Returning to the county opera troupe in 77

After leaving the rehearsal hall, Chen Xiangdong went straight to the secretary's office on the second floor in the front row.

As soon as I went up the stairs, I saw Jia Dafang holding his enamel mug, leaning on the railing, craning his neck to look towards the rehearsal hall.

"Commander Jia, what's going on here..." Chen Xiangdong called out.

The sudden sound from behind startled Jia Dafang. He turned around abruptly and saw Chen Xiangdong. A fleeting look of panic crossed his face, followed by a mock cough and a gesture of lifting his teacup: "Oh, I'm emptying the tea leaves."

As he spoke, he raised his hand and splashed the remaining water out of the jar.

"Oh dear! Who is it!"

A scream came from downstairs.

Chen Xiangdong and Jia Dafang simultaneously leaned over the railing and looked down. They saw Lin Gouwa standing downstairs, his head and face covered in tea dregs, water droplets streaming down his face. The unfortunate boy wiped his face with a bitter expression and looked up at the building.

Jia Dafang's lips twitched: "What are you doing wandering around down there, kid!"

Lin Gouwa looked completely innocent, raising his hand to show the thermos: "I... I was carrying the kettle to get hot water! Who knew it would rain tea leaves from the sky..."

Seeing Lin Gouwa's aggrieved and timid appearance, Chen Xiangdong chuckled and then quickly suppressed it.

Jia Dafang was a little embarrassed, and waved his hand at Lin Gouwa with a stern face: "Alright, alright, go wipe it off!"

After saying that, he turned and went back into the house.

Lin Gouwa gave a bitter "Oh," brushed the tea leaves off his head, and slunk away with his thermos.

Zhu Zheng's office was on the second floor, at the far west end. Chen Xiangdong walked over and saw the door was open, so he knocked on the doorframe: "Secretary Zhu, are you busy?"

Zhu Zhengwei, who was holding a newspaper, looked up and saw Chen Xiangdong standing at the door. He quickly smiled and waved to him, "Xiangdong, come in, come in and sit down."

Chen Xiangdong sat down in the chair in front of his desk with a smile, and without beating around the bush, went straight to the point: "Secretary Zhu, Han Shi and Feng Shi have discussed it and are preparing to stage 'Shi Qian Steals the Armor'."

"Shi Qian Steals the Armor?" Zhu Zheng put down his newspaper, frowning with worry. "Oh dear, that's a really demanding play for martial arts clowns! Somersaults, leaps and bounds, the whole stage is packed with performances, and Old Han and the others are already over fifty years old..."

He looked up at Chen Xiangdong, hesitatingly asking, "Can they handle it?"

"Why not?" Chen Xiangdong rested his arm on the desk and leaned forward. "Secretary, don't worry. Han Shi said that he's perfectly fine playing Shi Qian in his current condition. If he messes up, he'll retire and never perform again."

Zhu Zhengke's brows immediately relaxed, and he smiled, "As long as they're confident. Alright, then we'll insert a scene from 'Stealing the Armor' for them and see how the audience reacts."

Then, he changed the subject, staring at Chen Xiangdong for a few seconds: "I've heard people say those three guys are stubborn and difficult to approach, and not many theater staff can get along with them. I'm curious, how come you're so close to them?"

Chen Xiangdong's heart skipped a beat, and he wondered if he had been too presumptuous. Even Zhu Zhengguo could see that the relationship between him and the veteran artist was extraordinary.

His eyes darted around, and he lowered his voice: "Master Han and the others are really nice people, and they take good care of me, their junior. Secretary Zhu, Jia Dafang told you about Master Feng and the others, right? Think about it, what kind of relationship do they have? Would Old Jia say anything good about them?"

Zhu Zheng raised an eyebrow and chuckled, "So you mean I was fooled by Old Jia?"

Those who rise to leadership positions are indeed not easily fooled.

Chen Xiangdong could only chuckle awkwardly, "Hehe, that's not what I meant..."

Zhu Zhengkuo suddenly smiled, a smile that seemed to carry a somewhat indescribable meaning: "Alright, I don't necessarily have to dig into the details."

He waved his hand: "Go tell Lao Han and the others that I've approved the play. Tell them to get rehearsing in full swing and strive to make a stunning debut in this performance, shocking the entire Red Star Commune!"

As he spoke, he raised his chin and gestured eastward: "Only if they can put on a good performance will I have the confidence to show my cards to that person..."

Chen Xiangdong naturally understood who "that person" Zhu Zheng was referring to. He stood up, patted his chest, and chuckled, "I know, don't worry!"

He turned and left the office, heading towards the theater.

In the troupe leader's office on the east side of the second floor, Xu Erdao, looking embarrassed, carried a thermos and filled Jia Dafang's tub with water: "Tour leader Jia, look at the mess the rehearsal hall has become! The actors aren't rehearsing, they're just holding a matchmaking event."

He glanced at Jia Dafang's face, and seeing the other man frown, he quickly added, "Yeah, that's outrageous!"

With a gloomy face, Jia Dafang walked to the window, placed his hand on the window frame, and snorted coldly, "What a mess! Since he came to the troupe, he hasn't done much of a proper job, but he's been organizing matchmaking events. Our dignified county troupe is practically being turned into a marriage agency by him."

"Exactly! Commander Jia, you're absolutely right!"

Xu Erdao leaned over and chimed in, "I also heard that the guy surnamed Zhu got thirty yuan approved from the finance department to buy peanuts and melon seeds for those blind dates. Does he really think our troupe's money comes from thin air? He just casually approves it. It's been so long since our troupe has approved such a large amount of miscellaneous expenses."

The mere mention of those thirty yuan made Jia Dafang's eyes twitch with pain, and he slapped the wooden window frame, causing the entire window to tremble.

"What is Zhu Zhengkuo up to?" Jia Dafang gritted his teeth. "Having the cotton mill workers come and have a get-together with our group is obviously a way for him to win people over, isn't it? He's only been here a few days, and he's already having heart-to-heart talks with people and approving money for get-togethers. He's got a whole set of tricks up his sleeve for buying people's hearts."

Xu Erdao nodded vigorously: "That's right! That's right! Commander Jia sees things clearly! The social gathering is a pretense; winning people's hearts is the real goal! Look at those guys in the rehearsal hall; they're completely bewitched by a few peanuts and melon seeds."

He paused for a moment, then emphasized, "Especially Pan Lanxiang, Qiao Haizhu, and Lin Datou, don't they know their own stance? They actually went to the party too; they're typical opportunists, swaying with the wind!"

Upon hearing this, Jia Dafang was taken aback: "They went too?"

"Of course!"

Xu Erdao slapped his thigh, his eyes practically shooting sparks: "I saw it with my own eyes! Pan Lanxiang was surrounded by several male workers from the cotton mill, her face was practically beaming with joy, she was so all warm and fuzzy!"

After saying that, he seemed to realize that his tone was a bit inappropriate, and quickly added, "Uh... and Qiao Haizhu and Lin Datou, those two aren't any better!"

"A fence-sitter?"

Jia Dafang's face slowly darkened: "You, surnamed Zhu, you've even reached out to me!"