Sing and Cry for Two

"I want to go from south to north, I also want to go from white to black," Lu Changchun sang while one of his legs shook.

The singing floated along the street and entered the ears of passersby, who looked towards Tang Xiaoyu and the others, but no one stopped to listen carefully.

Not far away on the big street, two dejected men followed three women.

"Eldest Senior Brother, Second Senior Brother, keep up and don't look so listless," one woman said.

One man replied helplessly, "Junior sister, let's go back!"

Just then the singing entered their ears.

"How awful! With a voice like that he still sings, it's seriously affecting our mood. Let's hurry back," the other man said.

One woman was unwilling: "Go back to what? I actually want to see who's affecting my mood." The two other women agreed, "Come on, let's see who's affecting our mood."

The three women angrily marched towards the singing. The two men could only reluctantly follow.

Arriving in front of Lu Changchun, one woman said, "You sing so terribly yet still dare perform publicly?"

Lu Changchun was a bit confused and blurted out, "Was it really that bad? I thought it sounded fine!"

Tang Xiaoyu quickly apologized, "Sorry, sorry, maybe your taste differs from ours."

"We don't care about that. If you don't improve our mood today, we won't let you off easy," one woman replied.

After thinking for a bit Tang Xiaoyu said, "How about this - I'll sing you all a few songs. As long as you like one, you'll let us go. If you don't like any, do with us as you wish."

The two men who just arrived readily agreed. The three women didn't object either.

Tang Xiaoyu asked the two men, "Would you like to hear a sad song?"

They were startled, but both nodded.

"I understand," Tang Xiaoyu replied.

Tang Youqian didn't bother asking the three women's preference and sang for those who wanted to listen.

Lu Changchun now felt very dejected after being denounced by the three women.

"Uncle, you sing great, you just haven't met someone who appreciates your songs yet," Tang Xiaoyu consoled.

"Really?" Lu Changchun asked.

"Truly. No one understands my singing until I met you who appreciate it," Tang Xiaoyu affirmed.

"You're right, I just haven't met someone who understands," Lu Changchun agreed.

Tang Xiaoyu picked up his instrument and said, "Let me dedicate 'The Saddest Person in the World' to you."

One woman immediately objected, "Who's the saddest person? Your whole family are the saddest people!"

The two men were briefly shocked. Recalling their own sad pasts, they felt the song title described them perfectly.

They both shouted, "Be quiet!"

"Senior Brother?" the woman questioned in surprise.

"I told you to shut up, can't you hear?" the man scolded.

The woman stamped her foot. "Humph!" Then she moved back.

The two men saluted Tang Xiaoyu, "Young Master, please continue."

The zither's strings hummed. Tang Xiaoyu's careworn face suddenly turned desolate, his steadfast eyes now filled with sorrow.

"We once dreamed our love was paradise. Recklessly we soared with you," he sang.

"I thought using up a lifetime's love would last us until the earth and heavens ended."

"After thousands of bitter hardships and scars from loving you, I only got an 'I'm sorry' in return..."

His beautiful voice was tinged with grief. Along with his careworn, lonely face it made Tang Xiaoyu seem even more desolate.

"Junior Brother, this young man was wounded by love, trapped by his affections!" one man sighed.

"Ah! Have we not also experienced the same?" the other replied.

Totally immersed in his song, Tang Xiaoyu sank into his own world:

"My dreams for eternal love turn to delusions. I might as well bury myself."

"I'm the saddest person in this world. I'm also the one who loved you most in this world."

Listening to the song, the two men unconsciously drifted into reminiscence. Their former joy vanished like smoke. Their former heart-piercing agony was still vivid. The anguish buried in their hearts could no longer be concealed.

"Junior Brother, I loved her so deeply and gave her so much, only getting an 'we're not suitable' in return," one man cried.

"Yet after knowing that trash less than a month, she willingly followed him and even accepted sharing him with other women. Why is this? Just why?" he screamed in anguish.

Hearing their tormented cries, Tang Xiaoyu had no choice but to stop singing.

