rehearse
The busy time passed quickly. At around four o'clock in the afternoon, Sister Jin had to pick up her children from school. Wu Siqi took over her job, sitting under the main stage and using a walkie-talkie to coordinate personnel.
She sat on a folding stool with her legs crossed, her boots hanging in the air tapping to the beat of the music on the stage. The purpose of Mingmei International's event was to promote the traditional culture of local opera, and they were about to launch many commercial activities using this as a selling point.
There are actors and actresses performing on the stage, and the performers are a group of young people.
As expected, when money is available, young people will flock to every industry. Wu Siqi is a local and can understand most of this opera with dialect. She had seen it broadcast on TV when she was a child.
Because it was something his late father loved very much, Wu Siqi listened very carefully, and his thoughts followed the sound back to the days when his parents took him to the small theater to listen to music when he was a child on weekends.
Her mother was a very gentle woman. She was very skillful and could always braid her hair beautifully. She had heard the play "The Purple Hairpin" performed on stage when she was a child. Wu Siqi could still remember that day when her mother braided her hair into beautiful twin ponytails and put on a purple dress for her.
Ah, and because she looked so cute sitting in the front row in her purple dress, she was invited to the stage to take a photo with the actors. Thinking of the happy thing, Wu Siqi smiled softly.
Yi Ning took advantage of her distraction and came over without knowing when. He squatted beside her, holding his chin with his hands, "Xiao Wu, do you like this show?"
Wu Siqi, who was called back to her senses, looked at her in surprise, "It's okay, mainly because they sang very well. Isn't your band the next to perform? Come over here. Did something happen? I can help you with the arrangements." After she said that, she picked up the intercom and prepared to ask about the situation backstage.
"It's okay," Yi Ning pressed Wu Siqi's hand. "It was too boring. I just came out for a walk. Everything is going well backstage."
"Okay." Wu Siqi put down the intercom and asked her, "Can you understand this? Many people say they can't understand what they are singing."
Yi Ning was still half-squatting, her hands on her cheeks. She nodded, "Of course they are. They're singing the story of Li Yi and Huo Xiaoyu, the Tang Dynasty couple, who were destined to be together through the purple hairpin. I've heard it before. It's been sung like this for hundreds of years."
"Oh~" Wu Siqi became interested. "I remember you're not from here. It seems from your profile that you're... um, from Datong, right? I think I'm remembering correctly."
Yi Ning smiled sheepishly, "I'm from Datong, yes, but we often travel around collecting folk songs. Opera is also a form of music. I listen to and learn from anything interesting I come across. That's how inspiration comes."
"Oh," Wu Siqi nodded in understanding. She also rested her hand on her thigh, supporting her chin. "Since you came here to collect folk songs, you must have heard of this local opera. In fact, it was almost lost in the early years, but fortunately, capital came in and saved it. They approached many advertising companies to plan this event, but they were all rejected due to low bids. Originally, our company didn't want to take on this project because we thought it would not make much money."
Wu Siqi retracted his gaze from the stage and said, "I strongly recommended myself to take on this project without any compensation. I didn't expect it to go so smoothly."
"I really appreciate your kindness in coming to the rescue. Thank you."
She thanked the person in front of her very seriously.
It was already evening, and the setting sun shone softly on Wu Siqi, giving her a faint halo. Her long hair was casually clipped up with a shark clip. Because of work, a few strands of hair fell and hung on the side of her face. The night wind blew her hair back and forth, and her eyes looking at Yi Nian were as soft as water waves.
Yi Ning looked at her in a daze, and after a moment he murmured, "You're welcome."
Her light was back.
At this time, the intercom rang, "Sister Siqi's finale is about to start. Is their drummer with you? I asked their lead singer, and she said she went to look for you."
Wu Siqi turned on the intercom: "Yes, I'll tell her, you guys get ready first."
Shaking the intercom in his hand, Wu Siqi smiled faintly and said to Yi Ning, "I'm looking forward to your rehearsal performance."
Yi Ning blushed and scratched her head awkwardly. Her fine, medium-short hair had been messed up by her, and the highlighted white hair had been thrown back. Wu Siqi couldn't bear to see this, so he stood up and helped her smooth out the messy hair on her forehead. "You're going on stage, so your look can't be messy, even though it's just a rehearsal."
"Hehe, I got it. I'll go over there." Yi Ning was extremely happy and ran back to the backstage happily.
Gently holding the hand that was helping her to fix her hair, and keeping her attention in that direction for a while, Wu Siqi picked up the intercom and asked the control center to turn on the auxiliary lights, saying that it was already dark and that the scenery was still being removed from the stage. She held a megaphone and instructed the staff on the podium to move and exit as quickly as possible.
The musical instruments were carefully carried onto the stage, and the four people slowly walked into the center of the stage. Because it was a rehearsal, they were all dressed casually. Yi Ning lightly tapped the silver cymbals to make a striking first sound, and the spotlight shone on the four people.
The rehearsal began, and the lead singer Meng Meng's voice was beautiful. He did not perform in a perfunctory manner just because it was just a rehearsal.
After listening to the live performance, Wu Siqi also understood why the Hell Party was so popular. The control console equipment they rented was relatively poor, and there was no way to play backing sounds or auxiliary music. In such a harsh environment, their live performance was even more expressive than the CD.
Both songs they performed had folk elements and were related to traditional themes. They were full of vitality, pleasant to listen to and very catchy. Wu Siqi hummed along quietly, tapping her knuckles on the intercom to the beat of the drums.
Their rehearsal went very well. Xiaoyu, a temporary colleague who particularly liked them, volunteered to be a temporary worker and was now applauding and cheering enthusiastically in the audience.
