MTMIO Chapter 34
by VolareThe daytime outing had drained too much energy. Lu You closed her eyes, and within minutes, her breathing became light and even.
Perhaps it was because she had talked about Zhang Wenyin before going to bed, and she had also followed Yue Yunxi’s advice, seriously thinking about the many “first times” she had connected with the piano. That’s why her dreams were filled with ripples of reality.
……
From the TV came a melodious and beautiful piano piece. Lu You, with her hair in two little buns, sat in a baby chair, turning her head to look.
On the screen, twenty-year-old Zhong Shuyun sat at the piano, a diamond-studded mermaid dress outlining her beautiful figure. Her fair, slender fingers flew across the keys.
Her deer-like eyes shone brightly, looking at the TV and then at her own hands.
So the ten fingers were so magical, they could play such beautiful and moving sounds!
“YoYo, ah—” Zhang Wenyin offered her a spoonful of egg custard. Seeing that she didn’t turn her head, she took the remote control and wanted to turn off the TV, but suddenly froze and then sighed.
Only then did Lu You turn her head, saying in a childish voice, “Mommy, don’t be sad.”
“Mommy isn’t sad, just a little regretful.” Zhang Wenyin fed her a bite of egg custard mixed with rice.
Regretful about what?
She was too young, puffing out her cheeks as she watched Zhang Wenyin’s red lips open and close, talking about the past and the alternative path she had given up. She listened in a daze, not quite understanding.
She only understood the last part, “Does YoYo want to wear very pretty dresses and play the piano on a very big stage for many, many people to listen to?”
She tilted her little head and asked, “Can YoYo’s hands also play very nice, very nice sounds?”
“Of course.” Zhang Wenyin said with a smile, “YoYo’s hands are best suited for playing the piano.”
Lu You nodded with a bright smile, “Then YoYo wants to!”
As dusk gathered, the piano tuner entered the house, holding tools to tune the family’s Steinway upright piano, as if performing surgery on the keys.
She propped up her ears, listening to the piano keys constantly changing in timbre during the “surgery,” and marveled at the wonder.
The tuner smiled and asked her to try out the sound.
Her warm fingertips pressed on the slightly cool keys, and the first note that popped out made her feel as if she had been electrified.
After the tuner left, Zhang Wenyin hugged her and sat her on the piano bench.
Her hands, which were already longer than those of her peers, became more defined and stronger between the keys and in the changing seasons. She also gradually understood her mother’s regret, which was giving up her proud piano career for the sake of her family and her.
So, her dream of becoming a pianist was filled with Zhang Wenyin’s regret.
She practiced from Wutong Garden to Lanwan, without a single day of interruption.
Debussy’s Clair de Lune flowed through her fingertips, intertwined with the thick, warm cello sound, weaving a moonlight as soft as silk.
In the dream, she didn’t sit in her place to calm her mood. The moment the music ended, she ran to the balcony, holding the railing and looking down.
In the neighboring courtyard, Tao Xin held a cello bow, her youthful face full of a sweet, soft smile, her eyebrows curved as she said something to the person opposite her.
And the person opposite was leaning the cello against a white wicker chair, the early spring breeze blowing up her wavy, waist-length black hair, responding to the blue sky behind her, like seaweed swaying in the water.
As if sensing something, that person suddenly turned towards her, her white, porcelain-like fingertips hooking open the curly hair covering her face, raising her face and looking over.
Yue Yunxi.
Feeling inexplicably flustered in her heart, Lu You shrank back into the house, her eyes swept over the two cello cases leaning against the table.
One black with a small giraffe pendant, one burgundy.
She couldn’t tell which case was empty.
She couldn’t tell who was playing with her.
She sat back at the piano.
The melodious music rang in her ears, rippling with undulating emotions.
There were praises from the piano teacher: “These hands of yours were born to play the piano!”
There were expectations from the judges: “This child has a promising future!”
