Drops of Sweat Nurture Peach and Plum Blossoms! (Welcoming the Second Protector: Monk's Donation!!)

From afar, the entire hillside seemed to be shrouded in a vast expanse of white.

Countless students, young and old, wore white mourning clothes, their knees pressed tightly to the ground!

Their gazes were fixed on Su Chen as he emerged from the mourning hall.

To them, this funeral was no longer merely a chance to mourn their beloved teacher.

They also wished to thank this master for perfectly performing Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix at Principal Tang's funeral!

It was the greatest respect and remembrance they could offer Principal Tang!

At this moment,

everyone knelt upon the ground, facing the mourning hall.

Under their watchful eyes, Su Chen slowly left the funeral site and headed down the mountain.

Seeing Su Chen leave, Li Hongzheng snapped out of his daze and hurriedly chased after him!

Unlike Su Chen, who had merely come to pay his respects, the Li Family Band could not leave yet, as the burial procession had not begun.

Li Hongzheng chased after him as quickly as he could, but he was still a step too late.

At last, he caught sight of Su Chen at the foot of the mountain!

Li Hongzheng hurriedly shouted:

"Master, please wait!!"

Having just finished performing Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix, Su Chen's breathing was still steady as he strode along with swift steps.

Hearing the shout from behind, he turned around and saw Li Hongzheng.

This suona player from a small town possessed an artistry that was enough to rival that of the national theater.

Su Chen turned to look at him but said nothing.

"I am Li Hongzheng, a suona player from Huayi Town. Forgive my boldness, Master, but may I ask who you are?"

The question had been weighing heavily on Li Hongzheng's heart.

In truth, he was even more curious about Su Chen's lineage of training. He wondered whether he might have a chance to learn this piece, Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix!

"I came to see Principal Tang off!"

Su Chen answered a different question. Creating an air of mystery was one of the services he provided.

His eyes were calm as still water, and his bearing was extraordinary.

Knowing that Su Chen was deliberately avoiding the question, Li Hongzheng's old face reddened, and sweat seeped from his hand gripping the suona.

After hesitating for a moment, he took a step back and clasped his hands in salute!

He bowed slightly!

At last, he asked the question:

"Master, may I learn your Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix?"

Decisive!

Straightforward!

And equally sincere!

Su Chen looked at him in surprise. This suona player, several decades his senior, was respectfully asking to study under him!

That earnest gaze moved even Su Chen.

As the saying went,

Those who hear the Way first may become teachers; every profession has its own specialization!

In the way of teaching, there is neither noble nor lowly, neither old nor young. Wherever the Way exists, there exists a teacher!

Though Su Chen had been born after him, he surpassed him in the art of the suona, so Li Hongzheng sought instruction from him!

The two had not met many times, yet they seemed to understand each other deeply.

Su Chen had remained at the funeral site the entire time and knew that Principal Tang's descendants had failed to hire suona players.

The leader of the Li Family Band had come of his own accord to see Principal Tang off, arriving with an Eight-stage funeral procession led by suonas. It was clear how much he respected Principal Tang.

And in the art of the suona, he was so courteous and principled, never looking down on others because of his age.

Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix

was the ultimate test of a suona player's craftsmanship. Whether the deceased deserved it depended entirely on the scales in the player's heart!

Looking at the resolute Li Hongzheng, who stood before him in a respectful salute,

and thinking of Principal Tang, who had labored tirelessly all his life,

Su Chen did not hesitate. He copied down the full score of Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix according to the technique in his mind and handed it to Li Hongzheng!

Once again, he spoke the first words they had exchanged:

Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix is a piece of great mourning!

It is a piece handed down by our ancestors. Only deceased people of great virtue and prestige are worthy of it!

As those words rang in his ears once more, tears instantly streamed down Li Hongzheng's face.

To hear the Way in the morning, one could die without regret by evening!

He did not know whether the emotion in his heart was joy at receiving the piece,

or sorrow at remembering that his blind master had once said the same words.

