Chapter 86: The County Party Secretary Wants to Meet

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The King of Serpents — No Pop-up Ads (Happy National Day! The third volume begins. If you have tickets, please vote; if not, vote for popularity and prosperity. Country life thrives on warmth. I’ll dance a rural folk dance for everyone.)

There were only three performances from the town going to the county, two from Taosha Village and one from the town’s own troupe. The town chartered a bus to take the performers to the county.

Tao You’neng came running, out of breath, to find Le’er.

“Le’er, can we bring two more people to the county?”

“Who?” Le’er smiled. “Is it your girlfriend Lili?”

“That’s right. She insists on going, and her good friend wants to join too.” Tao You’neng frowned. “It’s so annoying, like a pair of shadows.”

“Oh, come on! I bet you’re thrilled inside.” Le’er burst out laughing. “Trying to show off in front of your girlfriend, pretending to be bothered. Stop acting.”

“Well, let me tell you, Lili’s friend is really pretty. She’s our campus beauty. She watched your performance and is interested in you.” Tao You’neng lowered his voice conspiratorially. “Want to get to know her? Her father works out of town, and her family is quite well off.”

“Get out of here, you rascal! If she’s so good, you’d keep her for yourself, wouldn’t you?” Le’er punched him. “Don’t bother me, I’m swamped. I’ll talk to Director Feng. If there’s space, they can come.”

“You must do me this favor!”

Le’er spoke to Feng Shuya about Tao You’neng’s request. Feng Shuya told him that Secretary Chen was in charge and he’d need to ask her. Hearing this, Le’er hurried over.

“Le’er, it’s not your girlfriend, is it?” Secretary Chen swayed flirtatiously, smiling suggestively. “Alright, let them get on the bus.”

Le’er’s face turned bright red as he told Tao You’neng. The two girls appeared; the one beside Lili was truly beautiful—more so than Tao Haiying. She was tall, not a student but with a slender waist and curvaceous hips. Her skin was fair and rosy, her chest well-developed, and her eyes big and glistening. Her long hair was tied into two braids.

Tao You’neng introduced her: her name was Xiao Li. When she saw Le’er, she looked at him boldly.

“You must be Brother Le’er,” she said, her smile radiant and her voice clear. “I’m Xiao Li, Lili’s classmate.”

“Xiao Li is really beautiful. Get on the bus,” Le’er said.

He noticed Tao Haiying sitting in the car, her gaze sharp as a blade upon them, which made him feel uneasy. Luo Yinxian simply smiled, her eyes full of mischief. Le’er ignored them and went over to Feng Shuya, who quietly told him that her father would be inviting him to dinner tonight.

“Huh... inviting me to dinner?” Le’er was startled—for country folk, the county party secretary was a figure almost divine. “But... I haven’t prepared any gifts.”

“What gifts? In the countryside, it’s all about rituals—hosting banquets, giving presents, seating arrangements, all the old customs, too much trouble.”

“More etiquette never hurts,” Le’er replied kindly. “We country people value respect and honoring elders.”

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“Enough, that’s a lot to say,” Feng Shuya shot Le’er a glance. “Don’t bring any gifts tonight. They might just throw them out the door.”

Everyone boarded the bus. Le’er didn’t look at Tao Haiying and the others; he just sat with Feng Shuya. The group performance was held at the county’s grand cinema, where the stage facilities far surpassed anything in the town. The lighting, sound, and effects were all professional, the audience packed the hall. There were thirty-one acts in total; “Country Girl and Muddy Boy” was eighth, “Under the Same Blue Sky” was sixteenth.

Originally, everyone assumed the two county troupe acts would stand out. Yet, when Taosha Village’s two performances took the stage, the county troupe was stunned.

Could this really be a village performance? During “Under the Same Blue Sky,” just as in the town, Luo Yinxian’s performance drew tears from the audience. The arrogance of the county troupe’s professional actors was immediately subdued. The Taosha Village performers may not have had the same professional skills, but their acts moved the audience far more.

At first, the event had only one first prize, but to placate the county troupe, the organizers hastily decided on two: the troupe’s “Joyful Countryside” and Taosha Village’s “Under the Same Blue Sky” were awarded equally. Otherwise, if word got out that the professionals were bested by a village group, how could the troupe maintain its reputation?

