Chapter 200: Disposal Scene
The performance on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month was naturally very lively. Not only Ganling Commune, but also several communes under Xinxi County participated, and it was lively for a whole day at the county government.
Wen Wan got up very early again, and went to the commune without even having time to eat. By the time she finally got there, many people had already arrived, all standing there with their hands behind their backs, stamping their feet and chatting.
So many people from the commune were going to perform, and several leading cadres of the commune were also going. Lu Dongping pestered Lin Chenghai for several days and agreed to several of his demands, and only then did he go with them.
He was severely ridiculed by several cadres including Wang Chunmei.
Lu Dongping, who was thick-skinned and tough, was not annoyed. He wrapped himself in a military coat and sat in the front of the tractor with Liu Dacai, listening to the people in the car behind him chattering excitedly like sparrows in a flying nest.
Secretary Li and Lin Chenghai were both riding bicycles, bringing two other people along. The dirt road was bumpy and hilly, winding and twisting. The tractor rumbled and swayed, not going very fast. The two bicycles behind it were following closely, making the women on them laugh, saying that a multi-wheeled tractor couldn't outrun a two-wheeled tractor.
In other words, with the idea of participation being the most important, the program was arranged early. In the past, we were entertained by people from the county government, which was completely different from the one in the commune on the second day of the first lunar month.
Xinxi County is a relatively small mountain town, with sloping terrain. A rough concrete road serves as the main national highway, flanked by the county's only three-story building, a department store. The state-owned restaurant and bathhouse are located at a fork in the road, not too far from each other. The fork in the road is quite wide, and if you continue straight down, you'll reach the Xinxi County Railway Station. This road also houses the county post office, the county government, the seed depot, and the grain depot. The textile and steel mills are located slightly further out on the county's edge.
Wen Wan has been to the county town several times. Every time she came, she either went to the bathhouse or the department store. This was her first time here.
Wang Chunmei was more familiar with them than her. As for the others, many of them were like Granny Liu visiting the Grand View Garden for the first time, and everything they saw was new to them.
"This city is different from our mountain village. Look at the road here. It's hard and smooth. Even when it rains, there's no mud. It's clean and smooth to walk on."
"That's not true, otherwise why would everyone say the city is better and envy city people?"
A tractor stopped in front of the county government office, and a group of people got off. They were standing on the tractor in the cold wind early in the morning. Even though they had headscarves on their heads and wore what they thought were the most respectable and thickest coats, their feet were still numb and their faces were blue from the cold.
But this still couldn't dampen their enthusiasm to go into the city, except for the timidity that flashed across their faces when they got off the bus. Then, each pair of eyes flashed with a light that was not usually there.
Chen Dongmei said, "We can be considered as people who have been to the city, and we came directly to the county government. This life is really worth it."
Wang Chunmei laughed: "Teacher Chen, how old are you this year, and you say such things about your life? Let's roll up our sleeves and work hard. Who knows, maybe in the future we can not only come to the county, but also go to the city and the region."
She is always so happy, exuding vitality all over her body, and making everyone around her full of energy.
Wen Wan particularly liked her and couldn't help laughing when she heard her say that: "Director Wang is right, let's perform well. This year the city art troupe will come to our place to perform, so maybe we can even go to their place in the future!"
Wang Chunmei patted her on the shoulder and said, "Teacher Wen is right about having ambition. We must perform well today. Don't be nervous or scared, and don't let down at the critical moment. As long as we can perform smoothly in front of these county leaders, we will all be great." As she spoke, she gave a thumbs up.
Secretary Li also gave a few words of advice: "The performance venue is in the county government compound. Don't be nervous. We can perform the same way we performed in the commune. There are no other requirements. Just don't panic, don't panic, and don't make any mistakes."
It was still early and the sun had just risen, but besides them, there were also tractors loaded with members.
They couldn't keep blocking the main entrance, so Liu Dacai went to find a place to park. Secretary Li called Wang Chunmei and said, "It shouldn't start this early. You and a few other teachers should go inside to check out the situation. The rest of you can walk around the city, but don't be out for too long. Come back and wait here, otherwise we'll be hard to find anyone when the meeting starts."
Wang Chunmei's loud voice fully demonstrated its advantage at this moment. She shouted to convey Secretary Li's words, then gave another reminder, and then called Chen Dongmei, Zhang Xueqin and Wen Wan, who followed Secretary Li and Lin Chenghai into the county government yard.
Xinxi County is not wealthy. The most distinctive three-story brick and tile building is the department store. The county government is still an old building with rice husk and straw mud walls covered with green tiles.
The pillars at the entrance were painted with white lime, and on them were written several large dark gray characters: "Xinxi County People's Government".
