Chapter 163: Childhood

"Barefoot by the railway, chasing the afterglow of sunset,"
"Glass marbles in a tin box, heroes' trading cards,"
"Playing rubber bands, hide-and-seek beneath the stone bridge,"
"Grandma weaving shoe soles, sitting on the courtyard terrace."

"A basketball hoop and ginkgo flowers before the iron gate,"
"Could anyone be living in that thatched cottage?"
"Chasing and laughing on the way home from school,"
"Water babbling brightly between the paddy ridges."

"We grew up day by day,"
"White Rabbit creamy candies sticking to our teeth in sweet dreams,"
"Even daydreaming of immortals and scientists,"
"Mud stains and simple sketches on the white walls."

"We grew up day by day,"
"The old parasol tree sprouting through the four seasons,"
"Treasures and towers hidden in the sandpile,"
"Building a home out of long wooden benches."

...

Sun Yanzhen was singing Liu Haolin's "Childhood." Her pure and captivating voice, paired with simple and playful guitar chords, slowly sketched out the tangible scenes of the song: old trees and white walls, creating a romantic and idyllic landscape filled with warm memories.

Although Sun Yanzhen's vocal skills could not compare to the professional singers who performed before her, the unpretentious and touching quality of her voice was brought to its absolute peak in this song.

Many guests put down their chopsticks and bowls, moved by the music to appreciate Sun Yanzhen's performance with deep emotion.

Huang Guolun listened, feeling relaxed and happy as the heavy depression of recent days gradually dissolved. How he wished he could return to a carefree childhood like the one Sun Yanzhen was singing about, free from all worries.

Sun Yanzhen's singing was unpretentious, even a little tender, yet it brought him a genuine beauty and emotion from the bottom of his heart, making him yearn to reminisce about the innocence and romance of his childhood.

While singing, Sun Yanzhen was also using the song to revisit the wonderful moments of her own childhood.

Illuminated by the romantic stage lights, holding a spruce guitar and singing with a slight sway of her head, she looked more and more like a child who would never grow up:

...

"Days were always unbelievably slow,"
"Leaves falling all over the pond as we moved to a new home,"
"A twenty-inch color television and leather sofa,"
"The Big Windmill cartoon at five-thirty."

"Cooling off after dinner under the starry night sky,"
"Fireflies, a gentle breeze, and a curved crescent moon,"
"Adults talking about things we couldn't understand,"
"With all the ghosts and monsters hiding under the bed."

"We grew up day by day,"
"Rain falling endlessly in our memories,"
"Sweating through the summer vacation amidst the cicadas' drone,"
"Time for another haircut as the new school year begins."

"We grew up day by day,"
"Also beginning to yearn and change,"
"Once thinking we were so magnificent,"
"Writing a poem but lacking the courage to hand it to her."

...

Sun Yanzhen's singing could hardly be called professional, but it was truly sweet, much like a piece of childhood White Rabbit creamy candy. Combined with her pure and sweet appearance, watching her was an absolute visual and auditory delight!

Her rendition of "Childhood" was like the most delectable dessert in the restaurant that evening, refreshing and deeply touching. Long before the song even reached the halfway mark, many people couldn't help but award Sun Yanzhen a score of five.

Unfortunately, Huang Guolun's table did not have voting rights; if they did, he would have given Sun Yanzhen a five for this performance as well.

Although Sun Yanzhen's vocal technique fell far short of the young woman at Table 21, her song choice gave her a massive bonus.

The melody of this song was simple and moving. The more pure and blank-slate a voice like Sun Yanzhen's was, the better it could convey the true flavor of childhood.

Ultimately, a song had to touch people's hearts to be considered a success.

And Sun Yanzhen's "Childhood" had truly worked its way into the hearts of many.

This was undoubtedly the best song Sun Yanzhen had ever sung, at least in Huang Guolun's experience.

Sun Yanzhen had claimed earlier that she would open his eyes tonight. While the song hadn't exactly opened his eyes, it had somewhat opened his heart, making him glad he had come out to dinner with Sun Yanzhen tonight.

Had he not come out with her, he would surely have remained trapped in his sorrowful state, unable to pull himself out.

...

"We grew up day by day,"
"Listening to cassette tapes, bumping into each other under the banyan tree,"
"A white shirt at dusk, an acoustic wooden guitar,"
"The naive and innocent cheeks of youth."

"Hoo-ooh-ooh-ooh—thought we were so magnificent,"
"Writing a poem but lacking the courage to hand it to her,"
"Ooh—that tiny poem she never dared to pass along."

...

As Sun Yanzhen sang the closing lines, many people were pulled into the whirlpool of childhood memories, reluctant to leave.

Countless people sighed inwardly: What a poetic childhood that truly was.

Like a white orchid blooming in childhood memories, a brilliant smile spread across Sun Yanzhen's face.

After finishing the song with near perfection, her face glowing with satisfaction and joy, she stood up and gave a slight bow, greeting the restaurant patrons who had quietly listened to her sing for the past few minutes.

"Clap, clap, clap—!"

The diners offered Sun Yanzhen their most enthusiastic applause.

Many people generously cast their votes for her.

Her performance score was released in no time—

167 points!

Good grief!

It was actually higher than the young woman at Table 21!

At this point, the total number of voting tables was still 37, with a maximum possible total score of 185 points.

Calculated this way, Sun Yanzhen had achieved an astonishingly high approval rating of 90.2%!

Looking up and seeing her score, Sun Yanzhen covered her mouth in pleasant surprise, nearly jumping up with excitement.

This score completely exceeded her wildest imaginations; it felt just like winning the lottery, making her unimaginably happy!

