Can We Get Married First?

Chapter 43

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Grandpa stood beside Chi Lin, his back straight, and introduced with a proud tone:

"Yes, it's her, our Xiao Lin. Although Xiao Lin is young, she is a master at singing Danzhou opera! Don't say that I am exaggerating. I don't think anyone here can keep up with her."

After hearing what his grandfather said, Chi Lin could hardly hold back his awkward smile.

Lou Mi watched the fun from the sidelines and agreed with Grandpa:

"Really? I've heard it, and I can vouch for it."

Grandpa Yan, who is over 70 years old and still has a head full of thick black hair, laughed out loud. From the sound of his laughter, you can tell that his voice can be heard as far as the three buildings opposite.

Grandpa Yan looked at Chi Lin, smiled and shook his head:

"It's not that I, an old man, don't believe it. Look at this young student. He looks very elegant. But Danzhou Opera is a play that reflects the suffering of the people. In the end, it's all tragedy. Without age and experience, you can only sing and it's difficult to understand the essence of Danzhou Opera."

On the other side, Grandma He also agreed with Grandpa Yan:

"I understand what Old Yan means. Why are there fewer and fewer people who can understand and sing Danzhou opera? It's because the threshold is high. Young people are simply unwilling to spend energy on crossing this threshold. They have so many relaxing entertainments, why bother to bother with us old ladies and old men about our bitter hatreds."

Grandpa Yan sighed heavily: "Children can sing, but they only sing the skinny. What's more, there is drama in this play. You have to understand it thoroughly before you can sing well. For example, my grandson, after listening to Danzhou Opera several times, he can sing along a little, and even changed it into a rap style."

Everyone laughed when he finished speaking.

Grandpa Yan laughed for a while and continued, "That's not called Danzhou Opera, that's called joining in the fun. Not to mention the children, even at my age, I don't dare to say that I really 'can' sing Danzhou Opera."

The amateur opera fans who came today were all invited one by one by Grandpa Lou. The gimmick is that if there are little amateur opera fans at home, they can get together with everyone and develop and expand Danzhou opera.

And we haven't seen each other for a long time. Everyone is retired and at home, but some are helping to take care of their grandchildren, some are actively recovering from illness, and some are still able to travel abroad, sometimes for a month or so.

It's not easy to get everyone together.

Grandpa Lou has been eager to organize a big party for a long time, and after singing with Chi Lin last time, he was even more itchy.

He contacted his grandmother for so many days and finally got most of the amateur performers together.

On the one hand, they can satisfy their desire, and on the other hand, deep down in their hearts, they want to show off their little genius.

Even though Lou Lixing and Peng Ziyuan haven't gotten married yet, and Chi Lin isn't really their child, his grandparents can't help wanting to show off their baby.

In the past, when old men and women performed together, they were troubled by the lack of young people to integrate with them, and they always complained that Danzhou opera was about to be lost.

Especially Grandpa Yan, he always complains whenever we get together.

Grandpa and Grandma Lou discovered Chi Lin, a super rookie, and everyone was thought to be very happy, but unexpectedly, Old Yan didn't even listen to a word and sounded somewhat negative from the start.

He had always hoped that young people would like Danzhou dramas, but now that young people have really come, why is he resisting

Grandma He has always had a good relationship with Grandpa Yan and she always supports him. The two of them sang in unison and the atmosphere gradually solidified.

Grandpa Yan said to Lao Lou and Chi Lin:

"I'm not targeting you. I'm talking about a common phenomenon nowadays. I'd also like to share with you the connotation of Danzhou Opera. I haven't heard the little girl sing it yet, but just because you are interested in Danzhou Opera, I'm going to give you a thumbs up."

Grandpa Lou looked at Chi Lin and laughed dryly.

Everyone in the room was embarrassed by Grandpa Yan's words.

Lou Mi was originally anxious to avenge herself on Chi Lin for inexplicably ignoring her, but this time she forgot all about it.

She stood up to add more hot water, and when she came back with the kettle she smiled:

"Grandpa Yan, are there age limits for singing this Danzhou opera?"

Grandpa Yan shouted, "Of course."

