Divorce: This Is A Trivial Matter

Chapter 36

Yang Wei closed the video and clicked on her teaching software to start her art lecture. During the break, the music teacher gave her a call to discuss their shared sports performance.

"I found a song with a simple, educational lyrics!" Teacher Zhou’s voice sounded as excited as if she had just found an oasis in the desert. Unable to help her own curiousity, Yang Wei pinched the yogurt box on the table and inquired, "What song is it?"

"Pi!"

Her eyebrow leapt up. "Pi?"

"It's a song whose lyrics consist entirely of pi. It has more than 10,000 decimal places and goes for over an hour."

Yang Wei: "..."

More than 10,000! Were you serious?! Her level was still in the age of Zu Chongzhi!1

Teacher Zhou added, "But an hour's too long. I found a simplified version that goes to two thousand decimal points. It's just four minutes."

Yang Wei was silent for a while before asking, "Do you know who holds the world record for reciting the most digits of pi?"

"No, I don't. Who is it?"

"I don't know either. But it's not me."

Teacher Zhou: "..."

She thought about it, then suggested, "We could get you a teleprompter?”

“Is the budget for that coming out of your salary?”

Teacher Zhou: “...”

“Let me think about it.” Teacher Zhou hung up. Yang Wei put down her phone and rolled her eyes. Two thousand digits? Maybe Qi Xiao Yan might be able to take on that challenge.

When her online lecture was over, Teacher Zhou called again. “Perhaps we could have a retro performance?”

Lying in bed, Yang Wei asked, “How so?”

“Kind of the feeling of the 40s and 50s - a cheongsam, curly hair... kinda like Zhou Xuan2!"

Yang Wei frowned dubiously. "I'm not sure if I can pull off the sound of that era."

"I can rearrange the music and accompany you on the piano. You just go ahead and sing it like a modern person." Teacher Zhou paused. "<Eternal Smile> would be a good song, but do you have a cheongsam?"

Yang Wei considered it. "My mother does, and I should be able to fit into it."

"That's it then! I'll put together the song tomorrow, and we can start rehearsing Monday."

"Sounds good." Although Yang Wei had agreed readily in the moment, now she would have to go home and see her mother tomorrow... it would have to be a quick nip in and out, just grab the cheongsam and leave!

She picked lunch hour, Mother Yang’s busiest time, to return home, sneaking out the spare key like a thief. As soon as the door creaked open, she smelt the distinct smell of stir-fried bamboo shoots. She could see her mother cutting vegetables in the kitchen as she tiptoed through the living room. Father Yang was on the balcony, reading his newspaper. She flew into the bedroom and opened her mother's closet.