Chapter 46 - Music Genius
Shao Dong and Shao Xi were sitting in Mu Jingzhe’s arms. This was the first time they were so close, so they were a little embarrassed.
However, their attention was quickly attracted.
Shao Qiyang had taken them on a bicycle only a few times before, so their eyes were filled with novelty.
Soon, the bumpy road distracted them from all that.
The bumpy dirt road made sitting on the crossbeam feel really good. Anyway, when they got to town, Shao Dong and Shao Xi felt like their butts and legs were so numb that they didn’t seem to be theirs anymore. They had even swallowed a mouthful of dust.
Needless to say, their bodies were also covered in dust.
Compared to them, Shao Nan, Little Bei, and Xiao Wu were much better. While Shao Dong and Shao Xi had grown listless, the three of them would chatter from time to time.
When they arrived in town, after Shao Dong, Shao Xi, and Mu Jingzhe got off the bicycle, they started walking unsteadily.
Mu Jingzhe looked at the two children speechlessly. She knew what they were feeling.
Riding a bicycle on the roads of this era was really cruel and inhumane.
It made Mu Jingzhe suspect that her hymen would burst… Ah, no, that her butt was about to split into four pieces.
After this, she learned to stand and ride.
In spite of her tremendous strength, it was tiring for her.
It wasn’t a joke to take care of five children. Besides, she had been tense all the way there.
Fortunately, she hadn’t fallen.
“Let’s go.” Mu Jingzhe took the children to find Li Zhaodi’s bun stall.
Now that the bun shop was selling steamed buns, fried dough sticks, tea eggs, and soy milk, business was becoming increasingly prosperous.
After eating, they rushed to the county city. This time, the road was much better.
When she rushed to the art school, she saw Ji Buwang standing in the distance.
Ji Buwang was still the most eye-catching existence. Mu Jingzhe thought that he was a character in a historical drama as he stood there.
“Mu Jingzhe.”
Ji Buwang had also spotted Mu Jingzhe.
He had not seen her for a few days, so Ji Buwang heaved a sigh of relief when he saw her face clearly again.
He walked over to help Mu Jingzhe steady the bicycle. “I thought you wouldn’t come.”
“It’s far from home.” Mu Jingzhe was covered in dirt. With Ji Buwang’s help, she carried Shao Xi and Shao Dong and placed them on the ground, then took Shao Nan and Little Bei out of the bamboo basket.
Ji Buwang looked at the neatly lined-up five children, whose eyes were filled with wariness.
“…”
He remembered that Little Bei and the kids called Mu Jingzhe ‘Auntie’. He wanted to ask if they were her nephews and niece, but Mu Jingzhe couldn’t be bothered to speak to him anymore.
“I’ll take them in first. There’s not enough time.”
There were two foreign language classes in the morning.
Ji Buwang looked around. When he heard that they’d be hiring a teacher, he thought for a moment and went to the person in charge to recommend himself.
Since he had nothing to do, he might as well apply to be a teacher during the weekend. This way, he could naturally see Mu Jingzhe and wouldn’t have to keep waiting.
What a good idea.
When the children finished their classes and Mu Jingzhe saw Ji Buwang again, Ji Buwang had already changed his identity.
“I’m a teacher here.”
Mu Jingzhe exclaimed, “Teacher? Why did you suddenly become a teacher?”
“I just heard that they were looking for someone, so I applied.”
“So fast? Do you have any skills to apply?”
Ji Buwang smiled. He naturally had the skills to apply for a teaching position for which they weren’t recruiting.
There were fewer musical instruments in the newly established school, so there were also fewer musical instrument teachers. Since he had brought his own musical instrument, he naturally got the job when he applied for it.
Soon, a piano was carried into the art school. The piano teacher, Ji Buwang, took over the role.
The big guy attracted many people, including Little Bei and Xiao Wu. Ji Buwang also suggested that they learn to play the piano first.
The piano’s strengths were obvious, which was why it would become one of the most common and popular musical instruments in the future.
“Playing it with both hands is beneficial to developing the left and right side of the brain. Furthermore, its pitch is fixed, which makes it very suitable for children who have just started learning music. The foundation of the piano will be very helpful in learning other musical instruments or vocal music in the future.”
“This is a strength. The disadvantage is that it’s inconvenient to carry around the piano, unlike other musical instruments that are portable. This, in turn, affects the training. Also, it will require a lot of money.”
Buying a piano, especially a good one, required one to have the financial ability. If one didn’t buy it, it would be difficult to learn it.
Ji Buwang suggested that they learn as much as they could first. After all, they didn’t stand to lose anything by learning.
Xiao Wu and Little Bei were in his class, while Shao Dong, Shao Xi, and Shao Nan went to try out other courses.
Ji Buwang had come to class because of Mu Jingzhe, but after only two classes, he was stunned, and his original intention changed.
This was because he had discovered Xiao Wu’s amazing learning ability.
He first taught them some basics, then simply played elementary melodies, letting everyone try.
The other children really just tried their hand at it, but Xiao Wu directly replicated the music.
Ji Buwang: “!!!”
“Mu Jingzhe, this child is incredible. He has absolute sound accuracy and excellent musical memory. He can play music after only hearing it once. Furthermore, this is his first time playing the piano. It’s simply…” What a devil!
Ji Buwang excitedly told Mu Jingzhe about his discovery. Mu Jingzhe nodded and said, “I know. He was like this when he learned the trumpet and the erhu before. His only limitation is that his hands are a tad short.”
Ji Buwang: “Are you that calm?”
Mu Jingzhe chuckled. “No, I’m very happy too.”
Wasn’t she used to it? Besides, she knew how impressive these children were because she had read the novel.
Ji Buwang looked at Mu Jingzhe, who was smiling awkwardly, and a hint of novelty flashed across his eyes. So this was what it felt like to see someone’s face.
In the past, he used to only judge a person’s emotions by their breathing and sounds. However, these things could all be disguised. This was the first time he saw a change of expression on a person’s face.
Apart from a smiling, proud, troubled, puzzled face, and so on, he had unlocked a new expression.
Her emotional response and smile were both very interesting.
“In the future, let Xiao Wu come every week to learn. I’ll teach him well.”
Unexpectedly, he had met a very talented child. Even Ji Buwang started becoming serious about teaching.
“Okay.”
The day passed quickly, and Ji Buwang reluctantly bade them farewell.
It had only been a day, but the children’s mental and physical appearance felt different.
Little Bei chattered about the contents of her lessons. She had learned the most today and had even learned how to dance.
Later on, they showed off the foreign language they had learned. Mu Jingzhe encouraged them to speak more. It was important to speak so that they wouldn’t stay mute due to their shyness to try speaking the new language.
As it has been said previously, the children were very serious about their studies, and each of them was smarter than the other. They had gained a lot.
Later on, in spite of his stutter, even Shao Dong started reading the letters he had learned while holding a flashlight.
*****
Mu Jingzhe received feedback that the butterfly hair clip was selling very well. The boss directly tripled the order quantity and asked Mu Jingzhe to be prepared to deliver the goods at any time.
Mu Jingzhe wasn’t surprised. She’d had a premonition that the butterfly hair clip would become popular, so she had prepared a lot of supplies in advance.
However, it seemed like this was still not enough. Mu Jingzhe decisively found four more people to join her production team.
Now, there was a total of seven female workers.
The four new candidates had all been observed by Mu Jingzhe during this period and were all delighted to be chosen.
Mu Jingzhe’s movements made it clear to the villagers that she was about to make a fortune.
She felt very helpless about this. She was far from getting rich, but this career was really going to work.