Reborn and returned, sisters swapped

Gu Jinyan walked through the courtyard toward the study, his steps seemingly hurried, yet revealing a strong determination.

Since deciding to prove herself at the upcoming family dinner, she hasn't had a moment's rest.

Memories of past lives linger like a shadow.

If she continues to be as lazy as before, an even more tragic fate awaits her.

Early in the morning, she arrived at the study to await Mr. Li's instruction.

Mr. Li is a renowned guqin player in the Prince's Mansion. Although he is over sixty years old, he is still in good spirits and has superb guqin skills.

Gu Jinyan had never learned to play the zither before, and now, sitting at the zither table, his fingers trembled slightly.

Mr. Li squinted his eyes and said in a completely emotionless tone, "You must keep your hands steady, otherwise the sound of the piano will be like scattered sand and will not be able to form a melody."

Upon hearing this, she took a deep breath, pressed the first string, and a slightly jarring tone echoed in the empty study.

Does it mean that, like in my previous life, I will have no talent whatsoever and will eventually only lead me step by step to my doom?

Her brows furrowed slightly, and her fingers turned white.

Mr. Li shook his head expressionlessly: "Again."

Day after day, she explored the fingering techniques, her fingertips becoming red and swollen from repeatedly pressing the strings, the pain excruciating, but she always gritted her teeth and persevered.

Suddenly, a string snapped and struck my finger with a sharp crack, causing me to gasp in shock.

"Change the string again and continue," Mr. Li said mercilessly, pointing to the zither table.

Gu Jinyan looked up at Mr. Li's wrinkled eyes. Although there was no reproach, his eyes conveyed an undeniable sternness.

My heart was as taut as a musical string, unable to produce a single, smooth note.

……

After several days, her progress remained slow.

Mr. Li sighed: "Miss Gu, playing the zither is not just about skill, but also about having a calm mind. If your mind is filled with distractions, how can you play a good piece?"

He could only nod slightly, though outwardly calm, his heart was in turmoil.

Her heart was not yet fully immersed in the music—perhaps because a sense of urgency kept urging her forward.

After his studies of the guqin reached a stalemate, Gu Jinyan decided to switch to learning Go.

Hearing that there was a young chess player named Zhang Ming in the manor who was highly skilled in chess, she invited him to teach her.

Zhang Ming was in his early twenties, with a touch of heroic spirit in his eyes and brows.

When he met Gu Jinyan, he smiled politely and said, "Miss, the way of Go lies in the overall strategy, not in the gains and losses of individual moves."

The two sat facing each other in front of the chessboard. Zhang Ming casually set up a chess endgame and asked her to try to solve it.

Gu Jinyan frowned, staring at the black and white chess pieces, pondering where to place his piece.

She silently told herself, "I need to demonstrate my value; I can't lose face in this."

However, Zhang Ming easily thwarted every move she made.

Zhang Ming smiled and said, "Miss, playing chess requires patience and a strategic perspective, not the desire to achieve quick results."

In game after game, she was always utterly defeated.

Every time Zhang Ming placed a piece, his relaxed smile only made her feel more frustrated.

That day, she finally couldn't help but ask, "Why can you always see through my moves?"

Zhang Ming picked up his teacup and took a small sip: "Miss, chess is like life. If you are impatient and agitated, you will only be led by the nose by your opponent."

Instead of rushing to victory, it's better to calmly observe the game and grasp the overall situation.

At that moment, she seemed to be enlightened, as if struck by a sudden awakening.

Gu Jinyan could never truly calm down; she found that her understanding of chess was far less natural than Zhang Ming's.

He secretly made up his mind: "Since I can't learn it, I don't need to waste my time on it."

So she put down the chessboard and decided to devote herself to a new field—painting.

Gu Jinyan heard that there was a landscape painter named Master Su in the Prince's mansion with superb skills, so he couldn't wait to become his apprentice.

Although Master Su is over fifty years old, he is still full of energy and his speech is elegant.

He led Gu Jinyan to the studio in the backyard. Sunlight streamed through the window and fell on the desk, and the air was filled with the fragrance of ink.

“Miss, painting is not about piling up techniques. Just paint freely and don’t be bound by the form.”

Master Su said with a smile, handing her a pen.

Gu Jinyan picked up a brush, took a deep breath, and tried to sketch landscapes on the rice paper.

She had thought that painting would be as troublesome as playing the guqin and chess, but to her surprise, she felt an unprecedented sense of peace as the brush tip moved across the paper.

The painting depicts a scene from my memory—green mountains and bamboo groves, and a babbling brook.

Master Su stood aside, watching silently, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes: "Miss, I didn't expect you to have such talent even as a beginner."

……

Gu Jinyan was slightly taken aback. He had not deliberately pursued the exquisite techniques, but rather relied on his memory and emotions to express himself.

Whenever those repressed memories from her past life surfaced in her mind, she would cover them up with vividly painted mountains.

These tranquil streams are like a glimmer of hope for the future.

Early in the morning, she came to the studio alone, wanting to paint another landscape.

The bamboo grove outside the window rustled.

She picked up her brush and sketched a bamboo grove, but suddenly stopped.

I found myself experiencing an unprecedented sense of tranquility when I was painting bamboo.

This is about letting go of the past and looking forward to the future.

Master Su quietly walked up behind her and said softly, "Miss, this painting, with its dappled bamboo shadows and light ink tones, already has the style of a master."

Gu Jinyan understood the meaning behind this assessment.

I finally found my area of ​​expertise here.

Although Gu Jinyan found his talent in painting, he did not give up learning other skills.

Through continuous attempts, I gradually became aware of my own limitations.

Although I have persisted in learning the guqin for several weeks, I still cannot play fluent music.

Although he had learned the basic opening moves in Go, he was always easily defeated by Zhang Ming.

She stood in the courtyard, watching the sun gradually set, yet her heart was surprisingly calm.

Not everything needs to be done perfectly.

The performance at a family dinner is not about the amount of skill one possesses, but about sincerity and focus.

She eventually decided to specialize in painting, to showcase her emotions and talent in the art.

In the days that followed, she devoted even more time and energy to her studio.

She was no longer the girl bound by past memories, but gradually grew into someone who could control her own destiny.