IHOEAYSTTTIW Chapter 46

Chapter 46: From Poetry and Prose to the Philosophy of Life

Lin Yan was still yawning when Yun Qi came over with the freshly made dessert, seeking praise: “Brother, try my taro ball number one.”

“Delicious.” Lin Yan scooped up another spoonful and put it in his mouth, turning the spoon left and right. He quickly noticed the plaque on the side of the room, “Hey? The sign arrived so quickly?”

Yun Qi lifted the cloth covering the plaque, his non-existent tail wagging like a propeller: “Yeah, they rushed it for me.”

“The craftsmanship is not bad.” Lin Yan tapped the plaque and affectionately stroked the words on it. He looked around the shop and quickly decided where to hang the plaque.

Everything was ready, except…

Lin Yan rubbed his hands together, eager to try: “So when is your brother coming?”

“Tomorrow.”

“He’s coming tomorrow?” Lin Yan put the bowl in Yun Qi’s arms and rushed to the Kitchen, “Then I have to prepare properly.”

Yun Qi grumbled discontentedly: “There’s nothing to prepare, just give him the leftovers.”

“Leftovers?” Lin Yan shook his head like a rattle drum, “That won’t do.”

“Why not? Brother always gives me leftovers.” Yun Qi’s voice grew softer and his expression more aggrieved, “Why should he get to eat fancy food?”

…

Lin Yan felt incredibly innocent, so innocent that he thought snowflakes were about to fall outside. Could it be possible that he cooked an extra portion when stir-frying, and that’s what he gave Yun Qi, not leftovers?

However, Yun Qi was usually so well-behaved and obedient. This unreasonable appearance was really…too cute.

Lin Yan ruffled Yun Qi’s hair and gently coaxed: “He’s the Emperor.”

Yun Qi was still aggrieved, his lips pursed high: “I’m still a prince.”

“I’m counting on his status as Emperor. If we serve him well, Xiang flavor’s revenue will at least double.” Lin Yan nodded towards the plaque in the corner, then ruffled Yun Qi’s hair again, drawing a pie in the sky to easily appease him, “Aiya, after tomorrow, I’ll make you something delicious.”

A little mischief is good for the soul. Yun Qi wasn’t really angry in the first place. Getting a promise was enough. He returned to his usual well-behaved manner and pushed the taro balls back to Lin Yan: “Okay, what does Brother plan to make? I’ll prepare with you.”

“Let’s make a Tyrant’s Trotter, and some Duck Webs…” Lin Yan ticked off his fingers, listing a string of dishes before stopping.

The palace has many rules. These dishes were just a normal meal for the Emperor, but with the limited time, it was enough to prepare these.

“Understood!”

The sudden voice from outside the window startled Lin Yan so much that he almost jumped. He quickly realized who the familiar voice belonged to and opened the window expressionlessly: “Brother Gu, you scared me to death.”

Gu Zhan winked at Yun Qi and waved the paper Cheng Que was holding in front of Lin Yan: “We’ve memorized all these ingredients and will go prepare them now.”

Lin Yan, whose work had been stolen, pointed at himself, somewhat dazed: “Then what do we do?”

“You can do whatever you want.” Gu Zhan directed the workers carrying ingredients towards the Kitchen and conveniently shooed Lin Yan and Yun Qi out, “Look at the stars, look at the moon, and talk about life ideals from poetry and prose.”

The Kitchen door slammed shut. Lin Yan rolled his eyes and looked up at the sky: “Look at the stars? You can’t see them now…”

The night sky, free from light and air pollution, was exceptionally clear. The dark blue sky was like a huge piece of silk, with glittering stars inlaid on it. Some were bright and dazzling, like gemstones, while others were dimmer, only revealing a faint light. A faint Milky Way stretched across the sky, a band of light formed by countless stars, dreamlike and surreal.

Lin Yan struggled to identify them, trying to recognize the few familiar stars, but quickly found himself lost in this starry sky.

“Brother, let’s go to the roof.” Yun Qi led Lin Yan up to the roof and pointed at the stars in the sky, introducing them one by one: “That’s Venus, and to the west is an inconspicuous little star, that’s the Morning Star, Polaris…”

Lin Yan looked in the direction Yun Qi pointed and easily matched the stars with their names. He noted the names of the stars one by one and muttered in admiration: “You actually recognize them all?”

“I used to like to look at the stars when I had nothing to do at night.”

Nothing to do at night? Aren’t kids these days very busy at night?

Lin Yan quickly noticed the BUG in this statement. He withdrew his gaze from the night sky and sized up Yun Qi: “You don’t have to do the *three-five*, Wang Qianxiong, Xue Yinxing…”

“That’s…that still has to be done.” Yun Qi, frequently dropping his cover, didn’t panic at all and even started paving the way for tomorrow. He rubbed his temples and covered his head in pain: “I’m confused, I can’t quite tell anymore.”

Lin Yan put his arm around Yun Qi and gently massaged his temples, asking softly: “Can’t tell what?”

“Can’t tell which is the dream and which is reality.” Yun Qi buried his head in his knees and muttered, “Brother knows, I transmigrated here. I have the memories of the original owner, so…”

“You think those things in New China are dreams?”

“No, no, I just…” As if hearing something terrible, Yun Qi frantically denied it, but finally gave in and leaned weakly on Lin Yan’s shoulder, as if finally accepting this cruel reality, “I have an inexplicable sense of belonging to the Great Zhou.”

Yun Qi didn’t look at Lin Yan’s expression, lowering his head to pick at the roof tiles: “I remember watching the stars in the Cold Palace, remember my mother’s nonsense, remember currying favor with my younger brother for a bite of food, remember…”

“You’re right.” Lin Yan interrupted Yun Qi’s “reminiscences”. He grabbed Yun Qi’s wrist and used a handkerchief from his pocket to wipe the dust off Yun Qi’s hand, “It’s time to leave.”

The development of the situation sped off in the opposite direction of what Yun Qi had expected. Yun Qi suddenly raised his head, his eyes filled with shock: “What?”

Lin Yan carefully wiped Yun Qi’s fingertips, his voice tinged with apology: “I was inconsiderate. I only thought about having enough fun in the Great Zhou before figuring out how to go back, but I forgot the difference between soul transmigration and body transmigration. I didn’t expect you to be so uncomfortable…”

“Brother, what I mean is that staying here is actually…”

“You don’t have to be so sensible. Sometimes you can be a little selfish.” Yun Qi’s explanation became proof of his willingness to compromise, his sensible and obedient nature, in Lin Yan’s eyes. Lin Yan ruffled Yun Qi’s hair and looked in the direction of the Imperial City, “How could I forget? Your identity is awkward, possessing both heirship and seniority. Even if the Emperor doesn’t do anything now, it doesn’t mean he won’t have ideas in the future.”

Yun Qi’s lips moved, but he stopped himself from speaking.

Gu Zhan came out of the Kitchen and waved at the two on the roof: “Yanzi, everything’s packed up. Do you want to take a look?”

“Coming.” Lin Yan called out to Gu Zhan and was about to climb down the ladder when he remembered something. He leaned close to Yun Qi’s ear and whispered, “Just deal with it tomorrow. Once these things are over, we’ll pack up and leave this place.”