Chapter 33 "So Dr. Chu cares so much about my throat?"

After trekking for nearly an hour, Gaduo Miao Village finally appeared in front of everyone.

Many villagers who had heard the news had already gathered in the open space at the entrance of the village, including men, women, young and old, with simple and curious smiles on their faces.

The leader was an energetic old man wearing traditional Miao clothing. He was the village party secretary of Gaduo Village.

"Welcome! Welcome to our Gaduo Village!" The village party secretary came up to us warmly, speaking in a loud but accented Mandarin. "You've had a hard journey! Come in and rest your feet. Have a cup of oil tea to relieve your fatigue!"

Dr. Li was obviously very familiar with the village party secretary, and they smiled and patted each other on the shoulders.

The people in the program crew also breathed a sigh of relief, smiled, and looked at this quaint Miao village curiously.

The village party secretary led everyone to a relatively open area in the center of the village.

A long, endless table stretched out, covered with a dark blue homespun cloth, stretching a full hundred meters. Benches lined both sides of the table, and a variety of dishes were already laid out.

"This is our Miao family's long table banquet, welcoming our most distinguished guests!" the village party secretary proudly introduced. "Everyone, please take a seat. Don't be shy!"

This grand and simple welcome ceremony flattered everyone in the program team.

Chu Yi was seated near the main table, with Doctor Li and the village party secretary sitting next to him. Zhou Ai was seated slightly further away from him, separated from him by the bustling crowd and the steaming heat.

The dining atmosphere was also very warm. The villagers were very hospitable and kept using public chopsticks to pick up food for everyone and introduced the origins and eating methods of various dishes.

Xie Mo made full use of his expertise as a host, making witty remarks and making everyone laugh.

Zhou Jiashu and Qin Yaoyao raved about the sour soup fish, while Gu Jinyi chatted with the village party secretary and Doctor Li about the local customs and practices.

Although Zhou Ai's face was still a little pale, it seemed that the antipyretic had taken effect and he felt much better.

The atmosphere at the long table banquet was lively, and the villagers took turns to toast, their enthusiasm hard to resist.

Zhou Ai had moved to the empty seat next to Chu Yi and sat down. Although there was still a little distance between them, they were side by side.

The village party secretary walked up to Zhou Ai with a wine bowl in his hand, his face flushed, and said in Mandarin with a strong rural accent: "Teacher Zhou! Distinguished guest from afar! You must try our homemade rice wine, it's very sweet but not intoxicating! Come, fill it up!" As he said that, he was about to pour the clear rice wine in the jug in his hand into the earthen bowl in front of Zhou Ai.

The people around were laughing and cheering, and the cameras were focused on this passionate scene.

Just as the wine was about to be poured into the bowl, a slender hand with distinct knuckles suddenly stretched out and placed it over the bowl, separating it from the wine pot.

The atmosphere froze for a moment.

Everyone's attention, including the cameraman's lens, instantly focused on the hand that suddenly appeared - it was Chu Yi.

The village party secretary paused pouring the wine and looked at Chu Yi in confusion.

Zhou Ai also raised his eyebrows slightly, turned his head and looked at Chu Yi's hand that was blocking his wine bowl. The back of his hand was slightly tense due to the force, and the knuckles were white.

Zhou Ai's eyes slowly moved upwards and fell on Chu Yi's slightly tense profile.

Only then did Chu Yi realize what he had done.

He was just acting subconsciously. Zhou Ai was probably still running a low-grade fever, having only recently taken the antipyretic. Drinking alcohol was definitely not appropriate for her. Alcohol would burden the body and could even cause adverse reactions.

Being watched by the entire audience, even the normally composed Chu Yi couldn't avoid a subtle blush spreading across his ears. He withdrew his hand, feeling it was burning.

He cleared his throat and tried to explain, "He...he's a singer." Chu Yi's eyes wandered, not daring to look at Zhou Ai's startlingly bright eyes. He could only explain to the village party secretary and Doctor Li, his tone full of seriousness that only made it more obvious, "His voice...needs protection. He's not suitable for drinking."

As soon as this explanation came out, the scene was quiet for a second, and then broke into even more enthusiastic laughter.

"Hahaha! Doctor Chu is so considerate!" Xie Mo was the first to react. He slapped his thigh and laughed, with something hidden in his words.

"Oh~~~ I understand! A singer's voice is precious!" The surrounding villagers also laughed good-naturedly.

Doctor Li also smiled and nodded: "Yes, yes, yes, Doctor Chu is really thoughtful!"

The playful smile on Zhou Ai's face deepened. He leaned back slightly, leisurely looking at Chu Yi's increasingly reddening earlobes. He spoke slowly, his voice slightly hoarse from the fever just subsiding. "So, Doctor Chu is so concerned about my throat?"

He deliberately emphasized the word "throat".

Chu Yi: “…”

For the first time in his life, Chu Yi felt that the more he explained, the worse the situation became. He was not good at dealing with this kind of situation, and now he felt even more helpless.

He kept a straight face and tried to maintain his calmness. He took the wine pot from the village secretary and poured himself a bowl.

