NCCnovel Chapter 138 The piano teacher arrives at the door and is stunned by Lin Zhou's hand speed.
Chapter 138 The piano teacher arrives at the door and is stunned by Lin Zhou's hand speed.
The morning sun had just climbed onto the windowsill when the doorbell rang like a death knell.
Su Qingge took a deep breath, straightened her not-so-disheveled collar again, and didn't forget to turn around and glare fiercely at Lin Zhou, mouthing a warning: "Shut up, smile, pour water."
Lin Zhou lazily made an "OK" sign, still holding half a half-eaten bun in his hand.
The door opened, and an elderly man dressed in a gray Zhongshan suit with a cashmere scarf around his neck stood in the doorway. His hair was meticulously combed, and his chin was raised at an angle so that he could look people in the nose. He exuded an artistic aura that said, "I am a master, and no one is allowed to approach."
This is the legendary Professor Liu, a titan in the Chinese piano world.
"Professor Liu, thank you for making this trip." Su Qingge greeted him with a polite professional smile.
Professor Liu merely nodded reservedly, and without even changing his shoes, he walked in wearing shoe covers. His gaze swept around the spacious living room, finally settling on the Steinway grand piano, his brows instantly furrowing so deeply they could trap a fly.
"Is this the piano?"
He walked over and ran his fingers across the piano lid as if he had touched a handful of dust.
"It's such a waste to leave a perfectly good Steinway D274 here as a decoration. They haven't even done any humidity control; the strings are probably loose by now."
After he finished speaking, he turned his head and looked down at Nuonuo, who was hiding behind Lin Zhou's legs.
"Is this the child?"
Professor Liu didn't even squat down; he just gestured with his slender fingers in the air, his tone full of criticism.
"The fingers are too short, the tiger's mouth is too narrow, and the fingertips are too fleshy. Miss Su, I only came here because of you, but to be honest, this child's condition can only be described as mediocre."
Su Qingge's smile froze for a moment, but she held it in for the sake of her daughter's future.
"Professor Liu, the child is still young, and his bones haven't fully developed yet..."
"You can tell what a person will be like at three years old. In the piano world, talent determines the ceiling." Professor Liu interrupted her impatiently, sat down on the piano bench, and casually pressed a few notes.
Clang clang—
The voice was deep and resonant, echoing in the living room.
Lin Zhou then walked over with a tea tray, placed a cup of hot tea on the small table next to the piano, and casually added:
"Actually, the pitch is okay, but the action in the second-highest range is a bit damp, and the rebound is 0.5 seconds slower, which makes it sound a bit harsh."
The air fell silent as soon as he said that.
Su Qingge's heart skipped a beat, and she thought to herself, "Oh no."
Sure enough, Professor Liu suddenly turned his head, his cloudy eyes shooting out two beams of light as he stared intently at Lin Zhou, as if he had heard some huge joke.
"The rebound was 0.5 seconds slower?"
He chuckled, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and made no attempt to hide his sarcasm.
"Young man, don't pretend to know what you don't. When I was lecturing at the Curtis Institute of Music, you were probably still playing in the mud. Someone who cooks and takes care of children, what right do you have to talk about the mechanical structure of a piano?"
Su Qingge quickly tried to smooth things over: "Professor Liu, he was just saying it casually, please don't mind..."
"Just a casual remark? Art is rigorous!"
Professor Liu was clearly angry, or perhaps he wanted to show off in front of this arrogant young man and intimidate this celebrity couple who didn't have much education.
He put down his teacup, then suddenly raised both hands and slammed them down on the piano keys.
"The Bell".
Liszt's virtuoso masterpiece.
The music exploded instantly, with a series of rapid leaps in the high register like a dense rain. Although Professor Liu was old, his basic skills were still there; his hands flew across the keys, a truly impressive display. At the end of the piece, he gracefully raised his hands to either side in a standard curtain call, then looked at Lin Zhou with an air of arrogance.
"Did you understand? This is called graininess, this is called the depth of touch."
"Piano playing isn't something you can learn by blowing air; it's something you can learn by practicing with your hands."
Su Qingge was about to applaud and cheer when she saw Lin Zhou scratching his head, looking at her with a complicated expression.
"Um... Professor Liu, wasn't that a bit too much pressure on you?"
Lin Zhou pointed to the piano keys, his tone so sincere it sounded like he was offering advice.
"And that octave leap in the third measure, you sacrificed the rhythm in pursuit of speed. Also, that tremolo in the middle sounds like it's all stuck together, the articulation isn't there."
"Snapped!"
Professor Liu slammed his hand on the piano lid, his face turning a deep purplish-red.
He's lived most of his life, always being treated like royalty wherever he goes. And now he's being bossed around by a stay-at-home husband?
"Good! Good! Good!"
He was so angry that he laughed, then suddenly stood up and pointed at the piano bench.
"If you're so good, then you do it! Come on, play a piece without any adhesive! If you can play it, I'll eat this piano today!"
Su Qingge turned pale with fright and was about to pull Lin Zhou away when she saw him sit down with a thud.
"There's no need to eat piano pieces; they're hard to digest."
Lin Zhou flexed his wrists, and his originally lazy gaze turned sharp as a knife the moment he touched the piano keys.
"Since you want to hear 'Zhong,' then I'll make a fool of myself."
Before he finished speaking, his hands had already become a blur.
If Professor Liu's playing just now was a storm, then Lin Zhou's performance now is a Gatling gun barrage.
It's twice as fast!
It's actually twice as fast!
The breathtakingly high-frequency keystrokes produced a sound without a trace of noise. Each note was terrifyingly clear, like pearls falling onto a jade plate—crisp, independent, yet connected to form a perfect galaxy.
Especially that long-distance leap that terrifies countless pianists, Lin Zhou made as easy as drinking water. His wrists were so flexible they seemed boneless, striking the center of each key with precision.
There were no mispronunciations.
There was no rushing.
Even at such terrifying speeds, he could perfectly control the dynamics, adding a touch of ethereal singing quality to this purely virtuosic piece.
Su Qingge covered her mouth, her eyes wide with surprise.
She knew Lin Zhou could play, but she didn't know he could play like this! This wasn't just a stay-at-home husband; he was practically possessed by a piano god!
As the final, stormy cadenza ended, Lin Zhou's fingers rested steadily on the piano keys.
The movement was as light as a feather landing, without the slightest hesitation.
A deathly silence fell over the living room.
Even the dust particles floating in the air seemed to have stopped.
Lin Zhou turned his head and looked at Professor Liu, who was already petrified, with his signature harmless smile on his face.
"Professor Liu, do you think the rebound speed is a bit faster than before?"
Professor Liu remained silent.
He stood there, as if his soul had been ripped from his body. The teacup in his hand began to tremble violently, and he didn't even notice the scalding tea splashing onto the back of his hand.
He looked at Lin Zhou with a gaze that no longer seemed to be that of someone looking at an ignorant junior, but rather as someone looking at a monster in human skin.