Chapter 118: A Clash of Weaklings Makes the Sky Feel Like It's About to Collapse.

The cobra was quickly caught by several soldiers. What could be better than a snake that doesn't have legs? As an animal, the snake is highly venomous, but it crawls too slowly. Once caught, its venomous fangs are useless.

"What a huge snake!"

"Was this washed in by the flood yesterday?"

"There are snakes in the water every year, it's really terrifying."

...

Qin Xiangxiang took her two children to check their own vegetable garden. When they returned, she heard people talking about the cobra that had appeared in the family compound. She felt that this scene was very familiar.

In my dream, after a typhoon passed, a cobra appeared, and the old lady Gou, who was pretending to be lame, was exposed for faking it.

This time, Qin Xiangxiang wasn't present, so she didn't see the cobra or Old Lady Gou. She wondered if the old lady could continue pretending to be lame.

"Have you heard? Old Mrs. Gou jumped up."

"The cobra appeared, and she jumped right out of her wheelchair."

Qin Xiangxiang: "Oh my god!"

Unexpectedly, things proceeded as planned, with the cobra relentlessly pursuing Old Lady Gou.

The chubby boy standing next to his mother was also stunned. At this time, the chubby boy, who was in elementary school, already understood a lot and knew how incredible it was for a cripple to jump out of his wheelchair.

Sui Sui: "Oh my god! Wow! Wow! Wow!"

Having pretended to be lame for so many years, Qin Xiangxiang greatly admired Old Lady Gou. If it weren't for the accidental encounter with the cobra, she could have kept up the act forever.

"I heard that when the snake approached the old lady, she pulled two needles from her palm, pierced her knee, and then she jumped up."

Qin Xiangxiang was dumbfounded: "???"

"This seems to be a family secret technique. In times of crisis, injecting two needles into the body can unleash the body's potential, and even a cripple can become healthy."

"Now several veteran traditional Chinese medicine doctors and military doctors have gone to her house."

Qin Xiangxiang was completely dumbfounded. She never expected this to happen even in her dream. Old Lady Gou was clearly discovered to be faking her lameness, but now there was some kind of golden needle acupuncture to stimulate her potential.

Is this...is this even possible?

Qin Xiangxiang led the two children back home. Li Jianzhi returned home covered in sweat and took a shower. After the typhoon passed, everything was troublesome to handle. He took a shower at home, changed into a new military uniform, and had to go to a meeting.

Qin Xiangxiang told him the story of the old lady on the first floor who encountered a cobra and jumped up after having a golden needle pierced her acupoint in front of everyone.

"I heard that all the traditional Chinese medicine doctors in the neighborhood are coming to study Old Lady Gou."

Li Jianzhi: "Pfft—"

"Who would believe that? Acupuncture to stimulate potential? Isn't she just faking her lameness?"

Qin Xiangxiang: "Who knows?"

"Honey, don't believe these weird things. My God, do people really believe these things? I even claim to cure all diseases with Banlangen (Isatis root)."

Qin Xiangxiang: "Have you forgotten that a few years ago, chicken blood injections were all the rage? When I was pregnant with Xiaopang, a lot of people went to get chicken blood injections, saying that chicken blood could cure all diseases and prolong life. They said that as long as you got chicken blood, any disease could be cured. A lot of people believed it. It scared me to death back then."

Li Jianzhi: "???" That's outrageous.

"Is it really about injecting chicken blood? Injecting chicken blood into your body? Injecting chicken blood into your own veins?" The more Li Jianzhi heard about this, the more surreal it seemed.

"Yes, roosters are worthless now, but back then, all the young roosters in the market were snapped up just to get them injected with chicken blood."

Li Jianzhi: "...You should read more books when you have nothing to do."

At this time, the Gou family gathered many traditional Chinese medicine doctors and military doctors to take turns examining Old Mrs. Gou. One of the traditional Chinese medicine doctors said, "It's really amazing, there's not a single problem with your legs."

Grandma Gou gave an awkward smile.

Gou's daughter-in-law was furious: "It's all an act! It's all an act! All these years, it's all been an act!"

"Daughter-in-law, don't wrong me! I didn't pretend! Didn't you hear what Bai Yun said? In a moment of panic, I pricked myself with some kind of needle, which unleashed my potential, and lo and behold! My leg is healed!" Old Mrs. Gou retorted, "You say I was faking it when my leg is healed! You unfilial descendant!"

Gou's daughter-in-law: "How many years have you been pretending? How many years have I served you? You'd better tell me everything today!"

Gou Qiang and Gao Rong looked at each other in dismay. Their mother and grandmother were arguing. At the same time, Gao Rong admired her husband's grandmother from the bottom of her heart. Pretending to be lame for so many years, she was really capable.

Seeing the quarrel between the Gou family's mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, the experienced traditional Chinese medicine doctors dared not make any rash judgments. It was a certainty that the old woman was faking her lameness, but if they were to speak the truth, the old woman might try to extort money from them. It was better to avoid trouble.

"Now that the old lady's leg is better, let's go."

Gou's daughter-in-law forcibly sold Gou's old lady's wheelchair. With no wheelchair to sit in, Gou could no longer pretend to be lame. After a few days, she acted as if nothing had happened, dragging a small stool downstairs to sunbathe and enjoy the breeze.

Xue Haiyang, Li Jinling, and others are becoming more and more proficient in rehearsing the play "Me and My Master." Everyone has memorized the lines and there are no problems with their vocal performances, but they just can't seem to get anyone interested.

