The bard fantasized again.

Chapter 5 The Art of Making Friends

The knocking sound was accompanied by a familiar rhythm:
"Bang, bang—bang, bang—"

"Which one?"

"It's Ambition!"

Who is Ambi?

“Ambition is Ambition!”

The scolding outside the door sounded increasingly familiar, and then the knocking became more urgent. Only then did Tang Qi realize who the person was.

Thinking that she was the first little girl to follow him in banging on the table, he quickly got up and opened the door.

The girl was still wearing her hood, hiding her face in the shadows.

However, the outline of the hood seemed to be supported by something, making her head look a bit big.

Although Tang Qi was curious, he didn't ask anything directly, but simply said:
"Is there a problem?"

"My sister said you might need this."

The girl timidly raised her hand, pulled a razor out from her wide sleeve, and then quickly withdrew it.

The handle is engraved with silver thread patterns, which is quite exquisite and doesn't seem like something a villager would buy.

She said no one likes to watch a homeless person perform, and you should dress yourself up more like a poet.

"Oh, perhaps that's true."

Tang Qi hurriedly took it, but then realized that his frizzy beard, which resembled a bird's nest, would probably shave his chin raw if he didn't moisten it.

"Is there water?"

“There are buckets of water in the yard.”

"Then I'll wait until the rain stops before I start blowing?"

"Okay."

Ambi nodded, but stood there blankly, not showing any intention of moving.

"Is there anything else?" Tang Qi asked.

"I don't quite remember the lyrics to that song from today, could you sing it again?"

Ambition hesitated for a while before finally making her request, then quickly explained.
“Anbi isn’t stupid! It’s just… the lyrics are just too long…”

Tang Qi was somewhat amused and exasperated: "Do you like that song?"

"like."

"why?"

"Ambition couldn't explain it either, but she just liked it!"

As if to show her loyalty, the little girl answered decisively, then deftly assumed a fighting stance and swung her fist in front of her.

"Ambi also hates nobles!"

Seeing that she didn't seem to be faking it, Tang Qi suddenly thought of the '1' after the follower in his notebook.

The specifics need to be verified later, but considering that the girl may be his first fan, Tang Qi will not refuse her request.

So he simply invited Ambition inside:
"I just wrote the lyrics in my diary, do you want to take a look?"

"it is good!"

Because she liked the song, the girl skipped into the room.

She was completely unaware that entering a strange man's room was somewhat inappropriate.

Fortunately, Tang Qi possessed basic moral integrity and genuinely only allowed Anbi to view the contents of his diary.

He wouldn't be foolish enough to write something about 'time travel'.

It simply narrates everything that happens in the tavern from the perspective of 'Tang Qi'.

At the same time, the folk song was also attached:
"While they sing praises of the past, who is striving for tomorrow?"

On this night of luxury and extravagance, who is being coerced by money...?

Anbi carefully memorized the lyrics, and fearing she might forget the melody, she immediately began humming along.

But halfway through the song, she suddenly stopped as if she had a lapse in concentration:
"sorry!"

Tang Qi asked, puzzled:
"Why are you apologizing?"

"Ambi seems to have sung something wrong!"

As the original author, Tang Qi could certainly tell that she was off-key in some parts:

"It's normal to sing a few wrong notes without professional training."

But she seemed unable to accept this, and lowered her head to assure Tang Qi:
"Don't worry, Anbi won't sing this song in front of others anymore."

"No, of course you can. Even if you're tone-deaf, you can still do it, let alone if you only sang a few wrong notes."

You absolutely must keep singing!
Otherwise, how can I increase my popularity? "No, they'll think it sounds bad."

"First of all, a few off-key notes did not affect your interpretation. You sang very well, and your clenched teeth made me think that you really wanted to hang the nobles in the street—emotion is much more important than technique."

Tang Qi leaned closer and whispered to her,
"Secondly, so what if they don't like it? Are you going to use it to busk?"

"of course not!"

Ambi shook her head.

"Anbi just feels that singing songs she likes makes her happy."

As her first 'fan,' Tang Qi didn't understand the reason for her stubbornness, but he was willing to patiently guide her:
"Look, you're not trying to gain recognition or make money through singing."

You just want to sing.

God gave everyone a voice, and thus the right to sing.

The choice is yours, and no one can take it away from you—not even the original author!

Of course, it's best not to sing this song in front of many people; you can sing it secretly to yourself.

“But Anbi is different. They hate Anbi, so Anbi has to do everything perfectly so that they can’t find fault with Anbi or with this song.”

Anbi's voice grew softer and softer as she tugged at Tang Qi's sleeve.

"Ambi likes your songs... so she doesn't want anyone to say anything bad about them!"

This involves Tang Qi's blind spots in cognition.

It's hard to imagine that anyone would dislike such a young girl.

However, adhering to the principle of not commenting on the full picture, he didn't say much.

Fortunately, the girl wasn't that fragile; she simply bowed to Tang Qi and thanked him.
"Thank you, poet brother, I've really remembered it this time!"

"It is my honor that my work is loved. Also, you can just call me Tang Qi."

"My name is Ambition, I work at the tavern, and I live here too!"

Although she often referred to herself that way, she still gave a formal self-introduction.

She moved to the doorway, then, as if remembering something, suddenly turned around:

"Brother Tang Qi, will you still be here tomorrow?"

"Of course, I'll be staying here for a while."

"My sister taught me how to brew my first batch of plum wine. I'll bring it to you tomorrow so you can drink it with me."

"Then I'll have to look forward to it."

See you tomorrow. Sweet dreams!

Ambi made sure to close the door gently before hopping away with small, quick steps.

As the sound of the rain gradually drowned out the little girl's footsteps, Tang Qi felt quite pleased.

Indeed, a sense of belonging still stems from interpersonal interactions.

Getting to know someone, even just a young girl, can make this unfamiliar world feel much more welcoming.

Even the sound of rain wasn't so violent anymore.

Looking back at the log entries, all that's missing is a conclusion.

He then hummed a little tune and filled the end of the paragraph with the scene of parting with Anbi:
She told me "see you tomorrow," as if she was also looking forward to tomorrow.

It wasn't until I wrote this sentence that I suddenly realized...

Perhaps I've made a new friend.

As Tang Qi wrote the period, he suddenly heard a clear lute sound in his ear.

"Zheng——"

Like ripples on a lake, a buzzing sound drifted in my ears, getting closer and closer.

Immediately, at the end of the logbook, he saw small words shimmering with a faint purple light, appearing vividly on the parchment—

Others' attitudes toward you sometimes depend on yourself.

Your well-acted performance won back the alcoholic's approval, while your tactful approach to boundaries won over the young girl.

You might be a born bard.

What we will have no shortage of in the future is friends.

You have acquired the magic spell 'Friendship': Cast on a non-hostile creature, and it will remain friendly towards you for one minute. When the spell ends, the creature will realize that you have used magic to manipulate its emotions.

Remarks:

It's hard to find lasting friends in this world, but there will always be new friends.

Wait, why are all my friends in the world hunting me down?

(End of this chapter)