When Lou Lixing and Peng Ziyuan entered the house and put away the gifts they had bought, grandpa and grandma were finally tired of singing and sat on the sofa, one gasping for breath while the other drank water desperately.
The grandmother didn’t even notice her son and future daughter-in-law had arrived, her mind was still on the duet they had just had.
She held Chi Lin's hand and kept praising her for her clear and graceful pronunciation.
Grandpa calmed down after drinking a large glass of water and sighed:
"It's been years since I sang a Danzhou opera so happily. We are the only ones who like to sing it. There are too few people around us who can sing it. The old fans are too busy to find anyone. Let alone these young people, they have never even heard it."
As soon as Mr. Lou discovered that his son had arrived, he singled him out as a negative example.
Lou Lixing smiled as he opened the presents: "How come I haven't heard of this? I used to listen to you two singing when I was a kid. But you just sang without telling me what you meant, it was like listening to a foreign language to me. Dad, this is the astronomical telescope that Ziyuan gave you. You can see the Great Red Spot clearly, and if you try harder, you can even see Pluto."
Grandpa thanked Peng Ziyuan. Peng Ziyuan greeted the old man and went to the kitchen to wash the fruit.
Grandpa continued to sigh: "It's not your fault. Danzhou Opera is really too old. I only heard a few lines from my grandfather. At that time, he didn't know what he was singing. Later, I visited all over the world to collect a few fragments. I studied it with your uncle Zhuang for most of my life and finally determined that this drama is called Danzhou Opera."
Chi Lin sat aside and listened, his heart in turmoil.
Danzhou is the secondary capital of Ohara, the second largest city in Ohara after Kamikyo, and the hometown of Chi Lin.
Although she has lived in Beijing since she was a child, the elders in her family all speak the Danzhou dialect. The very special singing style of Danzhou opera has accompanied her growing up. She can sing it naturally and she likes it very much.
Just now, when Lou Mi was talking to his grandfather in the kitchen, Chi Lin and the old lady were sitting in the living room, and the atmosphere was a bit dry.
Even though his appearance has changed a little, he is still the same person.
After the old lady knew that she was Chi Lin, she chatted for a while and turned on the TV, intending to watch TV and wait for her son and others to arrive before having dinner.
The old lady forgot that the TV was connected to her mobile phone for screen projection, and once it was turned on, it continued to play the Danzhou drama video that she and the old man had recorded before.
When Chi Lin heard the familiar tune, his eyes widened.
Grandma smiled and tried to switch: "This is a Danzhou drama. You young people will definitely not like it. What do you want to watch? Do you want to watch a cartoon?"
Chi Lin shook his head, his eyes almost glued to the TV: "Grandma, I want to listen again."
Grandma thought she was trying to save face, and said cheerfully: "This Danzhou opera is just noise and babbling to you young people."
After hearing the word "Danzhou", Chi Lin became more certain that it was the opera she was familiar with.
It’s just that the people of Danzhou called it "Yuqiang". Unexpectedly, hundreds of years later, even Dayuan no longer existed and could not even be traced, but Yuqiang was renamed after the name of its birthplace and has been passed down to this day.
Chi Lin's eyes became hot as she listened to the two modern elderly people singing in her long-lost hometown accent, and she couldn't help but sing along.
This time it was grandma who was shocked.
"Chi Lin, can you sing?"
"meeting!"
What followed was the scene that Lou Mi saw when he came out of the kitchen.
When my grandfather heard someone singing Danzhou opera in the living room, he was so angry that he ran out with a spatula in his hand as there was still some juice left in the pot.
The other person singing was actually Chi Lin, and Grandpa was shocked for a long time.
After Lou Mi helped him take the spatula, he quickly joined in the duet of the Danzhou Opera.
Poor Lou Mi not only had to pick up the spatula for the first time in her life to finish the dish that her grandfather hadn't finished cooking, but was also dragged by her grandfather to serve as a soldier and play the erhu to accompany the music after she served the dish.
Grandpa asked Lou Mi to do the work and was polite to Chi Lin:
"Our Mimi is not very good at playing the erhu, and she doesn't like to learn it. She is just smart, but she gave up after learning it for a year or so, and now she can only make do with it."
