Chapter 157: Last Night's Book

"Next, let us get to know the following classic singer."

In the center of the "Song Gu" stage, the host Xiao Sa spoke loudly.

Amid the passionate music and cheers of the audience, Bai Xingjian, dressed in a black suit, walked steadily onto the stage.

"Welcome Bai Xingjian to Songgu!" Xiao Sa stepped forward to greet him.

"Hello, Teacher Sa!"

"Hello there!"

The two shook hands.

"Which poem was chosen this time?" Xiao Sa asked Bai Xingjian.

Bai Xingjian calmly held up the microphone and said, "This time I'm going to sing for you the song "Xiao Chong Shan: Last Night the Crickets Were Chirping Non-stop" by our national hero Yue Fei."

"Wow! It's actually Yue Fei's poem!"

"Yue Fei? Brother Xingjian is combining this with his own experience!"

"Hahaha, this little surfing expert is a hammer!"

"So the songs sung in this program are all combined with ancient poetry? Brother Xingjian has such strong creative ability, so this song tonight should be very nice, right?"

"That's for sure. I'm looking forward to it! Looking forward to it!"

"I just hope he doesn't defile the poems written by Yue Fei."

"Yes! Just as Bai Xingjian said, Yue Fei is a great national hero. If Bai Xingjian plays this song tonight, his fate will be..."

Bai Xingjian is very popular. As soon as he appeared on the stage, barrage of comments started floating up. He has both true fans and haters.

……

On the stage, Xiao Sa said: "This poem is different from the familiar "Man Jiang Hong". "Man Jiang Hong" is full of lofty ambitions and passion, while this one is full of melancholy and lingering feelings, such as "getting up and walking around the stairs alone."

"Yes." Bai Xingjian nodded.

Xiao Sa looked towards the appreciation group and said, "Then let's ask Teacher Kang to interpret this poem."

On the other side of the stage, Kang Zhen from the College of Literature at Jingbei University began to introduce Yue Fei and this poem to everyone.

"Xiao Chongshan: Last night the crickets kept chirping" was written by Yue Fei in the eighth year of Shaoxing in the Southern Song Dynasty, a period when the Song Dynasty and the Jin Dynasty were "negotiating peace" and were not allowed to mobilize troops.

During this period, Yue Fei was extremely depressed. He opposed compromise and surrender, and believed that the anti-Jin cause could succeed. He had already won many major battles and was ready to recover the Central Plains and go north to destroy the Jin.

However, at this time, Song Gaozong Zhao Gou appointed Qin Hui, who was very compromising and in favor of peace, as prime minister. They began to stop resisting the Jin army and persecuted pro-war factions like Yue Fei.

The good situation of resisting the Jin Dynasty and restoring the country was gone. In addition, Yue Fei was persecuted by Zhao Gou and Qin Hui, and obstructed by many ministers. His music was too high-brow and difficult to find a soulmate, so he wrote this poem.

The audience in front of the screen listened with great interest.

"Yue Fei is truly loyal to the court!"

"Yes! He is devoted to his country and is a loyal minister!"

"Hey, isn't this quite right? [I originally wanted to turn my heart to the bright moon, but the bright moon shines into the ditch]?"

"Oh my god! So the line [There are few friends who understand me, who will listen when the string breaks] is from "Xiao Chong Shan"?"

"I've learned a lot."

"Damn it! Zhao Gou and Qin Hui are two idiots"

"That's right! The Southern Song Dynasty deserved its demise!"

……

"After listening to Teacher Kang's interpretation, Xingjian, what do you feel?" Xiao Sa asked.

Bai Xingjian pondered for a moment, then held up the microphone and said, "I feel that in Yue Fei, he has both the heroic spirit of a great hero and the tenderness of a heroic son. Whether it is his filial piety to his mother, his love for his soldiers, or his inner pain when he wakes up in his dreams at midnight, these are all very real and full of flesh and blood."

"Yes, that's right." Xiao Sa nodded and continued to ask: "What do you think of this combination of traditional poetry and music?"

Bai Xingjian said calmly: "The more important point is the fit between the lyrics and the music. Only when the lyrics and the music are closely combined, can the work convey both emotion and meaning."

