ECG -Chapter 115 The First Seven Days After Death

After returning to school, Lin Hao first went to Old Jin in the logistics department to get the keys.

Old Jin said in a somewhat flattering manner that he had sent people to clean the place that afternoon. He had also moved some tables, chairs, and benches over, and installed a concealed lock. Lin Hao thanked him again and again, and before leaving, he tossed him a box of soft-pack Yuxi cigarettes.

That evening, after they finished eating in the cafeteria, Lin Hao and the others waited outside the entrance of the concert hall.

Bai Zhitao came along as well. Wu Xiaozhou carried his electric bass on his back while holding her little hand, and the two of them whispered sweet nothings to each other off to the side. Fatty Meng, Big Brother Gao, and Yan Xiaoqi squatted on the steps smoking, their sly expressions full of “envy, jealousy, and hatred.” Chu Xiaomei looked at the three of them with disdain.

While they were eating just now, Lin Hao had received a call from the driver. He gave him the address, then hurriedly called Fan Gang and asked him to help inform the security guard at the gate. Otherwise, the small delivery truck wouldn’t be allowed inside.

After the time it took to smoke a cigarette, a white medium-sized cargo truck drove in. Fatty Meng and the others immediately waved it over.

The driver had also brought two workers. With more people, things moved faster, and soon all the large and small cardboard boxes were carried inside.

After the workers and truck left, Lin Hao called Liu Ya, the owner of Hai Zhi Yun Music Store, to express his thanks.

After hanging up, the classroom immediately erupted with cries of:

“Damn!”

Yan Xiaoqi hugged that Fender 011-7400 electric guitar and kissed it repeatedly. Chu Xiaomei stroked the guitar’s maple fretboard, so excited that tears even welled up in her eyes.

Fatty Meng shouted at Lin Hao, “Damn, Haozi, DW! My dream!”

Cui Gang repeatedly wiped the Bach trumpet in his hands. Lin Hao walked over and asked with a smile, “How is it?”

Cui Gang was also flushed with excitement. “Good, good! I’ve dreamed of owning a Bach trumpet!”

“Try playing it!”

“Okay!”

Cui Gang answered, unable to take his eyes off the pure silver mouthpiece. Then he placed the mouthpiece against his lips, and a clear, bright trumpet sound rang out.

Wu Xiaozhou was unpacking the box containing the speakers nearby, muttering, “There’s just nothing for me…”

“Smack!”

A kick landed on his butt.

“Your KS bass is already pretty good. What more new instrument do you want?” Lin Hao scolded him irritably.

Wu Xiaozhou chuckled. “Isn’t this just jealousy?”

Bai Zhitao was unpacking another box, and when she heard Wu Xiaozhou say “jealousy,” she giggled.

Big Brother Gao was assembling the double-layer keyboard stand. Lin Hao walked over to help and asked him, “How’s the keyboard?”

Big Brother Gao grinned widely. “Damn! No complaints at all. It’s absolutely top-tier quality!”

After helping him assemble the keyboard stand, Lin Hao opened another cardboard box. Inside were cables and microphones, which he took out.

Wu Xiaozhou suddenly shouted, “Damn, why is this whole box just filled with sponge? Haozi, you didn’t get scammed, did you?”

Lin Hao hurried over. Looking at the roll of sponge with a wavy surface in Wu Xiaozhou’s hand, he laughed and cursed, “You idiot, you think this goes inside a drum?”

“What’s the point of putting this thing in there?” Wu Xiaozhou asked curiously.

Fatty Meng walked over, glanced at Wu Xiaozhou with annoyance, and reached out to take it. “You really are an idiot!”

“Fuck!” Wu Xiaozhou raised his foot to kick him, but Fatty Meng dodged while laughing loudly.

“The sound of a drum kit can be a little hollow. If you stick a circle of sponge along the inside walls of the bass drum and toms, it can eliminate that hollow sound,” Lin Hao explained to Wu Xiaozhou.

Wu Xiaozhou really didn’t understand it either, but he still listened very attentively.

