Life is like a dream, for joy

——Summer Notes (Series)

Text/Osmanthus

Life is like a dream , What is the geometry of joy? The seasons change and my heart wavers. There are always some stories that make the text come alive; there are always some fragments that make the mind jump for joy. The scorching sun burned my heart, but it also ignited the long-hidden passion. The moonlight is empty, and it is filled with unpredictable emotions. The fruits of midsummer are worth picking up.

Third? Su Xing’s Notes

The summer vacation is almost coming to an end, but the weather is still very warm. My daughter entered the national finals of the Boya Piano Competition in Suzhou. After hesitating for a long time and going over it several times, I finally fulfilled my daughter’s wish and went to see it. So, we arranged the work and chores at hand, and started our trip to Suzhou under the guise of accompanying us...

D1.

We simply packed our luggage and then did A non-embarrassing brunch (actually just fried noodles), and then the father and daughter rested for a while, while I washed and cleaned up before leaving the house.

Along the way, the weather was fine and the car was running happily on the highway. Outside the window, the blue sky and white clouds, green trees and delicate flowers, the arched bridge over clear water, and the blue bricks and black tiles all passed by in a flash. Soft music was playing in the car, and my daughter occupied the back seat to herself, and also occupied my mobile phone. Wearing headphones, she could sit or lie down, tilt or tilt, and it was so comfortable.

After driving for nearly three hours, my daughter complained that her stomach felt uncomfortable (she always got a little motion sick), so she went to the nearest Meicun service area. It was already 14:00, the sun was strong, the parking lot in the service area was large, and there were many cars. As soon as I parked the car and opened the door, a wave of heat immediately hit my face. My daughter is like a cat, lowering her head and hiding under my parasol. I couldn't walk three steps, and because I was too low to hold the umbrella (my daughter was already more than half a head taller than me), I strode towards the service area.

This service area is indeed very high-end and clean and beautiful everywhere. There is also an intelligent robot to guide you. My daughter was just playing around that robot for a long time. In the blink of an eye, the daughter was holding something in her hands and eating. The father asked what she was eating. She said vaguely, biscuits. Then she asked her father: "Guess how many dollars?" "Five dollars!" Dad curled his lips and said. The daughter waved her hand three times, but the father still didn't understand. I smiled and replied: 15 yuan each. The father stared at his daughter's biscuits in disbelief. The daughter laughed non-stop and said sarcastically: "Dad, you thought they were in Dahan Mountain and they were selling sesame cakes for one yuan each? This is the most delicious sesame cake I have ever eaten!" After saying that, she winked at her dad, obviously feeling unwell. Nothing left...

It was still around three in the afternoon when we arrived at our destination and checked into the hotel we booked online. As soon as the child entered the room, he muttered that his mother was so stingy because the room was so small. I booked the Hanting Hotel, which was newly renovated in November 2016. Although the room is not very big, it is enough for a family of three in a standard room, and everything is novel, exquisite and tidy. This time, because there is a national competition in Suzhou, it is difficult to book a hotel due to the crowds. But my father said happily, "How small is it? No matter how small it is, it's not much bigger than a Hong Kong hotel room?" The daughter was speechless for a moment.

In the evening, our children’s eldest and second uncles (who have been working on small projects in Suzhou) entertained us warmly. After dinner, the whole family went shopping on Qili Shantang Street. Along the way, my daughter chatted and took photos with her sister (my uncle’s daughter) who was about to graduate from college and come to Suzhou for an internship; my husband and the three brothers talked and laughed all the way, passing cigarettes to each other and smoking from time to time, and they had a great time chatting; I was alone Looking at the crowds and the dazzling array of products, An Ran smiled. This is the third time I have been to Shantang Street. Whenever I come, I am always carried along by the crowds. It is really lively!

I come home late, exhausted, after serving the children, In bed, it's already 11:00. Fall asleep immediately.

D2.

Get up early in the morning, have a simple breakfast, and then drive to the competition venue.

Driving on Taihu Avenue in Suzhou, I suddenly realized that the driving skills of Suzhou people are really good. Even though it was rush hour, and even though the road speed could be 80 yards, almost no one was running at full speed at maximum speed. Everyone was moving forward in an orderly manner at a medium speed. On this day, the sun was just right, the sky was blue and the clouds were white, and the mountains and lakes were green, and I was in a good mood.

About 30 minutes in advance, we arrived at our destination and entered the competition venue directly by mistake. The teacher who picked us up was waiting at the information desk to give us our certificates. We turned back to the gate. Contestants and accompanying parents from all over the country have gathered here. There are many signboards erected in the huge cultural and sports center square. Each player's ID number, competition venue, appointment sign-in and other matters are all clear. Since only one accompanying parent can sign up, and admission tickets and photo ID are required to enter, my daughter and I entered the venue. Then take your seat in the grandstand area. My daughter looked at the tall infield auditorium and said dissatisfiedly, "Whose seats are those?" I said, it's probably a VIP seat. Then we waited peacefully for the concert to begin. At this time, a mother and daughter came, holding tickets, looking at us and saying, are you sitting in the wrong seat? This is where we sit.