The first prize awarded five thousand yuan. “Country Girl and Muddy Boy” took second prize, with a two thousand yuan reward.

“Oh my, we’ve struck gold!”

Luo Yinxian grinned like a fox, her eyes narrowing into slits. Just as she was laughing uncontrollably, the county troupe leader approached her, asking if she’d be willing to join the troupe as an actor.

Everyone was stunned by the news, and Luo Yinxian was at a loss.

“Director Wang, is it a formal position or just temporary?” Feng Shuya, calm as ever, gently asked.

“Uh... only temporary. A formal post requires county approval,” the leader said, embarrassed but impressed. “It’s just that, not letting her act would be such a waste—she’s a natural talent.”

“Temporary is fine. What about the salary?” Feng Shuya kept her smile.

“Salary... well, honestly, times are tough for us. It’s only five hundred yuan a month.”

“Just five hundred? Who’d take that job?” Tao You’neng whistled, suddenly blurting a curse. Before leaving, Feng Shuya had set a rule: cursing was fine in the village, but not in the county. Only after swearing did he remember, nervously glancing at Feng Shuya, but seeing no reproach, he retreated to the back.

“Director Wang,” Luo Yinxian said, stepping forward. “I really want to be an actor, but I have too many responsibilities. Thank you.”

Director Wang exited, embarrassed. He had no choice; the troupe’s best actors had left, and those who remained couldn’t move on. With televisions in every home, who cared about theater anymore? Funds were low, and losing good actors only made things worse.

Once Director Wang left, everyone burst out laughing. Had this opportunity come before her marriage, Luo Yinxian would have jumped at it; now, even for a thousand yuan a month, she might not agree.

She kept glancing at Le’er as she spoke. Seeing he showed no reaction, she took it as lack of support and was even less inclined to join the troupe.

The happiest was Secretary Huang. Taosha Village’s troupe had brought him honor—a village team took both first and second prizes. Even if the first prize was shared, only three second prizes were given in total. Of the five top awards, Shuangqiao Town claimed two. What other town could boast such glory?

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He promptly decided: those who won first prize would get an additional five hundred yuan from the town, and second prize winners would get two hundred. The town troupe, though not placing highly, would still receive one hundred yuan each. Moreover, upon returning to the town, there would be a banquet for everyone.

Dozens left the cinema, Secretary Huang patting Le’er’s shoulder.

“Le’er, you rascal, you really nailed it—first and second prizes, all yours.” His tone was gentle, full of warmth. “Tell me, what would you like to eat? Just say the word.”

“Well... it’s all thanks to Director Feng. Without her, all our efforts would have been in vain.”

“That’s true.” Secretary Huang looked at Feng Shuya chatting and laughing with the team, not disturbing her. “Let’s get on the bus. When we get back, I’ll treat you all—a meritorious group.”

“Secretary Huang... tonight might not work,” Le’er said quietly, “Secretary Feng invited me to dinner at her house.”

“Uh...” Secretary Huang was surprised. “You rascal, you have more honor than I do! Secretary Feng has invited me to dinner before, but never at his home.”

At that moment, Luo Yinxian came running.

“Secretary Huang, I’m not going back today.”

“What’s up?” Secretary Huang smiled. “You’re our greatest contributor; how can you not return?”

“I... I want to visit my aunt. It’s been a long time. She’s in the hospital and not well.”

Le’er couldn’t tell if Luo Yinxian was lying or truly had an aunt in the county. She showed no sign of deception.

“I see... what a pity,” Secretary Huang smiled. “Go ahead, fulfill your filial duty. I wouldn’t stop you.”

“Thank you, Secretary Huang.”

The bus drove off, leaving Le’er, Luo Yinxian, and Feng Shuya. Luo Yinxian said goodbye first.

“Sister Feng, I’m going to walk around town.”

“Alright, it’s still early. I’ll call you when it’s time for dinner.”

Feng Shuya was thinking of Le’er; if she took him home now, he’d feel awkward and restrained. She boarded the bus, while Le’er walked in the direction Luo Yinxian had gone.

Turning a corner, Luo Yinxian appeared suddenly and linked her arm through his. Together, they strolled affectionately through the crowd—a scene she had long dreamed of.