CHAPTER 297: CHAPTER 296: HIGHLY SKILLED

Beisitian still hadn’t made much progress in singing, but when it came to ensemble performances, things were going very smoothly. Zhang Guimin applauded non-stop as he listened to them play a complete song.

"Just a few minor adjustments, and it will be excellent!" Zhang Guimin said sincerely.

Initially, he expected that it was just for a performance party, so the level shouldn’t be too high. But after these few days, he found that Tian Lei’s piano playing was exceptionally good, like it was systematically trained.

The most surprising was Beisitian, because she played the flute, so Zhang Guimin paid more attention to her. Although he wasn’t an expert, he had a genuine love for ancient instruments, especially those he was skilled in, like the flute, xiao, and guzheng.

When he first heard Beisitian play the flute, he thought he might be able to give her some guidance, also because she saved his little nephew. You should know that to receive his guidance usually required a high monthly fee.

There was a female literary soldier in the 119th Division’s art troupe who was said to have quite a status there and had studied with him for a while. The child had some talent but unfortunately, he could see that she didn’t genuinely love ancient instruments. Learning those things seriously seemed more like showing off.

When Beisitian picked up the flute, a nostalgic expression appeared on her face. This expression resonated with him. If he went a while without interacting with these ancient instruments, he’d feel like he’d lost his soul, uncomfortable in everything he did.

So he decided to guide Beisitian. As she and Tian Lei practiced their ensemble, he began to pay attention to Beisitian, discovering her skilled and standard movements, and not only that, her posture was very elegant.

Whether it’s ancient instruments or Western instruments, they can both nurture one’s character and improve one’s own cultivation. This isn’t obvious in the early stages of learning, but once accomplished, playing will amplify a person’s temperament, with different instruments endowing one with different temperaments.

This temperament, however it appears, depends not only on the instrument but also varies from person to person.

Nowadays, quite a few boys like to learn the guitar, and girls like to learn the piano for this reason. Though there may be an aspect of showing off after mastering, it’s fundamentally different from that child in the art troupe. He could see she didn’t have much love for the flute.

In the initial stages of practice, where there were stops and starts, Zhang Guimin didn’t think much of it, only realizing that Beisitian didn’t need guidance on basic knowledge. He only offered some opinions on the piano ensemble.

Later, when they could play complete songs, Zhang Guimin was astonished to discover that Beisitian was far more talented than he had imagined.

Especially after listening to the final version of the ensemble several times, Zhang Guimin’s view of Beisitian changed. Every time she played the flute, it gave off a clear and lively aura around her, making the listeners feel a sense of clarity and beauty, remarkably in sync with Tian Lei’s piano.

Such subtle feelings could only be grasped by someone with a certain level of musical expertise. Most people might not know how to describe this feeling, but they could sense it and find such ensemble performances extremely pleasant to listen to!

The only regrettable part was that Luo Jiali’s voice lacked some quality; it was obvious she hadn’t professionally trained in singing and had been overshadowed by the two who had specialized in music.

"Comrade Xiao Luo’s singing still needs improvement." Zhang Guimin, as an observer, heard it most clearly and immediately pointed out the problem he saw.

Beisitian and Tian Lei exchanged glances. This issue they hadn’t noticed but was indeed the main problem at present!

In a solo song performance, frankly, the two of them weren’t the most important. Luo Jiali’s singing was the most important, and their ensemble served to highlight and complement her singing to present it to the audience in the best light.

But if their ensemble overshadowed the lead singer, it would seem unbalanced, and no matter how beautiful they played, it would leave a bad impression on the audience!

Luo Jiali was silent; she had long noticed this problem and was tirelessly trying to improve her skill. But although she liked to sing, she was ultimately an amateur and hadn’t received professional training, making it very hard to improve.

Moreover, in front of these two highly skilled musicians, her little improvements seemed far from enough.

"The concert is in half a month. Quickly learning now might not be fast enough," Tian Lei said with a slight frown. Although he could also sing, he was also an amateur.

Beisitian remained silent, having no better solution to offer, as she couldn’t even sing.

"If you can find someone professionally trained in singing to coach her for a crash course, it would be very beneficial. Her current level is fully amateur; there’s a lot of room for improvement!" Zhang Guimin suggested.

He was most familiar with this circle, and every suggestion he made was incredibly useful.

Beisitian and Tian Lei exchanged glances, at the same time thinking of one person, Chai Xiaohu!

But whether she would help, they weren’t sure.

"Thanks, Brother Guimin, your words are truly golden!" Tian Lei chuckled.

Zhang Guimin really liked this young man, who seemed elegant but was actually lively. After chatting about some things in the circle, Beisitian and the others went back.

"I’ll go find Chai Xiaohu!" Luo Jiali felt very down; she didn’t want to lower the standard of this performance, so she was eager to improve.

"I’ll go with you," Beisitian said.

"I’m going too," Tian Lei added.

Looking at them both, Luo Jiali was stunned, feeling a warm and comforting sensation inside her, something she hadn’t experienced in a long time.

"Thank you," Luo Jiali said softly, her head slightly lowered, hiding her eyes.

"No need to thank me, just don’t forget to treat me to a meal," Tian Lei laughed.

Beisitian glanced at him, "Jiali and I can go, it’s easier for two women. You don’t need to come."

Tian Lei looked at Luo Jiali, a bit uncertain. But considering Beisitian wasn’t someone to suffer losses, even if she encountered Li Ying, there was nothing to worry about, so he said, "Fine, I won’t go, but you still owe me a meal."

Both of them rolled their eyes and turned to leave.

The next day, after work, Beisitian and Luo Jiali went to the art troupe.

They found Chai Xiaohu in a small rehearsal room of the art troupe, sitting alone by the window, dazing.

When she saw the two coming in, she glanced at Beisitian, then looked out the window again, "What’s up?"

Seeing her in such a self-destructive state, both exchanged glances, feeling like this trip might be in vain.

Luo Jiali spoke up, "Um... can you teach me to sing?"

Chai Xiaohu was startled, perhaps not expecting her to make such a request, and turned to look at her.

Beisitian said, "We have an ensemble performance at the concert, and Luo Jiali is the lead singer. She hopes to have a breakthrough before going on stage."

Chai Xiaohu’s gaze shifted to Beisitian, a faint smile appearing at the corner of her mouth, "Sure."