A Young Woman's Heart

The two placed the prepared gifts to the side, and the latter nodded slightly, stopping his piano playing.

“Dad, this is A-Ping’s son, and also your grandson. You should remember him, right?” An elderly man with equally white hair whispered in his great-grandfather’s ear. “The other one… is your youngest daughter’s son.”

That old man was one of Mo Xueyao's grandfathers.

"Hmm..." Great-grandfather nodded, not sure if he understood, and waved to everyone, "You, all of you, come here."

Everyone hurried over. Mo Xueyao's father and the others, among this group of elderly people, looked as young as children. At this moment, they were nervously introducing their family and friends.

"Ali, I remember you had a son, didn't you?" the grandfather who had been relaying the message to his great-grandfather asked.

Mo Xueyao immediately felt a little nervous.

"Haha, the child is still young, I was just joking. It's just that my dad always wanted sons and never daughters, so I just said that," Mo Wenli said with a dry laugh.

Nobody found it too strange, since most people wouldn't think that way.

Li Wanyan, who was very close to Mo Xueyao, was slightly puzzled, but she also thought that it might be because Mo Xueyao was too naughty when she was young and was a complete tomboy, which was why she left such a wrong impression in other people's minds.

"I knew your little...daughter is so pretty, she doesn't look like a boy at all." The old man smiled and looked at Mo Xueyao. "Xiaoyao, you should be called Xiaoyao, right? Do you still recognize me?"

“Um… no, I don’t recognize you…” Mo Xueyao shook her head vigorously.

"Xiaoyao, this is your second grandfather."

"Hello, Second Grandfather," she quickly greeted.

"Aping's son's daughter is already this big." Great-grandfather muttered in Russian, which Mo Xueyao couldn't understand, then switched to Chinese and waved to her, "Come here, great-granddaughter, come to great-grandfather."

"Cough... Great-grandfather..."

"Hmm..." Great-Grandpa's eyes and ears didn't seem to be very sharp, but his mind hadn't become too dull. He looked Mo Xueyao up and down, smiled and nodded, "Blue eyes, inherited from my genes."

"Ahem...hehe..." Mo Xueyao scratched her head somewhat embarrassedly.

"Child, what is your dream when you grow up?"

"Dreams, dreams..." Mo Xueyao couldn't think of anything for a moment, so she awkwardly said, "Hmm... a scientist? Or an engineer?"

Is this really your own dream?

"Uh...actually, my dream is to travel everywhere." Mo Xueyao scratched her head and told the truth.

“Very good, a very good dream. What else do you like? Do you like the piano?” Great-Grandpa pointed to the piano in front of him.

"I like it, but... I don't have the money to buy it... and I haven't learned how to..."

"Sit down and give it a try."

"Oh? I can't play it! Great-Grandpa, please sit down. I really can't!"

"It's alright, let's give it a try. From here to here, it's Doramifasolashi. Try combining them and see?"

"Then... Great-Grandpa, please don't get up. I'll just stand here and play a couple of times." Not knowing what to do, Mo Xueyao could only agree.

……

48>>>>>>>>49

Chapter Forty-Nine: Improvisation

For a master, improvisation is not a difficult task.

But for Mo Xueyao, an amateur who had never even learned to read sheet music, improvisation was just playing the piano haphazardly.

But since Great-Grandpa wanted to listen, no one dared to disobey him. After all, the old man was about to turn 100, and frankly, he didn't have many days left to live. Everyone had to go along with him in everything.

So Mo Xueyao had no choice but to bite the bullet and go ahead. Fortunately, everyone could tell that she had never studied piano, so they all looked at her with a tolerant attitude.

She tapped the piano keys lightly, trying to recall how Zuo Ziya played the piano in that courtyard by West Lake.

I can't remember the fingering, but I can still recall a little bit of how to find the rhythm and the initial sound check.

A piano has many different notes, just like the same note 'do' can have different sounds, some sounding sharp and others sounding heavy.

This is Mo Xueyao's only understanding of the piano.

Come to think of it, it was during lunch that day that Zuo Ziya casually taught her.

Music is a combination of different notes. The wider the range, the more complex the music can be played.

Although she had never learned piano before, and it's not shameful to not be able to play, she still wanted to do her best since she had already started.

So Mo Xueyao tested the keys, memorized the order from high to low, took a deep breath, and pressed the keys.

Because she had never learned to play the piano, she didn't know how to use the pedals at all; she could only press the keys as if she were using an electronic keyboard.

Mo Xueyao's father looked embarrassed and seemed to want to call her down, but her great-grandfather waved his hand to stop him.

He said something in Russian that Mo Xueyao didn't understand, but she could hear a hint of approval in his tone.

Mo Xueyao also seemed to gradually find her footing.

It must be said that talent is a real thing.

Even without any training, just listening to music on weekdays and humming some self-composed tunes when bored on the street, he was able to find certain patterns on the piano.

