Please, come home and practice the piano

Chapter 1273, Section 493: A Thank-You Banquet for Li An's Teachers at His New Home

What's it like to be praised by the refrigerator installer for having a perfectly reserved opening?
Ang Lee just wants to shout: Hard work will never betray you!

God knows how much thought he put into creating the openings for these built-in electrical appliances.

To put it bluntly, he didn't even spend that much time studying Beethoven's Fourth Beethoven!

As the saying goes, perseverance pays off; the refrigerator was perfectly installed and safely unloaded.

Thank you.

"You're welcome. Just give me a call if you have any questions."

After seeing the refrigerator installer off, Li An threw in the half-empty bottle of mineral water.

She also took two more photos of Teacher Xiaomi.

However, he couldn't be too smug since the dishwasher and washer-dryer set hadn't been installed yet.

It was 8:30 o'clock, and seeing that the art students in Chengdu still hadn't made any moves, Li An felt a little uneasy. Half an hour ago, the names of the top scorers in the college entrance examination in the city had already appeared on the local trending searches.

"what's the situation?"

We can't afford to lose everything, can we?

"Bah bah bah."

The students' academic performance is quite good; at least Gao Ruijin is definitely doing well.

Just as Ang Lee was about to ask Yang Shuangyu for him, Zhao Weida's message suddenly popped up.

'Teacher, are you awake?'

Then Ang Lee found Zhao Weida's phone number and dialed it.

The moment the call connected, Li An asked directly, "What's going on with you?"

"Teacher, you're awake!" Zhao Weida's voice sounded quite excited on the other end of the phone.

Ang Lee urgently asked, "What score did you get?!"

Zhao Weida: "356".

Upon hearing the score, Li An breathed a sigh of relief, and after a moment, said, "You're still lucky, kid."

"Congratulations! Where are the others?"

Zhao Weida laughed heartily: "They all passed! Teacher, guess how many points Luo Xiaoran got?"

Ang Lee: "How many points?"

Zhao Weida: "415".

Ang Lee: "Great! That's wonderful! That's wonderful! Why didn't you tell me? You made me wait here!"

Zhao Weida: "We were worried about disturbing your sleep."

Ang Lee: "Hey, how could I sleep with something this big going on? I woke up around 6 a.m. and just kept waiting, but there was no news at all. I didn't dare to ask. Oh, great, great! Yang Shuangyu and Li Zheng called me in the early morning. They've both passed. You all know that, right?"

Zhao Weida: "Hehe, we'll know when you find out."

Ang Lee: "Do you know about Yu Xiaolu and the others?"

Zhao Weida: "All three flutes have passed, and as far as I know, all of them have passed."

Ang Lee: "I hope everyone is doing well. Please pass on my congratulations to them."

Zhao Weida: "They're not teachers! They'll definitely call you personally. I was sent out as cannon fodder because I lost a dice game."

Li Anle: "Okay, then I'll wait."

Zhao Weida: "Teacher, do you have time tomorrow? We'd like to visit you."

Ang Lee: "Come on, I'll treat you to dinner tomorrow night. I have to go now, I got a call."

Zhao Weida: "Okay, teacher, you're busy. We already agreed to treat you! We'll book the hotel, so don't worry about it!"

After Zhao Weida finished speaking, he hung up the phone. Li An answered the call from the unknown number: "Hello."

The robot vacuum cleaner has arrived.
-
This year, the minimum score for admission to music programs in Chengdu is 355.

Zhao Weida's goal was to study music, so the young man was incredibly lucky. If he had guessed wrong on just one multiple-choice question, he would have had to rely on performing arts.

Zhao Weida's academic performance in the field of audio performance is too ordinary, making it almost impossible for him to get into a decent school.

Of the group, the ones that worried Ang Lee the most were Zhao Weida and Gao Ruijin.

Gao Ruijin scored 368 points and got off the bus safely.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Gao Shenminzhen will be able to apply to the school he expects.

What made Ang Lee the happiest was Luo Xiaoran, who was planning to retake the college entrance exam after it was over.

But now that Luo Xiaoran has a college entrance exam score of 415, she suddenly has many more options.

Before the installer of the washer-dryer set arrived, Li An took the initiative to call Luo Xiaoran.

"Hey teacher!"

"Oh, that's great, congratulations, Luo!"

"Thank you, thank you, teacher! I...I...I haven't figured out how to tell you yet."

