The Book of All Things: Born for Joy

Li Zichun woke up promptly at seven o'clock the next day, without even needing an alarm clock, because Qitong was hungry at that time every day and would stomp on his face. For a cat, it was incredibly smart to be able to open doors, pick locks, and understand human speech.

In the cramped 25-square-meter room, fine wisps of cooking smoke drifted slowly through the air, filling the entire room with a warm, homey atmosphere. A person and a cat stared at the gas stove, and life seemed to have found its home.

After making herself a delicious breakfast, Li Zichun felt refreshed. She had just finished a live stream yesterday and didn't have to go to the company. Her submitted novel was still waiting to be reviewed among a sea of ​​works. The award and award ceremony date wouldn't be announced for another two months, which would be almost Chinese New Year by then.

So, what should he do today? His disciplined busyness from his past life made him feel empty inside if he didn't do something each day. His wife often rolled her eyes, saying he earned money but didn't know how to enjoy life, and deserved his life of toil. But in his view, enjoying life also requires planning. Even if you decide to go somewhere on a whim, you need a destination; otherwise, what's the difference between you and a homeless person? While the leisurely pace of life can feel relaxing and carefree, it can also slowly numb one's keen senses.

As he pondered his next move, Qitong meowed at the opportune moment, then jumped to the side of the pipa and gently plucked it with its paw.

Li Zichun smiled with satisfaction, patted the cat's head, and almost forgot about the pipa he had brought back.

So he spent the whole morning engrossed in it.

Gather gently, twist slowly, apply and pick again.

Tender feelings? Forget about it. Li Zichun made a sharp move, his whole body instantly radiating murderous intent. Qi Tong was startled; such a heavy aura of ferocity! He couldn't let a cat like him be provoked, so while Li Zichun was engrossed in the prelude, he used his little paws to click on the live stream.

Then netizens saw Qi Tong's large face, followed by a cat tail swaying in a live stream with tens of thousands of viewers, accompanied by stirring pipa music. The more they listened, the more captivated they became, and they invited their friends to listen as well.

A group of people were seen looking at the ceiling and a cat's tail while listening to ancient music, which inexplicably became a trending topic online.

Becoming a big shot in three years is like a baby growing into an adult in ten years! Li Zichun vented his pent-up resentment in this song "Ambush from Ten Sides". The sound of the pipa, the sound of drums, the sound of swords and crossbows, and the sound of men and horses retreating are like "a million strong army, iron cavalry running around, shouting and roaring like thunder".

Even those who know nothing about ancient musical instruments can glimpse the cruelty of war through the screen and sound holes, and are all shaken by the powerful sound waves.

As one of his favorite instruments in his previous life, the pipa was the piece he played, "Ambush from Ten Sides," adapted by the master Liu Dehai.

After finishing one piece, still not satisfied, he paused for a while, sighed, and then played "The Hegemon Bids Farewell to His Concubine." As the saying goes, "birds of a feather flock together," even the Hegemon had Yu Ji, while I came here alone to fulfill this three-year promise that I might not be able to keep. How tragic, yet how poignant and melancholic.

As he finished playing the piece, the lingering sound still echoed in his ears. Just as he was still immersed in the emotion and preparing to play another song, an angry shout came from the balcony upstairs: "Playing, playing, playing so early in the morning, what the hell are you talking about? Don't you let people sleep on the weekend?"

Li Zichun immediately snapped out of it and quickly apologized, "I'm sorry, it was just a sudden impulse. Please continue sleeping. I'm sorry for disturbing you. It won't happen again..."

Li Zichun apologized to each of the heads outside the window. Everyone understood that their sleep had been disturbed, but why was the music even somewhat pleasant?

Netizens were amused, and the screen was instantly filled with "haha" and "hehe" comments, along with a bunch of "old bastards" saying "666".

After a long while, everyone finally finished apologizing. Li Zichun also pulled his head back from the window. Among them were several elderly people who said that he played well, and he responded with "thank you".

Li Zichun put down the pipa and let out a long sigh. He almost thought this was his old Green Villa, where he could do whatever he wanted. There are so many restrictions on the lives of ordinary citizens in residential buildings.

