Chapter 8: A Tune of Xian Weng Cao

Zhen Ting Yun secretly sighed when a knock sounded from the door. It was Ba Zhen carrying the hot porridge and side dishes.

Zhen Ting Yun went over to receive the tray personally. After a moment of consideration, she instructed Ba Zhen, “Go to my room and retrieve my zither. In addition, get Liu Shun to run an errand for me. I need her to buy two copybooks.”

After dishing out her instructions, she handed Ba Zhen a note with the words <The Records of Shi Ping Gong> and <The Twenty Characters of Dragon Gate> written on it before empathizing, “Only these two books.” 

Ba Zhen also recognised a few words. After receiving the note, she lowered her eyes and took a glance before acknowledging and heading downstairs.

Zhen Ting Yun then brought the tray of hot porridge and side dishes to Yuan Hui.

As she had favors to ask of him, Zhen Ting Yun’s face carried a smile, displaying the two small dimples on her cheeks. She spoke sweetly, “There’s nothing much here so you’ll have to make do with these first. Later on, I’ll go to the kitchen and have them stew some chicken broth for you to nourish your body. With your current conditions, you might need a while before you fully recover. You mustn’t lack this bit of nourishment.” 

Yuan Hui nodded and reminded her, “Not too greasy.”

Zhen Ting Yun was even able to subdue the ever-so-fussy Old Madame Zhen. She was not afraid of Yuan Hui being picky. She became more cooperative and accommodating as she echoed, “Yes, I know. You’re currently recovering so it’s better to consume less grease.”

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Ebld pbl prsjl, bla vsdl oyp xlzzso yde psqv. Rv oyp yp kq pbl oyp clkdt nsdpkelayvl sq Zwyd Twk.

Tsolhla, vbl zkvvzl tkaz’p kddla xsvkhlp olal yp nzlya yp y qzsokdt pvalyx vs Zwyd Twk.

Zwyd Twk wdelapvsse yv y tzydnl, ‘Fbl oydvp vs vyjl vbkp srrsavwdkvu vs vlpv xu nsxrlvldnu. Gde nsdnwaaldvzu byhl xl tkhl twkeydnl sd bla gkvbla pjkzzp.’ 

Mbkp oyp dsv y ckt elyz. Gqvla yzz, vblal olal rlsrzl vbyv kdelle bye vblka xlyzp kd ynnsxrydkxldv sq xwpkn yp y qsax sq alnalyvksd. Zwyd Twk zssjle yv Hbld Mkdt Zwd yde eke dsv alqwpl, bl dseele yp y pktd sq ytallxldv.

Gqvla y obkzl, Jy Hbld alvwadle okvb vbl gkvbla.

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As there was no zither stand or bench in the room, Zhen Ting Yun simply rested it on her lap. After tuning the strings, she began to play a tune of Xian Weng Cao1.

This was a piece that elderly scholar from the neighboring school finally taught her after she ground at his patience for a month. The elderly scholar was kind-hearted, seeing that Zhen Ting Yun had the sincerity to learn, he personally chose Xian Weng Cao, a tune that was basic and simple. With practice, it could also improve one’s mastery of zither from the techniques to one’s understanding.

Unfortunately, Zhen Ting Yun’s zither was an inferior one, coupled with an average rhythm and the fact that she was mostly self-taught. Although she was fluent, there were some mistakes that she did not notice. After listening to such a tune, leaning against the bedpost eating his porridge, Yuan Hui’s expression turned a little ugly.

Zhen Ting Yun took a breath, and when she looked up and saw Yuan Hui’s countenance, she could not help but ask, “What’s with your expression?”

Yuan Hui nonchalantly commented, “After Confucius heard the music of Shao from Qi State, he couldn’t enjoy the taste of meat for a long time2. Confucius sighed, ‘I never expected the appreciation of music to reach such high realms.’

“After listening to your tune, I’m afraid that for the next three months, I’ve lost my taste for meat3.”

Zhen Ting Yun, “…”

Zhen Ting Yun knew that Yuan Hui’s words were not meant as a compliment but a ridicule. She had originally intended to ask Yuan Hui for guidance and had already steeled her mind to endure humiliation. But her temper flared at his sarcasm, making her unable to continue sitting still. She rested the zither on the table, stood up, and looked directly at Yuan Hui.