"Say whatever you want. If you want to repeat a year, then repeat a year. If you don't want to do it again, then go to university and keep working hard. It's that simple. Girl, it's good to do well on the exam, so don't put any pressure on yourself."

"Thank you, teacher. I'm just a bit conflicted right now. I want to repeat a year, but I also want to just leave."

What did your parents say?

"They let me decide for myself and they all support me. What do you think, teacher?"

I told you to repeat a year of high school.

"what?"

"Hehe, ah what?"

"I thought you would advise me not to repeat a year."

"So you see, the reason you're hesitant now is because you're not looking at it from your own perspective. You don't need to consider any of our opinions; no one can make this decision for you."

"Okay, thank you, teacher. I understand."

"The cutoff score for music theory majors is 395, and you've exceeded it by 20 points. First, figure out how much of an advantage you have, and think it over carefully, okay?"

Despite saying he didn't recommend it, Ang Lee eventually gave his own advice.

He didn't want Luo Xiaoran to repeat a year of high school.

This year, Luo Xiaoran was able to get into a decent theoretical major with a score of 415. What about next year?
If Luo Xiaoran had half of Yang Shuangyu's talent, he would have remained silent.

Given enough talent, another year would definitely lead to a significant improvement in professional skills.

Luo Xiaoran doesn't possess such talent, so why should he give up his current favorable situation and gamble for another year?
Of course, Ang Lee was just making a suggestion; ultimately, it's up to Ronaldinho to make his own decision.

At noon, Xiao Che and Xiao Xing brought their lunch to room 2201 to find their teacher.

The three of them, teacher and student, enjoyed a delicious meal at the new dining table.

Just then, the two deliverymen who were delivering the bed arrived downstairs during the mealtime, and the two children got a sneak peek at their new bed.

Wooden bunk beds look even sturdier and cuter.

"Like it?"

The two little girls exclaimed in unison, "We love it!"

Then, by 6:20 p.m., all the furniture had been successfully moved in.

The setting sun painted half the sky red outside the window. Ang Lee sat at the piano with his phone in hand, his eyes scanning every corner of the living room.

It feels both familiar and unfamiliar.

What's familiar is that every piece of furniture in front of him right now was carefully selected by him and Teacher Xiaomi.

The unfamiliarity might stem from the fact that he's still not quite used to it.

Is this beautiful house my home?
“It’s finally over,” Li An murmured.

"Thank you for your hard work," came Teacher Xiaomi's voice from the phone. "Perfect exit."

“Perfect exit.” Li An said, suddenly picked up his phone, got up and went to the kitchen. He walked to the gas stove, reached out and lit the flame with a “click.”

In the video, Teacher Xiaomi laughs and says, "I told you not to worry, now you can finally relax."

Li An sighed, "I paid a gas bill of one thousand yuan directly."

Teacher Xiaomi: "Hahaha, revenge spending!"

Calling it revenge spending isn't entirely accurate, but the fact that the firing went smoothly certainly saved Ang Lee a sum of money.

In the afternoon, the gas company staff clearly told him that he didn't need to buy any hinged partitions, and that he only needed to accept regular inspections in the future.

"I practiced the flute."

"come on!"

After hanging up the video call, Li An went to the piano, opened the lid, and casually played a few notes.

It resembled a melody from Chopin's Nocturne in E-flat major, so he started playing the piece from the beginning.

Give it to the new home.

-

The following evening at 7:30, Ang Lee went to the banquet alone.

He took a taxi to the Yulong Hotel, where Zhao Weida and his group were waiting at the hotel entrance.

"teacher!"

"teacher!"

"teacher!"

"teacher!"

The repeated calls of "teacher" immediately stirred up Li An's emotions, and looking at those faces, he felt a special sense of pride and honor.

"How did Da Ge get so fat?"

"Teacher, I'm sorry, that's not enough!"

Ha ha ha ha--

"Xiao Gao has gained a little weight too."

"Teacher, I've been a bit undisciplined since the college entrance exam."

Ha ha ha ha--

"Zhen-ge has dyed his curly hair back to its original color."

"Teacher, I'll dye it back tomorrow!"

Ha ha ha ha--

"Brother Shen is still as profound as ever."

"No, no teacher! I didn't!"

Ha ha ha ha--

"Xiao Luo, you've cut your hair short. Looks like you're really determined."

