Chapter 51

"Il－excuse－tout, il－croit－tout, il－espère－tout, il－supporte－tout. L’amour－ne－périt－jamais. (Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things; love never ends.)"

After speaking another sentence in French, Lin Zai Shan touched the black and white keys, producing a lazy and gentle melody. With his sweet and magnetic voice, he began to perform a classic chanson — "La－Vie－En－Rose" ("The Rose Life")!

...

Quand－il－me－prend－dans－ses－bras~

Qu'il－me－parle－tout－bas~

Je－vois－la－vie－en－rose~

When he takes me in his arms~

When he whispers to me~

I see life in rosy hues~

...

With just a short segment, everyone in the café was entranced. This lazy tone, this soft and gentle voice, instantly transported the café, located in the basement of Huaxin Apartments, to the romantic and artistic banks of the Seine in Paris.

Just a moment ago, the atmosphere was filled with passionate rock music, but now it had calmed down. The white-haired uncle, sitting at the piano, could unexpectedly exude such romantic jazz charm, which was beyond everyone's expectations!

Especially since the uncle was singing in French, and with such flavor, it completely overshadowed the performance of the Zifish Band!

That girl in the tank top had repeatedly provoked him, mocking him for not understanding French.

He didn't bother with her nonsense and spoke through his actions! Instantly turning her into a clown, the slap in the face was — *slap slap slap*!

Listening to Lin Zai Shan's French song, Yu Xiran's face flushed, feeling as if she had been slapped countless times.

She had experienced some embarrassing moments before, but never one as embarrassing as this, embarrassing to the point where even her companions and boyfriend were reluctant to be with her.

This embarrassment would likely leave a shadow in her heart, making her dare not act arrogantly again whenever she walked into the basement shops.

...

Il－me－dit－des－mots－d'amour~

Des－mots－de－tous－les－jours~

Et－ça－me－fait－quelque－chose~

He tells me words of love~

Words of everyday~

And it makes me feel something~

...

The atmosphere in the café became even more romantic.

The little Bepa in Lu Shishi's arms finally poked its head out again, beginning to enjoy Lin Zai Shan's piano performance of the chanson. It preferred this kind of music.

Chanson is actually a phonetic translation of the French word "chanson," which can also be translated as "chanson." It means song.

In a broad sense, chanson refers to French secular songs, with a wide range of content.

Now, the retro and nostalgic love songs and classic bourgeois jazz tunes performed in bars and cafés have become the representatives of chanson.

At this moment, the "La－Vie－En－Rose" that Lin Zai Shan was singing is a classic among classics in the world of chanson.

For foreigners, this "The Rose Life" might be even more famous than "La Marseillaise."

The lyricist and original singer of this song, and one of the most beloved French singers — Edith Piaf (1915.12.19~1963.10.11).

Nicknamed the "Little Sparrow of France," Edith Piaf is another well-known figure in France, not only for her moving songs and unforgettable voice but also for her legendary life, which evokes endless sighs and reflections.

Starting from street performances, she eventually sang at New York's Carnegie Hall, becoming famous on both sides of the Atlantic. Piaf is considered a national treasure in France, leaving an indelible impression in the hearts of the French.

No matter how the world changes, no matter how people's musical tastes evolve, Piaf remains Piaf, standing on the stage, singing her rosy life through chanson. She lived and died in music.

At a certain period, this "Little Sparrow" even became one of the symbols of France.

During the most difficult times of World War II, Piaf gave many French soldiers inspiration and hope.

Remember the phonograph in the movie "Saving Private Ryan," playing Piaf's "You Are Everywhere"? That was absolutely a shock—

A group of Allied soldiers guarding a bridge, before the final battle, the phonograph played Piaf's romantic song. In this symbol, Piaf represented Paris, the city of romance! For these soldiers, this voice was a source of motivation and allure.

In Piaf's song, the movie reflects and shakes the hearts of later generations, as well as their reflections on war.

This war movie, dominated by men, also exudes a different kind of delicate tenderness in her song.

"The Rose Life" is considered one of Piaf's representative works. After its debut in 1945, it became popular throughout France, and there are probably hundreds of cover versions, many of which have become classics of classics.

Whether it's the original French version or the later English version, whether it's the street saxophone version or the piano version by "Piano Prince" Richard Clayderman, this classic song has been performed to perfection.

What Lin Zai Shan is singing now is similar to the classic cover version by Lisa Ono.

It's not the traditional jazz flavor but more inclined towards the lazy and romantic bossa nova style.

