Returning to the county opera troupe in 77

Chen Xiangdong was immediately embarrassed and realized that his words had indeed been somewhat abrupt.

Having listened to countless old and new plays in his past life, he could naturally detect the problem with the drumbeats.

He could hear it, but how could he possibly play it when he had never learned to play drums?

"Hey, who's been flailing around like that? It's you, Lin Datou! I was wondering why your drumming skills have been getting worse and worse!"

A teasing voice came from behind.

Upon seeing the newcomer's ambiguous smile, Lin Datou's face flushed red: "You're talking nonsense! I wasn't the one playing the drums just now; I was teaching my nephew how to play!"

The man who arrived was Liu Dezhu, with thick eyebrows and big eyes, but with a roguish air about him. He was the county's leading drummer.

He glanced at Lin Gouwa, whose eyes were narrowed to slits, and feigned surprise: "Oh, was that kid doing that? Not bad talent. Lucky you, if you ever go hungry, just take a bowl to the street, kneel down, and bang it around a bit to fill your stomach."

These words ignited Lin Datou, a powder keg that had been suppressed by Liu Dezhu for years and had never had a chance to play. The king of the bench, who had never had a chance to play, immediately started cursing at him and rolled up his sleeves, ready to fight.

"You shameless scoundrel! My nephew is going to join the theater troupe someday. Who do you think is born to beg? I'll tear your stinking mouth apart!"

Liu Dezhu chuckled and walked over, completely ignoring Lin Datou's threat. He took the drumsticks from Lin Gouwa, squatted down, and began to play the small drum.

The drumbeats were fast, dense, explosive, and synchronized, like a torrential downpour, gradually accelerating with almost no pauses.

Lin Datou's face darkened upon hearing this.

Lin Gouwa looked surprised, thinking to himself, "Is this also a sudden gust of wind? Why does it sound different from what my uncle knocked earlier?"

Chen Xiangdong, however, suddenly felt a flash of inspiration, his mind clearing instantly, and semi-transparent subtitles appeared before his eyes—

[The folk opera system is now linked]

[A demonstration of the clapper drum technique by top-tier drummer Liu Dezhu has been detected. Would you like to learn from him? (The teacher's level determines the student's potential. To surpass the teacher, one must seek out a renowned master. Before formally becoming an apprentice, you can practice to improve your proficiency.)]

Chen Xiangdong was dumbfounded. This was... a system?

The small print below is obviously crucial: the teacher's level determines the student's potential, and looking at the entire Dongping County, when it comes to drummers, who can compare to Liu Dezhu?

Even within a radius of hundreds of miles, there are probably very few people who are worthy of the title of first-class drummer.

Without hesitation, Chen Xiangdong selected "Study," and upon checking the system page, he saw an additional line of text:

[Instrument Proficiency (Banggu/Cymbals): 8/100 (Can produce a messy rhythm)]

Eight points, only slightly better than zero, barely enough to be considered someone who has touched a drumstick.

Chen Xiangdong couldn't help but smile wryly. This was quite in line with his current skill level. He was just listening to the show, but when he tried to do it himself, he was a complete mess.

But now that the system is here, let's practice slowly and gradually increase our proficiency.

Even if I become a drummer in the future, it will be better than running errands and doing odd jobs every day. At least decades later, when the county troupe disbands, I can easily find a job in any film crew.

After a flurry of rapid drumming, Liu Dezhu stopped, tossing the drumsticks to Lin Datou, who instinctively caught them. Liu Dezhu then grinned and said:

"You have to eat one bite at a time. How can you shovel eight steamed buns into your mouth right away? You'll choke to death. If you want to get started, you have to start with slow and steady practice. You're teaching him to rush things. You're just misleading him."

After saying that, he clapped his hands, got up, and swaggered towards the kitchen: "I'm not going to chat with you anymore, it's time to eat."

Lin Datou's face was as black as the bottom of a pot, but Lin Gouwa's eyes, which seemed to have been stitched shut, suddenly widened upon hearing the word "eat," and he looked at Lin Datou expectantly: "Big Brother, shall we go eat some steamed buns too?"

Lin Datou glared at Lin Gouwa and scolded him irritably, "All you know is eating steamed buns, you idiot! What did I teach you yesterday? This is the city, you can't call someone 'Grandpa,' you have to call me 'Uncle,' understand?"

He continued cursing as he led Lin Gouwa toward the canteen.

His stomach rumbled in protest. Chen Xiangdong rubbed his empty belly. Filling his stomach was the priority right now; he could worry about the rest later.

The canteen has two windows. One is where a plump woman helping out with cooking makes steamed buns, and the other is where Chef Qin Gang, with his wrinkled face, is in charge of serving dishes. The kitchen is a restricted area, especially during mealtimes, and the troupe has a clear rule that no one is allowed to enter.

The entire troupe has seventy or eighty people, and apart from regular rehearsals, they can all get together around mealtimes.

