DANCE AND HAPPINESS

"I said 'Little Feet Under the Rain' was my first creation when I was little, right? It's just a dance made by a child, and only children should learn that dance. Why do you want to learn that dance and not other popular dances?" Yi Xue looked confused when she heard that Xia Qiao wanted to learn the dance created by a child.

She could understand that the dance was simple and easy, and the inexperienced Xia Qiao might think that it would be easier for her to learn the dance.

However, Xia Qiao learned to dance not because she needed entertainment, and it was because she wanted to be able to perform in the Imperial Palace, and before that, Duan Shuchun would be the judge to choose the last person to go to the palace along with seven other dancers.

Even if the dance she created many years ago was quite popular in Chang City, it was a dance for children, and Yi Xue wasn't sure whether it would be able to catch Duan Shuchun's attention.

"I have seen the dance, Master," Xia Qiao replied. "When I was nine years old, I saw how the children were dancing in the palace, and I also thought that the dance looked too simple and silly. The children looked like they were just playing, and it didn't look beautiful at all."

Xia Qiao even indirectly said that the dance Yi Xue created all those years ago was not beautiful, but the creator of the dancer ignored it as she asked, "You have seen the dance, and you also know that the dance looks boring and may also be ridiculous, but you still want to learn to dance? Do you want to give up? You don't want to go to the Imperial Palace anymore?"

Maybe she looked really desperate because she chose a dance for the children, but Xia Qiao's thoughts weren't that simple.

Fourteen years ago, Xia Qiao also thought that the dance was too easy, and maybe she could also do it without even learning it for a long time. She even thought the dance only required the dancers to move their feet, and she thought it wouldn't be difficult.

However, when Xia Qiao looked back at the past, she knew that the dance wasn't that simple.

"My father said that there is one most important aspect of dance that not everyone can do," Xia Qiao replied as she looked up at the blue sky.

Talking about her father always brought bitter memories for her. Her father was one of the most important figures in her life besides her mother. Her father was wise, and the man always saw things from a wider perspective.

Just when Xia Qiao thought that "Little Feet Under the Rain" was an easy and silly dance, her father said something that she could not forget to this day.

Yi Xue frowned as she looked at the younger girl. She also knew about Xia Qiao's father, and that was because the young girl couldn't stop talking about her father.

However, it seemed that it was the first time Xia Qiao had mentioned her father when they were talking about "Little Feet Under the Rain," and Yi Xue looked curious to know what Xia Qiao's father said to the young girl that the girl ended up wanting to learn the dance.

"What is the most important aspect of the dance?" Yi Xue asked, and it looked strange since she was the one who created the dance, but she didn't even think about the most important aspect of the dance.

Hearing the question, Xia Qiao heaved a heavy sigh before turning to her master. "Happiness," she answered. "My father said that the most important aspect of the dance is happiness."

Yi Xue was taken aback. She expected the young girl would mention one of the dance moves, but the girl only said the feeling a dancer should have when they were dancing the dance she created years ago.

Yi Xue didn't think about it, but as soon as she heard the answer from the younger girl, her memories immediately flew to the time she danced the dance with her aunt and Duan Shuchun many years ago.

At that time, the sky suddenly poured a large amount of water while the three of them were practicing in the backyard together, and her aunt and Duan Shuchun immediately stopped practicing and asked her to take shelter.

However, instead of following the two adults, the little Yi Xue chose to stay in the rain, and she suddenly danced along with the cold water drenching her. The two adults kept yelling at the little girl for the girl to stop dancing in the rain, but when they saw the little girl's expression, they looked stunned before deciding to join in on the dance.

The three of them kept smiling and sometimes even laughing while continuing to dance in the rain, and even if they caught a cold from their silly activities that day, they knew that they had managed to get something more important than the cold.

After that, Duan Shuchun even asked Yi Xue to officially name the dance, and that was the day that "Little Feet Under the Rain" was born.

Yi Xue recalled the memory, and she suddenly felt a burning sensation in her chest as she reminisced.

Those memories were all in the past, and she should have forgotten them long ago, but the feelings in her heart were still so vivid. She secretly admitted that Xia Qiao's father was right. Happiness was indeed the most important aspect of "Little Feet Under the Rain."

Yi Xue suddenly smiled as she made a firm decision in her heart, "Alright, I will teach you how to perform that dance, and you have to make sure that you will be happy when you dance because that is the most important aspect."