Chapter 328 : Clap, Clap, Clap~
“Xiaoxiao, are your friends coming over today?”
Xu Qing asked as she watched her younger sister bustle around the house. It wasn’t often that her typically lazy sister showed such enthusiasm, and she figured it must be due to her school friends coming over.
Hearing her sister’s question, Xu Xiaoxiao looked up with a bright smile. Nothing was more fun to her than having her best friends over.
Xu Qing gave her little sister a fond pat on the head. “Just remember to keep the windows and doors closed so you don’t disturb the neighbors, okay?”
“I know! I’m not a kid anymore, so stop patting my head!”
As Xu Qing headed to the bathroom to freshen up, the doorbell rang. Noticing her sister still tidying up the living room, Xu Qing went to answer the door. She was surprised to find Ling Ning standing there with a slightly embarrassed expression. Why would Ling Ning be here? Xu Qing wondered.
“Good morning~”
“Good morning~”
A moment later, Xu Qing noticed that Ling Ning had a little “tail” with her. She guessed Ling Ning was visiting with her daughter.
After inviting them in, Xu Qing suddenly realized her appearance was a bit of a mess. She was still in her pajamas, her hair was unkempt, and she hadn’t even washed her face yet.
“Oh… um, Ling Ning, have a seat. I’ll just freshen up quickly.”
“Alright~”
After Xu Qing left, Ling Ning instinctively turned around to ask her daughter something, only to realize her daughter was no longer by her side. Thinking back, she remembered that as soon as they’d come in and exchanged greetings with Xu Qing, her daughter had gone off somewhere with Xu Xiaoxiao.
At that moment, Ling Ning heard the faint sound of a guitar coming from one of the rooms in the house, sparking her curiosity. She followed the sound and found herself at the door of Xu Xiaoxiao’s room, which was labeled with a small sign bearing her name, Xiaoxiao.
The door was slightly ajar. Pushing it open, Ling Ning stepped in and found her daughter sitting on the bed, holding a guitar with surprising poise. Even though Ling Ning was a complete novice when it came to music, she could tell that her daughter was playing quite well.
Noticing her mother’s presence, Ling Ye stopped playing and looked up.
“Ye Ye, is this what you’ve been doing when you go out lately?” Ling Ning raised an eyebrow, a little confused.
“…Mm~” Ling Ye nodded.
“If you’d told me, I wouldn’t have minded. I thought you were… well… never mind~” Ling Ning trailed off, realizing her suspicions had been unnecessary.
“I wanted it to be a surprise for you!”
Ling Ye pouted. She’d initially gone over to Xu Xiaoxiao’s house because her friend’s dad had gifted her a guitar for her birthday, and she’d invited Ling Ye and Qin Si Rou over to play. Ling Ye had started strumming out of curiosity but soon found herself hooked.
Since then, whenever they had free time, the three of them would gather at Xu Xiaoxiao’s to practice guitar. They’d even bought beginner books on guitar from the bookstore. Qin Si Rou had even purchased her own guitar, and Ling Ye was planning to buy one soon to surprise her mom with her playing skills. She hadn’t expected her mom to find out this way.
“Oh, so that’s what it is~” Now understanding the situation, Ling Ning nodded thoughtfully. “But without a teacher, is it really okay to learn by yourselves?”
“My sister knows how to play guitar!” Xu Xiaoxiao said proudly.
“What!?”
Ling Ning was shocked. She’d known Xu Qing for so long, yet she’d had no idea her friend could play guitar. She decided to ask Xu Qing to perform a song once she finished freshening up.
While Ling Ning was still processing this revelation, Xu Qing appeared in the doorway.
“Oh my, Xiao Qing Qing, I had no idea you’d kept this from me!” Ling Ning exclaimed, looking at her friend in mock betrayal.
“Huh?” Xu Qing looked at her, bewildered. She’d only been gone for a few minutes—how had Ling Ning ended up like this? Had her feelings somehow been discovered?
“You play guitar, and you never told me! If your sister hadn’t mentioned it, I’d still be in the dark!”
Relieved, Xu Qing smiled. “Oh, that? I learned it back in middle school. I stopped practicing after starting high school, so it never really came up.”
Xu Qing explained that she’d once been captivated by musicians on TV playing guitar, thinking it looked incredibly cool. On impulse, she’d spent her savings on a guitar and started teaching herself through books and online videos. Eventually, she’d picked up some basic skills, though she wouldn’t call herself an expert.
Lately, she’d had more free time, so she’d been teaching her sister and her friends some chords and basic songs. The kids had been pestering her nonstop, so she’d decided to brush up on her skills to teach them properly.
“Play us something, Xiao Qing Qing! I’d love to hear you play,” Ling Ning urged.
“It’s been ages since I’ve practiced, so I might be a bit rusty.”
Xu Qing took the guitar from Ling Ye, casually strummed a few chords to test the strings, and then started to play.
She chose a folk song that Ling Ning didn’t recognize. It had a steady rhythm, and as Xu Qing played, it was clear she was still quite skilled, even if she had been out of practice for a while.
“Phew~”
When she finished, Xu Qing exhaled deeply. She felt out of practice; she’d made several mistakes in places, even though this was the song she’d practiced most. She probably would have completely botched a less familiar song.
“Clap, clap, clap~”
Though Xu Qing wasn’t entirely satisfied with her performance, Ling Ning was thoroughly impressed. To her, Xu Qing’s playing was incredible. In her previous life, she’d once considered learning a cool instrument like guitar but had given up because it would mean sacrificing her gaming time.
Seeing this new opportunity to learn guitar, Ling Ning suddenly felt a spark of inspiration. Who knew? Maybe she’d actually manage to learn this time. She could already picture herself charming people with her guitar skills.
“Now I’m really tempted to learn guitar myself!”
“I could teach you~” Xu Qing offered.
“Alright, I’ll give it a try.”
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Author’s Note:
These two chapters were pre-written ages ago. I’ve been such a lazy fish, I can’t even remember how long it’s been!