Chapter 387 It's New Year again!
Making the most of the last day, I attended a day of extra classes, and my mother made me memorize a whole string of New Year's greetings. As the aroma wafting from the kitchen grew stronger and stronger, night fell.
Although it was dark, the Marshal's Mansion was brightly lit, with paper-cut window decorations and the character "福" (good fortune) pasted on the doors and windows, and lively red lanterns hanging under the eaves, creating a festive scene.
As the maid brought the last dish to the table, everyone heard a series of heavy footsteps.
Mao Mao came running as soon as she smelled the aroma.
"Mao Mao, come sit here. Where have you been all day? Dad hasn't seen you."
Lou Dashuai had someone move her chair to his side, and then carried his youngest daughter to the chair. "Today, you will sit with Daddy. If you want any food, and can't reach it, Daddy will get it for you."
Mao Mao nodded, her eyes sparkling as she looked at the table full of delicious food. The kitchen of the Marshal's Mansion had been busy all day, and the finished products were laid out from one end of the long table to the other. Each dish was a grand dish that was only served at banquets. In the center of the large plate, there was even a roasted suckling pig with crispy skin and tender meat!
Her eyes were glued to the screen, and she was swallowing hard while holding onto the edge of the table. When anyone spoke to her, she could only respond with "uh-huh" sounds, without even glancing anywhere else.
Today, Guang was dragged off to tutoring, and Mao Mao didn't even have a chance to go to the kitchen to help the chef taste the food.
Seeing her greedy look, Old Madam Lou picked up her chopsticks first: "Let's eat."
Everyone picked up their chopsticks and reached for the dishes they wanted.
"Come on, Mao Mao, eat this."
"Eat meatballs, meatballs are delicious."
"Mao Mao eats fish."
"Mao Mao, let me peel the shrimp for you."
"Mao Mao, ah—"
Countless chopsticks fell in front of Mao Mao, and soon her bowl was piled high with food.
They're always very supportive, and today's New Year's Eve dinner is even more lavish than usual. Mao Mao is shoveling rice into her mouth with her spoon, as if she wants to open her milk bowl wide and swallow all the food she wants in one bite.
At the long table, the big white cat buried its face in its food bowl, munching on its special cat food.
The first wife whispered, "Mom, do you want to say something?"
Old Madam Lou put down her chopsticks, looked around, and glanced at her children and grandchildren.
She usually spends all her time with these younger people, and everyone treats her with great respect. At this moment, everyone stopped eating, and even Mao Mao raised her little head from her rice bowl, looking at her with her big, bright eyes.
Meeting those clear, bright eyes, Old Madam Lou said kindly, "I have nothing to say. It's the New Year, everyone should eat more."
As she spoke, she looked at the wine glass beside her.
A crystal-clear stemmed glass, filled with deep purple wine.
Madam Lou raised her wine glass: "Come on."
Mao Mao quickly picked up her glass, held it with both little hands, and happily clinked glasses with everyone.
She clinked her glasses around, then hugged the cup and gulped down the juice inside.
After the New Year's Eve dinner, it's time for the highly anticipated performance segment.
Everyone's eyes were subtly drawn to their own little ones, and the wives were also stealing glances at the third concubine.
As everyone knows, to keep Madam Lou's promise, the Third Concubine tutored Mao Mao with harmonica lessons every day. After half a winter break, did she succeed?
But the third concubine kept a straight face, pretending not to see the other people's glances, and didn't respond with a single expression, making it unclear whether she had any real confidence.
Lou Hongjian brought over a phonograph and carefully selected a suitable record, while his other brothers also picked up their respective instruments.
Lou Yansui asked, "Mao Mao, do you want me to come with you?"
He thought to himself: "If I play louder in a bit and cover up Mao Mao's harmonica playing, then no one will notice that Mao Mao is off-key, right?"
But does Mao Mao's harmonica have a tune?
Mao Mao shook her head, raised her chubby chin, and her round little face was full of natural confidence: "Mao Mao can do it."
The older brothers: "..."
Why does that sound so unreliable?