There were also Lu Huai’an and Zhang Wenyin’s endless quarrels. She couldn’t hear the content, but could only hear Zhang Wenyin’s increasingly sharp voice, which even the piano sound couldn’t suppress.
The quarrel finally ended, and the piano room door was opened. Zhang Wenyin, covering half of her face with her hand, said to her, “Don’t play anymore.”
Her voice was frighteningly low.
Lu You trembled all over, enduring her instinctive fear, slid off the piano bench, walked forward and hugged Zhang Wenyin’s waist.
For a long time, Zhang Wenyin didn’t hug her back, just rubbed her head and asked, “If Mom and Dad get divorced, who does YoYo want to be with?”
She replied without hesitation, “With Mommy.”
The scene in the dream changed, and Zhang Wenyin dragged her suitcase over the threshold.
Lu You rushed over, like every time after her parents quarreled, hugging Zhang Wenyin’s waist tightly, crying heart-wrenchingly, “Mommy don’t go! Don’t go! Please don’t leave YoYo, okay? Please don’t leave YoYo alone, okay…”
This time, Zhang Wenyin didn’t hug her either, and didn’t even rub her head.
She didn’t know how long it had passed before she heard Zhang Wenyin’s hoarse voice, “Wait for Mommy for a while, when Mommy settles down, she will come and pick up YoYo. During the days when Mommy isn’t here, the piano can’t be neglected, okay? When YoYo wins an award, Mommy will come back to pick you up.”
She choked and responded.
After that, no matter how Lu Huai’an suppressed her, she practiced the piano every day without daring to slack off.
Even if Lu Huai’an took his anger out on her at the slightest sign of displeasure, beating and scolding her, telling her that Zhang Wenyin had gone abroad and would never come back, nor would she want her again.
She never gave up the piano.
In fact, she had known it for a long time.
From the moment she held the trophy and sat on the swing where she could see the entrance of the residential complex all day, waiting for a cold rain but not waiting for the person she wanted to see, she knew that Zhang Wenyin didn’t want her anymore.
But she was still persevering.
There was a love for the piano, because music had healed her many times. At least at the moment of pressing the keys, her heart was happy.
There was also unwillingness, wanting to walk up to Zhang Wenyin and ask her, why?
Until Lu Huai’an brought back a woman, not much older than her, with seven or eight similarities to Zhang Wenyin in her appearance.
Lu You was always unwilling to call the other person “Mommy,” and the woman didn’t care if she called herself old.
Seeing that Lu Huai’an’s attitude towards her was very bad, the woman was not very good to her either.
The two of them, one a fourteen-year-old rebellious girl, and the other a twenty-two-year-old princess with an immature mentality, almost had a small fight every three days and a big fight every five days.
After the woman smashed the plaster hand mold of their family of three, the accumulated contradictions between the two of them were like an open flame meeting a room filled with gas.
Dreams collided with memories, like various songs playing at the same time, sometimes low, sometimes high, chaotic and disorganized.
Lu You only remembered that the piano that had accompanied her for a long time was smashed, and her left little finger was cut off in the pushing and shoving.
She convulsed in pain, but couldn’t ignore the last sentence the woman said to her.
“What’s the use of you thinking about her? She has a new life, a new lover, and a new child. You’re just something with a mother but no one to teach you.”
At that moment.
She was like scattered pieces of plaster.
Fragmented, without the original shape.
……
The tightly knitted eyebrows were gently smoothed by a soft, cool touch. Lu You slowly raised her eyelashes, which were covered with damp weight, and her hazy vision gradually cleared. What came into view was the smooth satin of a black nightgown.
“Did you have a nightmare?” Yue Yunxi’s voice came from above.
“Yeah.” She looked up, gazing into the light amber eyes filled with sunlight.
Her consciousness suddenly cleared, and Lu You realized that she was sleeping crookedly, her legs slanting in their original position, but her upper body was almost arching into Yue Yunxi’s arms. She quickly moved back to her original position.
