Please, come home and practice the piano

Chapter 1260, 480. A Powerful Combination Born? A typical farewell scene.
Ang Lee rarely says things he doesn't mean to children.

But he said it today.

To help Tang Xiaoxing release her emotions, and also to put Grandpa Tang at ease.

He carefully packaged the phrase "for your own good."

Judging from Tang Xiaoxing's emotional reaction at this moment, he should have achieved his goal.

Ang Lee is not a saint; he simply didn't have a better way to handle the current situation.

He originally just wanted to cooperate with Grandpa Tang in putting on a show, but in the process he gradually realized that it was all just a case of locking the barn door after the horse has bolted.

Tang Xiaoxing's resentment was far deeper than he had imagined.

What's even more deadly is that Tang Xiaoxing never reveals her true feelings.

When unlocking Tang Xiaoxing's strategy, the one that Li An found most incomprehensible was—to visit the Wieling Cemetery in Vienna in the autumn.

A vibrant young girl, whose wish is to visit a place filled with desolation.

After much deliberation, Li An concluded that Tang Xiaoxing wanted to visit her favorite composer, Schubert.

In retrospect, this could be interpreted as Tang Xiaoxing being lonely at the time.

In real life, she is so lonely that she can't find anyone to confide in.

So she could only hide her emotions in her music, and naturally, the composers became her close friends with whom she could talk about anything.

Unfortunately, all her friends had turned to dust, so the only way she could talk to them was to go there.

Perhaps Ang Lee's new interpretation of this strategy is somewhat bumpy, but there is one fact he can be certain of.

Tang Xiaoxing has always kept her personal emotions buried deep in her heart.

Freud said that unexpressed emotions never disappear; they are merely buried alive and will one day erupt in different ways.

In Ang Lee's view, if Tang Xiaoxing continues to grow up in the way his grandfather did, this statement may become a prophecy that falls upon Tang Xiaoxing.

Ang Lee doesn't think this is an exaggeration. Judging from yesterday to today, this statement has already been somewhat proven true in Tang Xiaoxing's case.

Even though she no longer needed to go abroad and was about to embark on the life she longed for, Tang Xiaoxing, while happy, couldn't help but secretly ponder the whole story.

This feeling of being spied on, which made her feel insecure, was a concentrated outburst of Tang Xiaoxing's emotions.

She didn't understand; she didn't understand why this was happening.

Ang Lee completely understands Tang Xiaoxing.

If he were Tang Xiaoxing, he wouldn't understand either.

Humans live by experience.

In Tang Xiaoxing's life experience, such a thing is unreasonable.

How can one feel at ease when things are unreasonable?

So Ang Lee felt that Mr. Tang was too hasty yesterday.

As for what exactly was causing Mr. Tang's anxiety, Ang Lee could only remain a mystery to him for the time being.

Is it because they are eager to express their love for their child?
Or are they in a hurry to get Tang Xiaoxing to Chengdu as soon as possible to prepare for the next stage of the competition?
Perhaps both?
Regardless of the reason, Ang Lee can understand Mr. Tang.

If he were Mr. Tang, he might not be able to do this.

Ang Lee is not a saint, nor is Mr. Tang.

Grandpa Tang's expectations for Tang Xiaoxing are a microcosm of countless Chinese families.

What gives Ang Lee the right to stand on moral high ground and judge him?

Will he be able to do better than Grandpa Tang once he becomes a parent?

But one thing he was certain of was that if Tang Xiaoxing went abroad again this time, she would become increasingly distant from her family.

So much so that one day in the future, when the time is right, Tang Xiaoxing might completely escape from this family.

By then, it will probably be too late.

Although it's too late to mend things now, it's not too late.

"Teacher, can I sit next to Linlin?"

"Can't I pick a classmate who's good at studying to be your deskmate?"

"I'm a good student! Really, you can ask Teacher Chen if you don't believe me."

Boss X: "I can vouch for that. Xiaoxing has already self-studied the first year of high school courses."

Ang Lee: "No, no, no, wait, wait, I've always been curious about something, Xiao Xing: where do you find the time to study?"

Tang Xiaoxing: "I only study for a while when I'm tired from practicing the piano, and I study for a while every day."

Ang Lee: "That's it?"

Tang Xiaoxing: "Yeah."

Li Anxin said something that left everyone speechless: "Could you help Linlin with her studies?"

Tang Xiaoxing: "That's why I said I wanted to sit next to Linlin."

Ang Lee: "Leave it to me."

Tang Xiaoxing: "Hehe! Thank you, teacher!"

Ang Lee swallowed the words "I should thank you" that were on the tip of his tongue. "Don't thank me yet," he said. "If the school reports that you two were talking in class, don't blame me for being impolite."

After a pause, he said, "Xiaoxing, let me tell you, I, your teacher, have a lot of influence in your school. You two better watch out."

Tang Xiaoxing wasn't afraid at all, and smiled with narrowed eyes, "Then can you help us set up a choir?"

