Food Fairy Lord

Chapter 774 Not Necessarily Suqin (Bonus chapter for Alliance Leader [Humble and Kind Shang Huaitong]!)
"It's getting late, are you hungry?" After discussing this topic, Ming Qitian looked up at the sky, "A day has passed without me even realizing it."

“I’m not hungry, Miss Ming,” Pei Ye said, beaming. “I’m in the middle of something.”

"Okay, let's rest for a while and then go upstairs to practice the piano."

The sky was a grayish-blue color, and the soft, hazy spring air was like a layer of light gauze floating on the sky.

Ming Qitian sat down on the bluestone. She stretched out her hand, and a moment later, a drop of rain stained the white sleeve on her wrist with a light spot.

She pursed her lips slightly, as if because it hadn't landed in her palm.

“There was a zither in that music room just now, but I don’t know if it’s still usable.” Pei Ye leaned against a tree nearby. “It’s a pity I didn’t see a second one.”

"No problem, one sheet is fine."

Pei Ye thought for a moment and said, "Then, I'll go wash myself."

Ming Qitian turned her head to look at him.

"I'm all sweaty," Pei Ye said, a little embarrassed.

……

As you ascend the small building to the third floor, the scent of wood becomes faint. A light rain begins to fall, its soft patter echoing on the roof tiles overhead.

Pei Ye pushed open the door, and there was a woman sitting in front of the zither. The wind made the gauze curtains on the terrace flutter and roll. She was adjusting something on the zither with one hand and gently plucking the strings with the other. The scattered notes danced like beads in the room.

Pei Ye unconsciously moved more gently, closed the door behind her, walked over and placed the kitten next to the piano, then stood to the side.

"What is Miss Ming doing?"

"Tiao Zhen," Ming Qitian looked up at him, "Sit down."

"Oh." Pei Ye sat down opposite him.

“…” Ming Qitian glanced at him, “Sit down next to me.”

"……Oh."

Pei Ye walked over. The woman was still tidying the strings of her zither with her head down. He sat down next to her. If he sat cross-legged, his knees would touch the woman's legs. After thinking for a moment, he leaned on the table and changed to a scholar's seat.

“This zither is very valuable and must be the work of a master. However, it has indeed been stored for quite some time, and the strings are loose.” Ming Qitian said, “Look, these are the bridge, the dragon teeth, the goose feet, and the tuning pegs. When you encounter a zither in the future, you will need to use these to loosen and tighten the strings before you start playing.”

"What's that for?"

"Tuning. The more you play, the more you'll know what key each string should be in, and you have to make sure they're in the correct key."

Pei Ye nodded, seemingly understanding but not quite.

Ming Qitian listened carefully to the sound and withdrew both hands: "Alright, you can pluck the strings one by one, from one to seven, which are Gong, Shang, Jiao, Zhi, Yu, Wen Sheng, and Wu Sheng respectively."

Pei Ye tentatively reached out and flicked the knob, producing a deep, resonant sound. He turned his head to look at the woman.

Ming Qitian nodded: "Okay, continue."

Pei Ye plucked the strings one by one, playing all seven strings.

Do you recognize it?

"I recognize it."

"Okay, let's learn 'Guangling' now."

"what?"

Ming Qitian turned her head to look at him.

"...Should I just start learning? I've only plucked the strings twice." "Just start learning. I only picked up the zither when I was young to learn swordsmanship." Ming Qitian placed his hand on the zither. "I'll play it once, and you can try to memorize it."

"Okay." Pei Ye wasn't very confident.

Ming Qitian lowered her eyes, and with a gentle flick of her finger, Pei Ye's ears suddenly cleared, and his pores opened in alarm.

The woman's fingers moved with perfect speed and grace, like flowing water, yet in an instant, a fierce and ruthless aura filled the room.

Pei Ye hadn't heard many zither pieces; his limited experience came from banquets. He almost always subconsciously thought that the zither was something melodious and beautiful.

At that moment, it felt as if two sharp spears were piercing straight into his pupils, causing him to instinctively lean back.

It pierced his pupils, hooked his heart and lungs, and then kept lifting him up, until his hair stood on end, his blood was hot, and a tingling sensation shot from his waist to the back of his head.

The sight of iron cavalry, swords, and spears, the shouts of battle, and the tragic and heroic atmosphere left Pei Ye stunned and his eyes burning with emotion.

The music begins high and continues to rise until it reaches the highest heavens, drawing down divine thunder that booms and tumbles across the earth before abruptly ending.

With a flick of Ming Qitian's finger, the thunder ceased, and Pei Ye stood frozen in shock, truly understanding what "lingering sound" meant.

The woman's expression remained unchanged; perhaps the music wasn't enough to touch her heartstrings. She adjusted her sleeves and waited quietly for the boy beside her to come to his senses before saying, "Remember it? Now, give it a try."

"..." Pei Ye was stunned for a moment. With Chun Shou around, he actually remembered it, but when it came to actually doing it himself, it seemed like he hadn't remembered anything.

He placed his fingertips on the strings somewhat stiffly, and Ming Qitian moved them to the correct positions one by one.

"Let's try playing it first."

Pei Ye tried flicking the strings a few times, and the black cat raised its paws to cover its ears. The glass sword was drawn with a "whoosh."

Pei Ye looked at the woman somewhat awkwardly. Ming Qitian had no expression and simply nodded, saying, "It's alright, that's right, let's continue."

Pei Ye, with a tense expression, copied all the movements from his memory onto his hands, and a series of musical notes flowed out. Pei Ye gradually understood what the woman meant—it was indeed correct, those tones were exactly the same as those played by the woman… only they were manifested in another form.

It looked as if it were covered with a layer of cowhide, or like it was coated with a layer of sticky paste. In short, Pei Ye's fingers tickled Qin on it.

After the song ended, Pei Ye pursed her lips and turned her head to look at Ming Qitian.

“Very good. Then I’ll play a note, and you follow along.” Ming Qitian placed his hands on the piano. “Listen to me explain the fingering and precautions for each note—your hands should follow mine.”

Pei Ye did as instructed, placing his hand beside the woman's hand and mimicking her gesture by placing his fingertips on the strings.

“You didn’t play well because you only memorized the movements and sequence, but you’re not familiar with the instrument and can’t control the dynamics,” Ming Qitian said calmly. “You need to know in your heart what each note should sound like, instead of just imitating my fingering. Look, your hands are big, my hands are small, and your knuckles and fingertips are thicker. When they land on the strings, it’s already different. Not to mention that our feelings about this piece are actually different.”

“…” Pei Ye pursed her lips. “Oh.”

“Come on.” Ming Qitian dialed a note.

Pei Ye followed a sound.

"Lower. Higher." Ming Qitian dialed again, and Pei Ye thought for a moment, adjusted it, and dialed again.

Ming Qitian nodded and dialed again: "Again."

The rain seemed to be getting heavier, even though the night was still clear. The wind swept the curtains and the raindrops into the terrace. Inside, all was quiet except for the woman's fidgeting and whispers, and the boy's soft "hmm."

The complex piece "Guangling" has countless syllables. Ming Qitian patiently corrected Pei Ye's fingering and pitch one by one. After what seemed like an eternity, they finally finished playing the piece.

“Let’s do it ten times like the first time. I’ll play it once, and you follow along,” Ming Qitian said earnestly.

"Ah."

(End of this chapter)