My daughter and I were dumbfounded, no way, it was obviously the right one! The mother smiled and said, "Are you sure you have grandstand tickets? I guess they are infield tickets? If you don't go to that good seat, we can sit there!" My daughter and I looked down and saw that it was indeed infield tickets. , which is the position that my daughter envied before. My daughter happily went to the staff to lead the way into the infield...

There were two musicals in the morning, both of which were exciting. The first joint performance between a pianist and an intelligent robot. The second scene is a melodrama, telling the story of Qinwa’s mental journey while practicing the piano hard. I am a layman when it comes to piano. But such a large-scale live concert (drama) still shocked me. We were close to each other in the infield auditorium, and we could clearly see that the pianist was sweating profusely after every piece of music played. Seeing this scene, I couldn't help but sigh: How many years of accumulation does it take for art to have a little bit of brilliance?

With the wonderful performance, the whole morning's accompanying appreciation time passed quietly. After the show ended at 12:30, my father had already bought lunch boxes in advance and was waiting for us at the exit where there was a huge crowd. To be honest, the 30 yuan lunch box is not very good, but my daughter is not picky about eating. After dinner, my daughter wanted to go to the practice area to practice piano. Only when I went there did I realize that there were many pianos in the entire practice area. Behind every piano, there is a long queue (waiting to practice). The sound is noisy and the air is hot. My daughter still followed the queue quietly. Since my daughter’s competition time is from 6:00 to 6:30 in the afternoon, my daughter always gives way to the players who compete in front of her and lets them practice the piano first, even though she has already taken the position. At this point, I silently praise my daughter's selflessness and humility.

There are two master-class concerts in the afternoon. I want my father to experience the music feast. After all, it is not easy to come so far away. So I quietly changed my ID photo into my father's, and watched the father and daughter enter the venue happily. I turned around and entered a quiet tea library. This is a great place for me to spend time waiting.

I casually picked up a book from the bookshelf, reclined leisurely on the sofa, and read it all afternoon. The whole person is immersed in the light and shadow of those characters. In the distance, the sound of the piano in the practice area can be heard faintly; nearby, there is the fragrance of tea wafting from the table next door; behind him, there is a green plant leaning out; turn around In front of my eyes, there are rows of low bookshelves... The only thing I don't feel comfortable with here is that the air conditioner is too cold. I even took out a silk scarf from my backpack, wrapped it around myself casually, and continued reading with my head down. Of course, I also encountered embarrassing things: just when I was extremely happy, the waiter came over and said softly: "Hello, I'm sorry, we are a consumer seat here, what do you need?" I immediately thought of when I first sat down, There were several empty drinks bottles on the coffee table, which were later taken away by the waiter. So I said calmly, "We ordered food, but you took it away." The girl smiled understandingly, apologized repeatedly, and then left. After that, no one bothered me anymore. However, I felt a little weak in my heart, a bit like Chen Huansheng going to town.

My daughter’s competition started, and the scene was very solemn. The contestants sat in the first row one by one, and their parents sat in the back row. There were five experts sitting at the judges' table, and I could only see their backs. After each person finishes the game, one person will move forward on the waiting table. The ratio of male to female contestants is almost the same, and many of them are famous songs. Although I can’t name the songs, it’s really a feast for the ears! My daughter later told me that when she was in the examination waiting area and heard that people were playing so well, she felt bad and was very nervous. I knew she was telling the truth. In the national finals, there are so many experts. Even if you lose, you will be convinced.

After my daughter finished the game, she lined up to leave the venue, and we drove to our residence. The scenery in Suzhou New District is particularly beautiful when the lanterns come on. But I was so hungry that I didn’t have much time to appreciate it. However, my daughter was completely relaxed after the game, humming songs all the way, and her happy mood infected us. And my relatives (my daughter’s uncles) prepared a warm dinner for us, which moved me even more.

D3.

According to the competition schedule, there is no need to go to the competition site today (divided into time periods to prevent stampedes). In the morning, I had a lazy sleep and then went out to look for food. Walking on the streets of Suzhou, you can feel the full comfort of a garden city everywhere.

After that, we drove to visit our former mentor (his son was in Suzhou, he had just retired and was also living in Suzhou). My mentor happened to be out of town, and my wife entertained us warmly. The teacher’s wife is also from her hometown. In the past few years, her son has been taking care of her grandson. Although she has been a grandmother for several years, time has treated her favorably and there is no trace of the passage of time. He has an outstanding temperament all over his body and his words are lively. She lowered her voice and said, "Last night I learned that you were coming over today, and I was so excited that I couldn't sleep all night." She chatted with me about her colorful life in the past few years, and kept entertaining us with all kinds of delicious food. It was obvious that my wife was really happy because of our arrival. They also made repeated reservations for us to have dinner at Xiangxuehai Hotel*** in the evening.

