Chapter 136
This was the distinctive voice of a teenager; compared with the original tone of the song, it lacked the flavor of rich experience, but it carried a youthful air which existed only in one's salad days .
The song which Wang Ling was playing was from another world line . It was a cover song titled "Old Boys" and sung by a music duo called Chopstick Brothers 1 .
This song was about a guy's inability to confess his feelings to the girl he liked for fear of being rejected . It expressed the sentiment of being unable to go back to one's youth, and that while things might remain the same, people did not .
Wang Ling liked this song very much .
He remembered when he had first reached puberty, and he had had a crush on a girl . But due to personal reasons, he hadn't said anything, right up until the year they had graduated .
He had been afraid that he would hurt her .
At that moment, there was a special kind of feeling in the air as Wang Ling stood in this rundown restaurant and played "Old Boys" on the guitar . Once he opened his mouth, both Boss Tan and Tang Youning were straightaway intoxicated by his voice . . .
. . .
That is the girl I deeply love and miss day and night~
But how should I profess my heart~
Will she accept me~
. . .
Perhaps I will never be able to say those words to her~
I am destined to wander the world alone~
How can I have such cares~
Dreams are always just dreams~
Perhaps I should give up~
Flowers bloom and fade in yet another rainy season~
Where is spring~
. . .
Youth is like a swift current~
Gone, never to return, and too late to say goodbye~
Only leaving me behind numb~
Without the passion of before!
. . .
Looking at a sky full of fallen flowers~
Fading at the most beautiful moment~
Who will remember it had once been here in this world . . .
This was the first part of the song, but Wang Ling put the guitar down after singing up to this point . Boss Tan was already totally dumbfounded — there was actually such an operation 2 ?!
While Wang Ling had been playing the song, Boss Tan had casually checked for the lyrics, but discovered that there was no relevant search record for it on the Internet . That was enough to prove that this was an original song!
This was only a Senior Grade One youngster, but he was actually capable of writing such a moving song full of youthfulness . . .
At the end of Wang Ling's performance, both Boss Tan and Tang Youning in that moment were moved in their hearts .
They instantly felt that this youngster had to have a story behind him!
This was a song that they had never heard before; just listening to one small part of it had been lethal!
Boss Tan had already completely become a fan of this youngster . This was probably the legendary prodigy, right?
Wang Ling: " . . . "
Only Wang Ling himself knew that he wasn't a prodigy of any sort at all . . . he didn't create music, but was just a music porter!
Putting the young man's guitar back in its corner, he quietly went back to his seat to eat his noodles; from his light and easy attitude, it was as if he had just done something pretty ordinary, which was a crushing blow to Tang Youning .
. . . Who on earth was this person?
Tang Youning was shocked . He dropped his head, feeling like he had been completely defeated . . . back then, in his quest to learn music, he had abandoned everything, and behind his parents' backs, had stolen the family's chaiqian funds 3 and given it all to a music teacher . The money had initially been set aside for when he got married . When his misdeed had been exposed, his family had cut off all his living expenses . And so, he officially became a street singer .
It looked like he really wasn't cut out for this business . . .
If he had listened to his parents' urging back then and hadn't used the chaiqian funds, he might happily have had a wife by now; he could be living in a brand new house and maybe playing with his kids . . . he might have found a steady job and would be living a stable life .
For the first time, Tang Youning felt that something was wrong with the way he was living his life .
Was he going to stick to it?
After listening to Wang Ling play, he began to seriously question himself .
"How much can a street singer like you earn in one day?" asked Father Wang .
Tang Youning's arrogance at having studied music formally had completely disappeared . He scratched his head somewhat embarrassedly . "It depends . . . when it rains, there's no money at all . I sing everywhere, and I just hope everyone can appreciate me for my music, not because they pity me . "
" . . . " There was dead silence in the shop .
Tang Youning stroked his guitar, his eyes a little wet . "I thought that given my abilities, I'd have no problem passing the audition . . . now, this is the only thing I have . "
"Then will you continue down this road?" Father Wang asked once more .
