Chapter Twenty-Five: The Elderly Dance in High Collars, Igniting the Night!
As a tightly rhymed, catchy rap brimming with milky-white positive energy concluded, a gentle chime sounded in Li Shixin’s mind.
Ding!
You have received applause points imbued with Admiration.
Total: 2,333 points.
Huh?
Li Shixin, still holding the microphone high, frowned.
Glancing roughly at the number of people present, a bold hypothesis formed in his heart.
He’d long harbored this suspicion: previously, the applause points he received in the hospital and on set always came with prefixes like Intense or Astonished, but the ones he gained on Weibo were unadorned.
And when he did the calculations, back at the hospital, just a few dozen people could contribute over a thousand applause points, whereas on Weibo, with more than thirty thousand followers, he’d only gathered one hundred thirty thousand points.
Clearly, the value contributed by each individual through different channels varied greatly.
Now, seeing that just about a hundred people around him had yielded over two thousand points, Li Shixin felt he’d grasped the pattern.
Could it be that feedback through the internet and similar media is less direct, so the applause is less potent? While applause from a live audience, being more direct, is far more rewarding?
Yes.
Li Shixin gave a slight nod; that must be it.
No matter how advanced technology becomes, how high-definition the filming, nothing compares to witnessing and hearing something in person.
He now had a general idea.
“Sir—no, elder! That rap was incredible!”
“Grandpa, I shouldn’t have mocked you earlier—you’re really nice!”
“Bravo! I couldn’t catch the rhythm, but old buddy, your piece was leagues above that young guy’s!”
“Exactly! Never mind whether the tune was noisy or not—those lyrics really hit home.”
At that moment, both the senior and youth groups shook off the lingering echoes of Li Shixin’s rap and began to applaud enthusiastically.
Li Shixin chuckled and handed the microphone back to the young man—what was his name, Dye?
“Sir, I was wrong. Your skill is on another level; I was too arrogant earlier. I’m sorry!”
The young man blushed deeply, bowed as he accepted the microphone, then gestured to his friends.
“You heard what I said to the elder—he outclassed us, there’s no excuse. Let’s pack up and find another spot for our activities next time!”
“Oh...”
Though Li Shixin had stunned them, the group of young people looked crestfallen at the thought that they’d lose access to this hard-won, prime spot on the 1998 Workers’ Stadium Plaza.
Watching the disappointed faces, Li Shixin squinted his eyes.
Trying to leave? I haven’t even finished chewing my bubble gum!
Besides, I’ve chewed two pieces of Supreme Chewing Gum tonight—that’s four thousand applause points! Even though I’m not desperate for points anymore, one shouldn’t be wasteful in life. Got to earn them back.
With that, hands clasped behind his back, Li Shixin cheerfully blocked Dye’s path.
“Don’t go, young man.”
“Eh?” Dye looked up. “Elder, is there something else?”
Li Shixin laughed, patting the young man on the shoulder.
“Kid, I never meant to drive you all away. That rap—just wanted to temper your arrogance a bit.”
Hearing this, the young man’s eyes widened. “You mean we don’t have to leave?”
Li Shixin nodded.
“Isn’t this plaza meant for residents to relax and have fun? The seniors are residents, and so are you young folks. Society is like a great forest—if there are only towering old trees and no flowers or grasses, how dull would that be? But if there are only flowers and grasses, with no big trees to shelter you from the wind and rain, or to drop leaves for your nourishment, how would you survive?”
“So, harmony is key! When you rap, keep it down a bit; when they dance, they’ll lower the volume too. You play your rap and skateboard, they dance their fitness routines. If each keeps to their own, won’t that be perfect?”
With Li Shixin’s words, the young man’s eyes turned red.
“You’re right, elder! We were at fault. We’ll be more mindful from now on!”
“Good kid.”
“That won’t do!” Just then, an elderly woman behind Li Shixin suddenly spoke up. “It’s easy to say we won’t disturb each other, but that’s what this young man said at first—and in the end, it still caused problems!”
Li Shixin turned to see a woman in a white tracksuit, fit despite her silver hair, walking over.
“Miss, you are...?” Li Shixin frowned slightly.
“Brother Li, I’m the captain of our Workers’ Stadium Senior Dance Team—Li Mingxi.”
Li Shixin nodded with a laugh.
“Mingxi, it’s no trouble at all—you could all have fun together!”
With a grand gesture, he invited everyone in.
“Together?” Both Li Mingxi and the young man laughed at his suggestion.
Li Mingxi patted Li Shixin’s arm.
“You’re being too optimistic! Think about it—what do us folks born in the ‘50s and ‘60s like? And what do these kids born after 2000 like? How could we ever enjoy the same thing?”
Dye scratched his ear awkwardly.
“Yeah, Grandpa, square dancing... it’s just too hard.”
Ha!
Li Shixin burst out laughing, borrowed the phone from Dye that was connected to the speaker, and after searching for a while, put on an old dance hit that had long fallen out of fashion.
Boom-ch-boom-ch, boom-ch-boom-ch—
As a rhythmic beat pulsed, Li Shixin began to sway his whole body.
Just then, his phone rang.
It was Zhang Shuo calling.
Amid the pulsing music, Li Shixin answered casually, “Didn’t I tell you I’m out for a walk? No signal here, can’t hear you. I’ll be back soon, hanging up now!”
He stuffed the phone into his pocket and picked up the mic again.
“The flower in my heart, I want to take you home, in that deep night of ‘98, who cares if it’s real or fake... Come on, everyone!”
He reached out and took the hands of Li Mingxi and Zhao Jinzhi, signaling the two startled ladies to follow the rhythm.
“Just let yourself go and sway, forget the one you fancy, the coolest is right here—do you know?”
With the two elderly ladies now keeping the beat, Li Shixin switched to a rap, pulling in the curious, whispering youths who had never heard this kind of disco before.
“This is the best of times, this is the worst of times. The so-called new generation up front, I’ll kick it with my foot. With such a dynamic beat, why stand aside trying to look cool... How could there be obstacles on my dancing path?”
“Slicked-back hair, beepers, the 007s of the dance floor. The original ‘Paipaiqi’ of the last century; even the DJ is baffled by me! No matter how hot, never take off my leather coat! Come on! What are you all looking at in the back? Move it!”
“Everyone, match my moves—let’s go!”
“Come on, paint a dragon with me to the left, then a rainbow on your right. Let’s go!”
“Now, draw a rainbow on the left, and a dragon on the right...”
...
Elsewhere on the plaza, several dance teams were enjoying their own music, but suddenly, the northeast corner erupted with excitement, drawing everyone’s attention until they all stopped dancing to watch.
In no time, Li Shixin’s disco crowd grew from just over a hundred to two hundred, then quickly to over six hundred.
By the third loop of the song, everyone out for a stroll had gathered in the northeast corner!
It had become a full-blown mini concert!
“Bee-doo, bee-doo, bee-doo, bee-doo...”
Just then, an ambulance from the Third People’s Hospital, responding to a citizen’s call, sped onto the plaza.
The driver picked up his phone and dialed the reporting number.
“Hello, was it you who called 120 emergency and said someone had fainted from a heart attack and needed help? Are you still with the patient?”
“Yes!” shouted the caller, the music blaring in the background.
“So, how’s the patient now? Where exactly are you?”
“The patient? He’s shaking his head with us! No time for you—go back! Hanging up!”
Beep...
Holding the phone, listening to the busy signal in his ear, the ambulance driver was left completely speechless...