"Senior Brother, I also want to ask you why she treated me like this. We were childhood sweethearts since little. But for that trash she cut ties with me and watched as he beat me up badly. Senior Brother tell me, what exactly did I do wrong? What did I do wrong!" the other man wailed as he grabbed his companion's shoulder, tearfully screaming out his questions.

From their words Tang Xiaoyu deduced these two were likely green tea bitches' ex-boyfriends who got dumped for the protagonist.

As a performer who believed the audience were his parents in a past life, Tang Xiaoyu decided to help the supposed villains in the protagonist's eyes.

"Gentlemen, may I say a few words?" Tang Xiaoyu asked.

The two men finally reacted. They quickly tidied themselves and replied, "Please go ahead, Young Master."

"Actually you needn't feel sad, but should feel happy instead," Tang Xiaoyu said.

"What do you mean?" they asked puzzledly.

"Is that trash you mentioned originally useless, but suddenly had a meteoric rise?" Tang asked.

"Yes, he did suddenly rise high," they affirmed.

"And didn't he constantly battle and defeat opponents above his level? His abilities also grew unimaginably quickly?" Tang Xiaoyu continued.

"Young Master, you are completely right," they agreed.

Tang Xiaoyu nodded. "Then there's no mistake. Actually the women you loved are just green tea bitches." Seeing their puzzled looks, he explained, "That means outwardly gentle, kind, pitiable and harmless but scheming manipulators inside."

The two men protested in unison, "She's not that kind of woman!"

Tang Xiaoyu understood their perspective and went on patiently, "Then let me ask, why didn't they like that trash before?"

"Because he was useless trash!" they said.

"Then why do they adore him now? Have you considered whether you were insufficiently good to them, or lacked faithfulness compared to that trash?" Tang Xiaoyu pressed.

"Neither. It's just that trash can now give them what they want, but we can't," they sighed.

Seeing the two sink into contemplation, Tang Xiaoyu stoked the fire. "Think carefully along what I said, isn't that the truth?"

After some time, the two seemed to realize something. Slapping their foreheads, they said, "We were truly stupid to desperately pursue women like that!"

Glancing at the three women, Tang Xiaoyu suddenly had an idea. "That's why I said you should feel happy now!" he exclaimed.

"You're right, we should feel happy. Would you two gentlemen join us for a drink?" they offered.

"Meeting by chance creates affinity, we'll gladly follow your arrangements," Tang Xiaoyu replied.

"Then please come with us," the men said.

"Alright," Tang Xiaoyu swiftly packed up then pulled Lu Changchun along to follow them.

Walking up to the three women, Tang Xiaoyu remarked, "Esteemed gentlemen, these three ladies must be your juniors!"

"Indeed they are," the two affirmed.

"All are righteous women with human connections! Despite somewhat irritating speech and deeds, they're showing their true temperaments," Tang Xiaoyu commented.

"Perhaps you should examine those behind you more. You may discover some people are also exerting themselves for you just like you do for them," he hinted.

The two men paused in realization. Saluting Tang Xiaoyu they acknowledged, "Many thanks for awakening us, Young Master."

Two of the women had traces of tears in their eyes, moved that someone understood them.

Noticing his junior sister's tearful eyes, one man said, "Just now I thought I was the saddest person, only to find that actually I'm the luckiest. Because someone has always silently cared and supported me from behind."

What followed was a mushy sibling affection scene. Tang Xiaoyu's group awkwardly stood by watching. The lone exception was the youngest of the three women.

"This is so cheesy! Don't you think it's cheesy?" she exclaimed with a shudder.

Tang Xiaoyu chuckled, "You're still young. When you grow up you'll understand."

The girl pouted unhappily and glared while standing in front of Tang Xiaoyu. "Where exactly am I young? Where?" she demanded.

Having no habit of critiquing women's figures, Tang Xiaoyu simply asked back, "Between familial love, romance and friendship, which do you value most?"

After thinking the girl answered, "I care most about family ties, then friendship, with romance last."

"There you go, you're still young! When you truly experience them, come and lecture about what's most important," Tang Xiaoyu concluded.

The girl scratched her head puzzledly. "What's that got to do with being young or not?"

Tang Xiaoyu just mysteriously smiled without replying.