2: Street performer playing the erhu

Around six o'clock, as the sky was just turning dark and the streetlights had already flickered on, Lu Qingyu walked out from under the overpass and wandered nearby. He thought to himself that if he could just find some job that provided room and board to tide him over for a few days, that would be enough.

This area around Central Square was mostly filled with flower shops, cafes, and the like—the kind of establishments that didn't offer room and board.

Lu Qingyu walked along the square until he reached the very end, but he didn't see any job postings offering accommodation. He was considering just finding a warm spot to spend the night when he turned around and suddenly spotted an old man playing the erhu for money on the square.

Under the streetlight, the old man sat on a small stool. In front of him stood a small microphone stand, with a little speaker beside him. The old man's technique wasn't great, and the tune he played wasn't particularly pleasant to the ear. The key point was, however, the small metal box in front of him was full of money.

Out of every ten passersby, at least seven tossed in some cash—five, ten, twenty yuan bills, and there were even two hundred-yuan notes. A rough estimate put the total at around five or six hundred yuan. Next to the metal box was a payment QR code. A Young Lady passing by dug in her pockets but found no cash, so she actually scanned the code. If you got close enough, you could hear the notification from the old man's device: "Alipay payment received, twenty yuan."

A torrent of ten thousand curses flashed through Lu Qingyu's mind!

Was this world just that friendly to musicians? If an old man playing at this level could earn so much, then I—

At this thought, Lu Qingyu felt a surge of excitement. He had started learning piano at three, violin at four, and had dabbled in all sorts of wind and string instruments. While he wasn't a master of the erhu, he was definitely better than this old man.

Lu Qingyu immediately approached the old man.

The old man hadn't finished his song yet. Lu Qingyu walked up, squatted down in front of him, and waited for the tune to end.

Though the old man's playing wasn't melodious, he was pouring his heart into it. After finishing the piece, he saw a young kid with dyed blond hair before him. The kid was quite handsome, just a bit grubby-looking.

The old man leaned over and pulled out the largest bill from the money box—a hundred-yuan note.

"Young man, here, go buy yourself something to eat."

Lu Qingyu: —Whoa! Old man, you're surprisingly kind.

"Old man, I'm not here to ask for money."

The old man looked him up and down. "Then what are you here for?"

Lu Qingyu: "Old man, could you let me give it a try?"

Lu Qingyu gestured toward the old man's erhu.

The old man was taken aback, a teasing glint appearing in his eyes. The erhu was a traditional folk instrument, its technique quite difficult. Kids these days all grew up learning piano; only people of his generation knew how to play. How could this young fellow possibly know? He must be curious after seeing him play so well.

The old man chuckled. "Young man, this is an erhu. Not just anyone can play it."

Lu Qingyu said, "Old man, I know it's an erhu. I can play it."

Hearing this, the old man's eyes filled with disbelief.

But this young man didn't seem to be joking. Could it be that his grandfather or someone taught him?

Worried Lu Qingyu might be pulling his leg, the old man asked, "You really can?"

Lu Qingyu nodded, his dark eyes utterly sincere. "Mhm, I really can. How about you let me try? I'll play a song for you. If anyone tips, we can split it fifty-fifty. How's that?"

The old man smiled. Money wasn't important to him. He owned two courtyard houses in the capital and a three-hundred-acre farm in the countryside. Playing the erhu out here was purely a hobby.

"Alright then, give it a try."

With that, the old man stood up and offered his spot.

Lu Qingyu took the old man's erhu, sat on the small stool, and adjusted the microphone stand meant for the erhu a bit higher, wanting both his singing and the erhu's sound to be picked up by the mic.

"Old man, what would you like to hear? I'll play you a song."

Whether it was "South Mud Bay," "Crescent Moon at the Fifth Watch," or "Meeting at the Aobao," he could manage a few lines of any of them.

The old man said, "So confident, eh? Then how about you play me 'Flowers Red'?"

Lu Qingyu: ??? "Flowers... why are flowers so red?"

The old man shook his head. "No, just 'Flowers Red.' Don't know it? Then how about another one—'We Are All Good Brothers,' have you heard that?"

Lu Qingyu shook his head. The old man continued, "Then what about 'Cheers, Old Friend'?"

Lu Qingyu: !!! This was rash. It seemed there was indeed a generation gap between him and the old man.

Seeing his reaction, the old man laughed. "Haha, isn't this the hottest song on TikTok right now? You don't even know that?"

Lu Qingyu: "Old man, how about I play 'A Thousand Miles Away' for you? Fei Yuqing's song, how's that?"

Old man: "What Qing?"

Lu Qingyu: "Fei Yuqing's song! You don't know him?"

This time, it was the old man's turn to shake his head. "Haven't heard of him. I don't listen much to the songs you young folks like."

Lu Qingyu suddenly felt something was off. A flash of inspiration struck, and he tentatively asked, "Then, old man, do you know Jay Chou?"

The old man shook his head. Lu Qingyu jolted all over. "What about Tu Honggang, Xue Zhiqian, Phoenix Legend, or Secondhand Rose?"

The more he listened, the more confused the old man became. "I usually scroll through TikTok with my Granddaughter quite a bit. She's always chattering about a bunch of celebrity singers and such, and I know quite a few. How come I haven't heard of any of the ones you mentioned?"

A huge lightbulb went off in Lu Qingyu's head. Perfect. He knew exactly how he'd make his first bucket of gold. Tomorrow, he'd find an internet cafe and register the copyrights.

In an absolutely ecstatic mood, Lu Qingyu said, "Old man, I'll play you a must-have golden classic for any transmigration story—'orchid pavilion preface.'"

The old man didn't understand what Lu Qingyu was talking about, but he still grinned and said, "Alright, let me hear it."

Lu Qingyu tested the erhu's tone. The instrument was surprisingly good. Testing the microphone next—whoa, the equipment might look simple, but the sound pickup was really excellent.

"Old man, your equipment is really good."

"Of course. My Granddaughter bought it for me personally."

The old man's Granddaughter, to support his hobby of performing on the square, had specially spent 200,000 yuan on custom-made equipment for him.

At this moment, quite a few couples were strolling around the square. At a nearby toy stall, the vendor displayed various toys to lure children over. The nearby cafe also had many people sitting outside, enjoying the breeze while sipping hot coffee.

Amidst this rather lively square surroundings, a melody suddenly drifted over, causing those who heard it to pause in their steps.

The erhu has a wide range, a versatile tone, and a rich, mellow sound quality. When the prelude to "orchid pavilion preface" began, it instantly conveyed a storytelling-like narrative feeling.

The old man was stunned. An expert reveals their skill with the first move. This kid, despite his young age, was actually a master.

The erhu's penetrating power is extremely strong. When the prelude of "orchid pavilion preface" sounded, Su Jixing, who was drinking coffee 50 meters away, jolted.

Although he wasn't a professional musician, having managed so many singers, his ability to distinguish quality was absolutely top-notch.

This musical style was completely different from any song he'd heard before. The erhu's tone inherently carried a distant, storytelling quality that made one's heart tremble upon hearing it.

Su Jixing sprang to his feet. His intuition as an Agent told him a huge gold nugget was calling to him.

Su Jixing didn't bother with his coffee anymore. He followed the sound of the music until he reached the end of the square and turned a corner. To his surprise, it was a young man playing the erhu.

Su Jixing walked up just as Lu Qingyu began to sing.