A song from Chengdu revived a closed-down pub.

Time flies, and it's already Lunar New Year's Eve.

As night fell, the sound of firecrackers echoed throughout Lijiapo Village.

Red lanterns hung in front of every household, paper-cut window decorations were pasted on the windows, and the air was filled with the smell of food and cooking.

In previous years, at this time, most villagers would stay at home, eating their New Year's Eve dinner while waiting for the Spring Festival Gala to start.

But this year is different.

Before it was completely dark, the villagers of Lijiapo began to arrive at the brigade's courtyard one after another.

Pan Lei had a large television brought over early on, and a fire was lit.

The table was covered with peanuts, melon seeds, candy, and fruit, and there were rows and rows of long benches.

Villagers arrived with their families, and soon the courtyard was packed with people.

Several old men were playing cards in a corner, shouting out their cards, but their eyes kept glancing at the TV.

On the other side, the village women sat together, cracking sunflower seeds and chatting about everyday matters.

The topic circled back and forth, but in the end, it inevitably came down to Su Fan.

"When do you think Xiao Fan will come out?"

"I don't know, the Spring Festival Gala program doesn't specify a time."

"Didn't Pan Lei call him? Didn't he ask clearly?"

"I asked, and it seems like it's around nine o'clock."

Someone glanced at the clock on the wall: "It's about to start. Are we just waiting for Xiao Fan to take the stage?"

The person sitting next to him immediately laughed and said, "What's your rush? The Spring Festival Gala is so long, do you think they'll release Xiao Fan right at the beginning?"

"I was afraid of missing out, so I didn't even dare to go to the bathroom."

"You've already eaten half a pound of sunflower seeds, where are you going to get so many bathroom breaks?"

At this point, someone asked, "Old Pan, is Xiao Fan singing or performing a skit?"

Pan Lei glanced at the other person: "He's a singer, if he goes up there and doesn't sing, what's he supposed to do? He's not going to do a somersault for you, is he?"

What song are you going to sing?

"You'll find out then, won't you?"

Actually, Pan Lei himself didn't know either.

Su Fan only told him that he would participate in the Spring Festival Gala, but did not say what he would sing.

But in front of so many people, he naturally couldn't appear to know nothing.

Seeing his inscrutable demeanor, the man genuinely assumed he knew some inside information and quickly lowered his voice to ask, "Is it a new song?"

Pan Lei picked up his teacup and said mysteriously, "Can I just reveal the Spring Festival Gala program to anyone? Just enjoy watching your TV."

The man nodded in sudden realization, then turned around and spread the news that "Su Fan will be singing a new song at the Spring Festival Gala."

Before long, everyone in the courtyard knew about it.

Listening to the serious discussions around him, Pan Lei remained outwardly calm, but inwardly he felt a little uneasy.

He glanced at the TV, then at the time, and could only mutter to himself, "It has to be a new song, please."

At this time, the orphanage was also brightly lit.

After the New Year's Eve dinner, Aunt Liu and the children cleaned up the dishes and moved the tables and chairs into the activity room, arranging them neatly in front of the television.

There were sunflower seeds, peanuts, candy, and fruit on the table.

Normally, by this time, some younger children would already be asleep.

But today, no one wanted to go back to their rooms. Instead, they all carried small stools and sat in front of the TV, eagerly waiting for Su Fan to appear.

Xuanxuan sat in the first row, holding a small hot water bottle in her arms.

She stared at the TV for a while, then finally couldn't help but turn her head: "Aunt Liu, when is Brother Fan coming out?"

Aunt Liu was distributing oranges to the children when she heard this and said with a smile, "It'll be soon. Just be patient. There are so many programs on the Spring Festival Gala; they have to come one by one."

Xuanxuan counted on her fingers: "But we've already sung several songs, why isn't it Fan-gege's turn yet?"

Hao Hao, standing next to him, explained seriously, "Brother Fan is a big star now, so he'll definitely be saved for last."

Another child immediately retorted, "No, even big stars come out first."

"Why hasn't he come out yet?"

"They might be getting their makeup done backstage."

Do boys need to wear makeup too?

"Of course I do, it doesn't look good on TV without makeup."

……

The children quickly started arguing about why Su Fan hadn't appeared yet.

Aunt Liu was both amused and exasperated. She gently patted the table and said, "Alright, stop arguing. When it's really your brother Fan's turn, you've all been so busy talking that you haven't even heard what he sang."

Upon hearing this, the children immediately quieted down and turned their attention back to the television.

In the corner of the activity room, there is a playing card made by the children themselves.

The words "Go, Brother Xiaofan!" were written crookedly in colored pencils on it.

Next to the playing card are several small flowers of different colors, and a little person holding a microphone.

Although the drawing wasn't very detailed, it took the children an entire afternoon to complete.

Zhao Jie sat at the back, looked at the playing card, then at the children eagerly waiting in the room, and a smile appeared on his face.

He took out his phone and glanced at the time, then reassured them, "Don't worry, Xiao Fan just messaged me. His show is still to come. I'll let you know in advance when it's almost his turn."

Xuanxuan immediately turned around: "Brother Jie, do you know what Brother Fan is going to sing?"

Zhao Jie shook his head: "He didn't say."

"That must be a new song!"

"Yes, Brother Xiaofan is the best at songwriting!"

"How about we call him after he finishes singing?"

"Yay! Yay!"

……

The children started discussing it again, chattering away.

Aunt Liu didn't stop them; she just sat beside them, smiling as she listened to their conversation.

Her gaze kept falling on the television screen.

Although she kept telling the children not to rush, only she knew that from the moment the Spring Festival Gala started, she had been thinking about this matter.

The child who used to follow behind her and couldn't even afford a new piece of clothing is now about to stand on the biggest stage in the country.

This feeling was both unreal and incredibly proud of her.

The television program continued.

Whenever the host walks onto the stage, the children instinctively sit up straight, hoping to hear that familiar name from the host.

Not once.

Neither twice.

But no one felt impatient.

For the people in this orphanage, there is only one most important program for the evening.

They were all waiting for Su Fan to appear.

Just as everyone was getting a little impatient, the TV host finally mentioned Su Fan's name.

However, the next singer introduced by the host was not Su Fan, but the Hanggai Band.

As the stage lights dimmed, song information appeared on the television screen.

Reincarnation

Performed by: Hanggai Band

Lyrics and music: Su Fan

Even so, the children in the yard cheered.