Tao Manwu ran over cheerfully. The grandfather and grandson pair usually did not go through these formalities, but perhaps because they saw that the young lady was innocent and looked kind, and that the young master sitting by the window did not seem like a bad person, they agreed. Hsu Fengnian beckoned for the waiter and ordered a pot of good tea and wine. Tao Manwu sat beside Hsu Fengnian and looked at her sister with admiration. She had only learned the zither and knew nothing about the pipa. She only felt that this young lady was very impressive. The blind old man drank a mouthful of wine and took a sip, slowly savoring the aftertaste. A knowing smile appeared on his weathered face. "Thank you, young master, for the money and wine. It's a pity that this old man only knows how to tell stories and has no way of repaying you."
Hsu Fengnian smiled. "I just thought that the stories were good to listen to and had some money on me. It wasn't easy for me to pass the time, so it's a pleasant surprise. Old Sir, you don't have to take it to heart. Just treat it as meeting an old friend in a foreign land. It's normal for the one who has more money in his pocket to treat you to some wine."
The old man laughed heartily. "That's true. Young master is magnanimous, so this old man can't be unreasonable. Come, let's have a toast. Although this wine is not as authentic as the Green Ant from Beiliang, it's still good wine. "
The two drank the wine in one gulp. As for the young and young ladies, they drank tea. The shopkeeper also gave them some cakes and fruits that did not cost much. They were also in a relaxed mood.
Hsu Fengnian smiled and asked, "Old Sir, aren't you afraid of getting into trouble by saying good things about the heir of Beiliang in Beimang?"
The old storyteller shook his head. "What's there to be afraid of? In today's world, if you want to earn more money than your peers, you can't be afraid of trouble."
Hsu Fengnian saw the scars on the back of the old man's hand as he held the bowl. He asked, "Old Sir, were you once a soldier of Beiliang? The knife wound on the back of my hand was not light. "
The old man probably had a fiery temper when he was young. Now that he spoke without any scruples, he laughed straightforwardly, "Isn't that so? At that time, I was in so much pain that I almost cried for my parents. At that time, I had just joined the Northern Liang Army and was laughed at by the old sergeant. Later on, I suffered more serious injuries, but I gritted my teeth and endured it. Now that I'm old, I really admire myself. However, young master might not know about the Northern Liang Army at that time. Heh, if you didn't have any scars, how could you have the nerve to greet your fellow soldiers who killed people shoulder to shoulder? You would have been treated as a little girl. It's funny to say that after joining the army for a few years, I couldn't wait to be hacked a few more times. Before our old sergeant died, he said, 'Whoever wants to usurp my position, take off your clothes. Whoever has more scars than me will be the sergeant. In short, whoever has more heads than me will be the sergeant.' In short, whoever has more heads than me will have to be the sergeant.
Hsu Fengnian muttered, "Old Sir, why did you say that you were in the Beiliang army back then?"
The storyteller drank a mouthful of wine and hesitated for a moment. After taking another big gulp, he slowly smiled bitterly and said, "These words can only be said to an outsider like you, Young Master. It's not a secret, and it's not a family scandal. Back then, our General defeated the Western Wall and destroyed the West Chu Dynasty, which was almost as powerful as Liyang at that time. Everyone in the Beiliang army was filled with resentment. They thought about how easy it was for those civil officials in the capital to talk. Even the old Emperor was suspicious of the General. Why don't we just rebel?! Let the Great General be the Emperor himself. The Great General would sit on the Dragon Throne and wear the Dragon Robe. Who wouldn't be convinced? It's a pity that the General refused. In fact, it's not a big deal. For us old soldiers in Liaodong, as long as we serve the General, it's fine if we don't want to be the Emperor. Later on, I followed him to Beiliang, and the atmosphere changed. The General was still the General. No one complained, but the General was not a man with four heads and six arms. Some of the generals under him probably thought that the world was peaceful and that it was time for them to earn back their money. Later on, many civil officials who had never fought in wars also climbed up the ranks. This old man and some of my old brothers were disheartened, especially me. I was blind and didn't want to occupy the latrine pit and waste the rations of the Beiliang army.
Seeing that the young master opposite him did not speak, the storyteller laughed and said, "Young master, don't think that the 300,000 cavalrymen of Beiliang are easy to deal with just because this old man nagged. Some of the officials are unreasonable, but the General is still the General. To tell you the truth, it may sound unpleasant to your ears. As long as the General is the King of Beiliang, you Beimang won't be able to take a single step south! If the General doesn't defeat the Beimang Royal Court, you should pray to Buddha! "
Hsu Fengnian smiled and said, "Drink."
