The Sweetness of the Seventies
Chapter 382 - 353: Noodle Man, Peony Pavilion_1

Chapter 382: Chapter 353: Noodle Man, Peony Pavilion_1

After everything was ready, Qi Shuliang paid fifty US dollars directly.

Actually, a sugar figurine only costs one US dollar; the rest was counted as a tip.

The old man received the money, thanking profusely, as he couldn’t earn that much in an entire day!

Continuing their walk, they actually came across someone modeling clay figurines.

"Shuliang, I’d like him to make one for us, modeled after our likeness," Third Grandma Qi said, these were all things from her memories.

Upon seeing them again, she wanted to own them!

Besides, photos are flat, whereas these are three-dimensional, which is much more interesting.

"Sure!" Qi Shuliang was happy to satisfy his mother; as long as she was happy, that was all that mattered.

The craftsman, seeing business coming his way, hurriedly greeted them and, following Third Grandma Qi’s request, made two clay figurines, dressing them in the clothes they were currently wearing and even coloring them, lifelike to the fullest.

Qi Zhengmin found it very interesting and clamored for one too, so Qi Shuliang directly had the craftsman make one for everyone.

Anna, holding a little clay figurine that resembled her own appearance, was immensely pleased.

Qi Shuliang directly paid another fifty US dollars, though the clay figurine was worth at most one US dollar each.

Upon spotting other items, Third Grandma Qi just looked without buying, especially food, as much as she wanted to eat, she wasn’t hungry, nor were the children, so she didn’t purchase any.

They walked all the way to Auspicious Building!

The setting here was similar to the opera houses before the liberation in the interior of the country, with waiters dressed in mandarin jackets, cloth shoes, and melon-skin hats.

Qi Shuliang and his party came in and were directly led to the best private box.

Soon, they were served tea with a delicate fragrance and four kinds of hot, fresh out of the oven pastries.

The servants they brought along distributed the pastries to everyone.

Third Grandma Qi took a sip of tea, and tasted a piece of pastry, the tea’s fragrance perfectly cutting through the greasiness of the pastry; the flavors were just right, a perfect match!

"It’s rare indeed, to find such an opera garden abroad," Third Grandma Qi said with emotion, "What play are they performing today?"

"Kunqu, a few excerpts from ’Peony Pavilion’," Qi Shuliang smiled, knowing his mother loved to listen.

"That’s wonderful," praised Third Grandma Qi, "If you don’t enjoy it, you can go out and have fun!"

"We like it," Qi Zhengmin quickly replied, this being the first time accompanying his grandma to the opera, he couldn’t leave halfway through, otherwise, Dad wouldn’t give him his pocket money next week.

Luckily, the pastries here were delicious, and he planned to ask for more later.

More and more people came to listen, and soon the seats below were filled.

Backstage, the actors were busy with their makeup, dressing up, and preparing to go on stage.

<>The stage was redecorated, just waiting for the right time to begin the performance.

Flutes, xiaos, suonas, pipas, sanxians, yueqins and other musical instruments began to play.

The sound of the flute strived for a silk-thread-like delicacy, coupled with the effect of the clapper board, creating the characteristics of the "flowing and distant" music of the Wu region’s folk songs, making Kunqu music renowned for being "graceful and enchanting, evoking three sighs with a single song."

The traditional instruments of Huaxia Country produced familiar sounds, to which Third Grandma Qi nodded slightly in time with the melody.

The actors took the stage, with those playing female roles delicate and lovely, and the actor playing Zhang Sheng handsome and tall; their singing was melodiously pleasant, a rare treat indeed!

When a familiar excerpt came up, Third Grandma Qi actually managed to sing along for a couple of lines.

With each step gentle and demure, drunkenly she leans on him for support, through the garden, a startling dream...

Anna also listened carefully on the side, trying to understand the meaning expressed in such a delicate singing voice.

He Tiantian wasn’t very familiar with opera, she listened while snacking on pastries, and Qi Zhengmin did the same, eating non-stop like a groundhog whenever mom wasn’t paying attention.

Qi Shuliang’s eyes were smiling, now glancing at the stage, now at his mother, and now again at his wife, secretly placing a small orange in Anna’s palm when no one else was looking.

Anna smiled, for she loved oranges the most, especially honey tangerines.

Occasionally, Qi Shuliang would also turn to look at He Tiantian, Qi Zhenghan, and Qi Zhengmin, especially when he noticed his daughter had pastry crumbs at the corners of her mouth—he took a handkerchief to wipe them away.

Watching Qi Shuliang’s actions, He Tiantian could be certain that he was a man who respected and loved his parents, his wife, and his children.

Seeing such a scene, He Tiantian couldn’t help but imagine her life married to Huo Yingjie, with the whole family watching movies and operas together.

Such a life would certainly be very happy.

That was her current pursuit!

A single performance lasted about two hours, with a few minutes’ break in the middle.

After the performance, they went to a nearby restaurant for lunch.

They even had roast duck, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside!

He Tiantian single-handedly polished off half a duck, in addition to many other delicious dishes.

Though He Tiantian was the smallest one, she had a good appetite, and before long, she was the one who had eaten the most!

Qi Zhenghan looked at her, dumbfounded, and whispered, "Next time I’ll bring you here again, you really don’t need to eat so much at once, doesn’t it make you full?"

Feeling a bit embarrassed as everyone stared at her, He Tiantian still maintained her pride and said, "I’m strong, so I have a big appetite, grandma knows this."

"Haha!" Third Grandma Qi laughed, "Yes, she won’t get bloated! Last year, just the two of us at home could eat a four or five jin wild rabbit!"

The crowd smiled warmly upon hearing this.

"Sister Tiantian, are you really that strong?" Qi Zhengmin asked curiously, tilting her head, "How strong?"

After thinking for a moment, He Tiantian said, "I don’t know exactly how strong, but I’ve carried a bag of wheat on each hand before, forty kilograms per bag, and walked for a kilometer."

"Ah?" Qi Zhengmin was astonished, "Doesn’t that mean you could carry two of me for a kilometer?"

"I guess I could." He Tiantian nodded, confirming she wasn’t just a big eater but needed more energy because of her strength.

Anna and Qi Shuliang said nothing, listening intently on the side.

Third Grandma Qi smiled and said, "I don’t know if Tiantian can lift such heavy wheat bags, but I do know that the year before last, during New Year’s, your second uncle and I went to Tiantian’s house for the festival. We brought lots of gifts, probably weighing dozens of kilos, and Tiantian carried them all by herself."

"So that’s how it is. Sister Tiantian, you’re amazing, my idol," Qi Zhengmin said with a laugh, her eyes shining with stars.

Now it was He Tiantian who was curious and asked, "Why do you say that? Aren’t you strong?"

"I can’t beat the black girl in my class!" Qi Zhengmin pouted, saying that the black girl, who didn’t dare bully the white kids, picked on her instead.

"Zhengmin?" Anna saw that her daughter had referred to a classmate in an impolite manner and was a bit angry.

That was very unladylike!

"Mom, you always scold me," now with Dad and grandma around, Qi Zhengmin was bolder, "That Alice, she doesn’t dare to bully the white kids in our class, so she bullies me because I’m Asian. I’m the same height as her, but I’m not as strong or as sturdy as she is, and I often get the short end of the stick."

...

Check out the new book by my good friend, Lan Lian Junzi, "Peony Pavilion: The Courting of the Lord", a rebirth story of a lord in the harem, initiating the battle for favor against the enchanting and villainous ladies.