11. Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini

Why would we, the two of us, be so petty about this?!

It's April.

Spring in Beijing is shy, and the sunshine is not enough. Unlike lovers, there is only waiting and no end to the day.

The atmosphere inside the music room was more tense than outside the window.

The registration system for the international competition is now open.

The pre-selected videos are submitted online.

Participants must submit a video recording with a total length between 25 and 40 minutes, and the selection of music must demonstrate the contestant's comprehensive technical skills and musical depth.

Li Chi took this seriously and adopted a more rigorous approach than he usually did in his lectures.

Working overtime, they designed song lists for each of them. The order wasn't random; Li Chi carefully arranged the structure and flow of the pieces.

"The order of the pieces is your breath, your narrative. The opening must grab the audience, the middle must have layers and contrasts, and the ending must leave a lingering impression. You want the judges to forget they are judging for forty minutes, and instead follow your music on a journey, understanding the story you are telling," Li Chi said to the two, pointing to the arrangement.

Mazurka alone is annoying enough.

This dance, originating from the Polish countryside, has a unique rhythm, full of free tempo and tonal variations, making it difficult to grasp its essence.

Li Chi specially invited an old professor who studies Polish dance music to give a few short lessons, focusing on the rhythm and folk customs of the mazurka.

During that period, the small building was filled with both excitement and melancholy, the sound of a babbling brook and a sudden storm.

Liang Chuling and Li Xun were like two piano-practicing machines, spending all their time in the practice room except for eating and sleeping. Liang Chuling's fingers were still moving in bed when she woke up every day. Li Xun wasn't much better.

On the day of recording.

The audio and video recording team moved into the practice room to adjust the lighting angles and the recording equipment.

Liang Chuling felt that this was even more stressful than the live competition. Mistakes on stage could be attributed to one's condition, but flaws in the video recording would be permanently recorded and repeatedly reviewed by the judges.

There are always some unsatisfactory aspects to the recording process.

When the two finally passed the final take, not only they, but also Li Chi, who had been supervising the entire process, and the recording team who had been busy for several hours, all breathed a sigh of relief, having successfully completed this battle together.

Only when the submission was successful did Liang Chuling feel as if a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

The aftereffects of high-intensity training are also beginning to appear.

Liang Chuling felt discomfort in her wrists and the base of her thumbs in both hands, and her neck also hurt.

"What happened to your hand?" Li Xun asked.

"It's nothing, it's just a little sore." Liang Chuling didn't pay much attention to it; everyone who practices the piano has some quirks.

Li Xun wasn't fooled by her excuse: "Stretch out your hand."

Liang Chuling extended her right hand.

Li Xun held her wrist and pressed on the inside of her wrist and the area between her thumb and forefinger: "Here? Or here? Does it hurt?"

When she pressed a certain spot, Liang Chuling gasped.

"This could be a sign of early-stage tenosynovitis. You've been training too intensely lately, and your posture is also incorrect."

Liang Chuling then started to panic.

Li Xun was even more anxious than her, because tenosynovitis couldn't be cured.

He found a hand relaxation exercise and insisted that Liang Chuling do it. He also found a massage ball and shoved it into her hand: "Knead this when you have nothing to do to relax your muscles."

Over the next few days, whenever he saw her had a free moment, Li Xun would remind her, "Have you done the exercises? Have you squeezed the balls?"

They also check her posture and hand position, and correct her habits.

Liang Chuling was completely subdued by his control, groaning, "Li Xun, you're so annoying!" but she could only obediently do as he said. She also noticed that Li Xun would become more talkative when he was in a hurry.

"How do you know so much?" she asked while squeezing the massage ball.

Li Xun is helping her adjust the height of the music stand: "I used to practice too hard and almost got hurt myself."

After the preliminary rounds were submitted, Ms. Ma also received the news.

She called in a flurry: "Honey! I heard you submitted your competition video? You've worked so hard! Mom booked a flight to Switzerland for the day after tomorrow. Let's have a meal before I leave!"

