The three sounds of the zither, scattered sound, overtone sound, and pressed sound, were all very quiet. The scattered sound was deep and distant, making people think of the ancient times; the overtone sound was like the sound of nature, with a sense of coldness and immortality; the pressed sound was very rich, with lingering rhyme under the fingers, subtle and long, sometimes like the human language, sometimes like the mood of the human heart, ethereal and changeable.
In a word, the biggest feature of the zither was "silence". First, the sound of the zither was quiet and distant. Second, the environment of playing the zither was quiet, and the heart of the player should be quiet.
The ancients praised that "Magnanimity has no corners, and great tools cannot be made; Great sound is silent, and the elephant is invisible." The sound of the zither was low, slow, distant, and ethereal. It allowed one to enter a state of "soundless music" that surpassed sound by playing and listening to the zither. It allowed one to experience the realm of "Hope Sound" and "Extreme Silence".
Later generations rarely appreciated the charm of the zither. When ordinary people touched the zither for the first time, they would mistakenly think that all the zither songs sounded the same. Because the melody and rhythm of the zither were complex and special, it was difficult for the brain to remember. Therefore, people often needed to learn to play the zither before they could gradually master the rhythm of the zither. This was the principle of "playing a thousand songs before understanding the sound".
"The Hottest Ethnic Style" was the opposite. The reason why these catchy divine songs were brainwashing was that their melody was simple and the rhythm was obvious, and it was easy to remember. The popularity of the later generations all over the world was proof.
Then, with the help of Song Qingshu's powerful internal force, people in this era could not control their body's instinctive reaction, although it was difficult for them to accept this style of music.
However, these people were all self-respecting people, and no one wanted to make a fool of themselves by dancing in public, so they tried their best to be patient. But the more they endured, the more sensitive their bodies became. Listening to the music, they felt as if an electric current was pouring into their heads, making them numb and tremble.
After the song ended, Song Qingshu returned to his seat and leisurely enjoyed his tea. He was not a fool, and he would not play such a song in some solemn and formal occasions. But in this House of Red Sleeves … Who was a real gentleman? How could they appreciate the essence of the zither? This kind of song was more down to earth and could touch their hearts.
After a long while, the others slowly came back to their senses.
The yellow-robed woman was the strongest and had the best concentration. She was also the first to recover. She looked at Song Qingshu and her expression instantly changed. She couldn't help but take the initiative to ask, "How did you do it?"
Song Qingshu shrugged. "I told you my zither skills were superb, but none of you believed me."
Xue Baochai had also recovered from the shock. Hearing his words, she couldn't help but say, "You really weren't good at playing before."
During this period of contact, Song Qingshu already knew that she did not spend much time with Jia Baoyu over the past few years. Therefore, he directly replied, "A scholar who has been away for three days must be looked at with new eyes. Sister Bao should understand this principle."
"Look at how proud you are." Xue Baochai pursed her lips into a smile. "But your style … it's still not elegant enough."
"Yes, this is what the ancients call decadent music. It's simply unbearable to look at." At this time, the others gradually came back to their senses. A young master couldn't help but agree.
Xue Pan and Song Qingshu were naturally on the same side. Seeing this, he immediately retorted, "Ptui, you were the one who played the most happily just now. Doesn't that mean you like this kind of music?"
"I … I … Master Hua, I'm not …" That person's face instantly turned red and he hurriedly explained to Hua Kui.
At this time, Hua Yuyan couldn't help but laugh. "I think this tune is quite interesting. Although it goes against the ancient method, it's original and goes straight to the heart. That feeling just now was too wonderful."
This group of people had already felt somewhat ashamed of their reactions just now. Now that they heard the main character say this, they all sighed in relief. They no longer braced themselves to find fault and all agreed.
Hua Yuyan took the painting and walked to Song Qingshu's side. "Yuyan will keep my promise and give this painting to you, young master …" Her smile quickly froze because the other party nodded and took the painting. He casually passed it to Xue Baochai. "It's for you."
Xue Baochai was pleasantly surprised and nervous. "For me?"
"Didn't I say that I came out to play the zither for you?" Song Qingshu looked at her and replied.
Xue Baochai's little face instantly turned red. She lowered her head and didn't dare to look at anyone else. She replied in a small voice, "Thank you."
At the side, Xue Pan felt a little upset. He thought to himself, Baoyu is really a bastard. I treat him like a brother, but he's flirting with my sister? But this is also good. He doesn't want to fight with me for Master Hua. Sister, you can sacrifice a little and stall him for a while.
If Xue Baochai knew what he was thinking, she would probably grab the teapot beside her and smash it on his head.
Hua Yuyan was also a little angry at being ignored, but it wasn't convenient for her to lose her temper. She directly returned to her seat. "Young master Jia can see that everyone here is skilled in both the pen and the sword. This makes things difficult for Yuyan."
"What is troubling Master Hua? Tell us so that we can discuss it. Perhaps we can help you." The group of people all became spirited.
Hua Yuyan covered her mouth and laughed. "I'm just vexed. All the young masters are talented, but I'm alone. I can't split myself into two. But no matter who I choose, I'll hurt the reputation of the others. It's really difficult."
Everyone knew that the truth had come. They all smiled and said, "Master Hua, you worry too much. Just choose. We are not petty people."
Song Qingshu curled his lips. He thought to himself, these people are only pretending to be generous now to leave a good impression. When they find out that they have not been chosen, their expressions will probably not be so good.
Only then did Hua Yuyan say, "After thinking about it, I finally decided to leave the choice to heaven's will."
"Heaven's will?" The group of people were confused.
Hua Yuyan didn't explain. Soon, a maid brought out a stack of petals. She then said, "I just ordered people to pick these petals. All the young masters can count how many petals there are before they fall to the ground. In the end, the young master closest to the correct number wins."
Xue Baochai said in a low voice, "This Hua Kui is really scheming. Who can count so many petals in such a short time? Everyone can only guess. Everyone has the same chance. Everything will be decided by heaven's will. This way, no one can blame her."
Song QingShu smiled. "In a place like this, who isn't a smooth and slick person?"
Xue Baochai couldn't help but look at him. "It seems that you come to this kind of place often."
Song Qingshu's smile froze. He wisely didn't respond to her.
"Since everyone has no objections, I will begin." Hua Yuyan smiled slightly. She held the plate and began to dance, causing a group of men to cheer loudly.
Xue Baochai curled her lips and snorted in a very low voice. "It's just scattering petals. You still need to dance. So pretentious."
The yellow-robed woman on the side nodded in agreement.
Song Qingshu laughed inwardly. It seemed that women just didn't like women.
Hua Yuyan danced for a while. Suddenly, she pointed her wrist. Like a goddess scattering petals, a sky full of petals flew out from the plate. The group of people hurriedly opened their eyes wide to count. However, after counting a few petals, they became dizzy. How could they count all of them?
Xue Pan was so anxious that he couldn't help but ask his sister. Xue Baochai shook her head slightly. She couldn't count either.
Song Qingshu smiled slightly. With his cultivation, he could use his qi to sense. He didn't need to use his eyes to see. Soon, he confirmed the accurate number — 1024 petals!
Soon, everyone handed in their guesses. After Hua Yuyan checked, she said with a smile, "It seems that young master Xue's luck is the best. His answer is the closest to the actual number of petals."
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
