Guitarist and Shadowless Kick (2)
While the temperature outside was steadily dropping, the art festival's atmosphere was steadily rising. With just over half a month left until New Year's Day, the students participating in the festival were becoming increasingly busy. However, Zhao Shihua felt that with over a month left until final exams, she absolutely could not let her guard down or underestimate the competition.
But she wasn't quite resolute yet. She'd always felt envious when she saw a dozen or so classmates enthusiastically discussing a play they were rehearsing in the hallway, occasionally erupting in laughter. They were experiencing a vibrant youth, while she was like a sketch, each stroke meticulously crafted, yet composed of only three colors: black, white, and gray.
Sometimes, Zhao Shihua would watch Shao Yifu, his guitar strapped to his back, go off with Zhou Xin to some mysterious place to practice during self-study. Then, after school, he'd return, sighing, put down his guitar, and go practice Tai Chi in the playground. She wondered if that wistful expression was meant for her. They were desks in front and behind each other, but it felt like they were living in two different worlds: one a bona fide middle school student, the other a celebrity who occasionally signed in at school.
Because of a sprained ankle, Zhao Shihua was exempted from the two or three weekly winter running sessions. Despite this, she would occasionally join the other students for a walk around the playground after school, taking a short detour to the back door to greet her teacher. This routine became a habit, and even after the check-in session ended, she would still go to the playground to stretch her legs, hoping for a quick recovery.
If she ran into her junior, Daxiang, she'd even stay an extra ten minutes to help him with his homework. But this wasn't out of kindness, nor was it because her junior was studious and had given up martial arts for literature. Rather, the teacher thought, since she had a role model, why not use it to encourage her son? Maybe, with a gamble, his bicycle could actually turn into a motorcycle, and he'd get into Yangzhong.
Xiang Feiyu is in the eighth grade this year and won't take the high school entrance exam until the year after, so he still has a lot of new knowledge to learn. Zhao Shihua mostly just explains some English questions to him, along with a few tips for answering them. However, since he hasn't mastered many of the basics, she often has to go through the trouble of revisiting them.
On Monday evening, when Zhao Shihua was helping Xiang Feiyu summarize the several uses of the present perfect progressive tense, Teacher Mei, who taught physical education, came to the back door to pick up a package. When she followed her master into the house, she saw that she was also in the guard room and walked up to her in surprise.
"Hello, teacher." Zhao Shihua noticed someone approaching and looked up to see it was Teacher Mei. Xiang Feiyu also stopped writing and nodded slightly in greeting.
"Hi, you..." Teacher Mei seemed to have forgotten her name and paused. "Student, are you tutoring?"
"No, no, I just came to take a look." After being asked by the teacher, Zhao Shihua felt inexplicably guilty. Could it be that the school rules also include "no tutoring to earn pocket money"?
"Xiaohua is a good student. He comes to help when he has time," the master explained, patting Xiang Feiyu on the head. "My son can't do that."
"Uncle Xiang, so you two know each other?"
"Yes, she was once my student. I even ran a martial arts school for a while."
"I know that." Teacher Mei turned to look at Zhao Shihua again, raising her eyebrows. "So you've also learned martial arts?"
Zhao Shihua vaguely sensed something was amiss and wondered if the teacher had anything to do with the New Year's Eve party's opening performance. Just in case, she quickly denied it, saying, "I only learned a little bit."
"Who said that? She was a really good fighter when she was little!" The master turned Zhao Shihua's office chair slightly toward Teacher Mei, as if promoting his own agricultural products. "This child is just too modest."
"Then you must have learned Tai Chi, right? Did you know that the school has a Tai Chi performance planned this year? So, are you interested in joining in?"
It's true that you can't avoid it. Zhao Shihua's fake smile was about to disappear, but then he remembered that Shao Yifu and the others had already rehearsed two or three times. He guessed that the teacher was just asking a polite question, just like the volunteers in the last winter long-distance run.
"I... have almost forgotten everything." Zhao Shihua lowered his head, not daring to look directly into the teacher's eyes.
"It's okay. If you've learned it before, you'll remember it after reading it once." Teacher Mei signed the delivery note and stuffed the package into the bicycle basket. "I'm serious. Please think about it."
"Yes, Xiaohua, don't miss such a good opportunity. Didn't you say last time that you haven't been on stage for many years?" The master also echoed.
Zhao Shihua couldn't help but regret having revealed her regret about not being able to continue practicing martial arts in order to flatter her master. She stared down at the ground, her foot hunched over with anxiety. "Thank you, Master, but my foot... still hurts a little."
