Chapter 37: Opportunities and Things That Happened Back Then
"No." Jiang Moli lay on the bed. She didn't think about sleeping in a bigger room. Her mentality now was different from before.
In the past, Jiang Moli wanted to compete with Jiang Yuqin, but it wasn't a real need. Jiang's father always felt that Jiang Moli would be treated better with her mother by her side, so Jiang's father had to be a little nicer to Jiang Yuqin. This led to the situation. Jiang's father wasn't mean to Jiang Moli, but he still had to take care of Jiang Yuqin.
"I'm already so old. I'm not that young anymore," Jiang Moli said. "Now, I'm my father's only daughter. Everything in the house will be mine from now on. What else should I fight for? It doesn't matter which room I sleep in. If I have to sleep in that room now, others won't say anything if they see me. But I might feel uncomfortable lying there alone. I just want to sleep in this room. I've been sleeping there for so long."
It was just the right time to make Jiang's father softer on Jiang Moli, and let Jiang's father know how well Jiang Yuqin was doing. Jiang Moli had suffered a lot of grievances in the past. After all, Jiang Moli still had some resentment towards Jiang's father in her heart, and she wanted Jiang's father to remember what she had done in the past. Jiang Moli also had a bit of a temper.
"I don't want to be a good, obedient daughter," Jiang Moli said. "If you're too obedient, you'll easily suffer."
"You are still relatively obedient. You have suffered a lot." Zhou Yiran said.
"Isn't there nothing I can do? My mother is a stepmother, and I can't just take care of myself. I still have to take care of my mother a little bit." Jiang Moli said, "Jiang Yuqin is now a stepmother to someone else, and she also said that she wants to be a good stepmother."
Jiang Moli wanted to laugh when she thought about Jiang Yuqin. In the original novel, Jiang Yuqin tried her best to be a good stepmother, making her biological children think that Jiang Yuqin was sick. In the original novel, Jiang Yuqin could suck the blood of the Jiang family. Now, Jiang Yuqin can't suck the blood of the Jiang family, but suck the blood of the Jin family. Jiang Yuqin's life experience will be exposed sooner or later, it just depends on when it will be exposed.
"Your mother had no choice but to be a stepmother. Jiang Yuqin volunteered to be a stepmother, and she was so happy about it." Zhou Yiran said, "To be honest, I really don't understand your sister... I don't understand Jiang Yuqin. She always says that she grew up under a stepmother, so she should know how difficult it is to be a stepmother, but she still chose to be a stepmother."
"She said that the child was adopted, not her biological child, nor her husband's biological child. This kind of stepmother is different." Jiang Moli said, "Women must not be obsessed with love. They must think more about the future."
Jiang Moli and Zhou Yiran lay on the bed, imagining the future together.
"I was thinking of waiting for my mom to introduce me to someone," Zhou Yiran said. "Free love isn't bad, but if you don't know each other well, you might end up falling into a trap. That's terrible. I don't want to fall into a trap. If I do, I'm doomed. Domestic violence is a minor issue, but I'm afraid of being killed. No, I don't have to suffer long-term if I'm killed."
"Is there anyone suffering from domestic violence over there?" Jiang Moli asked in confusion. "What made you think of this?"
"Someone's arguing," Zhou Yiran gestured. "Pots, pans, and everything else are being thrown to the ground. It's so violent! There's no bowl at home, so we have to borrow one to eat from. Even though some people may seem cultured, they can be incredibly vulgar when they argue. I'm not very discerning. If I were in a free love relationship and ended up with a scumbag, what would I do? You're in the best of luck. Teacher Lu's son is pretty good."
"Whether it's good or not, we'll have to wait and see." Jiang Moli said, "No one knows what their life will be like in the end. I'm also a little worried that I won't be able to live a good life in the future. I'm not like you. I'm very career-oriented. I want to develop my career well and become famous, not just live a life of idleness and waiting to die. I'm not saying that this is bad, but our choices are different."
"I know. You don't need to explain. I already know you. You've been friends with me for so many years, and you've never disliked my laziness or my slacking off." Zhou Yiran said, "It's not bad to be ambitious. It's not just for men. We women can be ambitious, too."