"I don't know much about Danzhou opera, and I can't sing it. I guess even at your age, I'm just an amateur, not a master. But art is about talent, and people are different. Didn't the news report some time ago that a 10-year-old prodigy's paintings were sold at a sky-high price of tens of millions of dollars, and he had never learned it. It is said that the prodigy could draw before he could even walk. This is not God's gift, but God's feeding. Some people paint for their entire lives, but everyone thinks it takes up space when they give them away. A spiritual person can probably catch up with an ordinary person who practices for a lifetime after practicing for three years, don't you think?"

What Lou Mi said seemed to make sense at first, but when he thought about it carefully, he felt as if she was mocking him behind his back.

What do you mean at my age I am just an amateur and can't be accepted by the upper class

Who are ordinary people

Grandpa Yan had previously said modestly that he didn’t really “know” how to sing Danzhou opera, but the kid actually took it seriously.

Grandpa Yan has been an official all his life, so he naturally wouldn't argue with a child, nor did he have the nerve to do so. He just said:

"According to what you said, that child is very intelligent and a genius blessed by God?"

The Lou family was used to Lou Mi's sharp tongue and her unwillingness to suffer any loss, so she would be rude even to older people who made mistakes.

But Peng Ziyuan was terrified.

We're just having a good gathering of amateur fans, why make things so tense

Peng Ziyuan didn't understand Chi Lindan's level of acting because she didn't understand acting.

But as a mother, she knew that Chi Lin had never learned this opera since childhood. He could only sing a few lines with his grandparents before, but she probably just heard it from somewhere and sang it casually.

I didn’t expect that grandpa and grandma are still promoting it outside…

The people who came this time were all old fans, and if Chi Lin was pushed out, it would only bring shame to the Lou family.

Peng Ziyuan just hoped that Lou Mi would deny it, but where was the word "retreat" in Lou Mi's dictionary

Without saying hello to the person involved, Lou Mi didn't even look in Chi Lin's direction. After pouring tea for Grandpa Yan, he said seriously:

“It’s true.”

Grandpa Yan laughed and said half-jokingly, "You are so arrogant. OK, OK, now I am even more curious. Come on, kids, sing a few lines to open the eyes of the old men and women present. Let us see what a genius is like."

Most of the people present were not friends, they just gathered together because of their common interests, and they did not like Lao Yan's behavior of bullying children.

But they are really crazy about Danzhou drama, and they also want to see the level of the little genius mentioned by Lao Lou.

So after Old Yan said this, everyone started to applaud, and some even took out the musical instruments they brought with them, waiting for Chi Lin to start singing.

Peng Ziyuan's eyes went dark, something was wrong.

But Lou Mi was not panicked at all. This time he looked at Chi Lin and asked her:

"Are you ok?"

Chi Lin said seriously: "Fine."

Seeing that she was serious, Lou Mi didn't expect her to say such a thing suddenly, so he couldn't help laughing.

Grandma Lou looked at Grandpa Lou a little worriedly, but Grandpa Lou remained calm and even started to help choose the music.

Seeing that they couldn't choose a suitable one after a long time, Grandpa Yan sighed and said:

"Why are you trying so hard? Since you are a genius, of course you should choose the most difficult one. Just choose it."

As soon as I heard that Old Yan wanted to choose "Beijing Talks", I knew he was determined to make things difficult for the children.

"Miscellaneous Talks in the Capital" is the most difficult of all Danzhou operas. Both the pronunciation and intonation are very ancient and demanding.

It mainly tells about some strange things in Shangjing, the capital city, and unfolds the whole picture of Shangjing's prosperity through small things.

There is only one actor, and he needs to imitate the conversations of characters of different genders, ages and personalities. The plot takes a sharp turn for the worse in the second half, and after reaching the lowest point, it rises to a high note and continues until the end.

In this drama, the control of pauses, speed and emotions requires a certain degree of skill.

The play, which lasts less than twenty minutes, has endless changes and is a great test of the actors' level.

Not to mention amateur kids who have never been on stage, even many professional actors are at risk of messing up their performance, so everyone should avoid "Beijing Miscellaneous Talks" if possible.

Another grandfather couldn't stand it anymore and said to Old Yan: "This show is not good. You are making things too difficult for the children."

Grandpa Yan nodded in agreement and asked Chi Lin:

"Little boy, have you heard of this play?"

