A song from Chengdu revived a closed-down pub.

Ye Yun turned on her phone, logged into NetEase Cloud Music, turned up the volume, placed it next to Ye Yao's pillow, and pressed play.

"Listen up, the Peking Opera version of Li Bai's 'Bring in the Wine' is about to begin."

Ye Yun held his breath, his gaze fixed intently on Ye Yao.

The prelude is a standard Peking Opera prelude, with the jinghu (a two-stringed bowed instrument) playing a clear and bright tune, and the clapper drums beating.

That unique charm that belongs only to the stage instantly flowed out.

Then, Su Fan's voice came out.

"Have you not seen the Yellow River's waters come from the sky, rushing to the sea never to return?"

"Have you not seen the bright mirror in the high hall reflecting the sorrow of white hair, like black silk in the morning turning to snow by evening?"

……

Once he opened his mouth, his voice flowed smoothly and effortlessly.

In this version of "Bring in the Wine," Su Fan used the Xipi Liushui rhythmic pattern.

This type of rhythmic pattern is brisk, with words following the melody, one sentence after another, like pearls falling on a jade plate, like waves chasing waves.

With its unique brisk rhythm, it expresses the passionate emotions in the work.

This perfectly aligns with the passionate and unrestrained spirit that Li Bai's original poem "Bring in the Wine" aimed to convey, complementing each other beautifully.

The tone rose, truly possessing the magnificent momentum of a celestial river cascading down from the heavens.

The lingering tone added a touch of melancholy and a sense of the fleeting nature of time.

Enjoy life to the fullest when you are successful, lest you let your golden goblet stand empty before the moon.

Everyone has their own unique talents, and even if I spend all my money, it will come back again.

Let us feast on roasted lamb and slaughtered oxen, and drink three hundred cups of wine in one go!

Master Cen, Master Danqiu, let's drink! Don't stop drinking!

I'll sing you a song; please lend me your ear.

……

The upbeat rhythm sings a wild song of living for the moment.

The flowing melody conceals the sorrow of life's fleeting nature.

The complex emotions in Li Bai's poems—the extreme madness that leads to desolation, and the profound sorrow that culminates in raising a cup—are perfectly captured in this meticulously crafted Xipi Liushui aria.

"Bells and drums, delicacies and jade are not worth treasuring; I only wish to be drunk forever and never wake up."

Sages and worthies of the past are all forgotten; only drinkers have left their mark.

Prince Chen once held a banquet at Pingluo, where he drank ten thousand cups of wine and indulged in unrestrained revelry.

Why does the host speak of having little money? Just go and buy some wine to drink with you.

"A dappled horse, a thousand pieces of gold, call the boy to exchange them for fine wine, to dispel with you our eternal sorrows."

……

In the latter half of the song, the mood suddenly shifts.

The atmosphere was lively and festive at the beginning, with the slaughtering of sheep and cattle, but then the tone suddenly turned somber.

That intoxication was no longer the unbridled joy of a banquet.

Rather, it is the helplessness of a sober person who is forced to get drunk.

"Sages and worthies of the past are all lonely, only drinkers have left their names behind."

After the song ended, the indignation of those who had been talented but unappreciated for thousands of years seemed to be stirred up by this one shout, rising to the sky with the help of alcohol.

The real climax comes at the end.

"A dappled horse, a thousand pieces of gold."

Six words, rising higher and higher, sung with unwavering resolve, revealing an arrogance that disregards all worldly concerns within the resolute act of squandering wealth.

"Call the boy to bring out the wine."

A long, drawn-out note spread out, unrestrained and exhilarating to the extreme.

"To dispel eternal sorrow with you."

The final line, with its melody reaching its highest point, slowly fades away with the words "eternal sorrow," leaving a lingering, resonant echo.

The mad song has reached its climax, and the true nature of the scheme is revealed.

