''Yes.'' Qiao Nian glanced around and did not see anyone in the living room. Her eyes flashed with doubt.
Gu San could sense her uncertainty and said hurriedly, ''Master Wang, Young Master Jiang, and Little Young Master are cooking longevity noodles in the kitchen. It's the most delicious when eaten fresh. As they are still preparing, you will have to wait.''
This was the first time Qiao Nian had heard of such noodles. She nodded, and then headed downstairs. She took out a drink from the fridge and took two sips.
Gu San came over and passed something to her.
''Madam Qiao, after you left, the staff at Waterside Loft had said that an elderly man had left this with them. He said this was your birthday present. But he couldn't find you, he asked them to pass it to you instead. It seems to be a musical instrument.''
Qiao Nian's brow twisted. She then recalled that she forgot she had an appointment while settling things with Qiao Chen.
She left someone in the lurch.
Frustrated, she asked, ''Where is it?"
Gu San replied, ''It's in the living room. Master Wang said that you would definitely look for the present when you woke up, so we brought it over. Do you want to see it?"
Cutting to the chase, he handed the item to her. ''I thought this was a harp, but Master Wang said it was a domestic classical instrument called....''
The two words were so complicated that he had forgotten them.
Qiao Nian looked at the item. The brown wood was simple and it had a semi-circular arc design, looking very similar to the harp from the West.
But if you looked closely, you could see the subtle differences between the two.
Compared to the harp, this instrument lacked few chords. The body of this instrument was also fully made of wood and had a longer tail-end. The yellow wood looked slightly burnt.
Qiao Nian took it and said hoarsely, ''Konghou.''
Hearing what she said, Gu San clapped his hands abruptly, ''Yes, Yes. This is Konghou. Master Wang also said that it was a Konghou!"
He looked at the calm-looking girl and asked out of curiosity, ''Miss Qiao, do you know how to play this instrument?''
As this was a birthday present, one must be able to use it.
But he knew that not many in the country could play Konghou.
Qiao Nian saw a ''Nie'' word carved out on the tail-end of the instrument.
She took the instrument and walked towards the sofa. ''...A little.''
Gu San asked curiosly, ''Isn't this instrument very expensive?''
Qiao Nian hesitated for a bit, not expecting him to ask this question. Her eyes closed slightly as if she was thinking of an answer.
She finally came to a conclusion, ''It's okay. It's not very expensive.''
This type of phoenix Konghou could easily reach a seven-eight price tag.
But including additional details, such as character carved on the tail of the instrument, would reach an eight-digit number.
To her, an eight-digit price was affordable.
Gu San understood incorrectly. Seeing that she was so calm and that the tail end seemed burnt, he instinctively thought that it was only worth a several hundred yuan. He sighed and said, ''Seems like an item is not worth more just because of it's bigger size.''
This instrument looked so big but was worth less then an Erhu[1].
The person was so stingy. This instrument was so difficult to transport, but it was only worth a few hundred yuan!
Seeing his reaction, Qiao Nian knew that he misunderstood. As she was about to explain, the people in the kitchen came out.
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[1] a two-stringed bowed musical instrument, more specifically a spike fiddle, which may also be called a Southern Fiddle, and is sometimes known in the Western world as the Chinese violin or a Chinese two-stringed fiddle.