Chapter 187 Rehearsal
As it slowed down, Liu Liumei didn't feel the pain as much anymore. Instead, she felt a little bit of something she hadn't felt before. The two of them became more and more compatible. After they were done, she lay awake for a long time, unable to fall asleep. She called out cautiously, "Lu, Lu Mingqing?"
Lu Mingqing said coldly: "What did you call me?"
Liu Liumei was stunned. Did she call the wrong name?
Lu Mingqing sighed. Never mind. This was just stupid. Why bother with her? "Why are you calling me if you're not going to sleep?"
"Just, I just want to ask you, do you want to learn to read?"
It was rare for her to ask him questions and talk to him. He had just felt better. Lu Mingqing was in a better mood than ever before, and his patience naturally returned. He answered her seriously for the first time: "I plan to go. It's always good to know a few words. I can't live my whole life without knowing the three words Lu Mingqing."
After saying that, Lu Mingqing frowned when he didn't get a response for a long time. He didn't know what was wrong with this woman. She only asked him one question and then nothing else. Suddenly, he seemed to understand something: "You want to go too?"
"Ah? Yes, no, no, I don't want to go.
Lu Mingqing laughed, but couldn't quite tell what he meant. He fumbled around the bedside for a long time before stuffing something into her hand. "Since you can't sleep, eat it. It's better to be unable to sleep now than to wake up in the middle of the night."
Liu Liumei pinched the steamed bun in her hand and shed tears again like a loser.
When the literacy movement came, even those who had been quietly staying at home during the winter were aroused and eager to take action.
There were actually quite a few people willing to learn to read, which was beyond Lu Minghai's expectations.
Wen Wan didn't pay much attention to the team's literacy class, because she knew that since Xu Qingming was in charge, he would do a good job. And she also needed to do her own thing well.
Lu Dongping carried the radio and sent her and Lu Chun'e to the dam behind. He knew that she would bring the radio today. There was an extra table on the dam compared to yesterday.
They arrived neither too early nor too late. Hu Yueya and Zhang Qingqing came not long after they arrived. Lu Chun'e came today to watch the fun and to play with Hu Yueya, so when she arrived here, she looked around and started looking for her classmates.
As soon as Hu Yueya and Chen Qingqing arrived here, she saw them and waved and called out from a distance.
Wen Wan said, "Go ahead."
Only then did Lu Chun'e go to talk to the two little girls.
Wen Wan took out the radio and placed it on the table. This thing was so rare that there was only one at the commune revolutionary committee. A group of men and women gathered around and put their hands inside the sleeves of their cotton-padded jackets to look at it curiously.
Wen Wan took the tape out of her pocket and put it in. After pressing it, there were a few light crackling sounds from inside, and then a sound came out.
There were exclamations from the crowd, and then they quieted down, all attracted by the sound coming from inside.
After singing "Ninety-nine Sunny Days", a group of people couldn't help but clap along.
Wang Chunmei said, "This is a great thing! How can people these days be so smart that they can come up with something like this? You put a battery in it, press it, and it sounds, and it even sounds really good. It's incredibly advanced."
Wen Wan asked, "Director Wang, Teacher Chen, and Teacher Zhang, what do you think of this?"
Zhang Xueqin said, "I think it's good. This one will do."
"It can't be just this one song, listen to the others, listen again and again."
Listening to it again is even more difficult. I have never heard anyone singing on the radio, but I feel that every song is so beautiful.
After listening to a tape, Wen Wan temporarily turned it off. Wang Chunmei told them to do what they needed to do, and then came over to discuss with Wen Wan: "Teacher Wen, what do you think we should do about this? If it doesn't work, why don't you take care of it yourself and choose two easy-to-learn songs and teach them?"
Wen Wan asked her, "So what are the plans for this year's activities? Are all the people who are going to participate in the community fire going to participate?"
Wang Chunmei looked around and said, "Well, here's my plan. We all got together because we love this. If we can really perform in the county, and perform with the art troupe from above, it would really be a lifelong dream come true. But plans are plans, and we have to act according to the actual situation. This opportunity is rare, so we should try to add color to our commune!"
Wen Wan nodded: "Okay, then let's choose a suitable song first and have a chorus, or even better, a song and dance with some simple movements. As for the others, start with the chorus. I need to see if there are any suitable ones, and then we can rehearse individually."
"You know this better than any of us. You choose."
If Wen Wan chooses, then there is no need to play the radio again. She has listened to the songs in it countless times, and she can sing every one of them by heart.
The three songs "Returning from Target Practice", "Singing the Motherland" and "Learning from Lei Feng's Good Example" are good.
Wang Chunmei called a few people to listen again. Most people agreed with the first and third songs, as their tunes were high-pitched and passionate. The second song was relatively slow, and they felt it lacked some momentum.
That was tentatively confirmed, and the schedule was arranged. Mornings were colder, so the folks who performed the social fire dance would practice first. Of course, Wen Wan had to practice too; she hadn't practiced these for a long time and was feeling rusty. Most importantly, she had to choreograph "Returning from Target Practice." The movements weren't complex, but they had to be powerful and well-aligned. This was crucial and required careful practice.
