Chapter 13 2
This tea room is much larger than an ordinary single room. It is decorated in a classical style and all the furniture is made of mahogany. Not only are there calligraphy and paintings hanging on the walls, but there is also a guqin placed in a corner of the tea room, making the tea room full of cultural atmosphere.
People always like to associate some things with culture, especially tea tasting, which is called tea culture by literati and scholars, as if only in this way can it appear elegant.
After the two sat down at the tea table, the girl in charge of making tea also sat down opposite them and began to arrange the tea utensils skillfully. Gao Hongjin said to the girl: "Bring the best Dahongpao I ordered, I will make the tea myself, you can go and call the girl who plays the piano here."
Mu Linfeng said hurriedly: "I came here to drink tea in peace and quiet. It would be annoying if you asked a piano player to make so much noise."
Gao Hongjin smiled mysteriously and said softly, "You are really old-fashioned and don't know how to enjoy yourself. You will know what it feels like to taste tea in the mountains and flowing water. It is definitely a five-star enjoyment..."
"Damn, I know nothing about music. I can't understand the piano at all. It's a bullshit five-star experience." Mu Linfeng said, shaking his head.
Gao Hongjin was scalding the teapot with hot water while saying, "To be honest, I'm the same as you. I'm also music-blind, but after coming here with friends to drink tea once, I became addicted. I can't really describe it, but the sound of the piano seems to come from the sky, just like taking a sip of fragrant tea, it flows into my heart all of a sudden, like a little hand gently caressing the itchy flesh in my heart, that comfort is indescribable..."
Seeing Gao Hongjin's intoxicated expression, Mu Linfeng was shocked, which was more shocking than seeing an alien: "Brother, are you okay? Can listening to a broken piano make you so beautiful?"
"Brother, don't be unconvinced. I'm going to make a bet with you. If you don't say yes after listening to a piece of guqin, I'll buy you Tieguanyin for 2,000 yuan per pound. If you lose, you'll pay for today's tea."
Mu Linfeng laughed and said repeatedly: "No problem, it's a deal, I won't say no even if you kill me, I must earn 2,000 yuan for Tieguanyin..."
Gao Hongjin picked up the teapot and poured tea back and forth between the two teacups. This is called "Guan Gong patrolling the city." While pouring tea, he whispered, "I reserved this teahouse three days ago. If I had come today, it would have been closed. The girl who plays the piano is a very pretty girl. She only plays once a day. No matter how much money you offer her, she won't do it..."
Before Gao Hongjin finished his words, the wooden door of the tea room opened and a pretty girl walked in. She looked to be no more than twenty years old. She was wearing a white dress and a long ponytail. Her pretty face was bare without any makeup, giving people a special sense of purity.
The girl's appearance was like a fresh spring breeze blowing into the tea room. Mu Linfeng's eyes suddenly brightened. His first reaction was that this girl was like a simple student who couldn't help but applaud before she even started playing the piano. It seemed that Mu Linfeng was bound to lose this bet.
The girl smiled at the two men, bowed slightly, and sat down on the round wooden stool next to the guqin without saying anything.
She just sat there motionless for a few seconds, then lightly raised her arms. As her hands danced, an indescribable heavenly music flowed out from under her hands, and anyone who heard the sound would be excited.
Mu Linfeng picked up the teacup and just when he brought it to his lips he suddenly stopped, as if a warm spring breeze was blowing on his face, or like a clear stream slowly flowing into his heart, and he suddenly felt an indescribable sense of comfort.
A person who knows nothing about music, in the melodious sound of the piano, actually felt as if he was in a forest after the rain. The crisp bird calls, the winding water, and the green leaves with water droplets were all displayed in front of Mu Linfeng...
A song of flowing water in the mountains intoxicated Mu Linfeng. He had never imagined that music could have such power and charm, making him feel as if he was in a fairyland.
After the song ended, Mu Linfeng was still immersed in his dream. Suddenly, he felt someone patting his arm. Only then did he realize that the teacup was still in his hand, and the tea in it had become cold.
Gao Hongjin looked at Mu Linfeng with a smile: "How do you feel?"
"Okay..." Mu Linfeng said a word softly. Looking at his expression, he seemed to have not yet understood why he was suddenly immersed in the sound of the piano.
Seeing Mu Linfeng's bewildered expression, Gao Hongjin said in a mocking tone: "Are you stupid? You can't say anything else except 'OK'?"
