft in his palm. Hearing footsteps, he didn't even look up before saying, "You're here? Take off your coat first, let me show you some spear tricks."

As soon as he finished speaking, Han Zhengkui flicked his wrist, and the white waxwood staff seemed to come alive. The spearhead drew an arc in the air, followed by a twist of his waist, the shaft circling around his chest. As the spear's momentum grew, he demonstrated its techniques while reciting the key points: "In the initial stance, the five-flower pattern on the chest behind the spear must alternate between left and right, three clockwise and three counterclockwise..."

After performing a set of spear flourishes, Chen Xiangdong's eyes lit up. The movements were clean and precise, with not even the hem of his training clothes swaying much, and not a single unnecessary movement.

Han Zhengkui tossed the rifle barrel to Chen Xiangdong: "Try practicing it once."

He took the gun barrel, weighed it in his hand, and imitated Han Zhengkui by twisting his waist and lowering his hips. With a flick of his wrist, the gun barrel did go out, but the direction was too far off.

Han Zhengkui didn't say anything. After watching him practice three times, when the spearhead went off course for the fourth time, he walked over and reached out to grasp Chen Xiangdong's wrist that was holding the spear: "Loosen your grip a little, don't hold it so tightly."

As he spoke, he supported Chen Xiangdong's elbow with his other hand: "Loosen up a bit more, let the gun barrel follow your palm."

They taught each other, correcting each other's mistakes one by one, and practiced for a full two hours until Chen Xiangdong was covered in sweat before they stopped.

"That's enough for today. Tomorrow, continue practicing the five-flower chest pose until you can circle it three times in a row without veering off course, then I'll teach you the next move."

As Han Zhengkui spoke, he walked to the edge of the stage, braced himself with one hand on the edge, and jumped off the stage cleanly and neatly: "Come back tonight, and I'll teach you somersaults."

As he spoke, he turned and glanced at Chen Xiangdong, who was still standing on the platform: "In the early stages of learning somersaults, you must practice in front of us. You are not allowed to practice on your own. Otherwise, it will be troublesome if you fall and get hurt."

Chen Xiangdong said "Oh" and followed him off the stage, heading towards the room at the back of the theater.

"Kid, do you know how to play 'The Thief of Armor'?" Han Zhengkui asked casually.

Chen Xiangdong shook his head: "I've never played it before. How about I go and look up Master Liu's drum scores?"

"It's been many years since I performed 'The Thief of Armor'..."

Han Zhengkui nodded and said with emotion, "When you've mastered the drumbeats, I'll perform it for you. That way you'll know what the martial arts skills of a clown are really like."

He clenched his fists tightly, then relaxed them. "So many years have passed since the old play was banned. My old arms and legs are practically rusted. Sigh, I don't know if I'll ever have the chance to step onto the stage again in my lifetime..."

He seemed to be talking to Chen Xiangdong, or perhaps to himself. His voice drifted into Fang Zhengsheng's small room, causing the two people inside to sigh as well.

Following closely behind Han Zhengkui into the house, Chen Xiangdong pursed his lips, hesitated for a moment, and then spoke: "Master, I feel that day may be coming soon."

"Um?"

Upon hearing this, Han Zhengkui suddenly stopped and turned to look at him. Fang Zhengsheng and Feng Zhengxiao, who were sitting in the room, also looked up at him at the same time.

"Who told you that?" Fang Zhengsheng was the first to ask.

Chen Xiangdong rested his hand on the doorframe and lowered his voice: "A few days ago, during the performance in Hongzhou, I heard them playing 'Forced to Join the Liangshan Rebels' on the radio. Even this play is being staged now, so isn't it just a matter of time before old plays are unbanned?"

Han Zhengkui's old eyes suddenly lit up, and he eagerly asked, "Did you really play 'Forced to Join the Liangshan Rebels' on the talk show?"

"Absolutely true!" Chen Xiangdong nodded. "I reckon that by next year at the latest, there will be official documents to lift the ban on a batch of older films. From now on, things will only get better."

Feng Zhengxiao stood up abruptly, his usually somber, dark face now glowing with a faint, excited red: "With 'Forced to Join the Liangshan Rebels' already out, how far behind can 'The Thief of Armor,' 'The Orphan of Zhao,' and 'Dragon Ridge' be?"

This is not a question, nor a doubt; it's more like finding a response to one's persistence over the years.

"Then shouldn't we start making plans now?" Han Zhengkui suddenly turned his head and glanced at Fang Zhengsheng and Feng Zhengxiao's faces.

"Shall we start rehearsing quietly now?" Feng Zhengxiao looked at Han Zhengkui uncertainly.

At this moment, Chen Xiangdong coughed and interjected, "I'm thinking, we can't just sit here and wait. We should start rehearsing, so that once the ban is lifted and the stage opens, we can go straight on stage. Otherwise, if the ban is lifted and everyone else is already on stage while we're still rehearsing, wouldn't we be at a disadvantage?"

Han, Feng, and Fang nodded in agreement, but Fang Zhengsheng frowned immediately: "But Jia Dafang is up to no good. Do you think he'll agree to let us go back on stage? Don't forget, he was the one who reported us back then."

"This..." Feng Zhengxiao and Han Zhengkui looked at each other in surprise.

Indeed, as the head of the county troupe, Jia Dafang would have little chance of bringing these three veteran artists back to the stage unless he agreed to speak up.

Chen Xiangdong shook his head: "It's indeed difficult to deal with Jia Dafang. But don't forget, he's not the only one in charge of the troupe now. There's also Secretary Zhu."

The three of them turned to look at him simultaneously, and Fang Zheng asked in a righteous voice, "Zhu Zhengkuo? He's willing to speak up for us?"

Chen Xiangdong chuckled: "It's all about human effort, how will you know if you don't try?"