Fatty Meng said with a chuckle, “Haozi, you’re really thorough. You even bought the foam and glue. This saves me a lot of trouble!”

Lin Hao chuckled but didn’t explain. Actually, he had forgotten about a lot of things—these were all gifts from Liu Ya, the owner of Hai Zhi Yun Music Store.

“Old Meng, we’ll deal with the foam when we have time. Let’s arrange everything first!” Lin Hao called out to Fatty Meng.

Everyone began looking for positions. In the end, they felt the spot against the inner wall was better, so they moved the speakers and other equipment over there, then found their own places.

Fatty Meng’s drum set was in the center toward the back right. Old Gao’s keyboard stand was placed in the middle. On his right side were two electric guitars—Yan Xiaoqi and Chu Xiaomei. On his left side were Wu Xiaozhou’s electric bass and Cui Gang.

Lin Hao took out several power strips from the boxes and began helping them connect everything.

After the power was turned on, Yan Xiaoqi’s guitar was the first to sound. But after only two notes, he hurried over to adjust the high, middle, and low frequency knobs on the amplifier.

The classroom immediately became chaotic. Everyone had an excited look on their faces.

Wu Xiaozhou plugged his electric bass into the Roland bass amplifier. After playing a few notes, he also squatted down to make adjustments.

Lin Hao plugged the microphone into a multifunction speaker. After setting it up, he added a little delay effect. He tested it a few times and felt that the result wasn’t good—the sound was too dry.

Wireless microphones were too expensive at the moment, and there was no need for them during rehearsals. Besides, since they had bought specialized rehearsal amplifiers, there was no need for a mixer. They also didn’t have a professional audio reverb processor, so naturally the microphone effect wasn’t good.

Helpless, he took out his phone and went into the hallway to call Liu Ya.

Liu Ya said the music store had just received a professional delay and mixing effects processor. It seemed pretty good, and she could give it to him at the wholesale price.

Lin Hao asked again if it could be used without a mixer.

Liu Ya said there was no problem. After plugging it in and connecting it to the multifunction speaker, the microphone could be plugged directly into the machine. Moreover, it had eight channels!

Lin Hao was delighted and asked her to send someone over with it tomorrow. He would have someone bring back the cash.

After Lin Hao returned to the classroom, he lit a cigarette and looked at them with a smile.

His heart was filled with satisfaction.

He wanted to turn this band into the most famous rock band in the entire country. He wanted everyone in the nation to hear what real rock was!

Everyone else had finished adjusting their amplifiers and instruments. Lin Hao was about to lock the door and leave, but Fatty Meng insisted on getting the drums properly set up before leaving.

Lin Hao understood his feelings, but he was still thinking about going back to chat with Xia Yumeng on QQ, so he handed the door key to him.

……

March 5th, 2004. Awakening of Insects. Today was Fourth Sister’s seventh-day memorial after death.

In the morning, Lin Hao went alone to a flower shop and bought a large bouquet of chrysanthemums. Then he took a taxi to the cemetery.

Before he even got out of the car, he saw several luxury cars slowly starting up in the distance by the roadside. He knew these people were probably all He Qing’s friends.

He had deliberately come a little later because he didn’t want to run into those people.

Walking alone up the steps, the cemetery was very quiet. Looking up into the distance, he saw what seemed like a figure standing in front of Fourth Sister’s tombstone. Lin Hao didn’t hesitate and walked over.

Although it was only a side profile, Lin Hao recognized him at a glance. The person in front of him was the young man who had cried extremely sadly on the day Fourth Sister was cremated.

That person didn’t look at Lin Hao. He just stared blankly at the tombstone without moving.

He was wearing a black suit, and there was still some mud on his leather shoes.

Lin Hao bent down and placed the bouquet of chrysanthemums in front of Fourth Sister’s tombstone. The area was already piled with flowers, cigarettes, and alcohol.

Lin Hao didn’t know this person. Today was only the second time they had met.

The man was about the same height as Lin Hao, but a little thin. He had a sharply defined face, small eyes, and thick black eyebrows.