As he watched Su Chen's departing back, his vision blurred, and Su Chen's figure seemed to overlap with that of his master in his memories.

At noon, Juan'er and her husband personally cooked a meal for the Li Family Band.

The two served tea and water, bustling about anxiously, afraid of neglecting the Li Family Band in any way.

When it was time for the burial procession,

the eight members of the Li Family Band once again performed "Su Wu Tending Sheep."

They saw Principal Tang off.

Though Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix had set an exceptionally high standard, the grandeur of eight suonas leading the procession still moved countless people.

Along the road of the burial procession, people crowded both sides of the path.

Many townspeople had come to see Principal Tang off!

Principal Tang had been a man of great virtue and prestige. His deeds were already known throughout several nearby towns, earning everyone's respect.

Furthermore, because Su Chen had performed Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix for Principal Tang that morning,

many people deeply regretted not making it to Principal Tang's mourning hall to witness that scene with their own eyes.

So they waited along the route of the burial procession to see Principal Tang off.

The funeral procession of over a thousand people moved onward in a mighty stream.

One piece of chalk, sleeves brushed by a clean wind,

a three-foot podium through all four seasons of sun and rain,

drop after drop of sweat sincerely nurturing peach and plum blossoms to fragrance the world!

Principal Tang's grave was not large, and it stood in a rather secluded location.

But that would not stop the people of Huayi Town, years or even decades later, from passing by this grave with their children and grandchildren when they came to visit their ancestors.

They would then tell their descendants that, at this person's funeral, a piece called Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix had once been played.

At the same time,

they would tell their descendants the story of Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix and Principal Tang.

By then,

newcomers would encounter an old grave.

Newcomers would welcome the new year and bid farewell to the old; the old grave would receive fresh soil at Qingming. The newcomers would become old, and the old grave would become an ancient grave.

The person and story within that ancient grave would be remembered for generations!

After the burial procession ended,

the Li Family Band politely declined the invitation to stay for a meal.

They prepared to leave.

With swollen, reddened eyes, Juan'er joined Xiao Lin and Xiao Ai.

The three of them saw them off for ten li.

At parting, Juan'er took out the money the townspeople had previously raised for the Eight-stage funeral procession and tried to force it upon the Li Family Band.

None of the eight members of the Li Family Band accepted the money.

"If you truly want to thank us, donate this money to the school! It was Principal Tang's life's work!"

Li Hongzheng still looked solemn as he firmly refused.

Watching the eight men depart, Juan'er once again kowtowed three times in their direction!

Xiao Ai watched Juan'er cry with a complicated expression, but she could not feel even the slightest sympathy.

The next day.

Principal Tang's funeral was over.

Juan'er and her husband left the school early in the morning, hurriedly taking their two children home.

Life at the school still had to go on as usual.

Since yesterday, Xiao Ai had seemed somewhat listless.

"Principal Tang is gone, but we can't slack off!"

"Let's clean the office together! Just like before, I'll sweep the floor and you'll wipe the desks!"

Seeing the dust in the office, Xiao Lin suggested.

Xiao Ai nodded weakly and agreed.

Very soon,

as Xiao Ai pulled open a drawer while wiping Principal Tang's desk, her expression suddenly changed.

The somewhat crumpled ten thousand yuan, along with the money for the Eight-stage funeral procession, lay quietly inside the drawer.

Sunlight fell upon them, carrying a hint of warmth.

Elsewhere,

Su Chen returned to the company. After organizing his clothes and Principal Tang's information,

the system's evaluation voice sounded.

P.S.:

Sincere thanks to the second Protector, Monk, for the generous donation!

Thanks to Protector: Idiot, for the 1,666 donation!

Thanks to Boss Thirteen for the 1,666 donation!

Thanks to Boss: Exiled, for the 1,666 donation!

Thanks to Boss: Meow Ya, for the 1,666 donation!

Thanks to all the other bosses for their book-coin donations, recommendation votes, and monthly votes!