Returning to the county opera troupe in 77

Although costumes, props, and sets were incomplete, rehearsals continued in full swing.

The rehearsal hall was packed with people from morning till night. The actors and the band practiced together again and again, but since it was a brand new script that had never been performed on stage before, the rehearsals would occasionally stall, exposing all sorts of flaws and problems.

Either the drums and music were out of sync with the beat, or the singers forgot their lyrics while singing.

Even a seasoned drummer like Liu Dezhu had several instances during rehearsals where he struck the drums too early or didn't connect them properly, let alone the others.

The troupe's two mainstays, Lu Meiyin and Pan Lanxiang, were competing with each other, both wanting to show their personal insights into the characters to director Liu Qiaosheng during rehearsals.

To win the lead role, the two actresses put on a fierce performance on stage. During breaks in rehearsals, they would each take a small round mirror and practice their lip movements and expressions, working hard to refine their lines and singing style.

However, after rehearsing for six days in a row, the results were still unsatisfactory.

Jia Dafang would come to visit twice a day without fail. He would stay for the whole morning, and if he came in the afternoon, he would stay until it got dark.

The tea in his enamel mug was practically just for show; he often barely drank two sips a day. Looking at the messy rehearsal hall, Jia Dafang got so anxious that his mouth was covered in blisters.

"Alright, alright! Let's stop here for this morning." Jia Dafang slumped back in his chair, his initial anticipation for the new play completely worn away by the rehearsals over the past few days.

The drumming and music stopped abruptly. Lu Meiyin had just stepped off the stage when Pan Lanxiang, who was about to go up to audition, suddenly paused, her willow-leaf eyebrows furrowing: "Commander Jia, it's not even eleven o'clock yet, what's the rush! Let me finish auditioning this scene first."

Jia Dafang stood up wearily, ready to leave. The high spirits of the first two days had now turned into hesitation.

Zhu Zheng and Han Wenxue, who were sitting next to each other, exchanged a glance, a smirk flashing in their eyes. They knew that Lao Jia had been severely hit by reality.

Zhu Zheng coughed and looked at Jia Dafang, who was about to leave: "Hey? Commander Jia, where are you going? We're leaving for Hongzhou in a few days. Aren't you going to keep an eye on the rehearsal?"

Han Wenxue chimed in, "Exactly! Time is of the essence, Commander Jia. If we don't hurry up with rehearsals, things will go wrong during the performance, and we'll be in big trouble."

Jia Dafang, whose spirits had been worn down, looked back at Zhu and Han, who were singing in unison, and said in a slightly unsteady voice, "If we keep rehearsing like this, we'll be lucky if we don't get vegetable leaves thrown at us by the audience on the day of the performance."

After saying that, he walked slowly out of the rehearsal hall with somewhat heavy steps.

"Really not rehearsing?" Lu Meiyin and Pan Lanxiang simultaneously turned their gazes to the director's face. Liu Qiaosheng scratched his head, bared his teeth, and remained silent.

Liu Dezhu tucked the drumsticks under his elbow and muttered, "He's the one who made us rehearse overtime, and he's also the one who doesn't want us to rehearse. Fine, don't rehearse then, go back to sleep!"

He bent down to pick up the drum stand, making a move to leave: "Anyway, even if we get last place in the final performance, the one who will be most embarrassed is Director Jia! Apprentice, come back to the dormitory with me, I'll give you some pointers on how to switch between those drumbeats."

After saying that, he stood up and walked out of the rehearsal hall amidst the bewildered looks of the group of people. Chen Xiangdong said "Oh" and quickly followed him out.

Since Lin Gouwa and Li Mancang were recruited to oversee the performance, Han Wenxue transferred Chen Xiangdong to the drum troupe. From that time on, in addition to Lin Datou, who was almost always relegated to the sidelines, there was now another member in the band's reserve musicians: Chen Xiangdong.

Not long after the master and apprentice returned to Liu Dezhu's dormitory, they saw people coming out of the rehearsal hall one after another, all of them looking dejected.

Liu Dezhu leaned against the window, watching the crowd disperse, and couldn't help but mutter under his breath, "What a fucking rip-off!"

Chen Xiangdong sighed, "Exactly, it's not easy to stage a new play. Even if the master of Qinqiang opera came, it would be all for naught without a few months of rehearsal."

Liu Dezhu withdrew his gaze, turned around and tossed the drumsticks in his hand to Chen Xiangdong: "Never mind them. Come on, let me tell you about the most crucial transition points in 'Ode to Qin Chuan.' Once you can play these parts smoothly, the play will be basically fine. Listen carefully."

"Oh." Chen Xiangdong straightened his posture and sat up straight.

Liu Dezhu sat down, using two fingers as drumsticks, and gestured on his knees, explaining: "When you start playing the drum, you must not bite too hard; the drum and cymbals should be staggered by more than half a beat..."

As he spoke, he tapped two fingers on his knee as a demonstration.

Chen Xiangdong nodded in agreement. No wonder he felt something was off when he tapped the rhythm the last few times; he had been rushing the beat...

After listening to it once, he didn't rush to start playing. He pondered it in his mind a few times before picking up the drumsticks and striking the drums "clang dong dang" according to the rhythm in his mind.

I tried tapping it twice. The first time, I still couldn't get it right. The second time, I was able to avoid most of the premature taps.

By the third time, the drumbeats were clear and well-balanced, and there was not a single flaw to be found.

The expression on Liu Dezhu's face changed from initially finding fault and giving pointers to becoming increasingly surprised.

After the three drumbeats, the rhythm was perfectly in tune, without a single flaw.

His eyes widened in disbelief as he looked at Chen Xiangdong.

If it weren't for the fact that he had been urging Chen Xiangdong to practice drums every day these past few days, he would have even thought there was something wrong with his ears.

Back when he was learning drums from his master, he was often praised for his quick comprehension. With just a little guidance, he would practice dozens of times in his little room and gradually correct his mistakes.

But what about Chen Xiangdong?

But right in front of him, she made obvious progress with each repetition, and after three repetitions, even he was completely speechless.

To put it bluntly, Chen Xiangdong's drumming skills now far surpass those of Lin Datou, who has been playing drums for over a decade.

After a moment of stunned silence, Liu Dezhu's face lit up with undisguised delight. He raised his hand and slapped his knee hard, laughing heartily, "Good lad! Your comprehension is even better than mine back then! To be able to play a whole opera perfectly, wouldn't it take anyone two or three years? But you, you've been learning drums from me for less than two months at most. If Lin Datou knew that, he'd probably want to bang his head against the wall."

Chen Xiangdong also grinned, not only because of Liu Dezhu's praise, but also because the moment he finished the third time he tapped the rhythm, his proficiency on the system panel finally made a new breakthrough.

[Instrument Proficiency (Banggu/Cymbals): 79/100 (Proficiency reaches the peak of a third-class drummer)]

The pinnacle of a third-class drummer!

With another breakthrough, he could be promoted to a second-class drummer! And once his drumming skills reached the second-class level, he could be a leading drummer in any county-level opera troupe.

Of course, the Dongping County Troupe is an exception. A first-class drummer like Liu Dezhu would be more than qualified to join a provincial troupe.

The pent-up frustration from working overtime and rehearsing these past few days vanished in an instant. Liu Dezhu couldn't suppress the joy on his face, and he slapped Chen Xiangdong's shoulder again, making him wince in pain.

"Haha, you little rascal, you're blessed with natural talent! You're quick-witted and have a knack for it!"