DCFRP Extra 21

TL: Hua

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The crowd partied until late into the night, having eaten their fill and danced enough.

Xun Qian and Qi Xiaoyu held hands the entire time, amidst the crowd and under the starry sky.

When they left the Garden Hotel, everyone’s steps still felt light and airy, the soft and beautiful music seeming to be carried by the evening breeze, accompanying them all the way home.

On the way, Qi Wanrou hummed a little tune in high spirits:

“You are like the bright and clear moon in the sky; you are like gold buried in the earth. You are like a beautiful flower no one appreciates, and I am like the flower picker.”

Her singing voice was completely different from her usual speaking voice, possessing a unique, mature, and lingering charm.

Xun Ran asked curiously, “Miss Qi is using a falsetto to sing the male lead’s part?”

Qi Xiaoyu said with a hint of pride, “Yes, my senior sister is best at singing the male lead; her falsetto is especially powerful.”

Listening closely, they found her singing indeed melodious and pure.

After hearing a few lines, Xun Ran praised, “If one only heard Miss Qi’s voice, it would be impossible to imagine her appearance.”

Xun Qian also turned his head to join the conversation, “Why don’t we ever see Senior Sister perform on stage?”

Qi Xiaoyu said regretfully, “This is the rule of the opera troupe: men and women are not allowed to perform on the same stage. If Senior Sister weren’t Master’s daughter, she wouldn’t even be allowed to stay in the Red Moon Troupe.”

Xun Qian seemed thoughtful and also said “Oh” with regret.

They listened to Qi Wanrou’s song, chatting in the evening breeze, and soon returned to Aitang Road.

Xun Qian got out of the car and bid them farewell. He made plans to see Qi Wanrou again tomorrow but didn’t mention what they would do in front of Qi Xiaoyu.

Qi Xiaoyu stood aside, listening to the two of them finish talking, then took a small step forward, moving closer to Xun Qian. “You only made plans to meet Senior Sister, not me?”

Qi Wanrou tactfully returned to the courtyard first.

Xun Ran sat in the car and didn’t urge them.

Xun Qian squeezed Qi Xiaoyu’s fingers, “I’m not making plans with you; hurry back. It’s so late; be careful your master doesn’t see you and scold you.”

The lights in the surrounding neighbors’ houses were all off. It was late, and they guessed Qi Fengjian and the others would soon be back from the Laurel Stage.

Even though Xun Qian didn’t say anything, he couldn’t stop Qi Xiaoyu’s curiosity.

After parting with Xun Qian, he sneaked into the courtyard and immediately widened his eyes to ask his senior sister, “Senior Sister, what did he ask you to do?”

Qi Wanrou pushed open the back door and walked lightly along the long corridor. “It’s a secret; you’ll know in a few days.”

Qi Xiaoyu coaxed softly, “Senior Sister never keeps secrets from me.”

Qi Wanrou just walked along the corridor, smiling without saying a word.

Qi Xiaoyu followed behind, thinking that his first attempt at acting cute didn’t work. He silently calculated in his mind, could there be something big happening in a few days?

He counted the days one by one. The Qingming Festival had just passed, and there were no other festivals coming up. The opera troupe had just gained a foothold at the Laurel Stage, and he hadn’t heard of any other major plans.

Counting the days, Qi Xiaoyu remembered that his master’s birthday was approaching.

Xun Qian wouldn’t be planning some kind of “surprise” for his master’s birthday, would he?

He wanted to ask more, but Qi Wanrou brushed him off, “I’m so sleepy, I’m going to bed. You should go back to your room too. Dad will be back soon.”

Qi Xiaoyu’s curiosity was piqued, wondering what Xun Qian and his senior sister were secretly planning.

But they had already reached the staircase, and if they didn’t hurry back to their rooms, Qi Fengjian would catch them.

Qi Xiaoyu returned to his room. As he got into bed, he remembered Qi Wanrou saying she would help Xun Qian please Qi Fengjian, but his master was not so easily pleased.

Xun Qian’s face, his way of doing things, and his social standing were inherently not the type to please his master.

The next few days passed quickly.

Qi Wanrou went to the commander’s residence, while Qi Xiaoyu stayed home practicing his opera. He knew his master doted on him and wouldn’t ground him for too long. If he behaved well on his birthday, his master would let him go back to performing.

But his skills couldn’t be neglected for even a day. Only if he performed poorly on stage would Qi Fengjian truly get angry.

Qi Xiaoyu thought again that his senior sister and Xun Qian must be planning a surprise for his master’s birthday banquet because the day before the birthday banquet, Qi Wanrou went out to buy ingredients and didn’t even ask him to come along.

In previous years, Qi Xiaoyu had always accompanied her, helping to choose dishes, acting as her porter, and assisting her in the kitchen.

Qi Xiaoyu was very curious about what the two of them were up to. Could it be that Xun Qian was going to cook?

He felt that Xun Qian might be focusing his efforts in the wrong direction.

His master was particularly meticulous and picky about food, and Xun Qian probably wouldn’t be able to make anything that would please him.