The master and apprentice worked tirelessly in the factory, passing on their skills from generation to generation. The values ​​portrayed in the play are admirable, but it's really not very meaningful.

Xue Haiyang: "There might be a problem with the script."

Even Xue Haiyang himself realized that the play script was really uninteresting and not attractive when it was staged.

“How is it not interesting? It’s about my sister-in-law and Master Li’s story.” Li Jinling found it very interesting. “I feel like I’ve become my sister-in-law. I’m very enthusiastic about working in the factory every day. I want to promote and carry on this spirit.”

Qin Xiangxiang found their play an eyesore and stopped going to watch their rehearsals at the cultural propaganda team, pretending it never happened.

Xue Haiyang nodded. Perhaps the play was just there to make the factory manager happy. After all, it told the factory manager's story, so no one could say it wasn't good.

However, Xue Haiyang felt that Director Qin didn't seem to like the play that much.

"Director Qin, your factory has also established a propaganda team? That's great! Next month, our union will be holding a joint arts performance competition in Mingzhou for amateur propaganda teams from more than 20 factories in the province. Your factory's propaganda team should also submit a program."

Qin Xiangxiang stared blankly: "Our factory's propaganda team was only recently established and is hardly worthy of serious attention."

"Director Qin, you're too modest. You even poached Xiao Xue from the drama troupe. He's quite a character."

"Once the factory is built, the spiritual and cultural life of the workers must also be improved accordingly. We cannot let the workers be numb and just do production in the workshop. They need to be more active, have a broader perspective, and we must also focus on cultural and artistic work."

Factory Director Qin: "Our factory's propaganda team has only put on one play so far, and everyone is still not very good at it."

"One is enough. Report it quickly. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Your factory must not miss it. This time, the All-China Federation of Trade Unions and the local committee have gone all out and given generous rewards."

"As long as you register for the joint arts competition, you will receive a prize, and it will be a big prize, especially for the top three. In addition to the top three, there will also be consolation prizes. So feel free to register for the competition."

"The first place winner will receive a movie projector."

"The second-place winner will receive an imported camera as a reward for the factory."

"The third place winner will receive a black and white television set."

"The other awards for excellence are..."

To be honest, when Qin Xiangxiang held the microphone and heard the rewards mentioned by the other party, she couldn't help but be tempted. If she could get into the top three, these prizes would be a real steal.

"All the factory managers participating in the competition will be required to attend and enjoy the performances, and everyone can exchange ideas and learn from each other."

"Our factory has signed up!" With those words from the other party, Qin Xiangxiang felt reassured. She wanted to watch the show and openly pass the work to someone else.

"Okay, your factory should submit the program name and the list of participating actors as soon as possible."

"Let me tell you, this competition received support from multiple local organizations, and the entire event was recorded and broadcast by the provincial television station."

"This is a great opportunity; we must get the workers involved widely!"

After hanging up the phone, Qin Xiangxiang told Assistant He about it, "Contact our factory's propaganda team. Our factory needs to submit a program to participate in the provincial trade union's workers' arts and culture performance competition."

Assistant He was overjoyed upon hearing this: "This is the time to bring honor to the factory! We've only recently established our propaganda team, and to get such an opportunity is truly lucky!"

Hearing the other person's excited, almost frantic tone, Qin Xiangxiang sensed something was wrong.

Qin Xiangxiang said in a very relaxed manner, "We are not looking for awards. The main thing is to provide all workers with an opportunity to show their talents on stage. So I suggest that our factory rehearse a large-scale song and dance program and select seventy or eighty people to dance on stage."

That way she can also slack off and watch the game.

Assistant He was taken aback: "A song and dance performance with seventy or eighty people? Isn't that a bit too many people?"

Qin Xiangxiang said, "Xue Haiyang from our factory used to be a dancer. He's been dancing since elementary school. Let him figure out a way to choreograph a song and dance program that requires a large number of people but isn't too complicated."

“Okay, then I’ll go and discuss it with Xue Haiyang and let him choose the program.” Assistant He decided to follow the factory manager’s opinion. “Factory manager, will I also have a chance to go and watch the competition?”

"Okay, let's go to Minnesota to watch the game together!"

Assistant He went to find Xue Haiyang and told him what had happened. Xue Haiyang immediately felt a chill run down his spine.

He said incredulously, "In just over a month, you want me to select seventy or eighty people to rehearse a song and dance program?"

Assistant He: "Factory Director Qin said that most of the workers should be given a chance to perform and showcase their talents on stage."

Xue Haiyang felt desperate, thinking that it would be better to go back to the drama troupe and be bothered by men.

Nowadays, all the workers in the factory are laymen in the arts. Xue Haiyang already felt the challenge when rehearsing plays, let alone a song and dance performance with seventy or eighty people.

Honestly, if he were asked to select eighty elementary school students from the affiliated primary school to rehearse a song and dance routine, Xue Haiyang would have agreed. Because even though the children are young, they have a lot of potential for rehearsing programs, and at least their limbs are not stiff.

Adults without any prior experience dancing often end up with stiff, awkward movements.

Thinking of the foreseeable scenarios, Xue Haiyang froze, feeling as if the sky was about to fall.

His worries were unnecessary. He had been learning dance since elementary school and had only ever watched professional performances. He had no idea that this kind of amateur propaganda team arts performance competition was actually:

—A bunch of noobs pecking at each other.

Li Jinling said, "Why do we need to re-choreograph a song and dance program? Don't we already have a rehearsed drama program?"

"I think our drama program can win first place!"

Xue Haiyang: "..."

He closed his eyes and thought to himself that he might as well go back and be pursued by men.