“Only then can the two become one.” Xiao Sa said with a smile.

"Yes." Bai Xingjian responded.

"Okay." Xiao Sa continued to smile, "Then please go to the main stage. Next, let's start Bai Xingjian's classic singing moment together!"

Amid the applause of the audience and the elegant and melodious sound of the guzheng, Bai Xingjian walked through the aisle and arrived on the main stage.

"It's worthy of being a program related to CCTV. The stage feels much more grand than the one on Mango TV!" Mei Jie exclaimed.

"It's really great." Bai Xingjian smiled, "But the sound system of Songgu is quite different from that of The Voice 2024. It can be said that they are not on the same level at all."

Hearing this, Feng Shiqi smiled and joked: "After all, Songgu is a half-popular science music program, half of which is about the atmosphere and half about the music."

Under the brilliant lights, Bai Xingjian came to the center of the main stage. He held up the microphone and said, "I am Bai Xingjian, a classic singer. I will sing "Last Night's Book" for you."

As soon as he finished speaking, information about the song he was singing appeared on the screen.

【Last Night’s Book】

【Singer: Bai Xingjian】

[Lyrics: (Song Dynasty) Yue Fei/Bai Xingjian]

【Composition: Bai Xingjian】

【Arranger: Bai Xingjian】

"He didn't even ask anyone for help. He completed this song all by himself?"

Li Zhenxi said in surprise.

From this perspective, Bai Xingjian doesn't seem to have run out of ideas as he thought.

Wang Yaqi looked at the TV with envy: "Is the stage of Songgu so beautiful? Each song is a new scene."

Li Zhenxi forced a smile and said, "I just wonder what effect it will have if he sings this song?"

"Yue Fei's "Xiao Chong Shan" is not easy to interpret." Wang Yaqi's lips curled up coldly: "If Bai Xingjian misunderstands the meaning of this poem, no matter how well he writes "Last Night's Book", he will become a laughing stock."

Bai Xingjian's jealousy of Fenghuang Yufei has already caused some changes in Wang Yaqi's mood.

……

on the stage.

The desolate piano, the faint whistling of the wind, and the bleak sound of the guqin weave together a desolate accompaniment.

When the piano sound became heavy, Bai Xingjian raised the microphone.

"Last night the crickets kept chirping"

"Waking back from a dream thousands of miles away, it's already three o'clock in the morning"

Last night, the cold autumn crickets kept chirping. I dreamed of returning to my hometown. The war was raging thousands of miles away. When I woke up, it was already three o'clock in the morning.

"Get up and walk around the stairs alone"

"People are quiet, the moon is bright outside the curtain"

I stood up and walked around the stairs alone. It was quiet all around. I looked through the curtains and saw only a hazy moon.

This line is the first part of Yue Fei's "Xiao Chongshan: Last night the cold crickets kept chirping", focusing on describing the scenery.

Bai Xingjian's singing voice is very sad. When he sang this song, he put himself into the role of Yue Fei.

Many viewers in front of the screen were also shocked by Bai Xingjian's performance.

"Brother Xingjian really kneels down when he speaks!"

"This song has such a desolate feeling! And his voice fits the lyrics so well!"

"The taste is just right! This is the best poetry I've sung in so many episodes!"

……

“That’s amazing!”

Su Caitao, who was standing in front of the computer screen, couldn't help but sigh: "Bai Xingjian's singing was very surprising!"

The comments in her live broadcast room were also refreshing at an extremely fast speed.

……

"To achieve fame in old age"

"Old pines and bamboos on the old mountain block the way home"

Bai Xingjian's voice became louder and louder.

"I want to tell my heart to the zither"

"I have few close friends. Who will listen when my string is broken?"

Hearing this, many viewers got goosebumps. They stared at the screen intently, afraid of missing a frame.

"You've just finished singing "Xiao Chong Shan" written by Yue Fei at the beginning. Can the lyrics you write next borrow Yue Fei's rhyme?"

Wang Yaqi smiled coldly, and so did Li Zhenxi. Many viewers in front of the screen thought so too.

But the next second, the smiles on Wang Yaqi and Li Zhenxi's faces suddenly froze.

