bookbashuk Page 103
Page 103
He crossed his arms over his chest and proudly raised his head.
Cen Qiong pulled his younger sister over, pressed her shoulder, and looked at the boy: "If we're talking about musical skills, Xiao Yao's musical skills are also quite good."
“You’ve known her since childhood, and you were classmates at the academy. If there’s anything you don’t understand, you can ask her to teach you.”
Cen Yao pouted so high it looked like she could hang an oil lamp on her lips: "Who wants to teach him?"
Fu Hai retorted irritably, "Her? Hah!" and walked straight out.
Cen Qiong looked at her younger sister and shook her head inwardly... This younger sister was completely incapable of being helped.
Cen Qiong knew that her younger sister was angry for a reason.
During the Lantern Festival, I specially gifted the other party two tickets with excellent seats. Even though my sister is considered outstanding at the Phoenix Dance Hall, such good seats are still quite difficult to obtain, and it took a lot of effort.
She clearly wanted to go to the theater with this young man, but she was too shy to say it. She hoped that he would invite her in return once he got the tickets.
The result was that the tickets were sent out, but they made no splash at all.
What's even more infuriating is that on the day of the performance, the younger sister discovered that the two tickets she had given her were for seats occupied by completely unrelated people, while the young man was sitting in a different seat with another beautiful woman of unknown origin.
Cen Yao didn't know who the beautiful woman was, but he saw that she was wearing toy cat ears and had her face pressed against his arm, looking very intimate.
She was so angry that she trembled all over and felt cold that night... Of course, the main reason was that it rained heavily that night, and she got soaked while she was sulking outside.
When Cen Qiong found out, she was speechless.
Sister, if you want to invite him to come along, just say so!
Once the tickets are given to someone, it's their own business who they invite.
Cen Qiong knew that her younger sister had been there since the Lantern Festival.
The problem is that I've been angry for so long, but the boy has no idea. So all my anger is for nothing.
This girl clearly likes someone, but she won't say it. Like now, she actually wants to teach him, but she just pouts and says some arrogant things that don't mean what she really means.
If things continue like this, she might still be waiting for him even when he's already raising his grandchildren.
Cen Qiong knew that once the boy left, her younger sister would surely cry secretly in her room that night because she had missed the chance to reconcile with him.
So he said, "Young Master Fu! The way of playing the qin is a very particular thing. Qin with different materials and structures have different tones, and different qin players bring different qins. They are not interchangeable."
"If you don't know which type of piano suits you, and you only find out after buying it that it doesn't fit your hand or doesn't match your musical sense, then you've wasted your money."
“Inside the Phoenix Dance Pavilion, there are many zithers for beginners. The Luoxia, Jiaoye, and Yueshan zithers, each with its own characteristics. Why don’t you come with me there first, try out those zithers, and then see which one suits you best?”
Fu Hai thought about it and decided that taking this opportunity to ask this famous talented woman in the county for advice might not be a bad thing.
Before this, he didn't know that there were so many different kinds of zithers.
But thinking about it, it makes sense; there is no such thing as assembly lines or industrialization in this world.
The instruments from different places will definitely have their own characteristics due to the wood, strings and structure used, making it difficult to unify them.
The zither itself is very expensive. If you don't learn some knowledge about it, you'll just waste dozens of taels of silver, and it might not even be of any use.
So he said, "Then thank you very much, Miss Qiong."
Cen Qiong smiled and said, "Young Master Fu, you don't need to be so polite. You and my sister were classmates in the academy and can be considered childhood sweethearts. Music, dance, and singing are also my sister's strengths. In the future, when you have free time, just come over, and she will definitely teach you well."
Look at your sister... Speak up!
Cen Yao twisted her face and said awkwardly, "Well, it's not impossible."
Fu Hai said, "Forget it! I don't think she understands much, and even if she did, she wouldn't want to teach. Even if she wanted to teach me, I wouldn't learn from her."
Cen Yao put her hands on her hips: "As if I'd teach you just because you want to! Humph."
Cen Qiong shook her head. Where did her sister learn this awkwardness from? How will she ever get married?
Fu Hai said, "Besides, it's not even certain whether her skill level is better than mine. Although I've never touched a zither, I have extensive theoretical knowledge."
Cen Yao laughed loudly: "You have a lot of theoretical knowledge? What do you take the way of the zither for? Do you think practicing the zither is a very simple thing?"
"It takes even more time than learning martial arts. Not only do you need talent, but you also need to practice every day. I see you can't even distinguish the styles of those instruments, yet you claim to have a wealth of theoretical knowledge."
Fu Hai thought about it and realized that he might have said something wrong.
Although he didn't like Cen Yao, he was willing to admit his mistakes: "Ah! I misspoke. Although my theoretical knowledge is not good, my practical skills are excellent. Maybe I can learn it as soon as I start."
Cen Yao exclaimed, "Ah! Damn it...you...you bastard, you never talk like this...you weren't like this before..."
Fu Hai also exclaimed "Ah!" for a moment before realizing what she meant: "I mean, my practical skills are amazing. What are you thinking, Second Miss?"
So speechless.
Cen Qiong immediately looked at her sister and shook her head: "People are saying that he has great practical skills. What are you thinking, sister?"
This is absolutely ridiculous!
Sister, you really shouldn't be so arrogant anymore. Why don't you just run off to the Dragon Claw Inn tonight and strip naked in front of him?
You don't need to come back tomorrow. We don't need any betrothal gifts or anything like that. We'll add the dowry at home and send it to you tomorrow.
To what extent have you started having inappropriate thoughts about him?
Cen Yao blushed and jumped up and down, saying urgently, "You didn't explain it clearly yourself. I... I... it's not like I was just imagining things."
