Please, come home and practice the piano

Chapter 1308, Section 528: Teacher-Student 3.0? Wang Xiaohu is facing a real crisis!
"Not good."

Wang Xiaohu grumbled as he entered the house and casually placed the wine on the cabinet.

"Altitude sickness?"

Ang Lee knew that Wang Xiaohu's uncle had driven to Tibet with some friends half a month ago.

"I feel weak all over during the day and have a fever at night. I suffer all kinds of pain."

Wang Xiaohu couldn't understand why his uncle didn't just fly back. If his body couldn't adapt to the altitude sickness, that would be fine, but he had to tough it out for half a month. As a result, he didn't even get to enjoy his trip and spent a week in the hospital.

“That’s true,” Li An agreed with Wang Xiaohu. “Please give my thanks to your uncle for bringing me this gift from so far away.”

“It’s okay,” Wang Xiaohu said, taking two cans of cat food out of his pocket. Hearing the sound of the lids being opened, Bawan Xiaobai rushed over. “One can each.”

Wang Xiaohu put the canned food on the ground and petted a few of the kittens while they were licking it.

Ang Lee: What are your plans for this afternoon?

“Nothing much,” Wang Xiaohu said, standing up and clapping his hands. “We’re just going to my grandma’s for dinner tonight.”

Ang Lee nodded: "Okay, then I'll practice with you a bit more this afternoon."

Wang Xiaohu grinned upon hearing this, "Thank you, teacher."

"Don't be so polite with me," Li An said, taking two drinks from the refrigerator. "Here you go."

The teacher and student went to the study. Wang Xiaohu didn't ask why the two girls weren't home. He started warming up on the rice.

After a whole day yesterday and this morning, he has almost finished practicing this Arabic-style piece.

Five minutes later, Wang Xiaohu finished his warm-up.

"Teacher, shall I start now?"

"let's start."

Wang Xiaohu took a light breath and raised his right hand to produce a set of triplets.

Then, the left hand joins in with a slightly softer volume, and the lively accompaniment texture gives the melody a dance-like feel.

"Clang-clang—clang-clang—"

Then, with a single pedal stroke, the instantaneous sustained notes intertwine with the rhythm, and the melancholic aesthetic emerges.

Ang Lee thought to himself with approval: He's finally getting the hang of it.

Is it true that Wang Xiaohu has been playing the piano for almost five years before he finally got the hang of it?

Li Ande said yes.

When he said "getting on the right track," he meant a certain state of being, which broadly speaking means that Wang Xiaohu is finally playing with a professional feel.

Some people have studied piano for over ten years, but their playing is still loose and disjointed, just like a person without energy or spirit.

It's not that old people lose their energy and spirit; there are still 70- or 80-year-olds who are full of vigor, and there are also 24- or 25-year-old young men who are listless and dejected.

One reason.

As a veteran among young piano students, Wang Xiaohu's music has finally begun to show some spirit, which Ang Lee naturally had to acknowledge.

"Well played."

After listening to the piece, Ang Lee generously offered his praise.

"Uh~" Wang Xiaohu was at a loss for words. His hands, which were already quite large, didn't know where to go on the piano. In his memory, his teacher had rarely given him such direct affirmation.

After a moment, he asked, "Really, teacher?" He was even a little worried that the teacher was being sarcastic, even though he himself felt that the play he had just performed was quite good.

"Really."

Of course, Ang Lee knew what Wang Xiaohu was thinking at that moment. Of course, he also bore some responsibility. Among these children, he had always been the strictest with Wang Xiaohu, and sometimes he even chose to remain silent when Wang Xiaohu deserved praise.

"It has rhythm and vocal layers, and is smooth and coherent. It's very good. If you speed it up a bit, you can go on stage directly."

At this point, Little Tiger couldn't hold back his smile any longer. "Hehe, you're the professional."

Ang Lee: "What's up?"

Wang Xiaohu immediately complained, "My uncle came to my house at noon, and he asked me to play a piece for him. This is what I played, and he actually said that my playing was not moving!"

Lee An-lo: "If you play this for him, he won't understand it at all. Next time he asks you to play, play some classic old songs for him. He'll definitely like them."

Wang Xiaohu: "Forget it, he doesn't understand anything. He just likes fishing."

Then, her tone shifted, becoming mysterious: "Teacher, can you tell which few places I've included some subtle design elements?"

Ang Lee directly lifted the lid of the little black violin, raised his hand and struck a note, "This is the first design."

Then two more passages were played in succession, "Right, actually you can extend the rest in your left hand a little more, like this—"

As he spoke, Ang Lee stopped with his left hand, leaving only the melody in his right hand. Just as the syncopated rhythm of his right hand was about to fall, his left hand suddenly came down!

"when!"

Like a spring hitting its bottom and then rebounding violently, the exotic musical emotions are instantly ignited.

"Wow"

Wang Xiaohu was stunned! He hadn't realized this place could be handled this way!

