Chapter 15 A fan gently covers the face, a glance gazing across a thousand years.
Tingfeng Lane is a pedestrianized commercial street, containing clothing stores, entertainment venues, restaurants, and various training schools, making it a small commercial district. The driver parked the car outside, and Meng Yanxi got out and led her younger sister inside.
Meng Zhuxi was unwilling and acted awkwardly.
But there was nothing they could do. It was Meng Yanxi's birthday week, and even her grandfather and father were giving in to her. No one was willing to speak up for her.
Ten-year-old Meng Zhuxi has rosy cheeks and fair, delicate skin that looks like it could be pinched to release moisture. Because of her strenuous performance last night—no, her heartbroken crying—her eyes are still a little red, making her look pitiful.
She was pulled along by Meng Yanxi, tilting her head to sized up her brother.
The boy, who will turn seventeen next week, is already 1.8 meters tall. He wears a black windbreaker, has long legs, and carries a bag over one shoulder containing her dance costume and shoes. He holds her hand with one hand, and with the other, he pulls his phone out of his pocket and glances at the time.
Meng Yanxi dislikes being late, but Meng Zhuxi does.
A private dance lesson is an hour long, and Meng Zhuxi is willing to be an hour and a half late.
"I don't like dancing," the little girl reiterated her statement.
Meng Yanxi's gaze swept past the crowd, wandering into the distance, and she absentmindedly replied, "I know, only heaven, earth, you, and I know, don't tell anyone."
Meng Zhuxi: "..."
How could there be such a heartless brother?
"If you love dancing so much, why don't you go and learn?"
Meng Yanxi turned to look at her: "You think I don't want to?"
"...?"
Meng Zhuxi was so exasperated by his unyielding attitude that she jumped up and down, asking sarcastically, "Meng Yanxi, did your biological parents leave any clues when they abandoned you at our doorstep? How about I help you find your family?"
"Yes." Meng Yanxi nimbly bypassed the crowd, and with a glance, she saw Jin Zhao under the street ahead.
She wore a dance dress underneath a long, thin down jacket, noticed him, and waved at him with a smile.
Meng Yanxi took even faster steps, and little Meng Zhuxi had to jog to keep up.
He looked at Jin Zhao and didn't hesitate to tease his sister: "You are the clue. You came with me back then, didn't you? Oh right, you were just a month old then, not old enough to remember anything."
Meng Zhuxi: "..." He's gone mad!
No matter how much she argued, she couldn't win. Meng Zhuxi was so angry that she wanted to roll around on the spot.
The dance hall was on the second floor, and the two agreed to meet in front of the elevator and go up together.
As soon as Jin Zhao arrived, she saw the brother and sister walking towards her from afar. The little girl looked to be about ten years old, well-behaved and obedient, being led by her tall, 1.8-meter-tall brother. As the two got closer, Jin Zhao realized that the brother and sister looked alike, especially their eyes, which were almost identical. The only difference was their gazes. Meng Yanxi's eyes were clear and aloof, while the little girl's were soft and cuddly, with adorable eyes, like a doll, making one want to hug and kiss her.
Meng Yanxi pulled the person in front of her and introduced her: "My sister." Then she turned to look at Meng Zhuxi: "Say hello to her."
Meng Zhuxi has one good quality: she never takes her anger out on others. She's very compassionate towards the innocent victims of her anger. So even though she's extremely angry at her brother's unreasonable behavior, she can still greet his classmates sweetly: "Hello, Sister Jinzhao! Sister Jinzhao is so beautiful!"
Meng Zhuxi was a natural at coaxing people; if she wanted to, there was no heart she couldn't melt, especially since Jin Zhao was indeed handsome. She sweetly praised her brother's classmate, her beautiful eyes crinkling into two crescent moons with her smile.
Jin Zhao was indeed completely charmed by her. He bent down slightly and greeted the little girl with a smile: "Hello, Xi Xi, you are so pretty too."
