Chapter 70 "Look at those stitches, crooked, red cloth..."

The relaxed atmosphere brought by the sports meet didn't last long. A large number of workers were drawn away, and the canteen became much quieter during mealtimes.

Just when Shu Ran was almost convinced that the performance and evaluation would be postponed indefinitely, Chen Yuanjiang walked into the classroom at the end of the school day.

At that moment, Shu Ran was sewing a sandbag that was about to fall apart. Chen Yuanjiang's shadow was stretched long by the setting sun, looming over her.

Shu Ran raised her head, roughly guessing what was going on, dusted off her hands, and stood up.

Chen Yuanjiang didn't waste any words. He took out a neatly folded piece of paper from his military uniform pocket and handed it to her. "It's the official notification from the division headquarters. The time, location, and specific requirements for the performance are all on it."

Shu Ran quickly took it and unfolded it. The paper was rough mimeograph paper, and the handwriting on it clearly listed the time and place of the performance, as well as the reward method for this performance.

She quickly scanned the notice, her eyes growing brighter. The notice stated that the performance would have first, second, and third prizes, with awards including certificates and tangible prizes: first prize would be a radio and fifty yuan for cultural development; second prize would be a batch of books and thirty yuan; and third prize would be some stationery and twenty yuan.

More importantly, there was a line of small print below: The performance results will serve as an important reference for the evaluation of this year's "Outstanding Grassroots Education Workers".

Shu Ran was overjoyed. These rewards were like a godsend for her, and they were indeed linked to the evaluation!

Seeing the barely suppressed excitement on her face, Chen Yuanjiang suddenly lowered his voice and said a little faster, "This time, the division's publicity department and education department have attached great importance to the evaluation. Officer Yang has put in a lot of effort, so there won't be any more instances of favoritism or cheating. If the program is of high quality and ranks well, there may be additional support later."

His words were brief and to the point, but Shu Ran understood instantly. This was not just a performance; it was an excellent opportunity—a chance to showcase the achievements of the livestock company's education to higher authorities and potentially secure more resources.

"I understand! Thank you, Officer Chen!" Shu Ran clutched the paper, her voice filled with excitement.

Chen Yuanjiang looked into her bright eyes, hummed in agreement, glanced at her dusty fingers and the tattered sandbag, said nothing more, and turned to leave.

When the news reached the company, it caused quite a stir. Company Commander Ma and Secretary Liu were very pleased and specially issued a note exempting the participating women and children from work for the next two days so they could focus on rehearsals. Even Zhao Weidong, unusually, did not complain.

Company Commander Ma emphasized during the post-dinner assembly: "Teacher Shu leading the team to the division headquarters for the performance is a great honor for our livestock company! Everyone who can help should lend a hand! If anyone lets us down, I won't let them off the hook!"

Secretary Liu also said with a smile, "This is a great thing! Let's show the spirit and energy of our livestock company!"

Although Zhao Weidong didn't say much, he tacitly allowed the employees to help out as long as they completed their own production duties.

As a result, the elementary school classroom became the liveliest place.

Sister Wang and Li Xiulan became the logistics supervisors. Sister Wang contributed a piece of red cloth that she had kept at the bottom of her trunk, and together with several other women, they stayed up for two nights, comparing it with pictures of model operas, and used thick needles and thread to alter a Li Tiemei top for Li Xiulan that was barely recognizable as a style.

Li Xiulan was in charge of reinforcing everyone's lines. She took the script that Shu Ran had rewritten clearly and would pull the actors aside whenever she had a spare moment to go over the lines, being even stricter than Shu Ran.

Xiao Ya's father was a skilled carpenter. He found some scraps of wood and hammered away, making a more presentable wooden hand lamp for "Li Yuhe" and a wooden sharpening stool for "the knife sharpener".

Shuanzhu's mother was skilled at sewing shoe soles, and she embroidered a simple red cloud pattern on the cloth shoes of several main actors as a form of stage makeup.