Chi Lin nodded.

"Then you should know how difficult this play is. If you think you can't sing it, let's change it."

Chi Lin smiled faintly and said, "No need to change."

Grandpa Yan raised his voice: "Okay! Come on! Come here to have a chat!"

There are many amateur performers who can play musical instruments. Since they are here to perform tonight, they naturally bring their own instruments with them.

This time, no one instigated or forced him. Lou Mi took out his erhu and joined the accompaniment team.

Grandpa Yan and Grandma He drank tea and waited leisurely for the performance.

Lou Lixing and Peng Ziyuan had nowhere to sit. All the available seats in the house were occupied by the elders. They stood in a circle with the younger ones.

Peng Ziyuan stared at Chi Lin who was standing in the middle of the crowd, and was particularly worried.

Lou Lixing held her hand and comforted her gently.

In fact, Lou Lixing was also very worried when Chi Lin was asked to sing Danzhou Opera in front of a group of grandparents at the beginning.

but…

Lou Lixing looked at his father.

Lao Lou was calm and composed from beginning to end. No matter what Grandpa Yan said, he was not angry at all and was just in a good mood.

Lou Lixing knows his father too well.

His father was like this when he was particularly confident.

Lou Lixing believes in Lao Lou's judgment.

Lou Mi had no idea what Chi Lin was thinking at this moment.

She looked towards the balcony and prepared herself.

I can’t remember from which moment on, Lou Mi began to fail to understand this child.

Everything this child did was beyond her imagination.

I used to think Chi Lin was annoying. No matter whether she was square or flat, I just wanted to stay as far away from her as possible.

But now Chi Lin has a treasure and gives Lou Mi surprises every day.

Is there anything she can't do

When the music started, Chi Lin really heard a familiar melody.

What impressed her most at this moment was that the piano music she heard was not much different from the "Shangjing Miscellaneous Talks" that was so familiar to her in her memory.

This "Miscellaneous Talks from the Capital" spanned hundreds of years, with different instruments and scenes, but it was still full of vitality. Almost at the moment the strings were plucked, Chi Lin's heart was already surging.

Following the music, she seemed to be walking on the bluestone road of Shangjing, and under the gentle guidance of her sister, she was walking on the old streets and bridges of her hometown.

When Chi Lin uttered the first sound, Grandpa Yan's drooping eyelids opened instantly.

Grandma He was also stunned. The cup of tea that she was about to bring to her mouth suddenly stopped in mid-air, and she was completely attracted to Chi Lin.

I didn't expect Chi Lin to be such a good singer. He started off by using his real voice and his real and false voices connected smoothly, quickly setting the whole scene.

Lou Mi stared at Chi Lin without blinking, and the erhu bow in his hand became hotter and hotter.

Yes, that’s the taste!

Lao Lou was listening with fascination and almost sang along.

The local accent lingered in Chi Lin's ears, and it seemed as if his father was standing on the moss-covered stone steps in the backyard of the Chi mansion, painting with a brush.

The sounds of carriages and horses, voices of people, and the bells of the imperial city passing by outside the courtyard kept rushing into Chi Lin's mind.

This city belonging to Chi Lin slowly unfolds in the minds of everyone present, following her ancient accent.

Chi Lin's pronunciation is very accurate, his singing style has a unique charm, and his breathing is surprisingly skillful.

Apart from the fact that his throat was a little tight, which seemed like he didn't train his voice or practice much on a daily basis, there was almost nothing wrong with him.

As Grandpa Yan listened, he slowly stood up and approached Chi Lin.

He didn't want to miss any details of this wonderful performance.

Chi Lin didn't pay any attention to the situation around him and was immersed in his own world.

The pace of the second half of the chat gradually picks up until the end, when it seems to take off.

Lou Mi was sweating profusely while playing the erhu, but Chi Lin did not slack off at all, and almost dragged the scene straight into the sky.

The final ending is heart-wrenching.

Everyone in the house fell silent.

Chi Lin slowly opened her eyes, and the Shangjing that she had just constructed in her mind slowly disappeared. Looking around, she was still in 2043.

More than a dozen pairs of eyes in the room were staring at her, and no one spoke.