She raised her eyes and stared at Yuan Hui’s handsome face. Her expression was heavy as she enunciated each word, “I know you have high standards and don’t think much of my zither skills. But I only started learning how to play the zither at ten and didn’t have many opportunities to see many antique and famous zithers. Thus, I may be unworthy of the best zithers made by a master craftsman. I can’t even afford one that costs a dozen teals from the streets and I have to buy a second-hand one from the elderly scholar from the neighboring school. Even that still cost me eight taels of silver, all of which I earned and saved myself. And after all that Grandma still scolded me for the next three days…” 

People said that the zither was a gentleman’s instrument. But this thing was not cheap, it could even be deemed expensive. Father Zhen became an official and often sent money and things back to Old Madame Zhen. It was possible to fish out a dozen teal of silver to buy a zither. However, Old Madame Zhen was extremely stingy and despised unrealistic skills like music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Even if Zhen Ting Yun talked her mouth off, Old Madame Zhen would never agree to buy a zither for her. 

In the end, it was Zhen Ting Yun who thought up ways to earn some money, coupled with the allowance she saved up in the past. Only then, did she manage to accumulate eight taels of silver to buy the old zither from the elderly scholar. She even had to shamelessly plead with the elderly scholar to impart a few music scores. It could be considered as a buy-one-get-one-free deal.

“Subsequently, I managed to learn how to play a few scores from an elderly scholar. When I practiced zither at home, my neighbors were peeved, and my grandma reprimanded me once again, believing I was a fool looking for trouble. It wasn’t until I started to improve did she relent.”

Recalling the frenzy caused when she was still grasping how to play the zither, the corner of Zhen Ting Yun’s lips raised unconsciously, “I always thought that even though I started later than most, my zither is not of the best quality, I don’t have scores nor a teacher to guide me but I can still learn a bit on my own. It’s not a bad thing to have more practice, after all, there should be much to gain from persevering, right? In the future, when I finally encounter a good teacher who is willing to guide me, I would at least know the basics and be able to learn faster.” 

Yuan Hui was silent as he listened to her. 

He had always been resolute, and his heart was as hard as the nether millstone4. He was rarely moved or easily persuaded by others. However, after he heard Zhen Ting Yun’s words, his heart was inexplicably moved. 

Zhen Ting Yun’s words were indeed accurate. Given her circumstances, the fact that she could think of learning the zither and was able to play such a tune was already not easy. She needed to have the determination to be able to overcome all obstacles from earning and saving, to buying an old zither that was not deemed necessary for her livelihood. She also needed to be flexible and intelligent to be able to not spend more silvers when finding a way to learn how to play the zither. She also needed to have endurance and perseverance, in order to ignore the shortsightedness and obstacles of others and stick to her resolution wholeheartedly until now.

After much contemplation, Yuan Hui, who rarely lowered his head, bowed down and said, “It seems that I’ve thought too lightly of this matter.”

Zhen Ting Yun blinked. She suddenly felt that Yuan Hui was not too horrid after all.

In the end, she heard Yuan Hui ask, “Even so, with your calligraphy and zither skills, where did you get the confidence to think that you could enter a women’s academy?”

Zhen Ting Yun raised her hand to rest it against her cheek. Looking at Yuan Hui, her brows curved and in a clear voice, she replied, “From you. You did say that it’s not completely impossible for me if I really want to enter the women’s academy.”

Yuan Hui, “…”

Yuan Hui raised his hand and pinched his glabella. He inhaled a deep breath and slowly exhaled to calm himself down. Then he patiently and meticulously pointed out all of Zhen Ting Yun’s mistakes from playing the zither before asking her to play it once more. 

Zhen Ting Yun listened attentively and benefited from his advice. One by one, she corrected the mistakes pointed out by Yuan Hui. The tune of Xian Weng Cao flowed more fluently and sounded more pleasant.

Yuan Hui, who was accustomed to listening to good music, felt that her tune was somewhat lacking. After pondering about it, he euphemistically made a suggestion, “Have you ever considered changing to a simpler instrument?”

Zhen Ting Yun felt her temper flare up once again, “Then have I practiced zither all this time for nothing?”

