12. Brandenburg Concerto

She's curious, she's curious.

Good times don't last forever.

The first meaning of this sentence is: Liang's father has returned.

With an air of trying to regain control, Liang's father wanted to move back into what was nominally his home.

Before I even got home, the message was already delivered: I called my mom, who was still out and about, and told her to hurry home too, because what kind of behavior is it for her to be out all day!

When I'm out having a good time, I feel that this polite family atmosphere is just right, with each person not interfering with the other and each being independent.

Now, when I crave the warmth of family, I think about what this home should have been like.

I don't think it's because I changed my mind too quickly; I just feel like I was powerless to control my own destiny.

Men always feel they have no control over their own lives.

When Ms. Ma received the call, she just scoffed and said to the person next to her, "It must be that the woman outside dumped him, and that's why he remembered he still has a wife and children at home."

A middle-aged man whose heart is not in his family to begin with, who has suffered setbacks outside and returned home dejectedly, is not coming back to offer love and warmth, but rather to receive something in return.

Like a vampire, he needs this space to fill the void in his damaged self-esteem and emptiness.

Despite her complaints, Ms. Ma still booked the fastest flight back.

When I got back, I told my daughter that she was prepared to endure some hardship.

Liang Chuling dismissed it: "How could that be? Isn't it a good thing that Dad is coming back?"

I secretly thought that my mother was judging my father by her own standards!

It was Ms. Ma who didn't want her family to be reunited and harmonious, which affected her life with those sun and moon spirits!

Liang Chuling had a naive idea that made her blush: her father had decided to change his ways and return to the family.

Dad is back, and Mom is back too.

This home will become a perfect and complete home, just like everyone else's.

Thinking deeper into her heart, the "other people's home" she considered—Li Xun's home—was not, in the conventional sense, another kind of "other people's home."

But she couldn't bring herself to think about it too deeply.

Madam pinched Liang Chuling's cheek: "It's okay, you'll understand." She stretched and added, "Mom is also open-minded. I have money, free time, and a daughter. Let him play the role of a loving father and filial son if he wants to."

When Liang's father returned, he first said to Aunt Zhang, who came to greet him, "Iron all my suits."

Then he called Liang Chuling downstairs, "Chuling, Daddy's back, why aren't you coming over?"

Liang Chuling went downstairs, and her father came over and sat heavily beside her, the sofa sinking in. He sighed deeply, "It's so much more comfortable at home. Chuling, could you get Dad a glass of water? Dad has a headache."

This is the opening scene of Liang's father returning home.

Ms. Ma was not surprised. She came over, put her arm around her daughter, and sat down on the other side: "Perfect timing, give me your opinion on the new scarf you bought."

Mr. Liang frowned: "All you know how to do is buy these useless things."

Ms. Ma didn't seem to care, and wrapped the silk scarf around Liang Chuling's neck, gesturing with it: "How is it useless? It's useful if it makes you happy, honey. Don't you think this color is pretty?"

Liang Chuling nodded awkwardly.

At dinner, Mr. Liang didn't have much of an appetite. He ate a few bites and then put the food down, looking at Liang Chuling: "Chuling, do you think Dad has lost weight?"

Liang Chuling looked up at her father's face, which hadn't changed much, and asked uncertainly, "Huh? No, right? Is there?"

"Yes, Dad has lost a lot of weight."

This was as if the floodgates of his outpouring of emotions had been opened.

He laments the troubles of business, the unreliability of partners, and the difficulties of projects. The whole world seems to be against him. He has no one to confide in.

Liang Chuling was forced to listen and dared not move.

It was rare for her father to show such vulnerability, and she felt a little lost, unsure of how to comfort him.

I felt like nothing I said was right, so I could only nod like a quail trying to find the right rhythm.

For example, she doesn't like eating candy, but she will accept it if someone offers it to her.

So Mr. Liang patted her shoulder with even more emotion: "Daughters are the best, they are Dad's little darlings. You are always so good, only you know how hard Dad works."

Mr. Liang reached out to touch her head again, but Liang Chuling dodged it. He was naturally displeased, "Now you don't even want to be close to your father?"

Ms. Ma exclaimed, pointing out the window, "Look! Isn't a bird hitting the glass?"

Liang Chuling seized the opportunity: "Dad, Mom, I'm done eating, you two take your time."

Behind him, Liang's father exclaimed, "This child!"

Ms. Ma soothed her lightly, "Let her be. Here, have some soup. This soup has been simmering all afternoon."

Liang Chuling dared not admit that she no longer wanted to stay at home, after all, she was the one who had hoped for her father to come home just a few days ago.

Every day after dinner, she would have the driver take her to the school's music room to practice, saying it was just a habit—which wasn't a lie, as she used to get along better with the school's piano.

The journey wasn't long, but it was tiring. However, she felt relaxed.

Playing the piano is a proper thing to do, but it's not Liang's father's proper thing to do, so it doesn't count as a proper thing.

Liang Chuling relaxed for two days, but her father, citing the exhaustion of her trips back and forth and his concern for her, insisted that she return home to practice the piano.

