Chapter 2242: He Zongxin

Su Xinghui nodded and said, "Comrade Feng Lan, since that's the case, go and invite Comrade He Zongxin to return. If he agrees to come back, he can be the head of the troupe."

Feng Lan nodded happily and said, "Alright, I will go handle this matter in a while."

Su Xinghui said, "If Comrade He Zongxin returns, have him come see me."

Feng Lan said, "That's no problem; I will definitely have him see you."

Su Xinghui said, "Fine, tell me about your other plans."

Feng Lan's other plans were actually quite simple. He Zongxin had already assembled a team of actors in Hongzhou, so when the time came, he could just have these actors return with him. Of course, not all of these actors could return, as the income here could not compare to that in Hongzhou, but it could at least solve the immediate crisis.

In addition, they would publicly recruit a new batch of actors and organize an actor training class, letting old actors like Hu Baguai serve as teachers to cultivate a group of young students, which would ensure the troupe had successors.

As for other measures to revitalize cultural undertakings, such as making the library and the Xinhua Bookstore prosperous again and letting the cultural center truly play the role it should, Feng Lan also proposed a series of plans, all of which were considered very feasible.

Making the operation of the Xinhua Bookstore more flexible, stocking more bestsellers that today's readers love to see, and stocking more practical reference books—these were the books that sold best currently.

As for the library, there were actually quite a few people in Chongjin County who liked to read, but the Chongjin County library was a bit behind the times. Not only were the buildings dilapidated and the facilities outdated, but even the books in the library were extremely old.

Su Xinghui had been to the library to take a look, and many of the books in the Chongjin County library were actually from the period of turmoil. They were already clearly obsolete and should have been discarded long ago, yet they were still kept in the library.

Feng Lan proposed renovating the library, adding some newer facilities, and then purchasing a batch of new books. In this way, the library should be able to provide a reading space for more readers.

As for the cultural center, Feng Lan planned to renovate it as well, allocate a sum of funds, re-recruit those employees on unpaid leave, and restart the work of the cultural center and the cultural stations in various townships to enrich grassroots cultural life.

These plans of Feng Lan would require a total of about two to three million in funding. This amount was not much, and if it could revitalize the cultural undertakings of Chongjin County, spending this money was worth it.

Su Xinghui said, "County Magistrate Feng, is this money enough?"

Feng Lan said, "If we are frugal, it should be enough. The county's fiscal expenditure is also very tight now, so we cannot be too extravagant."

Su Xinghui nodded and said, "Fine, I will allocate this money to you as soon as possible. For now, let's just make do. When the county has money, we will build a new building, with the lower floors as a theater and the upper floors as a library and cinema. That would be quite impressive."

Feng Lan nodded happily and said, "Alright, County Magistrate, I will wait for that day."

Su Xinghui said, "By the way, County Magistrate Feng, I will allocate you a few more tens of thousands of yuan. You can buy a few computers for the library, and I will have Hanhai Technology develop a library management software system for you so you can manage the library's books well."

To be honest, Feng Lan did not know much about computers and software, but she had also heard that using computers to manage books would be more efficient. Hearing Su Xinghui's words, she smiled and said, "That would be even better. Then I will thank the County Magistrate on behalf of the library!"

Su Xinghui smiled and said, "Alright, go get busy."

He Zongxin returned to Chongjin County two days later. As soon as he returned to Chongjin County, Feng Lan brought him to Su Xinghui's office to meet with Su Xinghui.

He Zongxin was a middle-aged man of about forty, but his appearance looked quite young, like a young man in his early thirties. Moreover, he had a handsome face, looking like a dashing young lead, which was no wonder He Zongxin had been a very popular famous actor in Chongjin County back then.

However, He Zongxin was not just an actor for young leads; he was also a master at playing clown roles. He had a handsome face but a witty and humorous personality, and his acting was both serious and comical. He could be called a rare talent in this line of work.

Upon seeing He Zongxin, Su Xinghui stood up from behind his desk, reached out his hand to him, and said, "Comrade He Zongxin, right? Hello, welcome, welcome!"

Although He Zongxin was at ease on the stage, he was very restrained in front of Su Xinghui, the County Magistrate. He hurriedly reached out both hands, grasped Su Xinghui's hand, and said, "County Magistrate, hello!"

Su Xinghui said, "Comrade He Zongxin, don't be restrained, please sit."

He Zongxin sat down beside Feng Lan. Feng Lan could be considered his senior sister, and he was not as restrained beside her.

Su Xinghui sat down opposite him and said to He Zongxin, "Comrade He Zongxin, I am very happy that you were able to return this time. This is a blessing for the common people of Chongjin County!"

He Zongxin said somewhat shyly, "County Magistrate, you are too kind; I am just an opera singer."

Su Xinghui said, "You can't say that. What's wrong with being an opera singer? As long as you can bring happiness to the common people, opera singers should also be respected. Isn't County Magistrate Feng also your senior sister?"

He Zongxin rubbed his hands and did not respond.

Su Xinghui smiled slightly and said, "By the way, Comrade He Zongxin, I heard that you organized a performance troupe in Hongzhou, and it is quite popular in Hongzhou."

Speaking of his own performance troupe, He Zongxin opened up: "County Magistrate Su, it is shameful to say, but when the troupe was at its most difficult, I left the troupe and did not share its fate."

Su Xinghui said, "Comrade He Zongxin, your senior sister has told me about this matter. It is not your responsibility. Come to think of it, it was the county that buried a talent like you."

He Zongxin said, "County Magistrate Su, I wouldn't dare call myself a talent, but I do have some insights into managing a troupe. In the performance troupe I had in Hongzhou, basically every performance was sold out, and the actors under me have all been trained well now."

Su Xinghui said, "Then tell me, how exactly do you manage it?"

He Zongxin said, "It's very simple: stage new plays. As long as the play is good, there will naturally be an audience. With an audience, the performance troupe is alive." ===== CHAPTER 2244 =====