Chapter 40

"Full of girls! The songs and dances are all about showcasing beauty..." As Jiang Xingchen listened, his heart stirred. Although he didn't know much about music and dance, he understood that their essence was to express emotions. In this aspect, men and women were the same.

"Maybe I should remind Sister Wanrou; it might work!" Jiang Xingchen thought to himself and temporarily put this idea aside.

Following Jiang Xingchen's indication, Qian Feng and the other person drove the carriage to a pawnshop.

"I've been busy lately and haven't had the chance to redeem Mei'er's jade pendant... Is this the right pawnshop?" Jiang Xingchen smiled and asked Mei'er.

"Uh-huh!" The little girl nodded vigorously, her face beaming with joy, tightly biting her lower lip to control her emotions.

Since noon, her mind and body had been immersed in happiness. First, her brother comforted her, then he received a noble title, and next, he changed his name because of her love for stars (at least that's what she thought). He also took her to watch a song and dance performance, and now he was redeeming her jade pendant... One surprise after another, like waves continuously crashing against the little girl's heart, making her emotions build up. At this moment, she really wanted to laugh out loud and release all her joy.

However, she couldn't act as freely outside as she did at home, where she could play and laugh with her brother. She could only suppress her feelings.

The process of redeeming the jade pendant went smoothly. Two hundred yellow crystal coins were handed over, and the shopkeeper hurriedly ran out from behind the high counter, holding the jade pendant in both hands and presenting it to Jiang Xingchen.

What surprised Jiang Xingchen was that Mei'er's jade pendant was actually pink, a color of jade he had never seen on Earth.

"Mei'er! Year 341 of the Dàyue King's calendar, March 10th!" These were the words carved on the jade pendant.

"The Dàyue King's calendar, Mei'er isn't from the Qiankun Empire... That makes sense, the Qiankun Empire has strict identity management, and its citizens are rarely sold into slavery unless they volunteer... It's just a bit strange, if Mei'er was sold, how could she still have this valuable jade pendant..."

Although he found it a bit puzzling, Jiang Xingchen didn't dwell on it too much. After all, the little girl was his sister, and he didn't treat her as a slave. Thinking this, he handed the jade pendant back to Mei'er.

"Year 341 of the Dàyue King's calendar is Year 220 of the Qiankun calendar!" Mei'er took the jade pendant and explained.

"I know, you're thirteen this year, I can do the math!" Jiang Xingchen smiled and ruffled the little girl's head, saying, "March 10th is Mei'er's birthday, I remember!"

"Uh-huh!" The little girl nodded, happily saying, "Brother's birthday is June 30th, Mei'er remembers too!"

By the time they got home, it was already dark. Jiang Xingchen bought two pieces of lard from the market and made scallion oil pancakes for dinner.

The sizzling sound of the oil, mixed with the rich aroma of scallions, filled the entire courtyard.

However, this time, Mei'er didn't show much interest in the food. She held the jade pendant in one hand and her brother's temporary identity card in the other, sitting there in a daze, occasionally breaking into a silly smile...

"Girl! Stop daydreaming, wash your hands and eat!" After finishing the scallion oil pancakes, Jiang Xingchen cut them into pieces with a knife, cooked a pot of rice porridge, and called out to Mei'er.

"Ah... Oh! It's time to eat!" The little girl snapped out of her daze, put away the two cards, and sniffed, exclaiming, "It smells so good!"

She quickly fetched water to wash her hands, then served the porridge and set the chopsticks, preparing to eat with her brother!

Just as Jiang Xingchen picked up a piece of pancake and was about to take a bite, a loud knocking on the door interrupted them.

"Damn!" Jiang Xingchen was frustrated, wondering why people always came to his door when he was about to eat. He seriously suspected that his friends had planned it to come over for a free meal.

"I'll go open the door!" Mei'er put down her chopsticks and got up.

"You stay there and eat, you must be hungry after running around all afternoon!" Jiang Xingchen called out to Mei'er, then turned and went out of the house.

Opening the courtyard gate, Mo Hongxian rushed in, her face full of urgency. What surprised Jiang Xingchen was that she didn't even notice the aroma of the scallion oil pancakes in the courtyard. She came straight over and grabbed his arm.

"Come with me, Wanrou doesn't want to eat again!" She said, pulling Jiang Xingchen to leave.

"Ah!" Jiang Xingchen frowned. In the morning, Wanrou seemed fine, so why didn't she want to eat now?

By now, he knew that Mo Hongxian had come to ask him to cook for Wanrou, as none of the chefs at Fuyongzhai could match his skills.

"Sister Hongxian, wait, it's so late, my sister..."

"Don't worry, the second brother will be here soon. He'll keep an eye on her, so it'll be fine!"

"Mei'er, I have to go out for a bit, I'll be back soon!" Jiang Xingchen called out loudly and then followed Mo Hongxian out of the courtyard.

Inside, Mei'er heard her brother's voice, put down her chopsticks, and walked out. She looked at the door, then went back into the house, put the pancakes and porridge away in the kitchen, and sat on the bed, hugging a doll, her eyes slowly losing focus, a silly smile on her lips...

