Chapter 45: The Forty-Fifth Day of Lying Flat Like a Salted Fish

“Actually, I already had a general idea a couple of days ago.”

Three days later, after listening to each of the five teenagers play their respective pieces, Lu Yuan pondered for a moment. He adjusted his posture to be a bit more formal before speaking.

“I’m not very good at coming up with names,” he explained. “Trying to think of five names all at once… I really didn’t have much inspiration. So, I could only choose a somewhat opportunistic method.

“You are musicians. Therefore, I thought I could use the ancient Five Tones—Gong, Shang, Jue, Zhi, and Yu—to give you your names.

“However, before today, I hadn’t quite decided which tone should go to whom for a few of you.

“For example, Er Ya.”

The children were all sitting across from him. Hearing her name called, Er Ya sat up a little straighter.

Today, she had performed on a full set of drums. This kind of drum set was originally known as “jazz drums” when it first originated. But as history progressed, not only did jazz music gradually develop many variations, but this type of drum set also began to be used in many different genres of music.

Consequently, the later common name “shelf drums” had been the one to endure.

Modern drum set combinations were highly versatile. Depending on the type of music being played and their own strengths, a performer could freely adjust the components within a set.

However, for Er Ya, the choice of drums couldn’t be that casual. In fact, for today’s performance, she had used almost everything she could get her hands on. She even had something that looked like an iron pot by her side, used as a crash cymbal.

She was currently sitting behind the drums, looking toward Lu Yuan.

“I was deeply impressed by your drumming,” Lu Yuan said, looking at her. “That’s why I was hesitating between the characters Gong and Zhi for you.

“Gong is the first of the Five Tones, and you are the leader among the five of you. But Zhi… the Zhi tone has always been associated with drums. Perhaps giving you this character would be more appropriate.”

“So, have you decided now?” Er Ya asked curiously.

“I want to give the character Gong to Tiezhu,” Lu Yuan said softly.

Tiezhu tilted his head and looked over.

“Sorry, I didn’t know much about you before. So I didn’t envision beforehand which character would suit you best,” Lu Yuan said. “Fortunately, your music today was very distinctive.”

Tiezhu had chosen a very ancient instrument called the Xun.

In fact, Lu Yuan was quite puzzled as to where the Garbage Ship had managed to scavenge such an antique from.

He had searched for it on the StarNet when he first saw the instrument.

It was far too difficult to expect the children to be completely self-taught on their instruments. So, Lu Yuan had helped out in that regard. His main contribution was gathering some materials for them to read and helping them get started.

This wasn’t actually difficult; even Tiedan could handle most of the work. Lu Yuan only needed to provide access to the StarNet.

Except for this Xun… Lu Yuan had spent a great deal of effort just to dig up information on it. Video teaching materials for this sort of thing were almost non-existent. In the end, Lu Yuan had even hacked into the Mother Planet archives just to find some videos of people from the Mother Planet Era playing the instrument.

Seriously, why would such a thing be on the Garbage Ship…

They couldn’t have robbed a museum from the Mother Planet Era, could they?

However, there was likely no way to investigate such things for the time being.

“I’m curious,” Lu Yuan asked. “Why did you choose this instrument to… represent yourself?”

“It sounds good,” Tiezhu replied.

“That’s it?”

“Is that not allowed?” Tiezhu asked in return.

“It is.” Lu Yuan lowered his eyes and smiled faintly. “I really like your purity. Just like the sound of your Xun, it is vast and distant, close to the sounds of nature. It’s a sound that makes one think of the highest and furthest reaches of heaven and earth, the most expansive and infinitesimal parts of the universe.

“So I thought, since the Gong tone originally referred to music played on the Xun, and since you like the Xun, why not take Gong as your surname?”

Tiezhu thought about it and nodded. “Okay.”

“I kept thinking that while giving you a new name, it should still have a connection to your current name,” Lu Yuan continued. “The character ‘Zhu’ actually has a very good meaning. It means a pillar that supports the heavens, a talent capable of being a pillar of the state.

“But modern people consider it not elegant enough and don’t use it often. Although I think that’s a prejudice, since you are going to the Empire, you should follow the local customs. So, we’ll change the character. Gong Liang—how does that sound to you?”

“Hmm…” Tiezhu thought for a moment and smiled. “It sounds like a girl’s name.”

Lu Yuan laughed as well. “Actually, the meanings of ‘Zhu’ and ‘Liang’ aren’t quite the same. But I thought ‘Gong Ying’ sounded even more like a girl’s name, so Gong Liang is better.”

“Gong Liang sounds pretty good.” Tiechui patted his brother’s shoulder and said, “It’s definitely more ‘elegant’ than Tiezhu.”

“I didn’t say I didn’t like it.” Tiezhu shrugged. “It does sound good.”

“As for Tiechui,” since Tiechui had spoken up, Lu Yuan moved on to the name he had for him, “from the very beginning, I wanted to use the character Shang for your name.”

“I guessed as much,” Tiechui nodded.

“You guessed it?” Lu Yuan asked.

“Yeah,” Tiechui said. “I’ve studied the Five Tones. I’m good at the trumpet. It’s sharp and high-pitched, which fits the Shang tone perfectly. Besides…”

He looked at his companions around him. “None of them are suited for it.”

“Shang represents order; it means things are completed and matters are clear,” Lu Yuan said. “You are meticulous when you perform, and as a person, you are intelligent and rigorous, doing things with a sense of order. I’ve noticed that when the five of you speak to me, you often speak up to supplement what Er Ya says.

