After the college entrance examination, life began to follow one's heart

Chapter 166 Xu Lin's Guqin Learning, Xia Xiyao: Let Me Be Impulsive Just This Once

"I'm learning as a hobby."

Xu Lin took the guqin out of its box.

He bought the guqin online for over 30,000 yuan. Xu Lin is not short of money now; he can still buy things costing tens of thousands of yuan. And when it comes to musical instruments, you should try to buy the most expensive ones if you can afford them, otherwise the quality will really be compromised.

Just like guitars, some cost a few hundred dollars, while others cost several thousand or tens of thousands.

The guqin that Xu Lin is currently playing is of good quality.

He opened the box, took out the guqin, and placed it on the accompanying antique wooden table.

When you buy a guqin (a seven-stringed zither) for over 30,000 yuan, items like tables, chairs, tassels, and incense burners are naturally included as a gift.

Xu Lin made all the arrangements.

After placing the guqin on the table, Xu Lin carefully examined it.

In terms of craftsmanship, it is undoubtedly exquisite.

In terms of materials, the guqin is made of rosewood, the qin is made of old Ming and Qing dynasty cedar, and the tuning pegs are made of rosewood, etc.

Actually, the colors all look the same, since that's what the paint is like, somewhat like a dark walnut color. But the guqin that costs over 30,000 yuan has a very good texture and looks shiny.

Xu Lin's guqin is of the Zhongni style, which is actually named after Confucius. In the early Confucian doctrine, Confucian disciples were said to be proficient in both literature and martial arts, as well as music, chess, calligraphy and painting.

Rites, music, archery, charioteering, calligraphy, and mathematics were compulsory courses for Confucian disciples.

The guqin was a required musical instrument for Confucian disciples.

The Zhongni style became one type of guqin, and there are also the Fuxi style and the Hun Dun style.

Xu Lin didn't quite understand the differences between these three types of guqin.

In his opinion, that's enough. He's not a professional player, nor does he intend to immerse himself in the guqin for the rest of his life.

"Xu Lin, why did you suddenly want to play the guqin?"

Rong Xiyan came over and flicked the strings a few times, and immediately, a series of "thump-thump" sounds rang out.

However, with seven strings and seven notes, the sounds are somewhat different.

"That's called a hobby."

He adjusted the pitch with a tuner.

Then Xu Lin opened a short video app, intending to watch a few high-quality short videos teaching the guqin.

As for the accompanying instruction manual, there's no need to read it at all; reading it is as good as not reading it at all. You'd be better off reading an expert's tutorial.

"Xu Lin, please teach me to play the piano!"

Rong Xiyan is in a state of high excitement.

"I don't even know how to play it yet, what can I teach you?"

"Yaoyao, can you do it?"

No, I don't know how either.

Xia Xiyao and Rong Xiyan sat down on the bench in front of the guqin, and the two girls began to ponder it curiously.

"Yaoyao, I saw people playing the piano in TV dramas, is that how it is?"

Rong Xiyan then plucked the strings with her right index finger.

The guqin has seven strings, from the first to the seventh, corresponding to 5612356. In the words of the ancients, these are the five notes: 徽羽宫商角徽羽.

Rong Xiyan's playing of the zither was just a mess, since she knew nothing about the zither.

Xia Xiyao was the same.

Where is Rong Xiyan? She is sitting next to Xia Xiyao, pretending to play the guqin, but the sound she makes is quite chaotic.

"Yaoyao, do I look like a fairy?"

Rong Xiyan sat upright, her hands on the strings of the zither, plucking them back and forth, her expression serious.

Xia Xiyao covered her mouth and laughed, "She doesn't look like a fairy, but she looks a bit sexy!"

"Yao Yao!"

"Who told you to dress like that!"

Xia Xiyao laughed out loud.

Today, Rong Xiyan is only wearing a vest and underwear, and the vest even shows her V-shaped area. Now she is sitting in front of the ancient guqin, which doesn't look right at all. She should at least wear some Hanfu or women's Tang clothing.

"Yaoyao, you're almost there too! Watch me spank you!"

Rong Xiyan patted Xia Xiyao's bottom; she was wearing a short-sleeved shirt and shorts.

Xia Xiyao didn't care: "Anyway, I'm not a fairy!"

"Hmph!" Rong Xiyan snorted and continued to study the guqin with Xia Xiyao.

However, neither of them knew anything about the guqin. They couldn't play it and just played randomly, so they quickly lost interest. Musical instruments are really boring; it takes a lot of time to learn them, and the process is quite tedious.