"I don't plan to get pregnant and have children in the short term. I have to wait a few years." Jiang Moli said, "Maybe five or six years, maybe ten years. Even though Sheng Jiahao said it's okay now, it's not certain over time. The relationship between men and women can change in an instant. Without a child to bridge the gap, a little conflict may lead to a breakup."
"Tell him clearly. If he still has any feelings, then don't let him go." Zhou Yiran turned to look at Jiang Moli, reaching out to touch Jiang Moli's smooth, white cheek. "You are so beautiful. Wait ten years, and there will definitely be many men who like you. You can choose a good man to marry then. Don't be afraid. It's a relationship, just enjoy it. There are so many men in the world, and you have such good conditions. At the age of 30, there will still be a lot of people chasing you."
"You just know how to coax me." Jiang Moli chuckled.
"Didn't you try to coax me?" Zhou Yiran also laughed. "You left our company, and I was all alone there. I felt quite lonely, and it was hard to gossip with others. Some people would tell others what others just said to them a while ago. I didn't dare to say much when talking to them. I had to be careful not to become the scapegoat. My mom is at work, and they all think I'm someone who can easily be blamed. When others hear others say it was me who said it, they don't dare to ask me for confirmation."
Zhou Yiran was holding her hands under her head, and the two of them were talking about some little secrets and laughing. The noise was not loud, but in the quiet night, the rooms close to each other could only hear a little bit of the noise, so it was not loud.
Jiang's mother patted the pillow gently and placed it on the head of the bed.
"Moli has been at her previous workplace for so many years, and she's friends with Yaran. When she was there, Yaran's mother would keep an eye on her," Jiang's mother lamented. "Moli has no one to protect her in her new workplace, and with her temper, I don't know if she'll offend anyone."
"At worst, come back and we will raise her," said Jiang's father.
"Moli doesn't want us to support her," Jiang's mother said. "Moli wants her career. She started learning opera when she was very young. She has aspirations."
Jiang's mother really wanted to say: Do you think Jasmine is Jiang Yuqin?
Jiang Yuqin always wanted to snatch things from the house, but Jiang Moli didn't want to snatch things from the house. However, Jiang's father only had Jiang Moli as his biological daughter. If Jiang Moli didn't snatch things from the house, those things would belong to her.
Sometimes Jiang's mother worried that Jiang's father would get carried away and sympathize with Jiang Yuqin, but then she thought it was impossible. A grown man who had raised someone else's child for so many years and had been cuckolded for so many years, Jiang's father would probably not sympathize with Jiang Yuqin anymore.
"Talk about it, so that she doesn't have to work so hard." Jiang's father said, "Go home when you are tired."
"Young man, go out and work, and try your luck," Jiang's mother said. "We'll stay behind and take care of everything else. She can rest assured knowing that her family can support her."
Early in the morning, Zhou Yiran had dinner at Jiang's house and went back first without staying at Jiang's house.
Soon the day arrived for Mr. Sheng and Teacher Lu to come to our house. They brought a lot of things with them and parked their car at the gate of the compound. Many people saw them. Many people also saw the things they were carrying, and some people were looking over there.
"Is this the man's elder coming to visit?"
"You're not just any random person, are you?"
"So many things, it must cost a lot of money."
…
Those people were muttering to each other, and some even went to Jiang Moli's door to take a look. They all wanted to see what was going on and what the boy's parents had to say.
The door to the living room was open, not closed. There were people in the compound doing laundry and other things, and their movements slowed down considerably, eager to hear about the Jiang family's affairs.
Teacher Lu and Mr. Sheng greeted the Jiang family and sat down. The Jiang family's house was very clean, which showed that the owner had cleaned it carefully.
"Teacher Lu." Jiang's mother poured tea for Teacher Lu first, and then poured tea for Sheng's father and others.
Jiang's mother respected Teacher Lu very much, and her daughter was once Teacher Lu's student.