The three of them entered the elevator together and went up to the second floor. When they exited the elevator, they saw the logo of Jinghong Dance.
Jinghong Dance School is the largest dance school in the area, with 13 classrooms in Tingfeng Lane alone: 8 large classrooms and 5 small classrooms. Teacher Jin Zhao and Teacher Yu Yu are meeting in classroom number four.
Teacher Yu Yu is a young female teacher whose appearance fits all the stereotypes of a dance teacher: fair-skinned and beautiful, tall and slender, with a swan-like neck and right-angled shoulders, and an elegant and outstanding demeanor in every gesture. She came to Jinghong Dance Academy right after graduating from dance school and has been here for eight years, exactly the same time as teaching Jin Zhao for eight years. To this day, she still often jokes that Jin Zhao is her top student, and it's a pity that Jin Zhao didn't pursue the path of an art student, otherwise she would definitely have stood out if she had gone to dance school in the future.
Teacher Yu Yu was waiting in classroom number four. Like all dance teachers, she was stretching since she had nothing else to do. Jin Zhao went in and called out, "Teacher Yu Yu," and the latter stood up from the barre upon hearing the call.
"Lingling!"
Jin Zhao comes less and less often now. Every time Teacher Yu sees her, she chats for a long time, asks her how she's been, shares popular choreography with her, and tells her about the funny things her cat has been up to lately.
While the two were talking, Meng Zhuxi gently tugged at her brother's clothes and whispered, "Do you think she would still accept me as a student if I lay down and made a scene right now?"
The little girl had an innocent face, but the words she uttered were quite wicked.
Unfortunately, there's always someone who can overcome someone else. Meng Yanxi calmly took out her phone and pointed the camera at her: "Let's start. This is a live streaming account I opened last night. If I get 5,000 in donations, I'll buy you a phone."
Meng Zhuxi: "..."
Fortunately, Jin Zhao pulled her in front of Teacher Yu Yu in time, otherwise Meng Zhuxi would probably have jumped up and punched her brother on the spot.
Jin Zhao introduced the Meng siblings to Teacher Yu Yu, skipping the part about "crying and making a scene" that Meng Yanxi had told her, and told Teacher Yu Yu that the little girl really wanted to learn to dance from her.
Young teachers always enjoy hearing people say they like them. Jin Zhao's flattery delighted Teacher Yu Yu, who grew increasingly fond of Meng Zhu Xi and asked, "Do you really like dancing?"
This is a soul-searching question.
Meng Zhuxi glanced at her brother silently, ultimately choosing to uphold their blood ties in front of outsiders.
"I like it." The little girl nodded against her conscience.
Meng Yanxi gave his sister an appreciative look, then turned around and strode out to the front desk to pay his tuition.
This class was easy for Meng Zhuxi, as Jin Zhao was teaching and she was just watching from the sidelines, which gave her a basic understanding of classical dance.
After paying her tuition, Meng Yanxi added the teaching assistant, Ms. Feng, on WeChat.
For any dance studio, someone like Meng Yanxi, who casually buys a whole year's worth of private lessons, is a major client, especially since he chose the top-tier teacher, Teacher Yu Yu, whose price is three times that of a regular annual private lesson card. Teacher Feng was incredibly lucky; he just happened to be at the front desk and this huge order came his way. Eager to maintain such a large client, he eagerly chatted with Meng Yanxi, rambling on and on.
When Meng Yanxi finally managed to escape back to the dance studio, the course was already halfway through. Physical fitness, basic skills, and body movement were finished, and Teacher Yu Yu was giving instructions on the Jin Zhao repertoire.
They were performing a professional dance piece called "Looking Back Through a Thousand Years," a very difficult dance. Jin Zhao had actually already learned it, but at her level, dance is no longer about quantity, but about qualitative breakthroughs. Teacher Yu Yu demonstrated several parts that Jin Zhao hadn't handled well, and then had her perform the whole piece.
