"It's you. Remember to let your hair down before you go to bed. Sleeping with it tied up tight on your scalp will block blood circulation." Ning Tang patted her little butt. "Good girl, the day after tomorrow? I'm going to perform."
Erniu pouted and said, "Okay."
Ning Tang took a piece of blue cloth and said, "Xin Lan, make me a blue bow tie."
"One? We have to make two." If we only give it to the eldest child and not the third child, he will probably make a fuss.
Ning Tang: "It's not for them, it's for Dahu. Dawa said that during the performance, he and Dahu will stand next to each other. Then one will have a red bow tie and the other a blue bow tie, which will complement each other."
Zeng Xinlan smiled and said, "Okay, I'll make one right away."
That night, when Chen Lie returned, he saw the newly dressed little girl and two naughty monkeys wearing red bow ties. "Wow, a complete upgrade!"
The eldest child's mouth twitched. "Dad, can you speak?"
Chen Lie: "No, come here and teach me."
The eldest child made a face at him and said, "Dad, I'm not a child anymore. How can I be fooled so easily?" He patted the third child and said, "You're almost the same as me."
Sanwa puffed up his cheeks and said, "Brother!"
On the morning of June 1st, the three little ones got up early.
Ning Tang was woken up by the three of them: "Why are you up so early? Doesn't the school anniversary party start at 7 o'clock in the evening? By the way, what time do you go to school?"
The eldest child said, "We are so excited that we can't sleep."
Erniu said, "Let's gather at school at four o'clock in the afternoon."
"Four o'clock?" Chen Lie said, "Then let's have dinner early today, at half past three."
Ning Tang said, "Eat at 3:30. You'll be hungry by then. Erniu is lucky. She's the first one in her class to perform, so she can still eat after the performance. But Dawei and Sanwa are in trouble. One performance is in the middle, and the other is at the end. They'll be hungry for a long time."
The eldest child had a gloomy face. "Then I'll put some snacks in my pocket and eat them when I'm hungry."
"Eating snacks will only make you hungrier," Ning Tang said. "Well, I'll make you some rice balls this afternoon. You can bring them to school and eat them when you're hungry."
"What is a rice ball?" asked Sanwa.
"It's just dry rice with some braised pork, or beans, eggplant, and dried radish wrapped in it, and rolled into a ball. It's called a rice ball." Ning Tang explained to him.
However, once such rice balls are taken out, the aroma will probably overflow, making a group of children greedy.
By then, everyone will be staring at the eldest, second, and third kids eating rice balls and drooling, so they won't have the energy to perform.
Ning Tang simply said, "But today I plan to make you another kind of rice balls, seaweed sesame rice balls."
Sprinkle the white rice with finely chopped seaweed sheets, then sprinkle some roasted white sesame seeds on it, mix well and mix well. This seaweed sesame rice ball looks inconspicuous, tastes good, can fill your stomach, and is not afraid of getting cold.
After a simple lunch at noon, the three little ones’ minds were not on eating, but on the school anniversary party.
At three o'clock in the afternoon, Ning Tang started making seaweed sesame rice balls.
Cook a pot of dry rice. When the rice is almost cool, scoop a spoonful of rice into a bowl, sprinkle with shredded seaweed first, then sprinkle with white sesame seeds, stir evenly and roll into a ball.
Ning Tang made each seaweed sesame rice ball the size of a ping-pong ball.
If it's too big, I'm afraid of choking; if it's too small, I'm afraid I won't be full. This size is just right, I can eat one in one bite.
After it was done, Ning Tang asked the three children to taste one each, "Try and see if it tastes good."
Erniu took a bite. The crispy seaweed, the fragrant sesame seeds, and the soft and glutinous rice blended together, it was so delicious that she couldn't help but finish it in a few bites. She held out her hand and said, "Mom, I want more."
The eldest and third children said the same thing. "It's delicious. One more."
Ning Tang gave each of the three of them one, "Just eat one more, and I'll put it in an aluminum lunch box later. You can take it to school and eat it when you're hungry."
It was almost four o'clock, and Ning Tang quickly sped up his work, stuffing the seaweed sesame rice balls into the aluminum lunch box. The aluminum lunch box had a large space, and one aluminum lunch box could hold about ten rice balls. If the three little ones couldn't finish them, they could share them with their friends.