"Call me whatever you want, even my name." Seeing how serious and respectful Jiang's mother was, Teacher Lu quickly said, "Today, I'm Jiahao's mother, and I'm here to talk about what's going on between Jasmine and Jiahao. I'm thinking of getting the two children engaged first. As for marriage, we can wait until Jasmine is old enough, or even a few years longer. It doesn't matter. Get engaged first and settle things."
"Since you mentioned that, I also want to ask, Jasmine is not a college student, this cultural difference..."
"That's not a problem," Teacher Lu said. "Just because Jasmine didn't go to college doesn't mean she's uneducated. She knows quite a bit. We opera singers don't pursue research in science or engineering, and we don't pursue advanced studies. But when it comes to history and classic novels, we're not too bad. You don't have to worry about the two children not having a common language; they'll have plenty to talk about."
"Well, okay." Jiang's mother nodded.
"Honestly, whether a college student is a student or not is not the most important thing," Teacher Lu said. "Isn't the purpose of going to college to get a good job? Jasmine has a great job and she has a bright future. I used to think it would be great if Jasmine were my daughter. She has good character, good looks, and is capable. She's perfect in every way. But I just like her, and I can't force my son to like her. Who knew he'd fall in love with her on his own?"
Teacher Lu smiled as she spoke. She was really very satisfied with Jiang Moli. She was very satisfied. Teacher Lu wished that Jiang Moli would become her daughter-in-law right now. She watched Jiang Moli grow up step by step, and she was happy too.
The Jiang family's parents chatted happily with the Sheng family's parents. At noon, the two families went to a restaurant together for lunch. Originally, Jiang's mother said she would cook, but Teacher Lu said that Jiang's mother needed time to cook, and if they went out to eat, they would have more time to chat.
So the Jiang family didn't cook. They locked the door and went to the restaurant to eat together. While in the restaurant, Mr. and Mrs. Lu talked a little more. They all knew that Jiang Moli was busy with her career, so they didn't urge Jiang Moli to have a baby soon.
"If the situation hadn't been so difficult back then, I wouldn't have had children so early, nor would I have had so many," said Teacher Lu. "I didn't let them learn opera because it wasn't well developed back then. Now, with reform and opening up, many policies have changed, and opera will gradually develop well."
Teacher Lu needs to let everyone know that it's not that she dislikes opera, nor that she doesn't like her family members performing it. It's that she didn't allow her children to perform opera due to the unique circumstances of that era. No one knows how the times will develop, and no one can guarantee that their decisions will be correct. Sometimes, over time, many things are beyond our control.
Obviously that choice was the best choice at the time, but many years later, that choice may not be the best choice.
You can't blame anyone for this, it's your own choice.
"As for Jiahao, he's not with Moli just to make up for my regrets." Teacher Lu said that their family is not taking advantage of Jiang Moli. If they like her, they like her, and if they don't like her, they don't like her.
Teacher Lu believes that everyone should talk about it as soon as possible and stop thinking that they are the elders and should not say such things. As the elders, they can say such things and they should say it clearly to let the elders of the woman know what they are thinking.
A good in-laws and good in-laws can also make people feel at ease and make the girl's parents willing to hand their daughter over to the boy.
"I understand, I understand." Jiang's mother nodded. "In that special era, many things were unavoidable. It wasn't our choice, but we had to consider the context of the times and the policies. Sometimes, we were pushed forward."
"Yes, that's true." Teacher Lu said, "In our time, there were indeed many things."
You could say that life was easy back then, but there were many things that were neither easy nor ok.
Some people Teacher Lu knew were sent to farms; some became insane, others died. Some have now been rehabilitated, but it's almost impossible for them to sing opera again. Either their voices are damaged, or they haven't performed in years, and their skills are no longer as good as they used to be.
Working in this industry is brutal. It's true that the younger generation pushes the older generation out, and the older generation dies on the beach. Many older people don't continue in this field, or turn to teaching or working behind the scenes, rather than performing on stage.
The audience can sense an actor's age. When an opera actor ages, their figure, voice, and other aspects can be noticeable. Some famous actors retire later, but eventually they all have to. It's impossible not to retire.
