1978: A Literary Giant Who Began His Military Service

Chapter 103 When That Day Comes

"If that's the case, then Lao Gao is the most suitable, right?" Lei Yuansheng said, looking at Zhou Xu.

Hearing this, Zhou Xu nodded slowly: "Old Gao should be alright, right?"

The two arrived at the studio, where Zhou Xu told Gao Ruxing that they were short of a lead singer: "We are short of a lead singer."

Gao Ruxing asked, "What lead singer?"

The two handed the newly written song to Gao Ruxing, who was also amazed by its brilliance after just one glance:

"This song is well-written," Gao Ruxing commented honestly. "However, it's not really suitable for me to be the lead singer!"

"Why?" Zhou Xu asked Gao Ruxing.

"It's due to personal health reasons! Besides, I'll be discharged from the military soon," Gao Ruxing said. "So it's best to find someone else for the lead singer role."

"Then who else could we replace them with?" Zhou Xu asked, puzzled.

Although there is also Huang Xiaorui besides Gao Ruxing, in general, the male voice is definitely more shocking than the female voice in "When That Day Comes".

Of course, Zhou Xu didn't know any other male singers... There weren't many famous singers in their Shengli Art Troupe.

"Can't you do it yourself?" Lei Yuansheng reached out and poked Zhou Xu.

Zhou Xu glanced at the two of them and said honestly, "I don't sing well. I myself feel that nine out of ten parts of my singing is terrible."

It wasn't that Zhou Xu was being modest, because he genuinely felt that his singing was terrible.

After all, singing requires not only accurate pitch, but also a good timbre, and the most obvious difference is between men and women.

Some people are born with a beautiful singing voice. So, what kind of food you eat depends on your talent.

"That……"

"If all else fails, how about I introduce you to a few people?" Gao Ruxing said, then stood up.

"You have an apprentice, right? So you introduced your apprentice to me!" Zhou Xu suddenly had a flash of inspiration and thought of this possibility.

Gao Ruxing turned around: "Isn't that one of the reasons?"

"Alright, I'll go check on Lao Gao's apprentice too!"

The three of them went directly to the karaoke room, which was right next to the dance studio. The room wasn't big, and it had a simple microphone setup inside.

After entering the house, Gao Ruxing clapped her hands and said, "Alright, Xiong Jiayuan, come here for a moment."

These specialized singers are certainly different from the ordinary members of the song and dance troupe; they are also considered part of the creative studio's rating system.

Gao Ruxing took out the sheet music and handed it to a group of people: "This new song was composed by Comrade Zhou Xu. I want to find someone to cooperate with him in the competition."

Holding the manuscript, Xiong Jiayuan nodded repeatedly and exclaimed sincerely, "This piece is so well written!" His eyes were full of amazement at the charm of the song.

It should be noted that this song became one of the classic military songs in later generations. When it comes to this kind of theme, in addition to "The Song of a Strong Army", the most representative one is "When That Day Comes".

As soon as he finished speaking, the group of people in the room seemed to hear "celestial music" and immediately surrounded the manuscript.

Xiong Jiayuan quickly pulled the manuscript closer to his chest and reminded everyone with a smile, "Take your time reading, but don't tear the original manuscript!" At this moment, in his eyes, this was no longer an ordinary song manuscript, but an exceptionally precious treasure.

Zhang San, who had finally managed to squeeze to the front, clicked his tongue after seeing the song title: "When That Day Comes! Tsk, this style is similar to 'The Song of a Strong Army,' isn't it?"

"Yes!"

A room full of knowledgeable musicians gathered around the lyrics, their eyes lighting up.

Before anyone could say a word, everyone was already reaching out to grab it.

To be honest, in these kinds of singing competitions, once you win an award, the one who gets the most attention is never the lyricist or composer—the audience always remembers the singer, who cares who wrote the melody or the lyrics?

What's more, everyone has been putting in a lot of effort to prepare for this first singing competition. Now that they've come across such a great song, how could they not be excited?
Gao Ruxing clapped her hands and immediately said, "Now that everyone has finished listening to the song, let's share our thoughts on it?"

Zhang San said, "This song is very simple, but it is really excellent. The rhythm just came to me. Comrade Zhou Xu is amazing."

"Great!! Absolutely great!!!" Xiong Jiayuan couldn't think of any other words.

“I think this song is really suitable for me,” Li Yuzhen added.

Xiong Jiayuan replied, "Old Li, your skin is as thick as a city wall!"

"..."

