Chapter 6: The first sound of the zither, the lotus breeze expresses emotion
Morning dew dripped onto lotus leaves, reflecting a rainbow of colors. In the small garden of the Fang Mansion, a maid had moved a half-worn guqin beneath a wisteria trellis. The qin shone with a warm luster, and its strings trembled gently in the morning light.
Fang Ci, wearing a soft, aquamarine silk dress embroidered with delicate orchid patterns, squatted beside her zither, plucking the strings curiously. A discordant "Ding Dong" startled a sparrow perched on a wisteria flower. She stuck out her tongue and quickly covered it, her eyes gleaming with mischief.
"Be careful! This zither is from your grandfather, and it's quite old." Mrs. Fang approached, carrying a plate of freshly steamed osmanthus cakes. A fresh white magnolia blossom tucked into her hair, her smile as gentle as the morning breeze. She placed the plate on the stone table and smoothed down her daughter's wind-torn bangs. "Mr. Zhou said he'll teach you how to play the zither today, but don't get ink all over yourself like you did yesterday practicing calligraphy."
"Mom, how could I have done that!" Fang Ci stood up, pulled her mother's sleeve and shook it gently. She put her nose to the osmanthus cake and took a deep breath, her eyes curved into crescents. "The ink just got on my hand! Besides, playing the piano is so much fun. Just moving your fingers makes sounds. It's much more interesting than writing!"
As he spoke, Fang Yan emerged from the corridor, a scroll of sheet music in hand. A corner of his moon-white robe was damp with morning dew. Seeing the scene beneath the flower stand, he slowed his pace and spoke with a smile, "Oh? Miss Fang, are you planning to learn the qin? Yesterday, you said a brush was harder to hold than a meteor hammer, but today you find the strings fascinating?"
Fang Ci turned around, made a face at him, reached out to pick up a piece of osmanthus cake from the plate and stuffed it into her mouth, mumbling: "The zither is different! The zither can sing little tunes, can the brush do that?" She puffed out her cheeks like a little squirrel stealing food, and her fingers were still stained with a little cake powder, which she rubbed against the zither.
"You." Fang Yan shook his head helplessly, walked to the zither, and wiped the powder off the zither with a clean handkerchief, his movements gentle as if he was protecting a treasure. "You need to be calm to learn the zither. You're so impatient, I'm afraid you'll scare your grandfather's zither." He unfolded the music sheet and spread it on the stone table. "Mr. Zhou hasn't arrived yet, so I'll teach you how to recognize the strings first. These seven strings, from thick to thin, correspond to Gong, Shang, Jiao, Zheng, and Yu..."
Fang Ci obediently leaned over, her fingers tapping the strings, her eyes glancing towards the nearby lotus pond. A few dragonflies skimmed the surface, stirring up ripples, reminiscent of her past life in the Imperial Gardens, when she and Ziwei chased dragonflies. Back then, the zither's music always echoed deep within the palace, solemn and distant. How could it compare to the carefree sound of the zither now, nestled amidst the fragrance of wisteria?
"Are you distracted?" Fang Yan tapped her forehead gently. "You just told me to calm down, but where has your mind flown to now?"
"No, no!" Fang Ci came back to her senses and quickly pointed to the thickest string, "This is the palace! Right?" She blinked her big eyes, trying to get away with it, but her fingers unconsciously plucked the string again. With a "ding dong" sound, the frog on the lotus leaf was startled and jumped into the water with a "splash".
Mrs. Fang and Fang Yan both laughed. Mrs. Fang smiled and shook her head, "This child is such a living treasure." She picked up a piece of osmanthus cake and handed it to Fang Yan, "You play with her for a while. I'll go see if the lotus seed soup in the kitchen is ready. It's hot today, so I'll give it to you to cool down."
"Mom is the best!" Fang Ci shouted towards her mother's back, her voice as sweet as honey.
Fang Yan looked into his sister's sparkling eyes, and the smile in his eyes deepened. He picked up the bow and gently placed it on the strings. With a slight movement of his fingertips, a string of clear and melodious music flowed out, like the sound of a mountain spring, instantly soothing the morning heat.
Fang Ci's eyes suddenly lit up, and he leaned close to the piano, his nose almost touching the strings: "Brother, you can play the piano? Why have I never seen you play before?"
"I learned a few lines from my grandfather when I was a kid, but they've long been rusty." Fang Yan's fingers danced across the strings, the sounds sometimes brisk as birds pecking, sometimes soothing like a breeze blowing through lotus leaves. "My grandfather said that the sound of the zither nourishes the heart. You have a lively personality, so it would be good for you to learn the zither."
