Chapter 58: Chapter Fifty-Eight: Clever Xiao Ya

Guangdong Provincial Cultural Arts Center.

After escorting the two girls into the waiting room, Gu Zhao and Zhang Hang waited outside, continuing their discussion about which car to buy.

During the wait, candidates gradually emerged after their interviews, while others arrived for theirs; most were women, all elaborately made-up and very beautiful.

The Guangdong Provincial Ethnic Music Ensemble, Dance Troupe, Singing Troupe, Cantonese Opera Troupe, and Opera and Drama Troupe were all housed together, and many recent graduates had their interviews scheduled in these few days, so the crowd wasn’t just from music departments but from other arts majors too.

Singers, dancers, instrumentalists, opera performers, and actors were all gathered here, and outside the waiting area weren’t just Gu Zhao and Zhang Hang—there were also the interviewees’ boyfriends, girlfriends, parents, and family members.

“No wonder those old guys love hanging out at art colleges—girls who do the arts are truly beautiful,” Zhang Hang remarked.

“True,” Gu Zhao nodded in agreement.

“But the real key is makeup—those four great evils live up to their reputation,” Zhang Hang continued.

“Yes,” Gu Zhao agreed.

“Still, most of them probably look worse without makeup than your two girls,” Zhang Hang concluded.

“Exactly,” Gu Zhao nodded in approval.

Zhang Hang pointed at Gu Zhao, feigning shock. “Hey! You just admitted they’re both your little sisters!”

“Childish,” Gu Zhao moved Zhang Hang’s finger away.

Zhang Hang draped an arm around Gu Zhao. “Bro, we’re family—no need for formalities. When the time comes, get those two to introduce me to some reliable girls. My happiness for the rest of my life depends on you!”

…

A moment later, Jiang Shishi emerged, backpack slung over her shoulders, and together with Xiao Ya, they carried a heavy case out; several boys nearby tried to help, but both women politely declined.

“We’re done!” Jiang Shishi tilted her chin toward Gu Zhao. “Come lend a hand!”

Gu Zhao and Zhang Hang stepped forward and took the guzheng from them. “How did it go?”

“Should be fine,” Xiao Ya smiled gently. “We used our own instruments—the results were good, and the interviewers seemed satisfied.”

Jiang Shishi patted Gu Zhao’s arm. “Let’s eat. Afternoon, you’re coming with us to look at apartments.”

Gu Zhao couldn’t help asking, “Aren’t you waiting for the results?”

Jiang Shishi raised an eyebrow. “Do you have no faith in two top students who’ve won scholarships from Yanjing Music Academy every year?”

Gu Zhao quickly shook his head. “No way, no way—my apologies!”

“Exactly,” Jiang Shishi said casually. “Besides, Yangcheng’s entertainment industry is rich, and the competition isn’t as fierce as Yanjing’s. Even if you don’t get into the ethnic music ensemble, finding a job is still easy.”

“Exactly,” Zhang Hang added. “Now it’s trendy to play modern music on classical instruments—it’s insane. Even the suona was played at Walker’s concert.”

Mentioning music and instruments woke Jiang Shishi and Xiao Ya up—they became more alert than ever.

“That suona PhD played ‘Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix’ at the Vienna concert, didn’t breathe for a full minute—left all the musicians stunned, and got applause three times mid-performance.”

“And the pipa and erhu—one crisp and bright, the other delicate and lingering—aren’t inferior to Western instruments.”

Zhang Hang looked at the guzheng in his hands. “I’ve seen tons of videos where they play the guzheng standing up—how do they even lift them?”

“Guzhengs vary in weight because of different woods and thicknesses,” Xiao Ya explained. “Those online ones people lift vertically? Most are made of ordinary rosewood—barely twenty catties.”

Zhang Hang looked down. “What about yours?”

Something under twenty catties, he could lift with one hand—but this guzheng, he knew he’d struggle to lift even with both.

Xiao Ya blushed slightly. “It’s made of rosewood—about sixty catties.”

Gu Zhao asked instinctively, “Small-leaf rosewood?”

Xiao Ya stuck out her tongue. “I couldn’t afford small-leaf rosewood. This is rosewood—less precious than small-leaf, but the tone isn’t much different.”

Gu Zhao said, “So you could use small-leaf rosewood?”

“Any instrument can be made from small-leaf rosewood,” Jiang Shishi smiled, shrugging. “Like my pipa—if a master made it from small-leaf rosewood, it could sell for over a million.”

“Wow, that’s about the price of a Wangwang Eight,” Zhang Hang glanced at the guzheng. “Then this guzheng must be even more expensive?”

Jiang Shishi nodded matter-of-factly. “Of course—it’s heavier!”

The group left the arts center, returned to the hotel, had dinner, then spent the afternoon accompanying the two girls around the area, eventually renting a two-bedroom, one-living-room apartment in a mid-range residential complex—the whole day passed quickly.

…

“Hello? Mom?”

In the hotel room, Xiao Ya received a call from her mother, Su Lei, and felt a twinge of guilt.

After all, she’d lied to her mother—and planned to stay in Yangcheng permanently. She’d never done anything so rebellious before, especially since she and Gu Zhao hadn’t even gotten past the first step.

But Su Lei’s voice was unusually gentle. “How are you and Shishi doing?”

“Fine. What’s up?” Xiao Ya asked.

“Still mad at Mom?” Su Lei misinterpreted Xiao Ya’s flat tone. “You’re too naive—I just worried you’d get tricked.”

Xiao Ya couldn’t help saying, “I saw it with my own eyes.”

“Even seeing with your own eyes doesn’t mean it’s true,” Su Lei habitually lectured, then immediately added, “But this time, the guy you met isn’t a scammer.”

“Huh?” Xiao Ya froze.

“And your grandfather’s health improved—thanks entirely to your friend,” Su Lei said over the phone.

“How do you know that?” Xiao Ya probed.

“Yi Guan Daozhang and Yi Hong Daozhang came to visit your grandfather. I only just learned that Daoist true qi and talismans and magic treasures actually exist,” Su Lei still sounded incredulous.

Since Yi Hong Daozhang was friends with Xiao Yanhua and had seen Daoist talismans, he gave them a brief explanation of Daoist cultivation theory—and let them experience the sensation of magic power flowing through the body.

After experiencing it firsthand, Su Lei had no choice but to believe.

“Oh!” Xiao Ya exhaled in relief. She’d thought her mother had connections in the Guangdong Provincial Ethnic Music Ensemble and had found out she was here for interviews, planning to trick her back home.

“If you really like that young man, I won’t oppose you two getting closer.”

Su Lei wasn’t foolish. Their family wasn’t short on money; though not politically powerful, Xiao Yanhua was a calligrapher and she was a musician—both respected professions. Above all, family health mattered most.

An Aperture Opening talisman? That was something even the wealthy and powerful couldn’t obtain. Even Yi Hong Daozhang rarely made them—and never gave them away lightly.

If everyone in our family could wear one…

Still, Su Lei couldn’t resist adding a condition: “Of course, only if he comes to Yanjing to develop his career.”

Hearing Su Lei’s words, Xiao Ya’s heart stirred.

She wasn’t naive—so she seized the opportunity at once. “Mom…”