As for Da Wa, Ning Tang packed another box for him, which was for Da Hu.
At exactly four o'clock, after sending off the three little ones with their backpacks filled with aluminum lunch boxes and military water bottles, Ning Tang and Chen Lie slowly began to cook, preparing to eat before going to school.
The two of them are different from the eldest, second and third children. The eldest and third children have to perform a show and have to rehearse in advance, so the parents just need to arrive on time.
After dinner, Ning Tang instructed Shen Lie, "Aren't there some pastries and snacks in the chest of drawers that Political Commissar Zhao gave us earlier? Take them out. We'll take them to the school anniversary party and eat them while we watch."
Shen Lie said, "We need to fill two more pots of water and get two more mats."
They have three children, and the performance runs through the entire school anniversary party. The two of them have to sit there all night, and their butts hurt just thinking about it.
When they arrived at school, the eldest, second and third daughters went their separate ways.
Erniu wore the little red dress Ning Tang made for her today, and had her hair tied in a 'Wanjun hairstyle'. Her two shiny black braids were tied with red ribbons, making her look like a little red butterfly. Wherever she flew, she attracted everyone's attention.
Ye Fangfang touched Erniu's skirt enviously, "Erniu, you look so beautiful today."
Erniu smiled widely. "It looks good, doesn't it? My mom asked Aunt Xinlan to make the dress for me, and she did my hair for me."
Ye Fangfang touched Erniu's 'Wanjun hair' again and said, "Your hair looks really nice. Can you ask your mother to help me with my hair?"
Erniu nodded without hesitation, "Of course, you're my best friend." Xiang Xiang added, "Next time you come to my house, I'll ask my mom to tie it for you. I can even lend you the red ribbon."
Ye Fangfang held out her pinky finger, "It's a deal then, pinky promise."
"Handshake." Erniu said.
Teacher An came over and first praised Erniu, saying that she looked particularly good today, and then said, "Chen Ya, our class will go on stage today. You will be the first to speak. Don't be afraid, the teacher is behind you."
Erniu shook her head, revealing two sweet dimples on her face, and said in a crisp voice, "Teacher, don't worry, I'm not afraid."
Teacher An was surprised. During the recent practice, Erniu's performance was indeed getting better and better, and she didn't look nervous at all.
Erniu told Teacher An about the 'radish and cabbage' method Ning Tang taught her, "...Teacher An, when you're scared, just imagine the audience as radishes and cabbages, and then you won't be nervous at all."
Like now, she sees Teacher An as just a potato.
Erniu shook her head and sighed like a grown-up. Now she couldn't be nervous even if she wanted to.
Teacher An pondered Erniu's words, her eyes lighting up. "Your mother's idea is good."
He waved over the rest of the class and taught them the "radish and vegetables" method. "...When you get on stage later, if you get nervous, just treat the audience as radishes and vegetables."
Zhou Lingzhi scratched his head and asked Erniu, "Erniu, does this method work?"
Erniu said, "Of course it works. I've been trying it for a long time. Just keep repeating to yourself, 'It's all just radish, ...
Zhou Lingzhi nodded and said through gritted teeth, "Okay, then I'll try."
He did as Erniu said and glanced at the audience. Some parents and leaders had arrived early, and now there were quite a few people sitting in the audience in groups of three or four. He imagined these people as radishes and vegetables, closed his eyes, and silently said in his heart, radishes and vegetables, radishes and vegetables.
When he opened his eyes, there was no one in the audience. Only carrots, tomatoes, potatoes, and eggplants remained. Zhou Lingzhi jumped up on the spot, "It really works."
Erniu waved her hand. "It'll only work for a while. If you're not paying attention, it'll be gone. So you have to practice more. Anyway, just imagine you're singing to a bunch of people, and you won't be nervous."
With the success story of Zhou Lingzhi, more and more people are beginning to learn the "carrot and green vegetable" method.
A group of kids, with their fists clenched tightly, stared at the audience and started to shout, "Carrots, carrots, greens!"
Occasionally, a parent would pass by and hear their mumbling. They almost sprained their ankle and shook their head. These kids were probably about to perform and were so nervous that they were going crazy.
