APTnovel Chapter 232 Like First Love!
Chapter 232 Like First Love!
at the same time.
In a residential building belonging to a scholarly family in Kyoto.
The elderly poet, Liu, was sitting with his family.
Seasonal fruits and vegetables were laid out on the table, and the aroma of tea wafted through the air. It should have been a heartwarming scene of a family enjoying time with their grandchildren.
But Liu Xiaobo, the grandson standing to the side, seemed a little uneasy.
He would glance at the old-fashioned wall clock every now and then, then look down and scroll through his phone.
"Ding-dong—"
As soon as his phone screen lit up, Liu Xiaobo glanced at the message and his face immediately lit up.
As if a switch had been flipped, he suddenly sprang up from the sofa and sprinted towards the TV cabinet at top speed, snatching the remote control from his hand.
"Hurry, hurry, hurry! We're on stage! We're on stage!!"
His family was completely bewildered by his sudden action.
Just as Mr. Liu was about to pick up his teacup, his son's sudden movement startled him, nearly causing him to spill tea on the sofa. He couldn't help but laugh and scold:
"What's gotten into you tonight, you little rascal?"
"You usually act like it's your life if I ask you to watch the news, but what blockbuster are you watching tonight that you're so eager to see?"
Liu Xiaobo stared at the TV with a feverish expression. Just then, the screen flashed the name of GG, the sponsor of "The Voice of China." Without turning his head, he shouted:
"Dad, you don't understand! My goddess Jiang Baizhi is about to take the stage!"
The old poet Liu Laoben, who was leisurely savoring his Da Hong Pao tea, immediately twitched his white beard and snorted coldly upon hearing the words "Jiang Baizhi":
"Jiang Baizhi? Is that the girl who insisted on making me listen to that song called 'Love You' last time?"
The old poet recalled the melody his grandson had played in his ear last time, and his face was filled with disdain:
"What's that song called? It's all about twisting and dancing, 'Say more sweet words'... Young people these days have the word 'frivolous' etched into their very bones."
"Now, we actually have to listen to her songs? Why not just play the national anthem to celebrate National Day!"
Liu Xiaobo was quite infuriated by his grandfather's old-fashioned remarks and retorted defiantly:
"Grandpa, that's prejudice!"
"That's vitality, that's energy!"
"And Goddess Bai Zhi isn't singing 'Love You' tonight. Rumor has it she'll be singing two songs, one a sweet one and the other a patriotic one!"
Old Liu chuckled, his eyes revealing a worldly-wise arrogance:
"A sweet song? Not like the one from last time!"
"What can these days' talent shows produce besides these melodramatic, sentimental pop songs?"
Liu Xiaobo sat down angrily:
"Grandpa, you're outdated. It's normal that you can't keep up with us young people."
"What kind of cheesy pop song is this? Ugh, I can't explain it to you!"
Mr. and Mrs. Liu, watching the debate between the grandfather and grandson, exchanged a glance and smiled helplessly.
Just then, the picture on the TV screen changed.
The deep blue lights spread across the stage like tranquil seawater.
Jiang Baizhi made her entrance amidst a prelude of vintage orchestral and electronic keyboard music.
"what?"
Mr. Liu was the first to put down the fruit he was holding, raising an eyebrow slightly:
"This intro... is quite interesting."
"It's not like the kind of high-energy electronic music you see nowadays; it sounds quite pleasant, even a bit...retro?"
Upon hearing his father speak, Liu Xiaobo immediately puffed out his chest and looked at his grandfather with smug satisfaction:
"See? Even my dad said it sounded good!"
"And look, my goddess is incredibly beautiful!"
The old poet Liu remains as steady as Mount Tai.
He looked at the girl on the screen wearing a plaid pinafore dress with a Peter Pan collar.
This child is so cute, she looks like a delicate young lady who stepped out of a painting.
But he still stubbornly insisted:
"What good is a beautiful appearance? Music is the soul."
"If the lyrics are bad, it's still considered low-class."
The old poet said "no," but his eyes couldn't bear to leave Jiang Baizhi.
