Chapter 25 Part 1

'Who wants to go to your house to burn incense...!'

Ji Shuangyu said reluctantly, "Don't worry, I won't cause any offense."

'Ji Shuangyu, respect your (richest) good friend's beliefs!'

Although he was an atheist and truly speechless, Ji Shuangyu had no intention of forcibly convincing others to change their preferences. All he had to do was not cause trouble at Zhou Siyin's home.

—What a joke, a person's fundamental nature isn't that easy to change. Hadn't he been brainwashing Xu Xinyue every day, yet Xu Xinyue had only grown numb and hadn't become a generous person.

Zhou Siyin breathed a sigh of relief. He hadn't said that because he was really afraid Ji Shuangyu would face the wrong direction, but rather as another way to remind Ji Shuangyu, after all...

Fortunately, Ji Shuangyu seemed very alert.

They arrived at the Zhou family's old residence. The total area of this old Zhou Manor was astonishing. Ji Shuangyu asked about its footprint and calculated that it was nearly ten thousand square meters. Unlike Ji Shuangyu, who had to consider buying a Western-style house or a courtyard house, the Zhou family had it all. From the outside, the Zhou Manor looked like an old-style multi-courtyard siheyuan, but several Western-style houses had been built inside as well. They could live however they pleased.

The Zhou residence was exceptionally warm. The corridors connecting the various rooms were all enclosed in glass, making it incredibly comfortable to move around in winter.

Before, Ji Shuangyu's family had only been willing to install a small pane of glass below the windows.

Ji Shuangyu had specially brought a fountain pen and paper. Whenever he saw something interesting, he would sketch it down and ask Zhou Siyin about it.

Zhou Siyin only spent about half the year at the main residence; the rest of the time he lived in his own apartment. However, his room was still kept spotlessly clean.

When they toured Zhou Siyin's territory, Ji Shuangyu made an affirmative sound. "It looks good."

The owner had excellent taste. The furnishings were mostly Chinese-style, with everything from flowers in vases as offerings to ancient paintings on silk. It was simple and natural, fresh and elegant. There was indeed a jade Guanyin statue enshrined there, exquisitely carved and lifelike, compassionate and dignified.

Ji Shuangyu hissed at the sight of it, his expression filled with awe—'Good heavens, one look at this carving and you know it's extremely expensive. I absolutely must not touch it.'

Then he walked around it.

On the desk were several books in their original foreign languages. Ji Shuangyu flipped through them and found they were all science books on topics like chemistry and mathematics... This was just ridiculous!

He didn't know if Zhou Siyin was interested in them himself, or if Kunlun Bookstore was planning to import them.

Ji Shuangyu wanted to say something but stopped himself.

...'Forget it, forget it. The era is different. Even in modern times, many big bosses pursue feng shui. I shouldn't be so demanding of others.'

During the tour, Ji Shuangyu could also see Zhou Siyin's standing in the family. With Old Master Zhou in Hushang, the Zhou residence was occupied by other clan members. When they occasionally ran into Zhou Siyin giving Ji Shuangyu a tour, they would say hello and then slip away without daring to ask another word, which saved Ji Shuangyu the trouble of making small talk.

After being busy for a few hours, Ji Shuangyu felt he had recorded enough and finally sat down for tea.

"Why are you drawing them separately?" Zhou Siyin had thought Ji Shuangyu's "realistic scenery" was like that of other stages, where the entire scene, including furnishings, was painted on the backdrop. He didn't quite understand why Ji Shuangyu was sketching objects from different angles.

"Because they will be made separately," Ji Shuangyu said.

"How can that be done?" Connecting this to the sense of space he had arranged on the opera stage, Zhou Siyin guessed that he might be trying to construct a three-dimensional space. However, props like these, especially if you wanted to convey the atmosphere of a wealthy family, usually had to be built with a lot of money.

The Spring Thunder Drama Club's performance budget, after deducting Ji Shuangyu's salary, was only two thousand yuan. That wasn't even enough to buy the small red sandalwood table with a base stretcher that was holding their tea.

"To be able to pass off the fake as real, that's true skill. Using real materials doesn't show any ability, and you'd also worry the actors would be too cautious to move freely," Ji Shuangyu said with a smile. "It's not just the set. The costumes will also need to have texture. We can't afford real fur coats, but we can simulate the visual effect."

If you were to place a priceless prop on stage, it couldn't get more real, but the actors would have to constantly worry about damaging it.

Zhou Siyin grunted in acknowledgment, looking at Ji Shuangyu who was drinking tea. In the candlelight, he was still wearing his hat. It was originally the thing Zhou Siyin dreaded most, but now he was reminded of that head of frosty hair. Under the moonlight, amidst the melting snow...

It was actually extremely beautiful, though not a color of this world.

In a daze, Zhou Siyin blurted out, "You still don't have a courtesy name? It's really inconvenient to address you. How about I choose one for you? 'Henian' would be excellent..."