Even the family members who were initially a bit reluctant gradually changed their attitudes after seeing how much the company valued the project. Some brought eggs for the actors to help them recover, while others helped wash the costumes clean.

Shu Ran was busy with the final rehearsals and refinements. She had practically worn out the "Simple Drawing Method" book Chen Yuanjiang had given her, pondering how to maximize the performance effect using the limited stage and props. Based on her experience from the last performance at the troupe headquarters, she also made minor adjustments to the lines and blocking, making the rhythm of the entire play more compact and the emotional impact stronger.

Chen Yuanjiang would occasionally appear outside the rehearsal area, still with that indifferent look, but every time he came, there would always be a bundle of repaired wooden prop guns in the corner.

The entire livestock company was busy, but full of anticipation.

The day before departure, Shu Ran led the actors in a final rehearsal in the classroom. Their movements became increasingly practiced, and their lines were already memorized, but their nervousness grew daily. After all, they were going to the division headquarters, a larger and more formal place than the regimental headquarters.

"Teacher Shu, is the auditorium at the division headquarters bigger than the one at the regiment headquarters? Are the lights especially bright?" the little girl asked nervously, her little hands clutching the hem of her clothes.

"What's there to be afraid of! Didn't we perform well at the regimental headquarters?" Shi Tou puffed out his chest, trying his best to appear indifferent.

Sister Wang kept adjusting her performance costume, muttering, "Please don't mess it up, please don't mess it up..."

Li Xiulan repeatedly checked the red light on the glass bottle to make sure the candle stub inside could stand firmly.

Shu Ran looked at everyone, feeling just as nervous. She clapped her hands to encourage them: "Remember how we performed at the regimental headquarters! Treat the leaders in the audience as our own people from the company, and tell them the story! Our play is pure gold, it won't be tested by fire!"

Just then, the classroom door was pushed open, and Chen Yuanjiang walked in. He was holding an old military water bottle in his hand, and his gaze swept over the slightly nervous crowd before finally landing on Shu Ran.

"Officer Chen." Shu Ran stepped forward.

Chen Yuanjiang handed her the water bottle, saying, "Drink this on the road tomorrow. The division headquarters is far away, and the weather is dry."

Shu Ran took the kettle; it felt heavy in her hand, clearly full of water. A warmth filled her heart, and she thanked him softly.

Chen Yuanjiang didn't say much, but turned to the actors and said, "Just act as you usually practice. I have faith in you."

After he finished speaking, he nodded to Shu Ran and then turned and left.

The day of departure has finally arrived.

Before dawn, the entrance to the department was already bustling with activity. The actors were dressed in clean, starched clothes, and Sister Wang and Li Xiulan were doing a final check of the prop bags, repeatedly reminding them of the important points.

Many people came to see him off. Company Commander Ma and Secretary Liu were both there.

"Relax! Just perform normally!" Company Commander Ma said in a loud voice.

"Safety first, competition second!" Secretary Liu added with a smile.

Zhao Weidong also said something unusual: "Come back soon, production tasks can't wait."

Xu Junjun handed a small medical kit to Shu Ran: "There are some commonly used medicines in here, just in case on the road." She also secretly slipped Shu Ran a small packet of rock sugar, "Suck on it to soothe your throat."

Chen Yuanjiang was not among the people seeing them off. But when Shu Ran boarded the old Liberation truck that was taking them to the regimental transfer point, she saw him standing at the window of the company office, and she could feel his gaze.

The truck was still the same truck, and the road was still the same bumpy dirt road. But this time, the atmosphere inside the truck was completely different. Gone was the previous trepidation and inferiority; replaced by a confidence and anticipation that had been tested.

The children clung to the carriage walls, excitedly watching the scenery outside gradually change. The women checked each other's makeup, which really just meant combing their hair neater, applying some clam oil to their faces, and quietly going over their lines one last time.

Shu Ran glanced back at the livestock company that was gradually disappearing into the distance. The low dugouts, the vast Gobi Desert, and the distant snow-capped mountains all seemed familiar at that moment.

