Chapter 42 A Trouble Erupts at the Arts Performance, Rivals Are Extremely Hatred Upon Meeting!
"Should I help look at the clothes?"
Jiang Wu was somewhat surprised to hear Zhou Nianci's suggestion.
She wasn't very interested in such public appearances.
But looking at Zhou Nianci's expectant face, she couldn't very well refuse directly.
"Sister-in-law, I'm just drawing randomly, I don't know anything about stage costumes," Jiang Wu said modestly.
"Oh, don't be so modest!" Zhou Nianci said affectionately, taking her hand. "Which of the dresses you designed isn't prettier than the ones sold at the supply and marketing cooperative? We're just asking you to come up with ideas and suggestions; we're not asking you to perform on stage. What are you afraid of?"
Qin Lie, who was standing next to him, also thought it was a good idea.
He desperately wants the whole world to know how amazing his wife is.
"Wife, your sister-in-law has come to invite you personally, so why don't you go and take a look?" Qin Lie said.
Jiang Wu glanced at Qin Lie, then at Zhou Nianci.
Unable to refuse such hospitality, she could only nod.
"Well... okay, I'll go take a look."
"Great!" Wang Xiule clapped her hands excitedly. "I told my husband, and he said you can definitely do it! Now the production team has a pillar of support!"
The next morning, Jiang Wu, led by Zhou Nianci, went to the troupe's arts rehearsal room.
The rehearsal room was located in an old warehouse. It was a large space with wooden floors and a huge mirror on the wall.
A dozen or so young female soldiers, dressed in training uniforms, are rehearsing a dance.
In a corner of the warehouse, a slender woman in military uniform was giving a stern lecture with a stern face.
"How many times have I told you! Your movements need to be synchronized! They need to be powerful! You're jumping so weakly, like you haven't eaten! Is this acceptable?!"
The woman's voice was clear and crisp, but her tone was extremely harsh.
She was about twenty-four or twenty-five years old, with fair skin, slender eyebrows and eyes, and was indeed quite good-looking.
However, her raised chin and impatient expression ruined her beauty.
"Comrade Wenxue, look who's here!" Wang Xiulan walked over with a smile.
The woman named Wen Xue then stopped scolding and turned around.
When she saw Jiang Wu behind Zhou Nianci, a fleeting, almost imperceptible look of disdain flashed across her eyes.
"Aunt Wang, what brings you here?" Wen Xue forced a smile, but the smile didn't reach her eyes.
"I've invited a top expert for you!" Zhou Nianci enthusiastically pushed Jiang Wu forward. "This is Commander Qin's wife, Jiang Wu. She's a genius in costume design! I've asked her to check out the costumes for your show!"
"Commander Qin's lover?"
Wen Xue's gaze, like two small brushes, scrutinized Jiang Wu from head to toe.
Jiang Wu was dressed simply today, in a white shirt and a floral long skirt that she had made herself. Her hair was braided into two pigtails that hung down in front of her chest.
She looks fresh and clean, with an artistic flair.
But in Wenxue's eyes, this outfit was just a rustic country girl's attire.
The contempt in her eyes deepened.
"Oh, so you're a family member of Commander Qin." Wen Xue drawled, her tone laced with a sense of superiority. "Aunt Wang, this is a military arts performance, not a family gathering. We have specialists in charge of things like costumes; I'm afraid... we don't need outsiders interfering, do we?"
The moment those words were spoken, the atmosphere in the rehearsal room froze.
The female soldiers who were dancing also stopped and quietly looked over.
Zhou Nianci's expression also turned somewhat unpleasant.
"Comrade Wenxue, you can't say that. I've seen Xiaowu's abilities with my own eyes. Letting her give her feedback will only benefit the program."
"Really?" Wen Xue crossed her arms, raised an eyebrow, and looked at Jiang Wu.
"Then, I wonder if this... Madam Qin, has any insightful opinion?"
She deliberately emphasized the words "Madam Qin," conveying a strong sense of provocation.
Jiang Wu knew exactly what was going on.
She had heard Zhou Nianci mention Wen Xue a few times before she came.