Honestly, if all else fails, Liang Chuling simply can't bring herself to buy the piano from the school's practice room...

On the first night she practiced the piano at home, her father suddenly pushed open the door while she was practicing. He stood by and listened for a while, then offered his insightful opinions. After giving her pointers, he praised her for playing well. After praising her, he said, "I didn't pursue music when I was young, otherwise I would have played better than you."

Liang Chuling, utterly bewildered, asked her father to leave.

Half an hour after asking him to leave, Mr. Liang pushed the door open again, holding up his phone to record a video: "Come on, play one of your best pieces for Dad, I'll send it to Mr. Wang! His daughter also learns the piano."

With an exclamation mark on her forehead, Liang Chuling asked her father to leave again.

Half an hour after asking him to leave, Liang's father pushed the door open for the third time, carrying a cup of hot milk: "Chuling, don't overwork yourself, take care of your health!"

Liang Chuling: ...

After finishing her piano practice and coming out to get some water, she saw Liang's father looking through the competition repertoire she had placed on the coffee table, pointing and poking at it with his fingers.

“This one,” Mr. Liang said in a tone that said, ‘Although I haven’t studied it, I know it very well,’ “it needs to have a strong presence! That’s what the judges will love!”

Liang Chuling didn't say anything, took her water glass and was about to leave, but was pulled back for a heart-to-heart talk.

She really couldn't understand how a middle-aged man could have so many unresolved worries!

The next day, Liang's father had arranged to play golf, but due to a fatal incident at the course, he had to cancel at the last minute. On a whim, wanting to be a loving father, he personally drove to pick up his daughter from class. When he arrived downstairs at Li Chiqin's apartment, he didn't see Liang Chuling there, but instead saw her and Li Xun walking out of a nearby snack shop side by side.

Each of them held a drink in their hand. Liang Chuling was gesturing as she spoke, while Li Xun turned his head to listen, a smile on his face.

On the way home, Mr. Liang asked, gripping the steering wheel, "Is that boy Li Chi's son?"

"Hmm." Liang Chuling didn't want to talk more.

"You always play with him during class?"

“We are practicing the piano.” Liang Chuling emphasized the word “practicing the piano.”

"Practicing the piano? He's not as good as you, is he? He got in through connections. He doesn't look like someone who's honest about playing the piano. I think Li Chi isn't honest either, so how can he raise an honest son? How many artists are truly upright?" Father Liang didn't realize he was also insulting his daughter.

Liang Chuling didn't realize that these words were also cursing her. First, she couldn't stand his slander of Li Chi and Li Xun.

"What makes you say that about Teacher Li Chi and Li Xun? You don't understand them at all."

"I don't need to know, I've seen plenty. Those artists are just superficially aloof. How old are you? Do you know what the wickedness of the human heart is? Let me tell you, stay away from that kid."

Liang Chuling trembled with anger: "Li Chi is my teacher, and Li Xun is my friend! Don't talk nonsense here!"

"What teacher, what friend, I'm your father! I'm doing this for your own good!"

"Does 'for my own good' mean using my birthday as a password for your lover's photo album? You say Teacher Li Chi is dishonest, but I ask you, are you honest?" Liang Chuling was furious.

Father Liang's face turned from red to green, then to white, and the veins on the back of his hands bulged. He hadn't expected Liang Chuling to know about this, and he certainly hadn't expected her to expose him at this moment.

"What nonsense are you spouting!" he maintained his authority.

"You know in your heart whether I'm lying or not." Liang Chuling was so upset by the argument that she felt short of breath. She unconsciously raised her hand and grasped the jade pendant around her neck. It was icy cold, but it seemed as if a force flowed into her body, and she miraculously calmed down a little.

When the car arrived at the door, Madam Ma was waiting there. She opened the back door, picked up her daughter and put her on the ground. She patted Liang Chuling's shoulder and said in an exaggeratedly surprised tone, "You have such dark circles under your eyes. You'll sleep with Mom tonight. I'll watch over you while you sleep. No staying up late."

Ms. Ma's words came out of nowhere and strayed from the core of the argument.

Mr. Liang, his voice choked with anger, snapped at his mother, "What are you meddling in for!"

Ms. Ma immediately withdrew her hand, feigning grievance: "Alright, alright, you two should stop talking. Let's eat."

Helpless, Liang's father was unable to vent his anger, and Liang Chuling also lost the energy to continue arguing.

During the meal, Ms. Ma tried to change the subject, but the conversation returned to the international competition.

Mr. Liang was easily manipulated by his mother, nodding repeatedly: "Chuling, I really made a big promise to everyone for this competition. You can do it."

Liang Chuling suddenly wanted to tease him, saying, "But I'm actually quite unsure."

Liang's father immediately glared at him and said coldly, "No confidence? If you're not confident, then practice! We've spent so much money training you and hiring the best teachers. Didn't Li Chi say you have talent? How can you say you're not confident!"

Liang Chuling was too lazy to reply and buried herself in her food. The thorn had stuck back into her own body.

That evening, Liang Chuling had just finished chatting with Li Xun when there was a knock on the door.

"Chu Ling, are you asleep?" came Liang's father's voice.