At half past five, Da Wa began to feel hungry. He took out an aluminum lunch box and a military water bottle from his bag and said, "Da Hu, this is for you."
"What is this?" Dahu took it and opened it. "Is it food?"
"Yes, my mom made some seaweed sesame rice balls. You get one box, and I get one." The eldest child shook the military canteen. "There are only three military canteens in my house. One for me, one for Erniu, and one for Sanwa. I don't have many left for you, but you can drink with me."
Dahu picked up a seaweed sesame rice ball with his chopsticks, his eyes lit up, "Delicious!"
"Hey, it's delicious, isn't it?" said the eldest child. "It's worth it that I carried it all the way from home. It's really heavy."
The blue tie was a bit too tight around his neck, making it difficult to eat. Dahu relaxed and said, "Thank goodness you brought food. I thought we'd have to go to the poetry recitation on empty stomachs."
The eldest child laughed: "Then you can't even hear the sound of our poetry recitation. You can only hear, 'Gu~Gu~Gu.'"
"What's that 'gu~gu~gu' sound?" asked Da Hu.
The eldest child said, "Silly, that's the sound of our stomachs growling because we're hungry. Let me imitate it for you again, gurgling, gurgling, gurgling."
Da Hu was amused by him and laughed out loud. "No, no, it should be like this. Listen to me and see the magnificent mountains and rivers of China. Gu~, praise the strength of our motherland. Gu~, let's recite one sentence at a time."
"Hahahahaha." The two children burst into laughter.
While chatting and laughing, I finished two boxes of rice balls. I didn't dare drink too much water for fear of having to go to the toilet.
It was a little after six o'clock, the sun had set early, and the sky was already filled with orange-red sunset glow.
Chen Lie and Ning Tang leisurely carried a small stool, a mat, cakes, snacks and drinks, and walked slowly from their home to Hailang Island Primary School.
The school gate was completely jammed with people. Ning Tang exclaimed, "There are quite a few people here. Even more people came than when we had open-air movies in the threshing ground before."
"It's a party, and everyone is coming to watch the fun. I don't know if there will be enough seats." Shen Lie said.
As he spoke, he squeezed into the school.
"Xiao Ning, here!" Zeng Xinlan had sharp eyes and saw Ning Tang and Shen Lie at a glance.
Ning Tang and Shen Lie squeezed in front of her, and Zeng Xinlan moved two seats for them, "You sit here."
Chen Lie put the stool down and spread the mat on it. "People? More than I imagined."
Captain Qi said, "That's right. If the school hadn't designated an area for us parents, we wouldn't even have a place to sit." He pointed to the back and said, "Look, so many people are standing in the back. You two are smart, you brought stools. Otherwise, even if you got a seat up front, you'd still have to squat or sit on the floor to watch."
Ning Tang grabbed a handful of dried mangoes and gave them to Zeng Xinlan. "Has Sister Luo come yet? And where are Su Fen and the others? Why aren't they here?"
Zeng Xinlan took the dried mango and took a bite. It was sour and sweet. "Sufen and Pan Tong are over there. I didn't see anyone else. Sister Luo should be here soon. I saved a seat for her."
Speak of the devil, and here comes Mrs. Luo, carrying a small stool. "What's up? What's up? Am I late? Has the show started yet?"
Ning Tang moved a seat for her, "Sister-in-law, come closer." He glanced at his watch, "The show hasn't started yet. It's only 6:40. It starts at 7 o'clock."
Mrs. Luo looked up and squinted her eyes, "Why can't I see Da Wa, Da Hu, Er Niu, and San Wa?"
Looking around, there were only little kids, and it was hard to tell which was which.
"Oh, I found it." Mrs. Luo searched for a while and saw Erniu.
The reason is simple: Erniu is too conspicuous. Wearing a little red dress and a beautiful "Wanjun hairstyle", she looks like a child star who walked out of a movie poster.
The place where she stood was easy to find, just on the left side of the stage. Because her class was the first to go on stage, the teacher had already asked them to line up next to the stage.
Ning Tang waved towards Erniu, "Erniu!"
Erniu heard a familiar shout, looked over and saw Ning Tang and Shen Lie. She waved to them with a sweet smile on her face.
Ning Tang was happy and gave her a gesture of encouragement, clenching his right fist and pushing it down.
