Chapter 31: Learning Piano

  After entering December, the weather has clearly cooled down.

  Gu's mother thought about taking Gu Xiang to buy two pieces of clothing.

  Gu Xiang also felt that he had shrunk a bit recently, and the sleeves of several jackets were all short.

  It seems like even last year's shoes are too small and press against my toes a bit.

  Gu's mother wanted to take her to a big mall again.

  Her mother thinks that now that the child is older, wearing hand-me-downs will make her classmates laugh.

  Gu Xiang didn't have that kind of psychology of loving and fearing comparison with her classmates during adolescence. She just thought it was good as long as the clothes were clean and fit well.

  Just go and buy it at Jiefang Road Shopping Mall then.

  Yu went one step further and went to understand the boutique on the road.

  Gu Xiang set her eyes on a long, fitted coat.

  The clothes look quite slim, Gu Xiang thinks she can't wear them.

  But the female boss looked at Gu Xiang and smiled, saying she would definitely be able to wear it.

  It turned out to be quite suitable after trying it on.

  Gu Xiang's previous clothes were all children's wear and didn't show off her figure.

  Now you really look like a little adult.

  Gu's mother still thought Gu Xiang was wearing bright colors and chose a light pink cotton-padded jacket for her.

  Two pieces of clothing together cost 300, and the customer asked if they could be sold for 150.

  The female boss directly knelt down.

  But Gu's mother didn't bargain blindly, most of these clothes were also bought from the wholesale market she often visited.

  However, the price is a bit higher than that of the street vendors on Jiefang Road, and you can't buy just one piece, you have to buy at least 10 pieces. Otherwise, Gu Mama would have bought it for Gu Xiang when she was purchasing goods.

  The boss said this price is basically impossible to make a profit.

  The aunt said that if you can bring it, then bring it. The child will definitely come to buy more often after growing up. She took Gu Xiang and walked towards the door.

  As they approached the door, the boss said: "Alright, alright, you're really good at bargaining. This time I won't make a profit and will help you carry it for free. Next time come do business with me."

  Gu Xiang felt that her mother could enjoy this process.

  Later, Mother Guo took her to a shopping mall and bought two pairs of sports shoes. However, the specialty store refused to lower the price, and her mother's bargaining skills were not put to use.

  Gu Xiang saw a poster in the mall for the selection of youth ambassadors, apparently for a chain store opening in the city, recruiting two flat models under the age of 13-18.

  She was slightly moved.

  In my past life, I didn't master any skills, but with this convenience, I have a bit more experience than others. If I don't make good use of it, it would be a waste.

  Although she had only catwalk experience before, compared with children of the same age, she must have more advantages than them.

  Thinking back to what happened at Xiang's house before, Gu Xiang still thinks that there is a chance to save as much money as possible.

  She went back and told her mom about this idea.

  Who would have known that her mother Gu, who had always been supportive of her, was firmly opposed for the first time.

  "Yaya, Mom knows that girls in your grade love beauty, but you must still prioritize studying. Be good and listen, becoming a star isn't that easy."

  She's been treated like a superstar by her mom since she was little.

  But to be honest, if it weren't for that situation, one of Gu's father's creditors, in order to get his money back, actively introduced her to this job.

  She never thought she would end up on this path either.

  It's tough being a model, her looks are just average in that circle, she can only rely on her figure to attract attention.

  She was no longer fat at that time, but in order to meet the leader's requirements, she lost more than ten kilograms in a month.

  From the earliest cold winter month in the outdoor lingerie show outside the mall, to step by step receiving some small-scale brand shows.

  For six or seven years, she had never eaten her fill.

  Hunger is really a particularly terrifying thing, it will make all your negative emotions surge up, and you will repeatedly question the meaning of your existence.

  Why is it so chaotic in this circle, with drunkenness and drug addiction everywhere, and a large part of people are just to maintain their figure.

  Gu Xiang is a bit better, her willpower is stronger than ordinary people.

  Sometimes after eating two mouthfuls of rice, she would immediately rush to the toilet and vomit.

  But when a fellow model of hers who debuted at the same time as her got bulimia, Gu Xiang didn't even dare to induce vomiting anymore.

  Those years she almost couldn't sleep, often waking up in the middle of the night due to hunger, yet fearing edema from drinking too much water for work the next day.

  Take another look at life in front of you, although it's hard work, but it's down-to-earth and full of hope.

  Gu Xiang still put aside the idea of making quick money.

  But she still had anxiety in her heart.

  Just then, Gu's dad called Gu Xiang again and asked her what Christmas gift she wanted.

  Christmas was not very popular at that time, and classmates would only exchange greeting cards.

  Her dad was just looking for an opportunity to get close to her.

  Gu Xiang said she wanted to learn piano.

  She actually learned electronic piano when she was a kid, but after her parents got divorced right after she entered elementary school, her mom took care of her alone and she didn't continue learning it.

  Learning piano is a big deal.

  Her father asked her on the phone why she suddenly wanted to learn piano again.

  Gu Xiang lied and said: "Many classmates in our class can play musical instruments. If we learn well, it's said that we can even get extra points for the college entrance exam."

  At this age, Gu Xiang learning piano can be said to have little value.

  And after junior high school, she had less and less free time, and didn't have much energy or time at all.