In the restaurant, Liang Chuling was absent-minded.

Ms. Ma exclaimed "Oh!" and looked at Liang Chuling's neck.

Liang Chuling was wearing a crew neck sweater today, and a jade pendant was showing around her neck.

"Where did this come from? It doesn't look like something you would buy yourself."

Liang Chuling wanted to explain, "This is Li..."

"No need to report to Mom!" Ms. Ma interrupted her. "Young people, it's normal to have a few secrets!"

Ms. Ma's attention quickly shifted; she genuinely didn't care where the jade pendant came from.

"Mom will go buy you some jewelry in a little while."

"No need, Mom," Liang Chuling refused.

She is a student, she plays the piano, and she travels around a lot. For all these reasons, she is indeed not suitable for or used to wearing jewelry.

There's a pet shop in the mall's atrium, where kittens are beckoning customers through their cages.

"Look at that cat! How beautiful it is!" Madam tugged at Liang Chuling's sleeve. "Do you want Mom to buy you one too? To keep you company?"

The white, long-haired kitten tilted its head back, stretched out its paws, looking bewildered and frightening. Its white fur turned yellow, its paws became dirty, and it transformed into a filthy orange cat.

Liang Chuling's expression faded.

She found an orange cat on the street when she was in fourth grade. She treated its ailments, dewormed it, and gave it its first vaccination. At that time, her mother was on a plane home and had no idea that a new member had joined the family.

A month later, Liang Chuling had to go to another city to participate in an ensemble competition and had to leave home for a few days.

After much pleading, I entrusted the kitten to Ms. Ma, who had just arrived home, and begged her to take care of it and remember to take it to get the remaining vaccinations.

Ms. Ma readily agreed at the time.

But the next day, he forgot to close the door properly, and the kitten ran out and never came back.

Liang Chuling won the gold medal in the competition and went home in high spirits, only to be told "forgot" and "ran away".

Ms. Ma later offered to compensate her with a cat, the most expensive one available. Liang Chuling refused.

If it's not the one you picked up yourself, then it loses its meaning.

Seeing her resolute attitude, Ms. Ma never mentioned it again, as if the incident had never happened.

At this moment, however, he asked so naturally, "Would you like to buy one?"

It seems as if they've completely forgotten that there was once a little orange cat, a daughter who carefully entrusted her with their care, and the sadness that followed.

"No need. I'm very busy practicing the piano right now and don't have time to take care of her," Liang Chuling refused again.

The orange fur faded, and it turned back into a white-furred creature. The world's chaos slowly unfolded before its eyes.

Liang Chuling gave the cat a high five through the transparent plastic sheet.

Ms. Ma's attention was diverted again, and she looked at the counter next to her. Just like the suggestion she made years ago, it was just a fleeting thought that came to mind, light and without leaving a trace.

Looking at her mother's beautiful face, Liang Chuling felt that the world was not on her face.

After finishing her meal, Ms. Ma left, intending to give Liang Chuling a ride, but was refused again. This was the third time Liang Chuling had refused Ms. Ma. Ms. Ma still didn't take it to heart, said goodbye, and got into her car.

Liang Chuling walked out to a square where fountains flowed and crowds thronged like blooming flowers, chattering incessantly. But flowers eventually fade, and people dispersed in all directions.

This square will host many artists who bring their companions—props, instruments, microphones, children, animals, etc.—to perform. It's sure to be a popular spot.

Liang Chuling watched as an uncle who was playing and singing with a child left, and then watched as an aunt carrying an electronic keyboard came into view.

The aunt apologized, saying that her daughter was in charge of playing the piano, but her daughter had diarrhea and would come back later. However, since her daughter always sang at this time, she couldn't be late, so she sang a song a cappella first.

She sang a grassland song.

Some happy people danced along, and the air was filled with magic. The magic was that the lively music could make some people feel excited and happy, but it could also make others feel heavy and tortuous.