Yuan Hui patiently analyzed it for her, “You learnt the zither mainly because you want to get admitted into a women’s academy, yes? Zither is one of the most favored instruments learnt by ladies from aristocratic families. They would’ve started from a young age, with a good zither, famous teachers guiding, and antique scores, this allowed them to cultivate the zither arts perfectly. It wouldn’t be farfetched to say that some would have already received admission just based on their zither skills. If you’re hoping to catch up to those ladies and amaze the masses with just a few months’ worth of practice, that’s just daydreaming. So, why not choose a less common instrument instead? Set a new trend, pushing out the old and bringing in a new? You might even capture people’s attention the moment you appear on stage. In addition, there wouldn’t be anyone else playing the instrument for there to be a comparison. Who knows? It might be easier to score some points like this.” 

Although Zhen Ting Yun felt that his words were reasonable, she could not help but hesitate after remembering how long and hard she practiced playing the zither.

Yuan Hui continued to persuade her, “If you’re really interested in mastering the zither, it’s not too late to continue after you get admitted into a women’s academy. You could ask for guidance from the teachers then.”  

Hearing this, Zhen Ting Yun finally made up her mind. She looked at Yuan Hui and tentatively asked, “If I don’t play the zither, then what kind of musical instrument do you think is suitable for me?”

“Your arms look sturdy and strong, adequate for drumming.”

At that moment, Zhen Ting Yun did not know how to respond and just stared at him with wide eyes.

Yuan Hui studied her and casually added, “With your current foundation, I’m guessing it’s best to adopt an innovative approach. Why not dance with the accompaniment of drums? The strands of music accompanied by drumbeats are exceptionally moving. You might be able to amuse the teachers and get a good score.”

Zhen Ting Tun finally reacted, she questioned him stolidly, “Can I ask, will you be teaching me how to drum, or will you be teaching me how to dance as well?”  

This time, it was Yuan Hui’s turn to be lost for words.

After a while, Yuan Hui concluded, “Forget it, let’s learn the flute. It’s an instrument that I’m familiar with and it’s also easy to pick up. If you’re lucky, you’ll be able to find someone who can play the zither and perform a duet with you. It’ll be easier to score points as well.”

Zhen Ting Yun nodded as she contemplated, ‘Since bamboo flutes are not that expensive and he’s willing to teach. I’ll just take it as paying to learn a new skill.’ 

Thinking up to this point, Zhen Ting Yun caught a look of fatigue on Yuan Hui’s face out of the corner of her eyes and said, “Your injuries haven’t fully recovered so you should get more rest. Currently, I haven’t gotten the copybooks and bamboo flute yet. I shan’t intrude into your rest further.”

Yuan Hui nodded. When he lowered his head and see the half-finished bowl of cold porridge, he simply set them aside and instructed, “And clear this away as well.”

He commanded casually. It was not intentional, but it sounded habitual, revealing a hint of the indifference and arrogance of one that was superior.

Zhen Ting Yun did not mind either. Currently, Yuan Hui’s value in her heart was on the rise. Since she wanted to learn something from him, she was willing to be meek and subservient while fawning over him. She would just take it as serving her teacher.

She nimbly packed up the porridge and side dishes that Yuan Hui left. As she took the steps out of the room, she turned and told him, “Then you have a good rest. I’ll ask someone to slaughter a chicken and simmer some chicken soup for you. After stewing it for the whole afternoon, it should be ready for consumption tonight.”

Yuan Hui’s expression softened and he nodded.

Zhen Ting Yun thought for a while before asking aloud, “Are there any foods you avoid eating?”

Yuan Hui pondered and shook his head. He could not think of any at the moment. 

Zhen Ting Yun just assumed that he had no food aversions and nodded, before she added thoughtfully, “Alright, I understand. When the chicken broth is simmered, I’ll skim off the layer of oil before serving the soup. This way it won’t be too greasy.”

It should be said that if Zhen Ting Yun put her heart and soul into caring for someone, she could be really meticulous, considerate, gentle, and attentive, causing others to be emotionally moved. 

Yuan Hui was feeling a little tired and he suspected that Zhen Ting Yun had more to say. But one does not slap a person with a smiling face. Looking at Zhen Ting Yun’s smiling face and the sweet dimple on her pink cheeks, Yuan Hui could not find it within himself to lose his temper. He just waved his hand and pulled on the quilt, preparing to lay down to rest.

With the tray in her hands, Zhen Ting Yun pushed open the door and walked out. Before she closed the door, she suddenly remembered about the copybooks and added, “When the copybooks are bought, I’ll come back tonight to find you to practice calligraphy together…”

Yuan Hui ignored her and without replying, he pulled up the quilt.

He pulled the quilt over the top of his head, just enough to block Zhen Ting Yun’s voice as he finally caught some rest.