The next day, when the live stream started, viewers saw scenery different from what had been filmed in previous episodes of " Travel to That Unknown Place ".
Instead, it was a spacious and bright kitchen. Sunlight streamed in through the floor-to-ceiling windows, and a row of fresh vegetables and several dishes of chopped ingredients were laid out on the marble countertop.
Meanwhile, the seemingly aristocratic young master Pei Yubai stood in front of the cooking counter, as perceived by fans and viewers.
He was wearing a dark gray apron with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and he was looking down at a woman in her fifties next to him, learning how to make sweet and sour sauce.
The old lady is an elder in the Pei Family. She has been cooking at home since Pei Yubai a child, and her cooking is exceptionally delicious.
Even Qiguan Yuan praised her cooking skills after dinner yesterday.
At this moment, the elderly woman was patiently instructing Pei Yubai to sugar.
Shen Lingyi stood at the kitchen doorway, arms crossed, watching her son's cooking with a critical eye.
Correct him from time to time.
"Too much sugar."
"The fire's gone down."
"You need to use your wrist when flipping the pan."
And then she complained about Pei Yubai, who couldn't even cook a meal properly.
Shen Lingyi isn't actually very good at cooking, but she sometimes tries to cook with the aunt when she has free time.
Her cooking experience is definitely much Xiaobai than Pei Yubai's, who has hardly ever cooked and only talks about learning but never actually does it.
While watching the live stream, Shen Lingyi saw Pei Yubai Ji Shiyu, but then forgetting about it after only a couple of tries, which made her grit her teeth in frustration.
Shen Lingyi was completely baffled. Pei Zhongkang was clearly a very good cook, so why hadn't Pei Yubai inherited his culinary skills?
Furthermore, before her husband took over the family business, he was also a princeling. Why is it that her husband can do everything, while her son can't do anything?
Shen Lingyi reflected deeply on herself, realizing that she had spoiled Pei Yubai too much over the past twenty years, resulting in him not having any special skills.
Especially important skills like cooking, which can win over a wife's stomach.
This guy is about to get his marriage certificate with their Yuanyuan, but he can't even cook! How can this be acceptable?
While hiring a housekeeper is certainly an option, it's not ideal if it's just the two of them, like during this variety show recording.
Are you suggesting we let their Yuanyuan do it?
Or should we let their Yuanyuan go hungry?
How can this be?
So Shen Lingyi woke Pei Yubai up early in the morning to learn how to cook from the aunt, while she personally supervised him in the kitchen.
Pei Yubai did as Shen Lingyi said without arguing back.
Cooking is indeed his weakness, and of course, it's even less likely that he'd let Yuanyuan do it.
He absolutely must learn it.
During the recording of the variety show, he was supposed to Ji Shiyu, but he basically didn't have time to learn.
Therefore, Pei Yubai was studying very diligently at this moment.
As the saying goes, the way to a person's heart is through their stomach.
Pei Yubai felt that there was still a lot he needed to learn.
The viewers in the live stream were abuzz with excitement when they saw this.
[To be honest, although it's not the first time I've seen it, I still find it quite surreal—the prince learning to cook.]
[Sigh, as expected, even if the King of Heaven himself came, he'd still have to learn to cook for his wife.]
[An essential home learning device you deserve]
The audience, always eager for a good show, teased Pei Yubai relentlessly.
You know, if a chef cooks, they don't feel anything special, but if a rich young master like this cooks, they'll be all fired up.
Shen Yuzhou wasn't idle either; Meng Xu arranged for him to take the other guests on a tour of the manor.
Although he had run around this manor countless times since he was a child, and knew every part of it like the back of his hand.
But when he arrived yesterday, he found that the manor had changed quite a bit.
I asked Shen Lingyi last night and found out that after Shen Lingyi and Pei Zhongkang returned from Jiangcheng, they roughly guessed that it wouldn't be long before Pei Yubai brought Yuanyuan home.
By watching the live stream, they discovered that Yuanyuan preferred the rustic architecture reminiscent of southern China.
Yuanyuan's preferred interior design style is probably more in line with the southern style.
So Shen Lingyi and Pei Zhongkang moved back to their old courtyard house for a while.
The manor underwent a major renovation and refurbishment.
The renovation was completed just before Qiguan Yuan arrived in the Capital.
Shen Yuzhou was also curious about what the manor had been transformed into, so he led Cheng Yanqiu, Jiang Wantang, Ji Shiyu, Lin Yanru and Su He'an from the horse farm to the glass greenhouse, and from the golf course to the artificial lake.
In fact, many things have changed, yet it seems like nothing has changed.
It's just that the interior design doesn't look like the typical style found in Jing City.
But this style is also quite nice.
After all, it was all made with a lot of money, how could it not look good?
Then Shen Yuzhou took the others to the horse farm.
Pointing to a chestnut Thoroughbred in the riding arena, he said, "This horse has a bad temper; no one but me dares to ride it."
