Returning to the county opera troupe in 77

As the cry of "I'm going to die!" rang out in the threshing ground, the drumming and music abruptly stopped.

The musicians looked down at the crowd in astonishment, only to see that the crowd had become chaotic and was pushing and shoving towards the third row.

Liu Dezhu, still clutching the drumsticks, stared wide-eyed: "What's going on?"

Liu Qiaosheng and Han Wenxue also hurriedly peeked out from the side of the stage, their faces looking increasingly grim.

Han Wenxue shouted at the top of his lungs, "Don't panic! Don't panic, everyone!"

But nobody listened to him. Several women screamed, and the men jostled and pushed, scattering stools and baskets all over the floor.

The eldest son of the host family, dressed in a green military uniform, had already stood up and strode into the crowd with a livid face.

"Oh dear, I knew it! The fried cakes should have been fried again tonight. What if they get cold and choke on them?!"

The second son of the host family, a plump, bespectacled middle-aged man, glared at Song Yuanpeng beside him with a gloomy face: "Some people complain about wasting oil! My family is hosting such a grand event, do you think we're short of a few measly coins?"

Captain Song looked embarrassed, but this wasn't the time to argue. He quickly shouted into the crowd, "Donkey Egg, Cow Boy, what are you waiting for! Go down the mountain and fetch Doctor Li!"

The man in the green military uniform squeezed to the back of the crowd and, seeing the child whose face was bluish-purple, who was twitching and whose eyes were rolling back, also panicked a little.

The man in green uniform was throwing a grand birthday party for his father with the intention of returning home in glory and giving back to his fellow villagers. Who would have thought that this would happen? It's truly a terrible situation.

He said in a deep voice, "It's too late to call a doctor. People who have been going up and down the mountain have been delayed and died."

Captain Song squeezed in, sweating profusely: "What can we do if we don't call a doctor? This baby is going to die!"

Just then, Chen Xiangdong rushed over to the drum and music troupe, grabbed a gong, and plunged into the crowd, banging it as he ran. The loud "dong dong" of the gong startled everyone.

"Get out of the way! I can save this child!"

Whether it was the power of the shout or the shock of the gong that stunned the crowd, everyone inexplicably made way for each other.

Chen Xiangdong, who had finally squeezed to the front, threw the gong on the ground with a clang. The two brothers in green military uniforms immediately frowned: "What are you doing?"

Chen Xiangdong raised an eyebrow: "Of course, it's to save people!"

The second son of the Song family looked Chen Xiangdong up and down, then hesitated and said, "This... can a kid like you really do it?"

"Anyway, there are no doctors here. If we delay any longer, this child will really suffocate! We have to try to find out if it will work."

As Chen Xiangdong spoke, he grabbed the child whose eyes had rolled back, turned him over, hugged him from behind, and clenched his fists to slam them into the child's stomach—once, twice, three times!

The child opened and closed his mouth, and with a "poof," a sticky thing sprayed out of his mouth and fell to the ground with a "plop."

Immediately afterwards, the child burst into tears, his airway cleared, and his face gradually regained some color.

Those around were stunned for a moment, then burst into exclamations: "He's alive! The baby's alive!"

A woman rushed up and hugged the child, crying and laughing at the same time. Captain Song's legs went weak, and he almost collapsed to the ground, muttering, "God help me, God help me..."

The two brothers in green military uniforms stared blankly at the scene, their minds seemingly blank, and it took them a long time to come to their senses. The bespectacled younger brother looked Chen Xiangdong up and down, and asked in surprise, "You're not from Zaohuaigou, are you?"

Chen Xiangdong dusted off his hands, bent down to pick up the gong, and grinned at him: "My name is Chen Xiangdong, I'm the stage manager for the county theater troupe."

The man in the green military uniform walked over, grabbed his hand, and held it firmly: "Young comrade, thank you so much today! Otherwise, this joyous occasion for my family would have turned into a complete mess!"

The officer in the green uniform had a strong grip, and Chen Xiangdong's hand ached from the pressure. He laughed and pulled his hand away, saying, "You're too kind, sir. What a coincidence, what a coincidence."

Captain Song, standing nearby, also came over with a broad smile: "Oh my, this is truly a lifesaver! Kid, you've done our Zaohuaigou a huge favor!"

Chen Xiangdong waved his hand, thinking to himself, "Forget all this formalities, getting the show off smoothly is the most important thing." At that moment, Han Wenxue squeezed in, his face deathly pale, his voice trembling: "You really saved him?"

Before Chen Xiangdong could reply, the man in the green military uniform stepped forward with a beaming smile and took Han Wenxue's hand, saying, "He's saved! He's saved! Oh, we have to thank this young man from your theater troupe!"

