Chapter 14 Music Knows No Borders
"Oh? It's already downloaded?"
The person who suddenly exclaimed in surprise was Sikong Zhaixing, who had just turned on the screen and touched it a few times.
Lu Xiaofeng looked in the direction of the sound and saw Sikong Zhaixing looking expectantly at the small square box in front of him, waiting for the new game that Lu Yusheng had downloaded for him to finish loading and decompressing.
The amount of alcohol he had consumed earlier was certainly not enough to make Lu Xiaofeng drunk, so out of sheer boredom, he leaned closer to take a look.
Lu Yusheng found this game at the bottom of the download chart after searching for a long time. The rating is quite good, and not only is the overall background ancient, but the art style is also more like ink painting.
Sure enough, as soon as Sikong Zhaixing finished showing it to him, he began to explore it with great interest. Not only were the ink-wash lines more in line with the aesthetics of this era, but the game also received a high rating, and the core storyline was even better.
Lu Yusheng had played many mobile games in the modern world and picked them up quickly, so even though she had only downloaded the game recently, she was already able to guide Sikong Zhaixing, who was a native.
Sikong Zhaixing wasn't stupid to begin with. With Lu Yusheng's super-helpful tutorial, she got into the game quickly and even asked her to install it for her too.
Because the previous progress was all on Lu Yusheng's phone, Lu Xiaofeng was able to watch the initial plot again after the update.
"I am always amazed by this method of making the pictures come to life, no matter how many times I see it."
He exclaimed first.
Putting the content aside, the depiction of these images and shadows was far more refined than any folk shadow puppet shows or other theatrical performances he had ever seen before.
After expressing his amazement, Lu Xiaofeng began to carefully examine the plot.
To fit the historical context, this story is told from the perspective of a police chief, beginning with a case of a husband's murder...
Lu Yusheng still didn't approach them. Sikong Zhaixing was still excited about the game and had already experienced many different games through her introductions. She was still in a period of time where she had a deep interest in the game and had a preliminary experience of the power of modern technology, so she didn't nitpick about its rationality. Therefore, she didn't disturb them and let them explore on their own.
She wasn't the only one who didn't try to get through.
Hua Manlou remained seated behind the bar, slowly sipping the bottle of sweet wine.
Seeing him like this, Lu Yusheng suddenly felt that he looked all alone and rather pitiful.
Unfortunately, no matter how amazing the system is, it can only open an internet cafe and at most bring him some mental pleasure.
...Even the spiritual pleasure he seeks doesn't seem to be online; it's as if the bottle of beverage with its floral and wine-like aroma in his hand is enough to make him happy right now.
—No, Lu Yusheng thought for a moment, if you can't see, you can still hear.
So she took out her phone, connected it via Bluetooth, and went over.
What is Hua Manlou doing at this moment?
He slowly sniffed and listened, smelling the fragrance of flowers and wine, hearing the laughter of Lu Xiaofeng and Sikong Zhaixing... and also hearing the approaching footsteps of Lu Yusheng.
He still looked straight ahead, but turned his head to the position where Lu Yusheng was standing.
He looked over in confusion and called out, "Miss Lu."
Lu Yusheng, who was about to hand him the earphones, paused for a moment before asking as if he remembered something, "By the way, my name is Lu Yusheng. I don't know how to address you, sir?"
"My surname is Hua, and my name is Hua Manlou."
"Would the young master like to hear some music?"
Music? In this...desolate wilderness?
Hua Manlou had some doubts, but he quickly guessed that she might want him to play for her. Although he felt a little abrupt, he couldn't refuse her kind intentions, so he nodded gently.
"Okay," Lu Yusheng replied, then continued, "Would you mind extending your hand, Young Master Hua?"
Hua Manlou didn't know her intention, but since it wasn't a difficult request, he obediently complied.
Then he felt a cool, round little thing being gently placed in his palm.
He instinctively squeezed it, feeling its shape, but couldn't connect it to anything he had ever touched before.
"Grab this one."
The little girl reached out her hand again, turning the small object around to indicate that he should hold it with his fingers. During this time, her slender, soft fingers inevitably brushed against his palm.
Seeing that he had done the right thing, Lu Yusheng continued to guide him: "Can you feel a small bump on it? You can put that side in towards your ear."
Hua Manlou hesitated for a moment, but still obediently did as instructed.
