Chapter Forty: "Wedding in a Dream" and Washing the Dishes

Huang Kang instantly lost his temper.

“Old Huang, you can use frozen tangyuan for the fruit dumplings!” He Ling offered another suggestion.

“No! I’ll make them myself by hand!” Huang Kang waved his hand decisively.

Everyone burst into laughter.

“Jiang Yun, come help me out!”

“Alright!” Jiang Yun nodded in agreement.

The two walked into the kitchen. “You know how to make Three Cups Chicken and Teppanyaki Squid, right?”

“I do, but Teacher Huang Kang, what are you planning?”

“Of course, I’m making fruit tangyuan!” Huang Kang replied with a nonchalant look.

“You really intend to make fruit tangyuan by hand?”

“Absolutely!” Huang Kang declared firmly.

“Alright then…” Jiang Yun was at a loss for words.

Jiang Yun exchanged with the production team for a Sanhuang chicken.

He began cooking.

Jiang Yun deboned and cut the chicken into pieces, placed them in cold water, brought it to a boil, skimmed off the blood foam, and rinsed it clean with cold water.

He heated oil in a pan, sautéed scallions, ginger, and garlic until fragrant, then added the chicken pieces and stir-fried them. After seasoning, he finally added slices of green pepper. The Three Cups Chicken was done.

As for the Teppanyaki Squid, Jiang Yun simply pan-fried it in a skillet. With cumin and sesame seeds sprinkled on, it really did resemble the squid you’d find grilled on street stalls.

Finally, it was six thirty—dinnertime.

Huang Kang carefully carried a bowl of tangyuan to Yang Ying’s side. “Ying Ying, try it and see how it tastes!”

Yang Ying was a bit embarrassed; she hadn’t expected Huang Kang to actually make it.

Yang Ying tasted it thoughtfully. “Teacher Huang, it tastes wonderful!”

Huang Kang felt gratified; his vanity was greatly satisfied.

“Teacher Huang, what about ours?” Chen Chi looked at the fruit tangyuan and swallowed.

Huang Kang’s face darkened. “There isn’t any!”

Jiang Yun placed the Three Cups Chicken and Teppanyaki Squid on the table. “Teacher Huang only made one bowl.”

“Huh?”

Deng Xin and Chen Chi sighed, their faces full of gloom; suddenly, the Three Cups Chicken and Teppanyaki Squid before them seemed less appetizing.

“Yang Ying is getting special treatment!” Chen Chi complained.

“Well, what can you do? She’s a girl, after all. An underprivileged group!” Deng Xin remarked.

Chen Chi and Deng Xin played off each other, like a comedy duo.

“You’re the underprivileged group. Your whole family is the underprivileged group.” Yang Ying and Deng Xin seemed to rub each other the wrong way, bickering throughout the afternoon.

Jiang Yun wasn’t surprised, because this was part of the persona. Every celebrity had their own persona.

Just like Jiang Yun—he had his own persona: the all-rounder, the logical one.

Everyone ate with laughter and conversation.

“Hey, Jiang Yun, what was the name of the piano piece you played last episode?” Deng Xin asked.

“‘Canon’!” Jiang Yun replied succinctly.

“‘Canon’? Great name! Jiang Yun, you’re really famous now!” Deng Xin said.

Jiang Yun was taken aback. “Why?”

“You don’t know?” Deng Xin exclaimed in surprise.

“No,” Jiang Yun shook his head.

“He actually doesn’t know!” Deng Xin looked at Chen Chi.

“Let me tell you!” Yang Ying interjected. “Your piano video has gone viral across the internet—even abroad! The Viennese piano master Roland Karr even liked it!”

“Famous across the net!” Chen Chi echoed.

Jiang Yun was stunned; he hadn’t expected his casual piano performance to become such a hit.

“Oh, it’s nothing!” Jiang Yun said modestly. “Master Roland Karr is overpraising me.”

“Jiang Yun, since everyone’s free now, why don’t you play us a piano piece?” He Ling suggested.

