A hundred flavors of life

Chapter 1474 Wu Song's Pine! (Please subscribe!)

After Hua Shier finished singing a song, he received a unanimous vote. He bowed slightly to the audience and then saw a beautiful woman with long, wavy hair smiling and waving at him from among the few audience members.

As he turned to leave the stage, the host congratulated him and then told him that the final match was next Friday afternoon, and that he shouldn't be late.

Hua Shier said "Thank you!" and prepared to leave the theater.

As soon as he came out from backstage and entered the corridor, he saw the 'dog intestines' he had verbally clashed with earlier leaning against the wall smoking, clearly waiting for him to come out so he could cause trouble.

Upon seeing Hua Shier, Gou Changzi walked over, raised his chin, and asked, "Was that you? What were you doing just now, staring at you?"

Seeing that no one was in the corridor, Hua Shier didn't waste any words. He slapped "Gou Changzi" unconscious with a loud crack, then dragged him into a nearby safety door, made him lean against a corner, and then left.

More than an hour after he left, Gou Changzi slowly woke up, still confused, and said with drool dripping from his mouth:
"I slept so well."

Then, looking at the unfamiliar surroundings, he immediately sensed something was wrong:

"Where the hell did I get this?!"

He stood up, covering his face. "Hey, why does my face hurt? Wait a minute, I wasn't waiting for someone, so why did I fall asleep?"

On a weekend evening, the TV station broadcast the preliminary rounds of the karaoke competition. Hua Shier's figure appeared on the TV screens of thousands of households in Donglin City without any surprise. His super handsome appearance and singing voice that was no less than the original singer's made many people remember Cui Guoming, the engineer from the machinery factory!
Li Xiaozhen sat in front of the TV, her eyes sparkling as she watched her radiant husband on screen.

After she finished singing and all the judges gave her a pass, she couldn't help but say to Hua Shier, who was eating an orange next to her:

"Honey, I think you're even more handsome than when we got married, and you sing even better!"

Hua Shier smiled broadly at these words: "My wife has excellent taste!"

Cui Mengmeng, the daughter standing to the side, said, "Aren't you two being a little too mushy?"

After saying that, she stood up and went back into the house. Although she said that, Hua Shier keenly noticed that his daughter's gaze towards him had changed. It had gone from being somewhat disrespectful to now carrying a little bit of admiration.

The living room phone rang, and Hua Shier answered it casually. It was Grandpa Cui calling, and he immediately asked:
"What day did you participate in the competition?"

"It was Thursday! You saw it too, right? How was it? Pretty good, huh!"

Old Master Cui said casually:

"You sang alright, that great voice really comes from your mom. But what I'm really concerned about now is when you're going to get promoted to engineer. You said you're not going to work on Thursday to participate in a singing competition, did you ask for leave? If you didn't ask for leave, that's absenteeism. Even if you did ask for leave, in the eyes of the boss, it's still not doing your job properly."

"Okay, okay, okay"

Hua Shier quickly interrupted, knowing the old man all too well; once he started talking, he never stopped.
"It's just a senior engineer position. I've done the math, and it'll only be a month or two. Just you wait and see!"

Grandpa Cui was overjoyed to hear this:
"Really? Hey, if my son is going to amount to something, and you really keep your word, then at Dingqing Restaurant, your old man will arrange a table for you!"

"What if I win the singing competition? Shouldn't I celebrate?"

The old man was pleased by what he said: "As long as the senior engineer's matter is reliable, I'll contribute some money. If you win the championship, I'll also arrange a table for you, okay!"

Hua Shier hung up the phone with a smile, and Li Xiaozhen came over from the side;
"Honey, you said I'll be promoted to engineer in the next two months, is that true? You're not just saying that to comfort Dad, are you?"

Hua Shier smiled and popped a segment of orange into Li Xiaozhen's mouth, saying with a smile:
"When did I ever boast? If I said I could get promoted, I definitely could. If I can't, we'll have a second child and name him Senior Engineer Cui!"

Li Xiaozhen:
The next day at work, as soon as he entered the factory area, all his coworkers greeted him:
"Guoming, you're on TV! You sang really well!"

"Guoming, you sang so well!"

"Guoming, you've brought honor to our factory!"

Hua Shier greeted everyone who praised him with a smile, saying he had brought honor to the factory, and he would only reply with:
"What glory are you bringing to the factory? You're more likely to bring glory to my wife."

His fellow workers were amused and laughed heartily.

After a few busy days, the final day arrived as scheduled.

Hua Shier took leave after lunch and was about to leave the factory on his fiery chariot.

Before he even reached the factory gate, someone called out to him from the side of the factory road:
"Cui Guoming, come here for a second!"

Hua Shier glanced at him and recognized him as his arch-rival, Secretary Zhang. He parked his car next to him and asked:

"What's up?"

Secretary Zhang glanced at the 'Fiery Chariot' and said irritably:

"What are you showing off about riding this piece of junk all day? It's so loud, all that rattling and banging. Do you even know how noisy it is? Can you please turn it down a bit?"