Having been scolded first thing in the morning, Li Zichun muttered as he closed the glass door to the balcony: "Sooner or later I'll be rich, live in a big house, and play the piano however I want. I'll eat a bowl of wontons and throw the rest away. Seven of Bamboo, don't you think?"

Seven-Card obediently meowed, followed by a series of little syllables, "Meow, my goodness, are you dreaming?"

Li Zichun stared at Qi Tong and said, "Qi Tong, as a proper kitten, you need to learn to sing, understand?"

Qi Tong looked at him with an expression that suggested he was mentally challenged, and finally gave in after enduring a barrage of his sucking.

Li Zichun said with satisfaction, "Come on, I'll play a note and you shout it. If you don't shout it well, I'll send you to be sterilized tomorrow."

Ignoring Qi Tong's resentful glare, Li Zichun flicked it lightly. No matter how dissatisfied Qi Tong was, it still meowed in compliance for the sake of its descendants.

The two of them, one human and one cat, played the cat version of the prelude to "Cloud Palace Melody" over and over again.

Netizens were instantly in an uproar. What was initially thought to be a simple case of a man asking for a cat turned into an animal talent show.

This prelude to the 1986 TV series "Journey to the West," composed by Xu Jingqing, is a memory for generations. Li Zichun patted Qitong's cat head with satisfaction: "Not bad, but it's a pity your notes are too short to hold up. You should practice your voice more often, or I'll have to castrate you again next time..."

Just as Qi Tong was about to retort with a meow, there was a knock at the door. Zhao Qianfan's knocking voice came from outside: "Chunzi, your cat is live streaming."

Li Zichun opened the door and looked at Zhao Qianfan, who was panting and drenched in sweat, and said, "What live stream? I didn't start one!"

Zhao Qianfan handed the viewing screen of his phone to him. Li Zichun looked back angrily, and Qi Tong Yi suddenly leaped up and quickly climbed onto the tallest cabinet in the house.

Li Zichun quickly picked up his phone and saw that hundreds of thousands of people were just idly watching the cat's tail. Looking at the comments, a bunch of messages pleading for the cat started circulating, interspersed with a few cheesy remarks like "The cat is great, open it again next time."

Li Zichun's expression shifted rapidly. Luckily, he hadn't said anything strange, or his identity would have been exposed. Damn cat, I'll get you sooner or later.

He quickly grabbed his phone and said to the screen, "Everyone misunderstood, it's a misunderstanding. I'm a very easy-going person and I never bully others."

Then he pulled Zhao Qianfan, who was wiping his sweat, aside and said, "Since we've already come this far, I wish everyone a happy weekend. We still have to practice our new song. Bye-bye."

Li Zichun abruptly ended the live stream, turned around and glared at Qi Tong with a smile: "You're pretty capable, come down here!"

Qi Tong, perched atop the tall wardrobe, looked at him with disdain: "Incompetent servant, what can you do to me? How could you, a mere mortal, possibly touch me?"

Just as Li Zichun was about to get angry, Zhao Qianfan quickly stepped in to smooth things over: "Alright, alright, thankfully nothing bad happened. Don't be angry. Just keep your phone away from the cat next time."

After saying that, he turned his head and took a deep look at Qi Tong. Qi Tong suddenly shuddered and obediently jumped down, rubbing against the two men's trouser legs.

Li Zichun snorted and glared at the Seven of Bamboo who looked at him with disdain, then turned to Zhao Qianfan and said, "Thank you. Luckily you reminded me, otherwise who knows what kind of trouble would have happened! By the way, what are you doing nearby?"

Zhao Qianfan took the bottled water from Li Zichun and said, "I was jogging nearby when I saw you were live streaming, so I clicked to check it out. I didn't expect to see just a cat tail wagging around, so I knew something had happened. I happened to be running nearby, so I came straight here to find you."

Li Zichun looked at his sweat-soaked clothes and said, "Your clothes are all wet. Why don't you take a shower here? You might catch a cold when you go back."

Zhao Qianfan thought for a moment, then shook his head and said, "That's not a good idea."

