Food

He cleared his throat and, following the beat of the drum, began to sing in a voice that had the clarity of youth but, for some reason, carried a hint of seasoned maturity:

"Imperial son-in-law Chen, you tore up the petition, so whom shall I question? It says Qin Xianglian is thirty-two years old, and accuses her husband Chen Shimei, Lord Chen, without a single word amiss..."

He was singing the passage from the classic Henan opera The Case of Executing Chen Shimei in which Bao Zheng questioned Chen Shimei.

But his tune was not entirely traditional. He had subtly worked in a livelier style of singing that would circulate online in later years.

It was a little less tragic, a little more playful and crisp, giving it a flavor all its own.

Listening to the familiar yet novel tune, Guan Shihua unconsciously tapped her fingers on her knee to the drumbeat and closed her eyes to rest.

She was recovering the bit of energy she had spent on her earlier activity.

Clearly, the talents Qing He Miao had been performing lately were to her liking.

Not only that, Qing He Miao could faintly sense it.

As his drumming and singing echoed through the quiet courtyard, a few faint strands of "Qi" seemed to drift from the apparently empty rooms around them.

Sure enough, once someone started singing, as long as they sang well, not only people would listen—even ghosts and gods would come to hear.

On the system panel, his proficiency in "Folk Tune" and "Single Drum Performance" also quietly climbed a little as he sang.

He kept singing and practicing until nearly noon.

Faint footsteps came from outside, and Qing He Miao stopped drumming and singing at just the right moment.

"Time to eat? It was about time for a break."

Still looking as though she wanted to hear more, Guan Shihua said, as if suddenly remembering:

"Oh, right, Youcai should be back from down the mountain. Don't forget the proper observances before the meal."

"Mm, I remember."

Qing He Miao nodded and put down the King Wen Drum.

One of a Horse-Riding Immortal disciple's daily duties was not to forget the Immortal Family they made offerings to, even when eating their own meals.

It was basic courtesy, and also a way to maintain their connection with the Immortal Family.

He hopped off the kang, stretched his body, and greeted the brothers Deng Youcai and Deng Youfu as they came in through the door.

The three then left the small courtyard and headed first to the kitchen in the corner.

The chef in the kitchen had already prepared food set aside especially for this purpose.

Some consisted of stir-fried and stewed purely vegetarian dishes, with distinct textures and bright colors, clearly made from top-quality ingredients.

They were served in clean bowls and dishes, and their aroma filled the air.

The rest consisted of carefully prepared regular dishes.

They carefully packed the food into several insulated food boxes, making sure the flavors would not mix.

Then, each carrying one or two boxes, they crossed the courtyard and arrived at the door of a large building that was plainly different from the other residences.

Its exterior walls looked older and more imposing, its doors and windows were tightly shut, and people rarely went in or out on ordinary days.

Deng Youcai stepped forward, took out a key, and opened the heavy bronze lock on the entrance. With a creak, he pushed open the massive wooden doors.

As soon as the doors opened, a cool air swept over them, mingled with the smell of old wood, incense ash, and something indescribable, as though it had settled there over long ages.

No lights were on inside. Only when the doors opened did light rush in as if competing to be first, dispelling some of the gloom.

The space inside was unusually vast, but its layout was simple, with only one entire wall at the side put to full use.

A row of fine, long offering tables stood neatly against the wall, their surfaces covered with clean, dark tablecloths.

Incense burners of different sizes and materials crowded the tabletops, each holding a thick layer of incense ash.

Behind the burners, spirit tablets and statues of all shapes were densely arranged in tiers.

Most of the tablets were made of fine wood or jade and engraved with names and honorific titles from ancient or more recent times.

Some statues had kind faces, some were awe-inspiringly dignified, and some were strangely shaped but full of spiritual presence. They included human forms, animal forms, and even abstract totems.

This was clearly a central incense hall where the Horse-Riding Immortal lineage made offerings to its masters of generations past, ancestral spirits, and the various members of the "Immortal Family."

Solemn expressions came over all three faces.

Unlike the ancestral halls of other sects,

Quite a few of those in here could actually come straight down and give them a great big slap across the face if they were in a bad mood.

It was better to be polite.

They first walked to the offering tables, each picked up three incense sticks from the tabletop, and lit them from the ever-burning lamp. Then they stepped back a few paces and respectfully paid their respects with the incense in hand.

They bowed, raised the incense to eyebrow level, and silently recited words of respect, carrying out every movement with scrupulous care.

Only after finishing their respects did they step forward and carefully place their incense in the burners, which were already full of incense sticks. Wisps of smoke rose and mingled with the air, already faintly fragrant with incense.

With that ritual complete, they had shown the Immortal Family their most basic respect and paid their greetings.

The atmosphere eased a little.

The three opened the food boxes and took out the dishes one by one, placing them in different spots according to a customary arrangement.

As Deng Youcai deftly set out the bowls and dishes, he chatted in a low voice with Qing He Miao beside him, an admiring smile on his face:

"You're really something, kid. I can see you've been making Grandma pretty happy these past few days."

In the courtyard of this grand hall, apart from his grandma and the roomful of "Immortal Family," there really was not much fun to be had.