Chi Lin felt a little scared by being looked at, so he smiled and said, "I'm done singing."

Grandpa Lou was the first to applaud, and then Old Yan couldn't help but cheer loudly.

Then applause broke out, and the cheers were so loud that people passing by downstairs couldn't help but look up.

“You sang really well…” Grandpa Yan wanted to find some other adjectives, but after racking his brains, he found that he really couldn’t find any.

His mind was still in shock and he couldn't think of any other compliments, but "that's great" couldn't fully express his excitement at the moment. Grandpa Yan said it again:

“It’s really good!”

Lou Mi laughed: "Grandpa Yan, you are too excited."

Grandpa Yan swept away his initial suspicious and arrogant attitude towards Chi Lin. As a senior fan of Danzhou Opera, "Shangjing Zatan" was the play he had listened to when he first started listening to Danzhou Opera.

He knew very well how difficult this drama was and how well Chi Lin completed it.

Grandpa Yan had a lot of feelings to express, but the other person was a little girl, and he couldn't rub her shoulders as much as he could with a young man. At this moment, he could only circle around Chi Lin excitedly, pointing at her and muttering:

"You are a genius, you are indeed a genius! I can tell that you don't practice much, but your charm and sense of rhythm are completely natural. I am so enviable. Lao Lou, you are not talking nonsense!"

Chi Lin also realized at this moment that this grandfather was a straightforward person.

When you don’t like someone, just say it directly. When you like someone, don’t be stingy with the praise. Even if you hit yourself in the face, you won’t hesitate at all.

Lao Lou came up and patted Grandpa Yan on the back with a smile:

"Why would I lie to you? But Xiaolin is still a little immature. It's embarrassing to be in front of all the experts."

Lao Zhuang, who had been sitting in the corner without saying anything but watching the whole thing calmly, sighed deeply after listening to Chi Lin's "Miscellaneous Talks in Beijing":

"It's really rare. I hope there will be more young and talented people like Koike who can carry forward Danzhou drama."

When Chi Lin heard someone call him "Lao Zhuang", he remembered that his grandfather once said that there was not much information left about the Danzhou opera itself. It was he and Uncle Zhuang who worked hard to travel around the world to decide on the name of the opera.

I guess this old Zhuang is the uncle Zhuang...

Lou Lixing calls him uncle, and Chi Linde calls him grandpa.

Since returning from his grandparents' house last time, Chi Lin has found a new direction. He started with the "Danzhou Drama" and wanted to find clues about Ohara from this drama. Unfortunately, the information he obtained was very little.

The reason why Chi Lin came as soon as she was called was largely because she wanted to get more clues she wanted from her grandparents.

Grandpa Lou and Grandpa Zhuang should have valuable information that cannot be easily found by the outside world. Now that both of them are here, and there are so many fans who are quite knowledgeable about Danzhou Opera, Chi Lin is very pleased.

The elders certainly couldn’t imagine that while they saw hope in Chi Lin, Chi Lin saw them as even more precious.

How can we quickly establish connections with them and continuously mine for useful information

While Chi Lin was thinking about this, Grandpa Yan asked her excitedly:

"Xiao Chi, what other scene can you sing? Have you ever heard of it?"

The year ends in late winter

Chi Lin had indeed heard of it, and it was also a classic of Yuqiang.

But this play is much older than her father's. Her father sang it less, so she naturally heard it less and was not very familiar with it.

However, in order to get closer to the fans, Chi Lin forced herself to accept the song even though she was not very familiar with them. After humming a few lines, she asked:

"Grandpa Yan, are you talking about this scene?"

"Yes! Yes, that's it! God has mercy on you. You know the almost lost play!"

Grandma He came over and was also very excited: "Only a few short pieces of music are left, and the lyrics are no longer traceable. Xiaochi, where did you learn the lyrics?"

Chi Lin cried out "Oops" in her heart. They said it was impossible to verify, which must mean that even Grandpa Lou and Grandpa Zhuang hadn't found it. It would be impossible for a junior like her to know.

Through everyone's shoulders, he saw Lou Mi in the corner staring at him.

Chi Lin said calmly: "I just filled in the lyrics randomly, they are not the original lyrics."

Grandma He suddenly realized and said, "No wonder."

