Zhao Ying soon tidied up the bedroom and led the two of them inside by the hand.
When Gu Nian'an caught sight of one of the furnishings, he stopped in his tracks.
Zhao Ying followed the boy's gaze and smiled, then plugged it in.
She gently touched the keys, which had already yellowed a little.
The notes rang through the room, slightly out of tune but still clear.
Gu Nian'an pressed his lips together slightly and unconsciously clasped the hand of the man beside him.
Zhao Ying turned back to him with a faint smile and said, "This has been sitting here for over twenty years."
As she wiped the dust-covered keys, she slowly explained, "My ex-husband and I had a child. While he was still in my belly, I was already thinking that once he was born, I'd take him to learn the piano."
As she spoke, a trace of bitterness crept into her voice. "I waited and waited, but he never got to be born."
Zhao Ying wiped away the last of the dust, then turned around, her gaze settling squarely on the boy.
Her voice was as soft as a sigh as she slowly said, "Perhaps he'll be born into a happier family."
Looking at the woman's familiar face, Gu Nian'an rubbed his fingers together, then finally stepped forward.
Under her puzzled gaze, he sat down at the piano.
[bgm: Bird's Poem, piano version]
The boy's fingertips danced lightly over the worn keys, and a melody both sorrowful and gentle flowed from them.
The piano's slightly off-key notes did nothing to diminish the music's overall beauty.
Instead, they added the weight of passing years to the already sorrowful piece.
They drew the listener unwittingly into memories of long ago.
The setting sun spilled over the boy's fair