The Political Commissar spoke earnestly, “Leader Huang, let me be honest with you. Xiao Wen is the wife of Huo Jingyuan, the ace of the Northwest. Her father is Minister Jiang from the Beijing Military District.
Xiao Yu, on the other hand, is being groomed to be a hospital director.
Having them join your cultural troupe would be a waste of their talents.”
Hearing this, Huang Qian fell silent.
She only knew that the Northwest Military District Hospital had sent two representatives to perform, but she hadn’t realized their high status within the Northwest Military District.
“Forget I mentioned it.”
When Wen Ci and Yu Qing stepped off the stage, Huang Qian didn’t hold back her praise, “Your performance was outstanding. Tomorrow, you’ll be the finale.”
“Okay.”
·
In the afternoon, Wen Ci and Yu Qing rehearsed again. Under the scorching sun, they were drenched in sweat, and the backs of their water sleeve costumes became slightly soiled.
This performance tour didn’t originally include a water sleeve dance, so the costumes had been stored away and hadn’t been cleaned in time, hence the dirt.
“Leave the costumes here, and we’ll clean them,” the logistics staff said.
Wen Ci blinked and asked, “What will we wear for tomorrow’s performance then?”
“We have two identical water sleeve costumes, though they might smell a bit like wood.”
Between the smell of sweat and wood, Wen Ci didn’t hesitate to choose the latter. She smiled gently and said, “Thank you so much for your trouble.”
“No problem.”
After the rehearsal, Wen Ci and Yu Qing each went home.
Since the arrival of a new batch of family members, the family quarters had become quite lively. Under every building, military family members chatted to pass the time.
As Wen Ci passed by, she noticed a 28-inch bicycle parked in the courtyard below Sister Zhu Jing’s building. Curiosity got the better of her, and she wondered who had won first place in the grueling week-long competition.
In the crowd, Zhao Dongmei was basking in the praise from those around her, her face beaming with joy, “It’s nothing, really. When my Qin Jin gets promoted to battalion commander, I’ll treat everyone to a meal.”
Upon hearing the name ‘Qin Jin,’
Wen Ci suddenly remembered. This was the woman who had once brandished a knife at Huo Jingyuan. Her eyes turned icy as they fell on Zhao Dongmei, and her expression visibly darkened.
“Sister Dongmei, are you planning to ride the bike yourself?”
Suddenly, Zhao Dongmei seemed to notice Wen Ci’s presence. Her voice grew louder as she spoke unhurriedly, “The Northwest Military District is so small. What’s the use of a bicycle here?
Might as well take it to Haicheng and sell it.
I hear it can fetch a good price.”
Especially when she emphasized the word ‘sell,’ it felt as if she was deliberately provoking Wen Ci in front of everyone.
Lost in her anger, Wen Ci didn’t catch all of Zhao Dongmei’s words. After a while, she closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and suppressed her emotions.
She decided not to confront Zhao Dongmei out of respect for her late husband.
Just as she was about to leave, Zhu Jing spotted her and called out warmly, “Wen Ci, I heard you went to the neighboring camp for rehearsals?”
“Yes.”
Wen Ci smiled and walked over to greet them, then said straightforwardly, “I’m a bit tired and plan to rest now. Let’s chat another day!”
Zhu Jing didn’t press her and asked, “Are the water sleeve costumes pretty?”
Sister Zhu had asked her before what the water sleeve costumes looked like.
At the time, Wen Ci had promised to show them to her as soon as they bought the costumes. But with the roads closed, she couldn’t buy one, and the cultural troupe’s costumes couldn’t be taken home.
Wen Ci nodded and replied, “They’re beautiful. You’ll see them when I perform on stage tomorrow.”
“Good luck!”
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