At the military's group wedding, my best friend and I swapped husbands.

Chapter 90: Report on the Cultural Troupe

Su Wanwan hurriedly finished washing up, not even having time to braid her hair properly, she just tied it into a ponytail, grabbed the registration certificate that the art troupe had given her yesterday, and rushed out.

As soon as I ran into the yard, I saw Bai Rongbei already waiting at the gate of the fence.

He was wearing a crisp military uniform and carrying a military green water bottle. When he saw her come out, he handed her the bottle: "Have some water."

Su Wanwan took it, unscrewed the lid, and found it was warm sugar water.

She took a few small sips; it was sweet, and it made her stomach feel a little better.

"Let's go." Bai Rongbei turned and walked out, his steps slow, just enough for her to keep up.

The two walked one after the other on the dirt road.

The cool morning breeze in the Gobi Desert woke Su Wanwan up quite a bit.

She stole a glance at Bai Rongbei walking ahead; his broad back looked exceptionally reliable in the morning light.

As I approached the entrance to the camp, I heard footsteps behind me.

"Wanwan, wait for me!"

It was Wang Xiuying's voice.

Su Wanwan turned around and saw Wang Xiuying limping after her.

Her right ankle was still swollen, making it difficult for her to walk, but she had a smile on her face and was holding her registration certificate in her hand.

"Sister Xiuying, your foot isn't healed yet, why are you up so early?" Su Wanwan stopped in her tracks.

"Reporting for duty, can't be late!" Wang Xiuying caught up, panting, her eyes sweeping over Bai Rongbei, her smile widening. "Oh, Commander Bai personally escorted me? How thoughtful!"

Bai Rongbei nodded, as if to say hello, but did not speak.

Wang Xiuying felt that sour feeling well up inside her again.

When she joined the performing arts troupe, Li Jianguo didn't even bother to see her off, and his congratulations were just perfunctory.

But Bai Rongbei was waiting for Su Wanwan early in the morning.

On what grounds?

Suppressing her jealousy, she squeezed next to Su Wanwan and affectionately took her arm: "Let's go together! We'll be comrades-in-arms from now on, so we should look after each other!"

Su Wanwan's arm stiffened for a moment, then she quickly withdrew her hand, keeping her distance as she replied, "Mm."

The three of them walked together toward the performing arts troupe.

The cultural troupe was located on the east side of the camp, in a separate two-story building made of red bricks, with white slogans painted on the walls: "Arts and literature serve the workers, peasants and soldiers."

Several people were already standing at the entrance. Besides Su Wanwan, Wang Xiuying, and Li Hongmei, who were selected this time, there were also a few elderly members of the performing arts troupe, chatting in twos and threes.

A middle-aged female cadre in her forties with short, shoulder-length hair stood at the front, holding a notebook in her hand. Seeing them approach, she glanced at her watch and said, "Everyone's here. I'm Liu, the deputy head of the cultural troupe. Welcome the three new comrades to our troupe."

She spoke crisply and decisively, her gaze sweeping across the three faces, lingering for a second longer on Wang Xiuying's swollen ankle, but she said nothing.

"Our main task as a cultural troupe is to serve the officers and soldiers of the troops and enrich the cultural life of the barracks." Deputy Commander Liu led everyone inside. "Besides rehearsals and performances, we also participate in political studies and labor. Cultural soldiers are soldiers too, and discipline cannot be relaxed."

The first floor is the rehearsal hall, which is spacious and bright, with wooden floors so polished that you can see your reflection in them.

There were some musical instruments and props piled up in the corner, and performance photos and certificates were pasted on the wall.

The second floor houses offices and changing rooms.

Deputy Head Liu led them on a tour, finally stopping in the rehearsal hall on the first floor: "Our troupe now has a dance team, a vocal team, and an instrumental team. The three of you are all in the dance team, and from now on you will be under the leadership of the dance team leader."

She pointed to a tall woman in her thirties next to her: "This is Zhou Min, the captain of the dance team."

Zhou Min walked over with a smile on her face, but her eyes were sharp.