She was the daughter of the deputy commander of the division headquarters, and grew up in the military compound. She had a very high opinion of herself. She always thought that she was the only one in the entire regiment who was worthy of Qin Lie, the young and promising regimental commander.
She was naturally resentful that Qin Lie had brought back a wife from the countryside.
This is a meeting between love rivals, and their eyes are filled with intense hatred.
Jiang Wu wasn't angry; a faint smile remained on her face.
She glanced at the female soldiers' training uniforms and the performance costumes hanging on the clothes rack next to them.
Those clothes were the most fashionable styles at the time, red and green, adorned with sequins, which certainly fit the aesthetics of this era.
But that's all.
"I wouldn't call it a brilliant insight," Jiang Wu said calmly. "I just feel that this uniform doesn't quite match the heroic and spirited demeanor of our soldiers."
"What did you say?" Wen Xue's face darkened instantly. "This costume is the latest style that I personally consulted with the city's cultural troupe! You're saying it doesn't match?"
“The costumes themselves are fine, they just don’t suit the dance.” Jiang Wu pointed to the dance being rehearsed. “The dance is called ‘The Red Detachment of Women,’ which portrays the female soldiers’ unwavering spirit of protecting their country despite hardships. But these clothes are too soft and too bright. Wearing them makes it look like you’re going to a ball, not to the battlefield.”
Jiang Wu's voice was calm and composed, and her thoughts were clear and logical.
"So, according to you, what should we wear? Our training uniforms?" Wen Xue sneered, her tone full of sarcasm.
“Of course not,” Jiang Wu said. “We can make improvements to the existing military uniforms. For example, we can tighten the trouser legs to make them look more streamlined. The waist of the top can be tightened slightly to accentuate the feminine curves without being too revealing. Adding a red belt would not only highlight the theme but also increase the visual impact.”
"Most importantly, the costumes should serve the dance, not restrict the dancers. Comfortable and easy-to-move-in costumes will allow them to better express their power."
Jiang Wu's words elicited expressions of agreement from the female soldiers dancing around her.
They had long felt uncomfortable in those sequined clothes, which made them feel restricted when they danced.
Wenxue's face turned pale and then red.
She never expected that this country bumpkin in her eyes could come up with such a set of theories.
Moreover, every single sentence hit the nail on the head.
Where does this leave the face of the person in charge of the program?
"Easier said than done!" Wenxue thought jealously, but refused to admit defeat. "Anyone can talk the talk, walk the walk! If you're so capable, show me what you can do!"
Just then, a female soldier who was practicing a difficult lift slipped and fell to the ground with her dance partner.
"Ouch!"
The female soldier being lifted groaned in pain, clutching her ankle, her face pale.
"What's going on!" Wenxue walked over impatiently.
"Report... Zhang Li... she seems to have sprained her ankle," her dance partner said in a panic.
Zhang Li is the lead dancer, and her position is crucial.
Now that she has sprained her ankle, let alone the formal performance, she can't even continue today's rehearsal.
Wen Xue's face was extremely pale.
She paced back and forth irritably, her gaze falling on Jiang Wu once again.
A wicked thought suddenly took shape in her mind.
She looked at Jiang Wu, a malicious smile playing on her lips.
"Since you're so capable, not only can you talk, but you can also design."
Wen Xue pointed to the empty lead dancer position in the center of the stage and spoke in an authoritative tone that left no room for argument.
"Then why don't you come up and dance for Zhang Li?"
"Let us all see for ourselves what this 'genius designer' really is. Otherwise, you're just here to cause trouble!"
She wanted to embarrass Jiang Wu in front of everyone!
She simply couldn't believe that a woman from the countryside, besides knowing how to make two pieces of clothing, could also know how to dance.
All eyes in the rehearsal room instantly turned to Jiang Wu.
Zhou Nianci panicked and was about to speak up to help Jiang Wu out of the predicament.
Jiang Wu pressed down on her hand, looked at the smug Wen Xue, and slowly revealed an enigmatic smile.
"OK."
The voice was light and airy, yet it carried an inexplicable confidence.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com