1novels Chapter 2 My Amazing Senior Sister, Can You Do Me a Small Favor?
Chapter 2 My Amazing Senior Sister, Can You Do Me a Small Favor?
If he can win the CCTV Young Singers Competition, he will receive a considerable prize money.
The prize money for the champion of the folk singing category in the CCTV Young Singers Competition is 5000 yuan.
That's enough for him to find a record company to record demos of his songs.
With his abilities after his rebirth, he could still write songs that would become wildly popular in later generations and sell the copyrights for a considerable amount of money.
This was the fastest way for him to make money.
Lin Hanjiang has also considered releasing his own record.
However, releasing records at this time was too costly.
The total cost of recording and promoting an album in 1992 could vary by tens of times, ranging from tens of thousands to millions of yuan, depending on the scale of production and the intensity of promotion.
In 92, Cui Yongyuan produced the album "Unyielding to Death," which included all aspects such as arrangement, recording, and hiring singers, costing 3 yuan.
In the same year, Sun Yue emptied her savings and borrowed money from all over the place to shoot the music video for "Wishing You Peace".
She borrowed over 100,000 yuan to shoot the music video, which was a huge sum of money at the time.
A master craftsman at an ordinary state-owned factory earns only a little over one hundred yuan a month.
Even if Lin Hanjiang managed to record the song.
How should a champion singer of folk songs, who has recorded a cassette of pop songs at his own expense, promote it?
Who would listen?
Who would buy it?
Without distribution channels and fame, even the best songs can disappear without a trace.
Lin Hanjiang calmly analyzed the current situation.
For a pop music newcomer with no prior experience, releasing singles and albums is nothing short of a pipe dream.
The most realistic and quickest way to gain exposure right now is still the CCTV Young Singers Competition finals stage in early June.
Let's collect the bonus first.
Just as he was deep in thought, a light footstep came from the stairwell outside the door and stopped at his door.
"Hanjiang? Are you inside?"
It was Senior Sister Zhang Ye's clear and gentle voice.
Lin Hanjiang was puzzled. Why was his senior sister here?
I guess the teacher asked her to come and persuade her.
What's meant to happen, we'll have to face.
Lin Hanjiang replied, "Yes, I'm here."
Zhang Ye stood outside the door, wearing a simple white shirt and blue polyester trousers, her hair tied in a neat ponytail.
She looks very mature, like a friendly older sister next door.
Zhang Ye was also taken aback by the empty room.
A perfectly good family, just like that, ruined.
Starting a business is not that simple.
The victor is king, the loser is villain—this has been the way of things since ancient times.
"Senior sister." Lin Hanjiang stepped aside to let her in.
Zhang walked in, looked around, and after a while, finally found his voice: "...How could this be? Everything's been moved out?"
"Yes, those who could pay off their debts have all moved out, and the houses will be seized by the court." Lin Hanjiang's tone was calm, even overly calm.
This calm made Zhang even more uneasy.
"Hanjiang, the teacher told me everything. You...you've really thought it through?"
"I've made up my mind, Senior Sister." Lin Hanjiang looked directly into her eyes. "I need to make money, a lot of money as quickly as possible. Popular singing is the fastest way I can think of right now."
"But your talent lies in folk singing!" Zhang Ye's voice became urgent. "Your teacher said your talent is even greater than mine! The semi-finals of the CCTV Young Singers Competition are just around the corner—what a fantastic opportunity! If you perform normally, win an award, appear on television, and gain fame, your future will be much brighter. Debts can be paid off slowly, but your artistic career..."
"Senior sister."
Lin Hanjiang interrupted her, his tone remaining calm.
"My artistic career is important. But my family's stability and livelihood are more important to me right now. My dad is hiding from debt collectors, my mom and sister have gone to my maternal grandmother's house, and I expect the creditors will be knocking on our door soon. Tell me, how am I supposed to take it slow?"
Zhang was stumped by the question.
She came from a wealthy family and learned her craft from a young age, enjoying a smooth and successful life.
Although she could understand the hardship, she couldn't truly comprehend the burden of 200,000 yuan in debt on a graduating student.
"But... is popular singing guaranteed to be successful?" She changed her perspective, repeating Teacher Jin's concerns, "Mao Ning and Yang Yuying have record companies, producers, and promoters behind them. What about you? How can you debut on your own? How can you release an album? Even if you sing, how will people hear it? This industry is too complicated."
