"That's good! Big brother will definitely pass. He sings very well and it's very resonant."
"Big brother's paintings are also very good. Ask him to draw one for you tomorrow."
"Okay! Okay!"
Zhou Xiang returned home from school and excitedly took Zhou Niao's hand, "Brother, our principal has agreed to let you go to the rehearsal. If you pass the rehearsal, you can perform on stage with me."
Zhou Niao was stunned. "Sister, what did you say? I don't understand."
"I said, come with me to school on the 28th to practice. If your performance is good, the principal will agree that you can perform on stage with me on the 29th for everyone to see."
Zhou Niao couldn't stop smiling, "Really? Can I do that? Will I embarrass you?"
Zhou Xiang grabbed his hands with both of his own and looked into his eyes seriously, "Brother, I have said many times that I don't care what you are like. You are my brother, my brother for life.
I feel proud to have an older brother like you. Look, you can sing, but I sing out of tune. You can draw, but mine are just scribbles. You can skateboard, but I always fall down when I skateboard. You have many advantages that I don't have.
So, would you feel ashamed to have a sister like me just because I can't sing out of tune, can't draw, or can't skateboard? "
"No, no, my sister is the best."
"That's right! Similarly, I think my eldest brother is the best."
Zhou Niao was comforted and nodded, "Okay, I want to perform with you."
"Yeah! And there's more! You have to perform a painting show yourself."
"Alone! I'm afraid."
Zhou Xiang also knew that his elder brother would definitely not dare to stay on the stage alone.
"How about this! You draw me, and I'll be on stage with you. You can draw me the fastest, and the show needs to be faster."
"Okay, sister is with me, don't be afraid."
Mother Zhou wiped the corners of her wet eyes and said, "Okay, let's go into the house and eat!"
Zhou Hua patted his brother's arm and said, "Brother, you can do it. We will go and cheer you on."
Zuo Heng also patted Zhou Niao, "Brother, come on, you can do it."
After dinner, Zhou Niao wanted to practice singing, but Zhou Xiang disagreed, "Brother, don't be nervous. If you practice too much and your voice becomes hoarse or damaged, you won't be able to perform. Xiao Chunmei will come over at noon these few days, so we can practice a few times together."
"Yes, if my voice breaks while singing, it will take several days to heal."
"Well, don't eat spicy food these few days. Drink small amounts of water frequently to protect your throat."
"What do you mean by multiple small amounts?"
"Just drink less each time and drink more often."
"Okay! I get it. Just moisten your throat more."
"right!"
Zhou Niao turned to her mother and said, "Mom, don't make spicy dishes. Make fish head and tofu soup instead! It's delicious and soothing."
Mother Zhou nodded, "Okay!"
The more Zhou Xiang watched his elder brother's performance, the more satisfied he became. His elder brother's intelligence must have improved.
At noon on the 25th, Xiao Chunmei came to Zhou's house again, and there was a smile in Zhou's eyes.
"Xiao Chunmei, welcome to come often."
"I hope you don't find me annoying."
"Not at all."
Zhou Xiang pulled his elder brother back and said, "Brother, come inside and have dinner. After dinner, take a rest and then sing."
You can't ask your eldest brother to be a third wheel.
At the dinner table, it was still Zhou Hua who picked up food for Xiao Chunmei.
Zhou's mother, Zhou Xiang and Zuo Heng cooperated with each other tacitly. They ate quietly without interrupting or taking food from others.
After dinner, Zhou Xiang still had to wash the dishes, so he asked his third brother to accompany Xiao Chunmei.
The smile in Zhou Hua's eyes deepened. It was good enough as long as his family had no objection, and it would be even better to have his sister's support.
After practicing the song several times, Zhou wanted to ask his elder brother to draw a picture for Xiao Chunmei.
Xiao Chunmei planned to sit still so she could be the model, but Zhou Hua shook his head and said, "My elder brother doesn't need a fixed model in front of him when he paints. He can paint whoever I tell him to paint. We chat and he'll paint in no time."
Although Xiao Chunmei had never been a model, she knew that the models for painting were fixed. However, since Zhou Hua said so, she didn't care. After all, they were people who understood her eldest brother.
Sure enough, in less than half an hour, my brother said the painting was done.
Zhou Xiang had always been by his elder brother's side, and from the first few strokes he made, he knew what he was drawing.
The eldest brother's paintings became simpler and simpler, and highlighted the essence of the characters more and more. Sun Qing still found the eldest brother's strength in painting.
Zhou Hua brought Xiao Chunmei over to see it.
When Xiao Chunmei saw the painting, she immediately blushed, "Oh no! Everyone, please stop looking at it. It's so embarrassing."
Zhou Hua looked at the girl in the painting holding two large cabbages in a net bag, and the awkward, shy, yet sincere smile on her face. He knew in his heart that this was the beautiful smile that he would never forget in his life.
“This painting is very good and worth keeping.”
"Yes, it's worth keeping. If you don't want it, leave it with my eldest brother! He has a lot of paintings! He keeps them hidden from us, and I don't know how many embarrassing pictures he has of me."
"I, I have nowhere to put it back, so why not just leave it here with Brother Zhang and put it together with your paintings?"
Zhou Xiang nodded, "Okay, leave it here. Big brother, put it in my room first and we'll deal with it when we come back. We should go to school."
The four of them went to school together.
Zhou's mother knew what her daughter meant and that she was going to leave it to her youngest son to deal with after school, so she told her eldest son, "Don't stamp or sign it. Wait until they get out of school and ask your sister what her plans are."
"Okay, I'll put it in your room."
For four consecutive days, Zhou Niao painted Xiao Chunmei because his third brother asked for it and his sister agreed, so he painted several different expressions of hers.
Every evening after school, my third brother would take it away without needing a signature or stamp.
Zhou Niao said he didn't understand, and Zhou wanted to tell him, "Brother, you don't need to understand for now, you will understand later."
"Oh! Listen to my sister."
On the afternoon of the 28th, Zhou Xiang and Xiao Chunmei took their eldest brother to school and went directly to the auditorium.
In the 1980s, many schools did not have conference rooms or auditoriums. Since Huaixian No. 1 Middle School was a key school, the county government allocated funds to build six four-story buildings.
The first of the three buildings on the west side is all administrative buildings, and the two behind it are junior high school buildings.
The first two of the three buildings on the east side are the high school department, and the last one is the high school dormitory building.
The entire first floor of the administrative building has been converted into an auditorium. Because of today's rehearsal, the organ has been moved to the side of the stage.
The stage is one meter high, made of bricks and cement, painted red, and has steps on both sides.
A red curtain with a very retro feel separates the front and back stages.
Rehearsal is a formal rehearsal, so the makeup and costumes should be in place.
The school’s ordinary performances are just a formality to familiarize the audience with the stage.
While waiting backstage, Zhou Xiang sensed his brother's nervousness and took his hand, "Don't be afraid, I'm here."
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