Chapter 75

"Sister"

"Hmm?"

"I want to go to the park to play."

The girl was lying on the wooden floor, propping up her chin, looking at her.

"Sister has to practice the piano today~ Maybe next time."

She carefully adjusted the strings of the piano, speaking softly.

"You always say next time..."

The girl pouted and rubbed against her, looking a bit unhappy.

"Be obedient, Ruoxi."

She smiled and patted the girl's head.

...

Lately, it seemed that the two of them spent less and less time playing together.

Sister always came home from school and only focused on practicing the piano, practicing, practicing...

"Sister?"

The girl was lying on her lap, reaching out to touch the guzheng in front of her.

"Do you really like the guzheng?"

"Oh, I love it~"

"Why?"

The girl raised her head, blinked her eyes, and looked at her.

"Well..."

She thought for a moment.

"Ruoxi, do you know? The guzheng can actually speak~"

"Huh? Speak?"

The girl widened her watery eyes, showing an expression of disbelief.

"Yes, it's what we call 'expressing oneself through music'."

"Expressing oneself?"

"Yes~ An excellent musician can convey their 'expressions' to others through the guzheng. Sister wants to become that kind of person~"

She raised the corners of her mouth and smiled.

"But, Ruoxi, you're only 7 years old. You'll probably understand when you grow up~"

Looking at her seemingly understanding but not really understanding expression, she said again.

"..."

The girl looked at her.

Sister sincerely loves the guzheng...

But why does it feel like sister is becoming more distant from her?

"Um..."

The girl hesitated, thought for a moment, and then spoke:

"Sister, can I learn to play the guzheng?"

She said it.

"Huh?"

She looked at her in surprise.

"Ruoxi, are you interested?"

In the past, when her father asked her to learn an instrument, she was always reluctant. But this time, she took the initiative to make such a request.

"Yes!"

"Learning the guzheng is not something you can do half-heartedly. It's very hard, you know~"

She pinched her cheeks and intentionally scared her.

"Yes!"

The girl nodded, showing a serious expression.

"Haha, then let's start with the basics~"

"Yes!"

...

Great, she can be with her sister again.

Just like before...

...

"The most common guzheng now has 21 strings, but the one we use the most at Lin Yin Ge is this..."

Lin Ruoxiao said as she stood up the guzheng in front of her.

"One, two, three... thirteen strings?"

The girl wiggled her little finger and counted silently.

"Yes, this is called the thirteen-string guzheng. This kind of guzheng, which has been passed down from the Tang Dynasty, is rarely played now because it has too few strings and limited range of tones. For beginners, it's also difficult to understand."

"Then why do we use this..."

"Well..."

Lin Ruoxiao thought for a moment, then showed a bitter smile.

"It's probably because it's a tradition of Lin Yin Ge. Don't be fooled by Dad's appearance, he's quite stubborn about these things."

"Oh..."

"What are you two talking about?"

At this moment, their father walked in.

He glanced into the room and asked:

"Ruoxiao, aren't you practicing the piano?"

"Dad... Father, I'm teaching Ruoxi how to play the guzheng."

Her voice suddenly became softer.

"Ruoxi?"

He paused for a moment, then looked at Roxie Lin beside her.

"You want to learn an instrument?"

"Yes, it was my idea to have sister teach me!"

"..."

He didn't say anything, then after a while, he said:

"Alright, since you want to learn, learn it well. If there's anything you don't understand, ask your sister."

"Yes, yes..."

She was a bit nervous, watching her father leave the room.

She thought she would get scolded for teaching her sister secretly...

...

Since it's like this, there's nothing to worry about...After that, Roxie Lin officially started learning the zither.

Roxie Lin, who was in middle school, would go straight home after school every day. Besides practicing the zither herself, she also taught her clueless little sister.

Day after day, it was very tiring, but she was never tired of it.

Fortunately, Roxie Lin learned quickly. Within less than a day, she could play some basic pieces in their entirety.