Bossa nova, in essence, is also a branch of jazz.

Many foreign music stores place bossa nova records in the Pop Music section rather than Jazz, but this doesn't mean bossa nova isn't jazz.

At this moment, the flavor Lin Zai Shan sang, to Hao Yuan, was very romantic jazz, even more captivating than the "Misty" he sang last time.

Hao Yuan understands French, so she understands what Lin Zai Shan is singing.

This song is clearly telling a love story and expressing feelings from a woman's perspective.

Could this also be written by that uncle?

The melody and emotion are too delicate!

Hao Yuan couldn't believe this song was written by Lin Zai Shan, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't find a similar song in her jazz music library.

If she had heard such a song, she would have remembered it very well. But she hadn't.

This means that this song could very well have been written by that white-haired uncle!

It's truly "terrifying"!

Why is he so talented? Who is he?

Lu Shishi didn't care whether the song was written by Lin Zai Shan, as the song was too intoxicating.

Like many guests in the café, the female owner slowly closed her eyes, letting her emotions ferment with the lazy and sweet voice, a myriad of flavors rippling in her heart, a touch of sweetness, a sense of happiness, and a longing for life, all so beautiful.

Immersed in Lin Zai Shan's song, the female owner's body and thoughts seemed to melt away.

Sun Yuzhen was even more melted, her soul almost dissolving!

She also understood what Lin Zai Shan was singing.

This allowed her to better immerse herself in the song's context.

A cup of coffee for such romance, truly beautiful beyond words!

...

Il－est－entré－dans－mon－cœur~

Une－part－de－bonheur~

Dont－je－connais－la－cause~

He has entered my heart~

A part of happiness~

Whose cause I know~

...

C'est－toi－pour－moi~

Moi－pour－toi－dans－la－vie~

Tu－me－l'as－dit,－l'as－juré－pour－la－vie~

You are for me, I am for you in life~

You told me, you swore for life~

...

God left the language of angels only to the French.

When French songs are sung well, they are tender and loving, whispering sweet nothings, exuding infinite romance in their hazy and lazy atmosphere.

Forget about the dirty, chaotic, and poor security of Paris, just think of its romance.

Singing this song, Lin Zai Shan's mind was filled with romantic memories from his previous life in Paris.

As for the content of those memories, there's no need to elaborate.

In short, everything in those memories is slow and lingering, entangled and continuous.

His voice, following the romantic memories, was like pulling at the hem of time, adding a touch of meaning, dancing in a dreamlike state, disordered steps and shadows...

"The Rose Life," as a classic among classics in chanson, has always been seen as the philosophy of the French pursuit of happiness — even fleeting beauty is worth cherishing. Overly pursuing eternity ultimately leads to disappointment and pain.

At this moment, the one who understood this emotion the most should be Sun Yuzhen.

She didn't dare to hope for eternal vows with Lin Zai Shan, nor did she have the courage to truly fall madly in love with such a story-filled uncle.

But every time she listened to Lin Zai Shan's songs, the fleeting beauty that touched her heart left her with eternal memories.

This feeling — truly as beautiful as being in heaven!

...

Et,－dès－que－je－l'aperçois~

Alors－je－sens－en－moi~

Mon－cœur－qui－bat~

As soon as I see him~

I feel in me~

My heart beating~

...

That night, not only Sun Yuzhen but also most of the women in the café, including the elegant owner Lu Shishi, were entranced, feeling as if they were in a dream.

Almost everyone left with a beautiful musical memory.

The name "Shuishuanshi" had gained a bit of popularity.

That night, Lu Shishi sincerely invited Lin Zai Shan to be the resident singer at their café.

Lin Zai Shan decided to think about it and make a decision later.

Playing the piano and singing in the evenings when he had nothing to do was quite a way to cultivate one's sentiments, and it also earned money. Why not?

He just wasn't sure if he had enough time to take on this job.

The next day was Sunday.

In the morning, Lin Zai Shan sang at a wedding, earning 5000 yuan, of which 1000 went to Liu Mengmeng as a commission, and the remaining 4000 he kept for himself.

After a hearty lunch, Lin Zai Shan returned to Huaxin Apartments.

Just as he was about to open the door, he suddenly heard a sizzling sound inside, along with the faint aroma of stewed meat.

Hmm?

Is it the pigeon back?

Opening the door, he saw:

Sure enough, it was the white pigeon back!

She was busy in the kitchen, preparing lunch for him!

...