Bai Xingjian sang in a high-pitched voice:
"In the dream, I cut through the thorns and brambles with my iron armor"

"I have flown eastward with the wind last night"

"Outside the city, the horses stop and shake their heads"

"Pengju looks at the cold rain"

"I can only sigh that the whole world is celebrating the success"

Bai Xingjian's delicate singing style with a hint of desolation interprets Yue Fei's passionate heroic spirit and the tragic process of how it was helplessly cooled down.

The barrage suddenly exploded:

"Holy crap! Bai Xingjian really caught the lyrics!"

"It's like a sparrow pecking at a cow's butt, the sparrow eats the cow's butt!" "The lyrics I wrote are so well integrated with the lyrics written by Yue Fei, this song is definitely going to be a hit!"

"Bai Xingjian's creative ability is terrifying!"

"My mother asked me why I was kneeling to watch Bai Xingjian sing."

……

Listening to these lyrics originally written by Bai Xingjian, Su Caitao's eyes lit up and she felt amazed.

She expressed her opinion to the fans in the live broadcast room: "The previous "Xiao Chongshan" is from Yue Fei's perspective, while Bai Xingjian's original lyrics are like his own perspective. Bai Xingjian traveled back in time and witnessed Yue Fei's unfulfilled ambitions."

Su Caitao took a sip of tea and continued, "The "Pengju" in "Pengju Kan Lengyu" is Yue Fei's pen name. This may be a wonderful stroke of Bai Xingjian. It makes us feel the same through his singing, as if we have witnessed Yue Fei's compromise in the face of petty schemes and the heartache of failure."

"Are there any more meanings?"

"My sister Taotao is awesome!"

"Ah! My scalp is so itchy, I feel like it's going to grow a brain."

……

Bai Xingjian continued to sing amidst the mournful and sad sound of the zither.

"Last night the crickets kept chirping"

"Waking back from a dream thousands of miles away, it's already three o'clock in the morning"

"Get up and walk around the stairs alone"

"People are quiet, the moon is bright outside the curtain"

Although the lyrics are still the same, the feeling of frustration and loneliness expressed by Bai Xingjian is much stronger than before.

The audience in front of the screen also came back to their senses from their surprise and immersed themselves in his singing, understanding Yue Fei's mood when he wrote this poem.

"To achieve fame in old age"

"Old pines and bamboos on the old mountain block the way home"

"I want to tell my heart to the zither"

"I have few close friends. Who will listen when my string is broken?"

The first stanza of Yue Fei's "Xiao Chongshan" describes the scenery, while the second stanza is expressive.

The last two lines of the poem use the story of Yu Boya, a man who was good at playing the zither, and his soulmate Zhong Ziqi, to express the poet's resentment and unspeakable grief, and end the poem with a worried and depressed mood.

The audience was immersed in the singing and had serious expressions on their faces.

At this moment, a bullet screen appeared at the top of the screen:

"High energy ahead!"

Immediately, dozens of "High Energy Ahead" floated by.

Amid the audience's puzzled gaze, the sound of a horse crying sadly suddenly rang out, and the emotions contained in the song finally erupted.

"In the dream, I cut through the thorns and brambles with my iron armor"

"I have flown eastward with the wind last night"

"Outside the city, the horses stop and shake their heads"

"Pengju looks at the cold rain"

"I can only sigh that the whole world is celebrating the success"

Countless viewers were startled as if they had woken up from a dream, their whole bodies trembled, and they stared at Bai Xingjian on the screen with wide eyes.

The anger and sigh that had nowhere to vent in his C5 high note, tearing from lips to teeth to heart, seemed to sing out the stirring soul of Yue Fei, which was truly deafening.

At this moment, everyone was dumbfounded, dumbfounded by Bai Xingjian's singing.

After a brief calm, the barrage of comments became crazy and instantly covered the entire screen.

"This, this, this, this... is it a C5 high note?"

"Fuck! Bai Xingjian sang to C5? What the hell is going on?"

“Ahhh! This song “Last Night’s Book” is simply killing it on the stage of “The Voice 2024”!”

"That's right! If you sing this song on the singing stage, you will definitely get first place! Brother Xingjian, why don't you sing this song on the singing stage!!!"