After about a month, she could already look at the sheet music and play pieces she had never played before.

Even their father didn't expect this.

In the evening.

Thump, thump, thump.

Roxie Lin ran barefoot on the wooden floor, holding the sheet music.

She couldn't wait to rush into her sister's room.

"Sister, what are we going to learn today?"

This was the most anticipated time of her day.

"Well..."

She thought for a moment.

Let's play something more challenging today.

"Let's play this one."

She took out a sheet music.

"Fishing Song at Dusk..."

"Well, sister, it took me a lot of effort to learn this piece."

"Well..."

Roxie Lin stood beside her, hesitating.

"Sister, I can already play this."

"Huh? Really?"

She looked at her with an incredulous expression and raised her head.

"Yes, sister. Shall I play it for you?"

"Ah, sure..."

Roxie Lin said proudly, kneeling on the floor. She carefully put finger picks on her fingers, lightly strummed the strings with her hand.

"!"

As the first note was played, Lin Ruoxiao widened her eyes.

The piece flowed like water, permeating from the zither.

What is this?

The pitch was as precise as a sophisticated instrument, continuous, yet without any rigidity.

Her sense of hearing was controlled, drawn into her world.

How was this the level of someone who had just started learning the zither for a month?

She was absent-minded, unknowingly.

The performance ended...

"Sister, how was it?"

Roxie Lin's eyes shone as she looked at her.

"Huh?"

She only snapped back to reality then.

"It was, it was pretty good..."

It was not just "pretty good", but for some reason, Lin Ruoxiao couldn't bring herself to say those words of praise. It got stuck in her throat...

"Sister, can you teach me again?"

She pouted and acted a bit spoiled.

"It's getting late today. Next time, okay?"

"Huh? Well..."

"I'm tired."

She interrupted Roxie Lin and lowered her head, speaking softly.

"Oh, okay..."

Roxie Lin paused for a moment, stood up.

"Good night, sister..."

She said as she walked out of the room, gently closing the door.

...

...

Lin Ruoxiao turned off the light but couldn't sleep...

What was she doubting? She couldn't clear it up herself...

...

The next morning, Lin Ruoxiao woke up as early as usual.

The school was quite far from the old city, so she had to catch the first bus.

"Hey, did you hear?"

When she reached the door, she seemed to hear someone chatting in the yard.

She glanced over and saw a few parents who had sent their children to Lin Yin Ge to learn the zither early.

"What?"

"I heard that there's a little girl at Lin Yin Ge who plays the zither really well recently."

"What's so surprising? There are plenty of kids here who play the zither well."

"No, no, I heard her performance two days ago. It was really incredible! She's on a whole different level compared to other kids!"

"Oh, I heard about it too. You mean Lin's daughter?"

"Daughter? Lin Ruoxiao?"

She heard her own name, stayed silent, hiding behind the door.

"No, I mean the younger one."

"The younger one? Isn't she only 7 years old?"

"That's why she's a prodigy!"

...Bang.

She closed the door and walked out.

"..."

The people there suddenly went silent when they saw her.

She didn't say a word and walked straight out of the yard.

...

For Ruo Yin Ge, this was a good thing...

There's nothing wrong with that...

...

In the evening, she was alone in the room.

She glanced at the clock on the wall, it was 9 o'clock...

Strange, Ruoxi didn't come to practice piano with her today.

She looked at the guzheng in front of her, but for some reason, she didn't feel like playing...

Have I become lazy recently?

Let's go out and clear my mind...

As she opened the door, she accidentally bumped into her father who was about to knock on the door.

"Father?"

"Ruoxiao, come here. I want to talk to you about something."

He still had a stern expression on his face, although she should have been used to it by now.

But for some reason, she felt a little uneasy today.

"Oh..."

She followed him and walked into the yard.

The empty yard was now devoid of people, only sporadic chirping of crickets could be heard from the bushes from time to time.

The moonlight reflected on the water in the pond, emitting a faint light that shone on her face.

