Too high to reach

Chapter 70 Hurting Others to Enhance Oneself
“My second sister likes to make purses,” Mo Wen said frankly.

Liu Yuan couldn't stop mocking, and Wang Xiaoyang turned around and said innocently, "Pouches? My mother's maid, Granny Jiang, is extremely skilled at making pouches!"

She seemed unintentional, but her words were quite harsh.

Mo Wen smiled and said, "My second sister's handicrafts are quite ordinary, but her ideas are truly unique."

Before anyone else could say anything, Liang You chimed in, "That's true! My sister Mo Yi made a purse for my younger sister, and Mother said that she hasn't let it out of her sight since she got it. Every time a guest comes, she makes sure to have them look at it over and over! This has never happened before!"

He looked at him with agreement, but in his heart he was thinking: I wonder if this person did it for me... Sigh, I don't have a chance to ask, I'm really anxious.

Mo Yi remained silent, sitting quietly.

Mo Wen smiled and said nothing more after Liang You responded.

In this situation, Liu Yuan felt that the topic was not going to continue, so she turned to Mo Wen, "Perfect timing, I also like playing the zither, Shan Lin, how about I make a fool of myself for everyone?"

"I've never really appreciated Sister Liu's piano skills before, please sit here!"

Liu Yuan stopped being polite and walked to the piano table. Just like Mo Wen did last time, she first tested the sound.

As soon as the music started, no one spoke from the Lady Hou's side.

Liang You's obvious favoritism towards Mo Yi and the talents of the girls present made Liu Yuan a little anxious. She wanted to impress everyone with a song, since the Hou family had military backgrounds and Liang You would be commanding troops in the future. So she chose "West Moon Ballad".

This piece is soaring and melancholic, with some complex and intense rhythms. It truly tests the player's skill and understanding of the music.

Well, that's it!

She started playing, and I must say, her piano skills were really good!

The melody reminded Lady Hou of her husband and son…

At the climax, Liu Yuan's two small hands plucked the strings forcefully and spun them quickly. Her hands were a little sore, her eyebrows furrowed slightly, and her jaw clenched lightly.

The high-pitched and rapid melody unsettled Lady Hou's emotions... Father and son fought bloody battles and ultimately died on the battlefield.

What was even more heartbreaking was that her son was unmarried and had no descendants. The longing and sorrow brought tears to her eyes.

The piece was finished.

Lady Hou composed herself for a moment before nodding slightly.

Grandma Liang called out, "Liang You!" Liang You got up and went over.

After the song ended, Liu Yuan felt a stinging pain in her fingers, but she was satisfied. Turning to the Mo sisters, she calmly asked, "Miss Mo Yi, would you like to sing a song too?"

“Miss Liu, I don’t know how to play music,” Mo Yi said calmly.

"If you can't play it, you can at least give some feedback, right?!" Liu Yuan's awkward personality probably comes from her grandmother, Grandma Liang.

Mo Yi smiled and said, "If you can't play, you can't tell the difference between good and bad fingering techniques or the depth of the meaning. To make a hasty judgment is superficial and disrespectful to Miss Liu."

"Quite the talker," Liu Yuan chuckled, turning to Mo Wen, "Oh dear, I forgot to remember. It was Miss Mo who just said her zither skills were quite good. Why don't you come up and offer some pointers?"

At this point, even if Mo Wen wanted to show off, he couldn't step in.

"I'm here today to offer incense and fulfill my vow, and also to admire the talents of all you ladies. I can't possibly embarrass myself by performing, much less offer any instruction." She thought to herself: If I were to actually play, what would they say when they ask who I am? A girl who's already engaged, trying to steal the spotlight from others—that would be utterly ridiculous.

Zhang Xianlin said, "Sister Liu's melody carries a fierce and ruthless spirit, and its meaning is profound. For a beautiful young woman to possess such depth, we are all ashamed of our own abilities! Since Miss Mowen can play, could you please offer some comments and broaden our perspectives?"

All the girls were watching.

Mo Wen had no intention of backing down, and nodded gently: "For a young lady to be able to play this piece is truly admirable. Putting aside the theme, just the fingering alone requires long-term practice, with calluses forming on the hands, to be able to play this piece. Miss Liu has already done a great job. There's no need to be too hard on yourself."

Does this mean Liu Yuan didn't play well enough?
Liu Yuan wanted to show off his skills and attract the attention of Lady Hou. He had deliberately learned this piece on the spot for this meeting.