Yue Yunxi glanced at her, without asking about the nightmare, and got out of bed.
Lu You touched her phone and looked at the time.
It was six minutes before eight o’clock.
There were three unread messages on the screen. She opened them. The first one was from a guest named “Eleven”: [When are you coming back?]
Impolite, disrespectful.
Even though she had seen many such netizens, Lu You still frowned slightly, unaccustomed to it.
She first inquired with the temporary store manager, confirmed that there were no special circumstances in the bar these days, and then pushed the WeChat contacts of the temporary store manager and Chen Feifei, saying: [Hello, if you have any questions, you can ask Store Manager Feifei and the temporary store manager]
The other party didn’t reply, and Lu You directly switched out.
The other two messages were from Zhong Shuyun.
Teacher Zhong: [Yunxi said you have free time tomorrow. Do you have any plans?]
Teacher Zhong: [If not, can you come and tune my piano?]
YoYo: [I have time, no plans, but no tools [Embarrass]]
Teacher Zhong: [It doesn’t matter, I have them at home.]
After two or three seconds, Zhong Shuyun sent another photo asking: [See if these are enough.]
In the photo, tuning tools were spread out on the floor, complete with everything.
Lu You raised her eyebrows and typed: [Enough. Teacher Zhong, how do you have tuning tools?]
Teacher Zhong: [Someone in the family was interested, so they bought a set back, but they’re just collecting dust, treasured possessions [cute]]
Lu You curved her lips, feeling that Zhong Shuyun’s way of teasing people was a bit cute, and sent a laughing emoji: [As long as there are tools.]
Teacher Zhong: [Then contact me tomorrow when you wake up, and I’ll have someone pick you up.]
Letting her set the time after she wakes up, Teacher Zhong is too considerate!
Lu You had just sent “Okay” when the alarm rang. She pressed it off with one hand, moved to the end of the bed with her phone, sat cross-legged at the end of the bed, ruffled her hair into a mess, and closed her eyes for a while.
Having several dreams in one night was more tiring than staying up late.
Yue Yunxi came out of the bathroom and saw her in a meditative posture, her eyes softened and said, “Eat breakfast and then come back to sleep for a while, okay? It’s still in time to leave after lunch.”
Lu You’s brain was so tired that it seemed to be rusted, unable to turn the corner. She closed her eyes, furrowed her brows, tilted her head, and asked, “Then why do we have to get up so early?”
Her voice had the nasal sound unique to just waking up, and a slight hoarseness. Combined with her actions, it showed a bit ofendearing naivety.
Not hearing Yue Yunxi’s response, she wearily raised her eyes to look over.
She only saw the bright sunlight outside shining into the room, with tiny particles floating in the beam of light.
Yue Yunxi was wearing a moon-white modified qipao, walking closer step by step. The slightly curled stray hairs at her temples were a little wet, and the skin on her face was even and clear, illuminated by the sunlight, as if it still carried the moisture that hadn’t dried.
When she reached out to help her fix her hair, she brought a faint fragrance.
“Nine o’clock, it’s not early.”
Lu You was about to stop her, but Yue Yunxi took her hand back first. She was stunned for a moment, then lazily lowered her head.
Yue Yunxi turned and walked to the makeup table, bent down and sat down, turned her head to see that she hadn’t moved, and said softly, “Get up, change clothes, go eat breakfast, and then sleep.”
Lu You put down her legs and put on slippers: “What about you?”
“What about me?” Yue Yunxi glanced at her, immediately understanding that she was asking if she would sleep after breakfast, and lowered her eyes without saying anything.
Lu You curled her fingertips, wishing she could slap her own mouth.
The room fell silent.
The cicadas chirping in midsummer, the chirping of unknown birds, mixed with Grandma and Auntie Li discussing how late young people wake up, poured in from the windows and door seams like a tide.
