"Why won't you let Yun'er speak, elder brother?" Xiao Jingzhao sat down next to his elder brother, unusually speaking up for his second sister.
Xiao Yun finally managed to break free from her older brother's grasp.
"I wanted to ask if Second Brother likes this chicken leg? Yun'er is letting Second Brother eat it, but Big Brother won't let me speak all day, it's so strange."
Xiao Kang: "..."
Only the princess knew what her eldest son was afraid of. Although the flower hall was large, Xiao Yun had a loud voice, and she was afraid that she would say something embarrassing again.
The princess gave Xiao Jingzhao a wink as he looked towards one side of the screen, "Dai'er is hosting a banquet for her girlfriends today. You're her brother, so please help her out."
"I'll have someone send some silver notes to my younger sister as soon as I get back."
"Does the Prince's mansion lack money for Dai'er? Your mother made you..." The Princess looked at Aunt Cai with a headache.
Aunt Cai said with a smile, "Young Master, you don't need to worry about the money. Just show your face more often."
Xiao Yun's phoenix eyes darted around, and she cupped her small hand to her lips, lowering her voice to say, "Second brother, Mother asked you to see if there's a girl you like."
"Mother, let's postpone this matter a bit. Your son knows what he's doing."
"What your mother wants is for you to have someone in your heart. What's the use of just knowing someone? It won't let me hold my grandson." Princess Yannan glared at her two sons.
Xiao Kang moved closer to Xiao Yun.
Previously, the mother only focused on the second brother, but since recovering from his illness, the mother's attention has shifted towards him.
Thinking about the painting of a lady that he hadn't finished yet, Xiao Kang hurriedly ate a few mouthfuls of food and got up to leave the table.
"Big brother, wait a minute, Yun'er is full too." Seeing her older brother leave, Xiao Yun couldn't sit still any longer.
"Sit down and finish your chicken leg. Don't waste food."
As soon as Xiao Jingzhao spoke, Xiao Yun awkwardly sat back down.
"Yun'er will listen to her second brother."
As Xiao Yun spoke, she looked at her mother with a wronged expression.
The princess raised her chin slightly. "Eat up. Your second brother is right. Don't waste food. Go play by yourself after you finish eating."
To avoid making the girls in the flower hall feel awkward, the princess let Xiao Jingzhao return to Qinghui Courtyard after he finished lunch.
With Xiao Dai's introduction, the girls got to know each other. The quiet Su Hui was very popular with everyone. Lin Ruyin pulled Su Hui to talk about everything from poetry to musical scores.
Su Hui was friendly and quickly became familiar with the girls.
After the banquet ended, the maids cleared away the dishes, and Xiao Dai had someone bring out the seven-stringed zither.
The girls showed off their piano skills with great interest.
Before leaving, Jiang Shuyue gave Su Hui a seven-stringed zither. She had written several zither scores for Su Hui when she was in Yunling Village.
After acquiring the zither, Su Hui practiced diligently every day. The sheet music was already imprinted in her mind, and her fingering went from clumsy to skillful, and then to flowing smoothly.
After several lively girls finished playing a few pieces, Lin Ruyin took Su Hui's hand and said, "Miss Su, would you like to play a piece too?"
Su Hui didn't usually associate with the young ladies from aristocratic families, and she was afraid that she would be laughed at for not playing well, so she declined, saying, "No, no, my piano skills are not good enough."
"Miss Su, please don't be modest. Just play a tune casually. It's rare for us to get together, so let's all have some fun together."
Xiao Dai also liked Su Hui's gentle and elegant nature. She smiled and stepped forward, picking up a vertical flute. "Miss Su, you play the zither, and I'll accompany you with the flute?"
Xiao Dai personally provided accompaniment, which was a rare occurrence, and the girls all applauded and cheered.
"It is my great honor to have Miss Xiao accompany me. If I play poorly, please forgive me."
"Then I will play a piece called 'Bamboo Branch Song' for everyone."
Su Hui walked to the front of the zither, sat down, took a deep breath, raised her fair wrist slightly, and gently plucked the strings with her slender fingers, producing a melodious and beautiful sound.
Her slender fingers danced nimbly across the strings, and a melodious tune, like heavenly music, flowed from her fingertips.
The music lingered in the air, and the girls present had never heard such a beautiful melody before. Xiao Dai played a note to accompany the music, but suddenly realized that she was not familiar with the tune and could not continue playing. She stood quietly to the side and listened.
The sound of the zither is like a gentle breeze that washes over you, refreshing your mind and spirit, and like a babbling mountain stream that flows through your heart. When the piece ends, you are left wanting more.
“Miss Su, we won’t stand for it. You’re holding back. With such exquisite musical skills, how can you say you didn’t play well?”
"That's right, that's right. I've never heard such a beautiful melody before, and I don't know who composed it."
The girls chattered amongst themselves, as if Su Hui wouldn't stop until she played another piece.
Xiao Dai also smiled and said, "Miss Su's piece is quite unique. Write down the score later so we can practice it too."
After saying that, he said apologetically, "Then I can really accompany Miss Su next time."
Su Hui replied gracefully, "Does everyone still remember the goddess doctor from Jishetang? This song was taught to me by my elder sister."
"Of course I remember. My younger brother was studying at Linjiang Academy. It was Miss Jiang who saved everyone in the academy. Everyone in Laiyang City knows about this."
"So it turns out that Miss Su's relationship with the divine doctor is extraordinary. Then we must play another tune."
The girls all cast envious glances at Su Hui.
Under everyone's expectant gaze, Su Hui didn't hesitate. With a slight lift of her jade wrist, she once again amazed the entire audience with her rendition of "Pear Blossoms Simmered in Snow".
When the music ended and everyone dispersed, Su Hui wrote down the sheet music, and each of the girls made a copy to take home and practice.
Watching the girls leave with lingering enjoyment, Xiao Dai was also very happy. The banquet was a great success, and she would have more experience in the future.
After seeing everyone off, Xiao Dai took the sheet music to find her elder brother, Xiao Kang. Her brother loved playing the zither, so how could she not send him a copy of such a fine piece of music?
"Young Master, Miss is here."
Upon hearing Xiao Guizi's report, Xiao Kang put down his paintbrush.
"Big brother, I have obtained two excellent musical scores today. Why don't you give them a try? The melodies are more beautiful than ever before." Xiao Dai arrived before she was even seen.
Xiao Kang had never seen his younger sister so anxious before, so he quickly called out, "Younger sister, please come in."
He turned back to Xiao Guizi and said, "Quickly bring the zither. Even the young lady says it's a good score, so it must truly be extraordinary."
When Xiao Dai entered the room, she saw her older brother already sitting at the small table where he usually played the piano.
Xiao Guizi quickly brought out the zither, tuned it, and Xiao Kang looked at the sheet music. Then he asked Xiao Guizi to put the sheet music in a place where he could see it.
As the music ended, Xiao Kang clapped his hands and exclaimed, "Wonderful!"
Xiao Dai listened to her older brother's playing and felt that it was still a little inferior to Miss Su's.
She spoke frankly: "Big brother, you need to practice more. Miss Su's playing is even more melodious."
"Hmm! I need to practice more. The melody of this piece is beautiful, but I wonder why there are no lyrics?"
Xiao Dai suddenly realized that she had been so busy today that she had only heard the beautiful melody but forgot to ask Miss Su for the lyrics.
“Big brother, you can also write poetry, why don’t you compose a song yourself?” Xiao Dai said, looking towards the desk.
She was stunned into place at just one glance.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
