Chapter 009: The Qin

Subsequently, the tale of Bo Ya and Zhong Zi Qi, who found a kindred spirit in the music of high mountains and flowing water, has been sung through the ages. Later, both the Seven Scholars of Jian'an and the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove bore the influence of the guqin.

Outside, Rui used to practice on a Tang piano, which has an exceptionally good tone

Bian Rui did not know what to say, so he could only say: "I am just worried that you two might get tired"

Thus, Bian Rui left the house and arrived at the old residence

Of course, Bian Rui does not intend to harm anyone, nor does he aspire to be a renowned figure or a scholar. He plays the lute solely for his own enjoyment, to please himself

The zithers in the space are all seven-stringed instruments, with various types totaling around ten. The oldest ones include a Han zither and a Jin zither, while a small portion consists of Tang and Song zithers, with the majority being Ming zithers. Each instrument taken out is a treasure, but unfortunately, they cannot be removed. Among them, two are crafted using the techniques of our ancestors.

After listening, a brave man would typically say that he had only a 30% chance of success before, but after hearing your music, he feels he now has a 70% to 80% chance. He is off!

In the past, Bian Rui was quite curious because the fruit of the soapberry tree in the village had a strong cleansing power. It could not only wash clothes but also wash hair. When the villagers wanted to wash their hair, they would use a handful of soapberry powder, and for a more refined touch, they would soak a couple of mint leaves in water. They would rub the soapberry powder onto their heads, wait for a little over a minute, and then rinse with water. The scalp would immediately feel refreshing and clean, and it would not develop sores or acne, which was very miraculous. Generally, soapberries do not have this function.

... ...

After speaking, he stood up and left to kill without looking back

To an outsider, it appears quite impressive, but to an expert, it is immediately clear that it is mere pretense

"Is that even called working for a whole morning?" Mother looked down on it, saying: "This is vegetable planting, not rice transplanting. You still have the nerve to say you want to work for a whole morning on this little piece of land?"

Now, Gao Shi must also smash his lute. After smashing the lute, he will continue with a knife in hand to complete the unfinished business of the brave, which is to slay the traitors. Whether he is killed by the traitors or kills the traitors only to be killed by their minions afterwards

"Gather the seeds, didn't you say you wanted to plant vegetables? Your grandmother and I have found the seeds and are ready to come over to help you plant them," said Bian Rui's mother

"Alright, alright, may I listen to both of you?" Bian Rui was at a loss for words.

This tree cannot be transplanted yet. Even if other villages plant trees, the resulting soap pods cannot compare to those from Bianjia Village

The result remains that the renowned scholars and valiant warriors are celebrated throughout the ages

This endows the guqin with a distinct historical status; to put it bluntly, this instrument was never intended to serve the ruling class, nor was it meant for performances for the common people; it is simply an instrument for the ruling class to enjoy themselves.

In a bad mood, Bian Rui put down the pen and decided to find something else to play with. There were indeed many items, with over ten shelves of antiques, ranging from bronze wares to porcelain, but Bian Rui was truly not suited for playing with antiques. Thus, only the guqin and chess remained. Chess requires two players, so Bian Rui could only fiddle with the guqin.

These accomplished scholars play the guqin not for the sake of others, but to express their own sentiments and to showcase their political aspirations. The music conveys that the emperor is unworthy, and the court is filled with a multitude of fools. We, as a group, are individuals of great talent and capability, yet unfortunately, we were born in the wrong era

Bian Rui said a few words to his grandmother and then returned to the ancestral home to start his activities, only coming back at dinner time

Now, as I have resumed painting, Bei Ruixin is no longer like a monkey subjected to punishment as she was in her childhood. At thirty-five years old, she has gained life experience, and her heart has calmed down. Coupled with the foundation laid in her early years, she finds that she can actually immerse herself in the artwork when she looks at it. From time to time, she feels an impulse to pick up a brush and make a few strokes.

