The Book of All Things: Born for Joy

183. The Chain Reaction (Part Three)

Although Li Zichun's pipa performance was calm and composed, with only simple applause and comments like "excellent" and "great" from the audience, it was already considered a top-tier performance. His understanding of the instrument itself was truly eye-opening for the audience.

With this short pipa piece as a starting point, the next episode of music is sure to be interesting.

Li Zichun wasn't afraid at all that the 10,000 audience members would leak the secret, because no one would believe them even if they told others.

Can you believe that a young man in his early twenties can play the pipa with unparalleled skill, mastering all kinds of tunes, and writing and performing more than a dozen excellent traditional Chinese style works?

Li Zichun himself didn't believe it. Because even on Earth, a place with a long cultural history, these songs required more than a decade of accumulation; they weren't something anyone could just create casually.

Although the music styles after 2015 are similar and there are few outstanding works, it does not prevent a few unexpected hits from appearing every year.

If someone can replicate this sub-world, then they must be a transmigrator from another world or an absolute genius.

Li Zichun relied solely on his exceptional memory and the superb musical arrangement skills inherent in the original owner's memories.

Since the authorities want to exhaust his talent, they might as well release it all at once in front of the live audience, so everyone can know what the TV station edited and what it didn't show.

After the pipa performance, Li Zichun walked slowly to the piano amidst applause from the audience. He casually and gently tapped a few keys and smiled faintly.

He had almost forgotten when he last played the piano in public, and it seemed that he was not doing a good job as the "Piano Prince".

Li Zichun didn't intend to play any famous pieces or masterpieces with profound techniques. He simply pondered for a while, went through the pieces in his mind, and then played "The Flowers of the South City Have Bloomed".

A beautiful and melodious tune flowed from his fingertips, simple and clean.

This song is very beautiful; it feels like it brings hope and happiness.

The music was serene and tranquil, echoing throughout the vast theater.

Li Zichun couldn't help but recall the true story behind this piano piece.

The story features a boy with bone cancer. He loves spring, flowers, music, and the bustling world online. He even gave himself a screen name: "Flowers Bloom in the South of the City."

The boy admired a musician named "Sanmudi" (Three Acres). He messaged Sanmudi via NetEase Cloud Music, telling him that he had late-stage bone cancer and might only have six months to live. He hoped Sanmudi could write a song using his NetEase Cloud Music ID, as the boy really liked his own ID.

Perhaps fearing that Sanmudi wouldn't believe her story, she sent him many photos of the hospital. Upon seeing the message, Sanmudi immediately began creating art.

There are always people waiting for the flowers to bloom, and I am waiting for the flowers to bloom too. I didn't like waiting at first, but I wanted to see the flowers bloom for the first time. As Ba Jin said, "In this world, the light will never go out." There must still be a glimmer of light flickering in our hearts.

Everything will be alright; the flowers in the south of the city are in bloom.

......

Finally, Sanmudi composed this piece of music as a gift to him, hoping that he would be safe and recover soon.

Although the boy eventually left us, he is gone now, just another old story from the south of the city. May he rest in peace in heaven.

As Li Zichun played, his feelings deepened. He was struggling to survive in this sub-world, step by step, which was also a way of firing at the timed death system in his brain. He had to keep moving forward, showing his own colors to the world, and moving forward step by step towards his other shore.

Now, as he plays, although the thought remains, his state of mind is completely different.

He used to be able to lie to himself that it was to reunite with his wife from his previous life, but now, with Zhao Qianfan and Du Zihua, he felt greedy and perverted.

This self-hypnotic anesthesia and the psychological shield of pretending not to see the truth suddenly woke me up.

These days and the time spent together are real, the feelings are real, and the emotions are real. How can we pretend they never existed just because they will eventually pass away?

He enjoys being with them and likes being with them.

At that moment, he finally accepted himself.

At that moment, he felt a sense of relief, as if he had let go of the past and would welcome the flowers to bloom again next year.

Because of this sudden inspiration, the piano piece he played was clean, rich, and layered in both melody and arrangement, so beautiful that it touched the soul.

The entire atmosphere was suddenly soothed; even the children in their seats stopped crying and fussing, remaining quiet and peaceful.

Li Zichun's entire performance felt more like a final farewell to Shangjing, the capital of the Great Zhou Dynasty—full of emotion, resolute, and leaving no room for compromise. The reason there were audience members was simply to see how the authorities controlled the public discourse; how many of his many performances would actually be broadcast?

