Chapter 90 Song
"I don't know how to address the girl?"
Qianhuan thought that it was impossible for her to tell them her real name when she came to the brothel. In ancient times, there was Zhao Feiyan who was good at singing and dancing, so she just stole the name of the ancient person.
She looked at Mother Yang and replied, "My name is Zhao Feiyan, Mother Yang, you can call me Feiyan."
"Okay, Miss Feiyan, do you have any requirements for your dance costume and shoes? I'll have my servants prepare them in advance."
"Please prepare a white dance dress for me, a pair of white dance shoes, a white veil, and a long silk fan for dancing. Mother Yang, the fan should be light green, made of silk, and about 4 feet long. (Note: In this book, one foot of cloth is about 30cm, and 4 feet is about 120cm long)"
Qianhuan planned to dance a classical dance with a long silk fan, so the fan was indispensable, and the silk material would look graceful when waved.
"Okay, I will prepare all of these for you in advance according to your requirements. I will immediately ask someone to come over to measure your size and have them make the clothes and shoes overnight."
Mother Yang asked the maid to call the embroiderer over, and the embroiderer measured her body and feet.
Mother Yang thought: I have to make an identical set of clothes and shoes for Hongyu. Feiyan is slightly taller than Hongyu, so I have to make a pair of thin-soled dancing shoes for Feiyan and a pair of thick-soled shoes for Hongyu, so that I will be about the same height in their eyes.
So Mother Yang gave the embroiderer a few words and she left.
"Mother Yang, I want to meet the musicians of Xunfang Pavilion first. I need to choose a song suitable for dancing."
Qianhuan was not sure what kind of music the musicians of this era would play, so she had to listen to it first. If the music the musicians played was not good, she would have to take out her own music and ask the musicians to practice it within three days.
"Chun Tao, go and call over Master Qin, the best musician in our Xunfang Pavilion." Mother Yang instructed the maid behind her.
"Yes, Madam Yang, I will go and call Master Qin right away."
Soon, Master Qin in a white robe came over with a zither in his arms. He bowed to Mother Yang and asked, "Why did Mother Yang call me here?"
"Mr. Qin, the Oiran Contest will begin in three days. This is Miss Feiyan. She will take Hongyu's place in the contest. Miss Feiyan wants to choose a piece of music. Please play a few of your best pieces for her first.
"Yes, Mother Yang."
The servants brought over a table with the guzheng on it, and Master Qin immediately began to play his specialty.
"Miss Feiyan, have you chosen a song?" After Master Qin had played all the songs he was good at, Mother Yang looked at Qianhuan and asked.
"To be honest, no song can match the dance I want to dance." The song played by the musician Qin was too hypnotic and slow, which did not quite match the long silk dance she wanted to dance.
Musician Qin was displeased after hearing this. He thought he was a great musician, but he was looked down upon by the person in front of him. He said unconvincedly, "Since the girl is so arrogant, do you know music?"
"I know a thing or two. Mr. Qin's fingering is skillful and delicate, and every note is played by you very movingly. I admire you very much. I am not satisfied because of the problem of the song itself, not because Mr. Qin's piano skills are not good. The rhythm of these songs has always been too slow. I need a song with a rhythm that goes from slow to fast to match the dance." Qianhuan didn't dislike his poor piano skills, but the rhythm of the song was not suitable.
When Master Qin heard her praise his piano skills, his expression eased a little. He said with an embarrassed look, "I have just played all the famous songs of my Great Yuan country. I really don't know what kind of song Miss Feiyan wants?"
"How about this, could you lend me Mr. Qin's guzheng? I'll play a tune, and Mr. Qin will write down the melody. On the day of the Oiran Contest, you can use this tune."
"Okay, please come in, young lady." Young Master Qin immediately gave up his seat.
Qianhuan sat down gracefully, concentrating on thinking deeply. Then she raised her slender jade hand, touched the surface of the piano with her fingertips, and gently plucked the silver strings with both hands. The clear and melodious sound of the piano flowed out slowly like a trickle of spring water, and beautiful music filled the whole room.
Qianhuan played Cheng Xiang's "Human Fireworks", a song she liked very much in modern times.
When it came to the climax of the piece, Qianhuan sped up her hands. She sometimes plucked the strings, sometimes slid across the surface of the piano, and sometimes pressed the strings, performing the entire piece to the fullest!