Lou Mi: "Grandpa, you are using me, but you are still complaining about me? Otherwise, why don't you find someone who is not as good as me? I am happy to lie on the sofa with my legs crossed and enjoy your wonderful performance."
Chi Lin really admired Lou Mi. He was so crazy that he even scolded his own grandfather.
Grandpa chuckled: "I'm just being polite. You're too smart to be praised all the time, or else you'll be in heaven."
Lou Mi: "I like to hear that."
Chi Lin looked back at the erhu, which was quite similar to the Xiqin and was indeed one of the commonly used instruments in Yuqiang.
When Lou Mi and the erhu appear in the same picture, their temperaments don't match, just like a modern person appearing on the streets of Beijing in a short-sleeved shirt and hot pants, having walked into the wrong place.
Unexpectedly, although it seemed out of place, the atmosphere became right as soon as Lou Mi pulled the bow, and Chi Lin's emotions were suddenly aroused.
This is not just a makeshift job, it is close to professional standards.
The four of them started singing and playing in the living room until Lou Lixing and Peng Ziyuan arrived.
It was the old man's birthday, and he cooked all the dishes on the table. Lou Lixing felt embarrassed:
"Next time, tell me what you want to eat and I'll come and make it for you."
The old man sang a long Danzhou opera and was so happy that he was in a good mood. He didn't bother to scold his son and just said:
"If you come to do it, I'm afraid I'll starve to death."
Lou Mi was still able to complain on behalf of his grandfather while eating, "Yes, my grandparents have severed ties with you, and they asked me to tell you that they never gave birth to a son like you."
Lou Lixing has been bullied by his daughter and parents for many years and has long been accustomed to it.
He was good-tempered and never took the jokes seriously, but he really didn't have much time to spend with his family.
When Lou Mi was a child, he was raised by his grandparents. When he grew up, he often came to visit his grandparents.
He even has little time to visit Lou Mi's grandparents, and all these relationships are maintained by Lou Mi.
He should have done these things because he was the core of the family, but he couldn't spare the time, so his daughter had to do them for him.
Therefore, he doted on his daughter especially and tried his best to meet all her requests. At the same time, this also made Lou Mi an arrogant and outspoken person.
Lou Lixing: "Yes, yes, it's all my fault. I will do whatever you ask me to do today. I won't say no at all."
Lou Mi picked up a chicken drumstick that he liked and said, "Eat your meal well and don't talk too much."
Lou Lixing looked at his daughter with gratitude.
During the meal, Peng Ziyuan helped everyone serve their food and joined in the discussion as much as possible without interrupting others.
No matter what anyone said, she tried her best to support them, so that every word said by everyone tonight would not fall on the ground.
Seeing that she was really tired, Lou Mi brought up Chi Lin and the Danzhou drama together so that she would have a big theme to develop without having to ramble on:
"Hey Chi Lin, how come you know Danzhou Opera? I've never heard you sing it before."
Peng Ziyuan also found it novel, but did not speak immediately for fear that her daughter would be embarrassed or have something difficult to say.
Lou Mi has become familiar with Chi Lin during this period. I can’t guarantee other things, but at least I can guarantee that Chi Lin will not act crazy like before, and he can be considered a human being who can communicate normally.
Maybe it has something to do with the martial arts secrets? Lou Mi really wants to know the answer.
Chi Lin guessed that they would ask and had thought of the answer early in the morning.
"I became fascinated with history some time ago, and I basically read all the history books my uncle had collected." Chi Lin said, "I didn't have time to tell my uncle."
Lou Lixing smiled and said, "I bought those books just to make up for the occasion. Most of them are obscure and difficult to understand, and I don't have time to read them. It would be great if someone likes to read them. You can read them, otherwise they will really be gathered in dust."
Chi Lin continued, "In these history books, I discovered Danzhou Opera, which was called Yuqiang in ancient times. It is a drama based on the joys and sorrows of the people in ancient society. It is very interesting."
"Yes, yes, yes." The old man said, "Danzhou Opera does have another name, which is Yuqiang! Xiaochi Lin is really knowledgeable, you know this."
