Last time on Zhui Xu: Ning Yi teaches Nie Yun Zhu a new song, Song Mao plots with Su Wen Xin, and Seventh Young Master Su Wen Li tries to entice Shopkeeper Xi over to his side.
Chapter 28 | Table of Contents | Chapter 30
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Chapter 29 – Samgha Rain (2)
“… … if you come to my side, you will be a chief shopkeeper of the Su Mansion. You can use the resources of the third Su branch as you please. We will agree to all requests you have. If you can maintain the resources well, Second Sister is just a woman so there are ways for you to get her if she cannot take over the eldest branch … My father says you are a smart person. Everyone knows you are smart. We are sincere. There is no need for other words. You can think about it …”
Su Wen Li’s voice echoed in the wind and snow. He had said all he had prepared beforehand. Among the shopkeepers of the eldest Su branch, Xi Jun Yu was clever and strong, the most dazzling one. While his history could not compare to the senior people, no one doubted that he would be able to support half of the Su Family in the future. Most people even said that Xi Jun Yu was the kind of person who would place first in the imperial exams. He had refused the Wu Family who had pledged enormous gold. He only stayed in the Su Familiy due to the second miss Su Tan Er.
Due to this, ever since Su Tan Er’s marriage, Su Yun Fang and Su Wen Li had been attempting to get close to the other and show goodwill. Su Wen Li knew he did not have sufficient capabilities, but he always thought himself one who respected the wise and treated those with abilities generously. He cared about “I may be useless, but I only have to give the matters to the people who are capable.” This attitude once received much praise from the outside world.
However, Xi Jun Yu only looked at him for a while after hearing his words and then patted his shoulder heavily. Amidst Su Wen Li’s confusion, he shook his head and sneered, “Seventh Young Master, don’t be naive …”
“This is your best chance … you know what I say is true.”
Su Wen Li was confused and couldn’t guess the other’s thoughts. Xi Jun Yu’s hand was heavy on his shoulder. He could only repeat these words. A moment later, he saw Xi Jun Yu sigh.
“Ha, Seventh Young Master, respecting the wise, and treating others generously is good. I know Third Master taught you this. If you cannot manage, then don’t meddle. This is a shortcut. But you do not understand. People who truly lead others have to be able to subdue them. If one day, two of your subordinates are at odds, and you do not even have the ability and reputation to decide, how do you lead others!”
Xi Jun Yu only wanted to laugh as he looked at the man in front of him. Su Wen Li thought for a moment. “At least … this is a good thing for you!”
Xi Jun Yu shook his head. “I, Xi Jun Yu, will not stand with those fated to fail.”
He turned to leave after saying this. Seeing the figure stride away, Su Wen Li finally realized after hesitating for a while. “You are angry! You are angry!”
“You finally improved a bit,” Shi Jun Yu said coolly. He waved his hand without looking back. The snow seemed to explode in the air. “Wake up, Seventh Young Master, you all will never beat Su Tan Er. From the start, she didn’t think of you!”
The wind and snow danced. Su Wen Li watched dumbstruck as the figure in the black robes left. A moment later, he frowned deeply. He suppressed his anger. He thought this was the first time Xi Jun Yu lost control and became angry in his many interactions and there should be an opportunity. But because of Shi Jun Yu’s words, his displeasure couldn’t be suppressed. Then he punched the tree trunk next to him.
He wasn’t very strong, and a punch like this usually would just cause some pain. He was prepared for pain and shook his hand in the air a few times, gritting his teeth. With a woosh, his neck felt cool, and his shoulders were covered in snow. He furiously looked up. Then his gaze turned shocked. His mouth widened, and horror rose on his face…
From a distance, it looked like the figure under the tree punched the tree. the tree shook and then …. boom—whoosh—
The figure was drowned, leaving only two hands and a foot struggling in the snow pile.
A moment later, the shout of a servant girl came. “Help — help — Seventh Young Master is buried in the snow–
“… to hear spring herald laughter is the envy of many, the history books offer no warmth and the pen is too vicious. Fireworks cool easily, people part so soon. You ask, have I stayed true … After a thousand years, who still waits for the sentiments of a weary world, yet how can we not leave a legacy when we have the Wei books in Luoyang. If you had taken your vows in another life, you would have walked with me in red for a lifetime …”
The strings made lights sounds like streams of water. The woman’s voice was shallow, full of exploration, contemplation and doubts. Her singing melted together the usual monophonic singing of the present with some of the twists and turns that Ning Yi had taught her. The tune was not high and was soft and long like mellow wine.
The man carefully peeled off the eggshell of the duck egg during the song. The amber color appeared in the air as the shell fell off. In this time, similar to the Song Dynasty, the pine-patterned egg appeared for the first time. Then it was placed in a porcelain bowl, its amber color vivid among the patterns. Nie Yun Zhu heard that Nie Yun Zhu’s song was different from the original and could sense a bit of an ancient tone.
Even though he was in this time, and what he saw and heard were of the simpler life, simple and dull. When he walked by the Qinhuai River, the boats and buildings were not as beautiful as on TV, and the streets were dirty. Something like the ancient tones was a kind of mental state. For example, when he watched the lantern fire in the Su Compound, when he taught Xiao Chan to sing Prelude to the Water Melody, when he experienced the peace of the small tower within the rainstorm, he would think of many years in the future, and the ancient tones would appear. He was a modern person. This kind of state of mind accumulated the presence of time, like poetry and mind.
