Chapter 82 Chapter 82 A bagpipe sounded in the distance

They stayed in Edinburgh for three days, all three days were cloudy and drizzling. Finally, on the day they rented a car to go to the Scottish Highlands, the sky cleared up and they saw the long-lost sun again. Sitting in the car on the way to Glencoe, Quan Xingai stuck half of her body out of the car, and she screamed "Praise the Sun" like an ancient Egyptian.

The car drove out of Edinburgh, passing through several smaller towns, and the cityscapes gradually faded away. The car drove on the gray A9 highway, winding through increasingly open land. The scenery was no longer the traditional English countryside, but a primitive, powerful wilderness emerged.

"In my mind, my new album is like the scenery of the Highlands. It is wild, delicate, and needs to be explored and savored." Quan Xingai turned up the volume of the car's stereo, and the soothing music mixed with the ethereal sound of Scottish bagpipes and soothing electronic music was carried to the clouds by the wind.

"The theme song?" Kwon Ji-yong drove from A9 to A82 - the legendary route known as the "Highland Road", and the scenery began to show a real change.

The sky seemed infinitely vast, the clouds so low they seemed within reach. Their rapid movement and shifting cast vast shadows across the rolling hills. Massive slopes, near and far, were blanketed in a riot of heather and dense moss, like a vast, soft carpet. Everywhere, dark grey rocks, remnants of the Ice Age, lay like sleeping giants.

Quan Xingai was in a good mood, full of inspiration. "Yeah, the ethereal combination of bagpipes and electronic music, combined with the melody and hip-hop rhythm and blues, how about giving it a reference?"

"The melody is impeccable. I always say that Nu is a pure melodic genius. The rhythm and arrangement can still be polished. Baby, do you want your lyrics to be written in English? Or Korean?" Driving on the highlands, the rented Land Rover seemed as small as a toy in the wilderness. In such an environment, the artist instinctively began to extend his sensitive tentacles to the earth and the clouds, collecting all kinds of inspiration from nature.

"How about mixing multiple languages? Write down all the ones I know, English, Korean, Japanese, oh, and my Chinese has been pretty good lately. For Italian and Spanish, which are brothers in distress, I'm thinking of a small number of auxiliary words, such as 'viva la vida' (Long live life in Spanish)" Quan Xingai told Quan Zhilong her inspiration and plan.

"Wow, wow, wow, how should I put it, Nuna and I had the same idea. I had this idea when I started thinking about making a new album at the end of last year. I wanted to write a song to connect me with my fans. Although Nuna and I had different starting points, it seems that we have reached the same destination." Kwon Ji-yong showed a surprised look and high-fived Xingai in the air.

The two of them drove and talked along the way, stopping several times on the way to the canyon.

One time, it was to make way for a group of hairy, bang-faced "non-dominant cattle" Highland cattle. They walked slowly across the road, with an arrogant look of indifference to people and cars.

Quan Xingai took a photo with her phone, and Quan Zhilong stood in the distance, wanting to go over and see the calf, but hesitant to go forward for fear of being kicked by the calf. Seeing his girlfriend laughing with her phone, Quan Zhilong took a step forward and hugged Xingai, holding her hands and asked angrily, "Hey, are you laughing so happily?"

"Jilong, don't you think this cow's hairstyle really looks like a human?" Quan Xingai showed him the photo she took of Quan Zhilong frowning and trying to get close to the cow, but a brown calf turned its head back, with its bangs covering its eyes, and chewing grass with a cool look on its face.

"Ah! I get it. Let's take a photo and send it to him. He met his lost brother in Scotland." Kwon Ji-yong immediately understood what Xing Ai said.

Then it was already evening in faraway Seoul, and Daesung, who was still recording his own YouTube variety show, received a message from the captain.

"Mo ah? Brother Zhilong sent me a message." He happened to be recording with CL.

"Oppa? Brother Zhilong? What did he send you?" They were all acquaintances of Waiji, and the recording was relaxed and casual. CL asked curiously.

"Ah - brother sent me a photo of a cow. Does it look like me?" He showed his signature smile and changed his middle-parted bangs into the bowl cut of his made period.

"Let me see, hahahaha, it really looks like you, brother." CL laughed so hard that she fell over.

During post-production, the close-up photo of the Highland cattle that Kwon Ji-yong sent to Dae-sung was put together with a photo of Dae-sung himself, and an insert close-up was added.

