novelraw Chapter 25 features a beautiful little girl!
Chapter 25 features a beautiful little girl!
Today, the atmosphere at this Bak Kut Teh food court in Geylang, which they usually frequent, is a little different.
It was past nine o'clock at night, and the restaurant was no longer as noisy as it was during dinner time.
Those who come to eat at this time are mostly girls from the opposite alley who feel that the food at their own restaurant is not good.
But the ladies who arrived earlier at several tables ate slowly, their eyes always drifting towards the corner.
They often complain that this food is delicious but a bit pricey, but today they feel that the money they spent seems... especially worthwhile.
Because in the corner, there was a handsome young man with neat clothes and striking features, who was intently tuning a guitar with his head down.
His fingers are long and slender, and his movements are graceful.
Beside her, the "younger brother" of the colleague they often talked about behind her back, nicknamed "Rose," was holding a bottle of orange soda and taking small sips.
"Hey, isn't that 'Rose's' younger brother?" Anna, who had just entered, nudged her companion with her elbow.
They all understood that it wasn't a matter of "siblings".
Such practices are not uncommon in this place.
But today, with a very good-looking young man by the child's side, the scene took on a slightly unusual meaning.
Several women couldn't help but linger their gazes on it.
Although I knew that someone with that appearance and age couldn't possibly be the type to come here for fun...
But I still couldn't help but do the image management that I usually don't bother to do, no matter how much the shop owner scolds me.
Some people tidied their sideburns, some carefully touched up their lipstick, and others quietly pulled up their skirts and lowered their necklines.
Each of them raised an eyebrow, exchanging glances that only they could understand, their lips curved into smiles of different charms.
In the monotonous and tedious daily lives of those in the dental industry, it's quite rare that they can "nourish their eyes" like this and even have the willingness to "show off their peacocks" for free.
Here, Li Shuo tuned the last note and plucked a series of clear chords.
He glanced at the child beside him and casually asked, "By the way, what's your name?"
The child looked up and said, "My name is Xiaowei."
"Little Wei? Your mom probably wants you to be very powerful and impressive in the future."
Seeing the direction Li Shuo's voice swept across, the child's expression froze. He carefully put down his soda, walked up to Li Shuo, and whispered in his ear.
"Don't talk about Mom anymore... She doesn't let me call her that. I'm just telling you, my name is Xiao Qiangwei... Qiangwei means flower."
Li Shuo was taken aback, and lowered his voice in response.
"Rose? That... isn't that a girl's name? And, you don't blame your mother... cough... your sister for treating you like that?"
Xiao Wei nodded.
"I'm a girl! My sister said she changed her name to 'Rose,' so I changed mine to 'Wild Rose,' because wild roses sound like roses! Hmm?...Why should I blame her?"
Li Shuo thought for a moment... "Qiangwei" is not "Rose"?
I remember the meaning of roses is "beautiful love and longing for love"... This woman is creating a vicious cycle of obsession for herself...
Xiao Wei suddenly giggled, a childlike slyness in her laughter.
"You can't tell either, right? My older sister did this specifically for me."
She tugged at her shirt and pulled up her dark blue trousers, her eyes filled with regret.
"It's a pity my sister never lets me wear skirts... I secretly wore one of hers once, but it was too big, and she found out and beat me badly..."
Li Shuo looked at Xiao Wei and saw that her short hair was exactly as he had discussed with Sun Yanzi that day.
Beneath the drab men's shirt lay a slender neck and delicate features.
Forcibly dressing a girl up as a boy, in this smoky and chaotic environment, is indeed a less "heart-wrenching" way of growing up...
Yeah, what can you blame her for... In this messed-up environment, it's just the cheapest form of self-deception and camouflage.
I noticed that the chords Li Shuo strummed sounded very pleasant.
"The sound is nice... Is it tuned?" Rose's soft question pulled him back to reality.
Li Shuo then played a simple C chord, producing a clean and melodious sound.
He pressed down on the strings, looking into Xiao Wei's bright eyes.
"Yes, it's tuned." Her voice softened unconsciously. "Xiaowei, do you really want to learn guitar?"
"Yes, I want to!" Rose nodded vigorously, then her eyes dimmed again. "But... I don't have any money."
He subconsciously tugged at his pocket, and his voice became even softer.
"And it feels so difficult, I haven't been able to learn it after all this time... and today I made you think it sounded awful."
She suddenly looked up, as if she had thought of a good way to make an exchange. A naive excitement flashed in her eyes, but it quickly turned into a little nervousness, and she spoke very quickly.
