Chapter 192 Becoming the Person in Charge
The people waiting to see the excitement on the dam were all running out in groups of two or three. The excitement here hadn't started yet, so it wouldn't hurt to go take a look at the big trucks! The biggest and most expensive thing these people had ever seen was a tractor. A truck that was even more luxurious than a tractor was a must-see. Zhang Hongying was also very tempted. Lu Mingjiang said, "Go, you and Chun'e Donglin go and take a look. I'll stay here to watch the place, so that no one takes the seat or takes the bench away, and then causes trouble for Dongping."
Zhang Hongying didn't bother to be polite with him: "Then you just watch, I'll go take a look and see what the cart looks like." After that, she was pulled by Lu Donglin and walked out.
The car stopped on the side of the road below the commune compound. Every place where people could stand was filled with people, and everyone was standing on tiptoe, scrambling to see the Western scene they had never seen before.
The art troupe had more than a dozen members this time. The driver was a young man, handsome and energetic, dressed in a green military uniform, who made the young women's eyes pop out. Then a group of young women got off the car. They were all good-looking, with long braids and beautiful faces. Compared to the women in the mountains wearing large cotton-padded jackets and holding red and green headscarves, they looked like fairies.
The team was led by a female comrade with a cadre-style haircut and a big hat. She looked to be in her thirties, and her figure had not changed at all. Her body was straight and smooth, like a washboard.
There was a large military green truck with a canopy parked below. You couldn't see what was inside, but just looking at it from the outside it looked really luxurious.
Zhang Hongying took a look, then followed the female comrades from the art troupe into the commune compound. Seeing the warm reception from the cadres in the commune, she went to the dam at the back.
As soon as the people from the art troupe arrived, a young officer from the armed forces department rode out on a bicycle to look for people performing folk performances.
Lu Dongping and his team are already prepared. They just need to wait for the gongs and drums to sound and the lion heads will start dancing. The layers of racks on the dam are used for lion dancing. Whichever lion can bite off the big red flowers on them will be rewarded.
As for Wen Wan, she followed the community performance all the way and was so hot that she was almost sweating. After finally walking around the commune and back, she was finally going back and had a chance to rest for a while. As soon as she arrived at the commune yard, the staff from the Party Committee Office ran over in a hurry and called her and Wang Chunmei.
"Director Wang, hurry up! The comrades from the art troupe are here, and Secretary Li is looking for you everywhere!"
Wang Chunmei ran so fast that Wen Wan couldn't catch up with her. She watched her enter the Party Committee office with others for a long time before she slowly walked to the eaves and leaned against the wall to catch her breath.
What a commotion! It's like a war, so tiring.
Just as she had caught her breath, Wang Chunmei came out and called her, "Teacher Wen, Secretary Li is calling you in!"
"Me? Do you know what's going on?" She'd only seen these commune officials briefly recently, recognizing who was who when they bumped into each other, but they'd never really interacted. Why were they calling her now? The subsidy had already been paid before the New Year, and now they were calling her for another one?
Wang Chunmei smiled and pulled her: "What's the matter? It's a good thing!"
Wen Wan followed him into the office. In addition to Secretary Li and two staff members, there was also a female cadre leader wearing a military uniform. She was fair-skinned, with thick eyebrows, big eyes, and beautiful facial features.
Secretary Li introduced Wen Wan, "This is Comrade Liu Hongxing from the Art Troupe, in charge of this rural performance."
Wen Wan greeted her with a polite smile: "Hello, Comrade Liu Hongxing!"
Liu Hongxing also wore a warm smile as Secretary Li introduced her: "This is Comrade Wen Wan, a teacher from our primary school, and one of the people in charge of this performance." He gave Wen Wan a thorough look as he spoke, his expression impassive, but inwardly he was quite surprised to see such a beautiful girl from these mountains, even more so than the mainstays of the troupe. Her voice was soft yet clear, and she wasn't stage-frightened, possessing a graceful demeanor. She was a promising talent. However, hearing her speak standard Mandarin without a hint of a local accent, she might not be from this area. With so many educated youth moving from the city in recent years, this girl might be a city dweller herself.
Wen Wan was shocked. When did she become one of the persons in charge of the performance?
Liu Hongxing said, "Hello, Comrade Wen Wan!" He reached out and shook hands with Wen Wan, and they knew each other.
Secretary Li then said to Comrade Liu Hongxing, "Welcome to Ganling, you've come all the way here. We were notified a while ago and have been preparing. We welcome you with the greatest warmth and sincerity from the people of Ganling. We're famous for our community fire performances, which we used to perform in the past, but they were put on hold in recent years due to production. We've taken this opportunity to resume our efforts. While we welcome everyone, we also ask for your criticism and guidance."
