"Who am I kidding with these old arms and legs? I’m certainly not as spry as I used to be," Granny Tang chuckled as she demurred.
Hearing this, Grandpa Tang immediately responded with utmost seriousness, "Old? You haven’t aged a bit in my eyes. You are forever the youngest, most beautiful one."
Granny Tang glanced at him, slightly embarrassed, and scolded playfully, "Qian Jiao is still here, and here you are, an old man, still not acting your age."
Grandpa Tang refused to back down, "How am I not acting my age? I’m only telling the truth. You agree, right, Shi Mei?"
Shi Mei: "Mmm-hmm, you’re right, Grandma!"
Grandma Shi smiled warmly, "Yes, hahaha, all true indeed."
With Grandma Shi laughing , Granny Tang felt even more embarrassed.
Pleased with himself, Grandpa Tang nudged his wife, "We might as well have a bit of fun. We could perform with Shi Mei."
Grandma Shi said, "Right, Shi Mei has been wanting to dance, and since you can play the lute and Shi Mei can do classical dance, it’s perfect."
Seeing this, Granny Tang no longer protested but resignedly said, "I’ll just watch. I really can’t dance anymore," then looking to Shi Mei, she asked, "Little Shi Mei, tell Grandma, what dances can you do?"
"I want to dance... the Paper Butterfly Dance." Shi Mei brightened with a smile, tilting her head, "I’ve forgotten so many things, but it seems like I can dance this!"
Granny Tang was surprised, and so was Grandma Shi, "The Paper Butterfly Dance? Are you sure?"
The Paper Butterfly Dance was the one Shi Mei had danced for Shi Lingyan backstage in the dressing room.
The Paper Butterfly Dance was notoriously difficult, not something someone could claim to know unless they were highly skilled in dance.
And by coincidence, Granny Tang was the creator of this particular dance.
Years ago, Granny Tang had risen to stardom in the arts community of Yan City with this dance, and her striking beauty made her the most sought-after lady in town.
It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that back then, her admirers practically wore down the threshold of their house.
Hearing Shi Mei mention this dance made both Grandma Shi and Granny Tang smile.
"Then let’s go to the backyard," Granny Tang said with a laugh, "this dance is best accompanied by the guqin."
Granny Tang stood up and led them to the backyard.
Entering, Shi Mei found every flower and plant strikingly familiar.
It was only in the backyard she noticed that over the swing frame, a wooden pergola had been added.
The pergola was covered in vines, the leaves belonging to ivy.
The backyard during winter wasn’t much to look at, but the familiar expanse and familiar arrangements filled her with warmth.
Grandma’s guqin was sitting quietly in the yard, with smoke gently curling upward beside it, giving the scene an ancient, ethereal look, akin to a legendary paradise.
Granny Tang sat down in front of the guqin, facing a large open space.
Shi Mei took off her boots and let down her hair, then bounced on the spot, stretching and warming up her muscles before announcing, "Shi Mei is ready!"
"And looking quite professional," Grandma Shi found a place to sit, "Go for it, Shi Mei!"
"Okay!" Shi Mei giggled, and as the first note from the guqin sounded, Shi Mei gathered her composure, stood up straight, her gaze on the ground, her toes pointed swiftly, and her body gracefully jumped and lightly touched the ground.
Grandma Shi had thought she was just fooling around, but seeing this stance, her eyes lit up with amazement.
Seeing her , Grandpa Tang uttered a surprised, "Isn’t this the very dance Xiao Wu always struggled to learn?"