After the rehearsal, the four of them bowed slightly to her to express their gratitude, and they cherished every fan who cheered for them.
The rehearsal was over, and today's work was about to come to an end. Wu Siqi was about to return to the main control desk when Xiaoyu ran over and grabbed her. "Sister Siqi, I just saw that you and Teacher Yi Ning seem very familiar with each other. Can you take me to get their autographs and take a photo together? Please, please."
Xiaoyu clasped her hands together and kept nagging, "Please, please." Seeing that she had helped so much today, Wu Siqi couldn't refuse such a small favor. "Let's go. I'll take you there."
"Sister Siqi is the best!" Xiaoyu pushed Wu Siqi's back and walked backstage.
The two of them arrived at the lounge, where the four of them were packing up their instruments. Meng Meng helped Yi Ning remove the drums from the stand, while Fan Yu, carrying an electric guitar, helped Xie Ling put it back together. Wu Siqi said, "Hello, teachers, are you free? I have a small request and I'd like to bother you."
Hearing the sound, the four of them looked at her in unison. Yi Ning put the drumsticks into the storage bag and zipped it up neatly. He casually dusted off his hands, stepped over the drums on the ground and came forward. "If you're free, what can I do for you, Xiaowu?"
Wu Siqi revealed the hidden Xiaoyu and said, "One of our colleagues really likes you guys. We'd like to ask if we can sign an autograph for her and take a photo with her."
"Of course you can." Yi Ning waved to everyone, "Come here."
Meng Meng came over first, "Here we are, Xiao Hei and Xiao Bai, hurry up, Xiao Hei, put your piano down. How can we take a photo with the piano on your back?"
"I know..." She dragged out her words. Fan Yu put the piano bag aside and pulled Xie Ling over.
Xiaoyu was a smaller girl. Yi Ning approached her, gave her a rather saucy smile, and asked, "Hello, where do you want to sign your autograph?"
"Here! Wait a minute!" Xiaoyu frantically pulled out a CD from her backpack. "I've liked you guys for a long time, but I never got a ticket for an autograph session. Can I sign here?"
Meng Meng took the CD from her and said softly, "This is our first edition collector's album. Of course you can do it. This edition is out of print. You are very thoughtful. I wish you happiness every day." She took the big pen in Xiaoyu's hand and signed it first.
The twins didn't talk much in front of strangers. They took the CD box silently. Fan Yu was left-handed and Xie Ling was right-handed. They signed together, and their signatures were connected. After signing, Fan Yu passed the CD to Yi Ning.
Yi Ning cheerfully held the album in his hand, signing it while talking to Xiaoyu: "You managed to snag such a hard-to-get classic album, but you couldn't even get one signed? You have the speed of Schrödinger's fingers."
Xiaoyu hesitated a bit and said, "This is sold at a premium. How can an old lady like me, with my fast hands, get it?"
"Wow, you paid extra for it. It's really expensive! I've heard scalpers are very unscrupulous." Yi Ning handed the signed CD back. "You're a true fan. Do you want a photo? Come on, let's stand together."
"Of course, I like you guys so much! It sounds great, super great!" Xiaoyu nodded frantically, and was so excited that she successfully chased her idol. She handed her phone to Wu Siqi and urged her, "Sister Siqi, please take a picture for me."
Kids these days are crazy about chasing stars. Wu Siqi picked up his phone helplessly, opened the camera and turned it horizontally, "It's time to strike a pose."
Meng Meng and Yi Ning sandwiched Xiao Yu in the middle, with Xie Ling and Fan Yu standing on either side. Meng Meng was about the same height as Xiao Yu. She tilted her head and asked, "What pose would you like to strike, little one?"
Xiaoyu is not young anymore, she is twenty-three. When Wu Siqi saw her being called a kid by someone who looked only a few years older than her, his expression was a little strange. Even though the person had a head full of silver hair, it still looked strange, after all, gray hair color is popular recently.
Xiaoyu didn't feel uncomfortable at all. She made a scissors hand gesture and said, "Yeah, that's good. I'm so happy to take a photo with the teachers. Any pose is fine."
Meng Meng had a maternal aura, and like Yi Ning, she was smiling, but the feeling was completely different. Xiao Yu almost called her "Mom." She pulled Xie Ling and Fan Yu, "Come on, give a 'yeah'," and then shouted in an especially old-fashioned way, "Eggplant."
Xiaoyu followed her smile and shouted, "Eggplant."
Click, Wu Siqi pressed the shutter button on the screen four or five times in a row. She was afraid that someone had their eyes closed and it would be difficult for her to choose the photos. "Okay." She returned the phone to Xiaoyu.
After signing their names and taking photos, the six people stood in the lounge looking at each other in confusion.
Xiaoyu excused herself first and bowed obediently: "Thank you, teachers. I'm leaving now. Be careful on your way back!"
Wu Siqi also nodded and planned to follow her.
Yi Ning called her, "Xiao Wu."
Wu Siqi turned back in confusion, "Huh? Is there something wrong?"
"It's okay," Yi Ning waved to her obediently, "Bye, good night."
ha?
Wu Siqi waved his hand in confusion, "Okay, bye, I won't disturb you teachers anymore."
Wu Siqi turned and left. Fan Yu bumped into Yi Ning, who was still waving blankly, and said, "Hey, you're back to life."
Just as she was about to charge back, Fan Yu held her head down. Yi Ning was not as tall as her and could not struggle for a while. She glared back fiercely with her eyes turned up like cat pupils.
Meng Meng came out to smooth things over as usual, "Alright, stop making trouble, pack up quickly and go back. You still have the flower list task, and I have to go back to watch the tea too."
They both said in unison: "Got it."
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