The music store was called Liangyin Music Store. Besides the mother and son, there were also a man and a woman inside.
The man was probably a guitar teacher, and he was explaining something with great effort.
The woman beside him, arms crossed with a worried look, seemed to be the owner, judging from his years of experience.
This owner was exceptionally beautiful, with long, flowing hair and a very feminine aura. Even without makeup, she was comparable to those celebrities.
Her figure was the most outstanding feature, especially when she crossed her arms, which perfectly accentuated her assets.
The male teacher said with impatience, "Ms. Zhang, I've already explained it. If the child wants to learn the piano, they have to study systematically. They need to learn basic music theory for at least ten days or so."
"Rhythm, string touch, memorize the fingerboard scales, chord pressing methods; these things take a month, which is already slow. If you want to play and sing a whole song, it'll take another month at least."
Ms. Zhang's eyes widened. "Another month? Your lessons are two hundred yuan each! Do you think my money comes from the wind? Give me a refund! I'm telling you, my husband knows people at the Industrial and Commercial Bureau. Don't blame me if I take you to court!"
The male teacher was defeated and took a step back, turning to the buxom beauty behind him.
"Boss, what should we do?"
The boss tapped her phone, feeling the pain of returning the money she'd already earned. It felt like this music store wouldn't last.
"Then refund…"
When faced with this kind of unreasonable person, it was better to avoid trouble.
Just as the boss was about to issue the refund, Lin Chudong suddenly walked over and said,
"Are you still hiring a guitar teacher, ma'am?"
Liang Yin frowned slightly. Who is this? So clueless. Didn't he see the situation? Hiring a teacher at a time like this?
If things kept going like this, they'd be bankrupt in a few days!
"No, we're not!"
Liang Yin said impatiently.
The guitar case Lin Chudong was carrying looked like it was worth a couple hundred yuan at most. While a musician's skill couldn't be judged by the price of their instrument, a professional guitar teacher would surely invest in an instrument worth tens of thousands of yuan, right? He wouldn't carry it in such a cheap case.
First impressions were poor, so no interview was necessary.
Ms. Zhang said sarcastically, "If you're hiring again, you need to be more careful. Don't let just any amateur come and teach the children, misleading them!"
The male teacher was so annoyed by Ms. Zhang's implication that he almost cursed. Being a music teacher was truly frustrating!
Lin Chudong said, "What's wrong? I heard you didn't learn to play the piano?"
Ms. Zhang immediately found someone to vent to. After all, Lin Chudong was an outsider, and this opened the floodgates. "That's right! He's been learning for a month, and it's all eighth notes and quarter notes, looking at the staff, playing do-re-mi. What's the use? When relatives come over, and I ask him to show off, he can't do anything! It's such a joke. You wouldn't believe it, the other day, my third sister brought her child to my house..."
Lin Chudong smiled. It seemed that failing to perform in front of relatives was Ms. Zhang's biggest point of frustration.
Lin Chudong looked at the young man and asked,
"How many chords do you know?"
The young man was a little shy and said, "I know C chord, Em chord, and G chord."
Ms. Zhang snorted, "Look at that! He only knows these three useless things. Can he even perform in front of others? If I'd known, I would've had him learn piano at the music store next door. Who knows, maybe he could even play 'Marriage d'Amour' by now!"
Lin Chudong didn't respond to Ms. Zhang and said,
"I'll teach you another chord. Can I teach you a song in ten minutes?"
The young man was stunned for a moment, then quickly nodded.
Liang Yin and the male teacher beside them glanced at each other, a hint of doubt in their eyes.
Perhaps because of her overly impressive figure and uneven weight distribution, Liang Yin always liked to hold her arms, a position that seemed to lighten the load.
"Boss, what do we do? Let him teach?"
"Well, let's try it. You see his level."
"Okay."
Lin Chudong took out the guitar from his backpack and sat down with the boy.
"This is an F major 7 chord. You don't need to know how the chord is made; you just need to know how to press it."
The male teacher next to him shook his head constantly, and whispered, "Teaching a child seventh chords directly when he hasn't even understood triads is like forcing growth."
The F major seventh chord and the C major chord have basically the same fingering, just in different positions. In other words, the boy learned it in a minute.
"Okay, four chords for a song is enough. I'll write out the chords for your left hand, and the rhythm pattern for your right hand is 632123. Can you do it?"
The boy tried strumming the strings, following the 632123 sequence, and did it very easily.
"Not bad. Let me demonstrate it once."
Lin Chudong played a simple prelude, and then began the verse.
"It's not just last night's wine that makes me cry."
"It's not just your tenderness that makes me reluctant to leave."
"The remaining road…"
"…"
"Walk with me on the streets of Chengdu, oh-ooh-oh, until all the lights go out, and we won't stop."
"You'll take my arm, and I'll put my hands in my pockets, walking to the end of Yulin Road, sitting at the door of a small bar!"
A simple little coda perfectly concluded the song.
Ms. Zhang's eyes immediately lit up. "This is good. We'll learn this one. How long will it take to learn?"
Lin Chudong said, "One lesson, but… I have to apply for the job first."
Lin Chudong looked at Liang Yin.
Liang Yin snapped out of her trance. "Alright, I'll hire you. You can start teaching right away!"
As long as he could handle Ms. Zhang, everything would be fine!
Lin Chudong began teaching the children, while Liang Yin called the male teacher over.
"Wang Zhi, how is this teacher's skill? His singing is so beautiful!"
Wang Zhi shook his head. "It's hard to say. His fundamentals are solid, his vocal control is clean, and his rhythm is good. But this song is too simple to judge his true skill."
"However, I don't agree with his teaching philosophy. You have to learn music systematically. How can you teach chords directly without even teaching chord structures? This kind of quick-fix method won't work!"
Liang Yin watched Lin Chudong's confident demeanor and said,
"You shouldn't care how he teaches, as long as the children learn."
"Wait a minute, doesn't he look familiar? Who sang that song just now?"
Wang Zhi said, "Never heard it before. Let me search… Nope, no song by that name. Looks like it's an original."
"Damn, could he be a professional singer? He sings so well, and that voice… Da Fei?"
Liang Yin took out her phone, searched for the Da Fei band, and carefully examined the photo of Da Fei's rather ordinary face. She was utterly shocked.
"It really is Da Fei!"
"Wang Zhi, go check if there are any cameras outside. Maybe it's a reality show, and he's here experiencing life!"
Wang Zhi said, "Don't be ridiculous. Da Fei never participates in reality shows. It can't be him. He just looks similar."
"I really want to gouge out your eyeballs and use them as bubble wrap! They look alike, and the voice sounds alike too?"
"Hurry, go next door to the restaurant and order a few dishes. We've got a big shot coming over!"
(End of this chapter)