After listening to the song, Nie Yun Zhu hesitated to say something. She had never heard a folk song like this. But such a strange singing method was also not among the music which could be performed in public. For over a thousand years, music was always monophonic. Even after a thousand years, the musical style pursued in each local area focused on presence and breathing. In terms of variation, they were far less than the different styles of modern music. After singing this song, Nie Yun Zhu could detect the complex variations that the song pursued with her skill. In a certain way, this simple song which pursued technique and complex variation was almost unorthodox. For her, there was a lot of shock and inspiration.
On the other hand, the lyrics were so shallow and some parts seemed to be pieced together … She looked at Ning Yi. Maybe it was random. Like he said something random, only caring about this interesting singing method so he pieced together a song like this. Even so, it was shocking. Those scattered and plain words also created an imperceptible mood, and was like a frivolous game. Before this, Nie Yun Zhu had never thought that she would be at a loss due to a song like this.
“Young Master, did you randomly piece it together like this?” While it was hard to believe, it must be like this. If one was really familiar with music, they wouldn’t create a folksong like this.
“Is it listenable?”
“Strange, but interesting.” Nie Yun Zhu thought and carefully chose her words. Then she smiled. “However … I fear this is just for fun, or when friends gather together. Um … I fear …”
She was too embarrassed to say and Ning Yi laughed. “Cannot be performed in public. Haha.” He paused. “But this is just because I like it and find it interesting to listen to.”
Ning Yi was usually easy-going and Nie Yun Zhu was used to it. Seeing his attitude, the confusion and chaos inside left her. This was just a slightly strange song, used for listening and to make them happy. She had a deep understanding of music and had some bottom lines that had to be defended. But she was not surprised by what was happening, and just felt that it should be so.
“It’s pleasing.” She smiled and nodded. “But … I’ve never heard such a song before. I will need to study a few days to make a new score …”
Ning Yi smiled and nodded. “Ha, of course. I am not in a hurry. In reality, hearing it is very good. Just now, it was great.”
“Young Master is too complimentary. There are many places where I did not perform fully …” Nie Yun Zhu spoke as she gazed at the duck egg in the bowl. “How did this salted duck egg become like this?”
“This is the pine patterned egg. You can call it the Emerald Egg, Agate Egg, Wealth Egg or other things … You can taste this jar, I will take the other one. Sell them for a high price, there should be business. You will be the only one with it in the world, no one else has it …”
Ning Yi smiled as he introduced the pine patterned egg. He had originally asked Nie Yun Zhu to make two jars, fifty total. Now, he decided to take one with him. He originally wanted to make this to eat, and it was the same whoever he sold it to. Nie Yun Zhu understood music and he had to rely on her to create music scores. This was an investment.
After a minor refusal, Nie Yun Zhu accepted in the end. They chatted a while longer. Nie Yun Zhu found some straw strings to tie the jar. Ning Yi picked up the clay jar and bid farewell. Nie Yun Zhu saw him off at the door before returning to her room.
“Rain drizzles softly, the grasses and trees have grown deep in my hometown …”
She softly hummed the music and contemplated the lyrics on the paper. Nie Yun Zhu then picked up the pine patterned egg in the bowl. She took a bite, and as she slowly chewed, she hummed the lyrics.
Strange lyrics never heard of before. A duck egg taste she had never tasted. All this flooded into her mind. Just now when Ning Yi was here, her mind had been at peace. But now, it was slightly chaotic.
“The mud-splattered city gate, the winding old tree roots, what echoes off the stone slabs is ‘keep waiting’… …”
“Rain drizzles softly, the grasses and trees have grown deep in my hometown …”
“From the sound of the city outskirts, a shepherd’s lute lands in that wild village, where fate once planted our destiny …”
“I heard, you remained alone in life …”
“Walk with me in red for a lifetime …”
She hummed softly as she thought of many things. She thought of when the two had pushed the cart back together. She put down the egg, and walked to the door, opening it. Wind and snow blew in. She stood and gazed towards the distant road. The figure in indigo robes was moving away under an umbrella in the snow, leaving behind a blurry figure.
“In red …”
Her heart beat. She felt she was standing at the doorway to the world. Her chest rose up and down slightly. Her thoughts were like the tide. She felt that the meaning in the lyrics were hard to say, and then felt that there was something else. Dong dong dong, dong dong dong. Her heart beat furiously. Then she felt she thought too much.
“Young Master Ning is a gentleman and just wrote these words casually … Nie Yun Zhu …”
“Nie Yun Zhu, Nie Yun Zhu, Nie Yun Zhu….”
The distant figure long disappeared in the snow. She closed the door, pressed her lips together and returned to the table to sit down. She really had thought too much. She propped her face up on her palm and looked sideways at the lyrics. She sang a few phrases and then laid down, her chin on her overlapping hands. She looked over. The pine patterned egg with one bite was closeby. A faint ray of light came through the door, and caused a crystal haze on the amber color.
She laid there looking dazedly at the color in the dim room like a little girl …
Chapter 28 | Table of Contents | Chapter 30
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