Chi Lin immediately said: "These are all things recorded in the books collected by Uncle Lou."
I wanted to add, “If Uncle Lou hadn’t had the keen eye to identify those classics, I wouldn’t have known about them,” but this sentence feels too polite and flattering, and doesn’t sound like something a modern high school student would say.
Besides, Lou Mi's grandparents have paintings and calligraphy hanging all over their house, and they like the lost ancient operas, so they are probably intellectuals. What if I talk too much and they get interested and really want to read the books? That would be terrible, where can I find books for them
Chi Lin swallowed the rest of his words and continued, "Some time ago, I had a sword dance performance at the school cultural festival, but I hadn't found the music for it. I happened to see the record of Danzhou Opera, and thought it might be suitable, so I went to the library to look for information. In addition to books, the library also has an audio-visual room, and I happened to find some information about Danzhou Opera there. The singing style of this drama is particularly flavorful, so I learned a passage from it. Later, other music was used at the cultural festival, but the habit of going to the library was retained."
After Chi Lin finished speaking, Lou Mi's expression showed that he understood something.
Lou Mi knew about the cultural festival and she had seen the sword dance with her own eyes.
By the way, it also explains why we go to the library.
Putting these details together one by one, the more you listen, the more real it seems.
Grandpa said: "I have also heard the audio-visual materials you mentioned. They are the most precious materials of Danzhou drama that have survived to this day."
Grandma was sitting next to Chi Lin. She couldn't help but hold her hand and said, "You are really smart and talented. The singing style and pronunciation of Danzhou Opera are very ancient. You have learned it so well in such a short time. It's rare, really rare..."
Seeing that her future in-laws like Chi Lin so much, Peng Ziyuan is so happy that she is about to cry:
"Xiao Lin, if you have time in the future, you can come and spend more time with grandpa and grandma. It happens that you both like Danzhou dramas."
Lou Lixing: "I didn't expect that Xiaolin and my parents are so compatible. If we want to find some amateur singers to sing with us in the future, we can always make an appointment together. How great is that."
Grandpa and grandma were immediately delighted: "Welcome, welcome!"
Chi Lin didn't want to get too close to Lou Mi and her grandparents, lest Lou Mi would be unhappy about someone replacing her granddaughter's position - even though she knew that Lou Mi was not a narrow-minded person, she still had to take Lou Mi's feelings into consideration.
Chi Lin said to Lou Mi: "As long as my sister is free to take me here, I will definitely come."
As soon as Chi Lin said the word "sister", there was a moment of silence at the dinner table.
Chi Lin: “…”
Is it that the image change is too fast... The Lou family hasn't been able to digest the title of "sister" yet
Chi Lin subconsciously looked at Lou Mi, with whom he had the closest relationship.
Lou Mi was originally a little shy about being called "sister" in public, but Chi Lin's eyes clearly looked like he was asking for help, which immediately gave her a layer of majestic gold edge, and for a moment she really felt like a sister.
"Don't be afraid, everyone." Lou Mi said, "Xiao Lin has learned his lesson recently and calls me that at home. Isn't that good? It's a little corny, but I've been corny for a long time. You just have to get used to it."
After saying the name "Xiao Lin", Lou Mi couldn't help but shiver.
It's too intimate, it's disgusting.
Chi Lin smiled sweetly at her across the table, thanking her for her help.
For some reason, Lou Mi glanced at her and then turned his eyes away.
Chi Lin: “?”
Lou Mi thought to himself: What does that little bastard want to do when he smiles so sweetly
Grandpa sighed, not knowing what he was thinking about, and raised his glass to toast everyone:
"Today is my birthday. Actually, I am too old to remember birthdays. It is rare that you are so filial. I am very happy. I hope your work goes well and those who are still in school study hard. The most important thing is that our family is harmonious and we take care of each other and there will be no more unhappiness."
Grandma added: "It's all in the past, don't mention the past. The old man hasn't had a single drop of alcohol for a whole year, but today he finally remembered to have a drink. It's all thanks to Xiaolin, I haven't been this happy in a long time. Come on, everyone, cheers!"
"cheers!"
