House Dad's Literary Life

Chapter 320: Praise of Love

It was already late at night, and the little girl who had a lot of fun was actually not sleepy at all. Moreover, she had just taken a bath and was still full of energy. If it was a normal time, she would have kept asking her father to tell her a story.

But today, Xixi didn’t want to listen to a story either. She couldn’t wait to climb onto the big bed, arrange her pillow by herself, and then tuck herself into bed, neatly covering herself with the blanket.

Yang Yi had just finished tidying up the mess downstairs and came up, watching his daughter with Mo Fei with a smile.

The little girl lay down and closed her eyes, but after a while, she couldn’t help but open them again. She turned her head to confirm whether the big sock on the head of the bed was hung up properly. After confirming it clearly, she finally felt at ease.

At this moment, she saw her parents still standing at the door looking at her. Thinking that they were worried about her, the little girl waved her hand seriously and said, “Papa, Mama, good night, Xixi is going to sleep!”

Yang Yi and Mo Fei knew the reason. Wasn’t the little girl looking forward to the arrival of Santa Claus?

It was still because of the lies Mo Fei had told in the past in order to get Xixi to sleep. Xixi naively thought that if she didn’t fall asleep, then when Santa Claus passed by in the early morning, he wouldn’t come down to give her gifts.

So, she had to fall asleep early. Even if she couldn’t sleep, she had to close her eyes so that Santa Claus wouldn’t forget her.

“Good night, baby!” Mo Fei said softly. She pulled Yang Yi and the two went to the study.

On Christmas Eve, Yang Huan wisely took an early shower and then entered her room.

“Today I have a gift for you!” Mo Fei pressed Yang Yi onto a chair and then brought out a big box that Mo Xiaojuan had brought over today. She looked at Yang Yi somewhat shyly and said.

“For me? Aren’t Christmas gifts supposed to be opened together tomorrow?” Yang Yi was somewhat surprised. He had actually prepared Christmas gifts for both Mo Fei and Xixi.

“That’s a Christmas gift. The holiday we should celebrate is Christmas Eve.” Mo Fei knew what Christmas Eve meant for lovers, and her face turned slightly red. She gently bit her lower lip lightly, and said shyly, “It’s our first Christmas Eve together, can’t you accompany me?”

If Valentine’s Day is the beginning of romance for every girl, then Christmas Eve is the beginning of romance for every woman.

Mo Fei also longed to spend Christmas Eve with her beloved. Now that she finally has one, although youth was no longer there, her longing for romance has not faded.

“Of course! How could I not accompany you?” Yang Yi looked at Mo Fei’s somewhat anxious mood and his heart softened. He nodded and agreed while trying to think of what kind of Christmas Eve gift to give Mo Fei.

“You open my gift first and see if you like it.” Mo Fei looked at Yang Yi expectantly. She had put a lot of thought into preparing this gift.

Yang Yi was also curious. Generally speaking, weren’t gifts given on Christmas Eve usually apples or chocolates? What was inside the big box that Mo Fei had prepared?

The ribbons, wrapping paper, and boxes, like onions, were peeled off layer by layer, revealing the shape of the gift inside.

Although Yang Yi had already roughly guessed it, it wasn’t until he completely removed the final layer of wrapping that he said in pleasant surprise, “A violin? You gave me a violin?”

This violin was very beautiful. Although it looked similar in style to other violins, the wood of its panel was, to Yang Yi’s experienced eye, definitely top-notch spruce that had been naturally dried.

Moreover, it was not a new violin that had just been found in recent years. It should have been carefully cared for and maintained by people. Although it was smooth as new, the violin itself seemed to exude a kind of spirituality, a musical charm that had been accumulated after being played by people for a long time.

It might sound very mysterious, but Yang Yi could feel it. In his previous life, he had collected a violin that was even more top-notch than this one, with a history spanning three to four centuries. An Antonio Stradivari violin that was originally destined to be buried in a Middle Eastern sheik’s warehouse, but was later stolen by Yang Yi.

Thinking about it, Yang Yi still felt very regretful. If he was no longer there, could that precious violin still find the right person suitable to cherish and care for it?

