CHAPTER 16: Military and Civilian Gala

Suddenly—the bus lurched to a stop.

There was a cry of “Ow!” as Shen Qing lost her balance and nearly fell. Fortunately, the ticket conductor reacted quickly, grabbing her just in time to prevent an accident.

“Miss, are you alright? Why weren’t you holding onto the seat?”

Her foot seemed to have twisted, and Shen Qing winced in pain, retorting, “It was the driver’s sudden braking that made me fall—how is that my fault?”

Su Yuan squeezed through the crowd to her side and asked softly, “Where does it hurt? Do you need to go to the hospital?”

Thinking of the performance and not wanting to delay things, Shen Qing waved her hand. “It’s nothing serious, no need for a hospital.”

The women’s committee director also came over, frowning. “Are you sure? If you’re hurt, don’t try to act tough.”

“Really, I’m fine. Don’t worry.”

To prove it, she even moved her ankle a little to show she was perfectly alright.

After getting some fresh air, Yang Xiaohong’s motion sickness eased, so she gave her seat to Shen Qing.

Half an hour later, they got off at the Cultural Palace stop. Su Yuan helped Shen Qing walk slowly, asking if it still hurt.

Shen Qing tried walking a short distance and finally smiled. “Huh? It doesn’t seem to hurt as much now.”

Hearing that, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Not wanting to risk any more accidents, the women’s committee director quickly found a small restaurant, spending 3 yuan and 20 cents to buy sixteen steamed buns.

Two for each person—more than enough.

Yang Xiaohong, still pale from motion sickness, didn’t have much appetite. She sat off to the side, looking a bit worn out.

Su Yuan ordered a bowl of porridge for her and urged her to eat a little.

Grateful, Yang Xiaohong smiled faintly, took a sip, and immediately felt a warm comfort spread through her stomach.

Right across from the restaurant was the Workers’ Cultural Palace. Besides them, there were many other diners who were clearly there for the performance as well.

By coincidence, Fang Erya and her comrades were also eating there. Shen Qing spotted her and instantly felt her temper rise, but for the sake of the bigger picture, she didn’t cause trouble.

Instead, the women’s committee director—hoping to build bridges—waved and called out cheerfully, “Erya! When did you get here?”

Being called “Erya” in front of so many people made Fang Erya’s face darken in anger. Pretending not to hear, she ignored them entirely.

Unfortunately, the women’s committee director was straightforward to a fault and didn’t pick up on it at all. She walked right over, still smiling warmly. “Erya, didn’t you hear me calling you? What program are you performing today?”

With the other woman now standing directly in front of her, ignoring her any longer would look bad. Fang Erya lifted her chin, her face expressionless.

“It’s a secret. You’ll find out when the time comes.”

Only now did the women’s committee director realize she was being brushed off, and her own face cooled. As a village cadre with decades of service, she still had her pride. She turned stiffly and called Su Yuan and the others away.

A faint scent of gunpowder hung in the air. Fang Erya’s comrades exchanged puzzled glances, having no idea what had just happened.

Someone noticed that Su Yuan and Shen Qing were both pretty, and since they were about to leave, he struck up a conversation. “Are you friends of Fang Rou?”

“Not friends. I wouldn’t dare claim someone like her as a friend.”

Shen Qing gave a cold laugh, making the air around them instantly awkward.

Fang Erya, now truly provoked, snapped in anger, “What do you mean by that? Stop trying to ruin my reputation!”

Shen Qing spread her hands helplessly. “I was just telling the truth. What, are we even friends?”

The other woman was left speechless, and after holding it in for a long time, could only take aim at her injury.

“Bad-hearted people never have good endings. No wonder you hurt your foot. Now look — in one choir, you’ve got a mute and a cripple. I hear there’s even a half-dead one. I can’t wait to see you all make fools of yourselves!”

Shen Qing was so furious she wanted to hit her, and would have if Su Yuan hadn’t held her back.

Being called a “mute” didn’t faze Su Yuan in the slightest.

Right now, the only thing that mattered was finishing the choir performance and earning those 20 work points. She didn’t have the time or patience to trade barbs.

But as they were leaving, she couldn’t resist flashing a mischievous smile and saying deliberately, “Er Ya, when it comes to having a bad heart, who could beat you? Remember Jiang Xue? Why do you think she was always following you around?”

In the next instant, Fang Erya’s skin prickled, her face drained of color, and cold sweat beaded on her forehead. She darted her gaze around in panic, and it took her a long moment to realize she’d been played.

In this day and age, there were no such things as ghosts!

Demons and spirits were nothing but lies!