No sooner had he finished speaking than the horse snorted and spat on his sleeve.
Cheng Yanqiu was laughing so hard his stomach hurt, while Jiang Wantang recorded the whole thing on her phone.
Lin Yanru and Su He'an took photos for another half hour in the glass greenhouse, this time using a different flower wall as the background.
There's no way around it; every part of this manor is meticulously maintained, so it looks beautiful from every angle.
Meanwhile, Qiguan Yuan and Pei Zhongkang were playing chess in the tea room.
The chessboard was made of boxwood, and the chess pieces were cloud-shaped, with black and white pieces clearly laid out on half the board.
Qiguan Yuan held the white teacup, while Pei Zhongkang held the black one. The two sat facing each other across a low rosewood table, each with a cup of tea beside them.
The tea room window was half-open, and the leaves on the trees outside rustled in the wind. Sunlight filtered through the leaves and dappled light and shadow on the chessboard, shifting gently with the movement of the leaves.
Pei Zhongkang placed a piece, picked up his teacup, took a sip, then put the cup down and asked Qiguan Yuan, "What kind of tea does Yuanyuan usually like to drink?"
Qiguan Yuan said, "I usually drink Longtuan Shengxue tea, but I drink other teas too. I'm not picky."
Pei Zhongkang's eyes lit up, and he said, "Longtuan Shengxue is a good tea, but the quality of tea available on the market varies greatly these days, and truly good ones are hard to find."
He asked the servant to bring him a can of tea he had recently acquired, and gave Qiguan Yuan a gentle smile, "This tea was brought back from Mount Wuyi by an old friend of mine. I've been enjoying it these days. If you like tea, Yuanyuan, you should try some."
Qiguan Yuan did indeed enjoy tasting fine tea, so he nodded.
At Pei Zhongkang's instruction, a servant quickly brought over a complete tea set.
A purple clay teapot, white porcelain cups, a bamboo tea caddy, and a neatly folded tea towel.
The bamboo tea was specially prepared in advance by Pei Zhongkang, who knew Qiguan Yuan's preferences.
Qiguan Yuan examined the color and shape of the tea leaves, and smelled the aroma of the dry tea. "The fermentation of this tea is very well controlled, and the roasting process is also perfect. It's a genuine Zheng Yan tea."
Pei Zhongkang was pleased to see that he was quite interested in the tea, and asked Qiguan Yuan to brew it.
Qiguan Yuan did not refuse. He warmed the teapot, added tea leaves, poured water, and poured out the tea. His movements were unhurried and deliberate. The purple clay teapot spun in his hands, and the tea soup was steadily poured into the white porcelain cup.
It has a unique kind of beauty.
The viewers in the live stream were all swooning over him.
They just think everything Yuanyuan does looks good.
Everything he does is pleasing to the eye.
Pei Zhongkang picked up the cup, smelled its aroma, took a sip, and then put it down. His gaze towards Qiguan Yuan held an even deeper level of admiration.
The two chatted about everything from tea-producing regions to tea-making techniques, from the roasting temperature to the changes in the taste of Wuyi rock tea from different years.
Pei Zhongkang has been in business all his life, and he can talk about anything and it all comes down to business.
He said, "Making tea is like doing business; it's all about the heat and timing. If the heat isn't right, the tea will be raw and unpalatable; if the heat is too high, the bitterness will overpower the original flavor; and if the timing is wrong, even the best tea won't fetch a good price."
Qiguan Yuan listened, placed a piece on the chessboard, and slowly said, "The true flavor of tea is determined by the tea grower; the tea roaster merely brings out that flavor. Timing is important, but the foundation is even more crucial. If the foundation is good, waiting a little longer is acceptable."
Upon hearing this, Pei Zhongkang paused in his chess game, looked up at Qiguan Yuan, and then smiled.
He said, " Yubai has been drinking tea and playing chess with me since he was a child. He's good at everything, but he's not very willing to spend time with me. He always makes an excuse to leave after less than half an hour. It's rare to find someone I can talk to so well. Yuan Yuan, please spend more time chatting and drinking tea with me in the Yuanyuan."
Qiguan Yuan picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said, "Of course."
Pei Zhongkang made a move, and a few wrinkles appeared at the corners of his eyes as he smiled.
Everyone could tell he was very happy.
It's obvious that he's very satisfied with Qiguan Yuan, the woman his son chose for him.
In the middle of the game, Pei Zhongkang suddenly changed the subject.
He put down his teacup, cleared his throat, and his tone changed from the previous cheerful demeanor to one of embarrassment, as if he were about to make a request that he was hesitant to ask.
This is truly rare for Pei Zhongkang, the head of the Pei Family family.
"I saw some things online. It was about Cidu Temple and the red thread. Although I don't understand these things very well, people in business believe in the power of faith. If you believe, it will happen; if you don't, it won't."
"I think this kind of thing is better felt than explained, but it's always worth having one. Does Yuanyuan have any extra red thread?"
After listening, Qiguan Yuan put the teacup back on the saucer.