After finishing a song, the aunt's daughter still hadn't arrived, so the aunt sent a message, intending to say something more to appease the audience.

Liang Chuling quietly went over and patted the aunt on the shoulder, asking, "Let me play a song for your daughter first. What song is it?"

The aunt was surprised, then delighted, and then shy. She said it was an old love song, and asked the young lady if she minded.

Liang Chuling thought to herself, "What do I care about? Why would I care?"

She has strong sight-reading skills, so she found a score, familiarized herself with the instrument, and the performance began. With the support of the accompaniment, her singing was indeed more mellow.

After quickly finishing a piece, Liang Chuling handed over the role to her aunt's daughter, relinquishing her position to the professional.

Liang Chuling stepped back, and someone patted her on the shoulder.

Turning around, I saw Li Xun.

Li Xun spoke first, his eyes smiling: "You played well, little genius."

Liang Chuling looked left and right, searching for the nearest convenience store. She had eaten too much salt at noon and now wanted to drink water.

Once they found it, she grabbed Li Xun's arm and pulled him there without saying a word, asking as they walked, "Didn't you just say I played incredibly well?"

Li Xun was being pulled along by her, and deliberately teased her: "Did you add the word 'super' yourself?"

Liang Chuling shook his arm forcefully: "Hey! Why are you arguing about this between the two of us! Really! Ugh!"

At the convenience store, Liang Chuling put her water bottle on the counter, and Li Xun leisurely put his own bottle on the counter as well. He pointed to Liang Chuling at the cashier and said, "We're together, she'll pay for it too."

Liang Chuling couldn't believe it.

The cashier was speechless.

Li Xun: "Oh dear, why are you arguing about this between the two of us? Really!"

Liang Chuling: ...

She stormed out, her footsteps making a loud thud. Li Xun followed behind her, taking the bottle of water he had just opened and replacing the unopened one in her hand.

Liang Chuling tilted her head back and gulped down the bottle, emptying it in one go. She then wiped her mouth with the back of her hand with a flourish.

Li Xun clicked his tongue at the way she was guzzling the bottle, said nothing, and then unscrewed the bottle in his hand and handed it to her again.

Liang Chuling took the bottle and gulped it down again, this time finishing half of it.

Li Xun looked at her, his tone flat and indifferent: "That's great."

Liang Chuling: "...I'm awesome again, huh?"

Li Xun asked with a smile, "Where are we going later?"

Liang Chuling changed the subject, saying, "No one's home tonight."

Li Xun: "...?"

He looked at her, his eyes questioning.

Liang Chuling also felt it was a bit abrupt, and added, "I'm not sick right now."

Li Xun: "...?"

His eyes held a deeper confusion. So what? He really hadn't followed her train of thought. Was there any logical connection between these two sentences?

Enraged by his two consecutive silent question marks, Liang Chuling, in a fit of pique, blurted out her true intentions: "So, can I come to your house to play for a while?!"

No one who came would recognize it as a question.

Li Xun smiled as if sunlight had finally pierced through the clouds, and said slowly, "What's wrong with you just saying the last sentence?"

Liang Chuling exclaimed, "I'm just embarrassed!"

Li Xun nodded and gently patted the back of her head: "Don't be shy. The car's ready, let's go."

Upon returning home, Liang Chuling acted as if she were on her own turf, heading straight for the TV cabinet in the living room.

He opened the row of unopened game cartridges for Li Xun and pulled out a recently released action game.

"Wait a minute." Li Xun walked over, took the cartridge from her hand, flipped out the controller, paired it, and connected it to the TV. "Play it on the TV, the screen is bigger."

He explained that he was worried Liang Chuling would get discomfort in her hands, eyes, and neck from playing.

Liang Chuling thought he was being fussy, but she still took the handle and sat cross-legged on the carpet.

As the game loaded, Li Xun came over again, picked up a cushion from the sofa, and put it behind her back: "Use this as a cushion, your back will ache in a bit."

Liang Chuling gave a few perfunctory "uh-huh" responses.

