Taiwan Province.
Unlike other families enjoying themselves.
Wu Xiaohao's home atmosphere was relatively silent.
His mother passed away last year in a car accident. The family of three was on their way to a trip when their car was hit by a runaway truck on the highway. His mother died instantly, and his father lost a leg.
What was once a happy and fulfilling family was instantly shattered.
Only twelve-year-old Wu Xiaohao, in the year since his mother's death, learned to cook, learned to do laundry, and learned to cheer his father up.
His greatest wish now was to see his father no longer lying in bed like a wooden puppet, refusing to eat or drink, and always muttering nonsensical things like "It's all my fault."
The car accident was an accident, and his mother's death was also an accident. In Wu Xiaohao's eyes, even though his father was driving, the accident was not his father's fault.
At only twelve years old, he was understanding in a way that made one's heart ache.
This was because his mother was no longer with them, and he didn't want to lose his father too.
Tonight was New Year's Eve.
According to tradition, his mother would prepare a lavish New Year's Eve dinner, and they would all eat together harmoniously. After dinner, they would sit in front of the television to watch the Spring Festival Gala and stay up late.
His father would set off firecrackers precisely at midnight, symbolizing the warding off of the Nian beast.
But this year, it was just him and his father celebrating.
He simply stir-fried two dishes and brought them into the room, placing them by his father's bedside.
He hadn't eaten it before, but after Wu Xiaohao's persistent pleading several times, his father finally agreed to eat. This was a joyous occasion for Wu Xiaohao, who firmly believed his father would overcome this.
Wu Xiaohao still kept up the tradition of watching the Spring Festival Gala and staying up late, perhaps as the best way to remember his mother in heaven.
When he was little, his mother had said that people who died would turn into stars in the sky. Although Wu Xiaohao didn't know which star in the sky was his mother, he opened the window and felt as though his mother was accompanying him to watch the Spring Festival Gala.
The lively scenes on television stood in stark contrast to the quietness of the home.
It was almost midnight. Wu Xiaohao yawned, his small body curled up, pulling the blanket tighter around himself.
The Spring Festival Gala reached its finale song.
On television, a girl around Wu Xiaohao's age walked to the center of the stage holding a microphone.
Lu Bing Hua
Sung by: Su Xiaoling / Chen Rong
Lyrics by: Ting Yu
Music by: Ting Yu
"Lu Bing Hua..." Wu Xiaohao murmured.
In Taiwan Province, Lu Bing Hua bloomed around Mother's Day in May, hence it was called the "Mother's Flower." Its meaning was also auspicious, symbolizing the greatness of maternal love, making it very suitable for mothers.
This was what his teacher had told Wu Xiaohao. Every Mother's Day, he would go to the fields to pick some flowers for his mother. Even after his mother passed away last year, he still placed Lu Bing Hua on her grave.
...
At the program site.
Many audience members saw the name of the song.
They immediately began to discuss.
"Lu Bing Hua, it should be about mothers, right?"
"Ting Yu has written so many songs about fathers, finally he's writing about mothers!"
"Haha, Ting Yu's 'Father' and 'Father's Prose Poem' make me cry every time I listen. I wonder if this 'Lu Bing Hua' will be a lyrical piece."
"This year's Spring Festival Gala skits are still forcing sentimentality, with no jokes or tears, just like last year. But last year there was 'Ru Yuan' which made me cry properly. I hope this year is the same."
"The Spring Festival Gala is indeed getting more and more boring, but at least there are Ting Yu's programs, and many national teams singing his old songs."
"Who is this Su Xiaoling? She's on stage singing a duet with Chen Rong?"
"I remember, she sang 'Let Us Paddle Together,' and I heard she's Ting Yu's sister."
"So it's her. My son listens to that children's song often!"
Although Su Xiaoling had some stage fright backstage.
But once she was on stage, she was completely free of nervousness.
It had to be said that at her age, very few people had such composure.
This was also why Su Yu wanted her to be a singer. Debuting as a singer from a young age, with both talent and backing, Su Xiaoling would truly live up to her catchphrase of never being inferior to others.
"Ah... ah...
Night after night, I remember mother's words,
Shimmering tears, Lu Bing Hua,"
The song had no prelude. The moment the music started, it went directly into the nursery rhyme-like chorus.
This arrangement was very rare in popular music, but since the producer was Ting Yu, people were not too surprised.
Moreover, they had no time to be surprised, because the moment Su Xiaoling's clear and ethereal child's voice rang out, it had already tugged at the audience's heartstrings!
"The stars in the sky don't speak,
The babies on the ground miss their mothers,
The eyes in the sky blink and blink,
Mother's heart is Lu Bing Hua..."
Without deliberately singing with emotion, Su Xiaoling simply sang with her own childlike innocence. But it was this innocence, unadulterated by any impurities, that many adults lacked and cherished the most.
On Earth, this song "Lu Bing Hua" was a classic old song, but no matter how many years passed, when the melody and singing sounded, the longing for their mothers in many people's hearts would unconsciously appear.
As children, many people thought that "Lu Bing Hua," like "Only Mother is Good in the World," was just a song praising mothers. But as they grew older, they realized that this song contained so much more.
"The tea gardens in my hometown are full of flowers,
Mother's heart is at the ends of the earth,
Night after night, I remember mother's words,
Shimmering tears, Lu Bing Hua..."
On stage, besides Su Xiaoling, there were several children dancing. The fog created by dry ice filled the stage, adorning it beautifully.
Nursery rhymes often made people feel young, and childhood was the most beautiful age. Moreover, Su Xiaoling's voice was clear and her singing was incredibly beautiful. But all of this felt a little unusual.
Because from the lyrics, this was a song reminiscing about a mother. Logically, it should have been sung in a lyrical style. However, Ting Yu had Su Xiaoling sing with such innocence and carefree a voice. This contrast evoked a complex emotion in people's hearts.
"Why do I feel a dull ache in my heart?"
"Damn it, I'm crying because a child is singing?"
"I still don't understand why, the singing isn't sad at all, but my nose keeps stinging..."
"She's clearly smiling, and her voice is crisp and lovely, but combined with the song, it's incredibly moving!"
The audience was surprised to find themselves moved by a little girl's performance. This emotion came from the heart, far superior to those deliberately sentimental skits!
"Ah... ah...
Night after night, I remember mother's words,
Shimmering tears, Lu Bing Hua,
Ah... ah...
Night after night, I remember mother's words..."
However, no one had expected this.
What they had felt was only a small amount of emotion at first.
At the very last line of the nursery rhyme's conclusion.
"Shimmering tears..."
Chen Rong's slightly choked singing voice sounded.
Causing countless viewers to be unable to hold back, and instantly burst into tears!!