Chapter 16, Song 16...

Qu Jiaying took the bow from Chen Li and immediately tried it out, and was pleasantly surprised.

"It feels so different; even the music has become softer."

Chen Li calmly replied, "Of course, this is Stradivarius's bow."

"Huh?!" Qu Jiaying's hand trembled.

Yan Zheng, who accompanied her, was also startled and carefully protected the bow.

“This bow and the zither don’t match. Grandma used to say she wanted to donate them together, but in the end she kept the bow. I think she wanted to leave it to you after hearing you play, but she was just being argumentative.” Chen Li smiled slightly. “Don’t worry, this bow isn’t expensive, it’s not in the seven figures.”

"You mean it's worth hundreds of thousands?" Qu Jiaying asked慌张地, "My instrument is only worth two hundred thousand..."

“It’s yours now,” Chen Li insisted. “With this bow, you should be even more motivated to make instruments from the same luthier.”

This isn't something you can simply get by wanting it. For a violinist, the fastest way is to become a soloist, and then have a collector or foundation that owns a Stradivarius violin lend it to her.

Qu Jiaying carefully put the bow away, sighed, and asked, "Which piece would you like me to play at the memorial service?"

“The Radetzky March,” Chen Li said. “It was a piece that Grandma personally selected.”

Qu Jiaying has been playing this classic piece frequently in bars lately, so she doesn't need to spend much time practicing.

She just felt that the piece was not suitable for playing at a funeral.

Yan Zheng shook his head and carefully explained to her, "We often hear it at the end of the New Year's Concert. It sounds very cheerful, and the audience will applaud together. It's also a kind of farewell. Besides, it's a piece that Johann Strauss Sr. wrote for General Radetzky of Austria. Grandma Chen Fang served in the cultural troupe. Doesn't it seem quite suitable?"

What is death?

Qu Jiaying didn't understand. On the day of the funeral, she changed into a black dress, carried her violin case, and rushed to the funeral home early in the morning.

Chen Li's father spoke, choking up several times, and barely managed to finish reading the eulogy. Qu Jiaying saw Chen Li's tears flowing continuously.

In the final segment, Qu Jiaying took out her violin and began to play. Relatives took turns saying goodbye. No matter how she played this inspiring march written for victory, Grandma Chen Fang's family and friends were still very sad.

Perhaps Grandma Chen Fang wanted the effect of singing while drumming on a basin, not wanting her relatives to be too sad. But everyone is just an ordinary person, without the carefree spirit of the elderly, let alone the realm of Zhuangzi.

Qu Jiaying still didn't understand. Since the start of her sophomore year, she had been practicing death-themed pieces in the rehearsal room from time to time, from Mozart's Requiem to Tchaikovsky's Francesca da Rimini based on Dante's Divine Comedy.

When Le Yi pushed open the door, he was startled: "Why are all the songs so terrifying?"

"I don't understand, I don't have that feeling," Qu Jiaying sighed.

"You've never experienced the death of a loved one, have you?" Le Yi asked.

Qu Jiaying shook her head, and Le Yi understood: "It's not that you lack sensitivity, it's just that you can't understand it without experiencing it. But I hope you never understand it."

"That's impossible," Qu Jiaying said helplessly.

Whether Xiang Min didn't want to talk about death or didn't want Le Yi and Qu Jiaying to continue their conversation, he changed the subject and asked curiously, "Is this the bow?"

Qu Jiaying nodded in distress: "Like a bow, a zither is more likely to break if it's left unused. But every time I use it to play, I'm terrified. I feel heartbroken when I break a few hairs from my bow. This bow is practically making me bleed."

"The luthier will take care of the maintenance, so don't worry," Xiang Min reassured her with a light laugh.

“My violin was sold to me by Ms. Xia Xiaolei’s luthier. Grandma Chen Fang’s bow and her violin are being maintained by someone else. Now I have to run between the two places.” Qu Jiaying was even more frustrated.

"Why don't you try asking if we can switch them together?" Le Yi asked.

Qu Jiaying shook her head: "If I move, it's perfectly reasonable to do that."

The three chatted idly until Yan Zheng arrived late, his joy completely evident.

"What good news did you run into?" Xiang Min asked. "Are you in a relationship?"

Yan Zheng's expression stiffened for a moment, and he quickly looked at Qu Jiaying to clarify: "What are you talking about? That's not true. We have a specially appointed professor in our department. He is an internationally renowned Chinese conductor who has collaborated with many symphony orchestras."

"Cai Rui?" Xiang Min guessed the name correctly, but his expression was not pleasant.

"It's him. The school felt that our department's students had too little practical experience, so they specially invited him to give classes. We'll be arranging rehearsals with the school's symphony orchestra this semester," Yan Zheng said.

"Cai Rui's conducting is quite interesting. I've listened to his album of conducting the National Symphony Orchestra." Le Yi was happy for Yan Zheng.