Erniu also made the same gesture.
Ning Tang waved at her, signaling her to go on with her work.
Chen Lie squinted his eyes, "This light is too bright."
It was brighter than a searchlight. He was sitting right in front of the light, and it was so bright that he could hardly see Erniu clearly.
Mrs. Luo asked him to be patient and said, "It will be fine once the performance starts."
As soon as he finished speaking, the silver-white light went out and was replaced by a more comfortable light, which at least did not look so dazzling.
The two hosts on the stage began their speeches. "Today is Children's Day, and it's also the 30th anniversary of our Hailang Island Primary School..."
Ning Tang took a look and was surprised to find that the hosts were teachers from the school, one of whom was Zhou Caiwei.
She was wearing a long blue dress and a beige headband on her hair. She held a manuscript in one hand and a microphone in the other, and her voice was ups and downs.
There are too many people coming, and it's very noisy with everyone chatting and talking.
Teachers and staff came over to maintain order. After a while, Ning Tang could finally make out the two hosts' voices. "Now, please invite the students from Class 1, Grade 5, to perform a chorus of 'The East is Red' for us!"
Mrs. Luo clenched her hands on her knees and said, "Oh, Erniu and her class will be the first to perform on stage."
Ning Tang's heart was in suspense. No matter how relaxed she had been before, when it came to the performance, she began to worry about Erniu.
Chen Lie was drinking water at that time, and he had a mouthful of water in his mouth and forgot to swallow it.
The students in Class 51 walked onto the stage one after another and stood in four rows according to their height.
Erniu is the lead singer, standing alone in the front, and Teacher An is the conductor, facing everyone.
The performance began. Teacher An was more nervous than any other student in the class, and his calves were shaking under his trousers.
The students in Class 51 were not much better off. They were the first to go on stage. The dazzling lights shone on them, making the stage appear pitch black, like the huge mouth of a beast eating people, pitch black.
Zhou Lingzhi stood in the first row, his voice trembling, “Shen, Shen Ya, I’m scared.”
Erniu's voice was calm. "Don't be afraid. Spread the word and let everyone encourage each other. Don't forget our 'carrot and vegetable' method. Singing to a bunch of carrots and vegetables, what's there to be afraid of?"
Seeing that Erniu, a girl, wasn't afraid, and she was the lead singer, Zhou Lingzhi thought that he, a boy, shouldn't be afraid either. He clenched his fist and said, "I understand."
A group of children, facing the audience, moved their mouths slightly and cast a spell, "Radish and cabbage, radish and cabbage!"
Most of the audience didn't notice that their mouths were moving. Occasionally, there were two sharp-eyed people who saw it and just thought they were reciting the lyrics.
The lights gradually dimmed and then focused on all the students in Class May 1.
Teacher An gave Erniu a wink, raised his hand and began to give instructions.
Erniu took a deep breath and sang the first line, "The East is Red, the Sun is Rising."
Her voice was particularly clear and loud, like a ray of sunshine shining through dark clouds. As soon as she opened her mouth, she shocked everyone in the audience.
Ning Tang pricked up his ears. The incessant noise just now was now silent as if the mute button had been pressed. He looked again and saw that all the audience members were silent and staring intently at the stage without blinking.
Ning Tang looked at the dazzling Erniu on the stage, and what came to her mind was nothing else but the plot of the parallel novel she had read.
After so long, she almost forgot that she was actually living in a novel.
Ning Tang tried hard to recall the plot of the novel. She couldn't remember it clearly, but she still vaguely remembered the author's brief description of the three of them, Da Wa. She said this.
The eldest child likes to fight and do all kinds of evil things.
Erniu has accomplished nothing and is timid and cowardly.
The third child was timid and lived in a muddle.
In short, no one has a good ending.
Ning Tang squinted his eyes, trying hard to see Erniu's figure clearly under the light.
Under the light, Erniu is so radiant and confident, unlike what the original author described as "accomplishing nothing and being timid and cowardly".
Ning Tang's heart skipped a beat. The plot of the original novel had been slowly changing since she arrived at Hailang Island.
One by one, everything that happened has become different.
It turns out that the plot can be gradually changed!