Like a snail, upon encountering a rock, it instinctively retracts its tentacles and retreats into its shell. But is this really her nature? What would she have said if it were in the past?
Even if she was forced to do something she wouldn't have done, she would have taken the initiative, believing it was a challenge, a necessary step in becoming a warrior. Growing up, as Zhao Shihua later read, "is a slow process of being hammered." She was only a teenager, but her heart felt decades older.
Zhao Shihua couldn't pinpoint the exact dividing line between her past and present. When did she become so reserved and cautious? As a child, she'd urge her grandmother to tell her ghost stories at night. She once took a few children on an adventure to the mountains outside the village, but they were driven home hungry before they even reached the top. In elementary school, she was the first to reach the top of the pole in physical education class, and her leap from the height startled the teacher below. The first time she rode a roller coaster with her sister, she screamed in fear throughout the ride, yet she insisted on keeping her eyes open.
No, it’s not that I have become timid.
Zhao Shihua stopped washing clothes, and the foam on her hands burst silently and slowly one after another, and she vaguely realized the answer.
If someone invited her to go bungee jumping or skydiving now, she would definitely agree. In fact, she is still the daring wild child at heart, but that wild child cannot leave the primitive world and face the judgment of others, so she can only live in a remote valley.
She was only afraid of other people, those familiar strangers who lived around her. Unfortunately, there were not many empty corners left for herself.
And where there are people, there are mouths, so the news of Tai Chi spread somehow, so much so that even Zhu Miaoyan came over to ask her why she didn't participate: "Shao Yifu said you are very good, I want to see it too!"
Even Zhuge Liang was invited out after three visits to his thatched cottage, so Zhao Shihua, who was so powerful, naturally couldn't bear the high regard of others. Worried that she couldn't withstand the repeated invitations, she could only use her sprained ankle as an excuse.
She had wanted to join Tuesday afternoon's gym class because they were practicing shuttle runs, but she had to cover up her own lie, and since she was pretending to be lame, she had to keep it to the end. So she asked the teacher for half a class leave and went back to the classroom early. But when she got to the bottom of the teaching building, she realized she didn't have her key, so she had to go back to the gym to find the classmate who kept it.
As she climbed to the ping-pong room on the top floor, she faintly heard music emanating from the second-floor auditorium. Guessing someone was rehearsing, Zhao Shihua curiously went inside to take a look. She discovered a group rehearsing a play on stage. The content resembled a retelling of Greek mythology, with the dialogue deliberately blending various dialects, and the actors' movements were exaggerated, somewhat whimsical yet creative. She peeked in for a moment, but the plot was so captivating that she didn't want to know too much in advance. She followed the beats of drums and piano, tiptoeing to a corner backstage.
There was no light on inside, only a little light coming in through a ventilation window on the top, so she took a while to identify it. Finally, after hearing the voices, she realized that it was the band that Shao Yifu was in.
Shao Yifu still clutched his cool guitar, while Zhou Xin sat at his drum kit, somewhat subdued from his usual playful and frivolous demeanor. She didn't recognize the other two people; one also had a guitar, and the other played the keyboard. Even Li Xiuping was there, though he didn't appear to be a member of the band, serving as an assistant, occasionally running errands to shoot videos or help with music playback.
The four were probably practicing an ensemble. They first asked Li Xuping to play a piece of music on his phone, then paused it, gathered together to discuss a few words, and then played it again according to the original version.
"Tap, tap, tap, tap", Zhou Xin used two drumsticks to hit each other to beat out the rhythm.
Shao Yifu began to pluck the strings first, and it sounded much better than the last time he announced that he would participate in an instrumental competition. At least it was continuous music, but it might also be because the accompaniment music was simpler. Then the keyboardist and bassist joined in, and everyone focused on their own instruments, and the music gradually became richer.
The problem, however, was that even a layman like Zhao Shihua could detect a slight dissonance, like a game of three-legged horses, unable to find the same pace, each one stymied and unable to reach a certain distance, collapsing mid-song. Whether it was a lack of technique or a mismatched sense of rhythm, after just a few passages, everyone was racing off on their own track, refusing to look back. Finally, they couldn't continue, and after a moment's glance, they had no choice but to stop and start the discussion all over again...
