The Spoiled Young Lady Who Married a Military Officer-Chapter 70: The Art Troupe is Saved

"Oh?"

Director Zhao shot him a sidelong glance. "Go on, tell me. How could the consequences possibly be worse?"

Seeing that Director Zhao was actually listening, Lu Xiao breathed a small sigh of relief.

’As long as Director Zhao’s stance softens, everything will be negotiable.’

"First, many of the young women in the Arts Troupe started as ordinary soldiers. They’ve given the best years of their lives to this place."

"Take Lin Qian, for example. Her household registration is here with us. If they’re all dismissed, where will they go? How will we settle them? We’re talking about dozens of people. If they aren’t properly taken care of, it will lead to rumors and gossip, creating instability and affecting the morale of the entire base!"

"What happened yesterday was a precursor to that."

Director Zhao’s movements, as he ate his congee, slowed down.

Lu Xiao pressed his advantage, striking while the iron was hot.

"Second, the directive from above says to ’restructure,’ not ’disband.’ The word ’restructure’ gives us a lot of room to maneuver.

Our Arts Troupe certainly has its issues. For example, the performances can sometimes be too ’soft,’ a bit detached from the soldiers’ lives, and lacking in ideological substance.

But their function is very real! Every time they go down to the companies to perform, don’t the soldiers roar with applause?

Their monotonous training life needs these women to liven things up and boost morale! If we just rigidly disband the troupe, do you think the soldiers won’t have something to say about it?"

Seeing that the director hadn’t interrupted him, he knew he’d hit on the key points, and his voice grew steadier.

"Third, Director, this is a critical time. There’s a major rectification campaign coming from the top, which means stability must be our number one priority on this base.

If we rigidly disband them, dozens of young women will raise a fuss, crying and making a huge scene. What if one of them does something drastic, or what if they’re exploited by someone with ulterior motives...

The fallout from that would be far more serious than them dancing a few dances or singing a few songs! If that happens, our base will be made into a negative example, and that won’t reflect well on you."

Director Zhao put down his chopsticks. His brow was furrowed into a knot, and his fingers tapped unconsciously on the table.

Every word Lu Xiao said had hit home.

The one thing he couldn’t stand was "chaos."

Lu Xiao knew the time was right and presented his solution. "Director, my idea is that we follow the path of ’restructuring.’"

"We’ll criticize and educate those who need it, and we’ll discipline impulsive behavior like Xiao Zhou’s."

"But the core idea is to preserve the framework of the Arts Troupe! We can streamline and optimize the personnel, weeding out those who aren’t a good fit and keeping core members like Lin Qian, who is highly skilled and relatively mature."

He paused, then played his trump card. "Moreover, we can bring in new blood! I’ve learned that Comrade Lin Jianqiu, Chang Jia’s wife, is proficient in zither, Go, calligraphy, and painting. She is especially skilled at the guqin, and her ideological awareness is very high."

"Chang Jia has mentioned before that he wanted Comrade Lin Jianqiu to join the Arts Troupe to make use of her talents and to help her get more involved in collective life, so she could become more outgoing and confident."

"This fits perfectly with the ’restructuring’ requirement to optimize the personnel structure and improve the quality of the team!"

Director Zhao looked up, a hint of surprise and contemplation in his eyes. "Lin Jianqiu? That kid Chang Jia’s wife? She can play the guqin?"

"It’s absolutely true, Director. Just think about it."

Lu Xiao’s tone became more persuasive. "We keep the core members and bring in new talent with real skills like Lin Jianqiu. The nature of the Arts Troupe doesn’t change—it’s still here to serve the soldiers—but the team becomes more lean and capable."

"We can also adjust the performances to have more ideological depth and better reflect the unique character of our unit! This way, we implement the spirit of the higher-ups’ restructuring order, stabilize morale, avoid a bigger crisis, and improve the quality of the Arts Troupe. We’d be killing three birds with one stone!"