Ang Lee: "Oh ho, you already know that."

Tang Xiaoxing: "Of course, Linlin and I have already made a promise that even if you don't participate, we will still try our best to defeat the Book People!"

Lee An-lo: "Young people should act within their capabilities."

Tang Xiaoxing: "We'll see."

Boss X: "Wait a minute, could you please consider me? What do you mean, defeat the Book Man? A singing competition?"

Tang Xiaoxing: "Yes! There will be a city choir competition during the summer vacation. We need to start with the district-level competition. If we get the top three, we can enter the city-level competition."

“We are in the same district as Shuren, so we will meet in the first round. The teacher is the art director of Shuren.”

Boss X laughed: "Then I think you guys are in for a tough time. It's possible that half of the judges will be good friends of your teacher, Mr. Li."

Tang Xiaoxing: "Huh?"

Li An spat and said, "Look at what you're saying, Teacher Chen. Do you think I'm that kind of person?"

Boss X: "Okay, okay, I am. I am."

Tang Xiaoxing: "Hahahaha!"

Ang Lee: "I'm not afraid to tell you in advance that I am a judge for this competition. My standard is very simple: whoever has the best overall stage performance will get a higher score."

"By the way, let me also tell you about the scoring structure of this competition."

"His mental state is excellent."

"Artistic expression: 65 points"

"Excellent command."

"The accompaniment is ten."

"Clothing: 5/5"

Tang Xiaoxing: "Does commanding also earn points?"

Upon hearing this, Li An's lips curled into a barely perceptible smile. "Of course, Little Tiger will definitely be in charge of the book-writing task."

Tang Xiaoxing: "Isn't he going to lead the singing?"

Ang Lee: "This competition doesn't allow teachers to give instructions, so he'll have to be the one to direct." He paused, then added, "Even if teachers were allowed to direct, I'm afraid he would still do it."

Tang Xiaoxing nodded; this was indeed the kind of captain she envisioned. "Then, teacher, can I give commands?"

Li An laughed: "That's your own business in Shipo, I don't care. But if you have this idea, you can try to fight for it when the time comes."

Boss X clicked his tongue and said, "If Xiao Xing conducts, and Lin Lin plays the accompaniment, I have to say, it gets my blood pumping."

Tang Xiaoxing: "Hehe! Linlin is very strong at playing the piano. I've heard her accompany the choir, and she improved the overall effect of the choir by at least half."

Boss X: "Wow, that's amazing. It's not easy to play accompaniment for a choir. Xiao Xing, do you remember that time?"

How could Tang Xiaoxing forget her few stage experiences: "I almost crashed and burned!"

Listening to the teacher and student talking back and forth, Ang Lee also felt a little uneasy. He hadn't thought about it in detail yet!
Now it seems that after Tang Xiaoxing joined Shipo, Shipo's overall strength has greatly increased.

It's important to know that Tang Xiaoxing is not only a pianist, but also a genuine young conductor.

Unlike Wang Xiaohu, Tang Xiaoxing started studying the complete genealogy with Grandpa Tang when he was six years old.

Thinking of this, Li An couldn't help but smile, as if the scholar had really met a formidable foe this time.

"You have to come and cheer us on!"

"Absolutely, I'm definitely on your side."

"Hahahaha!"

Looking at Tang Xiaoxing's increasingly happy face, Li An couldn't help but feel relieved.

Let him handle the rest for now.

Turning to look out the window, Ang Lee realized that the rain had stopped sometime earlier.
-
Another car.

"Yes, my parents never interfere with my piano practice."

Xiao Che laughed as he said, "Unless I skip class."

Tang Jingren: "Huh? You dare to skip class?"

Xiao Che touched his nose sheepishly and said, "I was a little younger then. I forgot the time while practicing the piano at noon. By the time I realized it, it was already three o'clock, so I simply didn't go to school and continued practicing. As a result, my homeroom teacher called my dad and said that I hadn't gone to school in the afternoon. My dad thought I had run off to play, so he searched for me frantically. In the end, my brother found me at home. When my dad got home, he was very angry and told me that I couldn't skip class to practice the piano anymore."

Yang Hui: "Your father was worried that you would run away and get lost."

Xiao Che: "Yeah, I was pretty naughty when I was little, and I always got him into trouble."

Grandpa Tang: "Xiao Linzi, did your parents guide you in learning music?"

Xiao Che: "No, before I learned to play the piano, they rarely listened to music. It was only in the last two years that they started listening to some music at my suggestion."

Tang Jingren: "So how did you start learning the piano?"

Xiao Che: "When I was little, I was quite mischievous and liked to run around everywhere, so they wanted me to take an extracurricular class."

Grandpa Tang nodded seriously: "At first, I wanted to enroll you in an interest class to help you develop your concentration."

