Returning to the county opera troupe in 77

The threshing ground was bustling with activity.

In the kitchen, Fatty Qin and Li Qiufen were figuring out how to make Changwu crispy pork.

This dish uses a lot of oil, and he wouldn't dare practice making it casually in the theater troupe's compound—oil is so precious! If he messed it up, the troupe of over seventy people would be left with nothing but boiled vegetables in water by the end of the month, without a single drop of oil.

Now that the Song family is supplying oil and meat, a rare opportunity, Fatty Qin wants to take this chance to hone and improve his cooking skills.

On the other side, the actors were practicing their singing in twos and threes by the stage.

Pan Lanxiang was wearing a red cotton-padded jacket and was drawing her eyebrows in front of the mirror. She looked quite well, and there was a faint smile on her lips.

The curtains at Lu Meiyin's shed were drawn tightly shut, and there was no sound from inside.

Lu Meiyin was furious that her role had been taken from her. She sang "Liu Qiao'er" yesterday, but she had to change her program today.

As for which version to take, nothing has been decided yet.

Pan Lanxiang is interested in "The Red Lantern" because she has played Li Tiemei before and is familiar with the role.

Lu Meiyin insisted on performing in "Sister Aqing," saying that this play best reveals an actor's skill level, which was also the source of her confidence. In terms of singing style and skill, she believed that she was far superior to Pan Lanxiang.

The two were locked in a tense standoff, neither willing to back down, and the atmosphere was so tense it was like a match was about to be lit.

Director Liu was caught in the middle, torn between two options. On one side was Lu Meiyin, the leading actress of the troupe, and on the other was Pan Lanxiang, the troupe's rising star. He couldn't afford to offend either of them, and he certainly didn't want to be the matchstick that ignited the fire.

So, Liu Qiaosheng rolled his eyes, cried out "Ouch!" and ran away clutching his stomach, saying he had eaten something bad and asked the two of them to go find Deputy Commander Han to discuss which show to perform that night.

The ball was kicked to Han Xuewen's feet.

Han Wenxue felt completely overwhelmed. He couldn't afford to offend these two ladies! He cursed Liu Qiaosheng in his heart for being such a coward. "You son of a bitch, you ran away so fast, leaving me with this hot potato. What kind of director are you?"

But he couldn't avoid it now, so he had no choice but to bite the bullet and walk up to the two star performers, forcing a smile: "Meiyin, Lanxiang, calm down. Let's discuss what to perform tonight..."

Lu Meiyin sneered, "What's there to discuss? She was the star yesterday, so it's my turn today."

Pan Lanxiang was not to be outdone, her tone neither soft nor hard: "Deputy Commander Han, the audience's response to 'Liu Qiao'er' was quite good yesterday. If we switch to a different play today and it ruins the show, it won't look good for the hosts."

Han Wenxue, caught in the middle, looked left and right, sweat almost dripping from his forehead. He rubbed his hands together and chuckled dryly, "How about... you two each sing a section? The opening of 'The Red Lantern,' and the closing of 'Sister Aqing'?"

Lu Meiyin and Pan Lanxiang looked at him simultaneously and said in unison, "No way!"

Han Wenxue was inwardly groaning, but ultimately had no choice but to draw lots to decide that he would perform "The Red Lantern" tonight and "Sister Aqing" tomorrow.

Lu Meiyin was so angry that she wanted to quit the performance and went into the tent, refusing to come out again.

Chen Xiangdong strolled around the threshing ground and when he returned, he heard rustling noises coming from the shed. He couldn't help but move closer and prick up his ears.

All that could be heard was Liu Dezhu whispering, "Meiyin, you are the pillar of our troupe. If you don't play Grandma Li, no one else can sing it."

Lu Meiyin sneered, "Who sent you to act as a go-between? You heartless bastard, that vixen bewitched you the moment she beckoned?"

Liu Dezhu retorted angrily, "What are you talking about? I'm doing this for your own good, and for the good of the troupe. If word gets out that you're going to quit, it won't be good for your reputation, don't you think?"

Lu Meiyin scoffed, "Reputation? Who in the troupe still treats me like a star? They're all fawning over that vixen! Don't try to be all sympathetic, I'm not buying it!"

After a moment, Liu Dezhu added, "Even if she plays Li Tiemei, it doesn't guarantee her a leading role, does it?"

"What do you mean?"

"Grandma Li has quite a few lyrics to sing. With your solid singing skills, are you worried about not being able to hold your own? The audience has discerning eyes. Who says singing Grandma Li can't steal the spotlight from the main character?"

Lu Meiyin remained silent, and the studio was quiet for a moment. Liu Dezhu pressed his advantage: "Just think about it, if you perform Grandma Li's scene well, what will the audience think? 'Wow, this Grandma Li is the real star, even more outstanding than Li Tiemei!'"

Lu Meiyin's tone softened slightly: "You certainly know how to talk..."