“Alright then!”

Jiang Yun slowly walked to the piano and sat down gracefully.

His long fingers gently rested on the keys.

“Dong!”

“Dong dong!”

“Dong dong dong!”

Jiang Yun tested the notes.

“A piece of ‘Canon’ for everyone!” Jiang Yun’s ten fingers danced lightly across the keys.

His fingers moved nimbly, gliding from left to right, then right to left.

With each movement, a beautiful melody emerged.

“Dong, dong dong dong, dong dong dong!”

“Dong!”

Jiang Yun stopped playing, stood up, and bowed elegantly, signaling the end of his performance.

“Jiang Yun, that was wonderful—play another!” Chen Chi called out.

“Yes, Jiang Yun, another one!” He Ling agreed.

“Jiang Yun, do you have any new pieces? Play a new one for us, so we can broaden our horizons.” Huang Kang smiled.

Seeing everyone’s enthusiasm, Jiang Yun couldn’t refuse.

“Alright, I’ll play one more—how about ‘Wedding in a Dream’?”

“Bravo!”

The five applauded.

“System, open personal panel!”

“Beep!”

Host: Jiang Yun.

Singing ability: S-level (capable of sustaining a grand concert)

Acting: D+ (more talented than children)

Directing: D-level (can shoot a basic indie film)

Skills: Special forces physique, culinary mastery, piano mastery, S-level hand speed, clear logic, martial arts proficiency.

Songs: “Words Don’t Match the Heart,” “Crossing the Ocean to See You,” “Rice Fragrance,” “Heartbroken Pacific,” “Become Wealthy,” “One Night in Summer Capital,” “Blue and White Porcelain,” “Free to Fly,” “Little Apple,” “The Brightest Star in the Night Sky,” “Moon on the Fifteenth Night”

Piano pieces: “Canon”

Novel: “Battle Horses Across the Sky”

Props: Three S-level Acting Experience Cards, One single-use Hacker Skill Experience Card (expired).

Popularity value: 4,153,086

Jiang Yun saw his popularity had increased by another half million and nodded inwardly.

“System, exchange piano piece ‘Wedding in a Dream’!”

“Beep! Deducting 100,000 popularity value. Congratulations, host, exchange successful!”

Jiang Yun slowly sat on the bench, his posture elegant, and began to play.

“Dong dong dong dong dong…”

The quiet mountain village, a few houses. From afar, the rooms glowed with soft lights. The graceful piano melody drifted, floating through the tranquil village.

Kitchen.

“Teacher Huang, Jiang Yun, let us do the dishes!” Deng Xin and the others entered the kitchen.

The kitchen was bright and clean; Huang Kang and Jiang Yun were washing dishes.

“Do you know how?” Huang Kang straightened up.

“Teacher Huang Kang, don’t treat us like domestic idiots!” Yang Ying said playfully.

“Alright, then you do it!” Huang Kang took off his apron and rubber gloves. “Jiang Yun, come on, let’s rest!”

“Alright!” Jiang Yun also removed his apron and gloves.

The pair walked out of the kitchen.

“Remember to clean the outside of the bowls too!” Huang Kang called out.

Jiang Yun and Huang Kang went to the living room for tea.

Kitchen.

“Why do we need to wash the outside of the bowls?” Chen Chi asked innocently.

“Because it looks cleaner that way!” Yang Ying replied.

Yang Ying turned and looked at Deng Xin. “Deng Xin?! Why aren’t you washing the outside of the bowls?”

Deng Xin answered nonchalantly, “We don’t eat off the outside of the bowls!”

“Go to hell! What kind of logic is that?” Yang Ying turned to Chen Chi. “Chen Chi, you didn’t wash the outside either!”

“I think Xin’s got a point. We all eat from the inside of the bowl—have you ever seen anyone eat from the outside? Look, for example…” Chen Chi spoke as if delivering an academic paper.

“You still have to wash the outside!”