Chapter 143 Spring in the Pear Garden

In Li Tongqiang's view, a month and a half is very short, but for Shi Shi, it is too much time!

From the moment he made the request, a song popped into Shi Shi's head. And she was confident that this song wouldn't be rejected.

"My Future Is Not a Dream"—this song was the first one that came to Shi Shi's mind when the other party made a request.

Born in an era of economic boom, this song reflects the collective aspirations of young people striving for success. The verses, mentioning "I have never forgotten my promise to myself," emphasize self-reliance and conviction. The chorus, through the repeated chanting of "My future is not a dream," interprets a positive mindset and the reality of "living every minute to the fullest."

Shi Shi really loves this song, especially the line "You're not like me, busy all day pursuing, pursuing a kind of tenderness you can't imagine," which alludes to the fact that in a materialistic society, many people chase after fame and fortune. And "I naturally stick to my original intention."

After leaving school, Shi Shi rushed back to the company. She needed to see one more person. She had to see him in person.

Unlike in the early days of the studio, when she occasionally had to meet with clients who commissioned songs, now Song Ming selects most of the major clients after meeting them in person. When you've met enough clients, you'll find that some people always make bizarre requests.

A relatively unknown artist once came to the studio. He offered very little money, but insisted that Liu Shishi write the song herself, and that the lyrics be profound and not vulgar. If that were all, it wouldn't be so strange. He also specifically requested a certain sales target for the song, and most importantly, he refused to pay more! So he was proactively turned away.

This is also why Shi Shi doesn't meet with clients in person now. Let Song Ming play the villain first, then she'll step in. Everything will go much more smoothly. After all, Shi Shi is now a well-known hit song maker. Songwriting also has its requirements.

Today, an old acquaintance came to the studio. She pushed open the door to the reception room, and there stood Jiang Haichao.

Shishi stepped forward and shook hands warmly: "Sorry to keep you waiting, Brother Haichao?"

Jiang Haichao waved his hand, indicating that she didn't need to be so polite: "I haven't been here long either. You must be very busy lately? How are you adapting to the fast-paced work?"

The Golden Voice Award is the biggest singing award in China. Moreover, Shi Shi has won so many trophies and has been trending on social media for several days, so he must have heard about it.

"It's good to be busy; life becomes more fulfilling. Before trying it, I never imagined I could be a career woman. Now, I'm most afraid of being idle."

Shishi's relationship with him wasn't that good. The reason I said this was to avoid sending the wrong message to her ex-husband. After all, Jiang Haichao greatly admired Fu Zhixu.

Having understood the implied meaning in Shishi's words, Jiang Haichao got to the point and explained his purpose: "I am not here for myself today, but for my father to see you."

"Your father?"

"Did you know that I actually come from a Peking Opera background?"

Shishi nodded; it was Fu Zhixu who told her this.

"I heard that your family has been involved in Peking Opera for three generations, starting with your grandfather?"

Jiang Haichao gave her a meaningful look, but instead of asking where she had heard it, he said, "Do you know how many years our country's opera has been passed down?"

"There are many categories of traditional opera. I wonder which one 'Hai Chao Ge' refers to?"

Peking Opera.

Peking Opera is one of the national treasures of China and the most influential opera genre in China. Its distribution is centered in Beijing and spread throughout the country.

"I love Peking Opera. I'd say I'm a bit of an amateur."

Seeing that Shishi was not a complete novice when it came to Peking Opera, Jiang Haichao became even more eager to do what he asked for.

"Since the beginning of Peking Opera, it has been hundreds of years. Neither of us caught up with the heyday of Peking Opera in the last century. The female role emerged as a dark horse, and the outstanding figures of the 'Four Great Dan' pushed the art of female roles to an unprecedented peak. At that time, tickets were hard to come by."

Shishi nodded and followed up with a question: "How is your Pear Garden Spring Festival going?"

Liyuanchun was a theater run by the Jiang family. Although other operas also came to perform, the main performances were Peking Opera.

At this point, Jiang Haichao became somewhat irritated and took out his cigarette case: "Is there a smoking room?"

Shishi pulled an ashtray from a drawer under the coffee table: "I don't mind the smell of smoke."

In fact, she minded, but considering how readily he paid her during their last collaboration, she tolerated the secondhand smoke! After all, after "As Long As You're Here" became a huge hit, Jiang Haichao even gave her a five-figure red envelope.

The cigarette was lit, and as the smoke rose, his irritable mood seemed to calm down a bit.

"We sold a total of 32 evening tickets over the past two days, Friday and Saturday. 10 on Friday and 22 on Saturday."

Friday and Saturday evenings are usually the busiest days of the week. I worked five days straight, and didn't have to get up early on Saturday. And yet, I only sold ten tickets!

"How could it be so terrible!"

Jiang Haichao stubbed out the half-smoked cigarette in the ashtray.

"You young people might not know this, but now only Liyuanchun Theater is left in the entire capital. The other theaters have long since gone out of business and have switched to performing song and dance dramas, Errenzhuan (a type of folk opera), and magic shows."

How long has this been going on?

"Actually, we haven't been making money for the past four years. My dad has been relying on the savings left by my grandfather, selling nostalgia and trying to attract customers."

Shi Shi shook her head: "This is like drinking poison to quench thirst, it won't be very effective, will it?"

Jiang Haichao nodded: "The Peking Opera industry is in a slump right now. I'm doing a little better off, so I changed careers. Other members of the Jiang family started training from childhood, and after just one lesson in playing male roles, they went into this line of work. Seeing that they can't even afford to eat, everyone is panicking."

"Yes, morale is low, and it's hard to lead a team."

"My next project is a movie. The male lead is an actor."

It seems they're unwilling to give up this business passed down from their ancestors. Jiang Haichao used the term "actor" instead of "opera actor," indicating this is a film with a somewhat dated feel.

"What era is it from?"

"From the beginning to the middle of the 20th century."

"Those were the years when the opera industry experienced great ups and downs."

"Yes, I came to see you today for two things."

"I'm all ears."

"Firstly, I want you to join my film as the music director."

"It is my honor to join Brother Haichao's project. I'm just afraid I won't be able to handle it."

"That's not urgent. You can come to my place tomorrow and we can discuss the script and production details further. The second thing is more urgent."

"What's up?"

“My second uncle went on Crossover Joyful Voice to revive Liyuan Spring. In the past six months, he has found that people are not uninterested in traditional opera, but rather that the times have changed and their understanding of traditional opera culture is very shallow. Young people today do not understand opera. On the contrary, they are very interested in the new style of opera that my second uncle performed.”

"My father wants you to write a song that can promote traditional Chinese opera culture."