She first looked at Li Hongmei. The girl was strong and looked like she could endure hardship.

I looked at Wang Xiuying again; she insisted on coming despite her foot injury, which showed her good attitude.

Finally, his gaze fell on Su Wanwan, lingering on her for the longest time.

She watched all three rounds of the exams: the preliminary exam, the second round, and the final exam.

This girl has the best skills and dances the most gracefully.

"Welcome." Zhou Min's voice was clear and bright. "The dance team now has twelve people, including the three of you. Rehearsals are usually from 8:00 AM to 11:00 AM and from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM. There will be an assessment every Monday; those who fail will have extra practice. Any questions?"

The three of them said in unison, "No!"

"Okay." Zhou Min nodded. "Let's get familiar with the environment and meet the veteran comrades today. Rehearsals will begin formally tomorrow."

She clapped her hands and called out to the other side of the rehearsal hall, "Everyone, come over here for a moment!"

Several women who were practicing stopped and gathered around.

Zhou Min briefly introduced the three newcomers, and then asked the veteran comrades to introduce themselves.

There was a round-faced girl named Xiaofang who had two dimples when she smiled.

There was a tall, thin woman named Sun Mei who didn't talk much.

There was also an older woman named Sister Wu, who seemed very kind.

Taking advantage of the time while everyone was getting acquainted, Wang Xiuying suddenly raised her voice and said to Su Wanwan with a smile, "Wanwan, you really need to learn a lot from these seniors! Although you jump well, you haven't received formal training after all, and you're still far behind Captain Zhou and the others!"

These words sounded like modesty, but to the older comrades, they took on a different meaning.

Has he not received formal training?

How do you pass the preliminary, intermediate, and final exams?

Zhou Min frowned almost imperceptibly.

The other older comrades exchanged glances without speaking, but their eyes held a more scrutinizing gaze towards Su Wanwan.

Su Wanwan's smile remained unchanged as she turned to Wang Xiuying, her voice gentle and warm: "Sister Xiuying is right. I do indeed have many shortcomings, and I will definitely learn humbly from Captain Zhou and all the seniors in the future."

She paused, looked at Zhou Min, and said sincerely, "Captain Zhou, although I've been learning dance from teachers since I was little, it's all been self-taught and unsystematic. I joined the cultural troupe hoping to receive formal training, improve my skills, and better serve the military. I hope you and the other senior members will give me more guidance in the future."

This is a very honest statement; it acknowledges both one's shortcomings and expresses one's attitude.

Zhou Min's expression softened a bit, and she nodded: "As long as you're willing to learn. Our troupe focuses on the present and the future, not the past."

Several other veteran comrades also spoke up:

"Exactly, who doesn't start from knowing nothing and then learn?"

"Comrade Su, you jumped very well! Let's practice together from now on and learn from each other!"

Wang Xiuying stood to the side, her smile a little stiff.

She had intended to set a trap for Su Wanwan, but Su Wanwan filled the trap with just a few words, and even won the favor of Zhou Min and the old comrade.

This woman... is truly extraordinary.

Deputy Regiment Commander Liu gave a few more instructions and then let everyone move around freely to familiarize themselves with the environment.

Bai Rongbei had been waiting at the entrance of the rehearsal hall. When he saw Su Wanwan come out, he went over and asked, "Is everything ready?"

"Well, today is just for getting familiar with things; rehearsals will start tomorrow," Su Wanwan said.

"Then I'll go back to the regiment." Bai Rongbei said, taking out an oil paper package from his pocket. "It's steamed buns and pickled vegetables from the canteen for lunch. Eat them yourself if you're hungry."

Su Wanwan accepted it, feeling a warm glow in her heart: "Thank you."

Bai Rongbei grunted in agreement, then turned and left.

Wang Xiuying stood at the door, watching Bai Rongbei's back, then looking at the oil paper package in Su Wanwan's hand, and pinched her palm with her nails.

She turned around and limped toward the locker room.

My ankle hurts terribly, but I feel even more depressed.