Liang Chuling placed her phone screen face down on the table: "Not yet."

Before she could reply, Liang's father had already pushed open the door, carrying a plate of fruit. Liang Chuling glanced at it; Aunt Zhang had cut it. Liang's father put down the fruit, pulled up a chair, and sat down, his gaze falling on the sheet music in front of her.

"Still looking at sheet music? Don't work too hard." His tone was unusually gentle as he forked a piece of mango and handed it to her. "Eat some fruit to replenish your vitamins."

Liang Chuling didn't take it; she didn't like mangoes at all: "I'll eat the cantaloupe."

Mr. Liang pushed the fruit plate a little closer to her, displeased, and said, "What's so good about cantaloupe?"

Liang Chuling ignored him, wondering what he was up to.

Sure enough, Mr. Liang sighed and said in a heartfelt tone, "Chuling, Dad knows that I was too busy with work before and didn't spend enough time with you. It was Dad's fault."

“Look at you now, Dad’s back, just wanting to make it up to you. Business dealings, all the pretense and politeness, it’s exhausting. Only when I come home and see you do I feel at ease. You know your mother, her heart isn’t with the family.” Father Liang’s voice was low, implying that only father and daughter were on the same side. “You’re all I can count on. You’re so sensible and outstanding, your greatest pride. From now on, Dad will spend more time with you, and you should talk to Dad more, okay? Don’t always be alone in your room, or always with irrelevant people.”

Liang Chuling put down the cantaloupe she had only taken a bite of: "Dad, I'm a little sleepy."

The warmth on Mr. Liang's face vanished, replaced by a new expression: "Alright, then you should get some rest. My company has an important reception the day after tomorrow, and many business partners will be bringing their families. You should come with me and let them all see how outstanding my daughter is."

Liang Chuling couldn't avoid the party, of course. Her mother, however, was quite enthusiastic, making her try on several dresses.

The cocktail party was a scene of elegant ladies and swaying glasses, with toasts flowing freely.

Mr. Liang, beaming with pride, always brought Liang Chuling with him, introducing her to everyone he met: "This is my daughter, she plays the piano, and she's currently studying with Teacher Li Chi. She's that incredibly talented pianist!"

Everyone responded with "Oh~ Oh~," their expressions feigned surprise, their eyes revealing little real understanding. They were unfamiliar with the classical music scene and didn't know who Li Chi was. They merely echoed polite phrases: "Amazing! Amazing! A great teacher produces a great student! Mr. Liang, you're amazing too, like father, like daughter! It's all thanks to Mr. Liang's excellent training!"

Liang Chuling didn't care; this was perfectly normal. Even masters in the classical music world weren't as famous as third-tier celebrities.

But a man who looked to be around fifty years old and had a calm demeanor suddenly interrupted and asked, "Miss Liang, are you learning piano from Li Chi?" His question was not just a polite formality like the others'; it seemed to be a way of seeking confirmation.

Mr. Liang smiled calmly and nodded, then glanced at Liang Chuling beside him, indicating that she should answer this discerning person herself.

Liang Chuling had no choice but to nod to the uncle and reply, "Yes, uncle."

The uncle nodded knowingly: "I don't know much about your circle either. But a friend of mine has a child who is exceptionally good at playing the piano, and I heard he's planning to go back to China to develop his career. He asked me about you during a dinner party a while ago."

The information was vague, probably intended to provoke her into asking questions. But Liang Chuling was incredibly annoyed and had absolutely no interest in her friend's child. She just thought it was another form of politeness and replied with a polite remark, "Haha, that's impressive."

Seeing that she wasn't interested, the uncle didn't say anything more, just smiled and then turned to chat with Liang's father about other topics.

This incident was quickly forgotten, and Liang Chuling didn't take it to heart, simply considering it one of countless useless social conversations at the party.

Mr. Liang thoroughly enjoyed the moment, putting his arm around his daughter's shoulder and accepting everyone's praise. He was so proud that he even had Liang Chuling play a piece on the piano at the venue.

Midway through, Liang Chuling went to the restroom and heard her father's anxious voice coming from the hallway outside. He was on the phone: "Are you sure? The results are out? Don't make a fuss yet. I'll come over after I finish dealing with things here. Keep her calm and don't let her cause trouble."

Liang Chuling leaned against the inner wall, and only came out of the bathroom after the footsteps outside had faded away.

Back in the banquet hall, Liang's father saw her and beckoned her over. Liang Chuling walked over, looking at her father's smiling face, and wondered what the result was.

But before asking the question, she asked herself: Do I really want to know? Am I really curious?

No, I don't want to know, I'm not curious.

She wasn't actually curious about many things, a fact that Li Chi had criticized her for many times.

Actually, no, she gets curious too.

I'm curious why Li Chi likes Brendel; why he chose teaching instead of releasing records and going on tour; why he became a teacher; and why he said that modern people can no longer create classical music.

She was curious.

She was curious why Li Xun didn't idolize music; why he liked strawberries; why he never got angry; and why he gave her the feeling of being wrapped in a blanket on a rainy night.

She was curious; she was curious.