Master You nodded at her, "You play well, with great spirit, and you're relaxed and immersed."
She asked with a smile, "Were you so lost in the music just now that you didn't notice us arrive?"
The girl nodded shyly, "Yes, I'm sorry, Master You. This is the first time I've felt the music flow so freely today, and I got carried away..."
She hadn't expected to be ignored while playing for Master You on their first meeting. What if Master You formed a bad impression of her because of this?
She nervously fiddled with the adhesive tape on her prosthetic, her heart filled with apprehension, her words stumbling as she tried to explain.
Master You shook her head with a smile, her tone very kind, "I'm not upset with you, child. For someone so young to possess such composure and focus is remarkable."
Praise from a renowned figure like Master You made the girl extremely happy.
Master You then pointed out a few areas that needed improvement, each detail explained meticulously. The girl listened with an earnest expression, occasionally taking out a pencil to make marks on the sheet music.
This kind of learning attitude was rare among young people. Master You nodded, satisfied with her earnest approach. Most youngsters nowadays disliked listening to elders ramble; if they talked too much, they found it annoying, and if they talked too little, they just vaguely said they remembered it.
In the end, they would blame the elders for not imparting all their knowledge.
Seeing how eager she was to learn, Master You couldn't help but say a few more words.
Guo Xiu watched the girl excitedly lower her head to take notes and then look up with "mm-hmm"s, feeling incredibly anxious. Would anyone of Master You's caliber take notice of her if she acted like this?
It was just a few casual words, why was she only focused on writing!
"Master You, my Nannan isn't usually like this. She must be too excited to be guided by you for the first time." She laughed it off, flattering Master You, then turned and glared fiercely at the girl, her eyes full of dissatisfaction, but her voice was extremely gentle, "Nannan, thank Master You quickly. Master has taught you so much, you should call her Master now!"
"'A teacher for a day is a father for a lifetime'," she said, trying to solidify the master-disciple relationship. She then turned to Master You with a smile and added, "Don't you think so, Master You?"
The fact that Master You had spoken so much was enough to show she was quite fond of Nannan. A little push and the master-disciple bond would be sealed, wouldn't it?
She shot a sideways glance at Huo Rou, thinking that even if someone could talk a lot, had Master You even looked at her?
Huo Rou smiled helplessly at Guo Xiu's glare, realizing this woman had stumbled into a minefield and didn't even know it, yet she was still so smug.
While Guo Xiu was meticulously planning her strategy, a flicker of impatience flashed in Master You's eyes.
Her temper wasn't bad, but she wouldn't let others dictate her actions.
The girl hesitated, unwilling to speak. She simply couldn't bring herself to do it. For Master You to offer a few pointers and then immediately jump to acknowledging her as a master felt too excessive.
She felt a bit embarrassed...
Guo Xiu was furious at the girl's prolonged inaction, but she had to maintain her image in front of Master You, which greatly limited her behavior.
Master You looked at the girl's flushed face and felt a slight sense of solace.
"When did I say I was taking a disciple?"
She didn't look at Guo Xiu's expression. Meeting the girl's awkward gaze, her eyes softened slightly, "Little one, ponder carefully what I've told you. It will surely be of help to you in the future."
Seeing Master You's displeasure, the girl immediately nodded in thanks and contentment.
"By the way," Master You said, looking at the zither with a thoughtful expression, the light in her eyes growing brighter, "was the person playing before you this godmother of yours?"
The girl glanced at the look Guo Xiu gave her, and she couldn't bring herself to nod.
She shifted her gaze to Huo Rou's face, recalling how, after Huo Rou demonstrated, she played the zither with a sound unlike her usual. This solidified her decision.
"Master You, this sister just now was playing the zither," she said, a hint of reverence in her eyes. "She's been teaching me to play..."
"Oh?" Master You's smile seemed to say, "As expected," upon hearing it wasn't Guo Xiu.
She followed the girl's gaze and saw Huo Rou, smiling radiantly, enter her line of sight.