Chapter 43: It Really Is Teaching Songs

Qingyan understood Bai Ruolan well, knowing that she was accustomed to living as a young lady and might not be able to handle serving others suddenly. Therefore, she wanted to try and intercede. She did this sincerely for the sake of her elder sister, not out of any desire to vie for favor.

"Elder sister, you alone... will probably find it difficult to manage."

"I must at least try." Bai Ruolan, however, misinterpreted Qingyan's intention, thinking that Qingyan was worried about her ability to properly serve Jia Ping'an. Indeed, as a personal maid, if she truly became his woman, logically speaking, Qingyan would also be considered his. But it shouldn't happen so quickly.

She remembered her mother telling her in the past that men are naturally greedy, and therefore one should never fully satisfy them all at once; they must be left with a sense of yearning.

Qingyan was also fair to look upon; she was the backup plan Bai Ruolan had reserved. If one day the master grew tired of her, Qingyan could step forward, and the two of them working together would surely manage to win a measure of the master's affection.

Since it was a good strategy, how could one deploy all of their assets right at the beginning?

The two sisters, whose thoughts were completely on different wavelengths, failed to understand each other's intentions at that moment. Hearing Bai Ruolan say that she wanted to try, Qingyan had no choice but to agree. "Very well then, Elder sister. If you need any help, just call out from the room."

"Alright. Though I... should be able to manage." Even as Bai Ruolan said these words, she was secretly steeling her resolve.

She had no idea what Jia Ping'an's capabilities were in that regard, but she figured she should be able to handle it. If worst came to worst... she would just have to call Qingyan in to join her.

Back at the Jia residence, after Jia Ping'an had spent a little time playing with his younger sister Rongrong, he headed toward the Third House under the escort of Chang Chao.

He had no inkling that a simple message passed through Chang Chao to Bai Ruolan could have given rise to such a completely mistaken notion on her part.

Night had fallen, and the sounds of clear, resonant reading were already drifting out from the spacious courtyard of the Third House.

Tong Weixing was very conscientious. Having given his word to Jia Ping'an, he had arrived shortly after dinner and immediately begun teaching everyone to read and write. As he had anticipated, although these young women possessed some basic literacy, their vocabulary was limited, and continued study was essential.

Zheng Tongheng personally opened the gates. Evidently, aware that Jia Ping'an was expected this evening, he had deliberately waited here to put on a good performance.

"You've worked hard. In the future, such minor tasks can be left to others." Looking at Zheng Tongheng, Jia Ping'an spoke with polite consideration in his tone.

This man was a member of the Zheng clan, and his deed of indenture was not in Jia Ping'an's hands; he belonged to that category of people who could leave at any moment if things became unpleasant. Toward someone of such status, Jia Ping'an never lorded his authority over them.

"It is no trouble at all. Even if I went back at this hour, I wouldn't be able to sleep." Zheng Tongheng still wore a flattering expression.

Since the other party insisted on showing such eagerness to please, Jia Ping'an found it awkward to say anything further. Guided by Chang Chao, he proceeded directly toward Bai Ruolan's room.

Right outside the door, Jia Ping'an noticed Qingyan, who had been dismissed from inside. He did not give it much thought; to be frank, the only person he valued was Bai Ruolan, and as for the others, he paid them little heed.

"The Young Master has arrived. Elder sister has been waiting inside for quite some time, please go right in." Upon seeing Jia Ping'an, Qingyan still found her heart skipping a beat. The Young Master was so remarkably handsome that seeing him again inevitably brought a flush to her cheeks.

"Alright." Jia Ping'an was easygoing and approachable, never showing a shred of aloofness despite the fact that she was now his bondservant. This was perhaps a habit formed over many years—he never looked down on anyone, and whenever possible, he would never intentionally ignore anyone's feelings.

***

Inside the room, Jia Ping'an had arrived, and Qingyan had greeted him; all these sounds reached Bai Ruolan's ears, causing her heartbeat to quicken uncontrollably.

He has come. Has he finally come?

With such thoughts racing through her mind, Bai Ruolan instinctively smoothed down the lapels of her dress, as if checking to ensure everything was in order. Since she was dedicating herself tonight, she wanted to present her most beautiful side.

Just as Bai Ruolan was feeling restless, feeling that something was still amiss no matter what she did, Jia Ping'an walked into her room, clad in his black fur coat.

"Greetings, Young Master." The moment she caught sight of that black fur coat, Bai Ruolan dared not raise her head further; she hurriedly lowered herself in a deep bow of respect.

"Rise." Jia Ping'an said with a smile at the corners of his lips. He then found a chair and seated himself.

With Jia Ping'an now seated and the distance between them so close, Bai Ruolan felt as though her heart might leap straight out of her chest. She had no idea what she was supposed to do next: should she remain standing, should she sit, or should she take the initiative and approach him?

Yet if she did that, would she appear too forward and lacking in decorum? Her mother had instructed her that a woman must always maintain a degree of reserve.

On the other hand, if she failed to show any initiative, would he become angry and fault her for lacking discernment?