Instead of simply pulling out a red thread and handing it over, he took out several red threads from his sleeve and then took a small silver pair of scissors from beside the chess box to trim the thread ends.
He wrapped the red thread around his finger a few times and began to braid.
He used a special knotting technique that he only used when tying the Thread of Fate.
Begin by making a three-loop knot as the base, then separate the three strands of thread and interweave them, making a tiny knot each time you interweave. When you finish, wrap the end of the rope around the other end three times and fasten it to the center of the initial three-loop knot.
He performed the entire process with effortless grace, the silver scissors twirling between his fingers, and the red string weaving ever denser in his palm.
Pei Zhongkang couldn't understand the knots, but he could tell they weren't just randomly made. Every knot had its own rules, and every clasp had a specific order; if you made a mistake, the whole knot would fall apart.
Finally, Qiguan Yuan unfolded the braided red rope in his palm. The rope, about two fingers long, had no loose ends exposed from beginning to end, and a faint red glow emanated from it.
He placed the red string next to the chessboard and said to Pei Zhongkang, "This isn't a marriage knot; it's a peace knot, with six auspicious knots. Wearing it will ensure peace and good fortune. This might be more suitable for you and Ms. Shen."
Pei Zhongkang picked up the red rope, examined it carefully, and solemnly put it into the breast pocket of his shirt, pressing it down with his hand.
This scene was witnessed by the viewers in the live stream.
Since then, there has been increasing discussion online about whether Qiguan Yuan is the Yue Lao.
These viewers tend to overreact to these kinds of things.
Someone took screenshots showing how Qiguan Yuan braided the red string.
Someone recorded his knitting steps frame by frame so they could learn it themselves.
Many people envied Pei's father; while others received loose red ropes, he received a limited edition Yue Lao hand-woven by the God of Marriage.
And they couldn't even get a regular one.
This is absolutely outrageous!
The Xiao Yuan Grains were already used to it, lining up in the comments to send "Standard procedure, standard procedure" along with a calm emoji.
Their Yuanyuan is just that outstanding.
Pei Yubai's dishes were ready quickly.
Before he served the dish Shen Lingyi tasted it first, nodded, and said it was alright.
Only then did Pei Yubai on the table.
If it's not done well, Yuanyuan can't eat it.
During the meal, Shen Lingyi turned to Qiguan Yuan and said, " Xiaobai learned this dish especially for you, Yuanyuan try it."
Qiguan Yuan picked up a piece of food with his chopsticks, chewed it, swallowed it, and said, "It tastes good. Pei Yubai is very talented."
Qiguan Yuan was never stingy with his praise for Pei Yubai.
Pei Yubai stood to the side, his apron still on, and a slight smile curved his lips when he heard those two words.
He made a sweet and sour pork ribs dish and a stir-fried vegetable dish. The presentation wasn't fancy, but the taste was decent.
Among the many idle viewers in the live chat, someone posted a screenshot of Pei Yubai wearing an apron and serving dishes alongside a photo of him wearing haute couture on the red carpet.
Caption: On the malleability of a man.
I must say, the page views are quite high.
That means we've finally figured out the code to traffic generation.
The next morning, Pei Yubai drove Qiguan Yuan to the Civil Affairs Bureau.
The car was the most expensive one in Shen Lingyi's garage; she said that on a day like getting their marriage certificate, they had to drive a nice car.
Pei Yubai originally wanted to drive his own car, but his mother had already put the car keys in his hand.
Upon arriving at the Civil Affairs Bureau, the two got out of the car. Pei Yubai was wearing a white shirt, Qiguan Yuan wore his usual red clothes.
In Pei Yubai, it really looked like a wedding dress.
Especially on days like this.
When the photographer asked the two of them to move closer, Qiguan Yuan slightly towards Pei Yubai.
The photographer joked again, Qiguan Yuan curved into a smile, as did Pei Yubai's.
The photographer stared at the photos for several seconds when they came out.
This photo is absolutely the best wedding photo he's ever taken. (This is a fictional world setting, so please don't worry about why men can get a marriage certificate with other men.)
After receiving the marriage certificate, Pei Yubai held both certificates in his hands.
He opened one of the books, looked at it, closed it, then took Qiguan Yuan's hand, their fingers naturally intertwined, their rings touching.
Pei Yubai led Qiguan Yuan out of the Civil Affairs Bureau. From the entrance to the parking space, a distance of about several dozen steps, he held Qiguan Yuan's hand and held up the marriage certificate in his other hand, walking calmly across the entire sidewalk.
Passersby recognized them and started taking pictures with their phones.
The final photo, capturing Pei Yubai's back view, was truly captivating.
Wearing a white shirt and broad shoulders, he held Qiguan Yuan with his left hand and held up two small red booklets with his right hand. His posture was as if he was showing the whole city that he had obtained his marriage certificate with his wife, Yuanyuan.
It's like declaring that he has a legitimate status.
Ugh, I just can't stand it.