"Your family has taken good care of Jasmine," Teacher Lu said. "When they get married and buy a new house, they won't have to live with us."
Teacher Lu and Jiang Moli are both opera singers. While others might think Teacher Lu wants Jiang Moli to live with her, she has no such thoughts. Teacher Lu was Jiang Moli's teacher herself, and Jiang Moli subconsciously respects her, even more than she respects her mother-in-law. Teacher Lu doesn't want to put too much pressure on Jiang Moli. It's best to let Jiang Moli and Sheng Jiahao live outside. Teacher Lu can visit when she has time, and that's not a big deal.
"I almost forgot." Teacher Lu took out a pair of jade bracelets from her bag. The jade bracelets were very fine. "This is for Jasmine. We were so happy chatting that I almost forgot to give her a gift. The child's father didn't even remind me."
Father Sheng looked at his wife. It was because his wife was talking all the time. He saw that his wife was so happy, so he did not interrupt her.
"This is too expensive." Jiang's mother said.
"It should be Jasmine's." Teacher Lu said with a smile, "Jasmine looks good in it. Keep it, keep it. I have decided that Jasmine will be my daughter-in-law."
"Then let her keep it." Jiang's mother asked Jiang Moli to keep the jade bracelet.
Jiang Moli and Sheng Jiahao sat together. Jiang Moli took the jade bracelet and looked at it. Sheng Jiahao picked up one of the jade bracelets and put it on Jiang Moli's hand, "It looks good."
"Take it down first." Jiang Moli whispered, "Put it aside first."
"It's okay, just wear it." Sheng Jiahao said.
When the parents of both sides saw Jiang Moli and Sheng Jiahao's little actions, they were very happy and had smiles on their faces.
After the Sheng family came to the Jiang family, the neighbors all knew about it. They didn't say that Jiang Moli was not satisfied by the Sheng family. They were just curious about what the Jiang family had said to the Sheng family. When two families are talking about marriage, there are always some requirements. It is impossible not to say anything.
Miao Guifeng also wanted to know what the Jiang family said to the Sheng family. She didn't remember much about what the Jiang family said to the Sheng family in her previous life. She herself had not been in the Jiang family, so she couldn't hear clearly. Miao Guifeng thought about the things in her previous life from time to time. She wondered if the Sheng family was really satisfied with Jiang Moli?
When the Sheng family went to the Jiang family, Niu Cuihua did not go. After what happened before, Niu Cuihua already knew that her mother-in-law did not want her to go there too often and did not want her to interfere in those matters. Niu Cuihua figured it out. After all, Jiang's mother was Jiang's father's later marriage. Even if Jiang's father only had a daughter, Jiang's mother had other children, so Jiang's father would be a little cautious.
Niu Cuihua knew that Jiang's father was so wary of Jiang's mother, so she naturally couldn't make things difficult for Jiang's mother.
People say that if there is a stepmother, there will be a stepfather, which means that the stepmother will be better at controlling the stepfather and will treat the woman's child better.
Niu Cuihua had thought so before, especially after she knew that Jiang Yuqin was not Jiang's father's biological daughter. She felt that Jiang's mother should treat Zhao Guodong better, and she also thought that Jiang's father would treat Zhao Guodong better for Jiang Moli. Niu Cuihua took it for granted and made a mistake.
At noon, Miao Guifeng did not go to the train station to sell roasted sweet potatoes. Instead, she took a short break and went to find Niu Cuihua, saying that the Jiang family and the Sheng family had gone out for dinner.
"Didn't they invite you to go out for dinner together?" Miao Guifeng asked.
"No." Niu Cuihua said, "We can just cook and eat at home. There's no need to go with us."
"You are such close relatives after all, having a meal together is nothing." Miao Guifeng said, "Your sister wants to propose marriage, and they..."
"Just eat at home." Niu Cuihua said, "I say you are a strange person. I told you to eat at home, but you still say this. Do you really have to force us to go eat with you? You have lived here for several years, you should know that Jiang Moli and our Guodong have the same mother and father, not the same biological father. Our Guodong shouldn't always get close to her, it will make people laugh at him. Are you happy when people laugh at you?"