“We’ll see.” Yue Yunxi took out the laurel hairpin she had made, “Can you help me do my hair?”
Lu You swallowed, said “Mm” and got up from the bed.
Thinking that Yue Yunxi was going to see someone she liked, Lu You half tied her hair and half left it loose. After finishing the back, she went to the front, pressed against the makeup table, and brushed the stray hairs on both sides of Yue Yunxi’s cheeks.
“Okay.” Lu You moved a little to the side, giving her space to look in the mirror, “What do you think?”
Yue Yunxi suddenly stood up, her hand reaching towards her waist.
Lu You subconsciously retreated, and sat down on the makeup table.
“I trust your aesthetics,” Yue Yunxi tilted her head, pulling the distance closer. Her hand, seemingly touching, glided along her side waist to the back, and took the water glass, “I’ll go boil water.”
After the words fell, she took a step back and turned to the desk.
“…”
Couldn’t she just ask her to move? That posture was so bad.
Especially since she was only wearing a nightgown.
Lu You lowered her head, down, and saw the vague shapes of the two points through the clothes. Her face burned up. She closed her eyes, straightened up, took her backpack from the coat rack and held it in front of her, and rummaged for the clothes she was going to wear today.
Yue Yunxi leisurely reminded: “Pick your favorite outfit, dress up nicely.”
Lu You’s hand stopped for a long time before pulling open the backpack zipper and taking out a white camisole dress with a frilly hem, and a pink-purple tie-dye cardigan.
After eating breakfast, neither of them took a nap.
Perhaps because Yue Yunxi had reminded her too many times, when applying makeup, Lu You unusually put on a much brighter makeup than usual.
She even ran to Chen Feifei’s place to borrow a curling iron and curled her hair.
The atmosphere she brought with her suddenly became much richer.
When she returned to the room, Yue Yunxi was obviously stunned when she saw her.
“How is it?” Lu You raised her eyebrows at Yue Yunxi, “Satisfied?”
Yue Yunxi’s eyebrows gently curved: “Satisfied.”
She didn’t know why, but she didn’t have the happiness of being recognized that she had imagined. Lu You pouted and thought, she wasn’t afraid that her crush would be overshadowed by her, and would be jealous then.
After that, she followed Yue Yunxi from the west of the city by high-speed rail to the neighboring city, changed two buses, checked the music festival tickets, entered the gate, stepped on the shaved lawn, and looked at the open-air stages erected on both sides.
Seeing that some fans in front of the left stage were holding “Huang Zhixu” light boards, Lu You came back to her senses from a daze.
So, the important person was important to her.
So, she repeatedly reminded her to dress up nicely.
It was because she was coming to see her idol.
Unable to describe the joy of this moment, which included several meanings, Lu You opened her mouth, but her throat seemed to be blocked, unable to make a sound, and could only stare at Yue Yunxi with bright and clear eyes.
“If you can’t listen to an indoor concert, then listen to an outdoor one.” Yue Yunxi said, meeting her gaze, “There’s still a while before Huang Zhixu’s performance. Want to eat something, buy a light board and then go over?”
The journey had made her fantasize about butting Yue Yunxi with her antlers several times.
But now, Deer Antler You felt like a well-behaved cub being petted, responding as obediently as possible.
After eating cold noodles and other refreshing snacks at the surrounding roadside stalls and buying a light board, the two slowly swayed to the left stage.
Walking to the middle of the lawn, a couple walked towards them. The yellow-haired man stared straight at Yue Yunxi, his gaze gradually becoming strange from amazement.
As if he saw someone familiar, but couldn’t remember who it was for a moment.
Lu You frowned, her eyes turning to the corner of her eye to glance at Yue Yunxi. Yue Yunxi only glanced at the other person lightly and then moved her gaze away.
That calm look made it impossible to tell whether they knew each other or not.
The yellow-haired man stared for too long, and was pinched hard on the arm by his girlfriend, who howled, slapped his forehead, turned his head, and shouted, “Yue Yunxi?!”