"Brother always thinks of me when he goes out to travel." Dacheng and CL boasted with a smile.

"Oh my god, Oppa——" CL gave Dacheng a speechless look.

[I didn’t say that my dragon would make a remote guest appearance in this episode, hahahaha]

[I have to say this cow really looks like Dacheng! ]

[Was Long Ge traveling in Scotland at that time?]

[That should be the case. They were recording songs and filming music videos in London, and after that, they went to Scotland, I think?]

【Inexplicably exposed itinerary 2333】

…

The two of them had no time to pay attention to these variety show anecdotes. Their attention was captivated by the pure beauty of the lake and mountains. Neither of them knew what kind of lake it was. They only knew that the deep, icy blue water before them reflected the surrounding mountains and the swiftly shifting shadows of clouds. Shafts of sunlight filtered through the gaps in the clouds, creating beautiful "Tindale" patterns. The wind blew unimpeded across the lake, bringing with it a fresh, moist air, scented with the delicate fragrance of wildflowers and the aroma of earth.

This was the second time they stopped on the road, and after checking Google Maps they realized that there was also a famous tourist attraction nearby.

"It's still some distance from the hotel. Can I take the rest of the way?" Quan Xingai asked while looking at his phone.

"Let's go and see this lake first. I feel the world is so far away from me. Time goes so slowly here watching the flowing clouds." Quan Zhilong pulled Xing Ai all the way to the lake, until they lay on the lawn panting, looking at the big white clouds in the sky.

"People here really know how to enjoy themselves. Look at that boy over there sitting on the dock. He has the style of an art film." Quan Xingai pointed at a thin boy with black hair who was sitting on the dock not far away, holding a guitar and looking at the water.

"But he looks a little sad, and he doesn't seem to be in a good state." Quan Zhilong, who is very sensitive to emotions, frowned and looked a little worried.

"We'll guard him here. Don't get too close. Watch from a distance. If he does something stupid, we can save him immediately." Quan Xing'ai's expression was also a little serious. Looking closely, the boy indeed had an aura of despair, staring blankly at the lake without blinking.

The clouds in the sky kept moving, and time passed by minute by minute. The boy still sat there motionless, which made Quan Zhilong and Quan Xingai even more worried. Finally, Quan Xingai moved. She patted Zhilong's shoulder soothingly, showed a sweet smile and walked to the dock. Before she got close, the boy screamed shrilly.

"S-Stop! Don't come any closer!"

"OK ok, I won't come close, I won't do anything, I just want to borrow your guitar. I'm a singer and songwriter, and I'm making music, but I don't have any equipment. I saw that you have been holding the guitar for a long time without using it, so--can I borrow it?" Quan Xingai squatted several meters away from the boy, her tone very natural.

The boy turned his head, big dark circles hung on his face, and he looked so thin that a gust of wind could blow him away. He still looked like a teenager.

"Look over there, that handsome guy, my boyfriend, is also a singer. We are preparing a new album and new songs. Do you want to listen to them..."

"No, I don't want to, go away!" The boy turned his head and said in disgust.

"Okay, I'll leave. Then, can I borrow your guitar?" Quan Xingai didn't care about the boy's attitude and still asked him with a thick face and a smile to borrow his guitar.

"..." The boy didn't move. After waiting for a long time, he stretched out his hand slightly and handed it over.

"Thank you, you are our only listener. Well, not really the only one. This lake and this mountain are all listeners." Quan Xingai took the guitar in one step and without waiting for the boy's reaction, she walked up to him and hugged him with her warm arms, then quickly let go.

The boy turned slightly to see the dark-haired, Asian-looking woman running excitedly back to the lakeside lawn, guitar in hand. She and her boyfriend didn't start playing immediately, but instead played music. At first, it was just a jumble of unintelligible syllables and fragments, harsh and unpleasant! Soon, the music changed, a few unpleasant rhythms blending together into a strange rhythm. Then, a melodious guitar melody emanated. It was astonishing how these two completely different things could be combined so beautifully.

The boy turned his head curiously and looked at the two people. Their smiles were very contagious. Both of them had beautiful and friendly faces when they smiled. They were unfamiliar faces in a foreign country that made the boy feel safe.

