Chapter 125 Song of the Twenty-Four Solar Terms
Gu Jiayue walked up to the podium with a light figure.
Seeing this, the villagers in the audience imitated her earlier applauding for Master Du and applauded enthusiastically.
Although the applause was not very uniform, it was full of enthusiasm and echoed over the countryside, making people feel excited.
Gu Jiayue's expression straightened slightly, her face serious and solemn. She first clasped her hands together and bowed respectfully.
She parted her red lips, her voice clear and melodious, like a mountain spring: "Do you all know why Master Du, Mr. Jiang, and I are giving a lecture here?"
When everyone heard this, they looked at each other in confusion.
I saw everyone looking at each other, their eyes full of confusion.
The village chief did not mention this matter.
Village chief: No one told me the details.
Seeing this, Gu Jiayue's lips curled up slightly as she explained, "That's because I'm competing with Master Du and Jiang Shanchang! And you are the judges of this competition! Who will win is entirely up to you!"
When these words were spoken, everyone was shocked, their eyes widened like copper bells with an expression of disbelief.
"What? We are the reviewers?" Everyone couldn't help but exclaimed loudly.
"Ah? That's not possible. We can't even read a single word, how can we be reviewers!" A peasant woman looked embarrassed and waved her hands repeatedly, her eyes full of worry and lack of confidence.
"That's right. Besides, we think what everyone said is right." Another person echoed, scratching his head, looking helpless.
"Dad, what is a reviewer?" a young child asked curiously, looking up at his innocent face. The adult beside him patiently explained it to him.
After knowing the meaning, the children immediately became excited, their faces flushed red, and their eyes sparkled with excitement.
"I want to be a reviewer!" The little boy raised his hand high and shouted loudly, as if he was afraid that others could not hear him.
"I want one too!" another child was not to be outdone and shouted at the top of his voice, his little body trembling slightly with excitement.
Gu Jiayue smiled quietly as she gazed at the villagers below, her eyes filled with tenderness and anticipation. "Okay, I'm about to begin my lecture. Please listen carefully, because I'll need you to select the best candidate."
As soon as she finished speaking, the children who were originally distracted immediately sat up straight and their expressions became serious.
Humph, they are not ordinary children now, but reviewers with heavy responsibilities!
They have to judge who is better and who is worse.
A few children gathered together and bit their ears quietly.
"Master Gu doesn't keep her word. We must not choose her later." A little girl with pigtails frowned and muttered softly, her face full of dissatisfaction.
"But what if she speaks very, very well?" Another little boy looked conflicted, his eyes full of hesitation.
"Then I won't choose her. If I choose her, I'll be a traitor!" The little girl was determined, her fists clenched tightly, as if to show her determination.
"Okay." The little boy sighed helplessly and chose to compromise.
At this moment, Gu Jiayue had no idea that the children in the village had already regarded her as a bad person.
"Alright, Master Du just taught us the 'Nine Days Song,' so now I'll teach you the 'Solar Terms Song.'"
It wasn't that Gu Jiayue was intentionally taking advantage of Master Du. In fact, she had been planning to teach this content, but her idea just coincided with Master Du's.
"Since it's a song, it must be sung to sound more beautiful. Ahem. Do you want to listen?" Gu Jiayue tilted her head slightly, her eyes full of anticipation and a playful smile on her face.
"Yes!" The villagers responded loudly and enthusiastically in unison.
The sound was deafening, as if it could break through the sky.
"Okay, then you must listen carefully. I will ask questions after I finish singing!" Gu Jiayue blinked, and a hint of cunning flashed in her eyes.
"The plum blossoms in the West Garden bloom before the beginning of spring, and the clouds in the sky bring rain.
Carp leap in the river at the beginning of the Waking of Insects, and butterflies dream among flowers at the Spring Equinox.
It is a good time to fly kites during the Qingming Festival, and it is a good time to raise silkworms during the Grain Rain Festival.
The peony flowers fall at the beginning of summer, and the hostas are all over the courtyard.
Across the river, there are fishermen enjoying themselves during the Grain in Ear season, and farmers working in the fields during the Summer Solstice.
Wearing a white silk shirt during Lesser Heat, I look at the river and sleep facing the wind during Greater Heat.