“Last year, while I was in the US, I bought it from a pawnshop owner by chance. The original owner was a well-known violinist abroad, Steve Van. I’m not sure if you’ve heard of him, but this was the instrument he made a name with. Unfortunately, he passed away due to illness, and his family had to sell it to the pawnshop to pay off debts.” Mo Fei gently stroked the violin and said softly.

Obviously, with such a clear origin, Mo Fei did not get a lucky find. She still spent a lot of money to buy this violin. When she bought it last year, Mo Fei bought it for herself. She also liked the violin very much, having learned both the violin and piano since she was young. However, in her hands, this violin was still somewhat wasted.

Because after buying it back, Mo Fei didn’t have much opportunity to use it. She spent all her time on her singing career.

“I know you can play the violin. There is a violin accompaniment in the song ‘Long Time No See’, but you don’t have a suitable violin yet, so I want to give it to you.” Mo Fei said somewhat nervously. She was worried that since this gift was not brand new, Yang Yi might not like it.

However, Mo Fei was right. Yang Yi had not bought a violin for a long time because he had not found one that he was satisfied with! It didn’t matter if the gift was brand new or not. What mattered was Mo Fei’s intention toward Yang Yi. Her words really moved Yang Yi!

Yang Yi put down the violin in his hand and stood up. He gently cupped one side of Mo Fei’s face and kissed her hard. It was a kiss without any sexual overtones, a kiss filled with strong affection and emotion.

When he let her go, Mo Fei’s face was as red as a peach. She was panting heavily, and couldn’t help but hammer Yang Yi’s chest, both shy and annoyed.

“You still understand me!” Yang Yi laughed and hugged her again, whispering in her ear.

He really liked this gift. Mo Fei had known him for so long and had never seen Yang Yi lose his composure like this. But this loss of composure was good, and Mo Fei was also overjoyed, feeling that she had given the most valuable gift.

After releasing Mo Fei, Yang Yi placed the violin on his left shoulder and casually pulled the bow a few times to test its tone.

The tone was naturally excellent. It was not as good as Yang Yi’s previous masterpiece, but it was better than 90% of the violins in this world. Yang Yi was already satisfied.

“I’ll play you a piece. I already had a draft in my mind, and after seeing your gift today, I completed it!” Yang Yi suddenly turned his head and said enthusiastically to Mo Fei, “I didn’t prepare any gifts for you, but this violin piece I composed for you can be considered as a Christmas Eve gift. Is that okay?”

Mo Fei was pleasantly surprised. For her, a piece created for her was better than any gift. She quickly nodded her head and asked happily: “What is the piece? Does it have a name yet?”

“Yes, it’s called ‘Praise of Love’!”¹Yang Yi nodded.

After speaking, Yang Yi took a deep breath, immersed himself, and began his performance.

At the beginning, there was a long and beautiful melody with a strong serenade style, and delicate violin sound, full of deep affection, as if it were the lingering love of lovers, gradually opening up this elegant picture of love.

It was Mo Fei’s first time seeing Yang Yi play the violin, and Yang Yi did not disappoint her either. Although the appearance of a 1.87-meter-tall man playing the violin looked somewhat comical, Mo Fei was utterly captivated. The person who played such a wonderful melody was her beloved man!

After entering section B, the melody became softer, and the softness also incorporated a melancholic tone. However, this tone was not sad, just like the sweet and sour taste of love, happiness permeates in such a melody.

Mo Fei listened very intently. At this moment, she seemed to be sitting in a spacious theater, sitting in the audience, listening to Yang Yi’s performance on stage.

Finally, returning to the theme of section A, there was another burst of intense twisting and emotional outbursts.

The coda after the variation has a profound meaning and the emotions became more complex. The gradually slowing and soothing music, like the whispering of a lover, gradually stopped in the gentle melody…

Mo Fei was someone who loved music, and she naturally understood the emotions that Yang Yi incorporated into his performance.

Wasn’t “Praise of Love” just describing the love between them? Isn’t love starting passionately, managing through ups and downs, and finally gradually entering a plainness? But is that a lingering plainness?

Wasn’t this kind of plain love what she and he expected?

This wonderful gift was destined to ignite the beauty of Christmas Eve tonight… Without an apple, would Eve and Adam only sit face to face?

TN: The song: Salut d’Amour: Here.