  But Gu's father just thought for a moment on the phone and said he would ask someone to help her ask.

  In just a few days, Mr. Gu asked around and found out that there was a Children's Palace in the county that was recruiting students.

  Gu Xiang went to his place over the weekend and took 5,000 yuan from Gu's father.

  This is just the tuition fee for the first semester, and 5,000 yuan will be collected every semester afterwards.

  One year can get ten thousand.

  Gu Xiang thought that after a while, she would be able to ask her parents to buy a piano.

  That is to say, we can still get 30,000 to 40,000 more.

  Of course, learning piano also requires real effort, Gu Xiang knew that Tang Lulu could play the piano.

  I just asked her if there's anywhere cheaper to learn.

  Tang Lulu now invites teachers to come home for tutoring, with each lesson costing over 200 yuan.

  She was also preparing for the exam, and when she heard that Gu Xiang wanted to learn piano, but Gu Xiang only asked her to recognize the score and play a few songs, so she told Gu Xiang to go to her house on Saturday afternoon.

  That afternoon was her piano lesson time, and the teacher came at 12 o'clock and left at 2 o'clock.

  Afterwards, she had time to spare and could teach Gu Xiang for a while each time.

  Gu Xiang thought it was too much trouble for her, but Tang Lulu said that she was also very bored at home alone. Anyway, she had to practice, and having Gu Xiang by her side could alleviate the boredom a bit, and the two of them could even do their homework together.

  Gu Xiang's lie got bigger and bigger, even deceiving her mother, saying that on Saturday she would go find Tang Lulu to do homework together.

  Her mother felt quite at ease with her during this period, so she let her go and just reminded her to return home before dark.

  Gu Xiang woke up from her nap and left, arriving just after 2 o'clock.

  Tang Lulu's piano teacher just left.

  Tang's mother knew she was coming and had prepared some snacks and fruit.

  Tang Lulu's room is very large, and the piano is placed inside. Moreover, the room uses special soundproofing materials, so even if she practices piano inside, it won't affect her family members.

  "Does your mom know I came looking for you?"

  Tang Lulu said: "I didn't say, I just said you come. My mom was so happy, you don't know, after the last parent-teacher conference, my mom kept telling me to spend more time with you." Her mom had never let her take the initiative to make friends with anyone before.

  Wu Xian could understand a little bit of the five-line score, Tang Luoluo taught her some basic music theory and also gave her two books to take back and read.

  Gu Xiang thought that none of these things were important, she just wanted to learn two songs to fool people, so let Tang Lulu teach her to play simple songs.

  Tang Lulu spent an hour teaching Gu Xiang to play "Für Elise".

  Gu Xiang used to play on mobile apps before, but this is her first time playing the piano. After learning for a few times, she can already connect a segment together.

  Tang Lulu also praised her for learning quickly and said she would teach her to play "Canon" next time.

  The two of them wrote their homework together for a while longer.

  When she was about to leave, Mrs. Tang insisted on pulling her back to stay for dinner.

  After going home, Gu Xiang took a few A3 papers and pieced together the length of a piano.

  Roughly drew the shape of the piano keys with a pencil and secretly practiced while doing homework every day.

  The direct consequence is that she goes to bed half an hour later every day.

  Two weeks later, Gu Xiang returned to her grandmother's house again.

  Dad asked about her learning piano, Gu Xiang said she can already play a tune now.

  The older generation didn't know the importance of piano basics and thought that being able to play a whole song was already very impressive.

  "It's a pity that I couldn't practice at home, and the two class times are a week apart. This time I learned it, but next time I'll forget most of it."

  Who knows Mr. Gu hasn't made a statement yet? Her grandmother heard that and asked if the piano was expensive, where it was sold.

  Gu Xiang really didn't know how to respond.

  How dare she want grandma's retirement pension?

  Grandma was so generous that she would have plucked the stars from the sky for her, and with a key, opened the bedside cabinet to give Gu Xiang a deposit slip.

  There is over 10,000 yuan in her passbook, she asked Gu's father to take Gu Xiang to buy it.

  It's clear that Grandma didn't know the piano's true price.

  Mr. Gu of course refused her money, saying he came to buy from Gu Xiang.

  Gu Xiang said it's actually not urgent, she hasn't discussed it with her mom yet, and asked her dad if he could open an account for her to put the money for buying a piano in first.

  Father Gu agreed in one breath.

  Every few days, Gu's father would call Gu Xiang and tell him that he had saved some money, asking Gu Xiang to pick it up when he was on vacation.

  Gu Xiang felt a little guilty for cheating the money, and her attitude towards her dad also improved a lot. She said that her mom didn't agree to buy such an expensive piano at first, so they should buy a cheaper one to practice with first.

  Father Gu naturally had no opinion and said that all the money was kept for her, so she could use it as she pleased.

  Gu's mother saw it and felt a little jealous.

  Gu Xiang took advantage of the situation and told her mom that her dad wanted to send her to learn piano.

  Although Mother Gu could not afford to pay for piano lessons herself, if Father Gu was willing to provide such an environment but she herself was unwilling, it seemed as though she owed the child something.

  Thinking of this, Gu's mother felt particularly unwell in her heart.

  But Gu Xiang said sensibly, "Just buy a 200-yuan electronic piano and practice with that."

  Mother Gu immediately agreed.

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