Maybe in the future, Erniu won't be a failure, Dawa won't become a hooligan due to fighting, and Sanwa won't live in a muddle.
Ning Tang's heart was pounding, and the sound of his heart almost drowned out the singing on the stage.
"What are you thinking about?" Shen Lie swallowed the water and choked. He coughed a few times, and seeing that Ning Tang's eyes were empty, he asked her.
Ning Tang came back to his senses, and his cold hands and feet gradually warmed up.
Perhaps, to the people in her original world, everything that is happening now is a novel.
But for the people in the world she lives in now, her original world is also a "novel".
Who can tell the truth from the false?
Cherish the people around you.
Ning Tang curled the corners of her mouth and gently hooked Chen Lie's palm with her fingertips. "It's okay, I was distracted. Continue listening to Erniu singing."
"Hmm." Chen Lie responded, "Listen quickly, it seems like the song is about to reach its climax."
After Erniu finished singing, the students in Class 51 immediately followed up with the next sentence.
She, as the lead singer, is like a general, and the students in Class 51 are like soldiers, following the "general" and fighting wherever she points.
The singing was loud and pleasant, slowly echoing in the open space.
Zeng Xinlan clapped her hands to keep the rhythm, and even Mrs. Luo couldn't help but sing along.
When the song is over, the lingering sound remains.
The audience suddenly exploded with laughter.
"Just now? I didn't hear clearly. Which class's performance was this?"
"They say it's fifth grade, class one. The little girl leading the singing is so good. Who is she?"
"She's good-looking and well-dressed. That red dress is so pretty."
"That's right, the red dress perfectly complemented the song 'The East is Red' that our class sang."
"Look at the way she tied her hair. It's so beautiful. I'll tie my daughter's hair like that tomorrow."
After all the teachers and students of Class May 1 finished singing, they left the stage and walked through the audience.
Erniu is like Xiao Ming, a star. Everyone wants to praise her and talk to her.
Wu Yingdi walked at the end of the team. Looking at Erniu who was the center of attention, she pursed her lips and lowered her head.
A little girl standing next to her couldn't bear to see Erniu stealing the show like this. She curled her lips and said, "Is Chen Ya really showing off so much? If she wasn't the lead singer and she wasn't dressed so beautifully, not so many people would care about her." She nudged Wu Yingdi with her elbow and said, "Yingdi, you almost became the lead singer in our class. If only you were the lead singer, she wouldn't be the only one getting the spotlight."
A light flashed in Wu Yingdi's eyes. Yes, Teacher An said that she sang as well as Erniu. But the light in her eyes instantly went out. It was a pity that she couldn't be the lead singer, and she didn't have a beautiful red dress like Erniu to wear.
Wu Yingdi walked over to Wang Dilai and called out softly, "Mom."
Wang Dilai was still gritting her teeth secretly, because if Erniu became too famous, wouldn't that be a slap in her face?
When she heard Wu Yingdi calling her, she took her anger out on her and said, "Why are you calling me? Why can't you pay more attention? Sing better so that others will praise you."
For the first time, Wu Yingdi refuted Wang Dilai's words. "I'm not the lead singer. No matter how well I sing, no one will praise me." She pursed her lips and said, "Besides, I could have been the lead singer. Who told you to go home to buy groceries, cook, and do housework? Besides, you couldn't bear to make me such an expensive dress. She only got the limelight because she wore a beautiful dress."
Upon hearing this, Wang Di repeatedly poked Wu Yingdi's head with her index finger, making her look shorter and shorter. "Well, you've even learned to talk back! This is outrageous! Do you think your dad is the head of the group? How can we afford such an expensive skirt? Even if you sell it, you and Pan Di and Zhao Di can't afford it."
Wu Yingdi endured the pain, her heart numb.
She knew that her family was rich enough to afford such a skirt, but her mother just didn't want to buy it for her.
Erniu skipped over to Ning Tang and Shen Lie and said in a crisp voice, "Dad, Mom!" and smiled, "How was my singing?"
Ning Tang helped her smooth back her sweat-soaked hair and praised her generously, "You sang very well."
Chen Lie gave a thumbs up, "You're the best singer."
Erniu shook her head. "It's not necessarily the best. There are still many classes that haven't performed on stage yet."
She really wanted to win the prize.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