This task sounds simple but is difficult to do because many people do not march properly in the "one, two, one" pattern. When they lift their legs, some lift their left leg and some lift their right leg, making a mess.
Wen Wan feels so tired!
It took two full days of adjustment before it finally took shape. Wen Wan also picked out a few with good voices and a better grasp of tone.
Zhang Qingqing and Hu Yueya were both young, quick learners, and talented in singing and performing. To be chosen from the school meant they had something truly extraordinary about them.
Wen Wan arranged a duet of "Singing the Motherland" for the two little girls, "Ninety-nine Sunny Days" for Zhang Xueqin and a young man named Gao Yang from the commune, and a chorus of "Learn from Lei Feng's Good Example".
There were only about ten days left until the end of the year, and the task was arduous. After rehearsing the last show on the afternoon of the 28th of the twelfth lunar month, Wang Chunmei came to her with an envelope and a half-filled sack in her hands.
Inside was the subsidy she had earned from being busy these days.
Wen Wan didn't hesitate, not even saying those high-sounding formalities. She thanked her and accepted it. She was very serious about her work, and the results were obvious to everyone. The results would depend on her personal performance, so this subsidy was well deserved.
Wang Chunmei asked her, "Teacher Wen, the first session of the second grade is about to begin. Would you like to come and watch? I think it's more appropriate for you to come and watch. I have some confidence in you."
Wen Wan smiled and nodded in agreement: "The second grade is in your team, right?"
She remembered that this was what God had said.
Wang Chunmei said, "No, no, the first performance on the second day of the Lunar New Year is held in the commune. This time, our commune was chosen. The art troupe from above is coming to our commune, so we need to perform our community fire to warm them up."
Wen Wan was stunned for a moment: "So soon, it started in the second year of junior high school?"
"Yes, yes, I think it will be very busy then. We need to contact them to see if we can only perform the social performance or something else. We should mainly rely on the comrades from above, and mainly watch their performances. But we can't say for sure. If there are any changes, then we will have to rehearse in advance. Secretary Li just called me and asked me to submit two more programs for him to prepare. Which two do you think are best?"
Wen Wan thought for a moment and said, "Let's sing the chorus of 'Learn from Lei Feng's Good Example' and Teacher Zhang's 'Ninety-nine Sunny Days'."
She was the one who arranged the program, so when she spoke up, Wang Chunmei naturally had no objection, and the decision was made happily.
Lu Dongping showed up on time and helped her carry the bag, which contained both the subsidized rations and the radio he had brought her in the morning, and it was quite heavy.
Wen Wan asked him, "When will you have your holiday? Will you still be on duty during the Chinese New Year this year?"
Lu Dongping said, "It's the same as last year, but we won't be on duty during the Chinese New Year. It will start on the second day and last until the fifth day."
Wen Wan was extremely happy when she heard this: "I will also come to the commune in the second grade of junior high school. There will be a cultural performance here. I will come to watch the performance."
Lu Dongping also laughed when he heard that and wanted to rub her, but his hands were busy.
Of course he knew there was a program on the second day of the Chinese New Year, otherwise why would he be on duty on the second day of the Chinese New Year!
Wen Wan finally realized it, "From the 2nd to the 5th, you only have four days this year?"
Lu Dongping nodded: "Yes, because I have asked for leave, shall I accompany you to the county town tomorrow?"
Wen Wan's eyes lit up, and she reached out to hug his arm: "Really? How did you know I wanted to go to the county town? Lu Dongping, you are so kind!"
Lu Dongping was still carrying things in his hands, and now he not only had to carry the things but also had to drag her.
"Just a trip to the county town, are you so happy?"
Wen Wan nodded, "Happy. I was supposed to finish tomorrow, but I wanted to go to the county, so I rushed to finish early. I'm going to buy New Year's goods and go to the bathhouse. It would be great if you could accompany me. You should go too, get clean and say goodbye to the old and welcome the new."
During the Chinese New Year, you don’t necessarily have to wear new clothes, but you must wear clean clothes and keep your body clean. It’s not a good omen if you are dirty from the first year to the next.
The two of them chatted and laughed as they returned home. Lu Dongping placed the fine grains he had brought back on the table in the kitchen, then brought the radio back into the house and put it away.
Zhang Hongying looked at the pockets on the table and asked, "Are these all handouts?"
Wen Wan pointed at one of them and said, "This is mine. That one should be from Dongping. It's said to be 15 kilograms of Fuqiang flour. I don't know, but it's quite heavy anyway."
Zhang Hongying's eyes narrowed with laughter. Her son was fifteen and her daughter-in-law was fifteen, which added up to thirty kilograms. If she saved a little, it would last for a long time. Apart from anything else, this New Year would definitely be a good one. Not only could she eat white flour dumplings without worry, but she could also boldly add more white flour to the steamed buns.
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