Ang Lee stopped and turned to say, "What is musical drama? This is it. Look at the score, isn't there a free fermata here?"

Wang Xiaohu nodded: "Mm!"

Ang Lee: "So we can definitely handle it this way, but if there is no free extension symbol here, we have to consider whether we can handle it this way."

Wang Xiaohu understood: "Yes, yes, yes, strictly follow the score."

Ang Lee: "I scolded them both this morning. They changed the tempo before they even understood what was going on. It was written clearly on the score, but they just ignored it."

Wang Xiaohu: "Fate?"

Ang Lee: "Yeah, just go all the way to the front."

Wang Xiaohu: "Don't they have their own ideas?"

Ang Lee: "They have ideas, and when asked, they say they are imitating the treatment of a symphony orchestra. When asked again, they fall silent. There is nothing wrong with imitation, just like you follow a video and imitate the treatment of a conductor. But the premise is that you have to understand why you are conducting in this way. Do you understand what I mean?"

Wang Xiaohu: "We need to know the reasons behind it."

Ang Lee laughed: "That's right."

Listening to the teacher's tone, Wang Xiaohu felt a little strange. It wasn't so much strange as he wondered if the teacher was in a good mood today, talking to him so much during class. He could also sense that the teacher was very affectionate towards him today.

"Teacher, is something happy happening to you today?" Wang Xiaohu asked tentatively.

"How can you not be happy when you're resting?" Li An picked up the Coke on the piano and handed it to Wang Xiaohu, then opened a bottle for himself. "Your mother and I have been really worn out lately."

A mouthful of icy cold cola went down Wang Xiaohu's throat, and he exclaimed how refreshing it was. He really liked what his teacher said to him, as if he had grown up and been recognized by his teacher.

"Is there nothing else to do?" he asked.

Ang Lee: "There's basically nothing else to do. We're just waiting for summer camp, then we'll get busy, and you guys will have to help out too."

Wang Xiaohu: "It's all arranged! Meng Youxi and I had a video call the day before yesterday. They'll be arriving in Chengdu on the afternoon of the 5th."

Li An smiled and said, "I guess everything has changed. Also, Dou Dou and Fu Yu are here this time."

Wang Xiaohu exclaimed, "It's so great. Sometimes I even watch videos from last year's summer camp and feel so naive back then."

Ang Lee: "Will you compete against Fu Yu again this year?"

Wang Xiaohu waved his hand: "I haven't been in the water for several months." Li An: "Speaking of which, you've devoted all your spare time to music this year, and you've made great progress. If this piece had been played before the New Year, you wouldn't have been able to play it with this feeling."

Wang Xiaohu: "Mm."

Ang Lee: Do you know why?

Wang Xiaohu: "I had nothing in my mind at that time."

Ang Lee: "Yes, that's how music is. Just practicing isn't enough. You have to think about it and understand what it's all about. If you didn't understand Arabic style before and didn't know what it felt like, then your playing would be lacking. By learning to conduct and understanding all kinds of music, these theoretical knowledge will gradually become your practice in music. The more you practice, the deeper your experience will be, and when you study the theory, you will make new discoveries."

Wang Xiaohu: "They complement each other."

Ang Lee: "Correct."

Wang Xiaohu grinned: "Don't worry, teacher, I will definitely continue to work hard."

Upon hearing Wang Xiaohu say those words again, Ang Lee had some new insights.

Leaving aside distant examples, just look at this choral competition; he personally witnessed everything Wang Xiaohu did.

They really gave it their all.

What is effort? The child has shown it by doing.

moment.

Ang Lee: "Do you know what score I ultimately gave the book?"

Wang Xiaohu was taken aback, wondering why the teacher had suddenly brought up the choir competition again, but he really wanted to know the answer to this question.

For some reason, he didn't bring up the match with anyone afterward.

"How many?"

Ang Lee: "I give you 100 points."

Wang Xiaohu: "Huh?"

Ang Lee: "You know me. Normally, even if you present a stage that's perfect, I won't give you 100 points. Do you understand why?"

Wang Xiaohu: "Teacher, I understand, because you are the person in charge of the book people."

Ang Lee: "But why did I give you a hundred points? Because your performance has exceeded a hundred points."

Wang Xiaohu was a little touched, and after a moment said, "Thank you, teacher."

Ang Lee: "I don't need to thank myself. I just gave what I thought was an objective score. I want to thank Professor Yan, Professor Tang, Professor Zheng, and you."

Wang Xiaohu's heart skipped a beat again: "Me?"

Ang Lee: "I have seen all the efforts you have put into preparing for the choir competition. You weren't there for dinner that day, but your mother was. In front of all the teachers, I said exactly what I said: 'Without Wang Xiaohu, Shuren won't get first place this time.'"

In an instant, Wang Xiaohu felt all the grievances in his heart vanish. It turned out that his efforts had not been in vain. At this moment, he even felt that he had not worked hard enough during that period!

