167 Senior Brothers and Sisters I (2/2)
”Dear senior brothers, I know nothing of tonality.” He quickly responded.
Ninth Brother, Beigong Weiyang, was very disagreeable and said while cuffing his sleeves, ”Both tonality and calligraphy are beautiful things between heaven and earth. Art includes many intertwined disciplines. Since now you have met us, how would you know nothing of it?”
Ning Que understood the good intentions of them and felt awful to reject, so he agreed that he would come to learn tonality from them as long as he had spare time in the future. Even if he might not get improvements, being a listener would do him good.
The two senior brothers were cast with the pleasing joy after they heard the words, praising Ning Que together. ”Surely you are not a layman like Chen Pipi.”
…
…
Chen Pipi glanced at Ning Que on their way to the houses on the cliff floor under the big tree and seriously asked, ”Do you really like the sound of lutes and vertical bamboo flutes?”
Ning Que glanced at him and said, ”I am totally not interested in that... You do not have to look at me in this way. This is my first day on the second floor of the Academy. The two senior brothers are so passionate. How can I refuse them in person?”
Chen Pipi said with bitter hatred, ”You idiot! Of course, you should firmly reject.”
Ning Que was puzzled, and asked, ”If they want to play the vertical bamboo flute for me, I can just avoid them. So what is the problem?”
”In the past few years, none of our senior brothers and sisters were willing to quietly listen to their performance. They could only play face-to-face with themselves every day, talking with each other and flattering each other. They have been boring to death, all they need is a listener. Since you have promised them, you will be forced to listen in the back of the mountain every day.”
Ning Que confusedly asked, ”Are they extremely poor in tonality?”
”They are absolutely first-class players in the ordinary world.”
Chen Pipi seriously said with his eyebrows bitterly dropping down, then continued, ”If you are forced to listening to the same melody thousands of times, you will know the pain in it, despite they being great masters of tonality.”
Will I be fed up with eating a thousand bowls of hot and sour noodle slice soup without a break? Will Sangsang be fed up with eating a thousand dishes of vinegar-soaked cabbages ceaselessly? Will we both be fed up with having noodles in Building of Pines and Cranes for a thousand days? Of course we will. Then listen to the same song for a thousand times in a row will certainly be boring and tormenting.
Ning Que asked with a shaking voice, ”There are endless people in the world loving tonality, they won't always force me to listen, right?”
”There are endless people who love tonality in the world, but as the two senior brothers view, there are very few people who are qualified to listen to the music they play. Those who can become their classmates after entering the back mountain of the Academy are certainly qualified as they have all passed the test of the Headmaster of Academy.”
Ning Que kept silent for a long time and decidedly said, ”I will hide.”
”I had once tried.” Chen Pipi looked at him sympathetically and sighed, ”Although the back mountain of the Academy is not small, it is not difficult to look for an individual.”
Ning Que was about to say something but suddenly found that the flower trees along the stone path shook and a person whose face could not be clearly seen rushed out. He was taken aback. Then he looked at the man and recognized him as a young senior brother. However, his hair and robe were covered with a wide range of petals, funny yet a little horrible.
Chen Pipi pulled him to his side and seriously introduced, ”This is Eleventh Brother, Wang Chi.”
Ning Que preener himself and greeted a deep bow to show his respect. ”Eleventh Brother, it's a great honor to meet you.”
Eleventh Brother stared at him without greeting back, but picked up a petal on his shoulder and startledly asked, ”Answer my question, if there is nothing besides heart, what is the connection between the flowers, which had been blossoming and fading for thousands of years before the Headmaster of Academy came to the back mountain, and the hearts of you and me? If no one walks into the mountains and no one admires, doesn't the flowers exist?”
Ning Que was speechless and kept silent for a long time, then he turned around and innocently looked at Chen Pipi.
Chen Pipi looked more innocent than Ning Que, meaning that if you did not know, we would not be able to leave.
Eleventh Brother, Wang Chi, gently looked at him, waiting for a long time for his answer. Although he did not get the answer, he was not unhappy but mildly explained, ”In my opinion, before you and I see the flowers, our hearts and the flowers are silent and lonely. When you and I admire the flowers, the flowers bloom in out hearts. Whether the flowers exist or not lies in the moment of appearance.”
Ning Que slightly opened his lip, still speechless, and looked very innocent.
Chen Pipi felt guilty from the innocent look of Ning Que and said after coughed, ”Eleventh Brother, the younger brother just came to the back mountain, I have to take him to meet other senior brothers.Can we discuss later the flowers and heart?”
Wang Chi gently look at Ning Que and said, ”Little younger brother, can he help me with the thinking if you are not busy in the future?”
Ning Que got the meaning of the words and felt relieved. He quickly agreed and then fled from the flower trees following Chen Pipi to those houses under the ancient tree of the cliff floor without noticing the sympathetic look on Chen Pipi's face again.