Suddenly, the sound of "smacking" candy being eaten came from inside the shed. Chen Xiangdong's ears perked up, his face changed instantly, and he quickly shrank back and tiptoed away.

These two are shameless! Can't they control themselves in broad daylight?

In the evening, the kitchen staff served Changwu crispy pork, which was golden and glistening with oil, and its aroma filled the air.

Fatty Qin watched everyone nervously as they started eating, and only when he heard a chorus of "Hmm!" did he breathe a sigh of relief and grin from ear to ear.

Han Wenxue shoveled down two bowls, wiping his mouth as he exclaimed, "Teacher Qin, this crispy pork is amazing! Our troupe should make it like this from now on!"

Fatty Qin was incredibly pleased with himself, feeling as if his culinary skills had reached the level of imperial chefs.

The audience had been sitting in front of the stage for a long time, and the drums, music and lights were already in place, just waiting for Director Liu to give the order to start the performance.

"Watch closely in a moment, pay attention to my hand gestures, and learn how to strike the clapper, the erliu clapper, the dai clapper, the yao clapper, and the gun clapper in this play."

Liu Dezhu held two drumsticks in his hands and demonstrated the wrist movements of applying and retracting force to Chen Xiangdong, who was standing behind the drum troupe.

Chen Xiangdong nodded repeatedly, thinking to himself that no wonder he always felt something was off when practicing drumming; it turned out there were so many tricks and nuances to wrist power.

He couldn't help but sigh to himself, realizing that without a good mentor, relying solely on his own hard work and practice wouldn't necessarily allow him to grasp these tricks.

As Liu Dezhu gestured, he explained in a low voice: "Look, the pad should be light and the wrist should be like cracking a whip, just enough to make a point; the erliu ban should be steady, the rhythm cannot be erratic, otherwise the whole troupe will be in chaos."

He demonstrated by striking the drum twice; the drumstick fell crisply and clearly. "The key to 'leading' is the 'leading'; the next note must follow before the previous one has even finished..."

Chen Xiangdong stared intently at Liu Dezhu's wrist, silently memorizing it, and unconsciously mimicking the movements with his own hand.

As the drums and gongs set the rhythm, the audience immediately fell silent, their eyes all turning to the stage.

Amidst a dark and tense drumbeat, the characters entered the stage, stepping precisely to the beat. Chen Xiangdong listened intently and recognized that Liu Dezhu was playing "Jijifeng" (急急风).

The performers took to the stage one after another to sing, and the audience erupted in applause.

Chen Xiangdong was completely absorbed in Liu Dezhu's skillful drumming, and didn't even notice the commotion that gradually arose in the audience after Grandma Li's voice rang out.

The audience was already caught up in the rhythm, and the cheers rose one wave after another.

Pan Lanxiang stood on the stage, but her expression gradually changed. It was the panic of having her role suppressed, and a trace of embarrassment that she couldn't hide showed in the corner of her eyes.

In the audience, Song Chengshan, dressed in a green military uniform, clapped repeatedly, then turned to Song Chenghai beside him and said with a smile, "Grandma Li sang so well!"

The supporting actors' performances were like a pair of scissors, snipping away all the light from the protagonist. The audience listened with rapt attention, no one thought it was wrong, as long as they were entertained.

However, Han, the deputy commander, and Liu, the director, were already soaked in cold sweat on their backs in the crowd.

Director Liu lowered his voice and squeezed out a sentence through gritted teeth: "That woman Lu Meiyin is no pushover."

Han Wenxue shook his head with a wry smile: "Stealing the spotlight like this, no one else does it. If you have to blame someone, blame Pan Lanxiang's voice, it's just not as good as hers."

Director Liu raised his hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead: "Fortunately... the performance went smoothly, and we didn't mess it up."

As the performance ended and the curtain fell, thunderous applause erupted. Audience members in the audience shouted "Grandma Li" at the top of their lungs, one after another.

The air behind the scenes was so cold it could freeze.

Pan Lanxiang stood in front of the dressing table, her face gloomy, motionless.

As Lu Meiyin returned from her encore, she walked past her unhurriedly, uttering a single sentence:

"Oh dear, not just anyone can play the lead role. Without real talent, you won't make a splash even if you step onto the stage."

These words were like a thorn, piercing Pan Lanxiang's heart.

As soon as she finished speaking, Lu Meiyin smiled and, in a high-pitched voice, took small steps toward Liu Dezhu, who was packing up his instruments.

"Dezhu~~ You played really well today. The drumbeats made me want to sing out loud. Come over to my place later, I have a jar of canned fruit, take it to your niece."

Liu Dezhu was about to respond with a smile, but when he met Pan Lanxiang's deep gaze, he swallowed back the words he was about to say and hurriedly lowered his head to continue tidying up the drum.

Chen Xiangdong suppressed a laugh. Lu Meiyin was truly a devil in disguise. He knew these two would be at each other's throats for years to come.