From afar, Meng Yanxi could hear the young female teacher's raised voice. Teacher Yu Yu possessed the commanding presence typical of dance teachers, using her voice to overpower the speakers while clapping vigorously to maintain the rhythm: "Yes, slow down! Don't rush! Quickly! Turn! Expression! Pay attention to your expression! Okay! Let's go!"
Meng Yanxi arrived at the classroom door.
The classroom wasn't large. There was a whole wall of mirrors in front of it. In the center of the classroom was a girl dressed in a light green Hanfu-style dress, holding a hand fan.
The rhythm was faster and more powerful than the dance she performed in Huijue Town. The music was vigorous, and she twisted and turned dramatically, her dress flowing like water. As the music reached its climax, the drumbeats intensified, and she leaped up with a light touch of her toes, her figure as graceful as a startled swan soaring through the clouds, her fan tracing a stunning arc as she spun.
A roller blind hung in front of the classroom's floor-to-ceiling windows. Whether it was the breeze stirred by her dress or the movement of the fan, the blind rose and fell repeatedly. Listen closely, and you can hear soft, rhythmic clattering sounds against the backdrop of grand, soothing music.
The final shot freezes in time, showing a young girl in the prime of her life, her back turned as she unfolds her fan and looks back.
A fan gently covers the face, offering a glimpse into a thousand years.
*
The hour-long lesson passed quickly. Teacher Yu was very satisfied with Jin Zhao's performance today and left fifteen minutes for Meng Zhuxi.
After watching Jin Zhao's dance, Meng Zhuxi's mindset completely changed, from resistance to eagerness. She had never known that girls could dance so beautifully, as if they were radiating light. But that light was not a dazzling or sharp one; rather, it was a serene and compassionate light emanating from within, a divine radiance.
She didn't know if every girl danced like Jin Zhao, but she wanted to be like her.
However, the first lesson certainly wouldn't reach that level. Accompanied by Jin Zhao, Meng Zhuxi practiced lifting and sinking techniques and learned a simple way to hold a fan.
Leaving the dance studio, Meng Zhuxi's eyes were sparkling. She stopped crying, making a fuss, and rolling around on the floor. Holding her brother's hand, she said excitedly, "I finally understand why the men in period dramas love watching beautiful women dance! Not just them, I love watching them too. Sister Jin Zhao's dancing is so beautiful, oh my god!"
Meng Yanxi remained silent, while Jin Zhao became embarrassed by her praise.
Downstairs, Jin Zhao said goodbye to them, pointing in the opposite direction from where they had come: "I'm going to catch the bus over there."
Meng Yanxi stared at her, and after two seconds, nodded slightly: "Okay, see you tomorrow."
Meng Zhuxi said sweetly from the side, "Thank you, Sister Jinzhao! See you next week, Sister Jinzhao!"
Jin Zhao smiled and bent down slightly to look her in the eye: "I won't be coming next week, but you still have to keep coming to study!"
Meng Yanxi looked at her.
Noticing his gaze, Jin Zhao blushed and looked up to explain, "It's the second semester of my junior year, and I need to study hard."
Meng Yanxi nodded: "Mm."
Meng Zhuxi was reluctant to part. After thinking for a moment, she said, "Jin Zhao, could you tell my brother next time you come? I'll ask him to arrange a time to be with you."
Jin Zhao smiled.
Actually, she only has three dance classes left on her card. After today's class, she has two more to go. She'll probably be very frugal from now on and won't be coming back for another year.
She couldn't very well lie to the little girl, so she naturally changed the subject: "By the way, do you still like that clay doll?"
Meng Zhuxi was taken aback: "A doll? What doll?"
Meng Yanxi's brow twitched.
Jin Zhao looked at Meng Yanxi with confusion and asked, "Didn't your brother give you the clay sculptures from Jinjue Town?"
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Author's Note: The flat fan, also called a knife fan, is simply a regular round fan with half of its original size. It existed as early as the Zhou Dynasty and was commonly used in Han and Tang Dynasty dances.
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