"Waaaa, teacher, I regret it! I should have never cut it!"

"Haha, is that a decision?" "I've decided! I'm not repeating a grade!"

"Let's clap!"

"Whoosh————————"

Where is your senior sister?

"My senior sister is looking at something in the private room."

"Where are Teacher Linlin and Xiaohu?"

"They have to practice their piano and do their homework. Once your acceptance letters come in, come to my house together and let Linlin cook a meal for you."

"Teacher, we'll have time tomorrow!"

"I don't have time tomorrow!"

Amidst laughter and conversation, the teachers and students entered the hotel, where a car had been waiting for twenty minutes in the private room.

Hearing the noise at the door, she quickly went to the door.

"teacher!"

"Ji Yang, quickly get me a bottle of water, I'm dying of thirst."

Seeing that the teacher didn't have many children with her, Senior Sister Ji didn't ask any more questions and handed her a bottle of water.

Only then did Ang Lee notice a huge banner hanging on the wall of the private room.

Thank you for your hard work and guidance, teacher!

[Thank you so much, Brother An, for saving my life!]

Looking at these two sentences, Ang Lee was filled with emotion.

Turning to the others, he asked, "Aren't you all going home tonight?"

Zhao Weida: "Our accommodations have all been arranged; they're right across the street."

Ang Lee: "Does your family know?"

Senior Sister Ji smiled and said, "Teacher, don't worry."

Ang Lee nodded: "Okay, let's hurry up and get to the bar."

Min Zhen: "Huh?"

Ang Lee: "What do you mean 'ah'? Haven't you been wanting to get me drunk for a while? Here, I'll give you one chance today."

The private room erupted in cheers instantly!
Miss Senior Sister: "Everyone, please sit down. I'll have the waiter bring the food."

Luo Xiaoran: "Senior sister, I'm going!"

Gao Shen: "Senior sister, I'll go."

Ang Lee: "You guys, sit down quickly. Your senior sister will serve you today."

After everyone sat down, the atmosphere suddenly became a bit cold. For a moment, the soon-to-be college students looked at each other, seemingly unsure of what to say.

"The teacher is smoking!"

Zhao Weida got up and came over to light a cigarette for Li An. Li An didn't refuse. "Anyone who wants one can light one themselves. Don't be shy. You've all graduated."

As soon as Li An finished speaking, several boys started reaching into their pockets.

Ang Lee: "You must have done a lot of random selections in the art exam preparation classes."

Several people laughed.

Ang Lee: "Just this one, stop after you finish it, we still have female comrades here."

At this moment, Senior Sister Ji returned to the private room and sat in the empty seat next to Li An.

Min Zhen: "Teacher, would you like baijiu or beer?"

Ang Lee: "Whatever you say, go ahead."

Min Zhen: "Teacher, if we're going to drink beer, would you like some baijiu?"

Ha ha ha ha--

Ang Lee: "Sure, I'll give you two ounces and you can have three bottles, that's not too much to ask, is it?"

Zhao Weida: "Okay!"

Ang Lee: "Wait a minute. If you don't want to drink alcohol, just have a soft drink. Let's just do whatever we want. Please don't force yourself to drink. Gao Shen, can you drink alcohol?"

Luo Xiaoran: "He's the biggest drinker here! He can drink ten bottles of beer by himself!"

Ang Lee exclaimed in surprise: "Really? That's incredibly profound. I'll have to keep a close eye on him today."

Ha ha ha ha--

Gao Shen immediately waved his hand: "Teacher, no, no, I performed exceptionally well that time."

And so, tonight's teacher appreciation banquet began.

Memories are an eternal theme between teachers and students.

What we eat and drink is not important; what matters is that even after leaving the classroom and campus, we can still sit together and still have the desire to sit together.

Whenever they talked about the funny things that happened in the art exam department, bursts of laughter would erupt in the private room.

Ang Lee no longer seemed like a teacher, but rather like an older brother, sharing his most private emotions from the past year with his younger brothers and sisters as if reciting a familiar story.

After three rounds of drinking.

"Zhao Weida".

"teacher."

"You drink one first."

"Eh!"

Zhao Weida picked up his full glass and downed it in one gulp.

Ang Lee: "Whether I admit I'm lazy or not."

Zhao Weida: "I admit it."

Ang Lee: "I hate you. Sometimes I really hate you so much that I want to punch you."

Zhao Weida: "Teacher, you can draw it now."