At most, there was an old TV, plus the two laptops in his and his brother's rooms.

If they spent too long playing, they would inevitably get nagged by all sorts of people, including the Immortal Family.

As a result, the brothers could hardly stand staying home during their breaks and often slipped down the mountain early in the morning to find some fun.

But if they spent too long playing down the mountain, they could not avoid a scolding when they came back.

With Qing He Miao there to draw attention away from them, the brothers could finally have a little peace and quiet during this break.

Chapter 24: Food

Qing He Miao smiled.

"Getting along with an elderly person is actually pretty simple. It just takes a little more patience."

Deng Youcai and Deng Youfu were both only around twenty now and still in college, at the age when their blood ran hot and they loved to have fun.

He had been staying here for a while.

In the time they had spent together, he had found that although they came from an extraordinary background, they were straightforward and put on no airs.

They were all young, too, so they got along fairly well.

"Youcai's right. Thanks for the effort, Xiao Miao."

Deng Youfu, standing beside them, pursed his lips when he heard that and said:

"When we have some free time later, my brother and I will take you down the mountain and show you a good time with the things that have only recently become fashionable."

He had not yet gone abroad to study.

He did not have the genteel image, with a head of dyed blond hair, that he had when he appeared later in the original story.

He looked similar to Deng Youcai, but his manner seemed rather more fierce.

Deng Youcai immediately chimed in, thumping his chest like a local kingpin:

"That's right! Who around here doesn't know 'Brother Youcai'? I guarantee we'll show you the ropes and treat you to all the best food and drink!"

At their age, and even for a long stretch of life afterward, people were at a stage when they had comparatively little patience for communicating with the elderly.

Qing He Miao also sometimes felt that what elderly people said was out of step with the times.

But to him, someone who had been ground down by society, it was much easier than communicating with a boss.

Besides, he had the progress bars on his system panel, giving him the encouragement of positive feedback at every moment.

So his state of mind was much better than in his previous life.

Watching the two college students from an earlier era talk to him about what was fashionable, Qing He Miao found it a little funny, but he still replied politely:

"Let's talk about it later. Summer vacation is almost over, and I should get ready to head back too. There'll be plenty of chances later anyway, so there's no rush."

"Exactly! Don't go fooling around with these two little brats when you've got nothing better to do! What good could come of it? All they know is how to run wild down the mountain all day!"

Just then, a somewhat shrill voice, thick with a sarcastic tone, rang out without warning in the spacious incense hall.

The voice drifted about, as though it came from every direction, with an indescribably elusive and crafty quality.

Yet Qing He Miao, Deng Youcai, and Deng Youfu, the three people in the incense hall, seemed long accustomed to it. They did not even pause in what they were doing.

They apparently seemed quite familiar with the owner of that voice.

With practiced ease, they placed a particular portion of cooked food in front of an offering table just to the right of the center.

The statue on that table was vaguely shaped like a fox stretching itself out, but it also had a few humanlike features.

Once the food was in place, the air in front of the table rippled slightly, and a faint, translucent figure slowly appeared.

The figure was roughly humanoid, but its facial outline was blurry. On closer inspection, it seemed to be covered in fine fur, giving it an animal-like texture, and two dim points of light stood where its eyes should have been.

The apparition "looked" at the newly placed offering, but showed little interest in it, and then turned its "gaze" to Qing He Miao.

"That little tune this morning... you sang it with a bit of flair, but the melody and rhythm weren't quite like the old style. Too flashy."

The sarcastic voice sounded again, this time with a hint of coaxing:

"Kid, how about considering inviting me back home with you? Then the two of us can have a good discussion. I guarantee I'll get you singing more authentically. Back in the day, I heard someone who'd performed opera for the Old Buddha herself. The flavor of it... tsk, tsk."

Qing He Miao felt helpless.

This was an offering to the Immortal Family at the Horse-Riding Immortal lineage's main hall.

Normally, the brothers Deng Youfu and Deng Youcai had done this work since they were little.

The benefits of being able to interact with these members of the Immortal Family often and maintain good relations with them went without saying.

But to give him training, they had naturally included him during his time on the mountain.

Although most of the Immortal Family were usually like divine dragons whose heads could be seen but not their tails,

There were always some who liked to log on at mealtimes.

He could only hurry to bow and politely decline, his tone respectful but his attitude firm:

"Thank you for thinking so highly of me, senior. I'm glad you enjoyed it. My skills are crude; I just fool around with it in my spare time and sing for fun to give everyone a laugh. I wouldn't dare show off my little tricks before a master. Besides, I already have a master and a fated connection with an Immortal Family, enough to cultivate and conduct myself. I don't wish to entertain other thoughts rashly."

The fox-faced apparition seemed to snort, but could not bring itself to insist. No expression could be made out on its blurred face. It merely turned to "glare" at Deng Youcai and Deng Youfu, its voice full of reproach:

"And you two! Never a trace of you day after day! The Liu Family and Gray Family have all told us: you keep going to shady places. Look at this young man, how dependable he is! ..."

Deng Youcai was obviously much more familiar with this member of the "Immortal Family," and might even have been "nagged" by them since childhood. He shrank his neck and muttered under his breath: