TL: Hua
Upon hearing this, Qi Xiaoyu also walked to the table, picked up a small lion’s head meatball, and put it in his mouth.
Looking closer, he felt this lion’s head was indeed beautifully made, just the right size, with plump gravy. Just looking at the color of the sauce, one could tell it was tender and flavorful.
But actually tasting it revealed…
Qi Xiaoyu fell silent.
He was still a bit confused.
He glanced back at Xun Qian, wondering how this person had learned his senior sister’s craft so perfectly in “appearance” only.
This table full of dishes looked and smelled delicious, but the taste was so far off, as bland as if no salt had been added, with the taste of soy sauce overwhelming everything. No wonder his master tasted something wrong with just one bite.
At this moment, the other apprentices, seeing Qi Fengjian leave, all poured into the dining room. Then, after picking up their chopsticks and tasting the food, they were all stunned.
After a long while, one apprentice couldn’t help but sigh.
“What a pity for this fish; it’s a green trout; it must have cost a lot.”
The apprentice who said this immediately got a tap on the head from Qi Wanrou: “It didn’t cost you any money; what’s there to pity?”
Everyone stared blankly at the large table of food, a waste and a pity, but eating it would be torture.
Looking around, perhaps only the pot of fresh mint leaves was fine, but mint leaves couldn’t be eaten as a meal.
Xun Qian lowered his head and rubbed his nose, realizing that his skills might not be up to par. “I’ll treat everyone to a restaurant meal. How about Yingchunlou?”
It was Gu Zizhen who spoke up first, “Let’s go. Yingchunlou’s beggar’s chicken and snowflake egg are very delicious; Master likes them. We can pack some to bring back for him later.”
Yingchunlou wasn’t far from Aitang Road, about a ten-minute walk.
Xun Qian, Qi Xiaoyu, Qi Wanrou, Gu Zizhen, and a few others sat at one table, while the rest were at another.
To express his “apologies,” Xun Qian ordered all the restaurant’s signature dishes.
Everyone had a lively meal.
Even after finishing eating, Qi Xiaoyu still wanted to laugh whenever he looked at Xun Qian.
The main group walked ahead, while the two of them lagged behind by about ten meters.
Qi Xiaoyu, shaded by the dense foliage of the Chinese parasol trees, turned away from Xun Qian as he laughed.
Xun Qian grabbed his arm and said helplessly, “You’ve been laughing for an hour. Laughing right after eating isn’t good for your stomach.”
Qi Xiaoyu obediently rubbed his face, trying to stop laughing, “But I can’t help it.”
Xun Qian sighed, “I followed every step Senior Sister taught me, without missing a single one.”
Qi Xiaoyu nodded, suppressing his laughter. “I know, you must have learned very carefully and done everything meticulously; that’s why every dish looked so appetizing.”
Xun Qian pursed his lips and said nothing.
Qi Xiaoyu tilted his head and looked at him. “Don’t go into the kitchen next time; your talent isn’t there. You’re wasting Senior Sister’s time. She never teaches me; I just learn by watching from the side, and I pick it up after seeing it once or twice.”
“Mm-hmm. You’re the most talented; everything you make is delicious.”
“Of course.”
“I’ve only cooked you a bowl of millet porridge.”
Xun Qian thought that he had eaten more than just that, but he said, “Even the millet porridge you cooked was so delicious, everything else must be even better.”
As they talked, they soon arrived at the entrance.
In the days that followed, both Xun Qian and Qi Xiaoyu became busy.
Xun Qian was busy with official duties. The situation in Shanghai was changing rapidly, with various foreign powers vying for influence.
He navigated through it, balancing the interests of all parties while stabilizing the military and economic situation in Shanghai.
The last time he forcibly seized the supplies from the docks, it had left a lot of loose ends to tie up.
Qi Xiaoyu, on the other hand, was busy rehearsing and practicing his opera.
Summer grew increasingly vibrant, and the green of the Chinese parasol trees deepened.
It was ten days later when Xun Qian managed to find time to visit Qi Xiaoyu on Aitang Road again.
As usual, he parked his car on the small road outside the back door, and Qi Xiaoyu secretly slipped out through the back door.
After the birthday incident, Qi Fengjian’s attitude towards Xun Qian had softened somewhat, and he no longer confined Qi Xiaoyu.
However, he hadn’t completely relented and agreed to Xun Qian pursuing his young apprentice, so neither of them dared to go against his wishes.
Xun Qian stood waiting for him by the car door. The evening breeze rustled the dense leaves of the Chinese parasol trees, making the cicada’s chirping even more clamorous.
As Qi Xiaoyu closed the back courtyard door and quietly ran over, he walked on tiptoes the whole way.