Gao Ruxing on the other end could only clap his hands and say, "Alright, alright, look at you all, acting like enemies over a manuscript."

Li Yuzhen stared intently at the manuscript, nodding silently, but the fervor and sincerity in her eyes were undeniable.

The singers also want to win awards, but recently the songs created by the group of composers and lyricists in the studio haven't been very good.

Of course, composing and writing lyrics, like writing a novel, requires talent. Most military songs have only a few simple tunes, but only a few can write excellent ones.

Zhou Xu is a gifted composer and lyricist, but not quite. You might say he's amazing, but he only writes one song a year. You might say he's not amazing, but both of his songs are of extremely high quality.

Xiong Jiayuan was not going to back down at all, after all, good opportunities and resources are something that need to be fought for.

"Ahem, I understand that everyone likes the songs written by Comrade Zhou Xu, but... this needs to be decided through a competition," Gao Ruxing said with a cough.

The eyes of the group were burning with passion.

Zhang San spoke first, saying, "I will not give up."

Xiong Jiayuan said sincerely, "Of course, me too. I think this song suits me very well."

"Tsk, why are you all trying to take it from me?" Li Yuzhen said from the other side.

"Isn't it a case of whoever is the best gets selected? Are you afraid you can't beat us?" Xiong Jiayuan mocked.

"Who's afraid of who..."

A group of people, usually elementary school students, were arguing here.

The female singer over there was also the female captain of the song and dance troupe. Huang Xiaorui found it a bit noisy and lost her mood for singing, so she walked over to the group and asked, "Hey? What are you doing?"

Gao Ruxing said, "Xiao Xu wrote a song, thinking that these people could learn it. Did I bother you?"

Huang Xiaorui was also curious about what song had caused such a fierce competition among the group of people, so she reached out and snatched the manuscript from Xiong Jiayuan's hand.

Then he saw this song, and Huang Xiaorui nodded while touching his chin as he watched:

"You know what, you really have to admit, this song is really well written. Was it written by Comrade Zhou Xu?"

"I wrote it," Zhou Xu replied.

Huang Xiaorui said with a smile, "I knew it! Comrade Zhou Xu's song is a bit like 'The Song of a Strong Army'!!"

As the group chattered away, Huang Xiaorui made a capricious request: "Could I try singing Comrade Zhou Xu's song?"

Xiong Jiayuan immediately retorted, "Hey? Xiao Rui, Comrade Zhou Xu said this song should be sung by a male singer. How can you, a woman, sing it? Besides, this tune isn't suitable for women." Zhou Xu glanced at Gao Ruxing.

Huang Xiaorui, on the other end, was indignant and immediately retorted, "Hey? I told you what era this is! You singers from the cultural troupe still have such a big prejudice against women!"

"Comrade Zhou Xu? What do you think?"

"..."

Zhou Xu said helplessly, "Alright, alright, since Comrade Huang Xiaorui is interested, why don't you join this little competition together? But I won't favor anyone; whoever sings the best gets it!"

Lei Yuansheng watched the scene unfold before him with envy in his eyes.

The performing arts troupe was like a small bureaucracy, where seniority was highly valued. For example, Gao Ruxing was the highest-ranking, and a group of singers would fight over the songs he wrote.

For example, when Lei Yuansheng writes a song, he has to consult with veteran singers like Huang Xiaorui.

Of course, Zhou Xu won by quality, and a group of singers wanted to have the right to sing the song for the first time.

"I'll show you today what it means to be inferior to men!" Huang Xiaorui sneered at the three of them.

Gao Ruxing coughed and said, "Alright, alright, stop arguing. I'll now announce the exam rules for later. That's it. We'll give you half an hour to familiarize yourselves with the songs."

The average singer learns a song by looking at the sheet music, usually between one hour and one day, depending on the difficulty of the song, their personal professional ability, and their proficiency.

The song is relatively simple, and since the group consists of veteran artists, half an hour is not a difficult task for them.

The four of them looked at the manuscript, studying it intently, muttering something under their breath.

Xiong Jiayuan over there has already started practicing his singing, ahhh~~
Zhou Xu listened and watched at the same time.

Half an hour passed in the blink of an eye.

"Who wants to go first?" Gao Ruxing, who was wearing a watch, glanced at the time; it was already time.

After saying that, Zhang San was the first to step forward and said, "I'll give it a try!"

"Ahhhh~~~"

"It's a bright morning—the sound of pigeons whistling accompanies the reveille."

