There is also spring for passers-by

Chapter 146 Mission 7: The Cripple Also Has a Dream of Dancing 7

Tang Lan also gave some advice based on the methods used in vocal exams over the past three years and asked Li Chunxiao to sing two songs. "Wang Ming studied at the Beijing Art College more than ten years ago. When he comes back on Sunday, I'll ask him to give Chunxiao some pointers. Li Chunxiao has a great voice and good pitch, and is a promising prospect. However, she's lacking in singing technique!"

Li Chunxiao said gratefully, "Thank you, Teacher Tang!"

"Xiao Baiyang, come over tomorrow morning. I'm teaching a class for dance students. You can dance with them and I'll test your dancing sense."

The two had lunch at Tang Lan's house.

Wen Wan and Li Chunxiao helped Tang Lan clean up the dishes.

"Aunt Tang, I want to change my name to the one my grandmother gave me earlier - Ji Wenwan! Can you please contact the people at the college and use this name when I'm admitted? Then ask the college to issue me a name change certificate so I can change the name on my household registration certificate."

"Have you told your parents about this?"

"They basically don't care about me. My grandma always says, 'You don't look like a Hua family child at all. You're just the granddaughter of the Ji family.' It's obvious that she's just dying to get rid of this big trouble like me. After I returned to my parents, life wasn't easy. My sister is two years older than me, but she still can't even cook the simplest porridge. She can't wash clothes or even sweep the floor.

When you wrote to me, my mother said that I was lame, and it wasn't a lie.

Before and after my grandmother passed away, I often dreamed of her. She told me: Let the world know about the dance of the ancient Eastern country, let me dance abroad, dance to the world...

During those days, I practiced very seriously, hiding in the woods to practice dancing secretly.

Later, my sister told my mother about this, and my mother took a rolling pin and broke my legs. She really broke my right leg. She said if I danced again, she would break my left leg..."

She was not the original owner. Liu Kangmei was so cruel, yet he covered up for her everywhere. Everyone knew about this matter when they asked about it on the island. After all, she fainted from the pain and was sent to the hospital, which also alarmed the regiment commander and political commissar.

"The recovery period was particularly difficult. I heard my sister scolding me in the house: 'It's better to be a cripple for life. Even if she's not crippled, I'll make her crippled. Why is she taller than me, healthier than me, and can dance better than me...'"

Wen Wan's tears rolled down her cheeks.

Li Chunxiao was very surprised to hear this. After all, such a cruel mother was rare, and such a vicious sister was even more unheard of.

"When I went to the health center to change the dressing, I begged the doctor not to tell my parents or my family, saying that my leg could be cured without any sequelae. To make my sister think I was truly crippled, I pretended to be crippled from the age of twelve, for seven years..."

Tang Lan never thought that she had to endure so much hardship in order to learn dance. Even though she loved dancing so much, she had to pretend to be crippled in front of her family.

"Three years ago, the Yangcheng Arts Institute recruited a group of dance students. My sister and I signed up, but before I could even begin my performance, my sister told the examiner, 'My sister is lame!' The examiner wouldn't let me perform."

Sometimes, I feel ridiculous.

My mother looked down on my grandmother's dancing, and my sister never called her "Grandma" in front of me, always calling her by her name. She used to be afraid of being implicated by her, but after she was rehabilitated, my mother called and wrote to my uncle to inquire about the government compensation.

Two years ago, the news came out that the Southern Military Region Art Troupe was recruiting art soldiers. My mother ordered me to teach my sister how to dance. She was already eighteen years old. Real dancers have practiced hard since childhood, but my mother said that if my sister failed the exam, I would be in trouble.

She really did it. She locked me in a shabby little room and didn't give me food or water. I almost thought I was going to starve to death. In my daze, I saw my grandmother again. It was the "Washing Dance" that my grandmother had choreographed halfway. Unfortunately, my grandmother was persecuted and sent down to the countryside before she finished it.

I promised my mom I'd teach my sister how to dance. This laundry dance doesn't require a lot of flexibility, and it doesn't have any difficult moves. It's very practical. I taught her over and over again, and she learned it for a full six months.

When the exam teacher from the Southern Military Region Art Troupe came, I also wanted to take the exam, but she told everyone in advance: My sister is crippled! My sister is crippled..."

Li Chunxiao could imagine how difficult it was for Wen Wan to get through this. Although they were both daughters of the same mother, they were treated completely differently.

"Your mother doesn't care?"

Tang Lan said: "Her family situation is somewhat special. When Hua Jianguo married Liu Kangmei, the teacher did not approve of the marriage. Liu Kangmei and Liu Yuanchao grew up with the Liu family's grandmother and did not have a deep relationship with Teacher Ji.

Grandma Liu always likes to instigate behind the teacher's back, scolding him for this and that. Because they hear it so often, they have a lot of opinions about the teacher.

Xiao Baiyang's facial features resembled her teacher's, 80% of the time. For someone who dislikes their own mother, or even hates her, seeing a little daughter who looks just like her wouldn't be a big deal.

Wen Wan also felt strange. It turned out that Liu Kangmei didn't like the original owner for this reason. It was just because she looked like the person Liu Kangmei hated most in his life, so he also hated her.

Tang Lan comforted him, "I'll take care of changing your name for you."

"Thank you, Aunt Tang."

Tang Lan said, "Your Uncle Qiu is also a teacher at the Art Academy. You'll be able to see him next time you come over. He has some of your grandmother's belongings. You can take them when it's convenient for you. I heard that your grandmother left them for you."

"Aunt Tang, I think Wang Jun seems to have encountered some homework he can't solve. Can you help him? Chunxiao and I will go back first!"

Li Chunxiao had an affair with Wen Wan. I used to think Wen Wan was a great child star, but now I feel a little sympathy for her.

"Sister Chunxiao, don't look at me like that. What I need is not sympathy, but understanding. I only tell you my stories because I treat you as a friend."

Li Chunxiao stretched out her hand and said, "My parents, brother, and sister all love me very much. I really want to share some of their love with you."

"Sister Chunxiao, I'm used to it. Let's go, we'll set up the stall this afternoon to earn money for living expenses and tuition fees."

“There are no subsidies or allowances.”

"If you want to learn vocal music, you'll have to learn an instrument or two. Buying instruments costs money. If you don't know how to play an instrument, your musical sense will improve too slowly. Practicing an instrument can help you find your musical sense. I want to learn dancing, so I need to buy dance shoes and costumes. Everything costs money. The goods I sent have arrived. I'll go pick them up. You can go to Jingshi University and reserve a booth. I'll meet you there after I pick up the goods."

Wen Wan asked Li Chunxiao to set up a stall together, and offered her one yuan for every item sold.

She carried two large snakeskin bags of goods and arranged them, picked out two sets, and asked Li Chunxiao to change into them.