Ever since the doctor told him to quit drinking, Mr. Lou hasn't drunk for a long time and doesn't want to.
Something touched a nerve today. As I get older, I tend to feel sentimental. I talked a lot about my inner thoughts with my family members, and my urge to drink suddenly came back.
After drinking one glass after another, the old man poured another glass of wine and said he wanted to drink with Chi Lin. Lou Mi quickly stopped him:
"Master, you are really drunk. Chi Lin is not yet an adult and cannot drink!"
Tonight, Sister Lou Mi's spirit possessed her. Before Chi Lin asked for help, she had already rushed to the front line.
Grandpa: "Oh, you are not yet of age, so you can't drink. I'm sorry, Xiaolin, but grandpa is getting old and confused."
Grandma was worried: "What do you mean by old and confused? You drank too much and are confused. Don't drink anymore!"
"I'm happy. I'm especially happy tonight."
"You can't drink even when you're happy. Have you forgotten what the doctor said?"
Grandpa hugged grandma's shoulders and said, "Okay, okay, I'll do as you say."
The old lady never expected that the old man got drunk and actually hugged and kissed in front of the younger generations. It was so embarrassing that she beat him back.
Lou Lixing, who was also a little drunk, laughed and said to Peng Ziyuan:
"I have never seen my parents kiss since I was a child. I don't know how they gave birth to me."
When these words were spoken, Peng Ziyuan was so frightened that she dared not move, and Lou Mi almost spit a mouthful of wine onto Chi Lin's face opposite her.
Grandma was so anxious that she almost overturned the table and pointed at Lou Lixing and yelled, "What are you saying? You've had too much to drink and now you can go to bed!"
Lou Lixing suddenly remembered the scene when he was chased and beaten by his mother all over the yard when he was a child. He broke out in a sweat and sobered up a lot.
"You should go and rest for a while..." In order to avoid any unpleasantness on his birthday night, Peng Ziyuan planned to coax him to sleep.
She knew that no matter how much Lou Lixing drank, he would sober up after a short sleep.
Lou Lixing was taken to bed, and Peng Ziyuan cleaned up the dishes with her grandparents.
Originally, Lou Mi and Chi Lin wanted to come to help, but they were told to go back.
"Just go eat some fruit and chat."
Lou Mi went to the toilet and came back but couldn't find Chi Lin.
Where are the people
Seeing that everyone was busy, Chi Lin secretly poured himself a glass of wine.
She actually likes drinking very much.
In Ohara, there was no adult who did not drink. From commoners to nobles, there was wine on the dining table of every household. Even in the court, there was a tradition of drinking while discussing matters.
Not to mention that during every festival, countless people in Shangjing would drink all night long.
As a 32-year-old adult, Chi Lin also cannot live without alcohol every day and needs alcohol with every meal.
She really wanted to take a sip of the wine of this era and taste what it tasted like.
This thought was suppressed several times. After all, the original owner was still two months away from adulthood, and according to the laws here, he was not allowed to drink alcohol.
But tonight, sitting at the table, the aroma of wine filled the air, making the alcohol bug in her heart stir.
Just take a sip.
Chi Lin poured a little wine, opened the door and quietly went to the balcony.
Just by smelling the aroma of the wine, Chi Lin felt like he was going to be drunk.
The wine of this era was much stronger than Ohara's. He took a sip and the aroma was rich and powerful, and Chi Lin was actually choked.
But, this wine is so delicious...
Chi Lin used almost all of his senses to taste it.
Just as she was about to drink the rest, a hand reached out from behind her and took the glass away when she was not paying attention.
"Okay, you're fine. You're acting nice in front of others but drinking behind their backs. That's against the law, understand?"
Lou Mi was half a head taller than Chi Lin and had long arms, so he lifted the wine glass directly above Chi Lin's head to prevent her from reaching it.
Chi Lin's heart was warmed by the wine and he couldn't help but raise his hand to take it.
"Oh wow, you still dare to rob?"
Lou Mi stretched his entire body to its fullest, raised the wine glass high and stood on tiptoe, thinking that Chi Lin would not be able to reach it no matter what.
Who would have thought that Chi Lin suddenly tapped the ground on tiptoe, flew up lightly, and snatched the wine glass from Lou Mi's hand.