Sunflowers bloom at the beginning of autumn, and cicadas can be heard in the west building at the end of summer.
The emerald garden is covered with white dew, and the moon is bright in the autumnal equinox.
The cold dew on the barren mountain startles the wild geese, and the frost falls and the reed flowers turn red on the reed beach.
Drink in Qilin Pavilion on the beginning of winter, and recite poems in the light snow while wearing an embroidered jacket.
The red stove is warm in the deep snow, but I am too lazy to play the pipa at the winter solstice.
"The Lesser Cold sleeps in Handan, and dreams of snow drifting through the air during the Greater Cold."
Perhaps it was because the people of this southwestern region were born with good voices and were good at singing. Originally tone-deaf, Gu Jiayue was able to sing here, and her voice was melodious and graceful.
She had just bought this song from the system for thirty points.
The system has always been powerful. Gu Jiayue simply told it the ancient version of the words for the twenty-four solar terms, and within just three minutes, it generated a unique tune and even provided a one-click import function.
As soon as Gu Jiayue opened her mouth, the song came out as if she had known it by heart, and she sang it fluently, as if she had practiced it a thousand times.
"So, why was it only half imported?" Despite being very busy, Gu Jiayue still took the time to discuss the theory with the system, her heart filled with anger and dissatisfaction.
The system's cold voice came: "Non-members can try it for one minute. To unlock the full song, you need to pay ten points."
Gu Jiayue secretly complained in her heart: What a profiteer!
Her singing voice is clear and sweet, like a yellow oriole singing out of a valley, melodious and lingering.
The words used in the solar term songs are very rhyming, and the music provided by the system is cheerful and lively, full of rhythm, as if it has a magical power that makes people unable to help but hum along.
As the villagers listened, they unconsciously tilted their heads back and swayed their bodies, immersed in this beautiful song.
When Gu Jiayue sang the second time, many people had already started singing along.
The voices, sometimes high-pitched, sometimes low, sometimes tender, sometimes vicissitudes of life, interweave together to form a unique country melody.
"Okay, do you think it sounds good?" Gu Jiayue stopped singing and asked with a smile, her eyes full of anticipation.
"It sounds great!" everyone shouted in unison, with satisfied smiles on their faces.
"Do you remember?" Gu Jiayue asked again.
"Remember!" The answer was still loud and full of confidence.
"Okay, since everyone thinks it sounds good and has memorized it, let's have a quick answer with prizes! Whoever gets the chance to answer correctly will receive a snack or candy."
Gu Jiayue pointed at the things that had just been served. She saw colorful candies and snacks placed on exquisite plates. They were colorful and festive.
When everyone heard this, they were immediately excited, with excitement shining in their eyes.
I didn’t expect that I could not only listen to lectures but also taste delicious food. It’s really wonderful.
Those who were distracted or had a bad memory were now extremely anxious.
"Oh, it's all your fault for pulling me aside to talk just now. I didn't pay attention to what Jiayue said." A middle-aged woman frowned and complained with a look of annoyance on her face.
"Blame me? It's because you were willing to tell me. You also said that these are for the gentlemen and the young men to hear. It's useless for us women to listen to them. We are not going to take the imperial examinations." The woman on the side was not to be outdone. She retorted with her hands on her hips.
"You..." The woman was choked and speechless, and could only worry anxiously.
"Hey, stop arguing, grandson. What's the second sentence after 'sunflowers bloom at the beginning of autumn'? I can't remember it because I'm too old." An old grandmother asked, holding her grandson's hand with an anxious look on her face.
"Grandma, please remember this: sunflowers bloom at the beginning of autumn, and you can listen to cicadas in the west building at the end of summer." The little grandson answered patiently.
"Oh oh oh, Chushu, Chushu, what is Chushu?" The old lady still looked confused and tried hard to recall.
"...Grandma, why don't you take a rest? I will definitely get some candy for you." The little boy looked at his grandmother with a headache and sighed helplessly.
If his grandmother continued to ask him questions like this, he felt that he would be confused.
Gu Jiayue held the candy, deliberately slowed down her pace, and slowly walked down the podium, leaving everyone enough time to recall what they had just heard.