Mu Linfeng said slowly: "This song should only exist in heaven. I finally understand why the ancients used "lingering sound" and "no meat taste for three days" to describe the sound of the piano..."
At this time, the girl playing the piano stood up, smiled at Mu Linfeng, and said softly: "Thank you for the compliment, sir." Then she turned around and prepared to leave.
At this moment, Mu Linfeng felt as if his heart was passed through by a weak electric current, and he immediately felt numb and tingling.
Seeing the girl was about to leave, Mu Linfeng suddenly blurted out: "Please wait a moment..."
The girl stopped and looked back with a smile: "What's the matter, sir?"
This smile completely conquered Mu Linfeng. He didn't know what to say for a moment and said with a stammer: "I...I...can I buy you a cup of tea?"
The girl hesitated for a moment, then walked back and sat down at the tea table. She smiled and said, "Well, I just happen to have some time today, so I'll have a cup of tea and chat with you two gentlemen."
Mu Linfeng showed an expression of being flattered: "Thank you, thank you young lady, I have no other meaning, I just listened to your performance which was really great, I can't think of any words to describe your piano sound..."
"Haha, thank you for the compliment, sir."
Gao Hongjin hurriedly poured tea for the girl and winked at Mu Linfeng: "Don't forget our bet."
"I can't forget it. I can't forget it." Mu Linfeng said repeatedly.
The girl asked with great interest: "What are you two betting on? It has nothing to do with me, does it?"
Gao Hongjin pointed at Mu Linfeng and said, "Just now he said he couldn't understand music, so I made a bet with him. If he doesn't say your performance is good after listening to it, I will lose him a pound of Tieguanyin that costs 2,000 yuan."
After hearing the content of the bet, the girl smiled and said nothing.
Mu Linfeng asked the girl curiously: "I don't know what happened just now. I really know nothing about music. After hearing the girl's piano playing, I was suddenly immersed in it..."
"Because music is a universal language, anyone can understand it, regardless of whether or not one has knowledge of music theory."
Mu Linfeng waved his hands and said, "No, no, I don't understand the music played on the street, and it sounds harsh to my ears. It's definitely not the same as listening to a girl's performance."
The girl smiled and said, "This may be what the ancients called a soulmate."
Gao Hongjin rolled his eyes at Mu Linfeng and said, "I feel uncomfortable when you keep calling me 'girl'. Can't you ask me my name?"
Mu Linfeng said to the girl embarrassedly: "I'm sorry, I'm not very good at socializing..."
"Haha, I can see that. My name is Wen Yinqiu. What are your names, gentlemen?"
Gao Hongjin hurriedly said, "His name is Mu Linfeng, my name is Gao Hongjin, and we are best friends. I came to listen to Miss Wen's performance a few days ago, so I specially brought him here to enjoy it today."
Mu Linfeng lost no time in asking, "Miss Wen plays the guqin so well, she must have studied music professionally, right?"
"I did study music, but I learned to play the guqin from my mother. Compared with my mother, my level is much lower."
Hearing Wen Yinqiu say this, Mu Linfeng asked, "Is Miss Wen also from Qingzhou?"
Wen Yinqiu shook his head and denied that he was from Qingzhou, but he did not explain where he was from. He just said, "I was born abroad. I came to Qingzhou to fulfill my mother's wish."
Wen Yinqiu's words immediately aroused Mu Linfeng's curiosity. A beautiful girl who returned to her country alone, and came here to fulfill the wish of her ancestors, must have a very attractive legendary story. Mu Linfeng couldn't help asking, "Oh! I wonder what wish Miss Wen's mother wanted to fulfill?"
"Lin Feng, it's not good for you to pry into a girl's private affairs like this." Before Wen Yinqiu could say anything, Gao Hongjin spoke to Mu Linfeng in a critical tone, as if he was a flower protector.
Mu Linfeng smiled nonchalantly and said, "I feel that it is not easy for Miss Wen to come to Qingzhou from abroad alone. If there is anything she can use us for, we can help her."
Gao Hongjin smiled meaningfully: "Hehe... I'm just afraid that your kindness will be misunderstood by others as bad intentions..."
Wen Yinqiu said hurriedly: "I can tell at first glance that the two brothers are good people. I believe that Brother Mu really wants to help me."