Bian Rui scratched his head and said, "The soapberry tree is only blooming now, and even if it bears fruit, it is pitifully small. Is it usable?"

Thus, the valiant man sat cross-legged, listening to this musician play the guqin

By the way, don't just sit idle; your sister needs to take some soap pods with her when she leaves tonight, so go and get some

The zither has been associated with the sacred rulers of Chinese civilization since its creation. Fuxi crafted the zither, Shun created the five-stringed zither, and Shennong used silk for the strings, making the instrument from paulownia wood. The two kings, Wen and Wu, transformed the five strings into seven.

Upon hearing this, Bian Rui turned and entered the house. The items were indeed easy to find; almost an entire large sack was filled with dried, dark soap pods. After grabbing a handful, Bian Rui felt it was sufficient and proceeded to the kitchen to find something to grind the soap pods into powder.

Bian Ye did not have the courage to ask his mother or grandmother for this money, asking for pocket money is acceptable, but asking for this money would be asking for trouble

Having copied a painting of a lady by Tang Yin, Bian Rui felt that he could not capture the essence of the original work, and he could not even reach a fraction of it, which left him feeling somewhat disheartened

As for the foremost figure of Confucianism, the Most Sage and Virtuous Teacher, Confucius held the guqin in high regard.

If you do not play the guqin with a certain flair, how can you still claim to be a person of distinction and refinement

Bian Rui immediately said, "That little bit of land, we don't need your help. Just wait until we finish breakfast in the morning, and I'll call my sister. In no time, we'll have it planted."

Bian Ruike ignored this matter and shook his head, saying: "Her father must be poor. How about this, you can ask her grandmother or great-grandmother to give it a try?"

Watching my mother skillfully place the soap pods into the grinder to be crushed into powder, I thought to myself: we shouldn't just stand here; it would be better to go to the old house early and stay there. Even a beloved son has his moments of being out of favor

The siblings immediately felt a sense of exasperation.

Go away, go away, what can't you do? With such big eyes, can't you see the powdering machine on the stage?

For a long time, I have been unable to understand, but now Benrui believes that the three old soap trees in the village may be related to our ancestors. Otherwise, how could natural soap trees possess such functionality, which is even more effective than laundry detergent and shampoo

The elderly lady is both concerned for her grandson and somewhat disapproving of her grandson and granddaughter doing the work

"With that little bit of vegetable garden, there is enough time. I am only leaving in the afternoon, so it can definitely be finished in one morning," said Bian Rui.

It is worth mentioning that Bian Rui plays the instrument generally well, but lacks practice in basic left and right hand techniques. Not only does he have no issues, but he is also much more professional than many so-called masters today. The reason is simple: his ancestor lived a long life, and with each generation, there are bound to be some differences in transmission. However, Bian Rui's ancestor did not have this situation; the tradition has been passed down directly from ancient times to Bian Rui.

Generally, those who are capable of handling tasks themselves tend to have some minor flaws; they cannot stand to see others working ineffectively. This is exemplified by the siblings Bian Rui and Bian Ye, who have often been scolded for their procrastination while working in the fields since childhood. Even now, the two elders cannot bear to see them working; the mere sight of the siblings engaging in labor causes them distress.

Feeling impulsive and having paper and ink at hand, Beirui naturally began to sketch. After all, there was nothing pressing to attend to, and on a rainy day, one might as well find something to occupy oneself with

Whether it is the old lady or Bian Rui's mother, both are spirited rural women, and when it comes to work, they are exceptionally efficient

Bian Rui's mother, unable to tolerate it any longer, clapped her hands and stood up to enter the kitchen

The next morning, as Bian Ruigang got out of bed, he saw his grandmother and mother busy in the courtyard

Bian Rui's grandmother has now seen the masterpiece of her great-granddaughter, and immediately began to praise it fervently, one might think that the old lady's great-granddaughter had achieved the highest honor in the imperial examination

When he was young, Bian Rui had indeed studied the Six Arts of a gentleman, as well as music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. It seemed that his ancestors were guiding him along the path of a gentleman. Unfortunately, Bian Rui was simply not cut out for it; he was quite mischievous in his youth, dabbling in everything but achieving mediocrity in all.