Torn by such conflicting thoughts, Bai Ruolan was a whirl of chaotic emotions at that moment.

"Where is the pipa? Why has it not been prepared?" Jia Ping'an cast a casual glance around the room, failed to see the expected instrument, and asked with a puzzled note in his voice.

Yet, this question was destined to go unanswered. Bai Ruolan was in a state of utter panic and had no idea what anyone was saying.

Chang Chao, her attendant, had originally kept his head lowered. But hearing the Young Master's question met with silence, he raised his head and asked, "Where is the pipa?"

"Could it be that it wasn't brought along? Though why wasn't it mentioned earlier so preparations could be made?" Seeing Bai Ruolan standing there with lowered head, her delicate white hands clenched tightly together, Jia Ping'an assumed her status was restricted and that she simply lacked access to any instruments, prompting him to let out a sigh.

"That's not it. This afternoon, this servant specifically asked, and she did have a pipa." Chang Chao, having understood the Young Master's intent, quickly offered an explanation.

"It's here? Then why is it nowhere to be seen?" Now it was Jia Ping'an's turn to look bewildered.

Chang Chao actually had no idea what was going on either, but since the young master had asked, he naturally needed to get to the bottom of it. He stepped forward until he was right next to Bai Ruolan and spoke again, "Miss Bai, where have you put your pipa?"

"Ah? What was that?" Bai Ruolan was in the midst of an intense internal battle when a loud voice suddenly shattered the quiet beside her ear, causing her to instinctively raise her head and ask.

"The pipa—you should have one here, where have you put it?" Seeing that Bai Ruolan had failed to catch what he said, Chang Chao was forced to repeat his question.

"Oh, yes, I have it. It's in the inner room." As if waking from a dream, Bai Ruolan stammered a hurried reply, then practically sprinted toward the inner chamber.

Though her body had fled swiftly into the inner room, her mind was still struggling to catch up. At that very moment, she still refused to believe that Jia Ping'an had genuinely come to teach her musical scores; she assumed he simply wanted to listen to some music to unwind.

Heaven only knew what state her mind was in at that moment; how could she possibly play a melody with a calm and steady hand?

"It's over, I'm bound to make a fool of myself. But... whatever. I'll do whatever he tells me to do. As for whether he's satisfied, I suppose that's just my fate." After standing before the pipa for a long moment, Bai Ruolan gritted her teeth and muttered, as if sealing her fate with a final resolve.

Bai Ruolan finally emerged from the inner room, cradling the pipa in her arms. She seated herself on a chair placed close to Jia Ping'an. Yet she still kept her head down, speaking in a voice no louder than a mosquito's hum, "What tune does the master wish to hear? This servant will play it for you."

"We won't be listening to tunes just yet." Jia Ping'an's voice immediately followed.

He had not come tonight to listen to old melodies, but rather to impart a new musical score. Once the task was done, he intended to return early to the Jia residence and enter his spatial realm. Whether it was tending to the crops or exercising his body, there was plenty to keep him busy—especially tonight, when the century-old ginseng was very likely to manifest.

However, these exact words caused Bai Ruolan's imagination to run wild once more.

He didn't want to listen to music, yet he had still made her fetch the pipa—what on earth did he mean by this? Did he mean that slaves were simply meant to be toyed with, and that he found this amusing?

Recalling that she had once been a young lady of a respectable household, and that only because someone in her family had run afoul of the law had she been reduced to such a humiliating spectacle, her eyes unbidden began to sting with unshed tears.

She was a young woman, formerly a wealthy heiress, and she too possessed dignity. To be treated in such a manner—it would be a wonder if her heart wasn't heavy.

Just as the corners of Bai Ruolan's eyes turned red and tears threatened to overflow, Jia Ping'an's voice rang out once more. "The composition I am going to teach you next is quite different from what you usually study. First of all, we need to correct the musical notation."

"Huh? Correct the musical notation?" Bai Ruolan caught this sentence clearly, thanks to the close proximity between them. But this only left her even more bewildered.

"That's right, musical notation correction. Right now, when you play music, you still use *gong, shang, jiao, qingjiao, zhi, yu, biangong*, don't you? Well, from now on, we are going to correspond them to 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. The tunes I am going to introduce will be arranged according to these seven numbers. Since this is your first time encountering this system, take a moment to get a feel for it."

Jia Ping'an was not particularly fond of the traditional *gong-shang-jiao* scale; he much preferred using numbers as substitutes. As for whether others could understand this or how long it would take them to adapt, that was of no concern to him.

If he had to choose between making others comfortable or making himself comfortable, Jia Ping'an would invariably choose the latter.

If he made himself uncomfortable just to please others, what a weary and meaningless way to live that would be.

"1, 2, 3..." Bai Ruolan echoed the numbers Jia Ping'an had spoken.

"Right, 1 corresponds to *gong*; 2 corresponds to *shang*; 3 corresponds to *jiao*..." Jia Ping'an repeated the explanation. Primarily because this was his first time teaching someone this method, he wanted to be thorough.

As for the future, once Bai Ruolan mastered it, any new scores could be handed directly to her, and she could teach the others in turn.