The blind storyteller raised his bowl and said, "Drink!"
The old man drank to his heart's content and muttered to himself, "The reason why I'm not dead yet is because I have to take care of this poor granddaughter of mine. Also, I'm afraid that the people of Beiliang will lose their morale. What if something happens to the General? What will happen to the 300,000 cavalrymen? Four or five years ago, when this old man heard that His Royal Highness was idle and spent a lot of money in everything he did, he really wanted to go to the Beiliang Palace and beat him up. Only later did I find out that this was not the case. Thinking that since I don't have many years left to live, I'll visit as many towns as I can in Beimang and have a good talk with the Beimang people about our future King of Beiliang. That way, you northern barbarians won't be able to sleep well, haha. At most, this old man will be scolded and beaten a few times, I won't die. If I really die in Beimang, it won't be worse than those old brothers who died on the battlefield. "
The old man came back to his senses and said with a guilty smile, "Young master from Flying Fox City, this old man is babbling nonsense. Please don't take it to heart. I drank too much this time."
Hsu Fengnian shook his head and said with a Beiliang accent, "Old Sir, how do you know that I'm not from Beiliang?"
The storyteller was stunned and thought quickly. He guessed that this was a descendant of a Beiliang merchant who came to Beimang to do business. However, to be careful, he lowered his voice and said with a smile from the bottom of his heart, "No wonder you said that you met an old friend in a foreign land. Don't worry, this old man knows what's important. Today, I'll just treat it as drinking a pot of good wine with a young master from Flying Fox City. "
Hsu Fengnian said with a smile, "In the future, if this storyteller annoys the petty-minded Beimang people, you can scold the King of Beiliang and the Crown Prince of Beiliang. It doesn't matter. The world is big, but staying alive is the most important thing. Your granddaughter hasn't found a good man and is still relying on you to earn money. "
The storyteller shook his head and said, "What's there to scold? The Great General has never done anything wrong in his life. If I scold the Great General, I'll be rolled to death by the Old Decarchs in the underworld. His Royal Highness can't bear to scold him. He was blind in the past and scolded him so much. If he scolded him one more time, I won't be able to die in peace. Since my granddaughter was born into the Song family, this is her life. There's nothing to complain about. "
The young lady holding the pipa smiled gently.
She accepted her fate and was calm.
Hsu Fengnian put down his wine cup and said softly, "Old Sir, if you trust me, can you lend me your granddaughter's pipa to try playing? My second sister is especially good at martial pipa. I'm not as talented as her, but I've been influenced by her and know a thing or two. Maybe I can give you some simple insights. "
The old man said with a smile, "What's there to be reluctant about? Eryu, pass it to the young master. "
Hsu Fengnian smiled, "Miss, please pass me the zither wiping cloth as well."
The young lady blushed and stood up. She carefully handed over her beloved pipa.
After Hsu Fengnian carefully wiped the pipa, he sat upright and thought for a while. Then, the four fingers of his right hand were lined up. From the zither string to the winding string, he quickly flicked it to the right. Then, he withdrew three fingers and only used his right index finger to wind the string. The three strings of the old zither were played one after another.
One stroke and one hook.
The eyes of the young lady who had played the pipa for many years lit up.
This pipa was only the lowest grade of white wood pipa. Compared to those high grade pipas made of red sandalwood, rosewood, and rosewood, it was far from being strong enough to reach two or three li away. Hsu Fengnian gently demonstrated the strokes one by one. Then, he raised his head and smiled at the young lady standing next to him, "For a white wood pipa, the sound quality is considered good. If money allows, you can add a little glue. Old Sir said that the content of the book is especially critical of the pipa's brittleness. Also, the first string is not far from breaking. But in my opinion, since you're playing the pipa for the audience to enjoy, breaking the strings is also a beautiful thing that everyone will be happy to see. There's no need to rush to change the first string. I'll tell you more about the Cao family's pipa techniques. You can remember as much as you can … "
One spoke, the other listened.
The blind old man sipped his wine slowly and leisurely.
After Hsu Fengnian finished teaching the Cao family's techniques, which were recognized as almost extinct, he stood up and bid farewell. Holding Tao Manwu's small hand, he left the teahouse.
The young lady took back the pipa and muttered, "Grandfather, who is this young master?"
The old man drank the last mouthful of wine. His face was rosy and he smiled, "He's probably a good person I met by chance."
The old storyteller might not know in his life that he had once spoken face to face with the King of Beiliang about Beiliang.
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