Xiao Che thought for a moment and shook his head: "It wasn't really to train my willpower. At the time, they were both very busy with work. Dad had to watch the kitchen and Mom had to watch the front of the house, so they couldn't take care of me, especially on weekends."

Yang Hui: "To make your weekend more fulfilling."

Xiao Che: "Yes, Auntie, one day my dad brought home a flyer from a music institution on the street. It listed all kinds of musical instruments, and they asked me if I wanted to learn any instrument. I said I didn't want to learn."

Grandpa Tang asked curiously, "You didn't like music at first?"

Xiao Che chuckled, "Back then, I couldn't really say whether I liked it or not. I just didn't have any particular feelings about it. I just liked playing."

Tang Jingren: "So what ultimately led you to the path of music studies?"

Xiao Che: "I said I didn't want to learn, and my mom said to go and take a look, since it doesn't cost any money. She said they would give us small toys as long as we went. When I heard that there were free toys, I said I would go."

Everyone in the car was amused by what the little car said.

Mr. Tang: "Then I came into contact with the piano."

Car: "Yes! Mainly because I'm stupid!"

Old Master Tang thought to himself, "If you're stupid, then what must someone be like to be smart? That's not right."

Xiao Che: "Really! At first, I tried the trumpet, but it wouldn't make a sound. Then I tried the flute, but it still wouldn't make a sound. The teacher in charge of testing me tried everything but couldn't get me to play it."

Tang Jingren: "That's just not suitable for wind instruments."

Xiao Che: "String instruments are even worse! When I hold a violin, my neck gets itchy and I want to laugh. In the end, I tried a bunch of teachers at different institutions, but they all gave up. They said very gently that I might be too young and that I should wait until I'm older."

Yang Hui: "In the end, they found the piano."

As Xiao Che recalled the scene, a gentle smile appeared on her face, as if she had seen some cute little thing.

"My mom had already gone to inquire about calligraphy next door when she discovered I was missing."

"She thought I had gone off to play somewhere again, but when I came back, I found me sitting in front of the piano in the living room fiddling with it."

“I saw a little kid walk by and make a sound at the piano, so I ran over and pressed a key on the keyboard. Wow, I was so excited when I heard the sound. I realized that I wasn’t stupid, I just hadn’t found the right instrument.”

Upon hearing this, Grandpa Tang burst into laughter, "You've discovered the crux of the problem."

The little car grinned: "Yes, I love the feeling of pressing the piano keys, so my mom signed me up."

“Because learning the piano requires practicing at home, but pianos are quite expensive, my dad said we could rent one first because he was worried I wouldn’t be able to keep it up, but my mom just said we should buy one.”

Hearing this, the adults couldn't help but feel admiration for the mother. They had heard from Ang Lee that the family's financial situation hadn't been very good before.

In that situation, making the decision to buy a piano is not an easy choice for a parent.

Driver Assistant Feng: "Your mother has high expectations for you."

Xiao Che laughed and said, "Her biggest expectation for me is that I can be happy every day, so my dad always says that I'm spoiled by my mom."

Grandpa Tang: "Linlin, you are very outstanding. Your parents are both remarkable people."

Before we knew it, the terminal building appeared in the distance outside the car window, and the sky had cleared up considerably.

The conversation between the car and Mr. and Mrs. Tang Jingren continued, but Mr. Tang fell silent.

After a long while, he sighed softly.

Whether the speaker meant it or not, no one knows, but the listener certainly took it to heart.

Two children, both showing exceptional musical talent and reaching almost the same level, came from two very different families.

Even Grandpa Tang was somewhat confused about who was whose mirror.

However, a voice in his heart kept reminding him that entrusting Yun'er to Li An was definitely the right choice.

Before getting out of the car, Grandpa Tang said to the car owner in a somewhat entrusted tone:

"Lin girl, Grandpa Tang has a favor to ask you. Xiaoxing doesn't have as much life experience as you do, so you might have to take care of her a little bit from time to time."

"No way! Xiaoxing has been covering me with a blanket every day these past few days!"

"Alright, Dad, let's get off the bus too. Xiaoxing and the others have already gotten off."
-
The time to say goodbye has finally arrived.

Everything that needed to be entrusted has been entrusted, and everything that needed to be instructed has been instructed.

The Tang family escorted the four teachers and students to the security checkpoint.

"Go inside quickly, and listen to your teacher."

"Teacher Li, see you in Chengdu next time!"

"Let's go, let's go inside and wait."

Before Grandpa Tang could lower his waving hand, his granddaughter ran over quickly.

"Grandpa, thank you! You have to believe me, I've grown up now! I can take good care of myself!"

Tang Xiaoxing stopped in front of Grandpa Tang, grinned, and then bowed deeply.

Then, without looking back, she ran back to the security checkpoint, like a bird that had regained its freedom.

Watching his granddaughter's joyful figure disappear into the distance, Grandpa Tang raised his hand and waved again.

"Go for it, Xiaoxing! Grandpa believes in you!"