"We'll sing 'Last Night's Book' next week!"

"That's right! We'll sing this song next week!"

"Everybody! Brush up!"

Soon, the screen was filled with comments like [Sing "Last Night's Book" on "The Voice of China 2024"! ]

Sitting in front of the computer and looking at the skyrocketing amount of barrage, I couldn't help but make a helpless expression.

Good news: the volume of barrage has broken the record.

The bad news: most of them are referring to another show.

……

"How is this possible? How is this possible? How is it possible that Bai Xingjian can sing so well?"

Listening to the sounds coming from the TV, Wang Yaqi felt distraught.

"I think his high notes were edited," Li Zhenxi said, "It's obvious that the show 'Songgu' is a program that edits the sound."

"should be……"

Wang Yaqi felt better. She looked at the comments and sneered, "They let Bai Xingjian sing this song on The Voice of China 2024? Do these fans want him to fail?"

Li Zhenxi couldn't help but laugh: "Bai Xingjian has dug a hole for himself!"

……

On the stage, Bai Xingjian's voice gradually became lower and his emotions gradually calmed down:
"I can only sigh that the whole world is celebrating the success"

At the end of the song, he hummed softly: "hen~~"

until the song ends.

After the song was over, the audience and the jury gave Bai Xingjian a warm round of applause.

The audience in front of the screen were also brushing "666" in the barrage, as if only in this way could they vent the excitement and shock in their hearts.

……

[Congratulations to the host for completing the mission. Your performance of "Last Night's Book" made 10000 audience members feel the delicate side of Yue Fei's heart behind his unyielding character! ]

[Task Reward: Blind Box of the Work*1, Attribute Points*6]

【Blind box of works: 4】

[Attribute points: 14]

Several messages appeared. Bai Xingjian grinned and stood up from the sofa:

"Okay, after the song I'm going back to my room to rest."

"go Go."

Feng Shiqi smiled faintly, turned to Mei Jie beside him and asked, "Still watching?"

Mei Jie nodded: "Let's take another look. I think this show is pretty good."

"I feel good, too."

Feng Shiqi smiled gently, and the two of them continued watching.

……

In Xinghuo Video, Su Caitao’s live broadcast room, the barrage of comments kept flashing.

"Zhao Gou, kneel down! Qin Hui, kneel down!"

"Oh my god! This song "Last Night's Book" is so beautiful!"

"Is the audio source online? I really want to listen to it again!"

"A little-known fact: the show Songgu can be progressed!"

"Then see you all at the beginning!"

"I want to go back and listen to it again too! Brother Xing Jian is absolutely amazing!"

After watching Bai Xingjian's performance, Su Caitao let out a long breath and couldn't help but sigh:
"Bai Xingjian has really contributed a perfect stage to everyone. If he gets this stage on "The Voice of China 2024", he will be able to compete with Vanxia for the first place!"

The emotions of the audience in the live broadcast room at this time were almost the same as Su Caitao's.

"I think so too! Brother Xingjian sings so well!"

"It's a very sad song! Especially the feeling of failure at the end, Bai Xingjian really performed it vividly!"

"Before I heard this song, I had always seen Yue Fei as a great general who was decisive in killing and loyal to his country. But after listening to "Last Night's Book", I realized that Yue Fei, as a hero, was not always brave and indomitable. He also had times of loneliness, sorrow, anger and regret."

"Yes! Last Night's Book broke my stereotype of Yue Fei."

"I feel like the [hen~~] that Brother Xingjian hummed at the end, could it be the word [hate]?"

“Also, can [Pengju Kan Lengyu] also be understood as [Pengju Kan Lengyu]?”

"The 'celebration' in 'I can only sigh that the whole world is celebrating the success' can probably also be understood as 'sympathy'."

"Damn, the lyrics written by Bai Xingjian are so amazing!"

Looking at these scrolling comments, Su Caitao nodded in approval: "I feel that what you said makes sense! It seems that there are many things worth studying about this poem "Last Night's Book"."

"Hahaha, Sister Taotao, go make a reaction video!"

“How about a live broadcast of the reaction?”

"Have you started the reaction to "The Voice 2024" yesterday?"

Su Caitao: "Thank you so much!"

(End of this chapter)