Fu Hai was too lazy to argue with her: "Yes, yes, yes!"
Cen Qiong thought her younger sister was hopeless: "Yes, yes, yes!"
Chapter 189 Give me fifty coins, and listen to my next move.
The three arrived at the Phoenix Dance Pavilion, and Fu Hai was led inside by the two sisters.
The Phoenix Dance Hall occupies a vast area. Although it focuses on dance, it also involves the arts of music, chess, calligraphy, and painting.
Phoenix Dance Hall teaches various arts and skills, and also teaches martial arts. Cen Yao has the strength of the ninth realm.
Although these "Nine Realms" have never experienced real battles in the martial world, and are mainly based on dance with a lot of fluff, their skill level is indeed high.
In the county town, many young ladies from prominent families would send their daughters here to learn arts and crafts, which is why Fengwu Pavilion was quite famous in An County.
Cen Qiong was a renowned talented woman in An County. She was a nominal teacher at Fengwu Pavilion and would regularly teach the young ladies the art of qin music.
She led Fu Hai to the Xiuqin Building inside the museum.
Fu Hai looked around and saw musical instruments such as the zither and pipa displayed there, and many young girls practicing their instruments under the guidance of their teachers, the tinkling and clanging of the strings filling the air.
Cen Qiong led the boy to a side hall.
She intended to create more opportunities for her sister and the boy to be alone, but if she left, her sister would probably become awkward again, clearly wanting to please him but also acting arrogant.
So he smiled and went to get the instrument, but asked his sister to explain the different types of instruments to him.
Cen Yao did her best, and under her explanation, Fu Hai learned that the so-called "phoenix perches on the parasol tree" meant that the parasol tree was indeed the most suitable wood for making musical instruments.
In fact, a good paulownia wood zither can be bought for around forty taels of silver. However, if he, as a layman, were to buy one himself at a music store, he would be ripped off badly, and it would be impossible to buy a paulownia wood zither for less than seventy taels of silver.
The girl at the music store said that instruments under seventy taels are just for making a sound, which is not a lie for a real musician.
What she didn't say was that the zither she sold for seventy taels could be discounted by half or even further if you had connections.
"This is a banana leaf zither!"
Cen Yao gently played a tune on the paulownia wood zither in front of her, whose body resembled a banana leaf and whose bottom looked like the stem of a scorched leaf. "The banana leaf zither has a mellow and elegant sound, suitable for playing ethereal pieces. There are also differences between large and small banana leaf versions."
"The small banana leaf zither is more delicate, and its tone is clearer."
Fu Hai listened intently, and indeed, the sound was clear and ethereal.
"You play it!" Cen Yao pushed the banana leaf zither in front of her to Fu Hai.
"Shall we burn incense and take a bath?" Fu Hai couldn't help but ask, since that's what many books say.
"No need for practice!" Cen Yao said irritably. "It's not like I'm asking you to perform on stage."
Fu Hai straightened the banana leaf zither and played it.
The strings, under Cen Yao's slender fingers, easily produced ethereal and elegant melodies, but under his fingers, they sounded like a group of children running around.
“You haven’t learned anything at all,” Cen Yao said, covering her mouth with a laugh.
“It’s not too late to learn now!” Fu Hai said. “I’m very talented.”
Cen Yao then brought out a zither with wave-like sides and an inlaid red and black lacquer finish: "This is the Luoxia Zither. The Luoxia Zither has a powerful and resonant sound, suitable for playing grand and majestic pieces."
Fu Hai listened and indeed the voice was even louder.
"Why don't you try this one?" Cen Yao pushed it towards him again.
Fu Hai flicked the strings a few times, and this time it sounded like a flock of roosters crowing wildly.
"A complete mess," Cen Yao muttered to him.
"This is the Yueqin. Look here, its waist is shaped like a full moon, and when played, it produces a clear, resonant sound, like striking a chime... This is the Canleiqin. It is actually derived from the Luoxiaqin, but its curves are reversed, making it more upright... This is the Lianzhuqin... This is the Zhujieqin... This is the Luoxiangqin..."
She was quite patient, explaining the past to each instrument one by one.
Fu Hai secretly activated the "Mid-grade Qin Skill" gifted to him by the system and listened intently.
With Cen Yao's simple explanation, he was able to grasp the unique characteristics of the different types of zithers.
"I never imagined that there were so many intricacies to the zither!" he exclaimed in surprise.
On the one hand, he felt that musical instruments should also have a "standard of measurement," and that a few types should be standardized and the rest should be eliminated to avoid such a wide variety.
On the other hand, I also feel that there's nothing wrong with having a variety of styles.
Cen Yao said, "If you want to learn the zither, you must be very clear about the characteristics and stories of each type of zither, and even be able to recognize what kind of zither it is just by someone playing a few notes."
Fu Hai shook his head. This is just like the so-called tea ceremony. To be able to taste anything, you not only need to know what kind of tea it is, but also what kind of water it is.
In this era, the refined pursuits of literati and scholars were extremely trivial.
Cen Yao added, "But if you really want to practice the piano, you need to become familiar with all kinds of instruments, and then specialize in one of them."
"After all, a martial artist needs to be familiar with all eighteen martial arts, but in practice, it's usually a knife or a sword. It's impossible to become proficient in every weapon, right? There's neither the skill nor the need for that."
"It's impossible for a person to carry all eighteen kinds of weapons with them when they travel."
She glanced at him, then pouted and said, "But you know, learning the piano isn't easy. Without ten years of hard work, you can't even make it as a street performer. I don't see any talent in that area, so why did you come here to learn the piano?"