“So I think your temperament also matches the imagery of this tone.”

“In that case, you must have already thought of my name long ago,” Tiechui reacted quickly.

“Want to take a guess?”

“Ah.” Tiechui looked at his friends. “This is a bit difficult.”

“It doesn’t matter if you guess wrong,” Lu Yuan encouraged. “Maybe you’ll think of a name better than the one I came up with… then it would be great if you named yourself.”

“Based on Tiezhu’s name,” Tiechui thought for a while, “you would probably find a character related to ‘Chui’ but more ‘elegant’.”

“Yes.” Lu Yuan nodded in agreement. “That’s how modern people generally name themselves. They look for a character that not only has a good meaning but also sounds and looks good. Take my name, for example. If you round it off, the character ‘Yuan’ is basically a big pit. But if I were called Lu Dakeng—Big Pit Lu—it wouldn’t sound very good.”

“The name Dakeng actually sounds very much like something from a Desolate Planet,” Ying Ying laughed from the side. “But you’re rounding off way too much there.”

“Yeah,” Er Ya said. “I feel like the meaning of that character is more like deep or distant. Lu Shen or Lu Yuan both sound quite nice… there’s no need to become Lu Dakeng just to follow local customs!”

“Chui lian—tempering,” Tiechui suddenly spoke. “Shang Lian? That seems okay?”

“Yes. A thousand tempers make the steel.” Lu Yuan nodded to him and said, “Your name indeed has a good meaning. But just like Tiezhu…”

“It’s not elegant!” the children chimed in together.

Lu Yuan laughed. “So what I thought of was also changing it to the character ‘Lian’.”

“Very impressive,” he praised. “You guessed it right away.”

“Because in my head… the only good word related to ‘Chui’ is that one. I couldn’t exactly be called Hammerhead,” Tiechui scratched his head.

“I was pretty much in the same boat,” Lu Yuan said, spreading his hands.

The children all laughed.

Then Ying Ying put her arm around Yan Yan’s shoulder and asked, “What about us? Jue and Yu¹? I’m Jue and Yan Yan is Yu?”

“The Jue tone belongs to wood; it’s like spring, where all things grow, lively and bustling. The Yu tone is like water; the pitch is on the cooler side, quiet and gentle,” Lu Yuan said. “It’s very much like you two sisters.”

“But I did hesitate,” he thought for a moment and explained. “Jue is a very rare surname; it seems a bit strange.”

“I don’t mind!” Ying Ying said generously.

Lu Yuan smiled. “Then your names will be easy to handle. The characters Ying and Yan are very common in names and have good meanings. The sight of warblers singing and swallows dancing², a vibrant spring scene—no one would dislike that.

“You can be called Jue Ying Ying and Yu Yan Yan, or just Jue Ying and Yu Yan, whichever you prefer.”

“Yu Yan,” Yan Yan made her decision quickly.

Ying Ying blinked. “Then I guess I’ll just be Jue Ying. It does seem a little bit strange, but it’s okay.”

“Finally…” Lu Yuan looked at Er Ya.

“Is it my turn?” Er Ya smiled.

“Your name was a bit hard to come up with,” Lu Yuan murmured, sounding a bit troubled. “Because the name Er Ya… doesn’t really have a meaning.”

“I know.” Er Ya’s expression was very calm. She was well aware of this and held no resentment.

In fact, names on Desolate Planets generally didn’t have much meaning. Even for Tiechui and Tiezhu, when their parents gave them those names, they certainly weren’t thinking of pillars of the state or being tempered a thousand times³.

So for Lu Yuan to carefully name them like this, thinking of good meanings…

Er Ya quietly scanned her companions.

She knew everyone was very grateful in their hearts. They just hadn’t had the chance to express it yet.

“Will you help me find a name with a good meaning too?” Er Ya asked after a moment’s thought.

“Is that what you want?” Lu Yuan asked.

Er Ya said firmly, “It is.”

“Zheng⁴ means a journey toward blessing. Fan represents prosperity and abundance.” There were homophones involved, so Lu Yuan simply slid the tablet over for her to see the characters.

“Zheng Fan,” Lu Yuan said. “These characters are a bit complex, but I personally like them very much.”

“Your band is called ‘Desolation,’ you come from a Desolate Planet, and your childhoods were a wasteland. But as… in a sense, your leader, I hope that under your guidance, your future will be prosperous and full of grace.”

“…Thank you.” After a long silence, Er Ya stood up and offered her thanks with great solemnity.

The other children followed suit, expressing their gratitude one by one.

“There is no need for thanks,” Lu Yuan said, shaking his head. “Actually, these names are a bit forced, not quite perfect. You can use them for now, and if you think of something better, you can change them later.”

The children all shook their heads.

“They are already very good,” Er Ya said. “We like them.”

Lu Yuan breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed his body, leaning back against the sofa. He closed his eyes and smiled. “As long as you are satisfied.”

Er Ya didn’t move, however. She simply stood there, staring at him fixedly.

Her gaze made Lu Yuan feel a bit self-conscious. “Is something wrong?”

“…It’s nothing.” Er Ya paused.

“It’s just,” she asked, “do you really believe our future will be like that?”

“I do.” Lu Yuan thought for a moment before saying seriously, “Perhaps you might even change the world.”

Translator’s Notes