The room fell silent, the only sound being the TAP, TAP, TAP of the director’s fingers on the tabletop.

Lu Xiao held his breath. He knew everything hinged on this moment.

After a full minute, Director Zhao let out a heavy sigh, picked up his now-cold congee, took a large gulp, and wiped his mouth.

"You kid..."

He pointed at Lu Xiao, much of the anger on his face having dissipated, replaced by a decisiveness born from careful consideration.

"With that mouth of yours, you could talk the dead back to life. After you’ve laid it all out like that, what else can I say?"

"We’ll do it your way."

Lu Xiao’s heart leaped with relief. He was just about to speak when Director Zhao added sternly,

"But, Lu Xiao, first: the troublemaker, especially the one who pulled a knife, must be dealt with severely! A public reprimand and a demerit on her record! Make an example of her!

Second, you will personally draft a detailed report on the restructuring plan for me.

The list of personnel to be kept or dismissed and the new direction for performances must all be crystal clear.

Third, if Lin Jianqiu is to join, she must be assessed according to procedure. She has to have real talent. If this gets screwed up, or if there’s any more trouble, I’m holding you personally responsible."

"Yes, Director! I guarantee the mission will be accomplished!"

Lu Xiao snapped to attention and saluted, his voice loud and clear, ringing with unconcealable excitement.

"Get out of here! I’m tired of looking at you!"

Director Zhao waved his hand, but the corner of his mouth seemed to twitch upward. "Go on, get it done. Don’t just stand there while my food gets cold."

"Yes, sir!" Lu Xiao turned and strode away, his steps much lighter than when he had arrived.

Lu Xiao didn’t go straight to his office. Instead, he went home first.

He knew Su Tang would be worried.

When he pushed open the door to their home, Su Tang was indeed waiting for him. She had finished her surgery and come back specifically to wait for his news.

"How did it go?"

Hearing the door, Su Tang immediately looked up, her gaze locked on Lu Xiao’s face.

Lu Xiao didn’t speak. He walked to the table, picked up the glass of cool boiled water Su Tang had left for him, and downed half of it in one go.

Then, he set the glass down, looked into Su Tang’s anxious eyes, and a slow, relaxed, and slightly smug smile spread across his face.

"Done."

He said just that one word.

Su Tang shot to her feet, her eyes instantly brightening as if they’d been filled with stars. "Really? The director agreed? The Arts Troupe is saved? And Lin Qian and the others...?"

"Mhm."

Lu Xiao nodded, walked over to her, and spoke naturally.

"We’re going with ’restructuring.’ We’ll keep the core members, streamline the personnel, and strengthen their ideological training. As long as Lin Qian doesn’t do anything foolish, she’ll definitely be able to stay."

He briefly mentioned that Xiao Zhou would be disciplined but focused on Lin Jianqiu.

"The director agreed to let Lin Jianqiu take the assessment. If she really has the skills, she can join. That kid Chang Jia is going to be thrilled."

Su Tang let out a long, long sigh of relief. The weight she’d been carrying in her heart finally lifted.

She didn’t ask Lu Xiao how exactly he had persuaded the notoriously difficult Director Zhao, nor did she ask about the pressure and obstacles he must have faced.

She just looked into his eyes, which held a hint of exhaustion, but even more relief and the quiet confidence of a mission accomplished.

"That’s wonderful..."

Su Tang’s voice was choked with happy tears.

She reached out and gently straightened the collar of his uniform, which had gotten a little rumpled from his hurried walk.

"You must be exhausted, right? You haven’t eaten yet, have you? Let me go heat something up for you."

"I was standing outside the director’s house for ages. Didn’t have a chance," Lu Xiao admitted honestly.

"Wait here!"

Without another word, Su Tang turned and went into the kitchen.

A moment later, the CRACKLE of firewood could be heard from the stove, and steam began to rise from a pot.