"Clap, clap, clap—!"

The audience burst into applause for Sun Yanzhen once again.

Hooked by the desire to sing of his own childhood sparked by Sun Yanzhen's song, Huang Guolun quickly pressed the queue button before her score was even announced.

In the queue area, Table 21 appeared once more, lining up right behind Table 7.

Sun Yanzhen's high score stunned the middle-aged uncle at Table 7, and utterly shocked the young woman at Table 21.

Like an ant on a hot pan, the young woman at Table 21 anxiously pressed the queue button, ready to throw a tantrum and compete head-to-head with Sun Yanzhen.

Seeing that Table 20 had queued up again right after Sun Yanzhen finished singing, the young woman at Table 21 was so angry she almost slapped the table.

In her eyes, Table 20 was simply hogging the time and playing dirty! They had already gotten such a high score, yet they still had to come out and sing again—isn't this just like adding feet to a drawn snake?

The uncle at Table 7 was equally determined to win this free meal, and seeing Table 20 score the highest yet still come back out to sing, he felt secretly furious. Nursing a belly full of fire, he resolved to unleash it thoroughly when he took the stage later.

To professional ears like theirs, Sun Yanzhen's rendition of "Childhood" was mediocre at best, yet it had scored so incredibly high—this was simply the greatest injustice in the world! This wasn't a beauty pageant; it was a singing competition! Just like the name of the restaurant, music was king here! Yet the little girl from Table 20 had snatched a winning-tier score purely by virtue of her youth and beauty. They absolutely had to win back their pride!

Sun Yanzhen didn't care about any of that; she was smiling from ear to ear.

As soon as she returned to her seat, she boasted to Huang Guolun, "Well, Teacher Huang, how was my singing? Not bad, right? The highest score!"

Huang Guolun praised her, "You sang wonderfully, and your guitar playing was great too. Have you been practicing lately?"

"I've always practiced. Whenever I'm bored, I play the guitar to cultivate my artistic temperament."

"Not bad, not bad." Huang Guolun loved it when people used music to cultivate their temperament.

Sun Yanzhen said triumphantly, "It looks like this meal is going to be on me, hee hee. I never imagined that getting a free meal through music could feel so amazing!"

"Don't get ahead of yourself just yet. There are still several groups waiting to sing. Careful you don't get overthrown."

"I refuse to believe anyone can overtake my score."

With an approval rating of over 90%, Sun Yanzhen's confidence was through the roof. In high spirits, she ordered two more heavy dishes, determined to run the bill up to a full thousand yuan so that getting the entire meal free would be even more satisfying.

Huang Guolun was amused by Sun Yanzhen's spirited quest for a free meal, and his mood lifted considerably.

He had never previously thought that eating a free lunch was a particularly great feeling, because he believed in destiny.

In fatalism, there was no such thing as a free lunch in this world.

Behind every free thing lay hidden blessings and misfortunes that were impossible to see or comprehend.

Sometimes you think you've taken advantage of a free bargain, but hidden behind it are even bigger traps and disasters waiting for you to jump into.

At other times, you feel you've spent money and suffered a loss, without realizing that an unstoppable wave of great fortune is quietly approaching right behind that very loss.

With this mindset, Huang Guolun usually never coveted small gains. In fact, when given the chance to take a loss, he would willingly accept it, much like spending money to avert disaster. He believed that people must take responsibility and bear the consequences for all their actions.

Yet tonight, being with Sun Yanzhen, his depressed life felt as though a window had been thrown open, with a spring breeze blowing right onto his face. No matter what they did, Huang Guolun felt remarkably cheerful.

Forget whether he would end up singing later or not; Huang Guolun happily joined Sun Yanzhen in enjoying the meal, eating while listening to the subsequent guests sing.

Following Sun Yanzhen onto the stage was a young, handsome man.

This young man had come with his girlfriend. Judging by his attire and demeanor, he had probably just started working not too long ago and lacked worldly experience.

He had gathered all his courage to take the stage and sing for his girlfriend.

As soon as he stepped up, his face flushed red, and he looked extremely shy and bashful.

While holding the guitar, he even accidentally almost dropped the shop's instrument onto the floor.

His flustered and clumsy appearance amused the diners.

Everyone offered him kind and encouraging applause.

Encouraged by the crowd, the young man calmed down a bit. Gazing at the girl he loved, he strummed his guitar and sang Zheng Jun's "Cinderella": "How did I fall for you, I ask myself / I could give up anything / Yet today I find it hard to leave; You are not beautiful / But you are infinitely lovely / Oh, Cinderella / My Cinderella..."

Huang Guolun ate his meal and evaluated the young man, "He sings quite well, and his voice is quite steady."

Sun Yanzhen covertly glanced at the young man's girlfriend, laughed in a low voice, and said, "This guy picked the wrong song. His girlfriend isn't the Cinderella type at all—she's gorgeous. Singing that she isn't beautiful? He better watch out for a beating when they get back."

Huang Guolun laughed merrily, "Stop raining on their parade. The girl is listening to the feeling, not the literal meaning. If she really listened to the literal meaning, her boyfriend would have to write a song specifically for her to make it right."

Sun Yanzhen's dark, deep eyes suddenly brightened with a mischievous spark as she smiled playfully, "It sounds like you often write songs for girls, quite experienced, aren't you? When are you going to write a song for me?"

Huang Guolun answered with rare promptness, "I can write one for you. What kind of song do you want? One praising you?"

Sun Yanzhen's soft lips curved upward slightly, a flirtatious smile blooming across her sweet face as she looked straight into Huang Guolun's eyes and said, "I don't need praise. I want you to write a love song for me."