He is a patient with depression. His mother passed away when he was in elementary school and he gradually began to feel depressed. His father took him to many places and tried to make him happy, but his condition became worse and worse. Until recent years, he had thoughts of suicide. Today he had planned to end his life.

As usual, he came to the lake and was in a daze. Every time he brought his mother's guitar, his father would tell him with red eyes that if there was a second when he wanted to play this guitar, wanted to play it, then he should completely put aside those negative emotions, actively treat it, and try hard to live.

Today, he sat for a long time, still unwilling to play his guitar. Then, two foreign couples borrowed his guitar. Was this God's will? He was doomed to be unable to play today. The foreign couple on the lawn seemed to have finished their melody and seemed to be very happy. Their joy seemed contagious, and then the woman began to sing.

"We have counted the weight of stardust in the clouds

If you are lost in the long night, the stars are your direction

All things breathe in a rhythm, vast and light —

That is freedom, eternal, deep, and never thinned.

(Everything is breathing, that is freedom, eternal and long)" (I didn't make up this song)

The boy heard the woman singing. Her voice was beautiful. The first two lines seemed to be in Japanese, Chinese, or something else. He didn't understand them at all, but he understood the last two lines. Then the man covered his mouth and began to bang, singing like a hymn. Suddenly, the woman's aura changed. Her voice was slightly hoarse as she began to rap. The rap was in English, but if you listened carefully, you could tell it was just pure rhyming words, without any lyrics at all.

After singing the whole paragraph, the boy heard that the couple seemed to have some dispute over the lyrics or melody. Their voices became louder and louder, and they argued with each other. It seemed like they were about to quarrel, but they were very lively. Without realizing it, the boy's attention was completely attracted by Jeon Star Love and Kwon Ji-yong who were composing the title song of the new album.

The noisy, clamorous, low-pitched rap and complex electronic sampling disturbed the quiet surface of the lake, as if the lake and the mountains were filled with the "noise" of hip-hop, rock and electronic music, but it was so lively and full of vitality. The boy was unconsciously absorbed in listening, and his body posture gradually leaned towards the two people by the lake.

After arguing over the new song, the two embraced and reconciled. Finally deciding on the lyrics and rhythm for the chorus, Quan Xingai noticed the boy's eyes flickering with curiosity not far away, so she simply performed the new song in its entirety. The rap lyrics were a spontaneous interpretation by Quan Zhilong, who had adapted the lyrics from the Scottish poet Robert Burns's "Red Rose."

After singing "Jun Xingai", the song did not stop. The guitar melody switched to the most famous Scottish folk song, which was brought to the world by Hollywood and named "Auld Lang Syne". Jeon Xingai and Kwon Ji-yong smiled at each other, and then began to sing this famous song in English in harmony. At the last part, Jeon Xingai walked to the boy while playing and singing with a guitar.

"...Auld Lang Syne," the last line happened to be the title of the Scottish song. Quan Xingai sighed deeply and regretfully, putting down the guitar in her arms and complaining angrily, "Baby, you can't even play the Beatles' Hey Jude? A musician can't even do this?"

The boy moved his fingers but didn't say anything. The young couple continued to quarrel.

"I'm not very good at guitar, sorry babe, I'll learn it when we get back, okay?"

"No, I want to listen now!" The woman pouted with an unhappy look on her face as she returned the guitar to the boy. "Thank you for your instrument. It's a great guitar. It's at least 30 years old, and the sound quality is still great. You must have put a lot of thought into it. And what a coincidence, there's a name, Jude, engraved on it."

The boy lowered his head, holding the guitar in his arms. His fingers moved and familiar notes flowed like running water. His hoarse voice sang the song written by Beatles member Paul for Lennon's children, "Hey Jude' don't make it bad..."

Quan Xingai laughed. She saw Jude's name on the guitar and the calluses on the boy's fingers. He must have played it many times, but he must have stopped playing for a long time. This instrument must be very important to him. The two of them simply spent the whole afternoon by the lake in the unnamed Scottish Highlands, "wasting" time with guitar and music with an unnamed little boy who wanted to give up his life.

Then the three of them sang together this song which is well-known to everyone in Britain.

"Then you'll begin to make it

Better better better better better oh” (and then start a new life, it will be better and happier)

Finally the three of them opened their throats and screamed towards the lake 'na na na hey Jude'

The boy kept crying, and at the end the only sound left in the song was him screaming "Hey Jude".