The chaotic sounds gradually disappeared, replaced by a simple and cheerful melody.

Although it may resemble some other pieces of music, this was indeed Mo Xueyao's improvisation.

The tune is very simple, using only five or six notes, which are repeated in a loop.

Mo Xueyao was also somewhat captivated by it, and gradually narrowed her eyes, using more and more sounds.

Although there were still some discordant notes mixed in, it was already amazing enough for a complete novice in improvisation.

"Thump!" Finally, Mo Xueyao pressed a low key, ending the impromptu piece with a heavy echo.

"Very good, very good." Great-grandfather affectionately patted Mo Xueyao's head. "Why not let her learn piano? She has a natural talent for playing the piano."

"Ahem." The father coughed awkwardly twice, not wanting to admit he had no money, so he could only say somewhat perfunctorily, "Later, later when I study..."

For an ordinary, even somewhat poor, family, learning to play the piano is a luxury.

Not to mention the cost of learning the piano, even just buying a piano would cost the whole family a year's worth of savings, and that might not even be enough.

While it's possible to buy an electronic keyboard, there's no need for one that costs thousands. Before pursuing art, it's more important to ensure basic needs are met.

People can't even afford to eat, so why bother learning art? That's just nonsense.

This year, we were lucky enough to meet Aunt Jin and get a shop at a low rent. We opened a fruit shop, and my father has also reformed in recent years and stopped gambling. As a result, our family's financial situation has gradually improved.

But there are still many places to spend money. Mo Xueyao's surgery fee is a huge expense, and then there's the question of spending even more money on piano lessons.

That's really taking things for granted.

But I can't say this to my great-grandfather, otherwise he'll definitely scold me for being useless.

After all, my great-grandfather was a senior engineer his whole life, so he didn't have to worry about food and clothing, and he had more money and energy to devote to art.

"Learning the piano should be cultivated from a young age. Sigh... What a promising talent! She inherited my genes, with blue eyes. Among my great-granddaughters, are there any others with blue eyes?"

"There shouldn't be any left." Mo Xueyao's second grandfather bent down slightly and whispered in his ear.

“Very good, very good…” Great-grandfather touched his palm, took out a red envelope with a very traditional Chinese style from his shirt pocket and handed it to Mo Xueyao, “Here’s your New Year’s money.”

"Oh, Grandpa, I can't accept this!" the father quickly said.

"It's alright, just accept it," said the second grandfather.

"Um... thank you, Great-Grandpa."

"Hehe, if you have any wishes, try your best to fulfill them. No matter how long life is, it's only a hundred years." Great-grandfather chuckled, his blue eyes already quite cloudy.

“Dad, how could you say that…” Second Grandfather quickly said, “You can still live for several more decades.”

"Hehe..." Great-grandfather didn't answer, he just smiled and shook his head.

Mo Xueyao carefully accepted the bulging red envelope, not knowing how much money was inside. If it was all hundred-yuan bills, there must have been at least a dozen.

The father quickly thanked them, and then the other grandfathers gave the children red envelopes.

Even Li Wanyan has it.

But it seems that only Mo Xueyao received a red envelope personally from her great-grandfather.

The adults gathered together, exchanging pleasantries, but Mo Xueyao couldn't stay any longer. She handed her luggage to her parents and ran outside.

There were many young people in the snow, including some of my age.

Most of them spoke Chinese and seemed to be relatives, though they didn't quite seem like it...

For Chinese people, the Spring Festival is the most important festival of the year, but for Russians, it is just an ordinary day, and their New Year celebrations have long been over.

However, this small town was quite different; it was decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations everywhere, and couplets were posted in some places.

It has a strong New Year's feel, but this combination of Chinese and Western elements feels somewhat awkward, neither fully Western nor fully Chinese.

The main reason is that many people here live in China and only come back for the New Year. There are also some permanent residents who have lived in China for a long time, and some have even spent their entire youth there. After returning, they have developed the habit of celebrating the Spring Festival.

"Sister, want to play hide-and-seek?" A little girl who looked to be in sixth grade gently tugged at Mo Xueyao's fur coat and asked enthusiastically.

“Okay.” Mo Xueyao nodded happily. It seemed like she hadn’t played hide-and-seek since graduating from elementary school.

But children seem to really enjoy this kind of game.

"Little Yaoyao~" Hua Yinyin hugged Mo Xueyao tightly from behind, rubbing against her back vigorously, "Soft, fluffy, so comfortable, hehehe..."

"Hua Yinyin, want to play hide-and-seek?"

"Hide and seek? It's just a children's game."

"What does it matter? It's not like we play it all the time."

"Then let's play."

"Where are Xiaoxue and Wanyan?"

"What happens next?"

So, Mo Xueyao called the others over, and then played hide-and-seek with a group of children.