Chapter 19: Double pupils and water-cutting Cheng Zhirou

"Girl, there's a new word."

Mother Zhang walked in with a slightly bent back and placed three pieces of paper within the girl's reach.

"Let me see Bai Suzhen at the foot of Qingcheng Mountain. Please help me get out of the mortal world." After reading the poem, the girl frowned slightly. This poem was too straightforward.

But after seeing the reduced score, she sat up suddenly: "Mother Zhang, get the piano!"

"Ok."

It was the first time that Mother Zhang saw her daughter look so surprised. She quickly ran to the next room and took out her daughter's treasured guqin, the "Dead Wood Dragon Yin".

The girl had already sat down gracefully, placing three pieces of paper covered with words in front of her.

After Mother Zhang put down the guqin, she took a deep breath and started playing the instrument while looking at the abbreviated score.

Although she was not familiar with it the first time, it already made the girl's eyes light up.

second time

third time

The fourth time

The girl stopped only after the tenth time. She closed her eyes and savored the song carefully.

For the first time, she felt so clearly that the beauty of music lies in its tranquility, a kind of meditation and self-control, like the fragrance of a flower leaf or the call of a deer.

"Hello, Madam Zhang, please invite Mr. Ou in."

"No, I should go out and meet him."

Having said that, the girl stood up, carefully checked that her attire was not impolite, and then walked out.

"Girl, please put on your face scarf." Mother Zhang quickly took out a silk face scarf and put it on her daughter to cover her charming face.

The master and the servant walked quickly through the corridor and around the rockery to the first floor of the restaurant. The shopkeeper took one look and immediately came up to greet them, "Boss."

"Is Mr. Ou still here?" the girl asked hurriedly.

"Yes, it's still here. I asked the waiter to serve Mr. Ou some dishes and a pot of wine. He is eating on the second floor now!" The shopkeeper nodded quickly and replied.

"Very good, here's your reward." The girl casually flicked out a silver bean, and the shopkeeper caught it in a hurry.

Just when I was about to thank her, I found that the girl had already gone upstairs with a "thump thump" sound.

At this moment, there was laughter and joy upstairs, and someone even pretended to recite "Bai Suzhen Under the Qingcheng Mountain", which caused even louder laughter.

Qu Feiyan was very unhappy and wanted to stand up and scold these people several times.

But her young master stopped her calmly, as if the laughter was not directed at him.

This made Qu Feiyan even angrier!

At this moment, a soft and sticky voice came: "Which one is Mr. Ou?"

The sound is like the gurgling of water or the wind blowing through willows, low and soft, seemingly charming and affectionate, giving people an indescribable sense of comfort.

Hearing her voice before seeing her, Qu Feiyan almost subconsciously felt that this was a very beautiful woman.

Ou Zanghua put down his chopsticks, turned his head to look at the master and servant who were walking up, and said with a smile: "It is me."

The girl took one look and secretly praised him: "What a handsome and elegant man!"

"My humble self is Cheng Zhirou, nice to meet Mr. Ou."

Cheng Zhirou placed her hands in front of her chest, bowed her head slightly, moved her hands slightly, bent her knees slightly, and bowed to Ou Zanghua.

Compared to Ou Zanghua's calmness, the other guests were very excited.

When the literati in Hangzhou gathered, some people came up with the so-called "Eight Beauties of Hangzhou", among which "Cheng Ji's eyes are like autumn water" refers to the owner of the West Lake Restaurant, Cheng Zhirou. Unfortunately, this girl who is famous in Hangzhou for her beautiful eyes did not show any sidelong glances to others.

Those star-like eyes stared at Ou Zanghua, as if they had thousands of words to say.

Ou Zanghua stood up and clasped his hands together in front of his chest, "Miss Cheng, I am honored."

"Mr. Ou, may I ask you to come upstairs for a chat?" Cheng Zhirou took a few steps forward, and a faint fragrance wafted over, which made her feel pleasant.

"Please." Ou Zanghua invited with one hand.

Cheng Zhirou smiled happily, her eyes were like crescent moons, very beautiful indeed.

Qu Feiyan followed immediately, with an attitude of "wherever the master goes, I go too", but Qu Yang felt a little uncomfortable and did not follow immediately.

When Ou Zanghua saw this, he just smiled and didn't stop it.

Cheng Zhirou immediately understood and without saying anything more, she led the two of them to a private room on the third floor.

The guests did not expect to see Miss Cheng again today, and they suddenly did not want to leave. They all stopped on the second floor and pricked up their ears to listen to what was happening on the third floor.

"I am a woman who has no eyes to recognize gold and jade. Seeing the straightforward words, I misunderstood Mr. Ou's talent. I am really ashamed."

Cheng Zhirou apologized at first, and then continued: "It was not until I read the teacher's reduced character score that I realized my lack of talent and learning."

Ou Zanghua smiled and explained, "Miss Cheng is too modest. I didn't write that poem for the scholars to read, but for the common people to listen to. So, it's more appropriate to be more straightforward."

"So that's how it is." Cheng Zhirou understood. She had just seen too many people showing off their literary talents, and when she suddenly saw someone so straightforward and mundane, she was unable to react for a moment.

She immediately talked about the most important thing: "Sir, I played the piano according to your reduced notation. Please give me some advice."

As she spoke, Mother Zhang set up the piano.

Cheng Zhirou played "Bai Suzhen at the Foot of Qingcheng Mountain" in front of Ou Zanghua.

The faint sound of the piano spread out of the room and could be vaguely heard by the guests on the second floor.

Everyone immediately quieted down. The sound of the piano was like water flowing in a mountain stream, clear and bright, and like a gentle breeze and drizzle, soothing the heart and mind.

After the song was finished, Cheng Zhirou looked up at Ou Zanghua, expecting his guidance.

"Miss Cheng is amazing, she can play this piece of music to such a high level so quickly." Ou Zanghua said with emotion as he listened to the familiar piece of music from his previous life.

"Thank you for the compliment, sir." Cheng Zhirou's eyes lit up, as if a bend in spring water reflected the stars in the sky.

"Now you can try adding words."

"Excuse me, sir, how do I add it?"

"I'll demonstrate it once, please play the piano, young lady."

Cheng Zhirou nodded immediately. As the piano sounded again, Ou Zanghua recalled the time when he and his mother watched "The Legend of the New White Snake" in front of the TV when he was a child. At that time, he didn't have to think about anything. It was the purest and happiest time:
Qingcheng~Mountain~Bai Suzhen

In the cave ~ thousand years ~ cultivate this body

Ah. Ah. Ah.
After singing, Ou Zanghua felt inexplicably depressed.

Cheng Zhirou seemed to have noticed it as well, so she didn't stop, but started playing it again from the beginning and sang it herself.

Her voice was much better than Ou Zanghua's, and she was also good at playing the ci instrument. She sang in a melodious and pleasant way, with the rhythm of the song blending with the sound of springs and the occasional sounds of jade.

Not to mention Ou Zanghua, which of the guests downstairs was not fascinated by what he heard?

It’s a pity that such beautiful lyrics and music are too short, and many people expressed their regret.

At this time, Qu Yang in the crowd said faintly: "What a pity! My son's talent is ridiculed by ordinary people who don't know the value of it. If it were me, I would definitely not bring it out again~"

When everyone heard this, they looked at each other in bewilderment, and the scene became even quieter.
(End of this chapter)