Lu You’s footsteps stagnated for a moment, but saw Yue Yunxi continuing forward without stopping, and quickly strode to catch up.
Her ears were too sensitive. After walking for a while, she could still vaguely capture the content of the conversation behind her.
The female voice asked, “Who is it?”
The yellow-haired man said, “Elementary school classmate.”
“Oh, elementary school classmate, you still remember her now? Is she your white moonlight?”
“What! Her mother is a murderer, how can I not remember?”
Murderer?
Lu You paused, turned her head and asked Yue Yunxi, “Was that person just now someone you know?”
After a long silence, Yue Yunxi sighed and said, “Can we not talk about this today?”
The gentle tone, combined with this weak sentence, seemed particularly light, as if the sound would dissipate with the wind.
Her eyes swept over the roadside snack stalls, and Lu You said, “Wait for me.”
Yue Yunxi stopped in place, watching her hop to the roadside stall with her left foot, bought two big coconuts, directed the stall owner to cut open the openings, dig out the pulp, and insert straws and spoons. She held one in each hand and folded back.
“Here’s something sweet and refreshing.” Lu You smiled and handed one to Yue Yunxi.
Yue Yunxi took it, held the straw and took a sip of coconut juice. The refreshing taste with a faint sweetness spread from the tip of her tongue to her heart.
A lot of people had gathered in front of the left stage. The two of them stood in the back row in a Buddhist-like manner, sipping coconut juice while waiting for Huang Zhixu to appear.
After waiting for more than ten minutes, the sky was adjusted by the twilight into a colorful cocktail. The sunset was a grapefruit slice inlaid on the rim of the glass, and the screams and whistles from the stage were like bubbles hitting the wine.
Huang Zhixu took the stage and ignited a wildfire with her ethereal and penetrating voice, heating up the place.
After the singing resounded in the square, more and more people were attracted, and Lu You and Yue Yunxi were squeezed to the front.
Probably afraid of getting separated, Yue Yunxi’s hand, which had been hanging by her side, reached out towards her, and their fingertips lightly collided. Lu You’s lowered eyelashes followed.
Turning to look at her behind her, Yue Yunxi grabbed her wrist and pulled her to her side, then quickly let go.
After a long pause, Lu You raised that hand, took the light board from the other hand, and shook it.
Huang Zhixu sang four songs on stage. The host arranged by the organizer walked onto the stage to conduct an interactive session—the big screen would randomly switch to a lucky audience member under the stage, chat for a few words and then answer a question. If they answered correctly, they would get a chance to take a photo with Huang Zhixu and a signed album.
“Now let’s see who the last lucky audience member is?!” While the host was speaking, the crane camera swung towards their area.
The faces of Lu You and Yue Yunxi were switched back and forth on the screen for three rounds. As the words fell, the picture froze on Yue Yunxi’s beautiful and generous face.
“Wow, there are really a lot of beauties today.” Even Huang Zhixu couldn’t help but sigh.
Almost in an instant, Lu You felt hundreds of eyes looking at them.
Lu You was relatively calm, peeking at Yue Yunxi, who was even calmer than her.
The stage manager handed over the microphone.
The host asked, “This beautiful lady, what is your surname?”
After a few seconds of silence, Yue Yunxi replied, “My surname is Lu, the Lu inyōuyōu lùmíng, the bleating of deer.”
Lu You turned her head abruptly.
Just then, Yue Yunxi also looked over at her.
Their eyes met.
Lu You remembered the unhappy scene just now, and thought that Yue Yunxi probably didn’t want to be recognized, so she borrowed her surname. She looked away and silently took a sip of coconut juice.
“A very special surname. Okay, Ms. Lu, the question you have to answer is this.” The host glanced at the cue card, “Please say, what is the origin of Huang Zhixu’s name!”
It was a simple question, but for Huang Zhixu fans.
