Chapter 465 A unique welcome party
After dinner, Long Yuan went to the annex to organize a program. Shaojie accompanied me back to my room to rest. After opening the door, he boiled water to make tea. I went to the bathroom to wash my face and rinse my mouth.
I had a good nap at noon, didn't drink any wine at dinner, and after washing my face, I felt refreshed. I sat down in the living room. Shaojie brought me some tea, placed it in front of me, and said, "Teacher Wan, have some tea."
I nodded and said, "Will your photography friends from last time come?"
He sat down and said, "I've informed Jiangnan Yanyu, but I haven't informed anyone else. The party welcoming you should be of a higher standard."
"Organize a party to welcome me?"
"Yes. We often organize activities like this. Our neighboring county also has a photography association and a music association. They come here, and we go there, and we carry out some exchange activities with each other."
“Your life is so colorful.”
"In a small county town, life isn't that stressful. Plus, we're intellectuals, so we play a little differently than others.
Ordinary people play cards, sing songs, and eat late-night snacks. Even hiking on the weekends is just exercise. When we go hiking, we have a picnic and gather together to perform a show.
I smiled and said, "Live more elegantly. Others climb a mountain, reach the top, look down, and say, 'Wow, it's so high.' You climb a mountain, stand at the top, open your arms, and say, 'Let the wind blow a little harder, I want to fly.'"
Shaojie burst out laughing: "Yes, yes, you are right. For example, a woman stands on a rock, pretending to be intoxicated, and says: "Ah, it looks so good down there, I really want to jump down."
The man said: "Go ahead and jump, it's none of my business, you are not my wife." The other man said: "Let me kick her and help her realize her wish."
I laughed out loud and said, "It's very artistic, not a joke."
Shaojie said: "Maybe others think that driving luxury cars and living in villas is a happy life, but we are poor and happy, and there is also the fun of being poor and happy."
"I completely agree with you. After a person has enough food and clothing, he must have his own hobbies, even if it's just walking birds in a cage or fighting crickets."
Shaojie said, "Tonight is a welcome night for you. Everyone can give a speech, sing a song, or perform a magic trick. Teacher Wan, you must speak, sing, and interact with us."
I said, "I'll try to be more artistic and integrate into your lives."
He said: "Anything. Magic, recitation, song adaptations, we do a lot of adaptations."
At this time, Shaojie's cell phone rang. After he answered the call, he said to me, "They are ready, let's go down."
We got off the elevator, exited the lobby, and walked to the annex. Shaojie said, "Forget about taking the stairs. It's on the second floor."
Shaojie led me to a place that looked like a conference room and said, "This is a small concert hall. Long Yuan likes to play music, so he built a place specifically for him to play."
I found it strange that the door to the concert hall was closed.
Shaojie said to me, "Our welcome ceremony is a bit strange."
I had no idea what he was up to. He just rang the doorbell, and someone opened the door from the inside. Music started playing, and it turned out to be the "Welcome Song." The people inside stood in two rows, clapping their hands and shouting rhythmically:
"Welcome Teacher Wan, welcome Teacher Wan, welcome Teacher Wan."
I nodded to them as I walked. Shaojie led the way and took me to the main seat facing the door.
The welcoming guests took their seats. The tables were arranged in an oval shape, as if for a symposium. Long Yuan and Shao Jie sat down with me, one on each side.
I took a quick look and saw a small stage on the right. There were about twenty people sitting there.
Long Yuan cleared his throat, and the meeting place fell silent. He said:
"Family, hello everyone:
We have organized many activities before, and every time there are always a few comrades absent with various excuses. Today, no one is missing. I know you want to verify whether I, Long Yuan, am bragging or not, and whether Mr. Wan Shanhong is a god.
Today, Teacher Wan has finally come to our small county town of Yuzhen to celebrate with us. Let's give him some thunderous applause.
Sure enough, there was thunderous applause. I stood up and bowed slightly to express my gratitude.
Long Yuan said, "Now, please allow Brother Shaojie to deliver the welcome speech."
Tan Shaojie stood up and said:
"I ran into him during a casual hike. Before I met him, I thought he was an old man with a long, flowing beard. But when we met, I realized he was a handsome guy who was even more handsome than I was when I was young. (Laughter)
At first, I thought he was a fortune teller, but later I realized he was a refined scholar. At first, I thought his knowledge was outdated, but later I realized he was already ahead of us.
