Soft music and soft lighting made today's coffee shop feel especially cozy. With students back at school, Yang Yi's business had started to pick up, but his focus remained on Xixi.
The little girl, like a lead goat, giggled and ran around the shop, with three little kittens eagerly following behind. The kittens were at an age full of curiosity about the world, and the energetic little girl was their best playmate.
"Daddy, I want to go to the amusement park and ride bumper cars," the little girl said, slightly out of breath, sipping the milk her father had prepared.
Playing with the kittens hadn't tired Xixi out much, but she had worked up a bit of sweat, with a few strands of hair sticking to her delicate little face. Yang Yi took out her towel, wiped the sweat from her face, then pulled out a dry sweat cloth, tucking half into the back of Xixi's vest and leaving the rest hanging over it.
"Didn't we go not long ago?" Yang Yi said with a gentle smile. "Can't go every day; we need to wait a while."
"Okay, then next time we have to bring Xiao Guai, Xiao Hui, and Duo Duo along!" Xixi tilted her little head, thinking for a moment, and said, "They'll be good!"
That was a big question—would the amusement park allow pets inside?
But Yang Yi calmly nodded to his daughter.
If it wasn't allowed, would they just not bring them? Hmph, in Yang Yi's eyes, following the rules was just a matter of mood.
"We have plans tonight. We'll pick up your mom first, then go buy clothes and a backpack," Yang Yi told his daughter.
Xixi was about to start school soon, and Mo Fei had discussed with Yang Yi that they needed to get everything ready for her tonight. She had just finished handling company matters and didn't have any scheduled appearances for now. During such a crucial time for Xixi, she wanted to be by her side!
Of course, if Mo Fei was going shopping, Yang Yi would still have to disguise her.
"Great! Xixi misses Mommy so much!" the little girl said sweetly, hopping with excitement. "I even dreamed about Mommy last night! Daddy, did you miss Mommy?"
Yang Yi chuckled and ruffled her little head. "What do you think?"
"Definitely yes!" Xixi giggled.
The bell jingled as another customer came in. Xixi obediently led the kittens to play in a corner.
Yang Yi looked up and saw two young men carrying guitars. Their faces were still a bit youthful, and unlike many young musicians who sported long hair, they had normal hairstyles and simple, unadorned clothes.
They looked more like students from Jiangcheng Media University!
"Hey, what would you two like to drink?" Maybe because seeing them with guitars felt familiar, Yang Yi took the rare initiative to greet them.
"Ah Shu, seems a bit pricey!" The slightly taller young man glanced at the handwritten menu on the small blackboard, hesitated, and whispered to his companion.
Yang Yi's sharp ears caught their murmurs.
"A bit pricey, but this is our first time earning money, so we can celebrate, right?" The one called Ah Shu smiled.
"Alright, you decide." The slightly taller young man seemed quite shy, stepping back half a step to let his companion face Yang Yi.
Ah Shu pulled a handful of loose change from his jeans pocket, counted out sixty yuan, handed it over, and said, "We'll have two mochas."
"Are you two singers?" Yang Yi didn't take the money but looked at them with interest.
Ah Shu scratched his head, a bit embarrassed, and said, "We're not really singers. We're actually students from Jiangchuan. We just formed a small duo out of interest, called Qianli Chuanshu."
"..." Yang Yi was speechless. That name was really something!
The slightly taller young man then spoke up, explaining, "It's because each of our names has a character in it. I'm Miao Chuan, and he's Lu Xiaoshu."
"And 'Qianli' has two meanings," Lu Xiaoshu laughed. "One is that fate brings people together from a thousand miles away. Miao Chuan and I are from the north and south respectively, and we were lucky enough to meet in Jiangcheng. The other meaning is to soar a thousand miles. We don't expect to fly ten thousand miles; we just hope our duo can gain some recognition and fulfill our music dreams!"
"Alright." Yang Yi actually thought their aspirations were nice, and the meaning they gave to the duo's name was quite realistic, but it still felt a bit off.
"I think there's hope. Yesterday, we were invited to perform and earned some money, so we planned to celebrate." Lu Xiaoshu's face beamed with a simple, happy smile.
Yang Yi smiled and pushed the money Lu Xiaoshu had handed over back to him, saying, "Since you love music, and this is your first time visiting my shop, how about this: you sing me a song, and I'll give you a freebie?"
"Is that too cheap?" Yang Yi cautiously added, worried these two might be too shy to agree.
"Not at all!" Lu Xiaoshu was delighted and quickly waved his hand. "Actually, we didn't earn much. The boss only paid us a hundred yuan each for a day's performance."
Miao Chuan, worried Yang Yi might change his mind after hearing that, tugged at Lu Xiaoshu and whispered, "Why are you telling him everything?"
Yang Yi didn't mind. He turned off the stereo and said with a smile, "Go ahead, sing! I'll make your coffee while I listen."
The coffee shop suddenly fell silent. A few customers sitting in the back booths looked up, curious, and glanced over. Xixi also ran over, eager to see what was happening, with the three little kittens trailing behind her, panting.
Duo Duo, running a bit too fast, couldn't stop in time and bumped into Xiao Hui. The little kitten, dizzy from the rear-end collision, let out a pitiful meow, but unfortunately, its little owner didn't notice.
"We sing folk songs. If you don't mind, boss, we'll sing an original song for you," Lu Xiaoshu said. The two took off their guitars, hung them in front of them, and got into position.
Yang Yi smiled and gestured with his right hand, signaling them to go ahead.
Fingers plucked the guitar strings, and after a delicate intro, Lu Xiaoshu began to sing: "I'm lost in the northern winter, wandering through the boundless wilderness, watching a few wild geese fly away, missing her... face that will never return..."
Miao Chuan played along, harmonizing with his voice.
Huh, it was actually quite good!
Yang Yi was a bit surprised and couldn't help but stop what he was doing to listen carefully.
As Lu Xiaoshu had said, Qianli Chuanshu's style was very authentic folk music. The lyrics were a bit rough, but the melody was exquisitely moving!
Of course, their unpolished singing skills were like those of any novice singer—raw and pale. But Lu Xiaoshu's voice was excellent, as clean as the northern winter sky he sang about.