Xun Qian saw him from afar and immediately went up to support Qi Xiaoyu’s arm. “What’s wrong with your leg? Why didn’t you tell me on the phone?”
But as soon as he took Qi Xiaoyu’s arm, he heard him hiss and take a sharp breath.
Xun Qian immediately pulled up Qi Xiaoyu’s sleeve. The light was bad at night, making it hard to see clearly, but under the streetlights, he could vaguely see a red patch on his arm as well.
“I made a mistake during practice and twisted my ankle. My master taught me a lesson to help me remember. It’ll be better in a couple of days.”
Xun Qian held Qi Xiaoyu’s other hand and helped him into the car, whispering,
“Master Qi is being too harsh.”
“Because there’s a very important performance in a few days. Mistakes aren’t allowed to happen.”
Qi Xiaoyu immediately changed the subject: “Will you have time to come watch the opera then?”
Xun Qian sat down next to Qi Xiaoyu. “At the Laurel Stage?”
“No, not at the Laurel Stage; it’s in an auditorium on Edouard Road. There won’t just be our troupe performing that day; all the Peking Opera troupes in Shanghai will be there. We’ll be performing opera there all day to raise funds for the Spring Joy Troupe.”
“Mm, have you heard them perform?” Qi Xiaoyu looked at Xun Qian’s expression and then explained, “The Spring Joy Troupe’s opera is very good. Their ‘Dreaming in the Garden’ and ‘Si Lang Visits His Mother’ are the most famous. In Beiping, they performed in the eastern part of the city, while our Red Moon Troupe performed in the western part.
But after Beiping fell, they didn’t manage to escape in time, and they only recently arrived in Shanghai. They suffered great losses on the way, lost many things, and the troupe leader’s two sons also died of illness on the journey. Now they can’t even pay the rent for their house.
The Spring Joy Troupe needs to perform to earn money, and we’re going to help them with a benefit performance.”
“So you’re not charging any money; it’s a charity performance to help them.”
Xun Qian sighed, “Master Qi is truly righteous.”
“Yes.”
Qi Xiaoyu smiled, “If our Red Moon Troupe ever falls on hard times in the future, other troupes will help us like this too.”
Xun Qian didn’t speak for a moment. The stories Qi Xiaoyu had told him before hadn’t mentioned this, but such generous righteousness and chivalry would definitely no longer exist in later times.
Qi Xiaoyu added, “Senior Sister will also be performing.”
“Didn’t you say last time that the opera troupe doesn’t allow men and women to perform on the same stage?”
“Yes. But there will be many opera troupes there that day, including some all-female troupes. Senior Sister will perform the male lead in their production, singing ‘Scolding Cao.’ Senior Sister’s performance of this opera was once guided by Mr. Yu, and it’s very wonderful and beautiful to listen to.
She’s been practicing diligently recently. I secretly listened once, and it was outstanding even without musical accompaniment. Will you bring your sister to listen that day?”
Once he started talking about opera, Qi Xiaoyu couldn’t stop himself. His eyes shone with excitement. Without waiting for Xun Qian’s reply, he continued, “Mr. Yang Baosen will also be there that day. Have you heard Mr. Yang play the zither?”
Qi Xiaoyu’s voice rose a little higher, clear and bright, “I haven’t heard Mr. Yang play the huqin either. But I’ve heard him play the violin. Two years ago, I heard him perform ‘Three Variations on the Plum Blossom’ on the violin in the auditorium of Peking Union Medical College.
It was clearly a Chinese melody, but he used Western techniques to interpret it so delicately and smoothly.
I heard that Mr. Yang has now established his own troupe and is carrying the main duty by playing the zither. Mr. Yang is truly remarkable.”
At this point, Qi Xiaoyu paused and remembered the morning when he went to Wusu Road to buy costumes and the words Qi Fengjian had said to him. He couldn’t help but say with anticipation, “I hope that one day, I can also be like Mr. Yang, carrying the main burden and supporting an entire troupe.”
Xun Qian gently ruffled the top of Qi Xiaoyu’s hair. “You will, you will do even better than Mr. Yang.”
Xun Qian knew that in the future, Qi Xiaoyu would not only achieve this but would do it better than anyone else.
In the original world, after Gu Zizhen, Qi Wanrou, and Qi Fengjian passed away one after another, he single-handedly shouldered the responsibility and supported the entire Red Moon Troupe.
Of course, now that he was here, he wouldn’t let Qi Xiaoyu experience those hardships. Qi Xiaoyu deserved a better and bigger stage and a brighter future.
He had prepared a gift for Qi Xiaoyu, but seeing his current excited state, Xun Qian decided to wait until after the benefit performance to give it to him.