"It's my turn, you two move aside."

Before long, Xu Lin had watched several short videos teaching the guqin. Although they were all beginner-level tutorials, they were enough for him.

The introductory level instruction is to let him understand the basic operation of the guqin.

As for more advanced gameplay, you'll have to figure that out yourself.

But Xu Lin has an exceptional talent for learning, so none of this is difficult for him.

First, master the basics, then you can find some classic guqin pieces to learn later.

The two girls also gave up their seats for Xu Lin.

Rong Xiyan originally wanted to sit next to Xu Lin, but Xu Lin didn't want to be disturbed at this moment.

How can you not take your studies seriously?
Based on the video he had just watched, Xu Lin had learned that the guqin has three types of timbre: open strings, harmonics, and stopped strings.

Open strings are played by plucking the strings with the right hand, while the left hand remains still.

Harmonics are produced by lightly touching the fret with the left hand and plucking the string with the right hand.

When playing a note, the left hand plucks the string without moving it, while the right hand plucks the string.

Each of the three timbres has its own characteristics and produces a different sound. By combining them, different sounds can be produced, and even a rich and diverse range of sound styles.

So here's the problem: don't be fooled by the fact that the guqin only has seven strings, but when combined, it becomes incredibly complex. So the guqin is easy to get started with, but very difficult to master.

However, these are not problems for Xu Lin.

Xu Lin first familiarized himself with the seven strings, and then began to learn three different timbres: open strings, harmonics, and finally stopped strings.

These four steps took Xu Lin an hour and a half. From being clumsy and slow at the beginning, after an hour and a half, Xu Lin had become adept at using the three timbres and applied them freely.

His learning ability is quite remarkable.

Xia Xiyao watched from the side, feeling quite surprised. Rong Xiyan didn't pay much attention; being a bit big-breasted and brainless, she only thought Xu Lin was very capable, and nothing more.

Xia Xiyao wondered, "Does Xu Lin learn things so quickly?"
He must have just started learning the guqin, right? After all, his movements were indeed clumsy at first, and he looked like he didn't know anything. But unexpectedly, after just over an hour, Xu Lin was playing the guqin very well, as if he had been learning for a very long time.

"Xu Lin, you learn so fast!"

Xia Xiyao exclaimed in surprise.

Xu Lin smiled and said, "It's alright, just something to do in my spare time. I don't need to be too good at it."

"But I feel you're even better at playing the guqin than those on TV!"

"That shouldn't be the case."

Xu Lin should still be humble.

Having learned the three tones of the guqin, Xu Lin felt they were almost complete.

"what time is it?"

“Around 3 p.m.,” Xia Xiyao replied.

"Then play for another hour, and I'll take you back to school afterwards."

"Uh-huh."

Xu Lin had promised to drive Xia Xiyao back to school this afternoon. It was drizzling outside, and the wind was strong, so it was quite cold.

This time, Xu Lin also searched for famous guqin pieces on short video platforms.

The internet is much more advanced now, unlike the early days when everyone relied heavily on various search engines. Now, short videos and AI have replaced almost all search engines. Most of the answers you want can be found on short videos or AI, and they are more comprehensive.

Just like Xu Lin searched for famous guqin pieces, he quickly found them.

What are some famous pieces for the guqin?
"High Mountains and Flowing Water", "Guangling San", "Xiao Xiang Shui Yun", "Drunken Fisherman's Evening Song", "Yangchun Baixue", etc.

There are ten poems in total.

Xu Lin then looked at their styles. For example, "Guangling San" tells the story of Nie Zheng assassinating the king of Han during the Warring States period. Because it is about an assassination and the protagonist is chivalrous and righteous, the melody is passionate and stirring, but also full of a chilling atmosphere.

Xu Lin liked pieces like "Guangling San" for no other reason than that they easily got him excited and gave him a great feeling.

This is the piece Xu Lin intends to play.

Just like operating a piano, Xu Lin first familiarized himself with how to play the piano, and then explored deeper levels of piano playing by playing classic piano pieces.

This is similar to elementary school students learning Chinese characters. Whether they can use the characters effectively later on depends on their individual talents and abilities.

Do the same thing.

Xu Lin searched for the most liked video of "Guangling San" being played, and he spent more than ten minutes watching it twice.

After two repetitions, Xu Lin had memorized it and began to play it on the guqin.

