Chapter 144: Times Have Changed ④
As Teacher Yang finished speaking, the classmates in the class looked at each other and began to whisper. Bai Ya was the first to raise her hand. Seeing someone raise their hand, Huang Yan, not to be outdone, also raised hers, then looked at Nie Qiu. Nie Qiu, with a helpless smile, raised her hand too. Together, the two looked at Peng Yu Yang.
Peng Yu Yang glanced at Huang Yan, then at Nie Qiu. Under their gazes, he reluctantly raised his hand as well. Although some people raised their hands, many others, too shy to perform, did not. Seeing Peng Yu Yang raise his hand, and then looking at Nie Qiu, Li Kai also raised his hand.
“Haha…” Teacher Yang laughed. “There are quite a few who want to be the Art Committee Member. How about this! Bai Ya, Huang Yan, Nie Qiu, Peng Yu Yang, and Li Kai, all five of you will perform your talents on the lectern, and the classmates will vote. What do you say?”
The group nodded in agreement, sitting in their seats without objection. Teacher Yang smiled and said, “Then we’ll go in the order you raised your hands! Bai Ya, you go first, tell us why you want to be the Art Committee Member, if you can do a good job, and then perform your talent! With that, Teacher Yang led the applause and walked off the lectern. He stood in the aisle, while Bai Ya stood up and walked onto the lectern.
Because they had remedial classes on Sunday, they had also seen the host practicing in the multimedia classroom, and of course, they knew about the school’s art festival! Usually, when organizing programs, the Art Committee Member would select them first. The music teacher might be the teacher for several classes. After the Art Committee Member selected the programs, they would be handed over to the music teacher for screening. All rehearsals and such were managed by the Art Committee Member.
However, their class did not have an Art Committee Member because the previous Art Committee Member, Chen Li, had transferred schools. Therefore, it was only natural that with Chen Li gone, a new Art Committee Member had to be elected. Bai Ya was very confident in herself, so she was determined to win the election for Art Committee Member!
She had specifically worn a skirt today. When she was very young, her mom had enrolled her in a ballet class at the Children’s Palace. Before she even started kindergarten, she was already learning piano at home. By the age of ten, she could play Beethoven’s piano sonatas. She believed she was more capable of being the Art Committee Member than students who couldn’t afford to attend classes for arts and sports.
Standing on the lectern, Bai Ya proudly spoke about what she had learned and the awards she had won. Finally, she concluded, “I believe that with my appreciation ability, I can definitely select better programs for our class to win awards at the art festival. Next, I will perform a ballet for you all, 《Swan Lake injured on the Lakeside》.”
After Bai Ya finished speaking, she began to dance the ballet. The lectern was rectangular and not very large. On the lectern, there was a fixed desk where the teacher kept their things. Perhaps due to the limitations of the stage, she couldn’t jump very high each time she leaped. It was also possible that she hadn’t danced ballet in a long time, as Bai Ya’s pointe work wasn’t very high, and she didn’t always stay on her toes.
Since there was no music, every note and every beat was produced by Bai Ya as she danced. The entire dance left her panting, but she still finished perfectly, bowed, and walked off the lectern amidst the not-so-enthusiastic applause of her classmates, returning to her seat.
Huang Yan took out a pair of clappers from her desk and walked onto the lectern, holding one in each hand. As she spoke, she rhythmically clapped the clappers and smiled while playing them. The classmates were all roaring with laughter at Huang Yan’s performance. Nie Qiu, smiling, was utterly surprised, realizing that Huang Yan had this skill!
After finishing her clapper performance, Huang Yan smiled and said, “I dare not claim to have any appreciation ability, but I guarantee that for the programs selected, everyone will get to vote. We must present programs that everyone finds good at the art festival!” After speaking, she walked off the lectern, gesturing for Nie Qiu to go on stage.
After Huang Yan’s performance, the applause was more than what Bai Ya received; at least she had made the classmates very happy.
Nie Qiu, with a helpless sigh, walked onto the stage. She didn’t say any opening remarks and directly said, “I’ll sing a song for everyone!”
To be honest, Nie Qiu wasn’t suited for performing. She wasn’t stage-frightened; she could speak eloquently if asked to lecture on the lectern. However, when it came to performing, she appeared somewhat reserved. She cleared her throat. She hadn’t thought about what to sing before, but after seeing Huang Yan’s performance, she knew what she wanted to sing!
She was already thirty-eight years old. In her youth, during that era, the most popular things were the Four Heavenly Kings, The Return of the Condor Heroes, My Fair Princess, and so on. Huang Yan’s mischievous and lively demeanor reminded her of Xiao Yanzi from My Fair Princess. Although it made her stifle a laugh, she thought of the carefree spirit in 《My Fair Princess》, “companions in the mortal world,” Xiao Yanzi was perhaps the only one in My Fair Princess who could bring laughter to the audience. The others were either sorrowful or in pain, or about love or grief. Only Xiao Yanzi could add the most brilliant sunshine to this “companions in the mortal world.”
Nie Qiu smiled, opened her mouth, and began to sing softly, “We…
fly in the wind, unafraid of rain and frost.
Embracing the sun and the moon.
Searching for the homeland of white clouds, not knowing the immensity of the sky.
We laugh at the vicissitudes of the human world.
Wandering the world, we’ve been to many places, with bees and butterflies flying, causing much absurdity.
Lingering, capturing the sunset clouds.
Earth-shattering, stirring up many storms.
We meet and know each other, cherishing it dearly.
We travel together.
Writing chapters of poetry with our lives…”
There was no accompaniment, just a cappella, but the lyrics were enough to evoke memories for some. While singing the beginning, many might not have known what was being sung, but when it reached the chorus, quite a few who had watched 《My Fair Princess》 started singing along.
They were now sixteen or seventeen years old and watched more popular idol dramas than classic ones. However, some had seen it. Of course, compared to Nie Qiu, who lived during that time, their impression of 《My Fair Princess》 was not as deep.
Just that one line: ‘Wandering the world, we’ve been to many places, with bees and butterflies flying, causing much absurdity. Lingering, capturing the sunset clouds. Earth-shattering, stirring up many storms.’ I believe anyone who has seen it will remember it. Although not very familiar, it’s the kind of thing you remember once you hear it.
After Nie Qiu finished singing, she smiled, bowed slightly, and walked off the lectern. The classmates also gave her face and applauded. Regardless of how well Nie Qiu sang, perhaps the performance wasn’t as good as Bai Ya’s dance, but the essence was there: the carefree spirit and the memory of that story.
Of course, they were also curious why Nie Qiu didn’t sing a pop song and chose such an old one. Logically, even if they didn’t listen to music much, they should at least know a few popular songs from a few years ago like 《Two Butterflies》!
Although, the thought of Nie Qiu singing 《Two Butterflies》 made them chuckle.
Peng Yu Yang took a deep breath and also stood up. He wasn’t particularly attached to being the Art Committee Member. He had originally raised his hand to accompany Nie Qiu and Huang Yan and give them courage. But seeing Nie Qiu’s demeanor, it seemed she had also raised her hand to participate to give Huang Yan courage.