Under the watchful eyes of her family, Mao Mao confidently stood in the center of the hall, clutching her harmonica.
She thought for a moment, then grabbed the hem of her skirt with her small hands and gave a clumsy but proper bow to Old Madam Lou.
The wrinkles around Old Madam Lou's face were full of smiles: "Let's begin."
"Um!"
Lou Hongjian quickly took out a few wads of cotton from his pocket and distributed them to the people around him.
Everyone got ready, and then Mao Mao in the middle of the room raised her harmonica and placed it... wait? Why did she hand it to the Third Madam?
The third concubine took the harmonica without changing her expression, brought it to her lips, took a light breath, and a cheerful melody came from the harmonica.
And Mao Mao confidently began to sing.
"Twinkle, twinkle, little star!"
Everyone was stunned.
Isn't it playing the harmonica?
How did it turn into singing children's songs?
Most importantly, the nursery rhyme that Mao Mao sang today was actually in tune!
Lou Hongjian incredulously removed the cotton ball from his ear, and then he could hear even more clearly.
Yes, it's in tune.
The third concubine played the harmonica to accompany her, and Mao Mao sang along with the accompaniment without missing a single note.
Not off-key!
A children's song is short and ends quickly.
When Mao Mao finished singing the last line, her eyes sparkled as she looked at her family. Everyone burst into enthusiastic applause, louder and more exciting than ever before.
She was showered with compliments, some of which were free.
"It sounds so good, so incredibly good!"
"Mao Mao, you did it!"
"That's amazing! You've improved so much!"
"Oh, I almost forgot." Lou Heming looked annoyed. "Why did I forget to write it down?"
"Yes, it should be recorded so that we can listen to it often in the future."
Mao Mao was overjoyed by the praise. She held onto her skirt with her little hands and smiled sweetly. "Mao Mao can sing it again."
The third concubine standing next to her held her head high, the light from the crystal chandelier above her focused on her, as if adding a soft filter to her, making her beautiful figure seem even taller than usual, and her face more radiant than ever before.
She did it!!!
As agreed, Madam Lou took out a pre-prepared red envelope from her pocket and handed it to her.
The third concubine took the red envelope, felt its thickness, and immediately her eyes crinkled with laughter. She returned to the other ladies with her head held high, her eyes and brows full of pride.
"Why is it singing?" the first aunt asked her in a low voice.
The third concubine answered her in a low voice: "The old lady only said that Mao Mao should be in tune, but she didn't say that it had to be the harmonica tune."
Teaching Mao Mao to sing is much easier than teaching her an instrument whose playing style is ingrained in her bones and can never be changed.
With time running out, she had no choice but to find a loophole.
It was already quite an achievement to get Mao Mao back on track; she really put in a lot of effort, and even the old lady didn't say it was no good, which shows how hard she worked.
Meanwhile, Mao Mao was also surrounded by her brothers who rushed forward.
Some people patted her head, and some people patted her little face.
"Mao Mao, how are you so amazing?"
"The progress is too great."
"Mao Mao, sing it again, and your brother will accompany you on the instrument."
"Me too!"
Lou Yansui sat down at the piano, and Lou Heming put his violin on his shoulder. The two looked at each other, and the accompaniment of a children's song started playing together.
Lou Hongjian also selected a suitable record and put it in the gramophone. As soon as his sister finished singing, he took the opportunity to hold Mao Mao's little hand and led her into the dance floor in time with the background music.
"Mao Mao, come dance with your brother."
Okay~
Lou Fengju, who had been watching from the side with his arms crossed, raised his eyebrows and, taking advantage of his elder brother status, stepped between the two as they spun around and separated, taking his sister's small hand in his own.
"Mao Mao, dance with your big brother."
"oh."
Lou Hongjian was dumbfounded: "Big brother?!"
Suddenly, the older brother in front of her changed, but Mao Mao, immersed in dancing, didn't mind at all. She happily held the older brother's hand, tapping her feet to the rhythm, spinning around and around, her little voice giggling happily.
The other two older brothers also put down their instruments and joined the dance floor to the music from the gramophone, looking for an opportunity to snatch their sister from their brothers.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com