Xu Lin seemed to have mastered the three timbres, switching between them at will.

I played "Guangling San" six times in total. The first time I became familiar with it, the second time I became proficient, and the third time I played it flawlessly...

On the sixth time, Xu Lin's playing had become almost divine.

This is the learning ability brought about by Xu Lin's strong learning talent; he learns everything quickly and improves more easily than anyone else.

"Xu Lin, what piece are you playing? It sounds a bit creepy."

Rong Xiyan shuddered.

Xu Lin heard the other person's words but didn't respond immediately. Instead, after finishing the sixth repetition, Xu Lin turned around and said, "Haven't you heard of Jing Ke's assassination attempt on the King of Qin? What I'm playing now is called 'Guangling San,' which tells the story of another assassin. How can you say such a magnificent and stirring ancient zither piece is creepy?"

"It's just a little scary." Rong Xiyan pouted.

"Because you not only have a woman's thought process, but you also lack an appreciation for art, so you don't know how to appreciate it!"

Xu Lin laughed and said, "As the ancients said, women and petty men are the most difficult to deal with!"

"Humph!"

"I'll stop talking now, I'll play it two more times."

To be honest, the guqin is much more fun than the piano and guitar. First, because the guqin is very complicated to play, and second, the sound of the guqin is more pleasing to Xu Lin's ears. For example, the piece "Guangling San" that Xu Lin is playing now has a chilling and solemn atmosphere, which is not something that just any instrument can produce.

Xu Lin quite enjoyed this.

Next, Xu Lin played "Guangling San" twice more. On the last play, Xu Lin felt that he had truly reached a state of divine skill in playing this piece.

He felt that if he lived in ancient times, he would have been a renowned master of the guqin.

"Never mind, I should be humble!"

Xu Lin looked at Xia Xiyao, who was watching him play the guqin.

Xia Xiyao and Rong Xiyan are quite different. In terms of artistic talent, Xia Xiyao has a certain amount of artistic talent, while Rong Xiyan does not. Therefore, when Xu Lin played the guqin, Rong Xiyan was not very attentive and felt bored. It's like a girl watching a boy play a game. Not every girl is interested in games. The guqin is something that requires appreciation, and the threshold is much higher than that of games. It's already quite good that Rong Xiyan didn't fall asleep.

Xia Xiyao, however, thought Xu Lin played very well, so she listened attentively the whole time.

In addition, both women were sitting on the carpet, and Xu Lin was at the edge of the carpet.

"what time is it?"

"It's past four o'clock."

"Then I'll take you back to school."

"Thank you."

"fine."

"Xu Lin, buy me a milk tea on your way back later!"

Rong Xiyan raised her hand.

"Can you go without your milk tea?"

"I have to remind you, or you'll forget."

Xu Lin patted her little head. Rong Xiyan was a little silly, but she was innocent and lively.

"Why did you stop touching it?"

Xu Lingang had just moved his hand away when Rong Xiyan was still not satisfied.

"Are you a puppy? You can get addicted to being petted on the head?"

Xu Lin didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"You're the little dog."

The two started bickering, while Xia Xiyao went back to her room to change clothes.

She wore long, flowing hair, a brown beret, a black hoodie, a brown skirt, and a pair of thermal stockings.

As for shoes, they are changed in the entryway.

A pair of sneakers, with fabric still on her calves.

Misaka Mikoto's outfit?

That's it.

This was the second time Xu Lin had seen her dressed like this.

This style is popular in winter nowadays. Xu Lin didn't have any opinion on it, but on Xia Xiyao, this outfit did give her a youthful and energetic look.

Xu Lin carried two bags of trash, and Xia Xiyao followed behind him.

After they went outside, Xia Xiyao asked, "Do you want me to carry a bag of trash for you?"

"No need, I'll take it."

"Ah."

Xia Xiyao followed the other person, feeling quite uneasy along the way, especially after entering the elevator. There were only the two of them inside, which made Xia Xiyao even more uneasy, and she couldn't help but think of what happened in the early hours of last night.

Now that a night has passed, Xia Xiyao sees Xu Lin as quite normal, and wonders if he has thought about what happened last night.

There were trash cans in the underground parking garage, so Xu Lin threw two bags of trash in them and then walked to his car.

"boarding."

"oh oh."

After Xia Xiyao got into the car, Xu Lin made her fasten her seatbelt.

A short while later, the car started moving.

Xu Lin didn't say anything along the way, and after more than half an hour, Xu Lin and his group arrived outside the Jiangdu Conservatory of Music.

