wavenovel How did the rewards for Chapter 4 arrive?
How did the rewards for Chapter 4 arrive?
The training course is very different from regular school classes. Each class lasts a full two hours, with only a ten-minute break in between.
Today's lesson focused on the differences between scales, pitches, and timbre. Of course, the teacher didn't give a dry explanation of the specific differences; instead, he demonstrated them himself and then wrote down the key points on the blackboard, guiding the students to distinguish them step by step.
A strange feeling welled up in Xie Anran's heart. In his previous life, he had only been exposed to music in elementary school, and he had only learned to play the harmonica and recorder. He could barely be considered to have a musical foundation. At most, he could only recognize the staff and distinguish the basic differences between scales and timbres.
But today, he was able to remember every single point the teacher mentioned. During the pronunciation practice, he even felt a sudden urge to try it out, as if he had a hidden musical talent that had never been discovered.
"Could it be that the reward for concentrating on 90 lessons isn't given all at once, but rather divided into 90 installments, with a portion given each time you concentrate on a lesson?" Xie Anran quietly wondered.
He couldn't find any other explanation—as long as he concentrated, he could instantly understand what the teacher was saying, and his mind would naturally flow with new ideas, even surprising himself. It felt like he was born to be a musician; after just one basic lesson, he was filled with joy and his whole being radiated a love for music.
The hour-long class passed in the blink of an eye, and Xie Anran still felt like it wasn't enough. But the next second, a sudden feeling of fatigue swept over her.
"Huh?" Xie Anran looked down at his notebook and was stunned—it had two whole pages filled with notes, including not only the key points the teacher had made, but also his own unique understanding of scales and timbre. He had only been discharged from the hospital not long ago, and it was no wonder he felt tired after writing so much.
Sisi, who was next to Xie Anran, was gently closing her notebook when she turned her head and glanced at Xie Anran's notebook. Her eyes widened instantly, and her voice was full of surprise: "Wow, Anran, you're amazing!"
"Huh?" Xie Anran was still confused about her sudden change in learning ability and didn't immediately realize what the little girl meant by "amazing".
"You've written so many words!" Sisi reached for Xie Anran's notebook, carefully flipping through it, her little face filled with admiration. "How do you know so many words, and your handwriting is so beautiful!"
Xie Anran frowned, hesitated for a moment, and replied in the most stiff and formulaic tone: "You'll get it with more practice and learning."
"Oh?" Sisi tilted her head, her eyes full of doubt. "Anran, you're working way too hard!"
"Hmm," Xie Anran subconsciously responded with an adult's mindset, "I'm not in good health, so I need to keep my mind sharp."
Sisi's face immediately showed a confused expression, and her little brows furrowed: "Why do I need to be good-minded if I'm not physically healthy?"
Xie Anran felt a pang of regret; he shouldn't have said such a thing so casually. Why did this little girl ask so many questions? He patiently softened his tone and explained, "Because of my poor health, there will be limited things I can do in the future, so I have to do what my brain is good at in order to live a good life."
"I see!" Sisi exclaimed in sudden realization, her eyes lighting up. Her gaze towards Xie Anran held even more admiration. "Anran, you're so smart!"
"It's...it's alright." Xie Anran's expression was a little unnatural, and she didn't know whether to laugh or cry in her heart—she was clearly a child herself, but she was talking to another child in an adult tone, which felt particularly awkward, as if she was deliberately teasing the child.
Just then, a handsome little boy walked over, opened his small palm, and in his palm lay a White Rabbit candy. He said in a slightly shy tone, "Xixi, please have some candy."
Xie Anran glanced at the candy and understood. It was 94, many years after the reform and opening up, and White Rabbit candy was already widely available. However, for children from ordinary poor families, they might only eat it once or twice a year. He knew this because in his previous life, he could only eat one during the Lunar New Year, and the sweetness of that treat could be remembered for a whole year.
But when faced with that candy, Qianqian remained calm, shook her head, and said, "Zihao, thank you! But Mom said I should eat less candy, or I'll get cavities."
Unexpectedly, the little boy wasn't disappointed at being rejected. Instead, his eyes lit up, and he nodded vigorously, saying happily, "Yes, yes, Sisi is right. I'll eat less candy from now on!"
"Alright, alright, you can go away if you're free. I want to play with Anran." Qianqian waved her hand, as if shooing away a fly, her tone slightly arrogant, and sent the little boy away.
Xie Anran was stunned—the most outrageous thing was that the little boy actually walked away obediently, without the slightest reluctance, and was unbelievably obedient.
"What the hell? Is this the same little simp from when we were kids?" Xie Anran's lips twitched. She had a strange feeling of being transported to 2010. She never expected that kids from the 90s could be so "persistent".
Sisi didn't pay any attention to the little boy. She turned around and took out another candy from her pocket—another Alpenliebe candy. She tiptoed and handed the candy to Xie Anran, her voice soft and sweet: "Here, Anran~ have some!"
"Oh... thank you, I can't eat it." Xie Anran blinked and said truthfully.
"Huh?" Sisi was stunned. After a few seconds, she reacted. Remembering Xie Anran's poor health, a look of heartache instantly appeared on her face: "Anran, you're so pitiful."
"It's not that bad." Xie Anran smiled helplessly, his tone tinged with exasperation. He wasn't actually unable to eat; his poor health wasn't so bad that he couldn't even touch a piece of candy. He simply had little appetite—a sign of his weakness. Unless he was starving, he basically didn't want to eat anything.
"If you can't eat it, then I won't eat it either!" Sisi immediately put the candy away, her little face tense and serious.
"You...you don't have to do this." Xie Anran felt a warmth in his heart as he looked at her serious expression, but also a bit helpless. He discovered that this little girl had a kind of inexplicable passion in her, and once she made up her mind, she wouldn't easily change it.
"No!" Sisi shook her head, her tone exceptionally firm. "We're best friends, I can't bear to see you suffer alone!" In Sisi's eyes, not being able to eat candy was a particularly painful thing, so her expression was exceptionally serious, as if she were making some important decision.
Xie Anran almost scratched his head. He finally understood that this little girl in front of him was really different from ordinary children—she was both serious and exceptionally stubborn.
"Okay, I'll eat it." He couldn't persuade Sisi otherwise, so he had to give in.
"Huh? But you just said we can't eat it." Sisi blinked her big eyes, looking puzzled.
"I can eat for Xixi." Xie Anran looked at her, her tone tinged with helplessness.
"Oh? Anran, you're so kind!" Qianqian's face lit up with a smile, her eyes crinkling into crescents. She quickly took out some candy, carefully unwrapped two pieces, gently put one into Xie Anran's mouth and the other into her own, and couldn't help but lick her little finger, which was covered in candy crumbs.
Xie Anran, with a candy in his mouth, looked somewhat strange. He suddenly realized that his childhood sweetheart from his past life seemed completely different from the little girl in front of him in this life. This sudden, clumsy yet sincere kindness warmed his heart and filled him with a strange sense of emotion.