Han Wenxue was immediately flattered.

He knew very well that the man in the green uniform in front of him was a high-ranking leader of a military region, and even county magistrates and mayors had to see if the man was willing to meet them.

Now, being able to shake hands with such an important figure, he was momentarily speechless: "Oh, it's just a trivial matter... Ah, no, sir, that's not what I meant!"

Han Wenxue hurriedly waved his hand to explain, "I mean, Dongwazi can save this child..." As he spoke, sweat beaded on his forehead, and the more anxious he became, the less coherent his words became.

The man in the green military uniform didn't seem to mind, laughing and patting him on the shoulder: "Alright, alright, I understand what you mean. Regardless, your theater troupe deserves credit for what happened today!"

Looking back at the child who had calmed down and was lying in his mother's arms, looking around blankly, the man in the green military uniform said, "He's alright now, let's start the opera."

Han Wenxue was about to nod when he heard him add, "After the performance, you and this Dong boy should come to my house for drinks. I really need to thank him properly."

Han Wenxue nodded hastily in agreement, his legs feeling like they were walking on cotton, and he stumbled backstage to arrange for the performance to continue. Chen Xiangdong followed closely behind him, whispering a reminder: "Deputy Director Han, watch your step."

Han Wenxue finally snapped out of his daze, abruptly stopped, turned around and stared at Chen Xiangdong for a while, making him feel uncomfortable, before suddenly slapping him on the shoulder: "Good lad!"

Chen Xiangdong grinned as he was slapped, and at that moment, Liu Qiao'er began to sing on the stage:

"The fiery red sun rises in the east."

The spring breeze carries the fragrance of a hundred flowers.

The birds in the trees are chirping.

The fish in the river are hidden in the water.

I'm clever and quick-witted.

They were busy weaving and spinning.

A cheer immediately erupted from the audience.

Pan Lanxiang was in excellent condition today, with a clear and powerful voice and a graceful figure, bringing Liu Qiao'er to life.

Cheers and applause rose and fell from the audience, and the two brothers in green military uniforms nodded and clapped incessantly, clearly very satisfied with the play.

The entire performance lasted three hours, and the applause and cheers never stopped until the curtain fell.

During the curtain call, Pan Lanxiang returned to the stage twice, with the audience still chanting "Another performance!" The host was genuinely pleased and threw a pack of Golden Monkey cigarettes and a bundle of cloth onto the stage—a truly dignified gesture for a rural opera performance.

Everyone was all smiles, except for Lu Meiyin, who stood with her hands on her hips in a corner of the audience, her face growing increasingly gloomy. She stared intently at Pan Lanxiang on stage, who was being surrounded by a group of people as she took her bow, her lips curling downwards.

Although there was a minor hiccup at the beginning of tonight's performance, the entire show was undoubtedly a great success.

From the undisguised joy on Pan Lanxiang's lips after removing her makeup, you could tell how happy she was inside.

Standing in the center of the stage, applause surged from all directions like a tidal wave. The feeling of being recognized and cherished made her truly experience the satisfaction that only the protagonist deserved.

However, Chen Xiangdong later heard that when they returned to the tent to rest after the curtain call, someone heard two women shouting and cursing at each other in the dark for half the night.

However, he couldn't possibly know any of this, as he was drinking at the host's house at the time.

The three men in green military uniforms repeatedly toasted him under the pretext of expressing their gratitude. How could he refuse a toast from the host? Before long, he had drunk so much that he blacked out.

It wasn't until dawn the next day that he opened his eyes and realized he was sleeping in a shed.

The threshing ground was noisy with people. Chen Xiangdong stared blankly at the canvas on the roof, which was whitened by the sunlight. His head felt like it had been hit by ten gongs, buzzing with pain.

"Oh, you're awake?"

Liu Dezhu smiled and handed over a bowl of millet porridge: "You little rascal, you can really drink, tsk tsk tsk... I heard from Deputy Regiment Commander Han that you drank quite a bit last night."

Chen Xiangdong took the bowl, took a sip with a bitter face, and felt his stomach churn as the hot porridge went down his throat. He quickly covered his mouth with one hand and waved his hand, saying, "Stop talking, my head is about to explode... I vomit whenever I hear the word 'alcohol' now."

Liu Dezhu laughed heartily: "You really made a big splash yesterday, kid. A high-ranking leader personally escorted you back and even called you 'brother'."

"What?"

Chen Xiangdong frowned and tried hard to recall, but his mind was a complete mess. He could only vaguely remember that the man in the green uniform was named Song Chengshan and that his second son was named Song Chenghai. After that, he couldn't remember anything else.