Chen Lan knew Xiang Xi had agreed when she heard him say that. So she smiled and said in a low voice, "Little Watermelon, don't you worry! There'll definitely be enough funds for your activities! It's too crowded here right now, and not very convenient. Once we get back to the guesthouse, I'll give it to you right away."
The next day, after the group had breakfast at the state-run restaurant, they left the guesthouse and went their separate ways.
Since the Imperial Music Academy in Xicheng District was quite far from the Zhaojialou Guesthouse where Chen Lan and her daughters were staying, and they also had to walk to Qianmen Street to catch a bus to Xicheng District.
Therefore, as soon as the three of them finished their meal, Chen Lan took Jia Hui and Xiao Shimei and left the guesthouse, intending to go to the Imperial Music Academy located on Baojia Street in Xicheng District first.
If you ask why Chen Lan attached such importance to Xiao Shimei's schooling, firstly, a large number of people applied to music academies this year, and the competition was very fierce. It was extremely difficult to get into a music academy, which could be described as overcoming numerous challenges.
Secondly, Xiao Shimei was still very young, just over seventeen years old. It was truly remarkable that she could be admitted under such intense competition at such a young age. Thirdly, the candidates applying to music academies in the 1977 cohort were exceptionally talented, with a high overall quality and strong professional skills.
Therefore, if Shimei did not concentrate on her efforts, she would easily be eliminated. Moreover, her most proficient instrument was the guqin, a rather niche instrument, so Xiao Shimei had to put in her best effort to study.
What's more, the admission exams for 1978 were about to begin. It's worth noting that many outstanding musical talents emerged from the 1977 and 1978 cohorts, so Xiao Shimei had to be even more vigilant.
Chen Lan knew that the students from the 1977 and 1978 cohorts at the Imperial Music Academy were a gathering of elites and talented individuals. The vast majority of them became backbone forces and leading figures in their respective professional fields after graduation, leaving a significant mark on China's music scene.
Now that Xiao Shimei could join them, Chen Lan naturally wanted to give her full support. Chen Lan didn't necessarily expect Shimei to achieve fame and fortune to bring honor to the family; rather, she hoped she could be among outstanding people and learn useful things from them.
Of course, the most important thing was that Chen Lan had a little bit of vanity. After all, in her previous life, Chen Lan was just an ordinary person with no opportunity to come into contact with such elegant art, let alone know people who were artists!
Therefore, Chen Lan hoped that in this life, she could help Shimei step onto her dream stage and realize her and her own dream of pursuing art together.
Thanks to Chen Lan and Jia Hui's strength, the three of them managed to squeeze onto a bus to Xicheng District. The bus stopped and started, swaying and moving slowly, almost making people dizzy! The bus finally arrived at Xidan Street in Xicheng District.
Xidan got its name from the Xidan Archway and is a commercial district in Xicheng District. Since the Ming Dynasty, merchants and goods traveling by land from various southwestern provinces had to pass through Guang'anmen, then Caishikou, and then head north into the inner city. From there, they would pass through Xidan to reach various places within the inner city.
Therefore, businesses in the Xidan area opened shops, restaurants, and eateries to accommodate passing travelers, and later developed into a certain scale.
Furthermore, in the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China, Manchu nobles mostly lived in Xicheng District, and many institutions of the Beiyang government were also located nearby. Consequently, various shops in the Xidan area increased, promoting the commercial development here. This eventually led to Xidan Street becoming the commercial center of Xicheng District.
The three of them transferred buses and finally arrived at Baojia Street in Xicheng District. After asking passers-by for directions, they found the east gate of the Music Academy. The small entrance had a small signboard. Chen Lan found that the school was not as large as she had imagined. The gate was about the same size as the gate of her own siheyuan, which inevitably disappointed Chen Lan.
Fortunately, the college entrance examination had been reinstated, and they could go inside to take a look. So the three of them entered through the east gate.
Upon entering, they discovered that there was a large courtyard within, a "second courtyard." The signboard of the Music Academy was hung at the gate of this second courtyard. The entire second courtyard was ancient and elegant, with intricately carved beams and painted rafters everywhere. The ground was paved with bluestone slabs, and the red walls and green tiles were very magnificent.
It is said that this building was once the Prince Chun's Mansion in the Qing Dynasty, the home of the Fifth Prince Yongqi, and also the ancestral home of the last emperor Puyi. Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty was born here, so this Prince Chun's Mansion was also called the "Hidden Dragon Blessed Land."
Knowing that this was a genuine prince's mansion, the three of them looked around the ancient mansion as if they were seeing a rare spectacle.
The three of them asked for directions and found the admissions office of the Music Academy. They were received by an elderly female teacher.
The teacher told Chen Lan that because the music studies involved a lot of content, the music academy stipulated a five-year program. In addition, due to the shortage of school facilities, the opening of the school was postponed to April.
Finally, she said to Chen Lan, "Comrade, please take student Xu Jiayu back first. You can come to register for the performance major when the time comes."
After thanking the teacher, the three of them left. Chen Lan thought to herself, since the school doesn't open until April, there is time to slowly look for housing near the academy.
So the three of them began to wander around Baojia Street. Baojia Street was very wide, located in the southwest of Xicheng District, with the entire street running north-south. It started from Taipinghu East Lane in the south and ended at the southern entrance of Biguan Hutong in the north. This area was filled with straight and intersecting hutongs.
The southern entrance of Biguan Hutong is Baojia Street. The high walls along the street were built with gray city bricks. Further south of the Music Academy was a dirt road, with hundred-year-old locust trees planted on both sides.
After inquiring all the way, the three of them were told that housing in the Imperial City was very tight at the moment, and there were no vacant houses for rent. A three-courtyard siheyuan basically housed thirty households. Su Dan Novels Network
Chen Lan thought that Biguan Hutong and Taiping Street were not far from the Music Academy, so she could try looking there. Therefore, Chen Lan decided to take Jia Hui and Jiayu sisters to Biguan Hutong and Taiping Street to try their luck.