Farm Tough Girl
Chapter 368 - 368 369 Out of Breath_1

Chapter 368: Chapter 369 Out of Breath_1 Chapter 368: Chapter 369 Out of Breath_1 Muniang stopped in front of Shen Dong, “What is your name?”

Shen Dong’s heart tightened, “I, I, my name is Shen Dong.”

“Oh~ you’re the one who cursed at me at the door last time?” Muniang’s smile was especially sinister.

A chill ran down Shen Dong’s back; good heavens, he knew he couldn’t avoid this calamity.

“At that time, I was just—”

“Just what?” Muniang now was deliberately trying to frighten this unruly brat, did he know how much trouble he had caused her?!

Shen Dong was almost in tears, looking desperately at Zhong Yulang for help, “Big brother.”

Zhong Yulang, after all, was protective, saying, “He’s young and acts impulsively. Lady, please spare him this time. I will personally punish him.”

Muniang snorted, looking at the child who seemed stunned with fear, and decided not to scare him anymore, simply saying, “Next time, think before you speak, understand what should and should not be said. At fourteen, you ought to know better.”

Shen Dong nodded repeatedly, but the others were all looking at Muniang with expressions of astonishment. She herself appeared to be just a teenage girl, so why was she talking like an elder?!

Muniang looked up, “Do you have a problem?”

“No, no, no!”

It was then that Muniang said, “Have you all roughly understood the new script?”

“Yue Guan’er has told us about it.”

Muniang was stunned for a moment before she remembered who Yue Guan’er was and nodded, “That’s good. This time, I mainly want to select a few main characters. I’ve looked everyone over and pretty much made up my mind.”

At these words, everyone held their breath and perked up their ears, eagerly hoping the roles would fall to them.

“The role of Linghu Chong naturally suits Zhong—Yue Guan’er better.”

No one had any objections to that; Zhong Yulang’s appearance and abilities far surpassed theirs, and that was why he could hold up the name of Mei Team. He was almost always the main character in each play.

However, everyone couldn’t help feeling a bit disappointed inside; the biggest leading role was still out of their reach, and if someone became famous, it wouldn’t be them.

But then they heard Muniang say, “In this play, there are roles with the potential to become popular that aren’t just the male lead. Some roles might even get more attention and affection than the male lead. The most important thing is how well you play them.”

Immediately, everyone’s spirits were lifted.

Muniang continued to look over each person, her gaze suddenly falling on a man in the corner with strikingly beautiful phoenix eyes and a seductive curve to his lips.

“What is your name?”

“Yue Guan’er.”

“The role of Dongfang Unbeaten is yours.”

Yue Guan’er’s eyes widened in disbelief, “Thank you, Lady!”

Afterward, Muniang also decided on a few other main characters, but when it came to choosing candidates for the female leads, she was quite troubled. Women didn’t perform in plays, and even if they did, men would have to cross-dress to play the female roles. But it would be so awkward to have men in proper female roles cross-dressing and acting!

Though the audience knew this was a woman, on the stage it was truly two men in love.

It was a pity that even if she wanted to find women to act, it would have been impossible, as there had never been a precedent for women to become actors, and no family would be willing to send their daughters to sing in the theater.

Muniang puzzled over this in her heart, but with the theater being renovated, there was no time to waste. She decided to cast a few men to play the leading female roles.

Once everything was set in motion, Muniang said, “I haven’t written the entire script, just a small part of it for now. We won’t perform the whole thing at once for the audience, so you should start with the part I’ve written. Once our theater reopens, we’ll see how that goes.”

“Yes!”

Throughout the day, Muniang was busy explaining to them how to act, emphasizing that it wasn’t about singing, but acting—revealing the most genuine expressions without painted faces. This concept completely overturned the actors’ traditional understanding of performance.

But it was undeniable that Muniang’s new style of acting was very compelling, and if it could be successfully exhibited, the result would surely be praised.

Everyone held a sense of anticipation, and they practiced with great dedication. Muniang went over each character’s personality and traits, helping everyone get into their roles.

After these days of hard work, everyone was exhausted beyond words.

Because Yu Ze had scared everyone last time with his murderous aura, Muniang didn’t bring him to rehearsals, to allow everybody to feel more at ease. Nonetheless, every evening, Yu Ze would personally come to pick up Muniang and take her home.

The theater’s troupe couldn’t help but whisper among themselves, finding the husband-and-wife partnership quite an oddity.

Once they were on the carriage, Muniang cuddled into Yu Ze’s arms like a little kitten.

“Don’t overexert yourself,” Yu Ze said, looking at her with concern.

“But once something starts, it cannot be left idle. Who knew that teaching them would be so difficult?” Muniang said, not entirely blaming them, as after all, they were ancient people who had never seen a play, with limited ability to adapt.

“If you’re tired, have a little sleep. We still have a ways to go home,” Yu Ze sighed, naturally not suggesting Muniang quit. When she was determined to do something, she was as stubborn as a mule.

“Hmm, I feel comfortable just leaning on my husband,” Muniang said, hugging Yu Ze’s sturdy waist and snuggling into him.

“Oh? I thought with all the charming actors you see every day, you’d forget about this husband of yours,” Yu Ze said with a smidgen of resentment in his voice.

Muniang laughed helplessly, “What are you talking about? I never even thought about that.”

“Really?”

Trying to please him, Muniang said with a smile, “How can they compare to my husband? I don’t like men who are too delicate; I prefer someone strong and commanding like you.”

Yu Ze’s mood finally lifted, and he smiled, pulling Muniang tighter, “Sleep, then.”

Muniang giggled. Who said men didn’t need to be cajoled? Her proudly reserved husband truly needed to be coaxed from time to time.

Yu Ze instructed the coachman to drive the carriage slowly and steadily to avoid jostling, so Muniang could rest properly. She slept in Yu Ze’s arms the entire way.

When they arrived in the village, they were awakened by a noisy discussion.

“Hey, you’re out of the loop. Qiao Yuanzhen just came back to visit his parents, bringing several carts full of good stuff. They’re moving sacks of white rice and pork into the house like it costs nothing. Who would have thought that after daring to leave the village, he’d suddenly make a fortune?”

“Indeed. I heard that he even reclaimed his title of Scholar. It seems like he’s made quite a name for himself out there!”