Chapter 52

Qian Jianing looked speechlessly at Wang Chenchen. When girls are young, adults always warn them not to be lured away by candy or treats. But this girl? She didn’t even wait to be tricked—she was ready to deliver herself.

Wang Chenchen looked at Qian Jianing with an adorably clueless smile. Tian Miaomiao, hearing them talk about “five thousand” and “a fortune,” assumed it was some kind of joke and joined in with a silly grin.

Looking at these two silly girls, one in front and one beside her, Qian Jianing felt a bit helpless. Just as she was about to speak, their homeroom teacher, Wang Dong, appeared at the door and gestured to her, “Qian Jianing, come with me to the principal’s office.”

Wang Chenchen quickly looked around. “Isn’t Qian Jianing our class top scorer? Which one is she?”

Qian Jianing stood up and patted her on the arm. “No need to look. That’s me.”

Wang Chenchen turned her head, staring blankly as Qian Jianing walked to the door, greeted Teacher Wang, and the two of them left together.

“She’s really the top scorer?” Wang Chenchen asked Tian Miaomiao, pointing at the door.

Tian Miaomiao solemnly hung the little wooden tag necklace around her neck and nodded seriously. “I only found out five minutes before you did.”

“Wow, what is going on?” Wang Chenchen looked at the now-empty seat beside her, her head spinning. “What is this? So, a top scorer who doesn’t want to be a chef can’t be a good Chinese medicine doctor either?”

Unlike the vast campuses of future universities, the current university wasn’t that big. Wang Dong and Qian Jianing walked for about ten minutes before arriving at a small conference room in the administrative building. Wang Dong knocked on the door, then leaned close and said, “The principal is going to test you. If you pass, you can attend classes freely.”

Qian Jianing immediately became serious. Since this concerned her academic freedom, she needed to take it seriously.

“Come in.”

“Let’s go.” Wang Dong pushed open the door and led Qian Jianing in. When Li Chengming saw her, he greeted her warmly while introducing her to the two elderly men beside him. “This is our new student this year, Qian Jianing, the top scorer from Lu Province. These notes were compiled by her.”

Li Chengming then turned to Qian Jianing and said, “Qian, I was deeply impressed after reading your notes yesterday, so I made a few copies without your permission and invited two of the most esteemed traditional Chinese medicine experts in China—Mr. Zhang Renze and Mr. Cheng Xuewu—to study them. I hope you don’t mind.”

Qian Jianing had already intended to make her notes public, so she just smiled lightly. “It’s fine.”

Traditional Chinese medicine is in decline nowadays. If anyone is most saddened by this, it would be Daoist Master of Medicine. While teaching her, he often hoped she could one day revive what she learned instead of only thinking about medicinal cuisine. The merit of healing and saving lives is far beyond that of being a chef.

Having received his teachings, Qian Jianing naturally wanted to repay him somehow—for example, gradually filling in the missing parts of current TCM to honor the master’s contributions and keep the incense burning strong. That would be the best form of gratitude.

Qian Jianing sat opposite the principal, curiously observing Zhang Renze. It was said that this elderly man was the top Chinese medicine doctor in China, though due to his advanced age, he rarely treated patients anymore—only occasionally giving health advice to national leaders.

Zhang Renze noticed the young girl looking at him and returned a kind smile. “I noticed that many of the concepts in your notes differ from the current TCM system. Some aren’t even present in existing practice. Can you explain some of those ideas to us?”

Thinking this was part of the test, Qian Jianing immediately launched into an enthusiastic explanation.

Daoist Master of Medicine became an immortal by saving countless lives with his exceptional medical skills. After becoming immortal, he continued studying medicine and paid close attention to its development in the human world. He preserved the essence and discarded the dross. After nearly two thousand years of refinement, he produced the medical texts he passed on to her.

Just as he had taught her, Qian Jianing began with theoretical knowledge and then moved on to “observation, listening/smelling, inquiry, and palpation.” Today, few elderly TCM doctors can perform all four well. Most rely solely on inquiry and pulse-taking, with observation and listening/smelling almost entirely lost. Yet even pulse diagnosis is often subpar.

Qian Jianing wanted to do a demonstration. She scanned the room and set her eyes on Wang Dong. “Teacher Wang, may I use you for a demonstration?”

Wang Dong nodded and placed the wrist pillow on the table.

“Observation comes first. For example, Teacher Wang’s complexion is dark and lacks luster.”

Wang Dong touched his face suspiciously. Wasn’t that just from being tanned all summer?

“Next, the lips. They’re pale and dull.”