After waiting in line for almost half a day, Chen Xiangdong finally squeezed his way to the window. Chef Qin, holding a spoon, glanced at him and asked, "You're the new inspector?"

"Hey, Chef Qin, my name is Chen Xiangdong. If you ever need any errands done in the kitchen, just let me know."

Upon hearing this, Chef Qin immediately beamed, thinking to himself that this person was quite perceptive. "Alright, you haven't received your bowls and chopsticks yet, have you? Here, this new porcelain bowl is for you to use from now on."

As he spoke, he picked up a spoon and scooped a full bowl of stewed cabbage and tofu, then called out to the plump woman at another window, "This kid's new here, he eats a lot, give him an extra black steamed bun."

The plump woman smiled and agreed. Sure enough, when it was time to get the steamed buns, she was given four black buns, one more than everyone else.

After thanking him repeatedly, Chen Xiangdong, with a steamed bun in his mouth and a bowl of food that was almost overflowing, came to a table. Although the food was not very oily, the portion was generous, and it was much better than the food he ate back in his hometown.

Chen Xiangdong was wolfing down his food, with half a black steamed bun stuffed in his mouth and soup dripping down his chin; his appearance was far from dignified.

A woman with a swaying gait, resembling a worm that had become a spirit, walked over carrying a rice bowl and plopped down next to him.

Chen Xiangdong looked up and saw that the person was about twenty-three or twenty-four years old, with an oval face, big eyes, fair skin, and very handsome. He was one of the two leading actresses in the troupe, Pan Lanxiang.

Pan Lanxiang glanced at him and said casually, "You're the inspector who just arrived today?"

Chen Xiangdong quickly swallowed the steamed bun in his mouth and wiped his mouth: "Yes, I'm Chen Xiangdong. Sister, you're so beautiful, you must be Pan Taizhu from our troupe, right?"

Whether it was a compliment on her beauty or the phrase "Pan Taizhu" touched a nerve with Pan Lanxiang, she chuckled and said, "What Pan Taizhu? Just call me Sister Lanxiang from now on."

As she spoke, she poked at the food in her bowl with her chopsticks, then pouted, "It's supposed to be pork stew with cabbage and tofu, but I didn't see a single scrap of meat..."

Seemingly having lost her appetite, she didn't touch her chopsticks and asked again, "Where are you from? What made you decide to join the theater troupe?"

Chen Xiangdong scratched his head sheepishly: "Life was too tough back home. I heard the troupe provided food and lodging, so I came."

Pan Lanxiang nodded, didn't ask any more questions, and then opened her cherry-like mouth to take a bite of the white steamed bun.

It would be better if he didn't talk, so as not to interrupt my cooking. But just as he was engrossed in cooking, he suddenly felt the long bench under his buttocks shake. Someone was kicking the bench.

He turned his head and saw that it wasn't Pan Lanxiang, but a middle-aged man with triangular eyes. The man's mouth was turned down, like the two of characters on a mahjong tile.

"Hey, newbie." The man's voice wasn't loud, but it carried an air of superior arrogance.

Chen Xiangdong blinked, naturally recognizing Xu Erdao, the head of the security department. He pretended not to know him: "Ah, you are...?"

"My surname is Xu, Xu Erdao, and I'm in charge of security for our troupe." The man's eyelids drooped. "From now on, when you're in charge of the stage management, do it properly. Don't wander around, and definitely don't go near the stage. The troupe has its rules, and you can't just mess around like that, understand?"

These words were like a thorn in Chen Xiangdong's side, making him uncomfortable. But before he could speak, Pan Lanxiang slammed down her chopsticks: "Section Chief Xu, he's just a newcomer, why are you scaring him?"

Xu Erdao raised an eyebrow at Pan Lanxiang, a half-smile on his face. "I wasn't trying to scare him, just giving him a heads-up. What's wrong, Lanxiang? Are you going to hold a grudge against me over an outsider?"

The word "outsider" was emphasized.

Chen Xiangdong didn't say anything, but just nodded at him, and Xu Erdao left with a smug look on his face.

Pan Lanxiang glanced at his departing figure and whispered to Chen Xiangdong, "Don't pay any attention to him. That's just how he is. He takes advantage of his position as the head of the security department and acts arrogantly in the theater troupe all day long."

Chen Xiangdong nodded, but a question arose in his mind: he was new here and hadn't offended anyone, so why was this guy targeting him?

Suddenly, he remembered a rumor from his past life: this mediocre guy, despite his arrogant attitude towards everyone, was actually quite flirtatious behind the scenes.

In the troupe, almost every woman with a bit of good looks had been harassed by him.

Even the plump, still charming woman in the kitchen was supposedly "talked to" by Erbadao, but the old man blocked her door and beat her into a pulp with two leather hammers, leaving her too ashamed to go out and see anyone for half a month.

A thought struck him, and he secretly glanced at Pan Lanxiang, who was eating with her head down beside him. Her fair, oval face and her big, bright eyes...

That idiot, is he flirting with Pan Lanxiang right now?