Wen Yinqiu's call of "Brother" immediately brought the three people closer together. This girl was obviously a very smart person and knew how to praise a man.
However, Wen Yinqiu's face darkened and his expression became more serious: "Although I came here from abroad, I know that my mother's wish will never be fulfilled..."
Mu Linfeng asked hurriedly: "Miss Wen, if you don't mind, please tell us your mother's wish. Maybe we can help."
Wen Yinqiu did not directly state his mother's wish. Instead, he pointed to the guqin he had just used and said, "My two elder brothers both praised my performance of High Mountains and Flowing Water. In fact, it is difficult to achieve the artistic conception that this ancient piece of music wants to express with this poorly made guqin. To truly display the artistic conception of this ancient piece of music, not only does it require superb playing skills, but it also requires a good guqin..."
Mu Linfeng smiled shyly: "Miss Wen, to be honest, I am music-deaf and I know nothing about musical instruments. Can you tell me what kind of guqin can be considered a good one?"
Wen Yinqiu opened her red lips slightly, revealing a row of white jade-like teeth, and whispered: "Only the Hengwang Qin can express the artistic conception of the ancient song "High Mountains and Flowing Water".
"Heng Wang Qin!" Mu Linfeng repeated in surprise.
Wen Yinqiu nodded: "Yes, my mother used many famous guqins to play Gao Shan Liu Shui, but she always felt that it was lacking. She once heard her teacher say that only the Hengwang guqin in the world could interpret the artistic conception of this ancient song, so my mother never forgot this matter until she died..."
"Miss Wen, is the Hengwangqin your mother mentioned related to our Hengwang of Qingzhou Prefecture?"
As soon as Mu Linfeng finished speaking, Gao Hongjin said to him: "You are asking even though you know the answer. If Heng Wangqin has no contact with Heng Wang, who else can she contact with?"
Wen Yinqiu ignored the conversation between the two and continued, "The Hengwang Qin was made by the Hengwang who was enfeoffed in Qingzhou Prefecture. It is the most precious ancient qin among the four qins of the Ming Dynasty. The order and age of the four qins of the Ming Dynasty should be: Ningwang Qin, Hengwang Qin, Yiwang Qin, and Luwang Qin. Among them, Hengwang Qin is the rarest. According to the book "Qinxue Collection", "The four kings of Ming, Ning, Heng, Yi, and Lu, were all able to play Qin. Lu had the most Qins, followed by Yi, and Ning and Heng had the least." So if there is a Hengwang Qin in existence now, it must be a peerless masterpiece..."
After hearing what Wen Yinqiu said, the two finally understood the purpose of her coming to Qingzhou. Gao Hongjin asked hurriedly, "So Miss Wen came to Qingzhou just to find the Hengwangqin?"
"Ah!" Wen Yinqiu sighed softly, and then said helplessly, "To be honest, I just came to Qingzhou to try my luck, or to comfort my mother's spirit in heaven... In fact, I know very well that it is useless to come to Qingzhou, because there is no way that the Hengwang Qin will be passed down in the world..."
Gao Hongjin asked in confusion: "Why did Miss Wen say that?"
"Because the real Hengwang Qin has been buried in the tomb as a burial object of Hengwang. It does not exist in the world. If you want to play Hengwang Qin, you have to go to Hengwang Mausoleum. So my coming to Qingzhou is just a foolish dream..."
"Haha..." Gao Hongjin suddenly couldn't help laughing.
Wen Yinqiu was stunned by Gao Hongjin's laughter and asked in confusion: "Brother Gao, is what I said funny?"
Gao Hongjin waved his hands hastily and said, "No, you misunderstood. I wasn't laughing at what you said..."
"Then what are you laughing at?" Wen Yinqiu asked curiously.
Gao Hongjin put away his smile and said seriously: "Since you call us big brother, I won't call you Miss Wen anymore. I 'll just call you Xiao Wen. There's a saying that goes, sincerity can move mountains and rocks. Your filial piety may move heaven, so fulfilling your mother's wish is not just a foolish dream..."
Wen Yinqiu felt that Gao Hongjin's words were just to comfort her, so she smiled and said, "Thank you, Brother Gao, for your comfort. After coming to Qingzhou, I learned that no one even knew where the real Hengwang Mausoleum was, let alone finding the Hengwang Qin. So I knew that this was simply impossible to achieve."