Moreover, he couldn’t really imagine what Xun Qian would look like in the kitchen.

Xun Qian’s hands, each finger long, slender, and fair, as beautiful as white porcelain, were suited for holding a gun, playing the zither, and writing, but had no connection to anything in the kitchen.

The phrase “ten fingers never touch spring water[mfn]Metaphor describing someone who is pampered and never does manual labor.[/mfn]” described him perfectly.

Even Gu Zizhen couldn’t figure it out. The day before the birthday, he asked him, “Why didn’t you go grocery shopping with Wanrou this year? Didn’t you always like learning to cook with your senior sister?”

Then, Qi Fengjian’s birthday arrived quickly.

Qi Fengjian didn’t particularly advocate celebrating birthdays. He had to manage the entire opera troupe, so he had to discipline himself first to set an example for his apprentices.

Outside of performing, he had no other expensive hobbies besides smoking and drinking tea.

That statement might not be entirely accurate.

Eating should probably be included.

Qi Fengjian was very particular about food. He knew how to cook eel to make it fragrant, how to control the heat for Dongpo pork, and even how to cure bacon to make it most flavorful. He had specific preferences for everything.

He liked to eat soy-braised pork knuckle, pork and Chinese cabbage dumplings, Yangzhou-style meatball stew, and Beijing-style fermented mung bean juice.

But after Qi Wanrou learned to cook, this expense was greatly reduced.

Qi Wanrou cooked even more meticulously than the chefs in restaurants, and even Qi Xiaoyu became quite skilled in cooking.

Although Qi Fengjian didn’t celebrate his own birthday, as his apprentices and juniors, Qi Xiaoyu and the others would always prepare in advance to celebrate for him.

Of course, their way of celebrating was also very simple, nothing more than everyone gathering together for a good meal.

As for what counted as good, that depended on the opera troupe’s income for that year.

When they didn’t earn much, being able to eat rice with an egg was considered good.

When preparing the birthday meal, Qi Wanrou always did the cooking.

Qi Xiaoyu usually assisted. He enjoyed this task very much, and in previous years, he had always learned many new dishes from Qi Wanrou.

This year, Qi Xiaoyu didn’t even get a chance to help.

Early in the morning, before he even got up, the kitchen door was closed. He could only hear the clanging and banging of pots and pans and the sound of chopping and stir-frying from inside.

He went to knock on the door, but Qi Wanrou wouldn’t let him in. She frowned and impatiently shooed him away, telling him, “Your task today is to keep my dad happy. Don’t come into the kitchen.”

Qi Xiaoyu thought that his senior sister was setting him up. His master was still angry with him, so at least let him eat his fill before trying to appease him.

Sure enough, Qi Xiaoyu passed by the living room and saw Qi Fengjian. Just as he was about to greet him, Qi Fengjian turned around and went back to his room, even closing the door tightly.

Xi Yun comforted him, “Xiaoyu, you should hide for now. When everyone eats together at noon, we’ll all help you plead with Master.”

Several hours passed, and around eleven-thirty, it was almost lunchtime.

Qi Xiaoyu peeked towards the dining room and saw dishes being placed on the table one after another.

The other fellow apprentices also stopped their practice and gathered around to watch.

Qi Wanrou busied herself going back and forth between the kitchen and the dining room, not allowing anyone else to enter and make a mess, saying she would set everything up before inviting Qi Fengjian over.

Qi Xiaoyu and the other apprentices could only watch eagerly through the crack in the door, watching Qi Wanrou first bring out a pot of trout fish, then a bowl of lion’s head meatballs, then a plate of braised pork knuckles, followed by a large serving of soy sauce duck, and then several vegetable and pastry dishes, filling the entire table.

The trout was large, cooked in a red-braised style, and accompanied by a large plate of mint leaves to eat with the fish.

Each lion’s head meatball was the size of a pomegranate, with gravy flowing onto the plate, making mouths water.

The pork knuckles were especially succulent, with the lean meat a deep red and the fat as white as mutton fat jade.

Qi Xiaoyu sighed anxiously as he glanced at it, “Such delicious-looking lion’s head meatballs, and I didn’t even get to see how Senior Sister made them.”

The aroma wafted through the air, luring Qi Fengjian out.

The apprentices immediately made way for Qi Fengjian to enter.

Inside, Qi Wanrou had set the table and arranged the chopsticks and bowls. She invited Qi Fengjian to sit down and asked him to taste the food first.

Usually, after Qi Fengjian tasted the dishes, he would let them all take their seats and eat the birthday meal together.

Qi Xiaoyu also looked at his master and glanced towards the kitchen, but the kitchen door was closed, so he couldn’t see what was going on inside.

He could only reluctantly shift his gaze back to his master.

Qi Fengjian picked up his chopsticks.

He ate a bite of trout together with mint leaf.

Then he grabbed a lion’s head meatball and a braised pork knuckle.

As soon as his chopsticks touched the pork knuckle, the meat melted softly.

Qi Wanrou asked with a smile, “Father, are you satisfied with today’s dishes?”

Qi Fengjian looked up at his daughter, then lowered his head and chuckled twice, the wrinkles on his stern face deepening.

