Chapter 42

July 13th.

Li Qian opened his eyes before six in the morning. The mattress was a bit soft; the original owners of the house were a couple who had been married for only a few years. This was probably their wedding bed, but Li Qian wasn't quite used to it yet. When he woke up, his back and waist felt a bit sore.

But since he was awake, he rubbed his eyes and got up immediately. It was not yet six, and the sun was still below the horizon, but the sky was already bright. Li Qian got up in his underwear, went to the kitchen to fill a kettle with water and put it on to boil, then went to the bathroom to use the toilet, wash his face, and brush his teeth. By the time he was done, the water had boiled, and he made a large pot of flower tea, which he had bought after moving in. Then he returned to the bedroom to make the bed and get dressed.

After that, he took his phone and keys and went downstairs. Unlike Shengshi Garden, where there was a small park nearby, Li Qian chose this place because it was close to the ancient city wall. He left the house around 6:15 and jogged for about ten minutes to reach the foot of the ancient city wall.

This section of the ancient city wall was originally built during the Ming Dynasty and later repaired during the Shun Dynasty. It became a cultural relic after the founding of the People's Republic of China. Although everyone knew it was an ancient relic, the government had not yet fenced it off for protection. It wasn't a park, but many people who liked to walk their birds or practice boxing in the early morning would gather at the base of the wall.

However, Li Qian was not part of their group. When he arrived, he would bypass them and directly climb onto the wall. The wall, a crucial defense in the era of cold weapons, was built to high standards, especially in a major city like Jinan. The remaining section of the ancient city wall ran east-west, about 700 to 800 meters long and about 4 to 5 meters wide. This width was enough for horses to run, and it was certainly enough for Li Qian to practice his boxing.

After about ten minutes of practice, he rested for a bit and then got up to jog back home. The residential area where he now rented a house was one of the earlier commercial housing complexes in Jinan. According to Li Qian's understanding, the wave of the commodity economy began in the early 1980s, and commercial housing also emerged during that time. This complex was probably built around that time.

After a dozen years, the neighborhood had formed a relatively stable living system. Just at the entrance of the east gate, there were at least four or five breakfast stalls.

After moving in, Li Qian had tried them all and eventually chose the "Old Zhao Spicy Soup" run by a Henan family as his regular breakfast spot. Unlike other places that sold a variety of items, this shop only sold four things: meat buns, vegetable buns, spicy soup, and tofu pudding. Except for the vegetable buns, the other three were very much to Li Qian's taste.

For one yuan, he could have three meat buns and a bowl of spicy soup, which made for a delicious breakfast. The buns were not particularly large, but they were filled with plenty of meat, and the spicy soup was very authentic because they used real beef to make it.

Li Qian jogged back, circled around to the east gate, bought his breakfast, and then went home. By this time, the sun had already risen. He went home, took a shower, and sat down at the dining table in just his underwear. He poured himself a cup of warm chrysanthemum tea, drank it slowly, and then started his breakfast.

After breakfast, he cleaned up the dishes, which took him to about 8:30. Then, he would sit on the small sofa and listen to music for half an hour. The player was his old Walkman, a Nansheng brand, and the speakers were a pair of bookshelf speakers he had recently bought second-hand from a music store for about 200 yuan. They were in good condition and had decent sound quality.

Of course, even with 200 yuan for the speakers and a few dozen yuan for the Walkman, the sound quality was not great, but he didn't care about that. He just didn't want to wear headphones all day and damage his ears.

The tapes he had, including those left by the previous Li Qian and the ones he had bought, now totaled over a hundred. Most were pop and rock, and he had also bought quite a few English and Russian tapes. However, in the morning, he still listened to his favorite from his previous life—Mozart.

A tape had about 45 minutes of playtime. For the first 20 minutes, he would sit on the sofa with his eyes closed, resting and digesting. After 20 minutes, he would get up, mop the floor, and then use a cloth to clean and tidy up—by the time the tape was finished, the entire house would be spotless.

By this time, it was already around 9:00. Next, he would spend an hour doing two things: trying to compose music for the songs he had already recalled and written, and recording the fleeting melodies that came to mind. Of course, the melodies he recorded were often fragmented, but as the sparks of inspiration accumulated, many works would gradually take shape—many of Li Qian's works from his previous life were created this way.

Some talented people could create a song in an hour or two when inspiration struck, but Li Qian knew he didn't have that kind of talent. He had talent, but not that much, so he had to use the method of accumulation.

If, during this process, he happened to recall a song from his previous life, he would quickly record it—this was an extremely important asset for him, and he couldn't have too much of it.

