This fenced courtyard is quite clean, spacious, and tidy, exuding an elegant atmosphere. Although it is winter now, there are still many green flowers in the courtyard that I don't even know the names of.
There is a small thatched wooden pavilion in the courtyard.
Inside the wooden pavilion was a long wooden table, on which sat a guqin (a seven-stringed zither) and two felt rugs.
I found a suitable spot to put the potted plant that I had tied around my waist.
"You love flowers so much, why don't you plant a plum tree?" It would be perfect if you had a plum tree.
I sighed.
She sat cross-legged on the felt mat in the pavilion, her fingers idly plucking at the strings, seemingly adjusting the tone.
"Liking flowers doesn't mean you'll like plum blossoms."
As she fiddled with the zither in her hands, she lowered her eyes and continued, "My name is Fang Rou. What's your name?"
I looked around and touched things as I responded to her, "Ahua."
"Can you play the piano?" she asked casually.
"I know a little bit." I noticed that one of the potted plants in the yard had a yellowing leaf, and I was about to pick it.
"Why don't you give it a try?"
My outstretched hand paused in mid-air.
I remember that the only piece of music I could play was taught to me by Zhou Lang.
That was a cheerful tune, but I'm afraid I can't play a happy tune now that I'm in such a mood.
I explained the situation to her truthfully.
She nonchalantly defended me, saying, "There are a thousand sounds and a hundred colors. Different timbres may convey different emotions. A cheerful tune played with a melancholic timbre might have a unique flavor. Why don't you give it a try?"
I never expected her to have such thoughts.
"Shall I give it a try?"
She nodded.
I obediently sat opposite her, tested my voice, and it sounded pretty good.
When I play the piece that Zhou Lang taught me, memories of my time with Zhou Lang keep flooding my mind.
However, the movements of his hands plucking the strings became faster and more agitated.
Fang Rou's expression changed from initially resting her head on her hand and looking completely absorbed to eventually having her brows furrowed.
Finally, a "snap" sound.
The string on my instrument snapped as I played it...
My hand paused, and Fang Rou looked at me with a twitch at the corner of her mouth.
"I'm sorry!" I apologized to her absentmindedly, while my longing for Zhou Lang swelled wildly in my heart.
Seeing how upset I was, she didn't say anything more.
He went inside and found another string, then slowly and methodically reinstalled it.
After it was installed, she sat down in front of the guqin again and actually played the piece I had just played.
Those slender, jade-like hands, moving with fluid grace, managed to imbue the cheerful melody I was playing with a sense of melancholy and loneliness.
I was moved to tears, and my eyes reddened as I choked back sobs.
It must be said that Fang Rou is quite talented in music.
Every piece she plays is so captivating that it's impossible to look away.
During my time living here, life was quite uneventful.
But they lived a very comfortable life.
Although I served her like a slave and was at her beck and call,
But besides the three meals a day I prepared for her
Most of the time she's in a relaxed and leisurely mood. But the food I cook doesn't suit her taste.
She's picky about food all day long and doesn't eat meat.
In the end, she did it herself.
Her house was filled with all sorts of books. She played the piano, while I leaned against the wooden post of the pavilion, holding a book and listening to her music.
Besides playing the piano, she also seems to be proficient in poetry, calligraphy, painting, music, chess, and other arts.
The sentence she said to me most often was, with a raised eyebrow, "Can you do it?"
When I'm in a good mood, I discuss poems and stories with her.
When I'm bored, I'll play chess with her, admire her calligraphy and painting, and compete with her in reciting poems and songs.
In short, Fang Rou lived a life that was far too simple and elegant, slow and deliberate.
Her emotions were too calm; there was no sign of any resistance or fear towards death.
When I was in a bad mood, I would hug a wine jar and drink myself into a stupor.
They can sleep for a whole day, and sometimes they won't wake up for three days and three nights.
Sometimes she would even make me some hangover soup to drink.
But Ranmo retorted sarcastically, "So, are you taking care of others, or are they taking care of you?"
My most drunken self smirked with a wicked smile: "Who cares? Whatever she wants, I can take care of her, but she doesn't need it."
We lived under the same roof, leading such a peaceful and stable life for a little over a year, which was about the same as I had expected.
But that very morning, still hungover, I vaguely heard her coughing violently coming from her bedroom.
A short, sharp sound is a sign that life is about to end.
I burst through the door and saw that her face was deathly pale, devoid of any color, and the handkerchief she was holding was covered in a pool of blood from vomiting.
I was startled and squinted at him.
He swayed as he walked to the table, poured her a cup of tea, and handed it to her.
She took the teacup with trembling hands, and didn't forget to thank me.
She calmed down for a while after drinking the tea.
His expression returned to its usual calm.
She looked at me with a gentle smile: "Ahua, could you play a tune from 'Peach Blossom Melody' for me?"
This is the piece she played the most. Its tone is very melodious and pleasant. After listening to it so many times, I naturally learned it as well.
Seeing her like this, I didn't refuse and brought over her guqin.
"Help me sit in the courtyard," she said.
Fine, I helped her into the courtyard.
She leaned against a wooden post on the pavilion, gazing intently at the distant sunrise.
I sat next to her and placed the guqin on the wooden table.
I started playing a song for her.
Finally, she calmly smiled and said, "Thank you, Ahua."
She slowly closed her eyes...
And so, I followed Fang Rou for a year.
Here I am, mostly in a daze and drunk.
At first, I stayed here with the intention of getting rid of her as soon as possible.
Now that she's really gone, I feel a void in my heart.
With great sorrow, I asked Ranmo, "Why do all the people I know have to die? Is it because my identity as a divine punishment influences their fate?"
"We are born alone. No matter how many people you know or how long you know them, they will leave you sooner or later. The most important thing is to learn to face their life and death with equanimity."
It's rare for someone to offer words of comfort in broad daylight.
How could I not know that? But I always find it hard to control my emotions.
While I was dealing with Fang Rou's belongings, in her study, among a pile of paintings, I unexpectedly discovered a portrait of Uncle Drunkard Mountain God.
When I saw that familiar scene, it felt like seeing a long-lost relative...
It took me a long time to come to my senses.
She was reminded of the drunkard mountain god uncle's words about Arou, which seemed to fit the image of Fang Rou very well.
Could this be Ah Rou, the one with the drunkard uncle?
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