Tang Youning shook his head . "I don't know . "
"You don't know means you still want to . "
Father Wang raised an eyebrow, feeling that this young man was still very persistent . Anyone else would have surrendered early on under the onslaught of his poisonous tongue, but often these were people who weren't trying to do big things . On the other hand, the way this young man was hesitating just proved that he didn't want to give up so easily .
"What do you think about my son's song just now?"
"That song was really good!"
Tang Youning was excited and depressed at the same time . "I don't think I could ever write a song like that . . . "
"Have you considered that the reason why you failed the auditon might have to do with the song you chose?" Father Wang asked again .
Wang Ling raised his eyebrow slightly in his seat . He felt that Father Wang's attitude toward the young man was a little different now, as he had switched from poisonous words to talking sense into him . Father Wang had always been a man good at telling stories; he had a very strong grasp of different subjects and also first-class leadership skills . . . Wang Ling had once seen him unconsciously lead over ninety percent of a two thousand strong group of readers who read pirated books back to reading genuine versions again .
Tang Youning blinked as he looked at Father Wang . "What is teacher's meaning?"
"Don't call me teacher, it just sounds awkward . Just call me uncle . " Father Wang waved his hand . "I mean, if you didn't detest my son's song, how about I sell it to you?"
Tang Youning instantly stood up . "Uncle . . . you're saying you want to sell this song to me?"
But very quickly, his expression turned deeply bitter . "But uncle . . . I have no money . "
An original work of excellent quality was truly rare nowadays! Tang Youning felt that Wang Ling's song would be able to command a whopping copyright price from any record company!
Father Wang silently lit a cigarette and stuck it in his mouth . "How much do you have?"
Tang Youning fumbled around in his pockets and pulled out loose change which, when pooled together, amounted to thirty three yuan and seventy cents .
Anxious, Tang Youning looked at Father Wang, gritted his teeth, then tightly hugged his guitar and gave it a kiss before holding it out to Father Wang . "Uncle . . . if you don't dislike it . . . "
"No . " Father Wang straightforwardly rolled his eyes .
Boss Tan was speechless . " . . . " This was a bit too frank!
Father Wang: "Why would I want your guitar? Can it be eaten? Isn't this your lifeblood? How can a man walk through life without a partner by his side?"
With that, Father Wang turned to look at the boss . "Boss Tan, do you have pen and paper?"
Boss Tan nodded . "Yes!"
Father Wang had always had a good memory, and he also had some musical knowledge . Hence, he had basically already memorized the lyrics and the melody after Wang Ling's single rendition of it . Even if he left out something, Wang Ling would help him fill in the gaps telepathically . . .
In a smooth and flowing style, Father Wang swiftly wrote down the complete lyrics of "Old Boys" on paper, then wrote another note before putting the pen cap back on .
Finally, he gave the piece of paper to Tang Youning . "The most precious thing about a dream is that it can be rebuilt, no matter how big your setback!"
Tang Youning gripped the paper with shaking hands .
Father Wang exhaled smoke like a dragon and flicked ash from his cigarette . He stood up, picked up that thirty-three yuan and seventy cents from the table and put it in Boss Tan's hand . "Two bowls of beef noodles, thirty yuan in total . Keep the change . "
After that, father and son together with Loopy Toad directly left the shop, leaving Boss Tan bewilderedly holding thirty-three yuan and seventy cents .
. . .
After Wang Ling teleported Father Wang and Loopy Toad back home, Father Wang leaned back against the sofa and heaved a long sigh . "Your mom maxed out my salary card . We have to save as much money as possible in these few days!"
Wang Ling: " . . . "
Father Wang looked seriously at Wang Ling and gave him earnest instruction . "Look, with just a little wisdom today, I was able to save money on two bowls of beef noodles! Want to know what frugality is? That's it!"
Wang Ling: " . . . "
Chopstick Brothers is a Beijing-based Chinese duo who became famous in 2010 for a short online comedy film titled 'Old Boys . ' 居然还有这种操作 'There was actually such an operation' is Chinese Netspeak for expressing shock or bafflement, or to complain or praise something . 'Chaiqian' translates to "demolition and relocation," and refers to the large-scale rebuilding of older urban areas in China . This has become a significant socioeconomic issue, with some people being forcibly evicted .
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