Meeting him was a mystery, and meeting him again was another mystery. This afternoon, he named my strange stone, allowing me to experience another kind of his cultural charm.
In short, Teacher Wan is the most remarkable person I've ever met. Of course, I also want to warn all the unmarried women here: don't fall in love with Teacher Wan. I heard he's married, but that's just hearsay. That's all I have to say. Please feel free to criticize and correct me.
Everyone burst into laughter.
Long Yuan coughed, calming the room, and then said, "Now, we welcome Teacher Wan to speak."
I stood up and waited for the applause to die down before I said:
"Good evening, friends.
Literature and art are the art of selection, the art of elevation. When taking a photograph, one must remove the tangents and focus on the most beautiful part.
When he goes on stage, he puts on powder to cover up his facial blemishes and present his best image to the audience. So, Brother Shaojie is truly an artist. (Laughter)
I'm very grateful to Long Yuan and Shao Jie for taking such great pains to organize this formal symposium. I'm flattered. They say you all possess extraordinary skills, and tonight, I will definitely be a genuine audience member.
Thank you everyone. "
There was applause from the audience.
Long Yuan said, "Now we're entering the stage of self-entertainment. Let's start performing."
After he finished speaking, a woman in her twenties stood up and left the table.
She walked over to a piled-up table, took a guitar, stood behind the chair where she had been sitting, bowed to me, and said:
"The music is 'Fireworks in March in Yangzhou'. I've changed the lyrics a bit and dedicated it to Teacher Wan and everyone here. By the way, I haven't introduced myself to Teacher Wan yet. My name is Zuo Qingqing."
She played and sang:
Holding your hand, we gather in the concert hall,
The lightning-fast highway takes you to Yuzhen
True love plays for you, spring scenery stays for you
Twenty-four bridges on a moonlit night, concerned about Yuzhen
Is there a good friend like me in Shangzhou City? (Everyone: No)
Is there anyone in Yangzhou City who can share your worries and sorrows? (Everyone says, no)
Is there anyone like me in Shangzhou City? (Everyone: Absolutely not)
Is there anyone in Shangzhou City who will stand by you through thick and thin? (Everyone: We're waiting for you.)
At this time, several people picked up their guitars and sang along with her:
Fireworks in March are like endless willows
In the small town of Yuzhen, there is endless wine to drink.
Wait till tomorrow is gone and I am left with only sighs
Only then did I realize that longing is always greater than the Pacific Ocean.
…
They must have rehearsed this show this afternoon. The singing was captivating, the cheering was thunderous. At the end, everyone sang along, a truly unique opening song.
I said to Long Yuan, "You are so enthusiastic. I am so moved."
It was just one song. Applause, laughter, clapping of the table, cheers… all mixed together.
The atmosphere began to heat up. At this moment, someone moved his chair, walked to the center, and clasped his fists to me:
"Hello, Teacher Wan. My name is Wu Xiaosong. I spent five years in Shaolin Temple without a sex life. I couldn't stand the loneliness and left the mountain (laughter). Now I'm learning photography from Master Shaojie. I'll perform a little show."
Long Yuan whispered in my ear, "He won the provincial 60kg Sanda championship."
He opened his hands left and right, throwing a series of fast punches, sometimes rising, sometimes squatting, sometimes standing straight, and sometimes doing flips in the air.
At this time, someone took out a bottle of wine, poured it into a small wine glass, handed it to me and said, "Teacher Wan, take a sip, it's real wine."
I tasted it and said, "Yes, it's real wine."
The man handed the bottle to Wu Xiaosong. He gulped down most of it, then returned the bottle. His body swayed from side to side, like a monk.
I know, drunken boxing is coming.
I don't know if he performed drunken boxing well, but his drunken performance was very lifelike, causing laughter from time to time.
He deliberately leaned close to the female comrades, startling some and causing others to scream and leave their seats. After about four or five minutes, I thought his performance was over, but then he suddenly grabbed the small wine glass on the table.
Everyone was stunned, unsure what he was going to do. Was he really drunk and mad? Was he going to hit someone with his wine glass?
Long Yuan shouted, "What are you going to do?"
He exerted force with one hand, and with a crisp sound, the wine glass shattered. He clasped his hands together and said, "Teacher Wan, am I qualified to be your bodyguard?"
I laughed out loud towards the sky.
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