[Xinyan's mother said: "Those birds can sing melodious songs because they drank the spring water from the mountaintop."]
["Look at our family—nobody's ever been into singing. How could you possibly sing well?"]
The illusion truly reflects its master's heart. So that's why the "Heart of Blazing Flame" in the illusion needs spring water!
Kuki Shinobu's brows furrow as she reads this—it's strikingly similar to her own mother.
See, I told you she'd start relating.
The similarity Shinobu refers to isn't about dictating life choices but about dismissing a child's efforts, even when it's something they love.
They love it, they work hard for it, and what do they get? "You can't do it," or "This is useless."
But whether it's feasible or useful—what does that matter? They just love it.
They love it, so they want to succeed. It's that simple.
In the story, Xinyan's father, worried about her, didn't want her climbing mountains for a nonexistent spring. So he gave her a bowl of water, claiming it was the "spring water."
Xinyan believed him. After drinking it, she felt she could sing well and practiced singing every day.
As a teenager, Xinyan began trying to perform on stage, but no one would hire her, so she set up her own stages.
However, her unauthorized performances weren't allowed, and she was chased away every time.
Amber relates to this experience—she's set up her own stages to tell stories and praise Eula's virtues.
Beyond these experiences, there were also the neighbors' gossip.
Amber has heard similar remarks.
[Uncle Bamboo: "Xinyan, you're a young lady—why are you playing that crude instrument again?"]
"Amber, you're a Knight of Favonius—why are you defending someone from the Lawrence Clan?"
[Auntie Lucky: "Xinyan, your mom told me to teach you embroidery when I have time. Hehe, that's called refinement. When are you coming to my place?"]
"Amber, how could you visit the old nobles' homes? That's betrayal!"
[Uncle Sea: "So noisy! Stop playing that music on the street! If you must play, at least play something respectable, alright?"]
"Annoying! Don't mention that damned Lawrence to me! If you have to, go somewhere empty, alright?"
These words are all stereotypes, but they genuinely hurt people.
In their eyes, girls should take up embroidery. Even if they play music, it should be the zither—not Xinyan's "rock 'n' roll."
It's too crude, not at all "refined," not ladylike.
Stereotypes and labels—it's like everyone's telling you what you should do, but no one cares what you want to do.
That's why Xinyan keeps rebelling, pushing back against these stereotypes.
She's not rebellious or crude—she just wants to do what she loves.
She's simply pursuing her passion, yet somehow it's turned into "rebellion."
So this is what Xinyan meant by "Sing loud to defy!"
[Paimon, furious: "W-What kind of talk is this? It's not even human, is it?!"]
Paimon rarely gets angry enough to say something like this, showing how truly upset she is.
Arataki Itto strongly supports Paimon. He doesn't get mad when people talk about him, but if they talk about his friends, he's furious.
Paimon's the same, which is why she's so visibly enraged. She's kind-hearted and rarely gets angry, even when people tease her or give her nicknames.
But Paimon cares deeply about her friends, so when Xinyan is spoken about like this, she's genuinely mad.
If these people were talking about the Traveler, Paimon might get angry enough to fight, even if she couldn't win.
Xinyan, the one being talked about, isn't angry. She's already been angry before and now handles it with a smile.
[Xinyan laughs: "Pfft… Some words make you mad the first time, but after a hundred times, you just don't get mad anymore. Still, thanks, Paimon."]
Indeed, Xinyan's heard these words too many times and can now brush them off effortlessly.
Instead of directly responding, Xinyan shifts the conversation, asking about their own lives and children. That makes them leave.
You meddle in my business? I'll meddle in yours. That's called "fighting magic with magic."
It's clear that everyone's "trapped" by their own lives, busy in their own "cages."
Xinyan does these so-called rebellious things because she refuses to be confined in that "cage."
Rebellious or not, Xinyan doesn't care. She only knows it's what she loves.
If what she loves is forbidden by others or by stereotypes, then—sing loud to defy!!
When she plays her music on stage after stage, that's her greatest rebellion against these people!
[After driving off the neighbors, Xinyan says to the group: "See, the right words and a natural smile can solve most problems."]
She's truly open-minded, with a gentle personality and high emotional intelligence, making even readers who didn't initially like her start to warm up to her.
Hu Tao feels the same. She already liked Xinyan, but now… she likes her even more!
In fact, when it comes to "rebelling against stereotypes," Hu Tao is a pioneer.
Not to mention anything else, as the master of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, she made the unorthodox decision to go out and promote its services, which is already very "against common sense."
But Hu Tao's rebellion isn't just that. Her true defiance of stereotypes lies in her attitude toward all things in the world and toward life and death.
Everyone fears life and death, yet she faces them with ease. Stone lions are lifeless, but to her, they're adorable pets.
She's someone who doesn't live by conventional rules, yet she's uniquely serious about "death."
If you judge Hu Tao by "common sense" or "labels," you'll never understand her.
[After hearing Xinyan's words, Kaedehara Kazuha asks: "In that case, where should the spirit of rock 'n' roll be applied?"]
[Xinyan smiles: "My rock 'n' roll spirit isn't something so superficial. Using it to argue with people would be such a waste."]
["Rock 'n' roll is revolution! Reforming the self, reforming fate, bidding farewell to weakness and compromise. And not through words, but through art!"]
["A candle that never goes out in the storm, magma forever boiling beneath the cave… an unstoppable, unyielding spirit—that's my rock 'n' roll."]
She's so cool—many readers are won over by her words and attitude.
She's as open-minded as Kazuha, but in a different way.
Kazuha is the free wind, unbound and unrestrained, enjoying life and everything the wind brings.
Xinyan is the song of defiance, resounding through life while also bound by it. She rebels, yet she also enjoys it.
===✧✦✧===
Character Voice · Ganyu: About Xinyan
"She's far stronger than I imagined. Rock 'n' roll… I don't think it's for me, right?"