Chapter 392: Song of the Listener

In a fiery atmosphere, the performance kicked off.

The celebrations are usually preceded by regular programs.

Such as lion dance, opera and acrobatics.

Xia Fan followed convention on this point.

Most of the invited performers were locals, and many of them were on such a formal stage for the first time. The tension was so intense that you could see it with the naked eye. Although they had rehearsed several times beforehand, mistakes and minor flaws continued one after another, and the level of performance was far inferior to that of professional teams in big cities such as Gyeonggi.

In particular, the slight vibrato in their speaking intonations was particularly amplified by the amplification notes. Whenever this happened, the crowd in the audience would burst into laughter.

However, the laughter returned. The lively atmosphere not only did not subside, but instead continued to increase.

It is the first time for the performers to take the stage, and it is not the first time for the audience to participate in such a grand celebration. Her Royal Highness the Princess was sitting on the roof not far away, enjoying the performance with them. The experience itself was worth mentioning.

What's more, many people from the neighborhood came to support the people on the stage. The excitement was the first priority. As for the performance, it was not the focus of people's attention.

At least most people aren't.

"Oh, what a farce!" Mr. Chen patted down the teacup in his hand and said angrily.

If there are people who are dissatisfied, several young masters and scholars in Jinxia City seem to be one of them. They didn't bother competing with ordinary people for a seat near the stage. Instead, they found a second-story attic next to the square. When they opened the window, they could see the performance in the center of the square.

"That's right, this level is not even as good as my family's music artists." Someone around him immediately echoed.

"You can't even stutter a word, but you still dare to perform on stage. It's the most ridiculous thing in the world!"

"This is not their fault, and the celebration was not organized by these people. I asked someone to check the information. Xia Fan is a refugee. How can he be appreciated? I guess after this ceremony, the princess will be disappointed in him."

These words caused several scholars to nod their heads.

After all, Princess Guangping came from the palace, so her knowledge in this area was naturally much higher. She chose to give her first speech to the whole city on New Year's Eve, so she obviously valued it. It's strange that His Highness isn't angry when the celebration turned out like this.

"I don't know what Brother Zhou's situation is like." Mr. Hu sighed, "If he were here, he should have come up with a new counterattack strategy, right?"

The atmosphere in the room condensed.

These words made everyone realize that since the disastrous defeat in the school battle and Zhou Sheng went to Shangyuan to take the exam, they had never been able to make any waves. Although the reception and poetry recital were still the same, everyone's mood could not return to what it was six months ago. There are fewer and fewer familiar women in the brothel, and the changes in Jinxia City are getting bigger and bigger. Only they... seem to have been forgotten by the world, let alone being invited by the government to participate in various banquets. Now even the scholar Names have become commonplace.

In the past, if Jinxia City wanted to hold any ceremony, how could the prefect not send someone to ask their opinions first?

Even if you don't accept it in the end, you still have to be courteous enough.

"What's so frustrating? We should be happy for Zhou Dacai, instead of thinking that he can come back!" Mr. Chen frowned, "If he passes the examination, he will be a Jinshi. Whether he stays in Gyeonggi Province or not, he will be a Jinshi." Even if we go to work as officials in other places, we can get rid of this filthy place. This is our goal!"

"Master Chen is right!"

"After all, this is not the place for scholars."

Just when everyone was filled with indignation, a burst of light and sweet music came from the direction of the square.

It is "Spring and White Snow".

This piece of music is considered a classic and everyone is familiar with it. Compared with the previous performance, it was obviously much more advanced. The flow between the fingers and the switching of the pipa strings were all smooth and smooth. The whole tune was full and smooth, which immediately raised the level of the celebration to a higher level.

This is not something they want to see.

Mr. Chen raised his lookout glass and looked toward the center of the square——

They are two women I have never seen before. The player is slightly older, with a calm and dignified posture, while the singer is obviously much younger. It looks like she cannot be more than fourteen or fifteen years old, but her accent is just right, and every lyric is full of youth. Vitality, just like the scene of the passing of winter and the coming of spring expressed in the song, has a comfortable feeling like the spring breeze blowing on the face.

Both men were good players, he realized.

It seems that Xia Fan hid the highlight behind the scenes.

I don’t know where he found this kind of artistic concubine, she is simply enviable.

However, the excitement of the crowd was a bit dull. There was only sparse applause after the song ended, probably because they could not recover from the previous "noisy".

"Playing the piano to a cow." Someone couldn't help but mutter.

Mr. Chen was convinced.

To be fair, being able to play a classic piece that has been performed by countless people to the point where it still feels fresh is not something that can be achieved by just practicing twice. Only through years of accumulation can the meaning of the music be revealed bit by bit.

It's a pity that ordinary viewers with little knowledge cannot appreciate its beauty.

This is also the difficulty of public celebrations - it has never been easy to be both elegant and popular. If Xia Fan wants to rely on one or two people to turn the situation around, it is undoubtedly a fool's errand.

At this time, a familiar figure walked onto the stage.

"That's...Miss Liu?" Mr. Hu glared.

"Liu Ruyan——" Mr. Chen sneered. He should have thought that since this woman was secretly connected with Xia Fan, it was only natural for her to come out to help at this time.

The piano sounded.

Everyone couldn't help but be stunned.

The intro was completely unfamiliar and unlike anything they were familiar with. The monotonous sound of the strings plucked back and forth, and the sound went from light to heavy, and then suddenly disappeared. Just before everyone could react, a melodious tune composed of overlapping zither, zither and pipa smoothly reached everyone's ears!

Isn’t it impossible to tell who plays better?

But the effect brought by the harmony is much richer than the solo. Multi-layered strings appear alternately, instantly making this overture become well-organized and with an endless aftertaste. Even if it is heard for the first time, everyone can immediately understand it. The powerful advantages of this method of playing!

At the same time, Liu Ruyan also opened his mouth.

"In my arms..."

"In your eyes..."

"The spring breeze is intoxicating there, and the grass is green there."

Mr. Zhang was shocked. The lyrics of this song were actually in... vernacular?

…

"Oh? Is this the listener's song?" Ning Wanjun moved her body and leaned forward slightly with interest, "What, isn't this pretty good?"

Xia Fan twitched the corner of his mouth, "Is His Highness Emotion waiting to see my joke?"

The princess couldn't help but grinned and said, "It seems pretty good if I can see you in embarrassment."

"Hey, this is a grand celebration for your fiefdom."

"Didn't I say that there is no difference between a celebration and a speech in essence? The focus is not on the program itself, but on who participates." Ning Wanjun said relaxedly, "By the way, what is the name of this piece of music?"

"Beside the Snow Mountain Lake." Xia Fan replied. As the organizer, he took great pains when selecting the music. Due to the particularity of Chi's voice, he planned to gradually transition from classical music to modern songs, minimizing the differences between the previous and later performances. This solo song, with its simple style and yet graceful melody, stood out from many candidates and became the finale before Chi took the stage.