He saw a nicely decorated milk tea shop not far away, which seemed to be newly opened.

"How's this milk tea shop?"

"This trendy milk tea shop has been really popular lately. It just opened last week, and the taste is pretty good. Do you want to try it?"

"Let's go buy a drink!"

Xu Lin still had to buy Rong Xiyan a cup to take back.

Do you sell fruit tea?

"Both milk tea and fruit tea are available!"

Xu Lin nodded. He didn't drink milk tea, only fruit tea.

A short while later, Xu Lin parked his car outside the milk tea shop.

Because it's a popular bubble tea shop and located near a university, it has a good customer base. Most of the customers are students, and bubble tea is mostly consumed by girls; boys rarely drink it unless they have a boyfriend.

At the same time, Xu Lin's GTS was parked outside, attracting the attention of many people immediately.

Also, Xu Lin, the car owner, who got out of the driver's seat, is really handsome.

Xu Lin's outfit today wasn't anything special; it was just an orange turtleneck sweater knitted by Ning Yuhan and a pair of black flared cargo pants that Rong Xiyan bought for him. Rong Xiyan said that these pants were trendy and that Xu Lin should wear them.

Xu Lin's clothes were ordinary, but his core equipment was undeniably stylish.

The milk tea shop was filled with girls from the music academy, the private second-tier university across the street, and a junior college.

Xu Lin's Panamera is incredibly attractive.

Many people know their stuff.

Which girl hooked up with a rich second-generation?
Everyone looked up and saw Xia Xiyao.

Inside the bubble tea shop, there happened to be a girl from Xia Xiyao's dance club, but she wasn't a senior student; she was a student from the same year but a different class, both members of the dance club.

"Xia Xiyao, is this your boyfriend?"

The girl looked Xu Lin up and down, thinking to herself, "He's really handsome."

Xia Xiyao didn't know how to answer for a moment, and just looked at Xu Lin.

Xu Lin looked at the girl and asked, "Do you know our Yao Yao?"

"Xia Xiyao and I are both in the dance club."

"Oh--"

Xu Lin slightly elongated his voice, looking as if he had just realized something. He chatted with the girl for a couple of minutes, then ignored her. Why did this girl seem to have a slightly manipulative vibe?
Forget it, I'll just ignore her. Xu Lin simply doesn't like wasting time on unimportant people.

Xu Lin bought two cups of fruit tea and one cup of milk tea at the front desk.

Milk tea is heated, fruit tea is kept at room temperature, and milk tea is Rong Xiyan's.

Afterwards, Xu Lin drove Xia Xiyao to her dormitory building.

"Let's go back to the dorm, I'm going back too."

Xu Lin slurped up a sip of fruit tea.

However, seeing that Xia Xiyao hadn't made a move, Xu Lin asked in confusion, "What's wrong?"

"What...what is our relationship now?"

Xia Xiyao mustered her courage and asked.

Xu Lin didn't speak, but held the fruit tea in his left hand and beckoned the other person over with his right index finger.

Xia Xiyao crawled over, and Xu Lin reached out and pulled her into his arms, her little face bumping right into Xu Lin's chest.

Xia Xiyao gasped in surprise, and before she could react, Xu Lin kissed her as she looked up.

This kiss lasted three minutes.

"What kind of relationship we have is not important. What is important is that I will do anything you ask. I have a big heart, so big that I yearn for mountains and rivers, the universe and stars, or to think about many questions in the long history of mankind. However, my heart is also small, so small that it can only hold the important people around me. I don't even look at others. Now, you are an important person in my life."

one!

Of course, another important person to him is his mother, Ms. Ren Yan.

"It feels like you're comforting me just like you comforted Xiyan."

Xia Xiyao sat on Xu Lin's lap, feeling slightly wronged. She didn't know if things had gone right or wrong at this point, but she couldn't care less about that now.

In her opinion, apart from being a bit promiscuous in relationships, Xu Lin seemed to be impeccable in other aspects. His talent goes without saying, and as for his character, Xia Xiyao had been by Xu Lin's side for the past month or two, so she knew him very well. Apart from being a bit lecherous, he didn't have any other bad traits, at least not yet.

However, these are minor issues; Xu Lin's overall setup is too advanced.

"Let me be impulsive just this once!" Xia Xiyao's gaze hardened.

"What's the impulse?" Xu Lin pressed.

I impulsively fell in love with you!

(End of this chapter)