Hua Twelve was amused by what was said:
"Why don't you try talking to it? This thing doesn't understand human language. I've told it many times, but it still doesn't understand. Maybe it can communicate with you!"

Secretary Zhang said with a dark face, "You're just being sarcastic. I'm asking you, where are you going? Did you ask for leave?"

Hua Shier chuckled and said, "My great-grandmother lived to be 101 years old. Do you know why she lived so long?"

Secretary Zhang immediately became interested: "Why?"

"Because she never meddles in other people's business!"

After Hua Shier finished speaking, he gave it a boost, and the Fiery Chariot roared off.

Secretary Zhang: "Hey!" He turned around and went back to report to the factory director. He didn't believe that he, the factory director's secretary, couldn't handle Cui Guoming.

After leaving the factory, Hua Shier went to a music store and bought a guitar.

In the original storyline, Cui Guoming almost lost the championship because the accompaniment tape was accidentally damaged. However, he won the championship because of his excellent singing skills and sang "Mother in My Dream" a cappella.

Eji means mother, and "Eji in my dreams" is a song dedicated to his nephew Huo Xiaoyang.

This time, Hua Shier brought his own instruments. Even if the accompaniment tape was damaged or the sound system exploded, it wouldn't stop him from winning the championship.

Besides, he had no intention of singing "Mother in My Dreams" or making his nephew miss his mother. As for the original owner's unreliable sister, it was good enough that she didn't slap him.

Later, Hua Shier should tell his nephew: Erpang, it's your mother who doesn't want you. She's so selfish. According to the laws here, she's guilty of abandonment. You can refuse to take care of her in her old age!
When Hua Shier arrived at Dingqinglou by bike, he wanted to invite Li Xiaozhen to go with him, but she said that she had never been late or left early in all her years of work, so she declined her husband's invitation. However, Cui Xiaoyang, who had left school early, wanted to go with him.

"let's go!"

Hua Shier carried Cui Xiaoyang to the Art Theater, and when they arrived, wow, last time there were only a few scattered audience members, but on the day of the finals, the theater was almost full before it even started, with leaders from the Municipal Trade Union and the TV station sitting in the front row.

He quickly told Huo Xiaoyang to find a place to sit down, while he himself went backstage to report.

When the time came, the host began the introductions, starting with a long list of things about the ozone layer, thanking this person and that person, and then announcing:

"The competition begins! Let's welcome Yang Mengmeng, a female worker from the garment factory, to sing the song 'I Dedicate Oil to My Motherland'!"

Hua Shier was startled, thinking to herself, "Could she be the champion? This is the song that even defeated 'Double Sticks'!"

One by one, the contestants took to the stage. It must be said that the finalists were all quite capable; they were either artistic talents from their workplaces or professional singers who had studied vocal music.

However, none of these people put too much pressure on Hua Shier. When the host announced that Cui Guoming was coming on stage, he walked out from backstage with a light step, carrying a wooden guitar on his back.

After adjusting the microphone, Hua Shier began, "Next, I'll be performing my original song, 'The You of the Past'!"

In 1993, Xu Wei wasn't famous yet, but I was determined to become famous!
Hua Shier plucked the strings, and a soothing and melodious prelude, tinged with a sense of vicissitude, flowed from her fingertips.

The initial murmurs from the audience gradually faded as the guitar intro began. "I once dreamed of wandering the world with a sword, to see its splendor; youthful hearts are always a little reckless, now you call the world your home."

Hua Shier spoke, his voice not loud, yet he effortlessly captured everyone's attention.

The leaders in the front row were supposed to clap their hands in front of the camera, but their hands were left hanging in mid-air, and they forgot to take the picture.

The girl who once broke your heart has vanished without a trace. Love always brings you both longing and distress, and it once left you battered and bruised.

When the song reached this point, a woman with big, wavy curls in the audience gently pursed her lips, her eyes seemed to redden slightly, but as she looked at Hua Shier on stage, her smile became even brighter.

In the entire art theater, apart from Hua Twelve's guitar and singing, there was no other sound.

It seemed that everyone was captivated by the song and couldn't bear to make a sound.

Hua Shier continued playing and singing.

“dilililidilililidada

As soon as this humming began, many young people in the audience who loved music involuntarily closed their eyes.

"Walking on the road of courage and progress."

“dilililidilililidada

There are sad moments, but also wonderful ones.

As the last note faded, Hua Shier's hand stopped on the strings.

As soon as the music stopped, the entire venue fell silent.

one second.

two seconds.

then
Wow!
Applause erupted like a floodgate opening, bursting forth from all directions.

Some people even stood up and clapped, some shouted at the top of their lungs, "You sang so well!", and many others yelled excitedly:

"One more!"

"This song is fucking amazing!"

Some people even shouted Hua Twelve's name: "Cui Guoming! Cui Guoming!"

Among the leaders in the front row, one of them, who was wearing glasses and seemed to be a trade union leader from Donglin City, turned his head and said something to the person next to him, nodding as he spoke, his face full of smiles.

Hua Shier glanced at the audience below the stage.

