Even Henry Carter herself, who was just a pretty face in her youth, after all these years of honing her craft, still couldn’t be called a top-tier singer.

So, the enthusiastic audience knew exactly what to expect—they honestly weren’t hoping for some god-level live performance.

But not expecting is one thing; Samuel Parker not singing is another.

It looked like a duet: Samuel Parker and Henry Carter holding hands, Henry Carter kept glancing at Samuel Parker, but it was clear that Samuel Parker had no intention of opening his mouth.

No one had mentioned there would be such a guest in advance, so they couldn’t be sure if this was how the program was supposed to go. But if this was the arrangement, Henry Carter was already singing the chorus—was Samuel Parker really not going to sing at all?

“It’s not about dreaming of love everlasting, if waking means the world grows old, then why let the heart be startled in the West Chamber? Ballads retell the plum blossom dream, the tune fading in memories of meeting on a painted boat…” Henry Carter had already finished the chorus, and she was a bit surprised herself.

Several times just now, she’d wanted to pause and let Samuel Parker sing, but he showed no sign of it—he didn’t even lift the mic—so she could only keep going on her own.

During the instrumental break, only the sounds of the sanxian, erhu, and other instruments remained.

It was only then that Samuel Parker finally began to sing.

It was his first time hearing this song; he’d spent the previous moments pondering the style, the rhythm of the accompaniment, searching his mind for suitable melody and lyrics, and finally made his decision.

So the audience saw on the big screen that Samuel Parker finally picked up the mic and, with a calm demeanor, began to sing: “Plum shadows on the paper window as the moon rises, half a couch, scattered pages, a single lamp glows blue. In this moment, I almost believe I’ve become a butterfly, drifting lightly on the worldly sea, my soul as light as a feather.”

In an instant, his voice completely overpowered the instruments.

His clear, resonant voice, the melody full of traditional flavor, that old-fashioned style blended perfectly with the sanxian and erhu accompaniment. His singing technique was rich with the charm of teahouses and opera gardens, instantly transporting everyone back to China a hundred years ago.

But because of the song’s subject matter, it fit perfectly with the whole piece—almost as if it elevated it!

Thousands of people in the audience were stunned.

Henry Carter was stunned.

Even the sanxian, pipa, and sihu musicians specially invited from the provincial folk art troupe were stunned!

……

“This is really flavorful singing… Isn’t this song based on traditional folk art? Is this the original version?”

“Must be, no wonder it fits so well. They say Jesse’s singing isn’t great, but I think he sounds pretty good!”

“Yeah, this added section is great too!”

For the average audience member, they didn’t even know whether “Why Be Startled in the West Chamber” was based on ballad singing or drum song. Nowadays, so few people listen to traditional folk art—they just knew this section appeared here and sounded really good.

Besides, even if they didn’t understand folk art, their expectations were low.

Visually, it was even more of a treat: Henry Carter and Samuel Parker, mother and son, two generations of beauties on the same stage. The big screen kept giving close-ups of Samuel Parker, making many female audience members instantly swoon and frantically snap photos with their phones.

On stage, Henry Carter herself was confused. Back in the day, she’d referenced drum song singing styles to perform this piece, but only half-understood it. Was it just her imagination, or did her son’s singing sound… pretty authentic?

How could it not be authentic!

At that moment, the only real experts in the audience—the accompanying musicians—were all dazed.

Sanxian master Old White had worked in the provincial folk art troupe for so many years, and the moment Samuel Parker opened his mouth, it only took two words to shock him. The phrasing and diction were steady and clear, nothing like a newcomer to the field.

All the musicians instinctively adjusted, instantly shifting from following Samuel Parker’s rhythm to matching his tune.

Old White had no idea how long Samuel Parker had studied, but just judging by the flavor in his voice, he had to praise the gods for bestowing such talent. Even his stage presence made Old White think of one word: star.

The only thing that puzzled Old White was that the rhythm of Samuel Parker’s singing sounded a bit like the Mu school of Plum Blossom Drum, the vocal style seemed to have a hint of Jingyun Drum, and the lyrics resembled those from “Why Be Startled in the West Chamber,” but there were differences.

He’d heard so many types of drum songs, but couldn’t tell which school this belonged to. Could it be that this young man had created his own style?

Author’s note: This is semi-alternate history—some settings and content are made up or pieced together just for fun. Old readers know me~

Chapter Three

Samuel Parker wasn’t a professional drum song performer, and he’d never actually created a drum song. The reason Old White couldn’t identify it was because the section he just sang, while it sounded like a drum song, wasn’t any kind of drum song at all—it was a “Zidishu”!

Compared to drum songs, he felt the singing style of Zidishu matched this song even better.

“Zidishu” was a form of folk art first created by the Eight Banners nobles in old Beijing, hence the name. Its themes and lyrics were relatively refined.

By Samuel Parker’s time, almost no one knew how to perform it anymore—it had basically disappeared from public view, nearly lost. He’d only learned it by chance from an old artist who had no disciples.

The singing style of Zidishu was extremely complex; even that old artist hadn’t mastered it all, but he taught everything he knew to Samuel Parker. Unfortunately, before Samuel Parker had a chance to take on a student himself, he passed away.