Chapter 65 Two Scenes
While Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji were enjoying the breeze by the river, the Lan family's old house was far from peaceful.
Si Zhui was summoned to the piano room by Lan Xichen. Inside stood an antique seven-stringed zither, its body gleaming with a warm sheen, almost identical to the one in the Cloud Recesses. Lan Xichen sat before it, his fingertips gently plucking, and clear, melodious music flowed out, like the gurgling of a mountain stream.
"Si Zhui, do you still remember the song 'Pure Heart Sound'?" Lan Xichen looked at him with a smile.
Si Zhui nodded, his eyes filled with nostalgia. "I remember my uncle taught me when we were at our ancestral home." He walked over to the zither and lightly brushed his fingers across the strings. "It's just that I haven't played it in a while, so it might be a little awkward."
“It’s okay, take your time.” Lan Xichen offered him his seat. “This zither is made according to the style passed down from our ancestors. Try to feel it.”
Si Zhui sat down, took a deep breath, and began to play. Though hesitant at first, he soon found the rhythm. The sound of the zither slowly began to play. Though not as smooth as Lan Xichen's, it possessed a clean, clear quality, like Lan Xichen himself: gentle yet resolute.
The director set up a camera at the door. In the lens, the young man sat in front of the piano. The moonlight fell on his serious profile through the window lattice. With the clear sound of the piano, the picture was as beautiful as an ink painting. The barrage of comments instantly quieted down, and the screen was filled with the sigh of "the years are quiet and good":
"Si Zhui is so ethereal! His aura is absolutely amazing!"
“‘Pure Heart Sound’ is so nice! It makes me feel calm!”
"He's truly a child of the Lan family. Even his piano playing is so elegant!"
[Ding! Audience appreciation for classical culture detected, Favorability +80,000. Current total progress: 2,985,000/100,000,000.]
As soon as the system prompt sounded, the silence was broken by a burst of hurried footsteps and the sound of a low argument.
"Hurry up! Brother Wen Ning is cleaning up in the kitchen, and Mr. Lan is teaching Sizhui to play the piano. No one will definitely notice!" It was Lan Jingyi's voice.
"Keep your voice down! If we're caught by Mr. Lan, both you and I will be doomed!" Jin Ling's voice was nervous, but he couldn't hide his excitement.
The two of them tiptoed into the living room, holding the game console they'd "borrowed" from Wen Ning. Just as they turned on the TV and before they even entered the game interface, they heard a cold shout from behind them: "What are you doing?"
Lan Jingyi and Jin Ling's hands trembled with fear, and the game console fell to the ground with a "clack". Looking back, Lan Qiren was standing at the stairs, holding a scroll in his hand, staring at them coldly. Behind him was Wen Ning, who had come out after hearing the noise, with a helpless look on his face.
"Uncle, uncle..." Lan Jingyi stammered, "We, we just want to read the news..."
Jin Ling quickly agreed: "Yes, check the financial news and understand the market trends!"
"Oh?" Lan Qiren raised an eyebrow and picked up the game console from the ground. "Do you need this to watch the news?"
The two were suddenly speechless, lowered their heads and dared not speak, but their ears were red as if they were about to bleed.
Lan Xichen, who was in the piano room, heard the noise and said to Si Zhui with a smile, "Looks like someone's going to be punished again." He stood up and walked out of the piano room, just in time to see Lan Qiren holding a game console. The two children stood there obediently, like eggplants hit by frost.
“Uncle, the children are just playing around,” Lan Xichen said, smiling, smoothing things over. “Jingyi and Jin Ling are tired from copying books today, so let them play for a while. But we have to agree on a time.”
Lan Qiren snorted and handed the game console to Wen Ning. "Since uncle has asked for mercy, I will punish you by trimming the bamboo branches in the yard neatly. You are not allowed to sleep until you have finished trimming them."
"Yes!" The two of them responded quickly as if they had been pardoned. They picked up the scissors and ran to the yard. When they passed by the piano room, they did not forget to secretly make a face at Si Zhui.
Si Zhui looked at their backs, smiled helplessly, and his fingertips fell on the strings again, adding a bit of lightness to the sound.
The director filmed this scene in its entirety. On one side of the camera was Si Zhui quietly playing the piano in the piano room, on the other side were Jing Yi and Jin Ling busy cutting bamboo branches in the yard, and in the living room was Lan Qi Ren with a helpless look on his face and Lan Xi Chen with a gentle and harmonious voice. The scene was lively and real, and the comments instantly burst into laughter:
"Hahahaha, Jingyi and Jin Ling are so miserable! They were caught playing secretly!"
"The contrast is so stark! Sizhui is an angel, and the other two are troublemakers, confirmed!"
"Mr. Lan: Why is my child so worrying (specifically referring to Jingyi and Jin Ling)?"
[Ding! Detected audience interaction feedback, like value +150,000. Current total progress: 3,135,000/100,000,000.]
Late at night, when Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji returned to the old house, they saw this scene: Sizhui was practicing in the piano room, with Lan Xichen giving him instructions; in the yard, Jingyi and Jin Ling were still struggling with the bamboo branches, with Wen Ning holding a flashlight to illuminate them; Lan Qiren was sitting in the living room reading a book, looking out the window from time to time, with a barely perceptible smile hidden at the corner of his mouth.
"This is what we call lively." Wei Wuxian whispered to Lan Wangji, his eyes full of warmth.
Lan Wangji held his hand and said "hmm" softly.
Moonlight bathed the courtyard, and the sounds of piano music, scissors, and occasional arguments intertwined. What should have been a quiet night, however, became extraordinarily warm because of these lively sounds. The director, watching everything in the camera, suddenly realized that this might be what "Family Time" most wanted to capture—not the perfect appearance, but these noisy yet caring moments.
Wei Wuxian leaned on Lan Wangji's shoulder, listening to the arguments coming from the yard, "Jingyi, you cut my hand" and "You came here by yourself", and couldn't help laughing.
It seems that no one can go to bed early tonight.
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