In addition to these musical performances, Li Zichun also wrote a poem by Bai Juyi, "Night Zither," for Gu Qianyi:

Purple sleeves, red strings, under the bright moon

I play it myself, feeling a quiet, subdued sadness.

The string stopped, the sound choked and stopped.

A thousandfold deep affection lies within.

This music category now combines cultural depth with live performance, which is quite good. It also gives us a good idea of ​​what to do next.

The final episode was a variety show, and even with "Candied Hawthorn" and "Dala Bengba," the mischievous production team still wasn't satisfied, leaving Li Zichun speechless.

And so came the next two songs.

Li Zichun appeared on stage with Du Zihua and Zhao Qianfan. The three walked to the front of the stage, and he said with a smile, "The next two songs are the last two. After that, I don't think I will return to Beijing. I hope everyone can have a happy time during this short time together, live freely, and become better versions of themselves."

After Li Zichun finished speaking, the audience erupted in uproar, meaning that this was his last performance in Beijing.

While many felt it was a pity, quite a few scoffed, saying that for singers and movie stars, retirement and comeback are just a matter of a word, and shouldn't be taken seriously.

The reason for this decision was that the production team had mentioned there might be topics related to agriculture and porcelain, and they hoped to have songs on those topics in mind. Li Zichun nodded, smiling on the surface, but inwardly he was cursing, thinking, "The official team is really going on and on; they're just dragging me into this."

If it weren't for the signed contract, who would want to come here and put up with this kind of rudeness?

For the sake of their elusive possibility, he also had to patiently write songs.

Although Li Zichun was muttering to himself, he held back and continued to write down the lyrics for the song.

After much deliberation among songs like "On the Hopeful Fields," "Rice Fragrance," "Farming and Weaving Song," and "Harvest Song," I finally decided to use Jay Chou's song, which is a fitting way to honor the official invitation.

The three were of similar height and dressed neatly. When they stood on the stage, it was as if they were witnessing the pinnacle of music in this era.

Li Zichun met the gazes of the two men, nodded, looked at the audience, and began to sing "Rice Fragrance" along with the music:

If you have too many complaints about this world

If you fall, you won't dare to keep going.

Why are people so fragile and depraved?

Please turn on the TV and take a look.

So many people are bravely striving to keep going for life.

Shouldn't we be content and cherish everything, even if we don't possess it?

I remember you said home is the only castle.

As the fragrance of rice spreads, the river continues its journey.

A slight smile. I know the dreams I had as a child.

Don't cry, let the fireflies carry you away.

Country folk songs, an eternal reliance

Let's go home, back to the beauty of the beginning.

Don't give up so easily.

Like I said, if you can't achieve a dream, just find another one.

To add vibrant color to one's life

First, color the love with your favorite color.

Smile! Success and fame are not the goal.

Making yourself happy is what truly matters.

The paper airplane from my childhood has finally flown back into my hands.

That so-called happiness: chasing dragonflies barefoot in the fields, getting tired of chasing, stealing fruit, getting stung by bees until you're scared... Who's secretly laughing?

I leaned against the scarecrow, the wind blowing, and sang a song as I fell asleep.

Oh, oh~ The guitar sounds even crisper in the afternoon amidst the chirping of insects.

Oh, oh~ With sunshine on the road, there's no fear of heartbreak.

Cherish everything, even if you don't possess it.

......"

"Rice Fragrance" draws inspiration from Jay Chou's childhood experiences, using playful lyrics to transport listeners back to the countryside. Jay Chou had many amusing childhood memories. He envied the children living in the countryside; when mango trees grew in front of his house, he could see his neighbors climbing over the wall to steal mangoes. As a child, Jay Chou was quite mischievous; once, while catching gudgeon in a large ditch, he accidentally fell in. When he got home, his mother teased him, saying it was because his head was too big. These childhood memories became the inspiration for this song.

In an interview with People Weekly, Jay Chou stated that "Rice Fragrance" was written in response to the Wenchuan earthquake. He hoped to convey a simple, yet easily forgotten, truth through this song: contentment.

No major earthquake occurred during the Great Zhou Dynasty, so Li Zichun couldn't force it to happen. It's fine to just listen to it as a pastoral idyll.

The opening cricket chirping felt like a return to a childhood that can never be relived.

The three of them worked together very well, with each song playing in turn, and the whole audience was captivated by their performance.

