After everyone took the drum down, no one was in the mood to watch the rest of the show, so they just picked up their stools and went back to the car team.
Liu Gang sighed and said, "It's okay for us to be at the bottom, but we can't embarrass ourselves, right?"
Everyone looked at Xiao Jianping at the same time, hoping that he could give a reasonable explanation.
But Xiao Jianping felt completely innocent. "It has nothing to do with me. You were the ones who told me to use more strength. Who knew the drum would be so fragile?"
This really pissed Master Qi off. He stepped forward and slapped him on the back of the head, then scolded him with a hint of heartache, "You bastard! This drum has been passed down in my family for generations. I never thought it would be ruined in your hands today. And now you're still trying to argue? We told you to hit it harder, but we didn't ask you to use that much force. Besides, who taught you to play the drums with your eyes closed?"
Xiao Jianping rubbed his head and said awkwardly, "I was just too excited. Besides, it's not entirely my fault. I hid it from the audience. If Old Su and the others hadn't stood there in shock, this would never have happened."
The blame was too big for him to bear, so he had to find someone to share it with.
Su Weidong looked over angrily, "How dare you say that? How would I know you broke the drum?"
"That's right, it's not our fault." Another apprentice echoed, "Besides, you were stunned yourself too."
Xiao Jianping was speechless and could only look at Li Xu with feigned displeasure. "Old Li, this is all your bad idea. If you hadn't told me to go on stage, how could this have happened?"
Li Xu retorted with amusement, "Why didn't you say before that you didn't want to go on stage? Now you're blaming me."
"Alright, I don't blame anyone but you for this." Master Qi waved his hand, staring at Xiao Jianping and said in a stern tone, "I'm telling you, find someone to fix my drum quickly, or you'll see what happens."
It seems that he doesn't want to pursue the matter any further.
But it's true. If you really want to talk about it, several regular employees are responsible. Besides, the reputation of their car team has never been very good, so a little worse is not a big deal.
Xiao Jianping naturally understood the meaning behind the words, so he responded excitedly, "No problem, I'll find someone to repair your drum for you tomorrow."
"Don't be too happy too soon. The drumhead seems to be made of cowhide, which is not common."
Xiao Jianping was stunned. "Is it real? Made of cowhide? Why is it so fragile?"
"This drum has been here for decades, how do you expect it to be stronger?"
Li Xu quickly added, "Not only is it difficult to get the cowhide, it's also hard to find a craftsman who can make the drumhead for such a large drum."
You should know that the technical content of the drumhead is very high. If it is not good, the sound will not achieve the expected effect.
The larger the drum, the more difficult it is to make. It can be said that there may not be anyone in the entire Tang County who can repair this big drum.
Xiao Jianping scratched his head and asked hesitantly, "Master, what if it can't be repaired?"
Master Qi chuckled and said, "If I can't fix it, I won't be your master anymore, and I will have to break both of your legs."
Hearing this, Xiao Jianping's face instantly became sad.
He knew that Master Qi could definitely do this, so he began to think about finding someone to help.
Everyone chatted for a while and went home before the show was over.
Afterwards, Li Xu was scolded by Du Hong for leaving early without asking her to join him.
A few more days passed.
That night, Li Xu asked Fu Qing, who had come to his house, "Why are you so happy? Is there something good happening?"
"I'm getting married soon, how can I not be happy?"
"Huh?" Li Xu was stunned, not quite understanding what he meant. "Getting married soon? Who are you marrying?"
"Ye Hongmei."
Hearing this answer, Li Xu looked at him suspiciously, and then asked hesitantly, "Do your parents know about that?"
"Of course I know." Fu Qing was so happy that his back teeth were almost showing. "It was Hongmei who took the initiative to tell me."
Holy crap.
Li Xu's eyes almost popped out of his head. "Is this true?"
"real."
Li Xu quickly pulled him back to his house and urged him anxiously, "Hurry up, tell me what's going on."
"Actually, there's nothing wrong. Hongmei's mother asked her to do this. She didn't want to agree at first, but as you know, her mother was in poor health before, so she didn't dare to refuse. Now that her mother has passed away, she can naturally do what she wants."
"Did she tell you all this?"
"Yes, she came to my house the night before last and explained everything in front of my parents. She also said that if my family is unhappy with her because of this, she can cancel the engagement."
Li Xu understood what she said. It seemed that Aunt Fu and the others had not cancelled the engagement, so he asked, "What did you mean by getting married soon?"
"Hongmei said so. She said that my family has few children, so she wanted to marry into the family as planned so that we can have more children as soon as possible. She also said that everyone in her family agreed."
"Did I tell you about this the night before last?"
"yes."
Li Xu went over the matter in his mind, frowned, and asked again, "Did you let it slip that you knew her family was lying to you?"
The more he thought about it, the more he felt something was wrong.
If Ye Hongmei always wanted to tell the truth, why didn't she let out a single word?
Even if he was afraid that his mother would be angry and his condition would worsen, couldn't he say it in private?
Besides, her mother had just passed away, and according to Tang County customs, she had to wait a year before getting married.
How did she convince her family?
Without an important reason, how could her family agree to this?
And was she so sure that the Fu family wouldn't cancel the engagement with her? She even made preparations for both scenarios, saying they would get married as planned.
These things cannot be calculated in a day or two.
Fu Qing thought for a moment, then answered affirmatively, "I definitely didn't let anything slip. Since her mother passed away, I haven't visited her much."
Li Xu: ...
After a moment's silence, he angrily scolded, "Why are you so stupid? You used to go see her every few days, but now her mother has passed away, and you haven't been to her house for several days. She's not stupid, how can she not see that something is wrong?"
Although he had only met Ye Hongmei once, he felt that she was a smart girl.
So she must have been able to notice the change in Fu Qing's attitude towards her.
This way, she would have to think about the reasons for the changes.
Obviously, concealing the job is the most appropriate thing to do.
So Li Xu was sure that Ye Hongmei must have been thinking about countermeasures at home a few days ago.
Fu Qing also understood a little, but still didn't quite believe it. "No way? Is she that smart?"
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