"I know the waters are deep," Lin Hanjiang nodded. "But I have no way out. Senior sister, look at the market now. In the record stores on every street corner, are they playing 'Yearning' or 'On the Fields of Hope'? On the radio, are they playing 'I Don't Want to Say' or 'The Spring Water of the Frontier is Clear and Pure' the most requested songs? Times have changed. The future belongs to pop music, to popular singing styles. If I want to make money, I can't go against the trend."
He paused, looking at Zhang Ye: "Besides, senior sister, this wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision. I... I wrote a song, and I think it might work."
"You write songs?" Zhang asked in surprise.
She knew Lin Hanjiang had a solid grasp of music theory, but creating pop songs, and capable ones at that, was a completely different field.
"Um."
Lin Hanjiang couldn't explain, so he could only give a vague reply.
"I will prepare well for the semi-final of the Young Singers Competition tonight, so don't worry, senior sister."
How can I not worry?
Your teachers are very worried about you.
Zhang Ye was also feeling very uneasy and didn't know what to say.
Even her junior brothers, who used to listen to her the most, started to argue with her.
She had no good solution; this stubborn mule couldn't be persuaded to change her mind.
But at least he said he would prepare well for the singing competition tonight, so he could go back and report to his teacher.
After a long while, Zhang Ye asked softly, "How's your practice of the song you prepared going? 'Sing a Folk Song for the Party,' it's a good choice, but it still requires skill."
"Senior sister, can you do me a small favor?" Lin Hanjiang's voice was not loud.
"What kind of help? Tell me," Zhang replied immediately, leaning forward slightly.
"I don't think 'Sing a Folk Song for the Party' has a very good chance of winning."
Lin Hanjiang carefully chose his words, trying his best not to offend his senior sister's respect for classic works.
"Too many senior artists have sung this song, and every version is deeply rooted in people's hearts. There are so many excellent examples before us. Even if I perform to the best of my ability at this point, I'm afraid it will be difficult to impress the judges. At most, I'll get a 'good performance' rating."
He paused, then looked intently at Zhang Ye. "Senior sister, could you... help me apply to change my competition piece?"
"What?"
Zhang was so surprised that his voice rose several octaves.
"Change the song? Han Jiang, do you even know what you're saying?"
She could hardly believe her ears.
National television competitions of this caliber, such as the CCTV Young Singers Competition, have rigorous procedures.
The pieces submitted for the competition must be registered with the organizing committee one week before the competition.
A professional band provided live accompaniment.
All the instrumentation, arrangement, and band rehearsals were all centered around the established repertoire.
Changing generals on the eve of battle is a major taboo in military strategy, but changing songs on the eve of battle is almost unheard of in this type of competition!
"How is that possible? The song selection was finalized and submitted long ago. The live band will only prepare the accompaniment sheet music according to the submitted tracks. If you say you want to change it now, what about the band's sheet music? How will the time be coordinated? How will the organizing committee's procedures be accommodated? Even if all of these issues can be resolved, what will the judges think of you? They will think you are unprepared, unserious, or even disrespectful of the competition rules! That will instantly destroy your impression points!"
Zhang Ye was also a little angry. What's wrong with this child?
Didn't we just say we were going to prepare well for the competition?
"Senior sister."
Lin Hanjiang softened his tone and pleaded, "I know this is difficult, almost an impossible task. I also know the rules... but Senior Sister, you can do it."
He said this with unusual certainty.
"Because you are Zhang Ye."
These few simple words left Zhang speechless.
Yes, she is Zhang Ye.
If she weren't still so young, she could be a judge for the folk singing category of the CCTV Young Singers Competition.
In 1986, at the age of eighteen, Zhang Ye made his debut on the stage of the second National Young Singers Competition.
In 1987, when she was a freshman at the China Conservatory of Music, she made her first appearance on CCTV's Spring Festival Gala, singing "Liuyang River" as a solo in the "National Unity Medley".
That clear and sweet voice spread throughout the country via television, and countless people remembered the name Zhang Ye.
In the following years, she won numerous awards in various national competitions and important performances thanks to her solid singing skills and unique charm.
They are firmly among the top of the younger generation of folk vocal music.
Their teacher, Jin Tielin, was determined to have Lin Hanjiang replicate this orthodox and glorious path.
Having a super awesome senior sister is not bad either.
This is a small favor, but I can do it.
"Sigh, I'm really fed up with you. How did I end up with a junior brother like you? Tell me, what should we change?"