"No, that's not what I meant." Miao Guifeng said quickly.
"If you don't mean that, what do you mean by saying these things?" Niu Cuihua didn't quite understand. "Those words you said have really screwed me over. My mother-in-law even scolded me. Please stop saying those things. I can't keep secrets. Once I know something, I want to tell it. Don't talk to me carelessly."
Niu Cuihua originally thought Miao Guifeng was okay. Miao Guifeng told her some situations and let her know what to do. But these few times, Miao Guifeng's words were not very nice. Niu Cuihua thought about it carefully and realized that those words really did harm her. Niu Cuihua thought Miao Guifeng was right, so she said it over there.
Once or twice, Niu Cuihua was unwilling to believe what Miao Guifeng said.
"We're both from the countryside. Why are you trying to trick me like this?" Niu Cuihua asked. "Have I ever offended you?"
"No..." Miao Guifeng didn't expect Niu Cuihua to say that. They had a very good relationship in their previous life.
"I haven't offended you, so stop talking nonsense. You always egg me on. Do you think I'm a fool?" Niu Cuihua was a little angry. "Don't you want my sister-in-law and the others to have a good life?"
"No." Miao Guifeng said.
"Really?" Niu Cuihua didn't quite believe what Miao Guifeng said.
Miao Guifeng felt uncomfortable when she saw Niu Cuihua didn't believe her. She really had no other ideas. Miao Guifeng thought that she was just following the common sense. When the Sheng family came to propose marriage, it would be reasonable for them to go out for dinner and invite Niu Cuihua and others.
"No!" Miao Guifeng emphasized, "I was just saying something simple. I didn't have any other thoughts. I didn't mean to make you quarrel with your sister-in-law. Your sister-in-law is so powerful. If you quarrel with her, you will suffer."
"She should be stronger." Niu Cuihua said, "I'm not strong enough, so I get tricked and bullied."
"Uh..." Miao Guifeng felt as if Niu Cuihua was blaming her after hearing this.
"Aren't you going to sell roasted sweet potatoes?" Niu Cuihua asked.
"Let's go later, in the evening." Miao Guifeng said, "Let's take a rest during the day."
"Then go lie down and rest." Niu Cuihua said, "Don't stare at my mother-in-law and her people. They are not your family."
Niu Cuihua looked at Miao Guifeng, and then she took the child back to the house. Niu Cuihua didn't plan to chat with Miao Guifeng for long, and she also wanted to be on guard against Miao Guifeng and not tell her everything.
Miao Guifeng watched Niu Cuihua bring the child into the house, and she felt that Niu Cuihua's attitude towards her had become much colder. At the beginning, Niu Cuihua's attitude towards Miao Guifeng was quite good, but it was mainly because Miao Guifeng tricked Niu Cuihua that Niu Cuihua changed her attitude towards Miao Guifeng.
Niu Cuihua couldn't blindly trust Miao Guifeng just because she was from the countryside. Someone told her that Miao Guifeng herself wasn't having a good life, and she didn't want to see Niu Cuihua, who was also from the countryside, have a good life. Others also said that Miao Guifeng knew exactly what the prices were like in the city, yet when she took Niu Cuihua shopping, she didn't even warn her, and still let her buy so many expensive things.
After a while, Niu Cuihua had less money in her hands. When she thought about what happened before, she felt that Miao Guifeng was deliberately cheating her, cheating her again and again. Fortunately, she thought Miao Guifeng was a good person and wondered if she would remind her of something. In the end, Miao Guifeng did not remind her. Miao Guifeng only let her fall into the trap again.
Niu Cuihua didn't dare to have much contact with Miao Guifeng, as this was the kind of person she was. Even if she did have contact with her, she would have to be cautious.
Jiang Moli and the others didn't know Miao Guifeng had even gone to Niu Cuihua to discuss the meal. They hadn't asked Niu Cuihua and her husband to go with the children, and they hadn't planned to do so in the morning. Even if Jiang's mother was cooking at home, she wouldn't have asked Niu Cuihua and the others to come.