He always felt that this girl possessed a certain aura, a dignified and pure nobility that he had never seen in modern young people.
Just then, Jiang Baizhi spoke up.
There were no flashy techniques, no screams, only that sweet smile, like morning dew:
Let me tell you softly~
"The stars in the sky are waiting~"
Share your loneliness and your joy~
"What else can't be said?"
The moment the sound appeared, the Liu family's living room, which had been noisy just moments before, fell silent instantly.
The sweet song slowly seeped into everyone's ears.
"I give you my fantasies and my blessings~"
"Life's sunshine is the warmest."
Don't ask me how high the sun is~
"I'll tell you how genuine I am~"
Mr. Liu put down the half-peeled orange he was holding and stared blankly at the screen.
He seemed to have been acupunctured, and his eyes revealed a kind of dazed feeling called "youth".
Mrs. Liu was also taken aback, and then her eyes welled up with tears as she murmured:
"This...this singing style..."
Only the grandson, Liu Xiaobo, looked completely bewildered.
He glanced at the goddess on TV, then at his parents who were deep in thought, and scratched the back of his head:
"The goddess sings really well, but... Dad, Mom, why does this song... sound a bit old to me?"
"Like the tune from the radio when I was a child?"
Mr. Liu suddenly came to his senses and shook his head:
"What do kids know? What do you mean 'a bit old'? This is exactly the kind of song that's good!"
"No wonder Grandpa said the songs you listen to are no good, I think they are indeed a bit bad."
Liu's mother also sighed:
"Not only does she sing sweetly, but the smile on her face when she sings is just like... the pop diva I used to idolize."
"Which singer today can still produce such a clean and pure feeling?"
At this time.
The old poet Liu, who had been silent all along, had completely lost the look of disdain on his face.
He stared at every little gesture Jiang Baizhi made, from pointing with her finger to tilting her head.
As an old poet, what he cared about most was "rhyme".
In his view, "Love You" is restless, but "Gently Tell You" has a timeless elegance.
Especially the line, "Don't ask me how high the sun is, I'll tell you how genuine I am."
These simple yet deeply affectionate words, in this restless era, somehow made him feel the heartfelt emotions found in classical poetry.
It even reminded him of his youth.
then.
On the hillside.
A girl, holding a bunch of wildflowers she had picked, ran towards him with a bright smile.
"Brother Cow, look at the flowers today! They're so beautiful!"
"Brother Niu, what do you think we'll become in the future?"
"Brother Cow, Brother Cow!"
The girl's gentle whispers gradually faded from my ears.
Old Liu sighed, slowly put down his teacup, his eyes moistened, and his old face slightly flushed.
"Ugh, this song..."
"This song... is indeed not disgraceful to literature."
"The words are a bit straightforward, but the meaning is conveyed."
"It's rare to find young people these days who are willing to calm down and write such simple and unadorned songs."
"Simple and unadorned? Grandpa, you actually praised this song. That's rare indeed."
Liu Xiaobo exclaimed that although he didn't appreciate the song, his parents had praised it, so he knew it was a good song.
She truly lives up to her reputation as a goddess! Grandpa and Mom both adore her!
Seeing his grandson looking at him with surprise, the old poet felt a little embarrassed and quickly added:
"Okay, I take back what I just said."
"This song, 'Gently Tell You,' is a whole level better than 'Love You,' and it's barely acceptable to me."
Although he said it was "reluctant," the old poet was inwardly screaming:
"My goodness! This girl looks so much like my first love!"
"I wonder how she's doing now..."
The soft singing voice reached my ears, and I looked at the smiling girl on the screen.
The old poet took out his phone and, with trembling hands, dialed a familiar number.
Beep beep—
The call was connected.
Who is it?
Hearing the voice coming from the other end of the phone, the Liu family members stopped their discussion and turned their attention to Old Master Liu.
Old Liu felt everyone's gaze, coughed lightly, and his dignified tone softened.
"It's me, Da Niu, Little Sweetie."
Little Sweetie?
The Liu family members: !!!