Jiang Xingchen didn't expect to return to the Dingbei Marquis's residence so soon after leaving in the afternoon. Moreover, Wanrou, who had been fine in the morning, now looked pale and unwell.

The rough-faced Dingbei Marquis paced back and forth in the room, his face filled with worry. Zhao Zixiang had already been there and concluded that Wanrou was physically fine but weak, likely due to mental exhaustion. She needed to eat more meat and rest.

However, now Wanrou had lost her appetite again, frowning and deep in thought about the song and dance performance.

Several times, the Dingbei Marquis wanted to stop Wanrou from continuing with the performance. But thinking of what his daughter had said that night, he didn't want to crush her dreams.

"I hope this guy can do something, we must get Wanrou to eat!" The Dingbei Marquis muttered, glanced at the inner room, and sat down in a chair.

In the inner room, Mo Hongxian was praising the deliciousness of the dumplings Jiang Xingchen had made.

"Wanrou, let the little brother make you a meal, the taste is simply amazing, I ate two cloves of garlic last night..."

Jiang Xingchen's eyes twitched as he listened: "The taste of the dumplings has nothing to do with eating two cloves of garlic... And why do you have to involve me when you're trying to cheer up Sister Wanrou, calling me 'little brother' again..."

Wanrou chuckled and lightly hit Mo Hongxian, saying, "I'm fine, you don't need to worry, I'm just not hungry yet! I'll eat when I'm hungry!"

"You're not hungry? The Marquis said you only ate a little in the morning and haven't eaten since!" Mo Hongxian said, a bit angry.

At this point, Jiang Xingchen spoke up: "Sister Wanrou is troubled by something, so she doesn't want to eat. Once the problem is resolved, she'll feel hungry right away!"

"Oh?" Mo Hongxian frowned and asked, "Wanrou, is it still about the song and dance performance?"

"Uh-huh!" Wanrou nodded, her mood extremely low, "I always feel unsatisfied. The current performance is far from qualifying for the New Year's song and dance competition."

Mo Hongxian was at a loss and looked at Jiang Xingchen for help, as she knew nothing about song and dance.

Jiang Xingchen thought for a moment, organized his thoughts, and asked softly, "Sister Wanrou, why are there no men in any of the song and dance troupes?"

"Uh?" Wanrou raised an eyebrow, turned to look at Jiang Xingchen, and asked in surprise, "Song and dance mainly showcase beauty. Do you think men dancing would be beautiful?"

"Sister Wanrou, if we only focus on beauty, the development of song and dance will come to an end," Jiang Xingchen smiled.

"What do you mean?" Wanrou immediately became interested when the topic turned to song and dance.

"An old man with white hair, seriously ill, works hard every day to earn money for his grandson, until he dies from exhaustion... An ugly man in the desert, gives his last drop of water to the girl he loves... Our empire's soldiers fight on the front lines for the country, often ending up disabled... Compared to ordinary performances that showcase beauty, which one do you think would resonate more with people?"

Wanrou seemed struck by lightning, her body trembling, her eyes suddenly brightening, and she murmured, "You're talking about human emotions..."

Jiang Xingchen continued, "Pursuing beautiful things is a human instinct, but emotional resonance leaves a deeper impression. Everyone goes through many unforgettable experiences in their lives, innocence, passion, wildness, joy, sorrow... If your song and dance can touch their emotions..."

"I get it!" Wanrou suddenly stood up, her eyes shining, a smile on her face.

Jiang Xingchen was taken aback by Wanrou's reaction. He knew little about music, and the profound words he had just spoken seemed vague and ambiguous to him... But somehow, Wanrou understood.

"Quick to understand, Sister Wanrou is a musical genius!" Jiang Xingchen nodded, making this judgment in his heart.

Mo Hongxian, on the other hand, looked puzzled and asked, "Wanrou, what do you understand?" She had no idea what Jiang Xingchen had said.

Wanrou giggled and said, "I just realized that the little brother is a true genius of song and dance. Instead of me struggling to think, I should just let him help me!"

"Ah!" Jiang Xingchen stumbled, almost falling to the ground, inwardly lamenting, "Sister Wanrou, this is what you call understanding..."

Jiang Xingchen felt a bit trapped by his own words. It was now difficult to refuse, as his previous act of superiority had been too convincing. He was worried that if he refused, Mo Hongxian might kill him.

Wanrou was happy and started eating, and she ate the dumplings Jiang Xingchen had made, even eating two cloves of garlic, which made Jiang Xingchen's mouth twitch. He thought to himself, "Not a family, not a family!"

The Marquis was also happy, eating heartily and shouting for more, asking Jiang Xingchen to make more dumplings.

Mo Hongxian was happy too, slapping Jiang Xingchen's back so hard that he winced.

The only one who was unhappy was Jiang Xingchen, who not only took on the task of helping Wanrou think but also had to make dumplings for three gluttons...

It wasn't until late at night that Jiang Xingchen, looking gloomy, returned home.

But the moment he stepped through the door, he smelled the aroma of scallion oil pancakes, and a warm feeling rose in his heart, temporarily dispelling his gloom!