"About Ruoxi..."

He didn't turn around to look at her, but instead looked at the water pool at his feet as he spoke.

"You must have seen it."

"..."

She remained silent, standing quietly behind him.

"That child is very talented."

"Yes..."

"I have to thank you for helping me discover this, but..."

As he said that, he turned around and looked at her.

"You don't need to teach her the zheng anymore."

"Huh?"

She looked up at him, somewhat surprised.

"I will personally teach her."

"Why?"

"Why?"

His eyebrows twitched slightly.

Taking steps, he walked up to her.

Lowering his head, he looked at her.

"That child will become the signature of Lin Yin Ge..."

His icy gaze swept over her.

"But I cannot let her be ruined by you."

After he finished speaking, he walked past her.

"..."

"I have signed Ruoxi up for the zheng music competition next month."

"..."

"Even though you can't teach her, you can still accompany her in practicing the piano, can't you?"

"Yes."

She lowered her head.

"I will do my best..."

"That's good then..."

He turned his back to her and left.

...

"That child will become the signature of Lin Yin Ge..."

...

"But I cannot let her be ruined by you."

...

Then, what am I?

...

"I've told you so many times before! You need to play it more suppressive here!"

"Eh?"

Roxie Lin sat across from her, stroking the zheng.

"Oh, um..."

"Although your technique is already quite good, you still can't play so casually!"

Lin Ruoxiao said louder.

"Otherwise, how can you be considered a member of Lin Yin Ge!"

"Sister, um...did something happen? I feel like today..."

She whispered, not daring to look up at her.

"When practicing, you should address me as 'teacher'!"

"..."

She froze, looking at her.

"Start again from the beginning!"

"...Alright."

In these past few days, she had noticed the subtle changes in her sister, but for some reason, she didn't dare to ask her...

...

"Ruoxi, do you want to go get ice cream?"

"I know a place that has really delicious ice cream~"

After school, two little girls ran over.

They were classmates from elementary school.

"Ice cream..."

That sounded nice.

But she thought for a moment and declined.

"Well...I have something to do at home..."

"Oh, that's a pity."

"Then let's go together next time~"

"Yeah..."

After they finished talking, they left.

Next time...

She declined two more times like this afterwards and gradually, no one invited her anymore....

But it doesn't matter, she doesn't want to disappoint her more than these things...

She has to go back and practice the zither, preparing for the upcoming zither competition...

"Sister."

"Why did you stop?"

"Well..."

She hesitated, as if she had something to say.

"Can I bring my friends to our house to play? I want to introduce them to you, sister..."

She spoke, glancing at her face somewhat embarrassedly.

"What friends?"

Lin Ruoxiao didn't look at her, but instead sorted through the thick scores in her hand.

"Some classmates from school..."

"By the way..."

She finally looked up and looked at her.

"You gave our home address to your classmates, didn't you?"

"Huh?"

She was taken aback.

"Yeah..."

"No wonder, your classmate came to our house yesterday."

"Huh? I didn't even know..."

"It's okay, I told her not to come again."

"Huh?!"

She stood up, looking at her with a surprised expression.

"Why... why didn't sister tell me about this..."

"Why?"

Lin Ruoxiao looked up, staring into her eyes.

"Do I have to discuss these things with you?"

She said, took the neatly organized scores, stood up, and prepared to leave.

"Wait, wait a minute!"

Roxie Lin caught up to her.

"Sister, at least listen to me finish..."

"..."

She didn't answer, as if she hadn't heard, she walked straight past her.

Hmm...

"Don't ignore me! Sister!!!!"

Roxie Lin clenched her fists tightly, behind her, shouting hoarsely.

Her voice echoed through the corridor outside the room.

A moment of silence.

"Go back and practice."

She didn't turn around, said coldly.

...

Why did it turn out like this?

They used to be different...

She stood still, unable to speak for a while.

...

"Ruoxi, do you know? The zither can speak, oh."

