703 Guqin Scores
Translator: Henyee Translations | Editor: Henyee Translations
Fang Mingyi laughed dryly. “I want to see what herbs you’re picking.”
“It’s dangerous in the mountains, you two shouldn’t follow.” After saying this, Chu Qingzhi no longer paid attention to the two and continued to walk into the’ mountains.
The patient won’t last through the night and needs to take the medicine quickly; there’s no time to dawdle with the two men.
Looking at Chu Qingzhi’s departing figure, Fang Mingyi hesitated and asked Xu Guannan, “Brother Xu, shall we follow her in?”
“Do you fear death?” Xu Guannan countered.
Fang Mingyi didn’t want to lose face in front of Xu Guannan and tapped his chest with his fan, saying, “I’m not afraid.”
Just as Xu Guannan was about to speak, Chu Laipi and Chu Bapi came by, carrying large baskets on their backs, ready to pick leaves in the bamboo forest.
Now that they were strong and well-dressed, though they still carried a bit of their old ruffian aura, they no longer engaged in petty theft. Their reputation in the village had improved, and even the matchmaker was considering arranging marriages for them.
Fang Mingyi blocked their way and politely asked, “Brothers, are you going into the mountain?”
Chu Laipi sized up Fang Mingyi, who looked wealthy and might be a guest at
Chu Qingzhi’s house, so he also responded politely, “Yes, why?”
Fang Mingyi pointed with his fan towards the mountains, “We also want to go into the mountains, can you take us with you?”
“There’s no reason not to, let’s go.” The bamboo forest wasn’t a dangerous place, so Chu Laipi agreed readily.
“Thankyou,” FangMingyi bowed.
Chu Laipi thought to himself that ever since he had reformed, people had been quite polite to him, which was good, and he needed to keep it up.
Chu Laipi and Chu Bapi led Xu Guannan and Fang Mingyi to the bamboo forest, “We’re going to pick leaves, you can do as you please.”
Fang Mingyi looked around, noting that this was obviously not what he had in mind for going into the mountain, “We want to find Chu Qingzhi, do you know where she is, can you take us to her?”
Chu Laipi asked in surprise, “Sister Qingzhi entered the mountain?”
Yes. Fang Mingyi was puzzled, these two men were clearly older than Chu Qingzhi, yet they called her sister?
Chu Laipi waved his hand and rejected, “Sister Qingzhi usually enters the mountain to pick herbs. The place she goes to is very dangerous. We can’t bring you there.”
Fang Mingyi frowned, “If a girl can go there, why can’t we?”
Chu Laipi calmly asked, “Can you make wolves guard your house and tigers be your pets?”
Fang Mingyi shook his head, puzzled, “No.”
“But Sister Qingzhi can!” Chu Laipi’s tone was filled with admiration.
Fang Mingyi was speechless.
“Brother Fang,” Xu Guannan spoke up, “don’t trouble them unnecessarily. It’s indeed dangerous in the mountains, and it’s wise to be cautious.”
FangMingyi took the advice, opened his fan with a “swish,” and fanned himself, “Fine, I won’t dragyou into danger with me.”
Suddenly, he noticed something and pointed with his fan, “Brother Xu, look, what’s that?”
Xu Guannan looked in the direction pointed and saw many pieces of wood piled haphazardly, covered in black, ear-shaped objects.
“It’s wood fungus (ancient name for wood ear mushrooms).”
Xu Guannan was pleasantly surprised; wood fungus was a well-known mountain delicacy that everyone liked to eat, “I didn’t expect to find so much wood fungus here, let’s go pick them.”
He walked over with joy.
Fang Mingyi glanced at Chu Laipi and Chu Bapi, who were busy picking leaves
on their own and didn’t pay attention to the others. “Alright.”
Xu Guannan wove two baskets out of leaves and vines, and handed one to Fang Mingyi. “Go ahead and pick.”
Fang Mingyi looked at Xu Guannan as if he was seeing him for the first time.
“How do you, a scholar, know how to do these things?”
Xu Guannan calmly replied, “I am a scholar, but I was born in a village. I’ve been doing these kinds of things since I was young; there’s nothing strange about it.”
“Oh.” Fang Mingyi didn’t say anything more and started picking seriously. As a young master, he had never done this kind of work before, and found it quite novel.
On the other hand, Chu Qingzhi quickly gathered the medicinal herbs. As she passed by the forest where Chu Laipi and Chu Bapi were, she saw Xu Guannan and Fang Mingyi by chance.
She walked towards them. “What are you doing here?”
Xu Guannan raised the basket in his hand. “We came to the mountain to look around and decided to pick some wood ears.”
The dead trees were covered with wood ears, presenting a scene of bountiful harvest.
Since Xu Guannan was the teacher of Chu Xuyuan and Chu Xuyao, Chu Qingzhi asked with more concern, “When are you planning to leave?”
Xu Guannan paused for a moment. “We plan to fill up a basket first.”
Chu Qingzhi said, “Then take your time picking. Leave the mountain with the others later; don’t stay in the mountain alone. I’ll go back first.”
Fang Mingyi wanted to keep Chu Qingzhi from leaving but couldn’t think of any excuse on the spot. So, he said, “Miss Qingzhi, may I offer these wood ears to you?”
Chu Qingzhi declined. “You’ve worked hard for half a day; you should take them back and enjoy them yourselves.”
At that moment, Chu Laipi’s voice came through, “Sister Qingzhi, we’ll pick some and send them to your house later.”
Chu Qingzhi replied, “Okay.”
Fang Mingyi was speechless.
Fang Mingyi asked, “Miss Qingzhi, why would you accept theirs but not ours?”
Chu Qingzhi countered, “Did you hear what they called me?”
Fang Mingyi understood and took back his basket, turning to business matters.
Miss Qingzhi, we actually came to see you because there’s something important.”
Chu Qingzhi nodded. “What is it?”
Fang Mingyi looked at Xu Guannan and said, “I’ve heard from Brother Xu that you’re very good at playing the guqin and have a deep understanding of it. So, I wanted to ask you to look at my guqin scores. I composed them myself, but the tunes always seem off. I’ve asked many people, but they all say there’s no problem.”
Chu Qingzhi thought for a moment. “Let’s do this. The patient’s condition is very critical, so I’ll take the medicine first. You can bring the guqin scores over later, and then I’ll help you look at them.”
Fang Mingyi happily agreed, “Thankyou, Miss Qingzhi.”
In the Chu Village.
It’s not easy to come to the mountains, so Fang Mingyi and Xu Guannan didn’t leave until they had filled their baskets.
After leaving the mountain, Fang Mingyi immediately went to find Chu Qingzhi.
Chu Qingzhi led them to the Swing Pavilion and served tea. “This place has a better view and is suitable for discussing elegant things like guqin scores.”
Fang Mingyi said obediently, “We’ll listen to you.”
Xu Guannan glanced sideways. When had this guy become so easy-going?
Chu Qingzhi sat at the table, spread out the guqin scores, and looked at them carefully. “Are you a guqin master?”
“Not really, but I love playing the guqin. I can’t sleep without playing a piece every day.” For Fang Mingyi, playing the guqin was his biggest hobby, and he had to play every day.
Chu Qingzhi nodded and turned the conversation to the guqin scores. “Your composition is grand and powerful, full of the sounds of war and horses. Just by looking at the scores, I feel as if I’m facing the battlefield and countless soldiers. May I ask if you intend to use this guqin piece for the army?”