Grandpa Yan suddenly saluted Chi Lin:

"Xiaochi's talent is rare. Not only can he master it, but he can even hum lost songs. The lyrics he wrote are also eye-opening for me. I once imagined what the original lyrics should be like, and racked my brains to write several versions, but none of them is as appropriate as your version, Xiaochi. Yes... It should be like this, it should be like this."

After Grandpa Yan praised him a lot, he said, "I have an unwelcome request, and I hope Xiaochi can agree to it."

Chi Lin: "Please speak."

Grandpa Yan bowed to her and said, "Please, little master, accept me as your apprentice and show me the infinite charm of Danzhou Opera!"

When he said this, everyone in the room was shocked.

He is several generations older than Chi Lin, yet he wants to take a little kid as his master. It's really strange.

But neither Grandpa Yan nor Chi Lin thought there was anything wrong.

Old Yan is a man of temperament. He does whatever he wants without caring about etiquette. At his age, he just wants to have fun.

Chi Lin was a person of extraordinary talent, not to mention the arts of music, chess, calligraphy and painting. She was also quick to learn the things that interested her since childhood, and there were many people, from children to the elderly, who sought to become her disciples.

She was used to similar scenes and wanted to learn more about Danzhou Opera, so after some humble and polite conversation, she actually accepted him.

Seeing Old Yan becoming his apprentice, Grandma He also came to become his apprentice.

Along with it, four or five old men and women who were particularly interested in "Late Winter" also joined in the fun and became Chi Lin's disciples.

Chi Lin accepted everyone who came to him as his disciples.

Lou Mi thought of the beginning and the ending, but he didn't expect this extra...

An underage child takes in a room full of elderly people in their seventies as his apprentices. If this matter gets out, aren't you afraid that the generational order in your Danzhou drama circle will be messed up

Fortunately, the number of these enthusiasts is so small that they can't even form a circle.

The older disciples, led by Grandpa Yan, were very conscious of their duty as apprentices. They asked Chi Lin to sit down and offered her tea one by one.

There were people laughing secretly nearby, but Chi Lin didn't laugh at all. He was very serious and took it very seriously.

Lou Mi whispered to Lou Lixing, "Why do I feel like I've strayed into a cult?"

The masters and disciples added each other on WeChat and then dispersed.

It's almost eleven o'clock, and Lou Mi and the others have to go home. They have to go to work or school tomorrow, so they can't sleep here anymore.

As usual, Lou Lixing drove Peng Ziyuan, Lou Mi and Chi Lin in the same car.

Lou Mi was looking at Chi Lin the whole time, and Chi Lin felt uncomfortable being looked at by her:

"If you have any questions, just ask them directly."

"No, I don't have anything to ask." Lou Mi said and raised his eyebrows at her.

"You just want to ask me why I sing Danzhou opera? I..."

"Hush." Lou Mi shook his head, "Don't say anything, just keep this sense of mystery."

Chi Lin: “…”

What a weird accent, it gives me goosebumps.

Lou Mi added: "Just like you are sometimes enthusiastic and sometimes indifferent to your sister, sometimes well-behaved and sometimes violent. It doesn't matter, you are such a mysterious child."

Chi Lin: "...Are you complaining about me?"

Lou Mi: "You heard it?"

Chi Lin was indeed somewhat distant towards Lou Mi, and this state of affairs made her uncomfortable.

Lou Mi is a very charismatic person. Chi Lin cannot deny that he is attracted to her and cannot help wanting to get close to her.

But whenever he got close to her, Chi Lin would feel guilty for betraying His Majesty.

After all the twists and turns, the most innocent person is actually Lou Mi.

When we got home, everyone went to wash up and get ready for bed.

Chi Lin stood in the kitchen and took out the Fu Xuanzi tea bags that he had prepared when he went to the library last time in order to test whether Tan Luo and Teng Jiang were the reincarnations of His Majesty.

Lou Mi and Your Majesty are somewhat similar, aren’t they

Chi Lin put the tea bag into the cup, poured hot water, and walked towards Lou Mi's bedroom.

If Lou Mi likes Fu Xuanzi's taste, if Lou Mi is His Majesty...

Chi Lin's heart was pounding all the way.