Miao Guifeng was a little dazed and walked back.
"Are you going to see the daughter-in-law next door again?" Yang's mother saw Miao Guifeng coming back and looked at her with a cold face, "Aren't you afraid of being kicked in the stove again?"
"Why do you care if they kick my stove?" Miao Guifeng glared at Yang's mother. "Don't meddle in my business."
"I don't want to get involved in your affairs. You're making it difficult for all the neighbors." Yang's mother said, "You haven't been a good daughter-in-law yourself, and you're trying to instigate others not to be good daughters-in-law. You're asking for trouble."
"I'm not trying to stop her from being a good daughter-in-law," Miao Guifeng said. "I'm just telling the truth."
"Are you telling the truth?" Yang's mother asked. "You're just talking nonsense. You're talking about things you don't understand. It makes me feel embarrassed when I see people now. I'm really embarrassed."
"Haha, are you still embarrassed?" Miao Guifeng knew her mother-in-law too well. Her mother-in-law would criticize her at any point.
Miao Guifeng didn't think she was wrong. Aren't the people around her the same as her? It's just that they didn't say it to Niu Cuihua. Miao Guifeng wanted to get closer to Niu Cuihua quickly. She didn't expect Jiang's mother to be so angry.
In her previous life, Jiang's mother had a relatively mild temper and was rarely as angry with Miao Guifeng as she was. She had never kicked Miao Guifeng's stove. Miao Guifeng thought Jiang's mother was always gentle with them and would never say anything to her. When Miao Guifeng saw Jiang's mother kicking the stove, she was also shocked.
"He only kicked the stove once, no need to talk about it," Miao Guifeng said, "he won't do it again."
"That depends on how you act," Yang's mother said. "If you don't do well, if you're a big mouth and say bad things, I'll still kick your stove. Next time, I won't kick your stove, I'll kick you."
Lu Dongxiang leaned against the door, listening to the conversation between Yang's mother and Miao Guifeng. She snorted softly. Miao Guifeng deserved to be criticized. If only she had done less, wouldn't it have been better? A country girl is a country girl, poor and uneducated, with only a bad mouth.
Miao Guifeng turned around and glared at Lu Dongxiang, "Lazy bitch."
Lu Dongxiang clapped her hands gently. She just wanted to be a lazy woman.
"Mom, make scrambled eggs for dinner." Lu Dongxiang said to Yang's mother.
"Okay." Yang's mother replied, "Add some chives, or stir-fry some seaweed?"
"Add seaweed and chives to make chive dumplings." Lu Dongxiang said.
Lu Dongxiang glanced at Miao Guifeng, and she went into the house. Miao Guifeng felt sad. She had wanted an egg before, but Yang's mother refused. Now it was Lu Dongxiang's turn, and Yang's mother had to cook and scramble eggs for her herself. It was really annoying to compare yourself with others.
"I can't kill you by eating it." Miao Guifeng muttered.
Sheng Jiahao drove Jiang Moli and others back, and only went back after sending them back.
When He Jingxian heard that Jiang Moli was going to a new unit and would be playing Cuiyun, she felt mixed emotions. She didn't want Jiang Moli to continue playing the role of Cuiyun. Since they were both playing the same role in different units, they would still be compared. He Jingxian knew she probably couldn't compare to Jiang Moli, who had already been playing Cuiyun for several months and was even participating in performances.
He Jingxian went to find Aunt Qi Er. She went to Aunt Qi Er's office and asked, "Can Jiang Moli not play Cuiyun?"
"This isn't something you and I can decide. It depends on her work unit." Aunt Qi Er looked at the documents in her hand. "If her work unit wants her to act, then she has to act. If her work unit doesn't want her to act, then she can't act. What? Are you afraid you'll be outdone by her?"
"No, I just think she always plays the same role and it's not challenging at all," said He Jingxian.
"'Five Daughters Paying Homage' to Their Parents' was a huge hit during this year's Spring Festival," said Aunt Qi. "Many theater troupes are performing it. We're a local troupe, and we can't compare to the provincial Little Hundred Flowers, so others won't laugh at us."