In the village, they do not use soap or laundry powder for washing clothes; instead, they use the soap pods that grow on the three old soapberry trees in the village

Playing the guqin is indeed enjoyable, at least much more so than painting, and there is no comparison to be made, primarily because there is nothing of high or low quality to compare. Even though there are ancient scores left by our ancestors on the shelf, those ancient figures like Bo Ya did not record any albums, did they

Listening to the piano or other concerts, dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of people buy tickets and enter, sitting in a pretentious manner, while the paid musicians on stage perform with their heads tilted and bodies swaying. Essentially, this is about the market; it is a transaction.

Mother, what should we use to grind it into powder

"What are you doing so early in the morning?" Bian Rui stretched his head down to the yard and took a glance at the small basket in front of his grandmother and mother

Fortunately, at that time, the ancestor did not have very high expectations, only requiring that Bian Rui be initiated into the basics, with the exception of martial arts and cooking, other requirements were not demanding

What about the guqin

Upon arriving at the old residence, I found that I had nothing at my disposal, nor was there anything to occupy my time. Thus, I simply went into the space and began to browse through the books and paintings on the shelves, gradually taking my time to look through them.

There is another possibility, which is that the valiant warrior failed to eliminate the traitor and instead was killed by the traitor (traitors are usually difficult to defeat, as they often have many subordinates)

Bian Rui pretended not to hear.

We won't tire ourselves out; it's idleness that leads to illness! Grandmother glanced at her grandson.

With a resentful sigh, he let his younger brother go, and Bian Ye remarked, "None of them are easy to deal with"

Usually, a few well-fed and idle celebrities gather together, having had a bit too much to drink. One plays the zither, another plays the se, while the rest lean back, holding a wine jug in one hand, listening to the music and clapping their knees as they sing loudly

Typically, such an ending can take two forms: one is that the valiant warrior is indeed slain, and of course, he is killed by the inept minions of the traitorous country. The noble scholar playing the zither stands atop the warrior's grave, shattering the instrument, and then crashes his head against the warrior's tombstone, resulting in his own death.

In theory, Bian Rui is quite good at cooking and can help her mother and others prepare meals at home. However, the whole family is not accustomed to the dishes made by Bian Rui, as her cooking mainly consists of steaming, boiling, and braising, with frying being the most she does. There are hardly any stir-fried dishes, which the family simply cannot get used to. Therefore, even if Bian Rui wants to help, she is often driven out of the kitchen.

Grandmother, upon hearing Bian Rui's words, said with great impatience: "Can the work done by just the two of you be worth watching?"

Then the valiant and the renowned shall be sung through the ages

Just as the brother and sister were standing at the door, neither able to outmaneuver the other, a voice from inside the main room called out: "Oh, my little darling, this painting is truly beautiful!"

The guqin, unlike instruments such as the pipa, occupies a transcendent and unique position among musical instruments due to its harmonious, elegant, and subtle sound

"Who told you to pick from the tree? The soap pods on the tree are still small buds. Go to the side room; there is a bag under the bed. The bag contains last year's old soap pods. Take out about four to five pounds, grind them into powder, and pack them in a bag..." said the mother

Either a valiant man is about to draw his sword to slay the traitor, when a wise man immediately interjects, "Brave sir, please hold on. I have long found that fellow displeasing. Allow me to play you a tune before you go to kill."

Bian Ye pulled her younger brother aside and said, "Compensate!"

Good piano

Bian Rui was pushed aside by his mother, scratching his head in a bit of embarrassment

He took a Tang qin down from the shelf, and sitting cross-legged on the floor, he rested the instrument on his legs and gently plucked a string to test the tone. As the sharp sound of the strings broke forth from the qin, a wave of a murderous aura invaded his eardrums