At this moment, she seemed to be back at home, and her whole body was glowing. While playing, Qianhuan recalled the days when she played the piano, sang songs, and danced in front of the camera in modern times.
After the song was over, Master Qin was still a little dazed. He looked at Qianhuan excitedly and said, "Miss Feiyan said that she only knows a little about music. She is really too modest. Even Qin is ashamed of his piano skills."
"Thank you for your praise, Master Qin. Feiyan is unworthy of it."
Mother Yang really didn't expect that this Feiyan girl was not only a good dancer, but also very good at playing the guzheng. Even the best musician Qin in their Xunfang Pavilion had to admit she was better. It seemed that she had made the right bet this time.
"The piece of music Miss Feiyan just played is so beautiful. May I ask what is the name of this piece of music? Who composed it? I have never heard such a beautiful piece of music before."
"This piece of music is called "Human Fireworks". I am not very talented, but I composed it myself. I wonder if Mr. Qin can remember the melody after listening to it once?"
Qianhuan could only say sorry in her heart to her friends who wrote the lyrics and composed the music. She could only say that her own creations would be less likely to arouse suspicion.
"I admire your talent, young lady. I listened to this song once, but I still can't remember it completely. Do you have the music score?" Young Master Qin asked tentatively. After all, many people would not give their own music scores to others casually, and he was not sure whether Miss Feiyan was willing to give him the music score.
"I don't have the music score right now. I wonder if Mr. Qin has any other music scores with him? If so, please lend them to me."
Qianhuan can compose music, but she doesn't know whether the music of this era would be different from that of modern times. She doesn't dare to write the music rashly. She has to look at the music of this era before making a decision.
Young Master Qin took out a booklet from his bosom and handed it over. He asked in confusion, "I usually carry a copy of the music score I need for my performances. I just don't know what use it is for Miss Feiyan to see it?"
Qianhuan took the music booklet and said, "Mr. Qin, I'm just taking a look."
When she opened the booklet and took a quick look, fortunately, it was no different from modern music scores.
She turned to the madam and said, "Mother Yang, please ask the servants to bring paper and pen so that I can write a score for Master Qin."
Young Master Qin didn't expect such a beautiful song, and that Miss Feiyan was actually willing to write the score for him. He was very excited.
Madam Yang immediately ordered her maid Chuntao to fetch paper and pen. Qianhuan wrote out the score of "Human Fireworks" and handed it to Music Master Qin: "Master Qin, this is the score. Please take it back and practice hard."
Young Master Qin was overjoyed when he received the music score. "Thank you for giving me the music score, young lady. I will practice diligently in the next few days, and will cooperate with you in the dance during the Oiran Competition."
"Thank you for your hard work, Mr. Qin."
Master Qin retreated holding the guzheng.
Qianhuan then said to Mother Yang, "Please tell me the exact time of the competition so that I can go out early in three days."
"The competition will be held at 1:15 pm three days from now. You should come to Xunfang Pavilion in the morning to dress up and practice dancing to the musicians' music."
Fortunately, the competition was in the daytime, so Qianhuan finally didn't have to sneak out at night. She breathed a sigh of relief.
"Okay, then it's settled. Feiyan will take her leave first." After discussing with Mother Yang, Qianhuan wanted to go home quickly.
"Miss Feiyan, it's late at night. Do you need your mother to send someone to take you home?"
"Thank you for your kindness, Mama Yang. I rented a carriage myself, and the driver must be waiting for me now." Qianhuan didn't want the madam to know that she was from Yunfeng Village.
She stayed in Xunfang Pavilion for more than an hour. Ji Feng was probably already waiting for her at the door of Liuji Noodle House. She walked out of the door of the brothel and immediately ran to the agreed place.
When she was almost at the entrance of Liu Ji Noodle House, she saw Ji Feng sitting on the carriage board waiting for her. She ran up to him and said embarrassedly, "Ji Feng, I'm so sorry. I was delayed by something and didn't arrive on time. You must have been waiting for me here for a long time."
Ji Feng didn't expect that this employer was so polite and even apologized to him for being late. He had been a rickshaw driver for so long and often had to wait for employers, sometimes even longer than today, but no employer had ever felt like saying sorry to him. They all thought that as rickshaw drivers, it was natural for them to wait for employers.
He smiled and said, "Young Master, I haven't waited too long. Please get in the car quickly."
Qianhuan climbed onto the carriage using her hands and feet, and then got into the compartment.
Ji Feng raised the whip and the carriage galloped towards Yunfeng Village.