Seeing this, the village party secretary, who was also a shrewd man, immediately laughed and tried to smooth things over: "Okay, okay, then don't drink alcohol, drink tea instead! Teacher Zhou, Doctor Chu is right, protect your voice and sing more good songs for us in the future!" As he said that, he replaced Zhou Ai's voice with tea.

Zhou Ai picked up the teacup and gently touched it to Chu Yi's wine bowl beside him. Then he raised the teacup in his hand, gestured to the village party secretary, and drank it all in one gulp.

The atmosphere at the long table banquet was becoming increasingly heated. Someone started it, but several Miao women in their best clothes stood up and sang the Miao toast song.

The singing was clear and high-pitched, with the simplicity and passion of the mountains, instantly infecting everyone.

Then several Miao men took out their special musical instruments and joined the ensemble.

As the cheerful and rhythmic music sounded, the whole village seemed to be immersed in a festive atmosphere.

An old man smiled and handed Zhou Ai a local stringed instrument with a simple shape and a shiny body. He warmly invited her in his accented Mandarin, "Dear guest, would you like to try it too?"

Zhou Ai raised an eyebrow, but didn't refuse, accepting it without hesitation. His slender fingers curiously plucked the strings, producing a few discordant notes.

Seeing this, the village party secretary came over enthusiastically, his sturdy fingers tracing the strings as he taught him the most basic string positions and plucking rhythms. "Teacher Zhou, that's it, very simple. Give it a try!"

To everyone's surprise, Zhou Ai's musical talent was fully on display. He simply listened intently to the village secretary's explanation and watched the villagers demonstrate. His hands, which had previously been casually plucking the strings, suddenly seemed to be infused with a soul.

He adjusted the way he held the zither, and his fingertips seemingly casually brushed across the strings, and a series of smooth and ethnic-style notes jumped out. Although simple, they accurately hit the rhythm points of the original music, without any sense of incongruity.

"Wow! Teacher Zhou, you are so awesome!" Qin Yaoyao couldn't help but exclaim.

"You know it now?" Zhou Jiashu also widened his eyes.

Xie Mo smiled and clapped: "As expected of a professional musician!"

The program's executive director's eyes lit up, and he immediately seized this golden opportunity. Holding the megaphone, he suggested, "Teacher Zhou, it seems you have a connection with this instrument! Would you like to give us an impromptu performance? A fusion of modern and traditional elements!"

This proposal immediately received a warm response from the audience, and everyone's eyes were focused on Zhou Ai.

Zhou Ai curled his lips into a smile, raised his hand and neatly unbuttoned his shirt jacket, then took it off casually, revealing the pure white short-sleeved T-shirt underneath.

Then he naturally tied the shirt around his waist and made a knot, which perfectly tightened his waistline, made his shoulders look broader and his legs longer, and made him look more casual and unrestrained.

The midday sun was shining brightly in the mountains. Zhou Ai casually brushed back some of the scattered silver-gray hair on her forehead, revealing her smooth forehead and impeccable delicate eyebrows and eyes.

Those peach blossom eyes appeared even deeper in the sunlight, with a hint of laziness and concentration.

Zhou Ai took the distinctive harp again and tried a couple of notes. Amidst the crowd's expectant gazes, he looked around, his eyes finally settling on a simple, half-man-high stone terrace at the edge of the field.

He held the piano in one hand, took two running steps, pushed off with his feet, and with one hand, he flipped over and jumped onto the platform in an extremely graceful and neat manner.

"Wow--!"

The audience burst into exclamations instantly, especially the young staff members of the program team and the villagers, who were all amazed by this sudden and handsome action.

Chu Yi stood in the crowd, looking at the person on the platform who seemed to be glowing.

Zhou Ai stood on a high place, with the background of rolling green hills and the blue sky. The mountain breeze blew the strands of hair on his forehead and the hem of his shirt around his waist.

He tilted his head slightly, tuned the strings, then raised his eyes and glanced at the people in the audience, with a faint smile on his lips.

At that moment, Chu Yi recalled the time he went to see Zhou Ai's first concert after his debut. He was younger than he is now, but his singing voice and musical talent were one in a million.

So some people are born to be on stage.

Even though the stage is just a simple stone platform in a Miao village deep in the mountains, and the instrument is just an unfamiliar folk stringed instrument, Zhou Ai is still the superstar who can control the stage and shine brightly.

Zhou Ai lowered his head as the sunlight poured down from his profile. His fingertips gently plucked the strings of the zither, and a brand new melody that incorporated the Miao music elements he had just learned but also had a distinct personal style flowed out from his fingertips.

The rhythm is brisk and the melody is catchy, with both the ethereal feeling of the mountains and the rhythm of modern music.

He hummed a few lines of a tune without specific lyrics. His voice was still a little hoarse from illness, but it unexpectedly fit the atmosphere of this impromptu song.

Everyone was immersed in this unexpected and unexpected performance. The photographers frantically captured every angle, knowing that this was definitely the highlight of the show.

Chu Yi looked up at Zhou Ai on the high platform, looked at his profile as he concentrated on playing the piano, looked at the corners of his clothes blown by the wind, and looked at his figure that seemed to be integrated with the magnificent mountains and rivers behind him. For a moment, he could not take his eyes away.

My heart seemed to skip a beat amid the cheers and music around me.