In the afternoon, the family of three went to the nearby Lingering Garden, Hanshan Temple, Tiger Hill and many other places that they had visited before. Even though it was afternoon, after entering the park, I found that there were still many people playing inside.

Anyway, it is a garden landscape, and any random corner is often a beautiful scenery. My daughter held my mobile phone and kept looking for angles to take pictures of the beautiful scenery. Later, when I looked through the photos she took, I saw that they were all beautiful in a different way.

Her father and I couldn't help but sigh, when will this girl grow up and no longer be a yes-man who follows what everyone else says.

We walked around casually and what impressed us most was the bonsai garden. Although I don’t understand bonsai art, this place is really eye-opening. While walking, a female tourist about my age asked me to take a photo of her. I followed her request and chose a scene. The woman under the lens was particularly agile. It is true that life is full of scenery. Just like that, stopping and going, a few hours passed. We were a little tired, so we went back to the hotel to rest for a while, then took a taxi to Xiangxuehai, where we had a sumptuous meal.

After dinner, I returned to the hotel and my daughter watched TV happily. I went downstairs with him for a walk (we ate too much, haha). Who would have thought that the weather in Suzhou is really like the temper of a lover. Even though the two of us carried umbrellas, when the wind and rain came, we still got most of our bodies wet. The night breeze was blowing, and the slightest bit of coolness chilled my bones, and I immediately headed back home.

No matter what, this day was spent leisurely and happily!

D4.

The typhoon is coming and I have symptoms early in the morning. The original plan was to go to the competition venue today and listen to the master class. But in the morning on WeChat, my uncle invited us to go to Wuxi to play. In addition, my cousin’s wedding was coming soon, so I also wanted to visit his home. So we swam to Wuxi again.

Actually, uncle is my colleague and my matchmaker back then. My cousin was the golden boy when we got married and was also my later student. Over the years, my uncle and aunt have always loved me. After my cousin graduated from graduate school, he settled in Wuxi. A house costs several million, which is really not easy. On the way there as a family of three, my uncle was both looking forward to and worried about the typhoon. He kept asking us where we were. If the wind and rain got serious, he would stay away. When we appeared in front of him, my uncle, who had always said little, could not hide his happiness, and my aunt excitedly pulled me to talk. Auntie said that she originally planned to buy vegetables and cook today (auntie is a superb cook), but your uncle said that Doudou must leave a deep impression on her when she comes to her uncle (cousin) house in Wuxi for the first time, so we Go to Yaohan to eat. There are some delicious dishes there. We will go there when your brother gets off work.

Then my brother took the subway there, and we drove there from home. The drive was only 15 minutes, but we waited in the parking lot of Yaohan for more than 20 minutes. It shows how lively it is here. I forgot to tell you that it happened to be Chinese Valentine's Day!

Fortunately, my brother made a reservation in advance, so we had a seat when we arrived. Walking in, you feel like you are in a scene like Three Lives, Three Worlds and Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms. Especially petty bourgeoisie, especially beautiful. Small bridges, flowing water, mist, high hanging lanterns, classical plaques, and numerous human figures. This is not the point. When the dishes are served, they are delicious! My daughter couldn’t eat without looking up! The elders were very satisfied to see the always gentle girl eating so happily! I took a photo facing the word "Gui", and my brother told me that this is Gui Manlong, an internet celebrity store. In fact, being old-fashioned like me, I didn't know about Gui Manlong at all before. After I went home and searched, I found out that it has received rave reviews.

Not long after the meal, we said goodbye to our relatives and drove back. At that time, the typhoon was not very powerful, so my husband asked me to drive. However, on the highway later, the wind and rain were almost crazy, and it was impossible to see which direction was the road ahead. At this time, even though my husband was worried, he remained calm. They kept praising me for my good skills and steady driving, which gave me great courage and kept me from panicking. My daughter was in the back row, listening to the music leisurely without any fear. Along the way, we encountered several car accidents, but fortunately our family got home safely!

When I came back, I reported to my parents that I was safe and then went to the restaurant. My classmates gave me a reception party, haha!

After four days, the trip to Suzhou has come to an end! Life is still on the road, and tomorrow is another brand new day!

Postscript: My daughter did not win this competition. Among the big awards, I only won the "Biya Star" Excellence Award. Despite this, we are still satisfied. After all, it is good to have such a memory in our growing up experience. When I say goodbye to Suzhou, I basically say goodbye to Boya, and also say goodbye to the piano for the time being. After all, he is about to enter the graduating class and has a heavy workload, leaving him no time to take care of anything else.

However, I hope that my daughter can still grow up happily!

Leave a note in Hanshan on 2018/8/18