'Why is he suddenly giving me a name.'

Ji Shuangyu wouldn't have gotten Zou Muyun's hint, but when Zhou Siyin said it directly, he didn't object. "Not bad, that's great."

Zhou Siyin suddenly came back to his senses, realizing that he had actually agreed!

With Ji Shuangyu accepting the name, Zhou Siyin was at a loss. He couldn't understand why he was at a loss, and as if explaining to himself, he said, "This name has little to do with your given name. I was just thinking of your youthful frosty hair..."

He thought, 'We are friends and business partners. What's wrong with choosing a courtesy name for a friend who doesn't have one?' With this thought, he relaxed.

"Oh, that." Ji Shuangyu took off his hat. His white hair had faded to a slightly flaxen color, and a section of black hair had grown out at the roots. Only because he was handsome could he pull off such a look.

But more importantly, the "frosty hair" was no longer a valid reason.

Ji Shuangyu: "I think it's because I've been eating more meat. My white hair condition is starting to improve."

Zhou Siyin: ".........."

Zhou Siyin lowered his head, shutting down.

The dazed feeling from just a moment ago turned entirely into curses in his heart. 'Damn it.'

"Hahahaha, it's fine. I can still use this name. Who says it's unrelated? Frost, snow, and the white of a crane are just like a painting," Ji Shuangyu couldn't help but laugh at his expression. True, who could have expected this? He offered a word of comfort.

"Are you serious? You're not messing with me?" Zhou Siyin glanced at him warily, very much aware of how often he was teased. "Ji Henian?"

Ji Shuangyu had been laughing, but hearing him call him that, he felt a numbness in his fingers that went straight to his heart.

A name was originally the first blessing, the first meaning, given to a person in life.

After receiving this name, he felt as if he had formed a connection with this world.

After a moment of daze, Ji Shuangyu finally responded to Zhou Siyin's suspicious gaze, "It's me. That's me."

......

When Ji Shuangyu left, it was already nine or ten at night. Zhou Siyin wasn't staying here tonight either and was headed to his own place, so he gave Ji Shuangyu a ride back to Small Drum Alley.

Passing by a street of food stalls, Ji Shuangyu called for a stop. He had only had a small snack after work and was tired from all the thinking at Zhou Siyin's house. "I want to get out and buy some steamed dumplings!"

They were called steamed dumplings, but this stall's specialty was steaming them and then pan-frying them. Seasoned with pepper and mutton fat, they had a unique flavor that Ji Shuangyu really liked.

And this food stall had a lottery game.

At this time, many small businesses ran lotteries. It was like buying sugar paintings, where they had a turntable you could spin, and whatever pattern it landed on, they would make for you. It increased the customers' interest.

The sticks in this lottery tube were carved with pai gow points. If the points drawn exceeded thirteen, you won and could take a double portion of dumplings. If you lost, you only got one portion.

"Boss, I want to draw!" Ji Shuangyu complained to Zhou Siyin, who was waiting in the car behind him. "I lose every single time. What do you think is going on?"

"Hahaha, Mr. Ji, maybe you'll hit a win this time," the boss said, consoling him cheerfully. He was also an opera fan and recognized Ji Shuangyu. He was always so proud of the fact that Ji Shuangyu loved his steamed dumplings. By extension, Jin Que knew him too!

To be honest, seeing Ji Shuangyu lose every time, the boss was tempted to help him cheat, but in the end, he resisted and remained an honest man.

Hearing this, Zhou Siyin said meaningfully, "Do you know why?"

Ji Shuangyu: "Huh? I don't know."

Zhou Siyin: "Think carefully. Every time after you finish work..."

Ji Shuangyu: "..."

'What other reason could there be! Every time you play a hanged ghost, you don't remove your makeup properly. You're terribly unlucky!' Zhou Siyin looked at him knowingly.

"Enough with the feudal superstitions!" Ji Shuangyu cursed as he drew a stick. The result was three ones.

The boss: "..."

Ji Shuangyu: "..."

He wanted to curse up a storm.

Zhou Siyin opened the car door, got out, and said proudly, "Move aside, let me. I burned incense today."

Ji Shuangyu: "..."

He pushed the very reluctant Ji Shuangyu aside, cupped the lottery tube in his hands, and actually closed his eyes to pray for a moment.

The steam rising from the pot swirled around his long fingers and deep-set eyes, like incense smoke in an ancient temple, adding a touch of serene charm to the small street.

Ji Shuangyu, finding this both amusing and somehow cute, couldn't help but uncap his fountain pen...

As for Zhou Siyin, after praying for a moment, he drew three sticks, rolled them between his fingers, and spread them open to look.

Ji Shuangyu: "How is it??"

Zhou Siyin gave a disdainful smile and showed them to him and the boss. "Three-one and four-five-six."

—Three-one and four-five-six, a great smooth run! According to the rules, it wasn't just a double portion; the boss had to give him three portions of dumplings!

Ji Shuangyu was dumbfounded.