Chapter 1308: Chapter 1307: The Blind Girl
Since ancient times, Jiangzhou has been praised as a paradise on earth. However, Ye Qiu found that while the Jiangzhou gardens were nice, they were far from Heaven. They lacked that Immortal Qi and Spiritual Energy; they were merely earthly beauty.
Ye Qiu sat down at a pavilion and looked at the withered lotuses in the distance; almost all of them had wilted. If you came in the summer, you could see some beautiful lotuses.
"I heard you’re going to participate in a piano competition?"
Song Ying suddenly asked.
Now Song Ying felt that Ye Qiu really was capable of anything, as if there was nothing he couldn’t do.
"That Lin Wanqing had the Music Academy sign you up; the Music Academy has already contacted our Medical School, and the leaders at the Medical School also say you’re multitalented."
Ye Qiu hadn’t expected this; he thought Lin Wanqing was just trying it out casually. Unexpectedly, Lin Wanqing really signed him up.
Originally, Lin Wanqing was going to compete herself. Does this mean she wants to pull him along too?
Playing the piano was just a piece of cake for him; he just didn’t want to be too high-profile.
"So will you fall in love with me?"
Ye Qiu asked.
"Not talking to you anymore."
Song Ying was feeling irritated at the moment when suddenly she heard the sound of a musical instrument from afar. However, it wasn’t the sound of a piano but rather that of a guqin or guzheng. The music sounded pretty good.
"Let’s go take a look."
Song Ying suggested.
As Song Ying walked ahead, Ye Qiu followed behind. About a dozen meters away on a man-made island, a young woman in Hanfu was playing the guqin.
By the time they arrived, the music was very clear, and there were some tourists around taking photos.
Ye Qiu and Song Ying listened at the side. Song Ying couldn’t recognize the piece, but Ye Qiu realized it was the classic "Three Refrains of Yang Pass."
After finishing the piece, as the young woman raised her head to thank everyone, Ye Qiu could tell that this young woman with a classical air was blind.
Seeing her, Song Ying whispered, "She’s blind, but she played really well. I really admire her."
As she continued playing the second piece, Ye Qiu quickly recognized it as "High Mountain and Running Water."
"Ye Qiu, I think I’ve heard this one somewhere before."
"’High Mountain and Running Water,’ sounds alright."
Ye Qiu replied.
Judging by her playing, she has a passable level, but since she’s blind, she deserves some extra credit, giving her an 80 out of 100. Overall, it’s still quite average.
For a blind person, sound is most sensitive. Just now, Ye Qiu’s comment was heard clearly by her, causing her to miss one beat.
When she finished that piece, some departing tourists took out cash, or even a hundred-yuan bill, and placed it on the box.
Evidently, it was for the blind girl.
These tourists felt they had enjoyed the music and, seeing her plight, thought a little kindness wouldn’t hurt.
"Thank you, thank you, everyone!"
The young woman stood up and said.
Song Ying took out five hundred yuan in cash and was about to place it inside the box when Ye Qiu asked, "May I borrow the guqin for a play?"
"Sure."
Song Ying was very shocked; Ye Qiu could also play the guqin.
As the young blind woman stood up, Ye Qiu sat down in that spot, which still carried the warmth and delicate fragrance of the blind woman.
Initially, the other tourists were ready to leave, but unexpectedly, when they saw this ordinary-dressed young man actually sit down to play the guqin, they were quite surprised.
Ye Qiu started plucking the guqin strings without needing to test the sound. As the notes reverberated, the blind girl and the other tourists felt something entirely different.
Ye Qiu played the same "High Mountain and Running Water," but it sounded more pleasing and smoother. Only then did the blind girl and Song Ying understand why Ye Qiu had previously said it was just average; compared to his playing, it truly was just so-so.
After Ye Qiu finished the piece, he said, "This is for you, Miss."
"I’ll play one more piece for my friend."
As the music began again, at first the blind girl didn’t recognize it, but gradually she realized it was one of the most famous guqin pieces, "Phoenix Seeking the Phoenix."
The parasol tree casts a solitary shadow, and a bird calls repeatedly. Its clear sound spreads throughout the land, its bright plumage reflecting the heavens. The wings unite the eight desolations, with a unique six-tone harmony born. Gently her figure appears, welcoming with open arms. She dances to ignite the mountains and rivers, resounding like stars falling on a sunny day. Rise and fall, a crucible’s foundation, the rhythm of the withered and prosperous. Everything transforms within this, epochs merge vast and grand. Mist lingers, leaving only ashes, the rare sound enters the far-reaching void.
The blind girl seemed mesmerized; she hadn’t heard such a piece in a long time. Perhaps only her master could play it.
But Song Ying couldn’t understand what it meant; it just felt profound, deep. At this moment, she could only admire and look up to Ye Qiu.
For such a god-like man, Song Ying really didn’t know how to describe Ye Qiu’s extraordinariness.
The notes rose and fell, and after Ye Qiu played the last note, Tears were almost flowing from the blind woman’s eyes.
"Thank you, sir!"
The blind woman said.
She thanked Ye Qiu for the piece he played for her, and also felt a bit envious of the piece he played for his friend, knowing that only those who truly understand it would grasp the emotions the music conveys.
"This is for you."
Ye Qiu didn’t leave her any cash but a piece of paper with his name and phone number on it.
Ye Qiu then took Song Ying away.
"What did you write to her?"
"I can cure her, do you believe it?"
"Really?"
Song Ying was very surprised.
"My sister used to limp, but I completely cured her, and Liu Lingxiu couldn’t speak before either. Do you think I can’t cure that blind girl?"
"It would be great if that were the case."
"When she can see the world again, maybe she won’t be as focused on this, and who knows if it’s a blessing or a curse. That depends on her."
At this moment, Song Ying looked at Ye Qiu and felt he was even more different than before. Previously, she felt he was just someone who liked to take advantage, no different from other men.
"Don’t look at me like that; people are like that."
"I really can’t figure you out more and more."
"When you do figure me out, you’ll already be in love with me, and you’ll be deeply entranced."
Ye Qiu laughed.
Song Ying didn’t believe any of that. After wandering around the garden with Ye Qiu for a bit, it was already past five in the afternoon. The two didn’t stay any longer, and Ye Qiu drove back to Jinling, arriving after six in the evening.
"Shall we go eat first, or should I take you home directly?"
"I think I’d like to eat first."
Seeing Song Ying like that, Ye Qiu knew that, like Lin Xiang, she was slowly falling for him. But Ye Qiu knew he was different from other men; what he enjoyed now was the process.
As for the outcome, that could be discussed later.