"It's definitely a good thing," Qu Jiaying said with a smile.

Yan Zheng asked her, "Isn't it the same for you? A good conductor is also very important for a soloist."

"But I didn't join the school symphony orchestra." Qu Jiaying was a little regretful, but not at all disappointed.

The school symphony orchestra only recruits freshmen, and Qu Jiaying only wanted to become a soloist. She did not choose to join the orchestra and focused wholeheartedly on her performance.

Now that she has joined the “Three Missing One” quartet, she has personally experienced the difference between solo and ensemble performances, and her performance of some pieces has improved. She no longer feels there is anything wrong with joining the orchestra.

Cai Rui, whom the four mentioned, was sitting in the audience at the school symphony orchestra rehearsal hall.

As the movement ended, the conductor on stage stopped and gave a brief comment: "The violin is a bit weak; please pay attention."

He then turned to Cai Rui in the audience and asked, "Why don't you say a few words too?"

With a distinctive accent, Cai Rui said slowly, "The problem isn't with the entire violin section. Concertmaster, what are you doing?"

He paused for a moment: "An orchestra is about the whole, the conductor plays a major role, and the principal conductor is also very important. Can you do this job well?"

Ruan Qi was embarrassed and ashamed: "I'm sorry, I will play well."

“If you’re still like this at the next rehearsal, I won’t need you anymore,” Cai Rui said. “The school hired me to run the school symphony orchestra well, so I’ll be quite strict.”

The musicians in the school symphony orchestra were stunned. Ruan Qi was the best among them, but recently her performance had been fluctuating, and they might have to replace her at the next rehearsal, which would make it even more likely that they would replace her as well.

Cai Rui returned to his office and flipped through the list. He wasn't very satisfied with the school symphony orchestra; the skill levels were uneven, and there wasn't much teamwork. He asked, "I heard that the school symphony orchestra doesn't select members directly from among the students, is that true?"

The conductor nodded: "After all, it's just the school symphony orchestra. Some of the better students are ambitious, and they participate in concerts or prepare for competitions outside of school."

The level of skill is relative. They are certainly better than those who did not get into music school, but when compared among classmates, there are more outstanding performers.

Cai Rui realized that he couldn't directly recruit people into the orchestra; the school symphony orchestra wasn't that attractive. However, with him around now, it might be a little more useful.

"When we recruit new members this year, people of all grades can apply, but everyone, including current musicians, will have to be assessed," Cai Rui said.

The instructor agreed and defended Ruan Qi, saying, "She is actually very good; she won the junior championship in an international competition when she was young."

“That was when she was a child, wasn’t it?” Cai Rui laughed. “There are many talented child pianists like that. I don’t care about those things. The fact is that she doesn’t play well now.”

"Oh, right," Cai Rui added, "and also mentioned that we need to recruit an assistant commander."

The conductor asked in surprise, "Am I not?"

“What are you arguing with your students about?” Cai Rui sighed. “Give students more opportunities to practice. Even the most talented person can’t succeed without practice.”

Two days later, the school symphony orchestra posted its recruitment requirements, and Cai Rui's profile was also attached to it.

The four members of the "three missing one" quartet also saw it, and Le Yi said sourly: "If you two can go to participate in the assessment, what are Xiang Min and I going to do?"

Xiang Min immediately said, "Don't count me in."

Qu Jiaying glanced at him, hesitated for a moment, and then lowered her head to continue looking at the recruitment information without asking anything.

"If you don't bring accompaniment and just practice 'The Butterfly Lovers' beforehand, how will the assistant conductor be assessed?" Qu Jiaying wasn't too worried about herself.

Yan Zheng speculated: "I'm not quite sure, it shouldn't be like the competition, right?"

As a result, what I feared came to pass, and even went too far.

Yan Zheng and Qu Jiaying both received notices to participate in the assessment, and the two arrived at the rehearsal hall together.

There were many newcomers signing up, and with all the current members of the band gathered together, the rehearsal hall was noisy and crowded.

Cai Rui’s distinctive Chinese accent rang out: “Sit together in the same section. It doesn’t matter if you’re a new member or an existing member. Everyone, squeeze in a little. Those who have signed up to be assistant conductors, come over and draw lots to conduct ‘The Butterfly Lovers’ in order.”

"Conducting everyone? This isn't the normal size of a symphony orchestra," a male student from the conducting department shouted.

Cai Rui said slowly, "Those who can't do it are not the assistant conductor I need. The students who are performing should also pay attention, this is also your assessment."

Yan Zheng quickly reviewed the score of "The Butterfly Lovers" one last time, while Qu Jiaying looked at Ruan Qi. Since she had chosen to participate in the school symphony orchestra's audition, she not only wanted to join the violin section, but she also wanted to be the best.