By the time she thought to look for Su Yuan again, the girl was long gone.

Meanwhile, as Su Yuan walked out of the restaurant, a bold suspicion formed in her heart.

Perhaps Jiang Xue’s death back then… hadn’t been so simple.

She was still lost in thought when the women’s director led the group backstage at the Workers’ Cultural Palace.

Performance outfits were self-provided, and makeup was Shen Qing’s job. Given the limited conditions, they had nothing but an eyebrow pencil and a tube of lipstick.

Once they’d changed clothes, Shen Qing started on Su Yuan first.

Her skin was like fresh snow, soft enough to yield to the slightest touch. Those clear almond-shaped eyes shone with bright, pure light.

Shen Qing’s face heated of its own accord, and she sighed sincerely, “Yuan Yuan, I’m so jealous of your man. Landing you must be a blessing he earned in a past life!”

Su Yuan gave a guilty smile but didn’t reply — answering would mean lying.

At that very moment, over at the Qingshan City bus station…

Fu Mobai looked coldly at the man in front of him, and flatly refused. “I have other things to do. I don’t have time for the military-civilian gala. You should head back.”

But the other man refused to give up. “You’re new here — you need to get along with your superiors and subordinates. Don’t be so stubborn, come on.”

“Not going.”

Seeing that persuasion wouldn’t work, Qiu Ye’s eyes suddenly lit with an idea.

“Don’t you want to meet Deputy Company Commander Qian? He should be at the Cultural Palace watching the performance.”

Fu Mobai’s brows drew together as he looked him in the eye. “How do you know he’s there?”

Sensing a hook, Qiu Ye grinned. “I heard his new girlfriend is a cultural troupe girl. Didn’t matter that he was already thirty-five, he shamelessly chased after her. She’s performing tonight — of course he’s going to be there to cheer her on.”

The man in question, Qian Feng, had once served under Su Jianguo.

If Fu Mobai wanted to make his acquaintance, he needed the right opportunity. Without hesitation, he turned and walked away, brushing past the bus headed for Baiyun Village.

“Let’s go see.”

“You got it!” Qiu Ye followed, quietly congratulating himself on his brilliance.

—

Ten minutes before the gala officially began, the place buzzed with energy both onstage and off.

Su Yuan’s group was ready, sitting in a spot not far from backstage, patiently waiting.

Yang Xiaohong’s face was flushed, her whole body trembling with nerves. The others wanted to comfort her, but they weren’t doing much better themselves.

Su Yuan handed each of them a candy, telling them it would help calm their nerves.

Shen Qing unwrapped hers and popped it into her mouth. Whether it was real or just in her head, she really did feel less anxious.

“Yuan Yuan, that trick really works — thanks!”

Su Yuan smiled and unwrapped one for herself.

Just then, a middle-aged woman with the air of a leader strode over, her expression urgent. “Does anyone here know how to play the piano? If you do, please raise your hand.”

The group exchanged glances and shook their heads.

After all, in those days, pianos were a luxury — some people had never even seen one, let alone played it.

The woman was about to give up and look elsewhere when Su Yuan slipped her uneaten candy back into her pocket and raised her hand. “I know a little, but I haven’t memorized many pieces.”

The woman’s eyes lit up. She named two pieces and asked, “Do you know these?”

By coincidence, one of them was exactly the song they were going to sing — Waves on Honghu Lake.

Originally, it was supposed to be accompanied by a piano. But the pianist had been rushed to the hospital with acute appendicitis, and there was no time to switch to a record.

Under the woman’s hopeful gaze, Su Yuan nodded. “Yes, I can play both.”

“How’s your fluency?”

Not wanting to overpromise, she kept her answer modest. “I’d say… smooth enough.”

The woman was overjoyed, and immediately asked the women’s director to lend her Su Yuan.

For the sake of the group, the director had no choice but to take Su Yuan out of the choir and send her off.

Before leaving, Su Yuan asked uneasily, “Director, even if I’m not singing, I still get those 20 work points, right?”

“Of course. Now hurry!”

Reassured, Su Yuan followed the woman away.

On the third floor of the Cultural Palace, they reached the piano room. The woman had her play both pieces on the spot.

Su Yuan’s movements were confident and graceful, the notes flowing like water. The elegant melody filled the room, intoxicating to listen to.

If it weren’t for the time crunch, the woman would have happily sat down to enjoy more.

“You play wonderfully. With you here, I can finally relax.”

Su Yuan rarely played in front of outsiders, and it had been years since her last time. She was satisfied with her performance just now, and confident she could carry out the task entrusted to her.