The woman with the big wavy hair from last time was clapping enthusiastically, and there seemed to be something different in her eyes when she looked at him.

He looked to the side again.

Huo Xiaoyang, the chubby boy, jumped up from his seat, clapping his little hands until they were red, shouting, "That's my uncle, my dear uncle!"

Hua Shier smiled slightly, bowed, waved with a smile, and then walked backstage.

After all the contestants had finished singing, it was time for the judges to score. Hua Shier could hear the judges' discussions backstage.

As it turned out, his guess was right. Yang Mengmeng, the contestant from the clothing factory who sang "I Dedicate Oil to My Motherland," was indeed his number one rival!
The judges debated endlessly between Cui Guoming and Yang Mengmeng to decide who would be the first place winner.

In the end, the union leader made the final decision and named Hua Shier as the champion.

Backstage, Hua Shier breathed a sigh of relief. That was close! But he was also very happy. At least Xia Luo didn't win; he won!
Next came the award ceremony, where the host announced the top three winners to come on stage to receive their awards.

The first place goes to Hua Shier.

The second place went to Yang Mengmeng. This girl is a little chubby, but she's quite cute.

The third place winner is a veteran folk musician who plays guitar.

The leaders in the audience went up on stage to present the award, awarding Hua Twelve the first prize trophy and a huge check for 30,000 RMB. Of course, this was just for show; a proper check would be issued later.

Nearby, Yang Mengmeng, a female worker in the garment factory, cried as she looked at the check. "I donated oil and still didn't win. Are you kidding me?"
Seeing how pitiful the other party was crying, Hua Shier gave them the large check backstage, while keeping the smaller check he received from the organizers for himself.

The organizers told Hua Shier that within a month, he could go to Donglin TV Station to record a single, which was also one of the first prizes. If he didn't go by the deadline, he would be considered to have automatically forfeited it.

After leaving the art theater, Hua Shier found Erpang and rode off on his bicycle. He wanted to withdraw 30,000 yuan before the bank closed.

Back at Dingqinglou, in front of Grandpa Cui, Grandma Cui, his wife, and daughter, Hua Shier placed the trophy and 30,000 yuan on the table:
"See that? The champion of the little singing competition is a piece of cake!"

Li Xiaozhen's face lit up with a smile, and the old lady gave her a thumbs up:

"My son is amazing!"

Looking at the trophy, Grandpa Cui exclaimed, "You really did win first place!"

He felt a little regretful for stopping his son from applying to the Central Conservatory of Music. Looking at the trophy his son brought home, the old man felt a mix of emotions.

Hua Shier saw through the old man's thoughts and changed the subject with a smile:

"Don't forget, you also made a wish here with me!"

Old Master Cui glared at him:
"Even the King of Hell owes money to a little devil? Tomorrow, invite Hailong, Liu Ye, and the others over to the lobby on the first floor. I'll prepare a sumptuous feast for you!"

Hua Shier clasped his hands in thanks and said, "Thank you very much! You flatter me!"

Li Xiaozhen laughed and scolded, "Look at your smug look!"

Hua Twelve Dynasty Cui Mengmeng asked:
"Daughter, Dad's back with honors, don't you have anything to say?"

Cui Mengmeng calmly said:
"You've already had too many honors, but this time is different. This time you even made money, and our family has an extra 30,000 yuan. When are you going to buy a Xiali?"

Li Xiaozhen said unhappily:
"This kid, your dad already got you a motorcycle, why do you want to buy a Xiali again!"

Cui Mengmeng said speechlessly:

"Those motorcycles are nice to look at, but it's getting colder and colder. Riding a motorcycle to school every day is like torture. I've thought about it, and a car is much more comfortable!"

Hua Shier waved his hand: "It's just a car. We still have the condition of being number one in the whole district. If you can achieve that, we won't buy a Xiali. We'll buy a Mercedes!"

Seeing him making another silly wish, Li Xiaozhen pinched him in annoyance:
You look like a Mercedes-Benz!

The next day, Mr. Cui kept his word and arranged a family banquet in the lobby on the first floor, especially for his son's singing competition victory.

Zhao Hailong and Liu Ye also attended. During the meal, Zhao Hailong's wife, Zhang Xiaoming, who was also the pretty waitress at Dingqinglou, asked Hua Shier to name her soon-to-be-born child. She also said that she had consulted a fortune teller and that it was going to be a boy!
This scene also appears in the original storyline, where Cui Guoming named him Xiao Zhi.

Hua Shier didn't intend to use his original name, and after a moment's thought, he said:

"Let's call him Zhao Song! The snow presses down on the green pine, but the green pine stands tall and straight. To know the pine's nobility, wait until the snow melts."

Everyone present cheered. Hua Shier actually had another meaning that he didn't mention: Song, which is also the Song of Wu Song!

Specifically designed to counter promiscuous women!
Thanks to 08a, Little Tiger of the Demon Realm, and Brother Li Meng of the God of Death for their donations, and thanks to the brothers who voted for monthly tickets and recommendations. Thank you so much!