"Are you... here to find a woman to 'argue' with?"
She carefully observed Li Shuo's expression, trying her best to appear as if she knew the rules.
"I...I know, what 'Rose' said, those men who come here are here to have 'argue' with those older women behind closed doors...Although I don't understand why they all look so tired after arguing, yet they still come even if they're paid. But if you like, I know who's the best at arguing!"
Huh?! Li Shuo was stunned!
Xiao Wei waved her hand hastily, lowering her voice even further.
"But... although my sister 'Rose' is very strong, not today! She was just bullied, so she's definitely not in the mood to argue with you. Don't go looking for her."
Ignoring Li Shuo's embarrassed expression, she leaned closer, her tone both eager and ingratiating, and said mysteriously.
"But I can tell you, the woman in the red dress is Diana, and the Indian woman next to her... they're really good at 'arguing'! Lots of people are lining up to see them!"
"Especially that Sister Ani, she's a very nice person... She even taught me exercises because I'm always sick, but... people always argue with her, saying she's taking advantage of her weak body to steal business, which is very strange..."
She paused, glanced at Li Shuo's handsome face, and frowned slightly, as if she was seriously considering Li Shuo's feelings.
"However... the wait in line is quite long. If you're in a hurry..." She pointed to another table with some difficulty.
"We don't need to wait for Marilyn, but... she's a bit too fat, and I think you... might not be able to beat her if things get heated..."
"I can't beat her, damn it..." Li Shuo felt a mix of emotions, both amused and exasperated.
Seeing that Xiaowei wanted to say something, he was about to stop her.
A pair of slender hands gently reached out from behind and carefully but firmly covered Xiao Wei's mouth.
Is it Sun Yanzi who left and then returned?
After listening from the back for a while, her pretty face turned bright red, both ashamed and anxious.
"Xiao Wei, right? Stop...stop talking!"
Li Shuo smiled wryly, his feelings a mixture of emotions.
"Okay, learning guitar isn't hard, and it won't cost you anything. Today, I'll demonstrate the simplest combination of the chords you've been using."
After a moment's thought, he said, "I'll use a song that just came to mind after hearing your name."
Pulling free from Sun Yanzi's loose hand, Xiao Wei looked incredulous: "So short a time? So fast... You can do it!"
As soon as she uttered that ambiguous exclamation, the eyes of the women in the shop who were already watching them changed instantly.
Several scrutinizing, wary, and even cold gazes suddenly fixed on Li Shuo.
Even Rose, who had been facing away, suddenly tensed her shoulders and turned her face away nervously.
Oh my god... Li Shuo's heart skipped a beat. This kid... you shouldn't have learned musical instruments first, you should have learned how to make sentences... to speak in complete sentences!
He reacted incredibly quickly, immediately raising his voice and replying frankly, "That's right! If inspiration strikes, I can write a song that fast!"
Seeing the women's expressions of realization... especially Marilyn, who had said Xiao Wei couldn't beat him, now had a smiling expression again, Li Shuo breathed a sigh of relief.
We dare not let this child talk nonsense again.
He said no more and lowered his head. His left hand glided across the neck of the guitar, playing a pleasant intro.
Then, with a calm and composed right hand, he plucked the strings and began to strum.
A simple, upbeat, and sunny prelude flows out.
Then came the most classic C-Am-FG progression (1625), the notes instantly captivating the ears of the food court.
Li Shuo sang that simple love song with a relaxed voice and the unique clarity of a young man.
"There was a beautiful little girl named Xiaowei..."
As soon as the first line of lyrics was sung, Xiao Wei's eyes widened and her mouth opened slightly.
She pointed to herself in disbelief, then looked at Li Shuo.
Li Shuo nodded affirmatively to her and continued playing and singing.
"She has gentle eyes; she quietly stole my heart..."
Xiao Wei understood! This really is a song about her! The "beautiful little girl" in the lyrics is her!
A feeling of unprecedented joy and being taken seriously welled up inside me!
She hugged the soda bottle, biting the sweet straw, and grinned, revealing the most radiant and unguarded smile she had ever shown, her eyes curving into crescents.
Sun Yanzi gently placed her hands on Xiao Wei's shoulders and swayed along with the song, her joyful mood evident.
Li Shuo is really, really amazing!
But... he seems to be the kind of guy my best friend at school described, the kind who's good at flirting with girls...
Every single man in this food court... except for Rose, Xiao Wei's "older sister"... all had their eyes shining when they looked at Li Shuo.
Including the protagonist of the song in front of me: Xiao Wei...