Simon asked loudly, "It's Wanqing's song! Isn't it!"
He was so young, yet he spoke with such a vibrant spirit that it was truly surprising. Su Xiangli had never seen him so energetic; usually, Simon was either listless, mischievous, or both.
But now it was different; the boy's face showed contentment and confidence, an inexplicable familiarity, like he had come home.
It was as if he was glowing.
The boss was stunned for a moment, then lifted his foot and used his big toe to press pause on the computer screen. He stood up, put on his slippers, and asked, "You know this song? How do you know this song?"
Simon asked him, "Great-Grandfather likes this song. Can you sell me a disc?"
"Alright, alright, no problem!" The boss laughed heartily, "I've been waiting for someone who knows good stuff! Finally, someone who knows good stuff!"
Simon also laughed. The two of them, one with a deep, clear adult voice and the other with a sharp, crisp child's voice, laughed like a duet, making it impossible to tell if it was joy or sorrow.
Su Xiangli shrank behind Simon, lightly pinching the corner of his clothes.
The boss shook his long, flamboyant hair. His bangs almost covered his eyelids, and the hair at the back of his head hung down to his shoulders, even greasier than You Tou Guai Zheng Qilu. It was like he had a blob of tar slime on his head.
"Come, come, come, stay and have lunch with your big brother. What do you want to eat?"
"Noodles, please. Is the boss from the North?"
"Ah, yes, I'm from Guanzhong." The boss replied to Simon in a not-so-fluent local accent. His rough, stubbly, large face was covered in acne scars, like a naan bread, fresh out of the oven, warm and inviting. "Noodles are good. Since you're a connoisseur of music and taste, you're truly a good friend sent from heaven!"
Simon and Su Xiangli watched him busily drag a folding table from the storage room behind the shop, open it, and set it up, then disappear into the kitchen to start cooking.
Simon gently caressed the dirty and old folding table. This thing was truly an antique; the metal table legs underneath were all rusty and unsightly. Yet, it was this item, with its extremely questionable hygiene, that reminded him of his previous life. He also had a folding table in his rented room, cleaner than this, of course, but with the same simple structure, free of modern technology's complexities, possessing a back-to-basics charm.
Su Xiangli immediately expressed her distaste, "So dirty."
"No dirt, no disease," Simon rubbed his hands and went to get chairs himself. This dining table was clearly not used often. Placed in the video rental room, which was already very cramped, it now made it almost impossible to move around.
Su Xiangli listened to the background music. After "Kill That Shijiazhuang Man" by Omnipotent Youth Society finished, it was followed by "West Lake" by Toutiao Band. She listened to the wonderful melody and watched Simon's contented expression, and couldn't help but smile.
"Boating into the Three Ponds,"
"Playing in the lake water,"
"The breeze cannot pass the light boat."
"Sometimes far apart,"
"Sometimes connected,"
"..."
"No more lingering sunset,"
"No more reflected moon,"
"..."
Simon would sing along when the music was high-pitched, shaking his head and swaying, looking like he'd had too much fake alcohol. Su Xiangli would tease him. The little girl had initially felt that the boss wasn't a good person, but now her nervous mood slowly dissipated with Simon's joy, and she became happy with him.
Immersed in the music, these were songs that children wouldn't normally hear, and some were very rare. She wondered how the boss had gotten his hands on them.
Making noodles took a considerable amount of time. The boss was busy in the small kitchen, while the two children quietly listened to the music. Su Xiangli sat at the table, and Simon explored the shelves.
After "West Lake" finished, it switched to a Vaporwave song. This musical style emerged at the turn of the century but had always been niche, skilled at creating a hazy atmosphere, like the distorted sound effects from a radio, very nostalgic. This style saw its first peak in the 2010s, but its influence was mainly abroad. The domestic Vaporwave peak was in the mid-2050s, which was the craze of the Space Leap, and electronic dance music was in full swing, so Vaporwave also became very trendy with this spring breeze.
This song, "LOVE YOU EVERYDAY," was also a nightclub hit back then. When it played softly, a group of people would hug each other in the dark dance floor, slowly turning in circles, humming along, "love you~"
How raunchy.
For Simon, every moment here was a surprise. The shelves were filled with old discs, even antiques from the last century, all physical objects, CDs or USB drives, not stored on computer clouds—a very wise choice.
Simon even saw Yasuomi Umetsu's "A KITE." This thing contained inappropriate content for minors. This boss had a lot of guts, no wonder he hid in an urban village, otherwise how could he have stored so many treasures that the public loved to see and hear.
"Too shameful, too shameful..." Simon muttered. These things were too evil, completely violating citizens' scientific literacy. He must buy them back and thoroughly criticize them from beginning to end.
At this moment, the music changed again. The guitar intro was cold, ringing out a section, like leaden clouds in the sky crashing onto the snowy peaks of the human world, sending countless snowballs rolling.
As soon as the lead singer opened his mouth, his magnetic voice immediately captivated people's ears.
"If people had no past. If the world would not forget. Living today, living. It won't have it, plundering our brains, just like now, what we see is the future, is gray clouds, in the wind, drifting little by little..."
In the kitchen, the boss sang along.
"Not all! All the surges! Will take away sorrow. Not all, all the sadness! Can be retained..."
Simon was amazed, shocked! The lyrics of this song were so bold!
"Who sings this song?" he asked the boss loudly.
"Long Live!" The boss shook his head and swayed, looking ecstatic as if he were in a trance.
"What Long Live!"
"The band is called Long Live, Roma Qin Ri Wan Sui Band!" He laughed heartily.
"Good name!" Simon opened his phone and searched for Roma Qin Ri Wan Sui.
No results, as expected.
So he searched on the boss's computer.
There were results.
Roma Qin Ri Wan Sui Band, also known as Long Live Band. Band type: Rock. Formation date: October 3, 2037. Formation location: Jiangzhe City. Band members: Lead singer Kang Fusheng, guitarist Lu Xuefeng, drummer Gu Manjing, bassist Wang Zhun, keyboardist Liu Qiangfu. Representative works: "Voiceless," "Six Degrees of Disqualification"...
Simon was stunned.
On the search page, there was a band photo, five young people gathered together, dressed neatly, in their prime, looking out over a field of wheat, with beautiful tattoos spreading across their exposed arms and legs.
The second from the left was Lu Xuefeng.
Simon's Great-Grandfather, Lu Xuefeng.
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