I was reborn after my cousin stole my life.

Chapter 56: A Tree of Red Flowers Illuminates the Blue Sea

Some people don't want to participate, while others naturally want to show off.

Wu Yufen had already chosen the dancers in her mind and had also made arrangements with them privately.

Yuan Juan was one of them, and of course, in her opinion, Yuan Xiu was one as well.

"We're not in a hurry to list the participants for the dance program. Next up is the singing program. I originally planned to do a group performance, but it clashes with the program for the cafeteria. So, I'm going to change the group performance to a solo performance."

"A solo? Who's going to do that?"

"Among us, who sings well?"

"It seems that Teacher Shen sang quite well."

"Teacher Shen doesn't have time for that. Didn't you see she didn't come today? It's obvious she doesn't participate in our parent committee activities."

"Why don't you go? You seem to sing quite well."

"I can't do it. If I go on stage alone with so many people in front of me, my legs will go weak. How can I even sing?"

"I can't either. I've only ever sung in the fields, never on stage..."

"I remember Wu Yufen saying something about her singing..."

"Then let her go. Doesn't she love to show off? Let her go on stage and give it her all!"

The crowd started chattering excitedly.

Yuan Juan jumped out again, "Officer Wu, I, I can sing!"

She was so excited that her face turned red and her voice trembled.

"Well, here comes another show-off," a military wife muttered.

Wu Yufen smiled especially brightly at Yuan Yuanjuan, who supported her work. She raised her hand and pressed it down, "Okay, okay, let's sing a bit after this is over."

"Don't wait any longer, let's have a performance right now so we can all hear it!" someone suggested.

"That's right, let's do a segment right now. Like Officer Wu said, this is a program to bring honor to our military families, so we should at least be able to give it a score! We can't just randomly pick someone to perform."

"That's right, anyone else who wants to sing, hurry up and sign up!"

The military dependents were laughing and joking.

Chunmei and her friends were also egging them on, shouting, "One more! One more!"

Wu Yufen looked at Chairman Gu, who nodded. She then smiled and said to Yuan Juan, "Yuan Juan, why don't you sing a song for everyone?"

Yuan Juan was visibly more nervous. She swallowed several times, her gaze darting around the scene as she looked at the people who were either joking or making a ruckus. She stammered, "I...I..."

"Don't be nervous. If you're going to go on stage, there will be even more people in the audience than here. Take advantage of today to get some practice," Wu Yufen said.

Yuan Juan nodded, clasped her hands in front of her chest, and began to sing loudly!

"A tree of red blossoms reflects the blue sea!"

She started the song too high, and because of her nervousness, her breath control was unstable and she was off-key. Almost everyone knows this song, and even if you don't sing it well, you can tell if someone else is singing it wrong. She cracked her voice on the second line.

A chorus of boos erupted from the crowd.

Yuan Juan's face turned bright red. "I...I'll sing it again."

Wu Yufen clapped her hands. "Then let's have Comrade Yuan Juan sing it again, and give her some encouragement!"

"Clap clap clap!"

Yuan Juan cleared her throat and began to sing again.

She sang much better this time than last time. She started the song on a lower note, and although there was still some vibrato, she wasn't so nervous that she couldn't even remember the lyrics.

Yuan Xiu saw Wu Yufen talking to Chairman Gu. Chairman Gu glanced at Yuan Juan and then nodded.

Xiulan's sister-in-law: "You sang alright..."

Sister-in-law Chunmei: "Xiao Yuan, can you sing? You should sing one later too, we can't let her steal the spotlight."

Guiying's sister-in-law said, "She's young, pretty, and sings well. Maybe Wu Yufen will actually let her go."

When Yuan Juan finished singing, the applause was even louder than before.

Someone commented, "She sings really well..."

"What's so good about it? It's nowhere near as good as those performing arts troupes."

"There's no comparison. They're professional actors, while we're just amateurs. We'll be fine as best we can..."

"How dare she go on stage like that? Don't forget what she did before! She's a terrible person! What right does she have to represent our military families..."

Wu Yufen spoke up, "Is there anyone else who wants to sing? Hurry up and sign up, we'll select someone on the spot based on public opinion."

Someone raised their hand.

One, two, three, and then a few more people performed a short piece on the spot.

Some people sang folk songs, some sang folk tunes, and some sang revolutionary songs.

After comparing them, Yuan Juan was still the better one.

Just as Chairman Gu and Wu Yufen were about to make a decision, Yuan Xiu raised her hand.

Wu Yufen's eyes lit up. "Comrade Yuan Xiu has also raised her hand. Let's listen to Comrade Yuan Xiu sing another song."

Chunmei and her friends immediately clapped their hands, clapping very enthusiastically.

"What song does Comrade Yuan Xiu want to sing?"

Yuan Xiu stood up, glanced at Yuan Juan who was staring at her, and said with a smile, "How about 'Ode to Coral'? That's the only song I know how to sing."

Yoho!

Almost all the military dependents present knew about the entanglement between Yuan Xiu and Yuan Juan. Now they're even singing the same song. What... is this going to do?

Everyone was initially listless during the meeting, but this time they were suddenly full of energy, their eyes burning with the fire of gossip!

"A tree of red blossoms illuminates the azure sea, a ball of flame rises from the water, the coral tree's red color remains forever in spring, blooming amidst wind and waves..."

Yuan Xiu recalled that when her mother was still alive, she and Yuan Juan would sit on her mother's lap, one of them leaning on her lap and the other nestled beside her, listening to her mother's gentle voice as she taught them to sing again and again.

"Clouds come to obscure, fog comes to cover, yet the light shines through the clouds and fog; wind blows, waves crash, yet the flowers always bloom..."

Before their parents passed away, she and Yuan Juan were inseparable best friends. They ate together, lived together, and slept in the same bed. She treated Yuan Juan like a younger sister. Even after Yuan Juan moved to town and their relationship became more and more distant, her feelings for her never changed, until Yuan Juan suddenly left...

Until she learned the whole truth.

"The wind blows, the waves crash, the flowers bloom despite the wind and waves, alas..."

Yuan Xiu wasn't lying; she really only knew how to sing this song. Whether it was the first half of her life or this life, whenever she thought of her mother or felt pain, she would sing this song, the only song her mother had ever taught her.

Yuan Juan can sing because she learned it from her mother. If she had chosen a different song, Yuan Xiu wouldn't have stood up. But she chose this one.

So why should Yuan Juan, who bullied her, sing the song her mother taught her?

"...The wind blows, the waves crash, welcoming our savior to the island, alas..."