But the podium wasn't big, so no matter how much she delayed, she finally made her way to the front of the crowd. "Ahem, I'm going to start asking questions. Anyone with an answer, please raise your hand. I'll choose someone to answer."
She was afraid that the villagers didn't know how to raise their hands, so she demonstrated it herself.
Raise your right hand high above your head.
"First question, during which solar term does the river thaw and carp leap happily in the water?"
As soon as she finished speaking, many people raised their hands in unison, like a small forest.
Some of them even waved their arms vigorously, afraid that Gu Jiayue couldn't see them.
Gu Jiayue smiled and pointed at an aunt in the third row. "I just saw that this aunt raised her hand the fastest and earliest, so she should answer."
The aunt who was named was full of pride, her chest puffed out high, and her face was filled with a confident smile. "Jingzhe, it's Jingzhe. At the beginning of Jingzhe, carp leap in the river. There is a word "carp" in this sentence, so it must mean carp!"
Although my aunt is illiterate, she has an excellent memory and is good at finding common ground.
"You answered correctly. Here's Auntie's reward." Gu Jiayue grabbed two candies and handed them to her aunt, patiently explaining, "The phrase 'Jingzhe Begins, Carp Leap in the River' refers to the time when the Jingzhe solar term arrives, when the river thaws and carp leap happily in the river. Jingzhe signifies warmer weather and the beginning of spring thunder, awakening hibernating insects underground. The thawing of the river and the active carp also reflect the rising temperatures of spring, as the earth begins to regain its vitality."
"Okay, next question. What's the best thing to do during the Qingming Festival?"
As soon as the words fell, many people raised their hands in unison. Some people were even afraid that Gu Jiayue couldn't see, so they stood on the table, waving their arms and shouting loudly: "Me! Me!"
"Erzhu raised his hand the fastest, let Erzhu answer." Gu Jiayue said with a smile.
Erzhu quickly put down his hand, feeling both nervous and excited.
She had tasted Sister Jiayue's candy before, and it was so sweet that it went straight to her heart. Now that she had the chance to taste it again, she had to answer well and get the reward.
But when he got excited, his mind went blank and he forgot the answer.
Seeing that he didn't answer for a long time, Erzhu Niang stamped her feet anxiously. "Hurry up, tell me."
What a kid! He clearly got the chance, but why didn’t he say anything?
Erzhu was already anxious, and his mother's urging made him even more nervous and at a loss. He just felt a tightness in his lower abdomen and wanted to pee. He didn't even have the mind to answer the question.
Gu Jiayue looked at him encouragingly, her eyes full of tenderness and patience. "It's okay, take your time to think about it. If you really can't remember, we can start from the beginning."
Erzhu's nervousness slowly relaxed, and he actually started reciting from the first line. "The plum blossoms in the West Garden bloom before the beginning of spring, clouds gather in the sky and rain falls. Carp leap in the river at the beginning of the Waking of Insects, and butterflies dream among the flowers at the Spring Equinox. It's a good time to fly kites during the Qingming Festival. Kites! It's a kite!"
"Wow, Erzhu is awesome!" Gu Jiayue was generous with her praise, with a smile of approval on her face, and she handed him three candies.
Erzhu lowered his head shyly, a blush on his face. Listening to the praises from the people around him, he felt happy and proud.
"Okay, next question, besides flying kites, what else can we do during Qingming Festival?"
…
As the questions went on round after round, the villagers did not feel bored or tired at all. Instead, they became more and more excited and enthusiastic.
The grandmother, who hadn't remembered the content just now, angrily hit her eldest grandson on the head with her cane. "Big ladle? Why didn't you grab any? If it were up to you, when would I ever get any candy? Hey, what's the point of raising a grandson? He's not as good as a granddaughter. Our eldest daughter even got two answers right."
Gu Dapiao looked at his sister and grandmother eating candy and scolding him, feeling angry and sad.
Why do so many people raise their hands when they know the answer to the questions he knows? And why do so many people raise their hands when they don't know the answer to the questions he knows the answer to?
And my sister, she was born to the same parents, so why is she so much smarter?
Woo woo woo woo, what should I do if I feel more sad the more I think about it?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