"Xiao Wen, I'm not trying to comfort you. I'm telling you the truth. There's someone who might be able to help you fulfill your mother's wish."
Seeing Gao Hongjin's serious expression, which didn't seem like he was joking, Wen Yinqiu asked in a skeptical tone: "Is what Brother Gao said true... Who can help me fulfill my mother's wish?"
"Hehe, this person is far away in the sky, but right in front of us..."
Wen Yinqiu said in surprise: "So Brother Gao can help me!"
Mu Linfeng had already understood the meaning behind Gao Hongjin's words. He kept winking at Gao Hongjin to stop him, but Gao Hongjin ignored him and just kept talking.
Gao Hongjin waved his hand at Wen Yinqiu and said, "I don't have the ability. To tell you the truth, the only people in the world who know where the Hengwang Mausoleum is are the Mu family."
"Mu family?" Wen Yinqiu was stunned for a moment, then understood. He looked at Mu Linfeng with shining eyes and asked excitedly, "Brother Mu must be a member of the Mu family. Does this mean that Brother Mu can help me realize my mother's wish?"
"I...I...Miss Xiaowen...don't listen to what Old Gao said..." Mu Linfeng was suddenly speechless and didn't know how to explain this matter, so he pointed the finger at Gao Hongjin, "How can you say such nonsense to Xiaowen? Is it okay to say such things casually?"
Gao Hongjin didn't buy Mu Linfeng's account at all: "Linfeng, did I tell a lie? Do you dare to touch your chest and say that your Mu family doesn't know where the Hengwang Mausoleum is?"
"This, this...I..." Mu Linfeng stammered, not knowing what to say. Especially in front of such a pure girl, he really couldn't lie.
Gao Hongjin ignored Mu Linfeng and looked at Wen Yinqiu and said, "There is a story circulating in Qingzhou. People who are a little older have heard of this story. The protagonist of the story is Lin Feng's great-grandfather. When the Japanese launched the war of aggression against China, the devil officers stationed in Qingzhou City also wanted to find the Tomb of King Heng. This guy got the news from somewhere. Lin Feng's great-grandfather knew where the Tomb of King Heng was, so he sent people to capture Lin Feng's great-grandfather. Later, Lin Feng's great-grandfather took the Japanese into the mountains to find the Tomb of King Heng, but never came out again. The common people all know that Lin Feng's great-grandfather died together with the Japanese devils in order to protect the Tomb of King Heng..."
Wen Yinqiu opened his eyes wide and looked at Mu Linfeng, saying admiringly: "So Brother Mu's great-grandfather is a national hero."
Gao Hongjin asked Wen Yinqiu mysteriously, "Do you know what Brother Mu's family does for a living?"
Without waiting for Wen Yinqiu to answer, Gao Hongjin continued, "Let me tell you, the Mu family has been making 'lumps' for generations."
"'Geda'! What kind of job is this?" Wen Yinqiu asked curiously.
Gao Hongjin did not explain, but continued: "You should know that the Mu family is best at tomb divination. No matter where it is, the Mu family can tell whether there is a tomb below with just one look, and they also know what kind of tomb it is..."
Before Gao Hongjin could continue, Mu Linfeng quickly interrupted him: "Brother, stop bragging for me. Do you want to praise me to the sky and then fall down and die?"
Wen Yinqiu said to Mu Linfeng very seriously: "I believe that what Brother Gao said is true. In fact, Brother Mu, you don't have to think too much. I won't ask you to take me to find the tomb of King Heng. My mother taught me since I was a child that I must not force others to do things they don't want to do."
Mu Linfeng felt embarrassed by what Wen Yinqiu said, and blushed as he defended himself, "That's not what I meant, Xiaowen, please don't misunderstand..."
Before Mu Linfeng could finish, Wen Yinqiu stood up and said to the two men with a smile, "It's getting late, I won't disturb you two brothers. I wonder if I can visit you two brothers later?"
"Of course..." Gao Hongjin immediately rushed to answer, and at the same time took out a business card from his pocket, handed it to Wen Yinqiu and said, "My phone number is on it, you are welcome to contact us at any time..."
Wen Yinqiu took the business card, glanced at it, and said, "I will definitely find time to visit you two brothers. I'm leaving first."
After saying that, Wen Yinqiu turned around and left lightly, as if a breeze came gently and left lightly...