After Zhang San warmed up his voice, he began to sing the lyrics...

Gao Ruxing graded Zhang San in his notebook. He had once been a teacher to a group of people present, which was why he gave the opportunity to them.

"What do you think, Xiao Xu?"

Zhou Xu stroked his chin!

I learned music entirely on my own, and I was able to write out sheet music entirely by standing on the shoulders of giants.
If I had such superb appreciation skills, what would I be like?
Zhou Xu never used cheats! He just didn't turn them off.

He said, "It seems alright..."

Gao Ruxing didn't make things difficult for him: "Who's next?"

Huang Xiaorui raised her hand. Female singers are generally mostly sopranos, and Huang Xiaorui was no exception; she was also a well-known soprano in the group.

Soon, her voice rang out:

"But the world is not peaceful. Even in times of peace, there are turbulent events. Are you ready?"

The song is over.

Zhou Xu could indeed hear something different; Huang Xiaorui's singing ability was clearly several times better than Zhang Sanqiang's.

This is not only due to the superiority of her clear female voice, but also because of Huang Xiaorui's frequent training.

Next up is Li Yuzhen.

Li Yuzhen is a rare baritone singer:
"Brothers! When that day truly comes! Rest assured, motherland! Rest assured, loved ones! For victory, I will bravely advance!!"

"Hiss!" Gao Ruxing sighed.

Hmm... Zhou Xu also felt a bit disappointed.

Finally, there's Xiong Jiayuan, who is also the youngest in the group. Xiong Jiayuan is only twenty-eight years old, even younger than Lei Yuansheng.

Zhou Xu looked at Xiong Jiayuan and raised his voice: "Look at the direction the military flag is flying!!! Advancing tank fleets and aircraft!! Our names are flying on them too!! Young soldiers are eager to earn merit~"

After the song ended, Gao Ruxing waved her hand and said, "Alright, everyone's performance was actually not bad. I would give you a score of 10 out of 10!"

First up is Zhang San, six points!

Huang Xiaorui, 8.7.

Li Yuzhen, 7.8!
Finally, Xiong Jiayuan gets nine points!

Gao Ruxing was a teacher and the most senior, so no one dared to have any prejudice against her.

Because Gao Ruxing is an older man who has been in the army for so long, it's rare to see him showing favoritism towards anyone, so his evaluation is generally accepted by the group.

Xiong Jiayuan was stunned for a long time. He had never been this nervous, not even during previous exams. A glimmer of light suddenly appeared in his eyes: "Are you telling the truth, teacher?!"

Gao Ruxing nodded: "It's true, your singing stood out among the group! But don't get too excited, I'm just saying you're better than them, not that you have to be chosen!!"

One sentence instantly brought Xiong Jiayuan, who was overjoyed, back to reality. He looked at Zhou Xu with a hint of pleading in his eyes.

Zhou Xu instinctively avoided eye contact.

"Then who else can we choose?"

Gao Ruxing said, "The opera house has many singers who are better than you, and they are all from Wuhan. Maybe we should try to find someone from the opera house! But who we choose depends entirely on Zhou Xu's idea."

My rating is just a reference. If Comrade Zhou Xu prefers Zhang San's voice, or Xiao Rui's high notes, perhaps he will choose someone else!

These words restored the confidence of the group. Zhang San patted his chest and said, "Comrade Zhou Xu, you heard it too, the most important thing in singing is the voice!!!"

"Come on! I said your voice is unique, like a duck's, not that it's incredibly beautiful, and you're still panting!"

Zhou Xu immediately coughed. This old Gao had shifted the blame back to him.

It's obvious that they don't want to offend anyone or shift the blame onto others.

However, if Zhou Xu really chooses Zhang San and Li Yuzhen, he will most likely offend Xiong Jiayuan. Then people will say: "I clearly have the highest score, why did you choose someone else!"
In order not to offend anyone, and considering that Xiong Jiayuan did sing quite well, Zhou Xu said, "Well, actually I also saw Comrade Gao's scoring criteria just now. I think we can't let you take the exam for nothing, right? I'll follow Comrade Gao's suggestion."

Upon hearing this, the flustered Xiong Jiayuan finally breathed a sigh of relief and exclaimed, "Are you really choosing me, Comrade Zhou Xu?!"

Zhou Xu handed the manuscript to Xiong Jiayuan: "You heard right, I chose you!!!"

"Ah!!" Xiong Jiayuan exclaimed, "Thank you so much!"

(End of this chapter)