Hearing her father say this, Ding Wenruo turned her graceful head in curiosity, a faint smile on her face as she looked at He An and Fan Dazhi.
He An sat upright, quietly turning the matter over in his mind.
At Ding Feiyong's question, Fan Dazhi squirmed in his seat as though a nail were sticking into his backside. Noticing his teacher's gaze on him, he stiffened inwardly, rose to his feet, and clapped loudly. "Excellent!"
But his applause rang out sparsely, with no one joining in. With all three pairs of eyes fixed on him, Fan Dazhi suddenly felt awkward and sheepishly lowered his head and sat back down.
Unable to contain her amusement, Ding Wenruo covered her lips with her sleeve and bowed her head, laughing softly.
"What was excellent about it? Explain in detail!"
Ding Feiyong calmly lifted his teacup and took a small sip.
"Uh... I thought the tone was lovely, truly exquisite... Well... the sage once said that after hearing the Shao music, he forgot the taste of meat for three months. If I could hear music like this every day, I would gladly go three months without meat too!"
Fan Dazhi scrunched up his bun-shaped face, thought for a moment, and spoke with solemn conviction.
"You slippery fellow! Always such a lazy rascal!"
Ding Feiyong spat out a tea leaf and pointed at Fan Dazhi, unable to resist laughing as he scolded him.
Then he turned to He An. "Tell me where it fell short. You mustn't simply praise it. Only by pointing out shortcomings can you help someone improve!"
He An found himself in a difficult position. After a moment's thought, he reluctantly inclined his body. "Since you insist that I point out a flaw, Teacher, I thought... the transitions from the preceding