Li Zichun didn't allow him to refute: "What's good or bad about it? You're still steaming hot. Go take a shower. There's an unopened towel in here. Use it for now. I'll go find you some clothes. Change yourself when you come out."

Zhao Qianfan stopped being coy and went straight in to take a shower and change his clothes. When he came out wearing Li Zichun's clothes, he realized what it meant to be inappropriate.

Although the two are not much different in height, Zhao Qianfan, due to his long-term exercise and maintenance, looks like a fitness enthusiast wearing a tight-fitting shirt, showing off his good physique, which is breathtaking to look at.

Li Zichun couldn't help but think of the word "femme fatale," and muttered to herself, "This man really has everything. It's infuriating to compare myself to him. Why doesn't it have the same effect on me?"

Zhao Qianfan was also a little embarrassed. The clothes had a special fragrance that made him feel refreshed. He couldn't quite describe what it was. The top notes were gardenia and citrus, the middle notes were similar to freesia and cedar, and the base notes had a strange aftertaste that he had never smelled before, even though he had attended various parties in his early years. It made people feel comfortable and wanted to get closer, and it gave him a strange warmth.

Li Zichun didn't notice anything unusual about him and brought over the cut fruit: "Have some fruit first!"

Zhao Qianfan obediently sat down next to him, and couldn't help but marvel at how exquisite his life was. He lived alone and even used a toothpick to eat fruit piece by piece!

Li Zichun ate fruit nonchalantly: "Thank you so much this time. Luckily nothing bad happened, otherwise I don't know how long I would have been kept in the dark by this stinky cat."

When Qi Tong saw the fruit, it ran over with a "meow" and jumped onto the coffee table as if nothing had happened, calling out to Li Zichun.

Li Zichun was also afraid of this troublesome creature, so he took out a small plate of fruit platter that he had prepared in advance and gave it to eat: "If there is a next time, I will skin you alive."

Seven of Bamboo rubbed against his hand twice: You're getting too big for your britches, aren't you? Know when to stop.

The two stared at each other, neither willing to give in, until the seven of bamboos finally ignored them.

Zhao Qianfan, watching from the side, was amazed. This cat actually understood human speech and was elegantly tasting the fruit. He even wondered if it might suddenly say something like, "This fruit is so delicious, it's full of juice."

Li Zichun looked at him and said, "Don't worry about it, it'll get used to it. This cat doesn't have any dietary restrictions; it'll eat whatever I eat."

Zhao Qianfan was completely bewildered by this bizarre turn of events. He even wondered if he was out of touch with the times. What kind of cat was so amazing that it could sing, wasn't picky about food, and could understand human speech? He didn't dare to ask, but just quietly watched the cat elegantly extend its paw to bring the fruit to its mouth and eat it. He had already figured it out and guessed what was going on.

While eating, Li Zichun asked curiously, "Yesterday's live broadcast was so successful, didn't the company arrange any new work for you? I heard from Xiaoqi and the others that several singing and performing programs approached them last night."

Zhao Qianfan nodded: "Indeed, people have been looking for me, but I think I can still improve. I saw that you borrowed a folk instrument, so I was thinking of practicing my breath control and singing style."

Li Zichun was somewhat moved: "It's admirable that you're so ambitious, remembering all this. Do you know any opera singing styles?"

The morning sunlight shone on his bright face, and Zhao Qianfan said with a smile, "I studied music performance in college, and I often practiced bel canto. I was required to switch to singing pop songs after I signed with the company, and I have been practicing on my own over the years."

Li Zichun became interested: "Hum a tune for me. Let me see what level you've reached."

Zhao Qianfan immediately sat up straight, cleared his throat, and recited: "The Yellow River winds and surges, my heart aches with unbearable hatred. I look south to the Qinhuai River, but no one is there. In my heart, I invite my beloved Xiangjun."

Li Zichun naturally continued the song: "The Red Chamber has been closed for half a year, and dark clouds lock the long bridge. Flowers are not arranged, the floor is not swept, and who will see the empty makeup?"

He had heard this entire excerpt from "The Peach Blossom Fan" countless times in his later years, when he frequented theaters and teahouses. Although the entertainment industry on this planet had declined, the essence of traditional opera had been preserved through oral tradition by the older generation.