Ang Lee sighed softly, his tone softening slightly: "Xiao Hu, in this choir and wind band competition, you demonstrated the responsibility and courage that a conductor like you should have. You've taken another step closer to your dream. I hope you keep it up."

"Thank you, teacher." Wang Xiaohu stammered, unsure of what to say. "Teacher, I will."

Li Anle: "Hey, hey, hey, what's wrong? Is it really that serious? Relax. You cried when I said you were immature before, and you cry now that I'm saying nice things to you. How old are you?"

Wang Xiaohu wiped his eyes with a slurp, "So, what score did you give Shi Po?"

Ang Lee: "97".

Wang Xiaohu: "Huh?!"

Ang Lee: "Huh? You think it's too much?"

Wang Xiaohu: "No! I think it's not enough. The stone slope is great!"

Ang Lee: "First of all, this is a choral competition, and singing is the foundation. I encourage you to innovate on stage, but the premise is that the singing part must meet the standard. Shipo's stage is indeed lively and innovative, but as for the singing part, everyone in the audience can hear it. If they win first place, honestly, are you satisfied with the result?"

Wang Xiaohu: "I'm impressed! Seriously, teacher, I'm really impressed. When they were singing to the very end, I thought it was over, and then the piano started playing again. When I heard it was 'Encounter,' I got goosebumps! Didn't you feel anything at all?!"

Ang Lee: "Yes, it was very impressive, but what about the other judges, the teams outside of Yudong District? They didn't listen to the first round, so judging from the final stage alone, this part felt a bit abrupt, you know?"

"Indeed, I perfectly transitioned from the first round on stage emotionally, but this is a competition."

"The third rule of the competition clearly states that the piece must be complete."

Wang Xiaohu: "That's true."

Ang Lee: "To tell you the truth, when I calmed down and thought about it, I realized that I had given too much of a score of 97. I was indeed taken aback at the time, as I had never seen a chorus like this before."

Wang Xiaohu: "Hahahaha!"

Ang Lee laughed and said, "Let them take advantage of this loophole; they really went to great lengths."

Wang Xiaohu: "If they sing just as well as us, can they win first place?"

Ang Lee thought for a moment and said, "Theoretically, that's how it is, but in reality, it's impossible. Think about it, it's all amateur choir, with so many movements, how can we guarantee the quality of the performance?"

Wang Xiaohu: "Yes! It has to be A-Lin, who can sing, dance, and play instruments."

Ang Lee: "Let me tell you, I didn't even know she could perform the harmonica. She never practiced at home."

Wang Xiaohu: "Where did she train?"

Ang Lee: "In the garage, Tang Xiaoxing is covering for her."

Wang Xiaohu: "Tsk tsk, as expected of her."

Ang Lee: Still feeling awkward?

Wang Xiaohu: "What? Who's being difficult? Who is it?"

Ang Lee: "Tsk tsk, it has to be you again. How can you be so shameless? You pretended not to see the messages sent between the two people in the group chat. I have to criticize you for that."

Seeing that he had been exposed in public, Wang Xiaohu stopped pretending and said awkwardly, "I don't know what to say. Anyway, I feel really embarrassed. We clearly got first place, but they made me seem unhappy. Actually, I just think Shi Po is also very good and deserves first place more than us. But they made me feel like I was making sarcastic remarks, so I was a little..."

Ang Lee: "You're just making things difficult for yourself. Shi Po wasn't aiming for an award in this competition; he was just having fun. You're taking it too seriously."

Wang Xiaohu scratched his head: "Okay. When are they coming back?"

Ann Lee: "What's wrong?"

Wang Xiaohu: "Apologize to them both."

Ang Lee: "Don't apologize. How about this, the two of them are planning to go to Happy Valley tomorrow. They asked me last night if you had time."

"Yes!" Wang Xiaohu said, only realizing at the last minute that he had already made plans with Monkey for the whole day tomorrow!

Ang Lee: "Then why don't you two go together tomorrow? They've been working non-stop since the start of their vacation, so you two should go and relax."

"Not a teacher," Wang Xiaohu stammered for a moment, "How about the day after tomorrow?"

Seeing Wang Xiaohu's troubled expression, Li An asked, "What do you have planned for tomorrow?"

Two minutes later.

After Wang Xiaohu's explanation, Li An understood, so he was even more puzzled: "Why don't you just invite Monkey to go together? It's just one ticket, I'll pay for it for him, and the two movie tickets you booked can be given to me, I haven't seen a movie in a long time."

No, no, no
Wang Xiaohu's concern wasn't about a ticket at all! Nor was it about two movie tickets!

He and the monkey once boasted an incredibly big boast.
If that monkey runs into Arlene tomorrow...
Wang Xiaohu dared not think any further.
Even though it's been over a year, what if the monkey has a good memory? I'll ask again tomorrow.
I'm going to die.
at this time.

"Alright, hurry up and practice the piano. Can you stop dawdling? No wonder Che Lin always criticizes you."

"Let's take another day off. It just so happens that the four of you can all meet at the same time, so it's settled."

(End of this chapter)