But he never expected that the young man’s spontaneous nature would lead him to casually invite his grandfather to watch his friend’s performance on a whim, praising that his friend performed quite well.
Liu Quan Hai had promoted many younger talents and had a genuine love for talented individuals, so he readily agreed. Who knew they would run into Liu Da and his crew acting all high-and-mighty?
Although the young man said nothing, Liu Quan Hai could guess a bit from the details.
Liu Quan Hai had already made up his mind to leave when suddenly applause and cheers erupted from below. They looked up and saw that there were now two additional people on stage.
The young man focused his gaze and exclaimed, “Hey, they actually invited celebrities? Isn’t that Xia Yiwei and her son, what’s his name, Qi something?
“
At this point, the audience was not just stunned; it was practically about to explode.
Xia Yiwei smoothly calmed the audience and introduced that she would be singing a song derived from the big drum performance “He Bi Xi Xiang” with her son.
With such commotion below, Liu Quan Hai had already started thinking about leaving. He had attended too many evening event performances, and he had seen Xia Yiwei before; it didn’t impress him much.
“Well then, let’s go, what are we still watching the excitement for?” Liu Quan Hai said drearily, getting up to leave. He had no interest in the songs sung by Xia Yiwei with her loud voice.
Just then, the sound of the sanxian began to play.
If it’s mastered finely, its biggest flaw becomes its greatest asset—because it has no set pitch, its high and low variations can be free and flexible, able to be soft or strong.
In northern singing and storytelling, the large sanxian is mostly used.
At this moment, the sound of the large sanxian was clear and round, quite unique.
“He Bi Xi Xiang” tells a love story, and Qi Shejiang’s live accompaniment added a lighter touch to the strings, giving it an extra layer of gentle and lingering feeling that was more fitting.
Liu Quan Hai’s eyes lit up; he stopped in his tracks and genuinely praised, “This string… it’s so smooth and flavorful!”