However, Mo Wen's zither skills were already quite good, and she was also intelligent and perceptive, so she could still tell the difference between her strengths and weaknesses.

"It seems Miss Mo doesn't think much of it. Why don't you play a good piece and let us see what you've got?"

Mo Wen's expression was sincere. "It was the young lady who insisted that I comment, so I dared to say a few words. It's not that I wanted to compete with the young lady!"

"you!"

"Alright, alright! What are you doing? Just playing the piano for fun." Seeing the tense atmosphere, Zhang Xianlin quickly stepped in to stop it.

It must be Wang talking over there, laughing and talking loudly.

The girls exchanged glances, covered their mouths with their handkerchiefs, and remained silent.

Mo Yi sighed inwardly... Meanwhile, Yuan Huixian had meant well in helping Wang Xiaowei out of her predicament.

But Wang Xiaowei was not polite to her and defeated her in no time.

This Yuan Huixian is someone who's bad at the game but loves to play; she played another round, and of course, she lost again.

Then, she wanted another plate...

Wang Xiaowei had been impatient for a while, and now she was furious.

Just then, Liang You arrived with several ladies. She became even more eager to show off, saying in a very unpleasant tone, "This isn't playing chess, it's me playing games with you!"

Yuan Huixian smiled shyly.

Upon hearing this, Lady Hou said, "Xianlin, why don't you play a game with Xiaowei?"

Zhang Xianlin: "You're trying to embarrass Xianlin, aren't you! Miss Wang's chess skills are renowned."

"It's just for fun." Lady Hou was somewhat dissatisfied with Wang Xiaowei's appearance, and she also knew that Shanlin was quite good at chess.

"Okay! I'll listen to you. If I lose and cry, I'll have to ask you for a handkerchief!"

Zhang Xianlin sat down, and the two of them got up.

Grandma Liang said dismissively, "What talents do the Mo family girls have? Let us admire them a little."

Madam Wang said, "Speaking of zithers, the craftsmanship of my family's Mowen is quite good. A few days ago, Young Master Xu came to visit for the New Year and even gave her a zither by Master Chen!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Yuan acted as if no one else had one! "After listening to Miss Mo's words just now, I thought you usually used things like the Jiao Wei and Yu Qin! I wonder what Young Master Xu used before he gave them to me?"

Madam Wang quickly explained, "Wenwen used to play the Yuyao family zither from Yangzhou! Good heavens, it cost over four hundred taels of silver!"

Liu Yuan chuckled, "That's really expensive! About the same as this zither... In my collection, it's not even considered one of the better ones..."

Mo Wen felt a surge of anger. "The zither is important, but even a priceless zither played by a mediocre person is like playing cotton..."

Mo Yuan was watching someone play chess when she heard this and chuckled. Mo Yi also felt that Mo Wen's response this time was very satisfying.

Grandma Liang objected, "Miss Mo, don't just talk the talk! If you're so capable, then show me!"

Mo Wen felt that he could not back down any further, otherwise, he would lose face in the future.

"Then let's listen to Grandma Liang!" She got up and walked to the zither.

"I offered some comments on the piece Miss Liu just played, but she didn't seem to enjoy it. So, I'll play a section of it for you to critique. I can't play the whole piece... my fingers hurt."

She raised her hand and tested the sound.

At this moment, Mo Wen was no longer the weak and graceful woman she had been in front of Young Master Xu. Instead, she exuded confidence and a murderous aura.

After a short while, it went straight to the climax.

His hands moved like lightning, stroking and manipulating, perfectly conveying the vastness, sorrow, immensity, and indomitable spirit of the scene.

Even a novice like Mo Yi could tell that her older sister was at least a level above Liu Yuan, if not more.

She only played one section, so it ended quickly.

Liu Yuan's face was extremely pale...

Old Mrs. Liang could tell at a glance that she had been outshone, and her face turned pale.

Over there, Zhang Xianlin lost.

She herself was somewhat incredulous, "Auntie, I lost... I lost so quickly?" Shaking her head, she said, "Oh my god, Xiaowei, your offensive was so sharp!"

Lady Hou knew her niece's chess skills, and she was quite surprised that she lost so quickly.

Wang Xiaowei was much more polite to Zhang Xianlin than she was to Jiang Huixian, saying, "You're probably not used to my style of play yet. Why don't we try again?"

"I'm not trying anymore! I'm not trying anymore!" Zhang Xianlin had just stood up.

Mo Yuan plopped down in front of Wang Xiaowei.

"Shall we have a plate?" she said with a charming smile...

(End of this chapter)