Lou Mi only saw her figure flash by, and when he looked again, Chi Lin was already behind him, and his hands were empty.
Lou Mi: “?!”
What did I see
Chi Lin took a sip of wine and felt excited. Her favorite thing was taken away unexpectedly, which made her angry for a moment.
Looking at the wine glass in his hand and then at Lou Mi who had a stern face, he knew that his secret drinking had been discovered, so he had no choice but to hold the wine glass with both hands and return it.
Chi Lin inadvertently used the etiquette that one would use towards elders towards Lou Mi. He almost forgot that Lou Mi was not actually his sister and was actually 7 years younger than him.
Lou Mi looked at the wine glass in his hand and said seriously, "Go ahead."
Chi Lin: "What?"
"Don't you understand what I'm saying? Aren't your recent changes obvious enough?"
Chi Lin's heart skipped a beat. Could it be that Lou Mi already suspected her
That’s true... Lou Mi was just not very familiar with the original owner, but she was a very smart person after all. Chi Lin had been acting recklessly these days, so it was impossible for Lou Mi not to feel that there was something wrong with her.
She knew from the beginning that Lou Mi was a good person with a tough mouth but a soft heart. She felt that this kind of person was the easiest to control, so she didn't hide anything from her.
It is reasonable for her to question it now.
Chi Lin was prepared to accept her questioning and believed that he could handle it, but his heartbeat was involuntarily speeding up.
Lou Mi stepped forward and closed the distance between them.
Chi Lin wanted to step back, but found that there was a wall behind him.
"You still don't want to tell me? I saw it all."
Lou Mi's eyes were like a hunting beast, and he had already fixed his eyes on the target.
"Sister, what do you want me to say?" Chi Lin straightened up, determined not to be overwhelmed by her momentum.
Lou Mi narrowed his eyes: "You..."
As long as you stick to your guns and refuse to admit anything, in this world where science is used to explain everything, how could anyone want to travel through time and space
Lou Mi: "... Exactly..."
Chi Lin's throat slid slightly.
Lou Mi looked at her face for a long while, and suddenly stopped asking.
"never mind."
Chi Lin: “?”
Lou Mi smiled: "You have your secrets."
Chi Lin: “…”
Lou Mi thought, she doesn't want to talk about the martial arts secrets, so I can't ask. This child finally became like a normal person, why should I insist on digging into her privacy? If she wants to tell, she will tell it one day.
The more I thought about it, the more confident the smile on my face became.
Chi Lin, who had been very calm, suddenly felt confused.
"What secret do I have? How come I don't know it?"
Lou Mi smiled but said nothing.
Chi Lin became even more panicked.
"When you want to talk to me one day, I'm always available to listen."
Lou Mi saw that her brows were furrowed, and knew that she was serious, so he didn't want to tease her anymore.
Lou Mi thought that this sentence could comfort Chi Lin, but Chi Lin didn't think so.
Lou Mi did not expose her on the spot and was so gentle to her. Chi Lin suddenly felt that she was a shameful liar who was deceiving the feelings of everyone in this family.
Chi Lin had never told any lies since she was a child. The education she received and the classics she read taught her to reject evil and uphold good, especially when dealing with people close to her, and she must not lie or deceive.
Now, in order to find His Majesty, she had to hide her identity.
She thought it would be an easy thing to do, but she didn't expect that she would feel the love of her family and encounter true love in such an unfamiliar era.
I wonder how Lou Mi will feel when she leaves here one day.
Seeing that she was silent again, Lou Mi said, "Ah":
"I didn't even force you to say it, so what's your attitude? Why don't you just be like before and say it directly if you're not satisfied with anything? Isn't it easy to yell at me? Don't hold it in and hurt yourself."
It's just a martial arts secret book. Only a naive kid like Chi Lin would treat it as a treasure. Lou Mi doesn't care about it at all.
"How about I give you a sip of wine to help you build up your courage?" Lou Mi waved the wine glass past her eyes.
Chi Lin's eyes lit up, and when she was about to reach out to take the wine glass, the glass did not stop at all and flashed past her.