There were two rows of houses along the street, both of which had their doors locked, so they went straight into the yard.
There is a stone tablet in the middle of the yard with the big words "Serve the People" engraved on it. There is also a cluster of forsythia flowers blooming next to it, which looks full of vitality in this chilly spring season when all things have not yet recovered.
The houses on both sides are neatly arranged. Normally, it is very quiet at this time as people have just started working, but today it is very lively.
As soon as I entered, the receptionist came to make arrangements.
Wen Wan took advantage of Secretary Li and several other cadres and followed them to the county government cafeteria to enjoy the cadre treatment. Although she had to pay for her own meals and use food coupons, the feeling was completely different from eating in a state-owned restaurant.
Wang Chunmei, Chen Dongmei and other women were reluctant to leave, so they had dinner at home early. When they came, they all carried bags with dry food in them. They were not hungry at the moment, but when they were hungry, they could just find some boiled water and eat some dry food here.
Although I want to splurge a bit when I go to the city and go to a restaurant, I have elderly parents and young children to support, so I have to bow to reality.
Lu Dongping and Lin Chenghai often came to the county to do business. They had eaten in the county government cafeteria early in the morning. They brought lunch boxes with them when they came and ran to queue up for food.
The breakfast was simple. It cost two cents and two taels of food coupons to cook the Ganling local hemp stew.
It has cabbage, tofu, potato dumplings and everything else, all cooked in a pot with sesame seeds. It tastes so delicious.
After finishing his meal, he asked Lin Chenghai, "What should I do later?"
Lin Chenghai and Secretary Li came to watch the show. As for Lu Dongping, Lin Chenghai knew very well that this bastard was just taking the opportunity to compensate his wife.
After marrying a beautiful wife, he wants to keep her hanging on his belt all day long. It makes people feel jealous just by looking at her.
Lin Chenghai wasn't going to let him, the officer of the armed forces, just relax. "You, you must have something to do. So many people from the commune have come, and they're all wandering around. After dinner, I'll go see when the show starts. I'll be responsible for getting everyone together so they don't get lost when the time comes."
Okay, that's not a big deal.
After dinner, everyone went about their own business. Since the participating communes were located at different distances from each other, the performance did not start that early and officially began at 11 o'clock.
Wen Wan first took the two little girls, Hu Yueya and Zhang Qingqing, to find the location of Ganling Commune. It was easy to find. They borrowed benches from the school to set up half of the yard, and wrote their names on wooden boards in front.
Needless to say, the row of tables in the front was occupied by county leaders and commune cadres, so they just found a place to sit in the back.
Wen Wan put down the bag she was carrying and began to comb the hair of the two little girls.
He untied their original braids, then straightened them up, trimmed the loose hair in front, and then used the rouge he brought to put a red dot between each of their eyebrows.
The two girls were chosen by the Women's Federation to be boat girls, so they must have good qualities. They are fair-skinned with thick eyebrows and big eyes. They are dressed neatly today, with few patches on their clothes. After they are dressed like this, they look like the fairies in the New Year pictures, very beautiful.
The two of them will have a duet later. This performance is said to be a variety show to welcome and thank the art troupe for their visit to the countryside. But privately, Wen Wan heard rumors that several communes are secretly competing with each other, and it is said that there will be rankings.
If it is true, then she will place her hopes on these two girls from Ganling Commune.
The little girl is not only good-looking, but also has a clear and pleasant voice. She learns things very quickly. She sang "Singing the Motherland" very pleasantly.
Of course, other people have learned it very well too. This is just Wen Wan’s personal opinion. She prefers this style.
Wang Chunmei ran around, and Lu Dongping helped her. He gathered everyone at the door, brought them in, and found a place for them to sit down.
Looking at Hu Yueya and Zhang Qingqing, his eyes lit up: "Hey, what a change! It's like he's become a different person all of a sudden."
"Teacher Wen, how come you are so skillful with your hands? This braid is so complicated, but it looks so beautiful. If you are not busy now, can you do it for me too?"
Wen Wan looked at the woman who made the request and smiled: "Sister-in-law, don't braid your hair. It's fine like this. I'll trim your hair neatly. It's fine like this. Simple and generous." She was in her thirties, with short hair that reached her ears. She cut it by herself and it would be fine after a trim. It was not suitable for her to have a braid like a little girl.
The woman at the side laughed: "Why are you so jealous? You're at your age, you have to be unconvinced. How can you compare yourself with a 13 or 14-year-old girl?"
The woman who was laughed at was not annoyed. She sat there obediently and let Wen Wan trim her hair. She laughed and retorted: "What do you care? I will always be eighteen and always be a flower."
Before the show started, Ganling Commune became a haircut scene.
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