After the trio finished singing, Zhao Qianfan and Du Zihua hugged him, then gracefully left the stage, leaving him alone. Because this last song was such a classic, they wanted him to create the most perfect performance.

The staff on site quickly adjusted the stage according to Li Zichun's requirements, and everyone worked hard without complaint, because they knew they were creating a video record.

Amidst a group of beautiful dancers in sky-blue dresses, Li Zichun finally sang the S-rank survival song—"Blue and White Porcelain"—given as a daily login reward after arriving in this world:

The plain embryo outlines the blue and white strokes from dark to light

The peony depicted on the bottle is just like your first makeup

The gentle scent of sandalwood wafts through the window, revealing my unspoken thoughts. My brush, poised on the rice paper, pauses halfway.

The charm of the glaze rendering of the lady's figure is privately hidden

And your sweet smile is budding

Your beauty drifts away, to places I cannot reach.

The sky is blue and waiting for the rain, and I am waiting for you

Smoke rises from the kitchen, thousands of miles away

The inscription on the bottom of the bottle, written in the elegant style of Han Dynasty calligraphy, is a foreshadowing of my meeting with you.

The sky is blue and waiting for the rain, and I am waiting for you

The moonlight was salvaged and the ending was blurred

Like a timeless blue-and-white porcelain vase, beautiful in its own right, your eyes hold a smile.

The white and blue koi are jumping in the bottom of the bowl

I was thinking of you when I copied the Song style signature

The secret you have hidden in the kiln for thousands of years

Extremely delicate as if an embroidery needle falls to the ground

The banana leaves outside the curtain are aggravated by the sudden rain, and the door knocker is stained with verdigris.

And I passed by that Jiangnan town and provoked you

In the ink wash landscape painting, you are hidden deep within the ink.

......"

The piece "Blue and White Porcelain" lives up to its name, much like a masterpiece of celadon that is "beautiful in its own right," stripped of all artifice, simple and elegant, fresh and flowing. The guzheng's strumming, the clappers' crisp sound, and the pipa's flowing melody are all exceptionally moving.

Li Zichun originally didn't want to use "Blue and White Porcelain." He preferred to sing another milestone song, "East Wind Breaks," which is a standard and complete representative of Chinese-style songs. Its natural melody and lyrics evoke a sense of nostalgia and leave a lasting impression.

He wouldn't have used this song if the official team hadn't insisted on creating a porcelain piece.

The entire performance concluded with Li Zichun's rendition of this song, prompting everyone in the audience to stand and applaud, paying tribute to this unparalleled performance. Whether it's a series of masterful operatic pieces, fluent recitations of ancient poems, or even obscure and difficult-to-write songs about tea and food, this man can handle them all with ease, bringing you a magnificent audio-visual feast that makes you want to keep listening and never want to leave.

The theater lights came on, the audience stood up, and as Gu Qianyi introduced each actor one by one, the actors took to the stage one by one. The entire cast took their bows amidst the loudest applause.

After finishing his performance, Li Zichun breathed a sigh of relief. This damn contract was finally fulfilled. If he had known it would be this tiring, he would never have come to suffer like this. He would have preferred to have turned it down in the first place.

Because he was going back to the Oriental Never-Sleeping City tomorrow, Zhao Qianfan wouldn't be able to see him for a few days. Tonight, Du Zihua was very considerate and slept in a room by himself.

Zhao Qianfan nodded in satisfaction, then held Li Zichun in his arms for a long talk that lasted all night.

PS: Data is from the internet.

"Flowers in the south of the city are in bloom" is an instrumental song composed and arranged by Sanmudi and released in March 2017.

"Rice Fragrance" is a song written and composed by Jay Chou, arranged by Huang Yuxun, and sung by Jay Chou. It was included in Jay Chou's album "Capricorn" released on October 15, 2008. In 2009, this song won the Best Song of the Year Award at the 20th Golden Melody Awards in Taiwan and the Hong Kong and Taiwan Song Award at the Sprite Chart China Original Music Pop Chart.

"Blue and White Porcelain" is a song performed by Jay Chou, with lyrics by Vincent Fang, music by Jay Chou, and arrangement by Chung Hsing-min. It was included in Jay Chou's album "I'm Busy," released on November 2, 2007. On February 6, 2008, Jay Chou performed the song at the 2008 CCTV Spring Festival Gala; on July 5 of the same year, the song won three awards at the 19th Golden Melody Awards in Taiwan: Best Song of the Year, Best Lyricist of the Year, and Best Composer of the Year.