She hesitated and turned back.

Looking at the zither lying quietly on the ground.

"It's called 'Quyi', as they say."

Yes, didn't sister say that...

"An excellent qin player can convey 'Quyi' to others through the zither."

So, can I do it too?

"Sister, do you want to become that kind of person?"

...

...

-----Next is... Contestant No. 9-----

-----Roxie Lin-----

"Eightfold Robe"

...

"Oh, here it comes."

"This child is from the Lin Music Academy, right?"

The judges in the audience began to discuss in low voices.

"That talented girl?"

"Although it's the first time I've heard her play... 'Eightfold Robe'..."

"I wonder if a child of this age can understand the meaning of the music..."

"How will she interpret this piece..."

...

She stepped onto the stage, sat down, and gently stroked the strings with her hand.

-------My voice can no longer reach sister

-------When practicing, she always made me stop if there was a slight mistake

-------But on this stage where I cannot be stopped

"I must convey it no matter what."

Sister, are you watching me now?

Her fingers touched the strings.

"!!!"

Backstage, Lin Ruoxiao suddenly looked up with wide eyes.

...

She buried her head and plucked the strings like a gust of wind.

Thirteen strings, thirteen different tones, intertwining like vines.

Graceful and soothing, overflowing from the zither.

"What, what is this piece?!"

Almost all the judges stood up.

"This isn't 'Eightfold Robe'! It's another piece!!"

"I've never heard of this piece, is it improvised?!"

"Hello, hello, playing other songs in the competition will result in disqualification...!!""

"But... this song..."

----- "Tell her"

"Ruoxi, look at you, you've stained your clothes again! You'll get scolded later~"

----- "Tell her"

"Ruoxi is really good at playing hide and seek. Look, she even found her sister!"

----- "Tell her"

"Sister, I like Ruoxi the most~"

----- "Tell her"

----- I just...

----- I just wanted it to be like before...

...

The voice pierced through her eardrums and reached her heart.

Sweat dripped from her forehead as she gasped for breath, gently placing her hand on the strings.

Rumble!

The whole audience erupted in an uproar, accompanied by thunderous applause.

"This child..."

"Being only seven years old..."

The judges gazed at the composed girl on the stage in disbelief.

"..."

Even the emcee stood there dumbfounded, unable to say a word for a long time.

She remained silent, stood up, and packed up the guzheng.

She seemed oblivious to the applause around her...

Impatiently, she walked towards the backstage.

Because that person was already standing there...

"Sister"

She gasped for breath, her breath slightly chaotic.

"What are you... thinking..."

Ling Ruoxiao turned her back to her and whispered.

"Eh?"

"To actually do such a thing..."

"Sister...?"

She hesitated and cautiously reached out her hand.

"Don't touch me!!!"

Ling Ruoxiao shouted hoarsely, her back turned, her body slightly trembling.

"You simply don't understand..."

...

"How could someone talented understand the sorrow carried by someone with no talent..."

She said, turning her head.

Her pitch-black pupils, like a stagnant pool, lost their brightness, feeble and hopeless.

"Your guzheng is nothing less than a weapon."

...

"Sister, I like Ruoxi the most."

Tears fell down her cheeks, drop by drop, onto the floor.

Unable to convey them...

My voice...

...

...

"Yuyu?"

Samson Nan's voice brought her back.

"For..."

He said, handing her a tissue.

For some reason, after listening to this song, her tears couldn't stop flowing.

"Brother."

She covered her face with the tissue and spoke softly.

"Say it."

A moment of silence.

...

"I want to bring Ruoxi back."

"When?"

"Now."

"Is that so..."

He seemed unsurprised, calmly saying as he stood up and put away his computer.

Holding a bowl, he walked towards the door.

But when he reached the doorway, he paused.

"Change into clean clothes and come down. I'll wait for you downstairs."

"..."

She didn't say anything.

It wasn't until he closed the door.

That her lips slightly curled up, wiping away her tears.