After confirming that the headphones were completely locked, Lu Yusheng paused for a moment before playing the previously paused audio.
—It is a soothing instrumental piece, and one of the world's top piano solos.
Even so, the peaceful and serene music still left Hua Manlou at a loss, and he subconsciously reached out and pressed his finger to pull the foreign object out of his ear.
Seeing that he seemed somewhat frightened by him, Lu Yusheng realized that he hadn't thought things through and cursed himself for taking advantage of a special group. He had only thought about music having no borders and neglected the preparation process.
He was already blind, so he would focus more on his other senses. Now that his ears were being filled with music without warning, he was bound to be startled.
But if she were blamed for this, she wouldn't be Hua Manlou.
Even though it was clearly Lu Yusheng who hadn't thought things through, he still apologized first.
Now, Lu Yusheng's guilt has been amplified even more...
She began to guess that perhaps he hadn't understood the principles behind how these things made sound, which was why he couldn't accept it for a while.
At this moment, Lu Yusheng suddenly had a flash of inspiration and thought of the audio he had recorded out of boredom.
Ultimately, the person in front of her possessed an aura so unapproachable that she couldn't bring herself to unleash a barrage of "The Northeast is my home" on him, just as she had done to Sikong Zhaixing...
So while she frantically searched for storage space, she gently comforted her, "It's my fault, I didn't explain these things to you beforehand. But there's really nothing strange about it, it's just a recording device... Can you wear it again, I'll let you hear something else."
Hua Manlou didn't quite understand her persistence, but after a moment, his heart calmed down again. After all, apart from being slightly startled by its sudden noise, this thing was indeed just a harmless inanimate object.
So he put it on again—
"Lu Xiaofeng!"
Perhaps even Hua Manlou himself did not expect that he would experience shock twice in a single day.
Because the voice coming through the headphones was that of Sikong Zhaixing.
He is sensitive to timbre, so he recognized it immediately.
Hua Manlou's other ear was still empty, so he could naturally hear the two people not far away still discussing the details of the case.
But it was definitely Sikong Zhaixing's voice in his ear. Even if it really was someone else's voice, where would a fifth person come from in this space?
The other person hadn't finished speaking—
"You...you...do you even know how hard I worked to get that full combo! Do you know how much it hurts your hands to keep playing at 10x speed?! At such a crucial moment! Why did you hit me?!"
After Lu Xiaofeng made a few hasty excuses, the recording was filled with laughter and playful banter.
At the very last moment of the audio recording, Lu Yusheng uttered a desperate, anxious sentence: "No, no, no, don't throw my chair!"
The recording stopped abruptly at this point.
Hua Manlou was still pondering when Lu Yusheng said, "You've probably guessed it, haven't you? What I just heard was a sound that actually happened here at a certain moment in the past."
While observing Hua Manlou's expression, Lu Yusheng continued to make up stories: "You must have many musical scores and other records that have been lost in the long river of history, right? This device that can record sound was made by a famous musician from my hometown... He couldn't bear to see these beautiful things he cherished being destroyed and ruined in the process of inheritance, so he spent half his life making it."
Seeing that he seemed genuinely deceived by this source, his eyes turning sad and serene, Lu Yusheng further elaborated on the story, lamenting, "The piece I just played for Young Master Hua was personally performed by a later master, just like this, in that moment in the past, and recorded like this, passed down to future generations for appreciation!"
After hearing these words, Hua Manlou was speechless for a moment.
Admittedly, hearing his friend's voice firsthand greatly reduced his unfamiliarity with such novel things, and then hearing such a relatable story...
He understood this feeling, and as someone who also loved music, it wasn't hard to imagine how many unique copies would have been preserved in the world if this marvel had been created earlier.
...Perhaps the world is truly full of wonders.
Thinking of this, he finally accepted the magic and even couldn't help but ask, "Can I hear it again?"
Lu Yusheng paused for two seconds after hearing this before realizing he should choose between "Lu Si's" playful banter and the instrumental music.
This time, Hua Manlou truly immersed himself in this beautiful melody.
He also understood music, but he didn't know what kind of instrument could produce such a mellow and beautiful sound.
However, he did not dwell on this issue too much, because the abundant emotion in the music was already moving enough.
This feeling of longing and reluctance transcended time and space, reaching the heart of the young listener.
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