Aunt Qi didn't think of asking her colleagues to compete with the Provincial Xiaobaihua students; the Provincial Xiaobaihua students were already more outstanding. Meanwhile, the South City Drama Troupe, the outstanding ones, all wanted to get into the Provincial Xiaobaihua. Some were more capable than the younger ones, but because of their age, they still couldn't get into the Provincial Xiaobaihua.
"Don't worry about it. Just rehearse well and perform," said Aunt Qi. "If you don't rehearse well and perform well, I won't be able to protect you if something goes wrong. You can't have any more problems during the official performance. Even if there are minor problems during the internal competition, people will talk about it. It's okay that the audience doesn't know about it. No one will oppose you or prevent you from participating in the performance."
Second Aunt Qi waved her hand. She had helped He Jingxian and let her enter the unit, which was already very good. He Jingxian wanted her to extend her hands to other units, that was not allowed. Second Aunt Qi didn't want to chop off her own hands. If she intervened, the leader would definitely criticize her. If Second Aunt Qi took action, wouldn't Jiang Moli find someone else?
"If you have time, you should think about when to get pregnant and have a baby." Aunt Qi said, "It's the same if you have a baby sooner and then participate in the performance. There will always be a role suitable for you."
With Second Aunt Qi around, she wouldn't let He Jingxian have no roles to play just because she had a baby.
He Jingxian felt sad again when she heard Aunt Qi's words. She really hadn't thought about having a baby so soon. But these people were urging her. She had just graduated from school and joined the new unit not long ago. Why were these people so anxious?
Jiang Moli was unaware of He Jingxian's little tricks; she was diligently practicing in her new unit. Since everyone else had already been practicing for a long time, they had to rehearse together, going through the entire process from beginning to end. Jiang Moli had just learned the new lyrics for the new arrangement, so she had to rehearse the entire set as well. Fortunately, Jiang Moli had a good memory, and she memorized the new lyrics even when she got home. When she went on stage, she sang smoothly, her movements, expressions, and lines all perfectly on point.
The director originally thought that Jiang Moli wouldn't fit in so quickly, and they were all prepared for her to make mistakes. The director and others were still somewhat tolerant of Jiang Moli. After all, the previous people had practiced for a long time and didn't perform well. Jiang Moli had performed a different version before, not the current one. Jiang Moli didn't have that much time to memorize the new version, and the others were worried that Jiang Moli would mix up the versions.
In the end, Jiang Moli didn't sing the same version, but sang the new adaptation. In the new version, many of the lines are the same, but some are different, which makes it easy for people who perform the two versions to get confused.
Jiang Moli had long been aware of this problem. She practiced and memorized at home, and even tried hard to remember it when she came to work. Jiang Moli couldn't let her own personal reasons slow down the progress of the entire team.
"Good, not bad." The director was very satisfied with Jiang Moli's performance. Jiang Moli was Cuiyun in his mind.
"Well done." Teacher Li patted Jiang Moli's shoulder gently. "No wonder Lao Lu likes you so much and values you so much. If it were me, I would like you and value you too."
It wasn't just the director who thought Jiang Moli would make a mistake; Teacher Li and the others thought so too. Some people were feeling uncomfortable and were hoping that Jiang Moli would make a mistake.
"It's still not done well." Jiang Moli said. She had to memorize the new lines, so it was inevitable that some parts were not connected well enough. She paused for a moment. Others might not have noticed it, but Jiang Moli did.
The performance was not as natural as before, Jiang Moli felt it very clearly, and she felt a little lost.
"That's great," Teacher Li said. "Don't feel too stressed. You didn't mess up your lines, which is great. This is your first time rehearsing a whole set with us, which is excellent."
It's not Teacher Li who meant to say this, but none of the previous Cuiyun actors were as vivid and moving as Jiang Moli. Jiang Moli made Cuiyun feel alive and well, so vivid and alive, and she did a great job in every way. This was only our first rehearsal together, and if Jiang Moli could rehearse with everyone a few more times, she would be in even better shape.
