Chapter 14.1 The Kind-Hearted God

Shu Qingyao had two more music classes in the afternoon, so she found a small stool for Xie Xiaoqian and let her sit among the students to listen to her class.

Xie Xiaoqian didn’t know how to read, so she obediently sang along with her, singing a line after her.

Shu Qingyao discovered that she had a good sense of pitch. After listening once, she could actually repeat the song she sang completely.

Shu Qingyao was a little surprised. She deliberately played a wrong note on the piano. After class, she called Xie Xiaoqian over and asked her how she felt about the music class.

“Sister’s singing is beautiful.” Xie Xiaoqian’s eyes sparkled.

Shu Qingyao chuckled, “I’m asking you how you felt about the first class and the second class.”

“Um…” Xie Xiaoqian looked at Shu Qingyao, stammering, “I think they were both good, but…”

“But what?”

“But the music in the first class and the second class seemed different, not quite the same.” Xie Xiaoqian said, cautiously looking at Qingyao, afraid that she would be angry. She quickly explained, “I think they were both good, they were both beautiful.”

This child, she didn’t know what kind of abuse she had suffered at home, even expressing her own opinion, she was afraid of upsetting others.

“Don’t be afraid,” Shu Qingyao touched her little head. At this moment, her eyes were genuinely warm, “Listen, is it different here?”

Shu Qingyao played two sections for her, one of which was lower in pitch than the other.

Xie Xiaoqian listened carefully, then whispered, “This one is lower than the one before…”

Shu Qingyao paused, a little surprised.

Xie Xiaoqian actually had perfect pitch.

In this world, all sounds have a pitch, the sound of a door opening, the sound of speaking, the sound of rain…

Perfect pitch specifically refers to the ability to identify the pitch of a sound without a reference tone.

In reality, people with perfect pitch are very rare. Most of them are successful musicians, such as Michael Jackson, Teresa Carpio, Jay Chou, etc.

Shu Qingyao herself also had perfect pitch, which made it much easier for her to excel in piano. Her mentor had been very proud of her talent and had high hopes for her.

But in the end, she still disappointed her mentor…

Now, could she cultivate her own apprentice?

Originally, she just wanted Xie Xiaoqian to be a matchmaker, but now, Shu Qingyao was genuinely moved.

She had such talent, she couldn’t let it go to waste.

“Xiaoqian,” Shu Qingyao asked with a smile, “Do you want to learn piano with me?”

Little Xie Xiaoqian looked at the beautiful woman in front of her with a bewildered expression. She didn’t know that her life had completely changed from this moment on.

When, twenty years later, she became the most famous Chinese female pianist in the world, adored by people all over the world, and her performances were unanimously praised by the public and critics as “brilliant” and “a rare genius,” she would always remember this day.

She met her kind-hearted god.

*

That night.

Xie Hezhang hurried home, carrying half a bowl of rice in a lunchbox.

Before he even entered the door, he heard Xie Helan’s loud voice:

“No! It’s only one yuan a month! She can wash dishes for me at home. If you take her to school, who will wash dishes for me?”

“Teacher Shu, it’s not that I look down on her, but this girl fell from the mountain and got her brains scrambled. You should find someone else.”

Xie Hezhang pushed open the door and walked in, his face cold as he scanned the room.

Xie Helan was sitting at the table, cracking sunflower seeds. His sister, Xie Xiaoqian, was standing next to Shu Qingyao, her head lowered.

Xie Hezhang’s gaze fell on Shu Qingyao’s face, which was sitting upright. He couldn’t help but frown:

Why was this woman at his house again?

“Xie Comrade, you’re back!”

Shu Qingyao saw him and was very enthusiastic. She stood up and greeted him, “Come, come, come, I was just looking for you. I have something urgent to discuss with you.”

Shu Qingyao pulled his hand and told Xie Hezhang about her wanting to take Xie Xiaoqian as an apprentice, saying that she would pick her up and drop her off, and would provide Xie Xiaoqian with breakfast, lunch, and dinner, as well as a monthly salary of one yuan.

—This sounded like a big con artist.

How could there be such a good thing falling from the sky?

In Helian Village, the average daily living expenses for each farmer was only six cents.

One yuan a month was a considerable amount of extra income for an ordinary family.

Xie Hezhang’s gloomy gaze fell on Shu Qingyao’s innocent little face. He couldn’t figure out what medicine this woman was selling.

Seeing Xie Hezhang’s suspicious look, Shu Qingyao became a little anxious. She almost raised her hand and swore to him, “Xie Comrade, I really want to take Xiaoqian as an apprentice! She has a lot of musical talent. If you entrust her to me, she will definitely succeed in the future!”

Shu Qingyao knew that in the near future, China would open up and reform, the college entrance exam would be restored, and the art exam would also be restored. But she didn’t know how to tell Xie Hezhang this now.

She took a different approach, “Xie Comrade, it would be great for Xiaoqian to learn piano with me. Then she can go to school to be a music teacher. Isn’t that easier than you working in the fields every day?”

Xie Hezhang’s eyes flickered slightly. He glanced at Xie Xiaoqian, who was standing next to Shu Qingyao.

The little girl looked at him with longing in her eyes.

Xie Hezhang gently pursed his lips.

He had to work every day to earn work points and couldn’t take her with him. And he wasn’t comfortable leaving Xie Xiaoqian with Xie Helan. If Shu Qingyao really wanted to take Xie Xiaoqian as an apprentice, it would be better than staying at home. As long as she provided food, he would be happy even if she didn’t pay her.

But were there really women in this world who were so kind?

Xie Hezhang’s suspicious gaze fell on Shu Qingyao’s fair and delicate little face. He met her eager eyes and quickly looked away.

This woman…

She had ulterior motives.

Xie Hezhang couldn’t help but feel a little annoyed and angry at this moment. He thought that Shu Qingyao was deliberately taking Xie Xiaoqian as an apprentice to get close to him.

—He was actually wronging Shu Qingyao now. Although she had indeed had this idea at first…

Xie Hezhang said coldly, “How can I trust you?”