Yue Yunxi had never even heard Huang Zhixu’s songs before, and certainly wasn’t a fan of Huang Zhixu. Lu You quickly took out her phone, pressing the letters with lightning speed.
She had only typed two words when she heard Yue Yunxi’s voice ringing in her ears first.
“jiāojiāo zhǐxǔ huáng.” She paused, and even said the second half of the sentence, “yōuyōu shí píng lù.”
She only said the lines of poetry, but Lu You felt like she had been called out by name, and her heart jumped for no reason.
“Congratulations on answering correctly!” The host gave the stage manager a look, “Here is our Huang Zhixu’s signed album for you. Come, come up on stage for a photo.”
Yue Yunxi took the album and asked Huang Zhixu, “Can my friend come on stage for a photo? She likes you even more than I do.”
Lu You was stunned.
Huang Zhixu was very generous and invited them to come on stage together, politely asking Lu You for her surname.
Lu You blinked her eyes and replied, “My surname is Yue, the Yue in yuèliàng, moon.”
Subconsciously glancing at Yue Yunxi, she made eye contact, and quickly looked away.
As if feeling guilty.
“It’s the first time I’ve heard this surname.” Huang Zhixu joked, “Your friend really dotes on you.”
Lu You pursed her lips and smiled, without replying.
The three took a group photo together. When they got off the stage, the stage manager gave them the photos, only one copy.
Seeing her looking very wanting but very conflicted, Yue Yunxi curved her lips and said, “Keep it safe, Ms. Yue YoYo.”
“???” Lu You raised her eyebrows and carefully stuffed the photo into the interlayer of her bag, “Kept it safe, Ms. Lu Yunxi.”
The two looked at each other and couldn’t help but smile.
Lu You thought of asking, “How did you know the origin of Huang Zhixu’s name?”
Yue Yunxi lowered her eyes and looked at the road under her feet, saying softly, “I saw it on the internet.”
The evening breeze wrapped in the heat of midsummer ruffled her stray hairs. She hooked them away with her fingertips, and her red lips moved, adding another sentence.
At that time, Huang Zhixu started her fifth song, and Lu You’s attention was drawn to the stage, not paying much attention to that sentence.
After listening to Huang Zhixu’s song, considering the time spent on the road was too long, the two did not stay any longer and returned to the homestay.
When they washed up and lay on the bed, it was almost past two o’clock. When Lu You closed her eyes, she remembered everything that happened at the music festival, like an automatic slideshow, switching from Huang Zhixu’s confident singing in the crowded crowd to the way Yue Yunxi suddenly turned to look at her when she said her surname was Lu.
The second eye contact in her mind made her not sleepy at all.
Hearing Yue Yunxi’s even breathing beside her, she opened her eyes, reached under the pillow for her phone, lowered the brightness, and began to wander around to pass the time.
Scrolling through her Moments, she saw that Chen Feifei had posted a status update: [That jerk let me relive expired candy in the middle of the night. It’s simply more poisonous than arsenic! I can’t sleep now, my heart is empty. Although her current husband is very good, the previous one is really difficult to let go of!]
She commented to Chen Feifei: [?]
Chen Feifei sent a video, which showed the lyrics written by a well-known female star in the entertainment industry for her ex-husband. One sentence quoted a line of poetry, and the line of poetry contained the ex-husband’s surname.
The marketing account said, how much must you like someone to search for his name again and again and everywhere, to know such an anecdote.
After the video finished playing, Lu You clutched her phone without moving.
After a moment, the screen went dark, and her vision merged into the night.
In the quiet, she suddenly heard a certain elongated insect call, followed by a burst of dog barking from a small path outside the courtyard.
Lu You was stunned.
yōuyōu shí píng lù, the deer bleating eats duckweed.
That second half of the poem, and the words Yue Yunxi added when the wind rose, echoed in her mind.
She said: “I’ve searched many times.”