Liu Hongxing said, "There's no need to criticize or guide the members. We all learn from each other. Production is the top priority, but entertainment is also essential. Although our conditions are simple, our enthusiasm remains undiminished. We must use our limited resources to get things done, enrich the lives of the members, and increase their enthusiasm for life. This will give them more motivation to engage in production."
"Comrade Liu's words make sense, they make sense!"
After he agreed, Liu Hongxing continued, "I've just given you, Secretary Li, the program for our art troupe's performance today. I heard you've prepared other programs besides the community fire. Well, as I said, the troupe's announcer didn't come with us this time. I'm responsible for all their performances, so I might be a little overwhelmed. So we need to find a temporary announcer here. The requirements aren't high; just be literate and speak boldly. Accents aren't important, as long as everyone can hear us."
Secretary Li smiled and said, "Look, I've found someone for you! Our teacher Wen is perfect for the job."
Wen Wan looked at him in surprise: "Secretary Li, I think Director Wang is the most suitable person for this matter. She has poured her heart and soul into this activity from beginning to end." This was not flattery, but the truth. She had seen Wang Chunmei's ability and attitude towards work. Not only was she always worried, but she was also always talking and working from morning to afternoon. Wen Wan seldom admired anyone, but this director of the Women's Department was the first person she admired in all the time she had been here. She was truly capable.
He always had a smile on his face, which made others happy too. He seemed to have endless energy, and everything he did was full of enthusiasm and passion. The job of announcing a program wasn't complicated. If you wanted to do it well, just write a few words to start the program, or if you wanted to keep it simple, just say a few polite words and announce the program title. As long as you can read, it's not a problem at all.
Wang Chunmei waved her hands when she heard this: "Oh, I can't do it, I can't do it. I can yell normally, but I can't do it in a proper situation. When I yell, my voice smells like corn porridge, which scares people away. Besides, I really have said everything I want to say in a year in just this short period of time. I'm exhausted. You have to let me find a chance to take a break."
Secretary Li laughed and said, "You'll be criticized for saying that. You can't say you want to be lazy in front of us. Don't lead the young comrades astray."
Since she said so, Wen Wan didn't refuse. For her, announcing the event was just a matter of talking.
After she agreed, Secretary Li gave her the program list and asked her to go and get acquainted with Liu Hongxing.
After the two of them left, Secretary Li finally breathed a sigh of relief. "These comrades from the city speak with different emphasis than we do. What are they called? Mandarin. It sounds nice, but it makes me feel awkward when I open my mouth. It feels like I'm not on the same page with them at all."
Wang Chunmei laughed. "I thought I was the only one feeling awkward, but Secretary Li, you feel the same way. Now that Teacher Wen has gone to work with them, I can finally breathe a sigh of relief."
"Don't get carried away, keep an eye on it and don't make a fool of yourself. If something goes wrong, we'll be famous and laughed at throughout the county and even the city."
Wang Chunmei said: "Don't worry, I will complete the task."
Wen Wan followed Liu Hongxing out of the Party Committee office and went to the temporarily vacated lounge next door. All the comrades from the art troupe were here. There were several kettles in front of them, and each of them was holding his own teacup and eating dry food.
Wen Wan looked at them and suddenly felt hungry. She was so hungry that she remembered that she hadn't even had breakfast yet. But she was in the middle of a work discussion and it was difficult to tell them. "Wait a minute, let me go eat first?"
"sit!"
Liu Hongxing was very familiar with her, as if she was at home, and even greeted her.
"Isn't Teacher Wen a local?"
Wen Wan sat down and looked through the program list in her hand and said, "No, I'm an educated youth."
"I'm just saying—"
What did you say? Wen Wan raised her eyes and glanced at her. Why did she speak half-heartedly?
After taking a quick look at the program list, Liu Hongxing said, "I heard from Secretary Li that we've prepared two programs. Can you think of some that we can put in there?"
Wen Wan agreed: "Okay, no problem."
Liu Hongxing continued, "Teacher Wen, did you have any exposure to literature and art when you were at home?"
Wen Wan nodded: "I have learned it."
"I have studied it. Are you interested in the art troupe?"
Wen Wan put down the list in her hand and looked up at her with a smile: "Not interested, I'm more interested in being a teacher." If she was interested in the art troupe, she would not have come here from the countryside, and would have joined it long ago.
At this time, the sound of gongs and drums outside rang out, and could be heard clearly through the wall.
Wen Wan stood up and said, "Comrade Liu, the lion dance has already started over there. If everyone is almost done with their rest, why don't we go over and take a look?" The key point was that she also wanted to watch it. It would definitely be more interesting than standing here with an empty stomach and watching people munching on dry food!
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