In the sound of the zither, Fang Ci seemed to see a white-haired old man sitting beneath a flower stand, patiently teaching the young Fang Yan how to play the zither. Sunlight filtered through the wisteria blossoms, falling on the old man's silver beard, a warmth so intense it made her nose tingle. She suddenly remembered what Xiao Jian had said in her past life: their grandfather had been a hermit, skilled in zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting, but who had died young. So... this was the zither her grandfather had left behind.
"Brother, teach me this!" She pointed to the simplest piece on the sheet music, "Lotus Wind Tune," her eyes full of anticipation. "Just play this, a piece that's like the wind blowing in our lotus pond."
Fang Yan stopped his bow, looked at her serious expression, and nodded: "Okay. Place your fingers like this, press the strings lightly, don't press too hard..." He held her fingers and placed them on the strings, his warm palms wrapped around her fingertips, "Take your time and feel the vibration of the strings."
Fang Ci's fingers were a little stiff, and the notes she pressed were either muffled or out of tune, like the meow of a kitten whose tail had been stepped on. She frowned and tried a few more times, unconvinced. Fine beads of sweat oozed from her forehead, wetting the loose hair at her temples.
"Don't worry." Fang Yan wiped the sweat off her face and said gently, "Look at this lotus leaf. Even if it's swaying in the wind, its roots are firmly planted in the water. It's the same with playing the piano. You need to keep your fingers steady and your mind focused."
Fang Ci took a deep breath, looked at the swaying lotus leaves in the pond, and suddenly smiled. She remembered her past life, when she was learning etiquette in the palace. The nanny always said, "Stand properly and sit properly," but she refused to do so, always sneaking out to climb trees. Now, no one forced her to behave. Her brother taught her to play the qin, simply saying, "Just keep your mind calm."
She gathered her composure, her fingertips resting on the strings again. This time, she didn't rush to apply force, but rather gently felt the vibrations, as carefully as if she were touching dewdrops on a lotus leaf. "Dong—" A soft yet remarkably clear sound spread beneath the trellis, startling a few bees, which buzzed towards the wisteria flowers.
"It's done!" Fang Ci's eyes lit up, and he clapped his hands excitedly like a child who got candy, and the cake powder in his palms rubbed onto Qin again.
Fang Yan looked at her powdered fingertips and sparkling eyes, and chuckled: "Well, there's progress. But if you rub the cake powder again, Grandfather Qin will be angry." He picked up the handkerchief and wiped her fingers carefully, his movements as gentle as if he was protecting fragile glass.
At this time, Mr. Zhou came in with his zither case on his back. Seeing the scene under the flower stand, he stroked his beard and smiled, "Master Fang teaches diligently, and the young lady learns quickly. It seems that I can save some energy today."
Fang Ci stuck out her tongue, quickly sat up straight, and bowed politely: "Hello, Mr. Zhou." There was still a little cake powder on the corner of her mouth, which made her look even more charming.
Mr. Zhou smiled and nodded. "Today we will learn 'Lotus Wind Tune.' Miss has already had some experience with it, so I'm sure it won't be difficult." He opened the zither case, took out his own zither, and placed it side by side with Fang Ci's on the stone table. "The zither represents emotion. Whatever is in your heart, the music will reflect it. Miss, your mind is thinking of the lotus pond, so the music will naturally have the fragrance of lotus."
Fang Ci's fingers tightened around the zither's strings. Whatever she thought about, the music would reflect it. If she thought about her parents' smiles, her brother's warmth, the breeze in the lotus pond, would the music carry a sweet fragrance? She stole a glance at Fang Yan, who was helping his mother with lotus seed soup not far away, then glanced at the guqin beneath the wisteria blossoms. Suddenly, she felt that the music of the Jiangnan region was more beautiful than any solemn piece of music in the palace.
The lotus breeze blew through the flower stand, carrying the sweet fragrance of lotus seed soup and the delicate scent of wisteria flowers, brushing against the strings of the zither and also brushing against the girl's heart. Fang Ci's fingertips moved slightly, and the clear zither music rang out again. Although it was rough, it was full of warmth, just like her life at the moment, simple and stable.
She wanted to remember this piano music, this fragrance of flowers, this laughter. This was her home, her Jiangnan, the warmth she wanted to protect. No matter what storms the future held, as long as she remembered this piano music at this moment, she would not be afraid.
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