Liang Chuling was engrossed in the game, pressing the buttons rapidly and swaying her body from side to side.

After playing for about twenty minutes, Li Xun saw Liang Chuling move her wrists, so he poured her a glass of water and placed it next to her. Then he took her right hand and massaged her wrist and the area between her thumb and forefinger.

"Ugh, aren't you annoying me?!" Liang Chuling was at a crucial moment when her hand was grabbed, almost causing her to make a mistake. She was so angry that she wanted to shake him off.

Li Xun didn't let go and continued pressing: "Preventing tenosynovitis."

Liang Chuling couldn't break free, so she had no choice but to let him press her buttons while keeping her eyes on the screen. She played the game and cursed at him at the same time. Li Xun found it a bit funny and didn't talk back.

He thought to himself, "Being scolded by her a few times won't hurt me."

A while later, the fruit delivery that Li Xun had ordered arrived. He also made a large bowl of fruit salad for Liang Chuling.

This time, Liang Chuling only picked out the cantaloupe to eat, ignoring the strawberries and blueberries.

Li Xun couldn't help but say, "Your tastes have become too limited. Didn't you eat strawberries last time?"

Liang Chuling: "I call this being devoted, you wouldn't understand."

Li Xun nodded: "Okay."

Seeing that she had almost finished picking out the cantaloupe from the bowl, Li Xun took a clean spoon and sat down next to her to eat the remaining large bowl of fruit salad that no longer contained the cantaloupe.

Liang Chuling glanced at him but said nothing.

After playing for an hour and a half, Li Xun felt that they couldn't continue like this, so he spoke to her gently, "Take a break? Your hands and eyes need a rest."

Liang Chuling's face fell.

She definitely wouldn't be happy if he forced her to rest, so he could only try to distract her. Li Xun had no choice but to coax her a little: "Would you like to hear something interesting?"

"What is that?"

"My music diary, and some of my compositions."

“Okay!” Liang Chuling immediately got up, even more eager than him.

The two entered Li Xun's room.

This room was not unfamiliar to Liang Chuling; she always slept here whenever she stayed overnight, but she had never touched his desk or computer.

Li Xun turned on his computer and opened a folder. Inside were numerous audio files, named very casually:

[March Rain Sounds]

The bicycle bell at the school gate

[Neighbor's Renovation]

Li Xun handed her the earphones and gestured for her to put them on.

Liang Chuling put on her headphones, and Li Xun opened the file named "March Rain Sounds".

First came the soft, steady sound of rain, tapping against the windowpane.

A few seconds later, piano notes joined in, mimicking the rhythm of raindrops.

I then clicked on the [car bell at the school gate].

Inside, there's a mix of bicycle bells and car engine sounds, occasionally interspersed with one or two high-pitched piano notes.

Next up is the renovation next door.

The sounds of electric drills and hammering were piercing, and Li Xun's experimental piano interludes were embedded in the rhythm of the noise, treating the renovation sounds as percussion instruments.

Finally, I opened a file that had been edited and wasn't specifically named. It contained a combination of several ambient sounds.

The sounds of rain, traffic, and laughter filled the air. Piano notes mingled with the sounds, rising and falling in a continuous rhythm.

Liang Chuling even heard the sound of a piano coming from the next room—it was her practicing.

Her performance, too, became part of the city's background music in his hands, equally included and presented poetically.

Liang Chuling sat motionless at Li Xun's desk, wearing headphones.

She heard the melody of a world she had never noticed before.

Her musical world is a palace built by great composers, which she strives to understand, interpret, and conquer.

Li Xun, however, seemed indifferent to those halls and palaces.

He crouched down, lay on the soil, pressed his ear to the ground, and listened to the chaotic yet vibrant pulse of the world. Then he plucked a few musical notes, which grew into a new heart.

She had always known that Li Xun had a good sense of humor, but only now did she truly understand where his talent lay.

Li Xun felt a little uncomfortable under her gaze: "What's wrong?"

"Li Xun, you're a true genius!"