Chapter 60 She didn’t Expect It Would Turn Out This Way
After breakfast, nobody went back to work. Instead, they all headed outside to find open spaces to rehearse for the afternoon performance. Elizabeth and her three friends started with their puppet show, then watched the others practice their acts. Whenever they spotted any issues, they pointed them out and suggested fixes. The other group rehearsed their solo performances on their own.
To reward everyone for their hard work and to use up the veggies the villagers had given them, Elizabeth whipped up a lunch of six dishes and one soup. The meal looked amazing and tasted even better. Raymond and the others happily dug in and ate to their heart's content.
The other group, with Brenda having to perform two acts, didn't have time to cook. By noon, they had to settle for four bowls of pasta. Smelling the delicious aroma from Elizabeth's group's meal, they ate without much enthusiasm and planned to have a proper feast once they got back to Clifftonshireburg.
At 2 PM, the production team set up a stage and arranged chairs in an open area at the village entrance. The village chief used a loudspeaker to announce the event several times, and soon almost all the villagers gathered to watch the celebrities perform.
Arthur had the two groups draw lots to decide who would go first. Elizabeth's group sent Ronald, while the other group sent Eugene. Eugene drew the longer lot and said, "Looks like we're up first. Who wants to go?"
Brenda glanced at the others and raised her hand. "I'll go first."
Eugene and the others nodded in agreement. So, Brenda, dressed in a special costume prepared by the production team, took the stage to perform a dance. She had been practicing dance since childhood and hadn't let it slide over the years. With plenty of preparation, her performance was indeed impressive. When she finished, the villagers applauded enthusiastically. Brenda felt a wave of satisfaction as she saw everyone clapping.
Next, it was Elizabeth's group's turn. Ronald asked, "Who wants to go first?"
Raymond grinned and said, "How about I go first with the kids? Dance against dance, right?" Elizabeth and the others nodded. "Alright, you go first."
For the second act, Raymond led several village children, all dressed in costumes prepared by the production team, to perform a robot dance. Raymond nailed his moves, and the kids weren't bad either. The robot dance, performed together, was a hit. The fact that the dancers were village children and that there were several of them made the stage effect even better. The audience clapped and cheered non-stop; the atmosphere instantly became lively. When they finished, the applause was even more enthusiastic.
Brenda pursed her lips as she listened to the louder cheers and applause compared to her own. However, since the dancer was Raymond, a guy she was interested in, she wasn't too upset.
Next, Kevin performed a street dance. He didn't do badly, considering he debuted as a singer-dancer. Unfortunately, he was alone, and the villagers didn't quite get street dance, so the applause was pretty lukewarm.
Since their group had more acts, after Kevin's dance, Lisa went up to sing. She chose a currently popular song. However, most of the audience were elderly and children, who didn't quite appreciate it, so the atmosphere and reaction were lukewarm.
After she finished, it was Nancy's turn to go on stage with the kids. They sang classic songs, as suggested by Elizabeth. They started with old-time classics that appealed to the elderly, followed by children's nursery rhymes.
The group had discussed and revised the order and transitions of each song, making the flow smooth and not awkward, with a nostalgic yet cheerful vibe. Some of the elderly and children in the audience couldn't help but hum along. When Nancy and the others finished, the audience was still wanting more.
The four members of the other group, though smiling on the surface, were not happy inside. They had overlooked a crucial point: the village was primarily composed of elderly people and children. Elizabeth's group had clearly taken this into account, which was why they managed to elevate the atmosphere. They had miscalculated.
After Nancy's performance, it was Eugene's turn. He sang a theme song from a TV series, a more lyrical piece. Some villagers had watched the show he starred in, so the applause was fairly enthusiastic after he finished.
Next, Ronald took the stage with the children, each of them drawing a picture. When they displayed their drawings, the parents in the audience were very pleased, each thinking their child had done a wonderful job. The writing next to the drawings was also well-received. Seeing this, other villagers also praised the drawings.
In this lively atmosphere, Brenda went on stage to play a piano piece. Though she played well, the villagers couldn't really appreciate it. The viewers in the live stream were more impartial, acknowledging her skill. However, the villagers couldn't feel the excitement.
Had it not been for Elizabeth's earlier cello performance, Brenda's piano piece might have stood out. But with the comparison, even those who didn't understand music felt that her performance lacked the atmosphere and charm of Elizabeth's.
The villagers still clapped, but their enthusiasm wasn't as high as it had been for the songs and drawings. It was far from the intense atmosphere Brenda had imagined for her grand finale. She felt aggrieved and somewhat regretful. She wished she had prepared a piece or act that appealed to both young and old.
However, she was somewhat relieved that Elizabeth hadn't participated in any of the standout performances. Elizabeth hadn't stolen all the limelight. Brenda was unaware that her piano piece was being compared to Elizabeth's in the live stream comments and posts, and she was coming up short. Otherwise, she would have been furious.
The final act was a puppet show performed by Elizabeth's group of four and Terry. Puppet shows are usually performed at night, but since the production team had to leave in the afternoon, they had to perform during the day.
The four took the stage, with Raymond and the others handling the puppets and providing voices, while Terry and Elizabeth provided the music. Brenda and the others watched as Elizabeth switched between instruments to provide the soundtrack for the puppet show. They were stunned, clearly not expecting her to have such skills. Brenda's smile was barely holding up as she watched Elizabeth skillfully switch instruments, clearly not a novice.
Had Elizabeth learned all these things behind their backs? Or had she always known but never shown it in front of them? Who was she guarding against? Kevin had similar thoughts. Elizabeth had never mentioned or demonstrated these skills in front of them. Was it a matter of trust, or was she guarding against them? He felt uncomfortable and a bit hurt.
The villagers enjoyed the puppet show immensely; it was suitable for all ages. After the performance, the production team gave each villager a small red flower to vote for their favorite act.
In the end, the puppet show outshone the other acts, receiving the most red flowers. Second place went to Nancy's song, third to Raymond's dance, and fourth to Ronald's drawing. Fifth was Eugene's song, sixth was Brenda's dance, seventh was Lisa's song, and eighth was Brenda's piano piece, with Kevin's performance coming in last at ninth.
Seeing the results, the smiles on the faces of Brenda's group froze. They couldn't accept that none of their acts surpassed those of the other group.
Brenda, in particular, had hoped to put in a strong effort and win the most red flowers. She didn’t expect that it would turn out this way. She was furious! If it weren't for the live stream, she would have definitely sought comfort from Kevin with teary eyes.
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