mijobooks Chapter 17 can even write songs?
Chapter 17 can even write songs?
Xu Yang placed the guitar horizontally on his lap, his fingers gently plucking the strings, producing a series of crisp arpeggios.
The guitar sounded better than he had expected. Although there were some dents on the body, the neck was straight and the string action was properly adjusted, indicating that it had been carefully maintained.
He tried a few chords, and with a slight twitch of his ear, he noticed that one of the strings was slightly out of tune. He casually turned the tuning peg and quickly tuned it.
Liu Xiaoli sat opposite him with her lunchbox in hand, forgetting to even touch her chopsticks, her eyes fixed on his every move.
Xu Yang adjusted the sound, looked up at her and smiled: "What do you want to hear?"
"I'll listen to whatever you play," Liu Xiaoli replied quickly, her tone brimming with barely suppressed anticipation.
Xu Yang thought for a moment, then placed his fingers on the strings and played a prelude.
The melody is very soothing, with a subtle narrative feel, like someone slowly telling a story under the shade of a tree in the afternoon.
The song he chose is one that almost everyone in later generations can hum a few lines of today: "The Story of Time".
It's not because the song was most suitable in 1979; on the contrary, the original version of the song wouldn't be released until the early 1980s.
But Xu Yang felt that the song's mood was perfectly suited to this era; the sentiment of lamenting the passage of time and the nostalgia for youth could touch people in any era.
His fingers danced nimbly across the strings as he hummed softly.
Xu Yang's voice was already quite good, and it was further enhanced after he transmigrated, making his voice clean and clear, with a unique youthful clarity.
He didn't deliberately show off his skills when he sang; he just sang in a simple and natural way, like chatting with an old friend.
Liu Xiaoli's chopsticks fell onto the table with a "clatter".
She didn't pick it up, or even look down at it. She just stared straight at Xu Yang, as if she were frozen in place.
Xu Yang sang very softly, her voice sounding as if it were drifting from a great distance, yet it entered her ears clearly.
Every word, every note, seemed to have grown wings, fluttering and burrowing into her heart.
It wasn't until the lingering echo of the last chord faded into the air that Liu Xiaoli seemed to wake up from a dream.
"This, did you write this song?" Her voice trembled slightly, and her fingers unconsciously twisted the hem of her clothes.
Xu Yang nodded shamelessly, silently apologizing to Luo Dayou in his heart.
"It's so beautiful! It's better than the songs written by the composers in our theater. It's so much better!" Liu Xiaoli was so excited that her face turned red, and her eyes shone as if they were filled with starlight.
"Xu Yang, you're so talented, really! You can write novels, screenplays, play guitar, and even write your own songs... Just how many things can you do?"
Xu Yang was a little embarrassed by her praise, and lowered his head to pluck a string: "That's all I know, Sister Xiaoli, you're exaggerating."
"It's not an exaggeration at all!" Liu Xiaoli exclaimed anxiously, leaning forward slightly.
"I'm telling the truth. If you took this song to a music and dance theater, Teacher Fang would be absolutely stunned!"
Seeing her excited expression, Xu Yang felt a warm glow in his heart, and also felt a little like teasing her.
"Xiaoli, would you like to learn guitar?"
Liu Xiaoli was stunned for a moment, then her eyes widened suddenly: "Me? Can I do it?"
"Why not? Your fingers are so good, and dancers have a strong sense of rhythm, so you'll learn guitar much faster than most people." Xu Yang said, putting down the guitar and waving at her.
Liu Xiaoli hesitated for two seconds, then put down her lunchbox, walked around the table, and sat down next to Xu Yang.
She sat very close, so close that Xu Yang could smell the faint scent of soap in her hair.
Xu Yang handed her the guitar and helped her adjust her posture.
His hand inevitably touched her fingers, and Liu Xiaoli visibly pulled her hand away, her ears turning red again, but she didn't pull her hand back.
"Place your left hand here, yes, just like that. Place your right hand on the strings and pluck gently..." Xu Yang's voice unconsciously softened, as if afraid of disturbing something.
Liu Xiaoli's fingers are long and slender, and her nails are neatly trimmed. They look beautiful when she presses them on the strings.
She carefully plucked a string, and a dull sound came out, startling her.
"No, no, like this..." Xu Yang reached out and placed his hand on the back of her hand, guiding her fingers to trace a line on the strings.
A crisp note rang out.
Liu Xiaoli exclaimed "Ah!" and turned to look at Xu Yang, her face full of surprise: "It worked! I played it!"
She laughed like a child, her eyes filled with pure joy.
Xu Yang looked at her, feeling as if something soft had touched his heart. He couldn't help but lean forward and kiss her forehead.
The movement was very light, like a leaf falling on the water.
Liu Xiaoli's smile froze on her face, and then her entire face turned red at a visible speed.
She suddenly stood up, almost dropping the guitar she was holding, but Xu Yang caught it with lightning speed.
"You...you..." She stammered "you" several times, unable to utter a complete sentence, and then turned and ran to the kitchen.
Xu Yang was also stunned; he hadn't expected himself to be so bold.
He scratched his head and said to himself, "Xu Yang, you've become quite the opportunist. You've really made something of yourself."
He sat at the dining table for a while and heard the sound of running water from the kitchen tap, as if someone was washing their face.
After a while, Liu Xiaoli came out of the kitchen, a few drops of water still clinging to the ends of her hair, her face flushed, and she didn't even look at Xu Yang.
"Hurry up and eat, I have to go to rehearsal this afternoon." She sat down at the table with her head down, picked up her chopsticks and ate her rice in silence, but Xu Yang could clearly see that the corners of her mouth were curved, and she couldn't suppress them no matter what she did.
After finishing her meal, Liu Xiaoli rushed off to work.
After she left, Xu Yang returned to the room.
He then returned to his house to continue writing the script.
After all, he had promised Liu Xiaoli that he would invite her to perform in plays and shows after he joined the cultural propaganda team.
Therefore, he must come up with a few good scripts.
For Liu Xiaoli, the mother of a future celestial beauty, he not only wants to win the heart of the beauty, but also wants to watch her perform in different plays.
Perhaps it was because he was in a good mood, but Xu Yang's efficiency in writing scripts was significantly higher. He wrote with great inspiration, and the story structure, character dialogue, and stage directions were completed in one go, with almost no need to stop and think about them a second time.
By 5 p.m., Xu Yang had completed most of the task.
Liu Xiaoli also returned at this time.
When Liu Xiaoli entered, she was carrying several aluminum lunch boxes and a long package wrapped in kraft paper, as usual.
She put her things on the table, then peeked into Xu Yang's room. Seeing him writing something at his desk, she quietly changed into slippers and walked behind him.
"Still writing the script?" She leaned closer, her hair brushing against Xu Yang's shoulder.