âBe quiet, everyone.â Ms. Xu waved her hands and gestured for those chattering children to stop.
âDoes anyone know how to play the Guzheng?â She frowned slightly at the thought of it being too difficult for these children, she changed her expression, âOr, any other instruments?â
A few children exchanged a glance with each other in confusion and shook their heads.
Most children their age spent their time playing, no one was bored enough to practice an instrument.
Ms. Xu looked at all the children with a headache and after a while, she suggested, âThe worst scenario is that we cancel our program.â
She couldnât let Shen Yao go, she would be looking for death if she still went on stage like this.
Her parents didnât feel bad for her, but she did.
Shen Yao didnât speak. She looked at the sleepy little thing whose head was drooping to the ground, and the little girl leaned over slightly and let Ye Sang rest her head on her shoulder.
But Ye Sang bumped into her shoulder and felt much more awake after shaking her head a few times.
The little thing was naturally cute and the hair on her head stubbornly stayed up, and she looked a little silly from just waking up.
She could melt their hearts into pools of water.
Shen Yao half smiled and thought that this idiot could be cute sometimes.
Ms. Xu saw the sleepy little thing and asked again without giving up, âOther than Shen Yao, is there no one else who knows how to play the guzheng in our class?â
âEven if no one can play the guzheng, what about other instruments?â
â...â Her responses were still the childrenâs yawns.
Ms. Xu: â...â This is definitely the worst class she has taught.
Ye Sang heard âguzhengâ and trembled out of reflex. The strand of hair stood up on her head and she looked dumbfounded.
Discussion: what should do when she used to have a grandpa who used to be number one in the world before?
The little thing was so traumatized that she would be stupefied upon hearing something her grandpas were good at.
It was nothing to look back on. Ye Sang swayed her head and pursed her lips together without speaking.
Ms. Liuâs eyes turned and suddenly glanced at the sleepy Ye Sang. She softened her voice and smiled, âSangsang.â
âCan you play the guzheng for your sister on stage?â
After a pause, she added, âPipa works too.â
Itâs not a problem as long as she was good at it.
Ye Sang shook her head and finally woke up for a few seconds, refusing the offer subconsciously, âNo no, I donât know how to play it.â
Ms. Liu showed her understanding, âItâs fine, it doesnât matter that you havenât learned it before. Donât be nervous, we just have to go through the procedure.â
It was only a program and there was no need to put too much pressure on the children.
The little thing stalled next to Shen Yao, dropping her head down.
S-She didnât want to go.
Shen Yao saw the energyless little thing and raised an eyebrow.
âYou are shy?â She pondered and asked in a low voice.
Ye Sang nodded in embarrassment.
She has never faced a crowd alone before.
Or in other words, even if she had learned how to play the pipa before, her grandpas thought that she was only decent at all the instruments she played.
The little thing didnât know that those old men who spoke harshly all boasted about her behind her back happily.
Whenever they have a disagreement:
âAs expected, my granddaughterâs gift in music comes from me.â
âLook at how my granddaughter writes calligraphy, it looks like my work in my younger days.â
Of course, Ye Sang knew none of these.
Shen Yao spoke softly, âDonât be nervous, just think of it as playing.â
Her sister rarely sounded so soft. Ye Sang covered her face and nodded shyly, âOkay...â
The little thing was wearing a set of Ru skirt today anyway, there was no need to change again.
She was taken to the makeup room. Her hair was tied up in a small flower bud bun and there was no need to put makeup on her white and delicate face. They only added two tassels on her hair as accessories.
The teacher smiled and let Ye Sang pick between pipa and guzheng, and the little girl picked pipa without hesitation.
âPipa...â Her cat eyes smiled and replied in her milky voice.
âOkay.â Ms. Liu patted her shoulder and took her backstage while encouraging her in a low voice, âSangsang, donât be nervous, participation is more important...â
After a pause, she realized that children from other classes would probably all play better than her, she was afraid that they would hurt the little thingâs pride and quickly comforted her, âIt doesnât matter even if you donât play well. You are still young and we are only playing with it this time.â
The little thing pouted and nodded earnestly, âOkay.â
...
It was impossible to say that she wasnât nervous.
The stage was set up in an empty school ground. There was a crowd of parents sitting down near the stage, and there were some parents who werenât bothered to get down like Mu Chen. They sat in their cars where they could still see the stage from that distance.
âWhat a cute child.â Someone saw the little girl on the stage and exclaimed in a low voice.
âI want to steal her and take her home.â
Mu Chen heard these peopleâs discussion from his car and looked through the window, sneering slightly at the sight of the little thing on stage.
Cute?
Why canât he see it?
These people are probably blind.
Before Mu Chen could finish criticizing those âblind peopleâ, he heard another girl discuss, âWhose child is that? The way she holds pipa is pretty good.â
âAhhhh sheâs so cute, look at her! I love how she holds it with her short arms and legs!!â
âShe mustâve had a professional teacher teach her before, right?â
Mu Chen rolled his eyes at this.
It would be good enough if that brat doesnât lose his face.
Pipa?
What does a five-year-old child know?
The man grinded his teeth and his temples throbbed at the memories of helping her with homework last night.
A brat who didnât even know what was seven times eight was, what else could he expect her to know?
Mu Chen couldnât even figure out who her real dad was, just like Huo Yao and Shen Chuchen.
But no matter who the dad was, their daughterâs IQ canât possibly be this low.
...
The little thingâs naive face was as delicate as a painting. Her curled lashes fluttered and she resembled the hazy beauty of a well-educated young lady from ancient times.
Her grandpas had taught her how to write and how to appreciate poems and beautiful scenes.
Sometimes, the belief thatâs carved into their bones canât be changed.
They used to be the legends of the generation and no one loved these more than them.
Whether it was the medicine, ancient martial arts, or instruments from the old days, only those in the older generation would remember those things that were forgotten by others.
Because the little thing was short, the way she held the pipa made her look exceptionally cute. She looked down at the parents and shyly lowered her head, trying her best to pretend that those people were just white turnips.
Ye Sang pursed her lips together and searched her memories, adjusting her position just like how her grandfather taught her.
Her white and delicate fingers rested on strings and with a light strung, and an ethereal and clear chord suddenly fell into their heads and those around her sank into a moment of silence.