She knew that what she was striving for was not just a ranking.

The truck, panting heavily, chugged across the vast Gobi Desert, heading towards the division headquarters. The closer it got to the headquarters, the more different the surrounding scenery became. The houses were more orderly, and there were noticeably more pedestrians and vehicles on the road.

The truck traveled for almost a day before finally arriving at the division headquarters at sunset.

Compared to the regimental headquarters, this place does resemble a city more—there are several decent gravel roads, and neat rows of government offices, guesthouses, auditoriums, and even a supply and marketing cooperative that looks quite large.

The division headquarters guesthouse was slightly better than the regimental headquarters, but it was still a multi-person room. Shu Ran and her group were assigned to a large room, which was already occupied by actors from other companies, chattering and making quite a scene. When the livestock company's group, dressed in rustic clothes and with shabby props, entered, many eyes turned to them.

An actress dressed in a brand-new imitation military uniform, her face powdered, glanced at the red cloth blouse in Li Xiulan's hand, pursed her lips, and whispered to her companion, "Look at those stitches, they're crooked, and the red cloth looks so tacky." Her voice wasn't loud, but just loud enough for them to hear.

Sister Wang's face darkened, and she was about to speak when Shu Ran stopped her. Shu Ran wore a polite smile, seemingly ignoring her, and went about arranging for everyone to put away their luggage and make their beds. This level of disrespect was entirely expected.

The next day, when they went to the auditorium for a rehearsal to familiarize themselves with the venue, they realized there was a big problem. The division headquarters' stage was much taller and larger, and the lighting was much brighter than that of the regimental headquarters. Their simple set and props, especially the red light made of a glass bottle, looked very cheap and insignificant when placed there.

Standing on the empty stage, looking at the rows of seats below, even the most composed Stone couldn't help but swallow hard.

"Mom...this is too big..." Zhang Guifen exclaimed softly.

Sister Wang looked at the bright light bulb above her head, her palms sweating profusely.

Shu Ran had everyone walk through their positions to get used to the width and depth of the stage. There was no music, no lighting, only their voices echoing faintly in the empty auditorium. An invisible pressure enveloped everyone.

The person in charge of coordinating the rehearsal was a bespectacled propaganda officer from the division headquarters with a serious expression. Looking at the livestock company's equipment, his brow furrowed deeply: "You...you're done? Where's the set design? Is this all the props you have? Why didn't you even coordinate the costumes?"

Sister Wang couldn't help but explain, "Commander, our company has limited resources; this is what the whole company scraped together..."

"Limited conditions are no excuse!" the officer interrupted impatiently. "This is a division-level performance, representing the level and image of each unit! If you go up like this, the effect will definitely be greatly diminished!"

Li Xiulan and the other women immediately wilted, their faces burning with embarrassment, all the novelty and excitement they had felt upon entering the division headquarters vanished.

Shu Ran quickly calmed down. She stepped forward and said in a neither humble nor arrogant tone, "Comrade, our program is a textbook drama. The focus is on telling revolutionary stories in a simple way and showing the spirit of grassroots workers and the masses in learning from model operas and receiving education. Although the props and costumes are simple, the emotions are real, which is also the characteristic of our program."

The officer adjusted his glasses, glanced at her, and seemed to think she was being a bit unreasonable, but he didn't say anything more, just waved his hand: "Alright, alright, hurry up and walk through the stage, pay attention to your positions, don't run out of the lighting area. Get ready for the next program!"

The rehearsal was fraught with difficulties. The stage was too large, the actors were sparsely positioned, and their voices were relatively soft. Under the intense stage lighting, the red light was barely visible, resembling an ordinary glass bottle. The effect was far inferior to what they had seen at the troupe headquarters.

Backstage, everyone fell silent. Sister Wang plopped down on the prop box, her eyes reddening: "What are we going to do... It'll be embarrassing to go up there..."

Li Xiulan bit her lip, almost crying.

The child actors also had their heads hanging down.