It turns out that after drinking a whole song of wine and toasting a whole song of cups, what I'm trying to dispel is this sorrow that can never be dispelled throughout the ages.

The original version of "Bring in the Wine" is already of high quality.

What truly propelled this wave of enthusiasm to its peak were the successive emergence of a group of opera experts.

Experts from various fields offered their professional critiques of the work.

Zhou Muyun, a renowned Peking Opera artist and a national first-class actor, published a long article.

"Many people ask me, how well can a pop singer perform Peking Opera? I originally listened with that same question in mind, and after listening, I only had four words to say: 'The younger generation is truly formidable.'"

"Let's start with the basics. Su Fan's pronunciation and rhyme are the result of real effort. The beginning, middle, and end of each word are clearly distinguished, and the palatal and rounded sounds are distinct. You can tell at a glance that he is not just imitating others."

"Speaking of breath control, Xipi is fast-paced with one line after another, which is the most challenging for actors to control their breath. Su Fan's breath control was clean throughout the entire performance, without rushing or dragging, and he controlled it with ease. This level of skill is not only for amateurs, but also for professional troupes, where he is a pillar of the troupe."

……

Lin Shutang, a theorist of traditional Chinese opera and a professor at a music academy.

"I want to talk about the work itself. The most remarkable thing about this poem, 'Bring in the Wine,' is the choice of rhythm and meter. Li Bai's poem is full of flowing emotions, from the desolation at the beginning to the jubilation in the middle and the grief and indignation at the end. It is full of twists and turns, and the bright and lively characteristics of Xipi's flowing rhythm and meter are just right to support the surge of these emotions."

"What's even more wonderful is that, within the unified rhythm, the singer used the rise and fall of the melody and the control of the intensity to sing out both the underlying tones of madness and sorrow. The extreme of madness is the desolation, and the deepest sorrow is the raising of a cup. This is the essence of Li Bai's poetic soul."

"It can be said that this is not simply setting ancient poems to music; it is truly understanding the poems and then rewriting them using the language of Peking Opera."

……

Once these expert comments were released, netizens suddenly realized what was going on, and the comment section was instantly flooded with messages.

"After watching the expert commentary and listening to it again, wow, every goosebump I got had a reason behind it! Now I understand what it means to be a layman who only sees the spectacle, but an expert who sees the details!"

"Wait a minute, I know these famous figures. They usually have very high standards and don't praise people easily. This time, they've all come forward to endorse Su Fan's work. The value of his endorsement is beyond question!"

"Official announcement: We'll be using this poem as the introduction for the next semester's lesson on 'Bring in the Wine.' For those kids who can't memorize it, just sing it down!"

……

After all this commotion, not only did Su Fan become famous, but traditional opera also became popular.

The number of inquiries received on the official website of the Chinese Opera Association is equal to the total number received in the past year.

Theaters across the country have reported a noticeable increase in the number of young people inquiring about learning opera.

Ma Yuesong sincerely remarked, "I dare not say whether a song can save an industry, but it at least proves one thing: it's not that young people don't love traditional opera, but that we haven't found the door to let them in in the past."

Meanwhile, in the hospital ward, Ye Yun sat by the bed and softly asked, "Xiao Yao, did you like it? If you liked it, then move a little..."

The ward was quiet.

One second, two seconds, three seconds...

Just as Ye Yun's heart sank little by little, that quiet hand suddenly curled its fingertips very slightly.

Immediately afterwards, Ye Yao's eyelashes trembled very slightly.

Ye Yun suddenly held his breath, frozen in place, staring unblinkingly at Ye Yao's face.

She didn't dare to breathe loudly, afraid that she had misread the image, and even more afraid of disturbing this hard-won moment.

Ye Yao's eyelashes trembled again.

Then, under Ye Yun's almost suffocating gaze, those eyes, which had been closed for far too long, opened a crack very slowly.

His cloudy eyes wandered aimlessly for a long while before gradually focusing and slowly turning toward the bedside.