Ann Lee: "No, no, I should thank you now. You taught me a lesson: luck is very important."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Weida lowered his head in shame.

Ang Lee: "Hold your head high. Luck is also part of ability. We got in, we achieved our goal, right? We didn't steal or rob, we got into university on our own merit, why should we bow our heads?"

Zhao Weida: "Teacher."

Ang Lee smiled at Zhao Weida and said, "But remember, luck won't last forever."

He paused, then said, "Your talent goes far beyond this."

After saying that, Ang Lee picked up his wine glass and said, "Sit down."

"You don't need to drink this glass of wine. This is a toast from your teacher. I hope your future path will always be smooth sailing."

Zhao Weida wiped his eyes and said, "Thank you, teacher. I will remember every word you said today."

“Da Ge is being sentimental again.” Li An laughed and looked around. “See? He just showed up. But whether you believe it or not, I still believe in him this time. I will always believe in him.”

Gao Shen raised his glass: "I believe it too."

Everyone immediately raised their glasses, "Brother Da, you absolutely have to!"

Just as Zhao Weida was about to speak, Li An reached out to stop him: "Hold it in."

Then he looked at Gao Ruijin, "Xiao Gao."

The dinner table fell silent again.

Gao Ruijin exclaimed "Eh!" and laughed, "Teacher."

Ang Lee laughed too: "That's great, you can laugh now."

Everyone: Hahaha—

Ang Lee: "At first, I thought to myself, does this girl not like to smile, or is she unable to smile, or does she have a problem with me?"

Everyone: Hahaha—

Gao Ruijin quickly explained, "No, teacher, I was just too nervous every day back then. I didn't mean to have a problem with you!"

Ang Lee: "I knew, but I only found out later. After I found out, I was worried. I thought, what should I do? You and Zhao Weida are in the same cohort, but you can't get into the zone. I'm anxious."

He paused, then said, "Actually, I know you were afraid of me back then, weren't you?"

Gao Ruijin: "Teacher, I... I don't know how to say it. When I found out that I would be taking your class, I couldn't control my wild thoughts. I felt that I was not worthy at all."

Ang Lee: "Then let me tell you today, your teacher is proud of you."

“Those of you who came later may not know, but when Gao Ruijin first arrived, she was in very poor condition. At that time, all of us teachers felt a bit helpless. You know Zhao Weida.”

Zhao Weida nodded: "Yes, I didn't dare to talk to her after we finished class together."

Ang Lee: "You could say that she carried that part on her own. She overcame all her psychological barriers by herself. Who among you would dare to go on stage and play scales during a monthly exam?"

Everyone was stunned; they had never known about this before.

Ang Lee: "This takes courage. It's a monthly exam for art students. You have to go on stage and play scales. What will the students in the audience think?"

"But Gao Ruijin showed us through her actions that facing yourself and confronting yourself is not actually that difficult."

Gao Ruijin: "Thank you, teacher. You were the one who gave me the courage to take that monthly exam."

Ang Lee laughed: "It's not because I added you on WeChat, is it?"

Gao Ruijin: "Yes, I was stunned at the time, it felt like the sky had suddenly brightened."

Zhao Weida: "Holy crap! You added the teacher on WeChat back then!?"

Gao Ruijin smiled smugly: "Of course, my teacher cares about me a lot."

Zhao Weida: "That's not fair!!!"

Ha ha ha ha--

Ang Lee raised his glass: "Come on, Xiao Gao, no matter what the future holds, please continue to face it with courage!"

"Thank you, Brother An!" Gao Ruijin stood up abruptly with his drink in hand.

Ang Lee: Yes! You have to have that kind of courage!

For a moment, shouts of "Brother An!" echoed throughout the private room.

Setting down his glass, Ang Lee looked at the group of genuinely smiling faces and nodded. "It feels so good to be young."

Everyone was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter again.

Then Ang Lee’s gaze settled on Min Zhen. “Come on, Brother Zhen, let’s have a drink first.”
-
Time flew by and it was 9:55.

After finishing his homework, Xiao Che took out the scoring sheet from his schoolbag. The choir auditions would be held tomorrow afternoon.

She needs to sort things out again.

The piano music coming from the study next door hadn't stopped yet; in just a few days, Tang Xiaoxing had already practiced three pieces from the 740-word set, achieving half of her goal.

This speed is not unpleasant.