Then, around 10:00, he would start practicing singing, which would last about an hour. By around 11:30, he would have completed all his morning tasks. During this time, he would drink the large pot of flower tea.

At 11:30, he would get up, take his phone and keys, and ride his bike to Shengshi Garden to have lunch. He would definitely be back by 1:00.

From 1:00 to 2:00, he would take a nap in the bedroom—whether he could fall asleep or not, he would lie down to rest and rejuvenate his spirit. After 2:00, he would wake up, wash his face, and go downstairs with his guitar.

In the past few days, he had spent three days riding his bike around the city of Jinan, marking a map of the city with dense notes. He was going to look for a job.

High-end bars and nightclubs wouldn't be short of people, and those who performed there were often well-known in the local underground music scene. So, Li Qian excluded those places from the start. He chose mostly lesser-known bars and mid-to-high-end restaurants, especially Western restaurants.

At 2:00 in the afternoon, it was the hottest time of the day, but it was also the best time to apply for a job, as lunch was over and dinner was still a few hours away.

Today, he was going to Xichun Road and Mingyuan Road, where there were many mid-to-high-end restaurants. On his map and in his notebook, he had recorded over 20 places where he could go to apply.

At around 2:00, he went to the first place. He found the front desk and then the duty manager, explained his purpose, and was immediately rejected—there was already someone performing at the restaurant, and they were satisfied with the arrangement. Li Qian thanked them with a smile and left for the next place.

The second place also rejected him outright, saying they had never planned to hire a performer.

The third place was different. The duty manager was a woman in her thirties, who looked sharp and capable. For some reason, she didn't say yes or no but asked Li Qian to sing a song for her. She even called a few waiters and some people from the kitchen to listen.

As long as they were willing to listen, it was a good sign.

So, Li Qian sang "Our Love," a song by Cui Ming, who was a moderately famous singer. Li Qian liked the song, especially "Our Love," because the lyrics were about a breakup but were not sad at all. The words and music were very open-minded and even a bit humorous. Li Qian thought this song would make people feel comfortable in a restaurant, and if it could also make some people reflect a bit, it would be perfect.

The song was good, and although Li Qian's voice wasn't the best, it wasn't bad either. With the singing skills he had developed over the past month, he received a round of applause.

The manager was also satisfied but told Li Qian that she needed to consult with her superiors and asked how much he wanted to be paid. Li Qian was casual about it, saying he could work for lunch and dinner, and the pay didn't matter, but he could only sing for an hour. The manager took his phone number and promised to call him with the decision.

Li Qian thanked her and left. This was a normal process. Over the past two days, he had visited many places, and some had directly rejected him, some had politely declined, and some had even waved him away. Of course, a few restaurants were willing to listen to him sing. Throughout the process, Li Qian remained calm.

He just wanted to find a place where he could sing in public, that's all.

Next, he visited a few more restaurants and bars. Most rejected him outright, but one restaurant let him try out. He sang a slow and gentle folk song, but was interrupted halfway through. Li Qian didn't get upset; he thanked them and left. He guessed the manager might not like folk songs, but there was no way to predict such things. If it happened, he just had to accept it.

Then, at the ninth or tenth place, he got another chance to try out. The manager was another woman in her thirties. Later, Li Qian realized he was more popular with female managers.

In her office, he sang Zhou Mo's "A Year of Withering and Flourishing."

Zhou Mo's songs were emotional and bourgeois.

"Spring has come, so I sprouted,

At that time, I didn't know the changes of the world,

I just wanted to bloom a fragrant and beautiful flower.

You came, so I fell in love,

Under the fence on that early morning of that summer,

I was a fragrant and beautiful flower.

..."

Li Qian sang well. As a singer, his age meant his vocal cords weren't fully developed, and his low notes weren't deep enough, but they were very delicate, which was suitable for interpreting Zhou Mo's songs. Although he couldn't match the original, his version had its own charm.

The manager was clearly satisfied.

Historically, she agreed to let Li Qian try out for three days, with no pay. Only if he was chosen to perform regularly would he be paid for those three days. But Li Qian agreed immediately.

However, after agreeing to try out from 7:00 to 8:00 PM every day, he left the restaurant and immediately went to the next place. He wouldn't stop until he found at least one place where he could perform regularly.

In fact, although only the time from 2:00 to 5:00 PM was suitable for applying, over the past two days, he had visited about 40 to 50 places. Although most rejected him, about six or seven had promised to give him a call.

Today, he walked down two streets, visiting over 20 restaurants and bars, and didn't stop until after 5:00 PM.

Perhaps tomorrow, he would go to the next two streets to continue his search.

On his way home, he suddenly received a call from Liao Liao.

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