Suddenly, he lifted his eyes again and tapped his chopsticks on the rim of the bowl of trout and lion’s head meatball. “You didn’t make these dishes, did you?”

Qi Wanrou replied with a sweet smile, “Dad, you’re the best. You can tell the difference with one taste.”

Qi Wanrou then asked, “Then who do you think made them?”

Qi Fengjian leisurely hummed again, “It probably wasn’t your junior brother’s cooking either.”

Qi Xiaoyu strained his ears to hear their conversation.

The other apprentices also looked curiously at what was happening inside. Eight-year-old Gu He, being the shortest, easily squeezed to the front.

Gu Zizhen, who rarely participated in any gossip, patted Qi Xiaoyu’s shoulder and asked, “This whole table, it couldn’t be made by that commander, could it?”

Qi Xiaoyu blinked and shook his head, indicating he didn’t know either.

Xi Yun, hearing their conversation, leaned closer. “A commander who leads troops, could he make such a table full of dishes? Wanrou must have helped, right?”

Another apprentice nearby said, “If this table of food was made by the Commander, I wouldn’t dare eat it later.”

At this moment, Qi Fengjian turned his head and glanced at Qi Xiaoyu by the door.

Qi Fengjian turned back and looked at Qi Wanrou, saying, “Go, call the person out.”

Upon hearing this, everyone stared at the kitchen door.

Although they had more or less guessed it was Xun Qian, they were still very curious.

They had never seen a commander who led troops pursue someone in this way.

Generally, officials and wealthy merchants who supported opera performers would do nothing more than shower them with money and gifts. They had never seen anyone secretly sneak into someone’s home to cook. If this were to spread, it would make the gossip columns of the newspapers.

Someone said, “Xiaoyu, this Commander Xun is truly extraordinary.”

“The Commander even cooked for us. This could be adapted into an opera tomorrow.”

Just as everyone was craning their necks, huddled together, and discussing, the kitchen door clicked open.

Xun Qian wore a moon-white long gown, the rolled-up white cuffs stained with a few drops of soy sauce and a few oil stains on his chest. His calm exterior faintly revealed a hint of disarray.

He held a bowl of noodles in his hands, the knuckles of the fingers gripping the rim of the bowl prominent. He bowed to Qi Fengjian, “Master, today is your birthday. This junior has no worthy gift to offer, so I specially prepared a table of dishes to wish you boundless happiness and longevity.”

Qi Xiaoyu looked at Xun Qian’s appearance and couldn’t help but want to laugh.

Just as the corners of his mouth curved up, Qi Fengjian inside called out to him, “You come in.”

Before Qi Xiaoyu could react to being called, his senior brother behind him gave him a push, propelling him inside.

Qi Fengjian had already put down his chopsticks and taken out his cigarette pipe again.

Qi Xiaoyu hurriedly stood straight next to Xun Qian. He felt that the room inside and outside was very quiet, so quiet that he could hear the steam rising from the longevity noodles.

He glanced to the side. His senior sister had silently retreated to one side, and the senior brothers outside the door all had wide eyes, as if watching a good show.

He turned his head. Xun Qian was still holding the longevity noodles in a dignified posture. Being close, the oil stains on Xun Qian’s long gown were even more noticeable, and there was also a bit of chili sauce on it. He wanted to laugh again.

He thought it was no wonder Xun Qian had to secretly learn to cook; the scene must have been quite something.

Qi Xiaoyu held back his laughter, not daring to look at Qi Fengjian. He thought that this time Xun Qian was going to get him scolded along with him.

But after a while, he heard Qi Fengjian say, “Thank you for your trouble, Commander Xun.”

Xun Qian replied, “It is my honor to celebrate Master Qi’s birthday.”

Qi Fengjian gave two dry coughs.

Qi Xiaoyu looked up at his master and happened to meet Qi Fengjian’s sharp, gleaming eyes, so he quickly lowered his head guiltily again.

After a while, he secretly looked up from below towards the dining table and saw a pair of legs appear in his view.

Qi Fengjian stood up.

Qi Fengjian’s voice didn’t sound angry, but it wasn’t very pleasant either. “Commander Xun doesn’t need to be so polite next time. Even if you come, don’t cook. It’s a waste.”

The last two words were spoken with particular emphasis, carrying a tone of heartache and regret.

After saying that, Qi Xiaoyu saw Qi Fengjian’s feet disappear from his sight. When he looked up again, he saw the dining room door open, and the onlookers, the senior brothers, all retreated to the sides, making way. Qi Fengjian walked out just like that.

Qi Xiaoyu’s heart was still pounding a bit. He asked the person next to him in confusion, “What does Master mean by this?”

Xun Qian seemed to breathe a long sigh of relief and smiled, “It means he has eased up a little.”

Xun Qian lowered his eyes and frowned slightly.

Qi Wanrou walked over, picked up a clean pair of chopsticks, took a small piece of meat, and put it in her mouth. After tasting it, she had an indescribable and puzzled expression: “Maybe it means I didn’t teach him well.”

 

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