Returning to the county opera troupe in 77

The next morning, Chen Xiangdong was carrying two thermos flasks filled with water, preparing to deliver them to Fang Zhengsheng and the others.

As I passed the gatehouse, I heard Hu Xiaolian and another old man sighing inside.

"Old Lu, don't worry too much. That kid has hands and feet; no matter where he goes, he won't go hungry. Maybe he'll be back in a couple of days."

Another old man's hoarse voice betrayed his barely concealed anxiety: "You don't know, that kid only had two sets of clothes on him, and five yuan in his pocket. It's been two days, and not a single word..."

Chen Xiangdong's steps unconsciously stopped outside the gatehouse window. He turned his head and glanced inside through the window.

Across from Hu Xiaolian sat a thin old man with a slightly hunched back, mostly gray hair, his hands resting on his knees, his body thin and bony, clearly someone who had spent his whole life doing manual labor.

Chen Xiangdong actually recognized the old man; he was the grandfather of that young man with long hair.

The old man was usually quiet and always had a smile on his face, but now the wrinkles on his face were deeper than before, and his lips were dry and cracked.

"When the child came back that day..."

The old man seemed to hesitate about whether he should speak, but in the end he couldn't hold back and wanted to pour out his heart. His voice lowered a few decibels: "When he came back, his face was covered in blood, which scared me to death. I asked him what happened, but he didn't say anything and just kept packing his things. I wanted to stop him, but he pushed me away and told me to mind my own business."

The old man raised his hand to wipe the corner of his eye: "I'm really afraid that kid will cause some big trouble outside and never come back..."

Chen Xiangdong's heart skipped a beat; sure enough, the little long-haired thug had run away.

In this day and age, raping a minor is a crime punishable by death, and even if it's an attempted crime, it would still result in at least three to five years in prison.

He lifted the thermos up slightly and strode towards the theater. Along the way, the scenes from that day kept replaying in his mind, and the more he thought about it, the more his hatred itched to be contained.

If he hadn't happened to pass by Weifang Alley that day, he wouldn't have dared to imagine the despair Lou Jingru must have felt. A beast like Xiao Changmao deserved to be shot a hundred times over! Letting him escape was already too good for him!

Upon arriving at the theater, he placed the thermos in the first row of the audience, took off his coat and draped it over the back of his chair, then went on stage alone to begin practicing.

Strive for standard movements when pressing down, kicking, and bending over.

I practiced like that for over an hour, until I was drenched in sweat, before I finally stopped.

Just as I jumped off the stage and put on my coat, the back door of the theater was pushed open.

Then Han Zhengkui, Fang Zhengsheng, Feng Zhengxiao, Liu Dezhu, and Zhu Zhengguo walked over, chatting and laughing.

"Congratulations, Liu Dezhu! Now that you've confirmed your relationship, just wait to win the heart of your beauty," Zhu Zhengkuo chuckled.

Recalling the scene from yesterday where he was surrounded by the entire hospital and the band played "Open the Door" while he was practically roasted over a fire, Liu Dezhu blushed instantly and quickly waved his hands, saying, "Secretary Zhu, please don't make fun of me, I'm so embarrassed..."

Feng Zhengxiao jokingly added, "What's there to be ashamed of! Dating isn't something shameful. You've been single for so many years, now that you're in a relationship, you should be happy!"

Liu Dezhu grinned, his ears burning, wondering how to respond. Just then, he saw Chen Xiangdong in front of him and, as if he had met a savior, quickly coughed twice to change the subject, calling out to Chen Xiangdong, "Apprentice, are the drums all set up?"

Chen Xiangdong pointed to the side curtain strip: "It's right there."

Liu Dezhu grunted in agreement, then scurried away, muttering, "Stop idly chatting, let's get to the rehearsal. Let's see if we can get this play running smoothly this morning."

As he spoke, he disappeared behind the side curtain and refused to show his face again.

Seeing his disheveled appearance, Zhu Zhengkuo shook his head and smiled, "Alright then, let's not waste any more time. Teacher Han, let's start rehearsing now."

Han Zhengkui smiled and nodded, then went on stage and began rehearsing "Stealing Armor" to the beat of the drums.

The drumbeats were sometimes fast and sometimes slow, and "Shi Qian" on the platform moved in rhythm with the drumbeats, nimbly flipping onto the prop beam. Just as he was about to retrieve the "treasure armor" hanging there, a panting figure suddenly ran out from the back door.

Lin Gouwa was out of breath from running. He put one hand on the door frame and the other on his knee. He looked up and was about to speak when his eyes fell on the stage. He suddenly froze.

In the center of the stage, Han Zhengkui, dressed in a theatrical costume, is suspended in mid-air, holding onto a prop beam with one hand and untying the rope of his "treasure armor" with the other.

Lin Gouwa's small eyes widened instantly. His uncle had clearly said that Han Zhengkui was an old artist with questionable status and could not perform on stage.

A quick glance to the side revealed Liu Dezhu intently wielding his drumsticks, while Zhu Zhengguo, Feng Zhengxiao, Fang Zhengsheng, and Chen Xiangdong sat in the front row, craning their necks to watch Han Zhengkui's performance. No one noticed Lin Gouwa standing at the door.

A thought flashed through his mind: Han Zhengkui and the others were secretly rehearsing a play without telling anyone in the troupe?

But Secretary Zhu is here too. Could it be that he gave his approval?

Lin Gouwa felt as if he had unexpectedly discovered this big secret, and at that moment, he could almost hear his own nervous heartbeat.

Just then, Han Zhengkui on the stage took off his "armor," flipped over and fell off the roof beam, landing silently on both feet. He then rolled over and finished his move cleanly and neatly.

"good!"

Zhu Zhengkuo led the way, standing up and clapping excitedly: "The rehearsal was a great success! As long as we maintain this level of performance on the day of the show, this play will definitely be a success!"

The drumbeats stopped, and Han Zhengkui, all smiles, was about to say something when he caught a glimpse of a thin figure standing in the doorway out of the corner of his eye. He turned his head and looked closely, finally recognizing the person. He exclaimed in surprise, "Lin Gouwa?"

Upon hearing this, everyone in the theater turned to look at the entrance, their eyes fixed on Lin Gouwa.

Oh no! We've been discovered!

Lin Gouwa's heart skipped a beat. Although this kid usually seemed a bit dim-witted, he wasn't actually stupid. His little eyes darted around, and he quickly pretended to be panting heavily, shouting ahead, "I...I just came in, I didn't see anything...Hey, something terrible has happened! Chef Qin has been taken away by the police! You'd better go check it out!"

Upon hearing this, everyone present changed their expressions.

"What!"

Feng Zhengxiao jumped to his feet, not even putting down his teacup, and ignoring the water spilled all over his pants, and hurriedly asked, "Why did the police arrest him? When were they taken away?"

"I don't know why they arrested him." Lin Gouwa shook his head. "The police officers had just left a short while ago. I saw him and rushed over to report it."

"What's going on? That idiot usually stays in the kitchen cooking, he couldn't possibly be doing anything illegal!" Feng Zhengxiao immediately looked anxious. Although Fatty Qin was over thirty years old, in his eyes he was still no different from a child. He firmly believed that his nephew would do anything immoral.

Zhu Zheng stood up with a frown and reassured Feng Zhengxiao, "Old Feng, don't worry. Maybe the police station made a mistake. Let's go see what's going on."

With that, Zhu Zhengkuo led a group of people and walked briskly toward the theater troupe.

Chen Xiangdong followed closely, unable to help but frown slightly, muttering to himself: Could it be... that matter at this time?