Chapter 36: Life is not just about marriage

"Look, I have spent most of my life taking care of the children and working hard to support the family," one elder said with a hearty laugh. "Now that I’m old, it’s finally my turn to enjoy life!"

"If I go home, I can’t help myself. I’ll start worrying about the children, looking after the grandchildren, and helping around the house. Even if nobody asks me to do anything, I’ll still feel like I ought to lend a hand. Where is the fun in that?"

The other elders nodded in agreement.

"Exactly. Here, we don’t have to worry about any of that. We can do whatever we like and enjoy ourselves every day."

"Besides, all our old friends are here. We can sit around and chat whenever we want. If we’re in the mood for fishing, we can arrange a trip. If we want to visit somewhere, we just have to tell the staff, and they’ll take care of everything."

"Isn’t that wonderful? We don’t know how many years we have left, so we might as well enjoy them while we can!"

Listening to their cheerful chatter, Lin Feng was momentarily stunned.

In his understanding, family had always been of the utmost importance. People worked hard throughout their youth to support their families and raise their children. When they grew old, they would return home, enjoy the respect of their descendants, and spend their remaining years surrounded by their children and grandchildren.

That was the life Lin Feng had always imagined for the elderly.

Yet now, he realized there was another way.

Some elderly people preferred to remain with their families, surrounded by the warmth of their children and grandchildren. Others simply wanted to spend their remaining years according to their own wishes.

After spending most of their lives working for their families, they finally had the freedom to pursue the things they enjoyed, spend time with old friends, and live without the burdens of household responsibilities.

For them, that was happiness.

And this world had made such a life possible.

Looking at the carefree elders around him, Lin Feng couldn’t help thinking about himself.

He might never have a family of his own.

Not because he didn’t want one, but because he simply couldn’t bring himself to like women.

In this world, Lin Feng was destined to be a homosexual—the kind who could only be pushed down.

If he forced himself to marry a woman merely to settle down and meet society’s expectations, wouldn’t that be unfair to both of them?

Unlike in ancient times, nowadays, it turned out that a stable life was no longer just about marriage.

Just as his thoughts began to wander, someone suddenly patted him gently on the top of his head, jolting him back to reality.

Lin Feng looked up and found several pairs of curious eyes staring at him.

His face immediately flushed.

He had gotten lost in thought again.

Fortunately, the elders didn’t pry into what was on his mind. Instead, one of them cheerfully asked, "Xiao Feng, do you have some time to spare? We’re planning to practice our instruments, but we don’t know how our music sounds to young people like you. Why don’t you listen and give us your opinion?"

Lin Feng readily agreed.

The group soon gathered in a corner where their instruments had been neatly arranged on a table.

Seeing the familiar instruments gave Lin Feng a strange sense of déjà vu. It seemed that he had played most of them before.

His gaze eventually settled on an erhu. He reached out and gently brushed his fingers across its strings.

An elderly grandpa noticed the wistful look in his eyes and asked in surprise, "Xiao Feng, do you know how to play these instruments?"

Lin Feng paused as he recalled the memories of the body’s original owner.

As it turned out, he had some experience with both the erhu and guzheng, although his skills were nothing exceptional. He had always been more proficient with the classical and modern piano.

After a moment, he nodded.

"Yes, I know a little, although I’m not particularly good."

The elders immediately brightened.

"That’s wonderful! Then you can help us evaluate our performance."

Without further ado, the grandpas and grandmas straightened their backs and took their positions, looking every bit like a gathering of immortals preparing to perform on a celestial stage.

Then, the music began.

Having been entrusted with the important task of evaluating their performance, Lin Feng sat upright and listened carefully.

The music was pleasant to the ears. Although he had never heard the piece before and couldn’t judge how faithfully they had reproduced the original, he could tell that their performance was quite decent.

There were a few mistakes here and there, and some passages could certainly be improved. Still, considering that none of them were professional musicians, their skill was already quite impressive.

When the performance ended, Lin Feng smiled at the expectant faces before him.

"That was great. The instruments blended together harmoniously, and the music was very pleasing to the ears. It may not be at the level of grandmasters, but it has a warmth that reaches the heart. I’m sure everyone will enjoy it."

The elders immediately beamed.

To them, the fact that a young man from Beijing enjoyed their music was a good sign. If someone his age liked it, then surely the other young people attending the Spring Festival would enjoy it as well.

Their performance tomorrow night would surely be a success.

Lin Feng watched their delighted expressions with a smile, his eyes crinkling with warmth.

For some reason, the scene reminded him of the kind elders from his previous life—the old matriarch who had always guided him, his parents who had doted on him, and even Grandfather Bai, who was now his grandfather in this life.

Seeing the happy smiles on their faces, Lin Feng felt a faint warmth in his heart.

He thought that would be the end of it.

Unexpectedly, the elders still remembered his earlier admission that he knew how to play traditional instruments. Before long, they began pestering him to play something for them.

Unable to resist their enthusiasm, Lin Feng finally walked over to the table.

His eyes first fell on the guzheng. It was the instrument he was most comfortable with, and if he had his finger picks, he would have chosen it without hesitation.

Unfortunately, he didn’t have them with him.

After a moment’s thought, Lin Feng’s gaze shifted to the erhu.

In the later Song Dynasty, the erhu had not yet appeared. However, there was a closely related instrument that could be considered one of its ancestors—the xiqin.