The person playing the piano, from behind, was a thin, petite girl. She sang the verses, but without a microphone, Zhao Shihua couldn't hear clearly. After a few lines, Shao Yifu took over, perhaps in a two-part arrangement. Even though she hadn't heard the original singer, she could tell he was clearly in a different tune than the previous singer, and his volume overshadowed the lead singer. The word "now" seemed to appear in his first line, like a tape that had been played for a long time and had lost its tune. It sounded off.
Were they really planning to perform at this level? Zhao Shihua couldn't help but wonder. Wouldn't this just make them look foolish in public?
Whenever I faced a big event like a stage performance or a final exam, even after countless practice and review sessions, I'd subconsciously assume I wasn't prepared. I'd burn incense and pray for a typhoon and heavy rain that day, wishing I'd get a fever and diarrhea and avoid it if possible. Even deliberately leaving the covers on before bed didn't help. I'd wake up feeling incredibly well the next day, so I'd just go ahead and do it, even though sometimes the results were pretty good.
Yet, these people hadn't prepared anything before going on stage. Zhao Shihua couldn't say he admired their courage at all; at best, he could only describe them as "a newborn calf fearless of a tiger." And Shao Yifu, the thick-skinned, unafraid of embarrassment, had to participate in the opening martial arts rehearsal. It was unknown how well he had memorized the commands and moves; he was completely burning the candle at both ends.
Zhao Shihua felt her scalp tighten at the thought of Tai Chi. So, she didn't have time to mind other people's business; it would be better for her to go home and do a few more exercises. Just as she turned around to look for the classmate who kept the keys, the bell rang. It looked like her previously scheduled review would have to be postponed until the last self-study period.
Lately, during afternoon self-study sessions, very few people have stayed in class. It's especially so on Fridays, when even Zhuo Siqi isn't buried in his homework in the seat next to me for the first time in a long time. The surroundings are so desolate that it almost feels like a long holiday.
Zhao Shihua knew the Little Singer finals would begin after school at 5:00 PM today, but many people had already arrived to secure their seats. Contestants Shao Yifu and Zhou Xin even rushed out with their instruments as soon as geography class was over. Although it was just a small internal school competition, the singing competition seemed to have an inherent star-making quality. The students who were accustomed to the competition on a normal day, once on stage, became like shining idols and their tiny fans.
As school neared the end of the day, Zhao Shihua couldn't sit still any longer. She closed her book and rushed to the auditorium with Xu Jiamei and Qiao Xiaoling. They heard a commotion before even entering, and once inside, they were stunned by the sheer size of the crowd. It felt like a new opening ceremony; nearly everyone was present, even the usually closed second-tier auditorium was occupied. Seeing that there didn't seem to be enough room for three people on the first tier, they moved up to the second. Not long after they settled in, the competition was about to begin.
"What a pity! Siqi isn't coming with us again this time." Xu Jiamei turned to Zhao Shihua and asked, "Do you know why she can't come?"
"She said everyone at the radio station has been drafted in as volunteers," Zhao Shihua pointed toward the distant stage. "Siqi's probably helping out backstage right now."
Earlier, when Zhuo Siqi told her he'd be absent from study sessions for a few days, Zhao Shihua had assumed he, like Pei Nachuan, had been invited to compete for a host position. She'd been puzzled. She'd always had the impression her deskmate prioritized academics, or even that he was solely focused on studying. How could he possibly be distracted by anything else?
After all, back during the school sports meet, Zhao Shihua had wondered why she'd chosen to be the announcer. Later, she realized that it would save her a ton of time by not having to attend entrance rehearsals or prepare for competitions. Her schedule had been perfectly planned. But then, during the arts festival, she had to give up a lot of time because of the broadcasting station. I wonder what Zhuo Siqi felt.
"Let me see, let me see," Xu Jiamei squinted her eyes and glanced around, tugging at Zhao Shihua's sleeve. "Is that the person holding the cell phone or walkie-talkie her? She's on the left, in the corner!"
Zhao Shihua also craned her neck to look. It was indeed Zhuo Siqi. She was pacing to one side of the stage, her hands waving frantically, like a boy on the podium moving lighting fixtures, like a busy evening show director.
My deskmate had casually mentioned volunteering, but now it seemed like even calling him a rescue wasn't an exaggeration. Compared to Shao Yifu, who loved to exaggerate everything, Zhuo Siqi seemed accustomed to downplaying everything. Zhao Shihua couldn't figure it out, and she didn't have time to think about it.
"Then she can see much more clearly than us." Qiao Xiaoling took out her glasses from her schoolbag and put them on. "Shh—it's started! It's started!"
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