I didn't want to give her...
Seeing that she really reached out to take it, Lou Mi's eager expression was too funny, and the corners of his mouth twitched twice:
"You really believe it."
Chi Lin: “…”
"Well, you can drink if you want. After all, you will be an adult in two months. It won't be a big deal if I let you enjoy the fun of adulthood a little earlier. Come on, beg me, and I will give it to you."
Chi Lin: “…”
The key point is this last sentence.
Lou Mi's expression of waiting with great interest showed that she was not joking, she was serious.
Chi Lin: "Please give it to me, sister."
Lou Mi shook his wine glass: "Your tone is too stiff. I can't feel your obsession with wine."
Chi Lin: "... Sister is a good person, please give me a drink."
Lou Mi was still not satisfied: "It's like reciting a line. Fake."
Chi Lin was silent.
Lou Mi has a really weird hobby. She likes others to ask her for favors.
What Chi Lin is worst at since he was young is asking for help from others.
Her father and sisters all said that she was aloof by nature, and the fact that she was a famous child prodigy in Beijing only fueled her arrogance.
Even when he was in love with the princess who had not yet ascended the throne, it was the princess who took the initiative to express her feelings to her, but she hesitated for a long time and did not respond.
The princess wrote love poems for her and flew kites for her, only then did she coax a word of response out of her.
Chi Lin is the first person in history who can make the empress ask for love.
For a person like her, the word "ask" naturally does not exist in her dictionary.
But Chi Lin felt guilty towards Lou Mi, so he had to soften his tone and spoke in a low voice with a long ending:
"Sister, just give it to me..."
This isn't begging, it's clearly acting like a spoiled child.
Originally, I just wanted to tease the little bastard and establish my authority as an elder, but I didn't expect her to use such a big move.
Seeing the cute and pitiful little appearance, Lou Mi's heart softened.
"Hey, why are you like this? Aren't you ashamed?"
Lou Mi's words clearly showed that he had admitted defeat.
Chi Lin was about to happily take the wine glass when he saw Lou Mi walking into the room with the wine:
"Minors cannot drink alcohol. It's illegal. We can't give it to you."
Chi Lin: "What?! You are a man of your word!"
Lou Mi admitted frankly: "Well, you really understand me today."
Chi Lin: “…”
I really have nothing to say.
Chi Lin understood. In fact, Lou Mi had already decided not to give her any wine no matter what she said or how much she begged. He was making trouble on the balcony for a long time just with the intention of bullying her!
Lou Mi hummed a song and walked into the house with a glass of wine. Chi Lin followed her, staring at her with a rather resentful look the whole time.
Lou Mi pretended not to see it, fearing that she would continue to use the tricks she learned from the secret book to snatch the wine, so he drank the rest of the wine in one gulp.
No matter how powerful the martial arts recorded in the martial arts secrets are, you can't steal what's in someone's stomach, right
After drinking it in one gulp, Lou Mi proudly wanted to see Chi Lin's reaction. He saw that Chi Lin didn't seem angry at all, but had an awkward expression, as if he had something to say but was holding it back.
There was no intention of making a fuss, and he was even too embarrassed to communicate. Chi Lin quickly passed by Lou Mi and went to find Peng Ziyuan.
Lou Mi: “?”
Is there something wrong with this process
She drank the wine that the little bastard had been craving for in one gulp. Even if she couldn't snatch it away from him, shouldn't she still say a few words of scolding or even give him a beating
In the end, nothing happened. Chi Lin just left, and his steps were quite hurried.
Lou Mi looked at the empty wine glass in her hand and remembered that when she was observing what Chi Lin was doing through the sand gate, she heard her cough.
Could it be that Chi Lin was choked by the wine at that time
It is very likely that...
So, Chi Lin had drunk this glass of wine.
After coming to this conclusion, Lou Mi immediately looked at the edge of the cup. There were only her own lip prints, not Chi Lin's. After all, Chi Lin was wearing no makeup...
But there is no denying that Chi Lin had been drinking.
Lou Mi even thought about committing suicide.
No wonder Chi Lin didn't battle with her. He must have thought she was a pervert who used indirect kissing as a weapon to attack others.