"I think we can let Jasmine perform with us." Teacher Li said.
Several members of the provincial Xiaobaihua group had been practicing Cuiyun's lines, figuring that if no one could fill in, they'd have to pick someone from those few to step up. Some were already frustrated and didn't want to perform anymore, feeling mediocre, unrememberable, and ineffective. They simply didn't want to play the role. Those who wanted to play it were even less talented and prone to making mistakes.
There was a person who really wanted to play the role of Cuiyun and even tried to persuade the director, but the director felt she was not suitable and told her not to think about the role. Cuiyun is a maid, a loyal servant, not someone who is scheming and trying to climb the social ladder. A person's eyes need to be expressive, and eyes can convey a lot of things.
When singing opera, the expression should be good. It can be a little exaggerated, but not too exaggerated. It is good for opera actors to have bigger eyes, but it is not good to open the eyes too wide.
"Looks like you don't have a chance." Two people were talking in the corner. "You know what, the newcomer's acting was really moving and good."
"Why did they let her come?" Another person was in a bad mood. She wanted to play Cuiyun and had been practicing her lines and other things, but the director kept saying she wasn't suitable. She didn't think there was anything wrong with her. Was it just that she was a little older? But with makeup, her age wouldn't necessarily be noticeable; she still looked very young.
"No one in the unit can satisfy the director and his team, so the director specially looks for someone from outside." The two people were still talking over there.
Ma Yuwen is a girl with a relatively ordinary appearance. She thinks that maids should look ordinary. Jiang Moli is so beautiful, why would she play a maid? Even if this maid will become an adopted daughter later, she is still a maid in essence. A maid is a maid.
"Teacher Li and the others are very satisfied with her." Someone next to Ma Yuwen added, "The director said we're not suitable, but there's nothing we can do. Before Jiang Moli came, we all had opportunities, but we missed them... Alas, we don't know when we'll have this chance again."
Ma Yuwen clutched her sleeves tightly, thinking how great it would be if Jiang Moli had not come.
"If Jiang Moli wasn't there, there would be others." The people around Ma Yuwen continued, "It's never our turn. If we can take over, let us do it. Others still have a chance."
Most drama troupes have A and B roles, and they will make double preparations to avoid sudden accidents.
The director knew that Jiang Moli had played the fifth female role before, so he didn't let her play the fifth female role this time. The fifth female role had already been played by someone else, and there were also rotations. Jiang Moli had just arrived at the unit, so she had to play Cuiyun well first, which was the most important thing.
Jiang Moli had no objection. She didn't think she had to play other roles. She took it one step at a time and was not in a hurry.
After everyone took a short break, Teacher Li walked over to Jiang Moli.
"You are very talented." Teacher Li said.
"Thank you." Jiang Moli said, "We still have to work hard."
"Back then, your future mother-in-law was also very hardworking. But later, she switched to teaching students, while I was still saving Xiao Baihua." Teacher Li said, "She just takes some things too seriously. Even though she hardly participates in performances now, she participated in many in her early years. Back then, something happened, and she went to school."
Teacher Li recalled some things that happened during the special period. Those things seemed to have happened the day before, and she still remembered them clearly.
"Something happened?" Jiang Moli wondered.
"I won't tell you. Wait until your future mother-in-law is willing to tell you, and she will tell you." Teacher Li said, "I used to be a competitor to your future mother-in-law."
Although the two have competed, Teacher Li and Teacher Lu have not become enemies and their relationship is still very good.
"You are in good shape. The director also told you to directly participate in the performance next time and do your best," said Teacher Li.
The show hadn't even started yet, but Jiang Moli's third cousin was getting married. Jiang Moli took the afternoon off to attend her third cousin's wedding. Everything was going smoothly, but the dowry money disappeared. Two wads of money were missing from the bride's tray.
Fortunately, only the first and last two notes were real; the rest were fake. Even so, losing something on such a happy occasion was still very upsetting.
"Do you want to look for it?" Jiang Moli asked her mother. In the blink of an eye, the item was gone. With so many people around, it was still lost.
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