ECG -Chapter 4 There Is Only Backbone in His Bones

Wu Xiaozhou had a cigarette dangling from the corner of his mouth. Squinting his eyes, he watched Li Yibo adjusting the microphone stand and quietly said to Lin Hao, “I’m fucking annoyed by him. Later, Haozi, you go up there and do a song too. Make him completely shut up from now on!”

Lin Hao chuckled, feeling that this whole thing was rather pointless.

He reached out and picked up Wu Xiaozhou’s pack of Amber cigarettes from the table, then lit one.

“Lin Hao!” Zhang Sisi’s eyebrows shot up. “When did you learn how to smoke? Tomorrow I’m telling Uncle Lin!”

Lin Hao was stunned. It seemed that this body’s original owner didn’t smoke. Him taking out a cigarette and smoking it was completely a subconscious action—this was an addiction from deep within.

Wu Xiaozhou glanced at Zhang Sisi with a look of disdain. “The only thing you know how to do is snitch!”

Zhang Sisi ignored him. She looked down on this Wu Xiaozhou who spent every day acting like a delinquent, getting into fights and causing trouble.

The sound of the guitar rang out, and Li Yibo’s voice followed:

“A song called The Cicadas of Summer for all of you!”

“They hang on the trees,

Three meters higher than the earth;

This summer, oh~ oh~ oh—

They are the only ones singing…”

Li Yibo’s voice was pretty good, and his pitch was accurate too. It was just that the melody of this song really didn’t have much uniqueness. Combined with the excessive microphone reverb, his voice sounded somewhat muddy.

The customers eating skewers noticed that the person singing had changed, so they all turned their heads to look. After listening to a few lines, they turned back around and continued eating.

After the song ended, only Zhang Sisi and Lin Hao applauded. The other customers had no reaction at all.

The anger in Li Yibo’s heart could no longer be suppressed. Even the hand resting on the microphone trembled slightly. He leaned toward the mic and said:

“Next, please welcome my good classmate Lin Hao to sing a song for everyone!”

Lin Hao froze. He hadn’t expected Li Yibo to do this. This guy was actually forcing him to go up and compete against him!

He didn’t want to sing, because he could tell that Li Yibo held resentment toward him. If he went up now, it would obviously be a provocation.

Having seen too much of the world’s ups and downs in his previous life, a man in his forties arguing with a kid over something like this was really meaningless.

“Come on, friends, give him some applause!” Li Yibo’s voice came again. This time, it attracted many customers’ attention as they looked around, not knowing who this singer was talking about.

Wu Xiaozhou gave a mischievous grin and reached out to shove him. He almost pushed Lin Hao into stumbling, so Lin Hao had no choice but to helplessly stand up.

Zhang Sisi felt a little uncomfortable inside. She thought Li Yibo’s actions were too immature, but at this moment, it wasn’t convenient for her to say anything.

“This is my classmate, Lin Hao. Please give him another round of applause!”

After saying that, the corner of Li Yibo’s mouth curled slightly upward, revealing a hint of mockery.

Lin Hao had no choice but to walk over and take Li Yibo’s guitar. Li Yibo returned to his seat, while Lin Hao casually strummed the strings, thinking about what song would be suitable.

At this moment, the father and daughter sitting next to them started arguing again.

“No way! I already told my classmates that during summer vacation we’re going to travel and see the beautiful mountains and rivers of our motherland!” the girl’s voice rose.

The middle-aged man still had that timid and submissive appearance. His tone was full of pleading:

“Wait a little longer, wait a little longer. Dad will get his salary soon!”

“Wait for what? Everyone else already bought their tickets! I’m the only one left out. Isn’t that embarrassing? If you don’t have money, then borrow some! Borrow! Borrow!”

The girl’s voice grew louder and louder. The last few words were practically shouted out. After yelling, she slammed an iron skewer heavily into the plate, producing a crisp sound.

Lin Hao frowned.

Got it. He would sing this song.

He reached out and lowered the microphone reverb on the speaker a little. Then, without paying attention to the noise below, he swept across the chords and opened his mouth to sing:

“You always ask things of me,

Yet you never once said thank you;

Only after growing up,

Did I understand how hard it was for you…”

Not many people paid attention to the first few lines of the song.

Lin Hao slightly closed his eyes, thinking of his father from his previous life. It was an extremely blurry figure.

He had grown up in an orphanage since he was four years old. He had no memory of his mother at all, only vaguely remembering his father’s tall back as he walked away from the orphanage.

Then memories of this life’s father surfaced in his mind. After being laid off, he repaired bicycles on the street. Every day he came home very late, and his hands were covered in grease that could never be completely washed clean.

Gradually, some people at the food stalls were drawn in by his singing. They put down the wine cups and lamb skewers in their hands, turned around, and silently listened.

Lin Hao’s voice was completely different from the youthful awkwardness he had shown during his earlier performance. At this moment, his voice was rich and full of emotion. More and more people who had come out for an evening stroll were attracted by his singing and stopped in front of the food stall.

At the square.

After finishing interviews with the elderly people, cameraman Xiao Li wiped the sweat from his forehead and muttered a few words to the short-haired woman holding the microphone.

“Sister Chu, don’t you think these old men and old ladies have too much free time? Even dancing a square dance can make two groups start fighting. I really can’t believe it!”

Chu Yu glared at him.

“Don’t talk nonsense!”

Xiao Li’s attention was suddenly drawn toward the food stall. He said in surprise, “Sister Chu, look! Are people fighting over there?”

Chu Yu turned her head and looked. Sure enough, across the road, there were many people gathered in front of a food stall.

The two of them immediately ran toward it.

At this moment, Lin Hao had already reached the instrumental break. The people eating at the stall and those gathered around were quietly listening. Some parents even had tears in their eyes as they tightly hugged their children.

After Chu Yu and Xiao Li squeezed their way inside, they were secretly puzzled.

No one was fighting. So why did some people look like they were crying?

Who had died?

The instrumental break was very short, and Lin Hao’s singing began again.

“Quick! Quick! Turn the camera on!”

Chu Yu was stunned by the heartfelt singing. Every line of the lyrics felt like it was striking her heart, making her nose sting with emotion.

Xiao Li hurriedly turned on the camera and aimed it at Lin Hao.

Amidst the guitar’s interlude, Lin Hao hummed softly. Every note entered their ears, filled with warmth.

“Time, time, please slow down!

Don’t let you grow old anymore.

I’m willing to use everything I have to exchange for your years to remain.

Am I your pride?

Are you still worrying about me?

The child you worry about…

Has grown up——

Thank you for having you along the way…”

At some point, the singing stopped, but the guitar continued. Amidst the gentle and pleasant melody, Lin Hao’s deep and magnetic voice rang out:

“No matter what we do, fathers always pave the road for us first. There are many things in life that cannot exist forever, but the love you give us will last forever.”

“Father uses his strong arms to support the entire family. Father uses his affection to warm his child’s heart. In his dictionary, there is only strength. In his bones, there is only a backbone. His eyes reveal seriousness. His arms are as solid as a wall. He has a great name: Father.”

The guitar melody slowly came to a stop. Lin Hao’s eyes were slightly red.

“‘Father’ is dedicated to all of you, and to every father in the world. Thank you!”

“Wow——”

Everyone burst into applause, and many of the customers even stood up.

Many children tightly hugged their fathers. The fathers were a little embarrassed, but their faces were filled with comfort and emotion.

“Daughter! Where are you going?”

A man’s voice suddenly rang out, and everyone turned their heads.

Xiao Li, carrying the camera, didn’t even wait for Chu Yu to say anything before quickly turning the camera in that direction…