THE SMILING PROUD WANDERER by Jin Yong

Learning Music Part 5

Several times when Elder Bamboo-Green went out to sell handicraft arts made out of bamboos, the granny would then give him lessons behind the bamboo made screen. As days went by, many of Linghu Chong's questions regarding the zither play were so advanced that even Elder Bamboo-Green didn't know the answer and the granny had to answer them, herself.

But Linghu Chong never had a chance to see the granny's face. Her voice sounded gentle and tender, as if it was the voice of a young girl from a rich family, nothing like the voice of an elderly granny living a poor life in a shabby alley. He figured that it was probably because she had been continuously nurtured by classical music since her young age, and that was why her voice remained pleasant, just like the pleasing music she played, even in her old age.

One day, the granny taught Linghu Chong a new song named "Affectionate Thoughts." This was an ancient song from the Han Dynasty with a very sweet and melodious tone. Linghu Chong first listened to the granny playing it several times, and then tried it himself. As the music went on, unconsciously, many memories flashed by his mind. He remembered when Yue Lingshan was still a child many years ago, how the two of them, as a pair of innocent playmates, shared so much joy and fun together. He also remembered the warm affection little apprentice sister had shown when she practiced sword arts in the waterfall with him and when she brought dinners up the "Cliff of Contemplation" for him. Then, out of nowhere, Lin Pingzhi came, and how the little apprentice sister became colder and colder toward him. Grief swelled in his heart as he played on. Suddenly, the tone changed into something else, and out came the melody of a Fujian folk song – it was none other than the folk song Yue Lingshan had sung that day when she walked down the cliff. In shock, he immediately stopped playing.

"You were doing a good job playing this 'Affectionate Thoughts' with much affection and good understanding of the meaning behind it. I guess you must have remembered some past events while you played. But may I ask why the tone suddenly turned into the kind of melody from the Fujian region and sounded almost like a folk song?" the granny asked in a mild tone.

Linghu Chong had always been a man of a sanguine disposition, and this was something that had smoldered in his heart for months. Feeling very grateful about how the granny had treated him so warmly and kindly for the last twenty some days, he simply couldn't hide it to himself any longer and spilled out all about his bitter love toward Yue Lingshan. Once he started telling the story, he could no longer restrain himself, and ended up telling everything from the beginning to the end without any reservation, as if the granny had become his grandmother, or mother, or a sister. By the time he finally finished telling his story, he felt greatly embarrassed.

"Granny," he apologized, "sorry that I just babbled on and on with these meaningless things. That is so...so...."

"Fate cannot be imposed upon. Like the old saying says, 'Everyone has his own fate, so don't envy others.' Young mister Linghu, although you've lost your present love, it is not to say that you won't find your soul mate another day," the granny replied in a gentle voice.

"I don't even know how many days I still have left in this world. I guess having a family of my own will never be my concern," Linghu Chong said loudly.

The granny did not speak another word. Sounds of zither rose again; she started playing the "Song of Peace and Serenity." Only minutes into it, Linghu Chong almost fell asleep again.

The granny stopped playing. "From now on, I will start teaching you this song. It probably will take ten days to learn the entire song. Then you can play the song every day. Even though your inner strength won't be fully recovered, more or less, it will be somewhat beneficial for you."