Wang Dong licked his lips. Maybe that was just because he hadn’t drunk any water this morning?

“Look at the brow area. The skin is loose and wrinkled.”

Wang Dong furrowed his brows. Those wrinkles were definitely from being stressed by students!

“From the overall facial structure, we can see Teacher Wang is upright and rigid, not very tactful, and does things by the book. He lost his mother in childhood, experienced poverty, had an elder brother who died young at age three, and has a younger brother and two sisters. His middle years weren’t smooth, and life only stabilized after forty-five. He has a son and a daughter. When his daughter was two, she faced a great danger but was saved by a benefactor…”

The more Qian Jianing spoke, the more excited she became. The others grew more confused, and Wang Dong looked like he’d been struck by lightning. Finally, Li Chengming couldn’t hold it in and nervously interrupted her, “Jianing, does TCM ‘observation’ really include all that? It sounds more like fortune-telling.”

Qian Jianing froze, then blushed. “Uh, sorry, I also learned divination and metaphysics from another master and got carried away.”

Li Chengming was stunned. The top scorer these days is this multi-talented?

Qian Jianing cleared her throat lightly and returned to the diagnosis. “Teacher Wang, let me take your pulse.”

Teacher Wang, now in shock, numbly placed his wrist on the pillow.

“Many conditions cannot be detected by Western medicine, such as deficiency syndromes. Only TCM’s observation, listening, inquiry, and palpation can reveal them. Western medicine only detects excess syndromes.”

“For example, Teacher Wang’s pulse is thin and rapid, indicating kidney yin deficiency. Have you had sore lower back, spermator—”

“Alright, alright, alright!” Wang Dong finally snapped out of it and cut her off, his face flushing red. Even though he was a TCM doctor and knew one shouldn’t hide illnesses, having a student publicly diagnose him with kidney deficiency was incredibly embarrassing!

Thinking of the unfinished word she didn’t get to say, Wang Dong took a deep breath. Thank goodness he stopped her in time—otherwise his dignity would’ve been shredded.

Seeing this, Li Chengming stepped up. “Let me take Teacher Wang’s pulse.” As he checked the pulse, he also watched Wang Dong’s expression. After a moment, he stood up and turned to Zhang Renze. “There are indeed signs of kidney yin deficiency, but the pulse is shallow. It’s probably just started within the last month or two.”

By this time, Qian Jianing had already written a prescription and happily handed it to Li Chengming. “Principal, here’s the prescription I wrote. Did I pass the test? Can I now attend classes freely?”

Li Chengming looked at the prescription, then at Qian Jianing, with a complex expression. Forget free attendance—she could practically graduate already!

While Li Chengming was taking the pulse, Zhang Renze had flipped through another page of her notes. One section wasn’t entirely clear to him, so he raised a question. Qian Jianing listened, recalled the Daoist Master’s teachings, and repeated them in detail. Instantly, Zhang Renze felt enlightened.

Glancing at the wall clock, Qian Jianing saw it was already 10:20. She immediately stopped speaking and stood up. “Sorry, gentlemen, I have to go home.”

Li Chengming paused and glanced at his watch—indeed, the third period was almost over. Zhang Renze saw the anxious look on her face wasn’t fake and nodded. “Then head back, and take care on the way. If it’s convenient, may we consult you on your notes from time to time?”

“Of course! As long as it doesn’t delay me getting home.” Qian Jianing grabbed her backpack, said goodbye, and ran off. Just outside the door, she suddenly remembered about the principal’s approval for her absences. She stuck her head back in. “Principal, does this mean I can attend class freely now?”

Li Chengming nodded. “Just make sure to show up for exams.”

Qian Jianing excitedly held up two fingers to Li Chengming, then dashed off to the school building entrance, hopped on her bicycle, and sped home.

Freedom felt amazing!
—

That afternoon, as soon as Qian Jianing stepped into the classroom, Wang Chenchen pulled her over to a seat. “You weren’t here this morning. When the teacher was assigning seats, I saved one for you. From now on we’ll sit together.”

Qian Jianing turned her head and looked at her helplessly. “I don’t mind sitting together, but can you stop drooling every time you see me?”

Wang Chenchen wiped her mouth and grinned. “I couldn’t help it. Seeing you reminds me of the food I ate yesterday.” She handed over her morning notes and said seriously, “You weren’t here for class today. The teacher covered a lot. Copy my notes.”

Qian Jianing took the notebook, flipped through it, then handed it back. “Thanks.”

Wang Chenchen was puzzled. “You’re not going to copy them? The teacher said all the key points for the exam are in the notes.”

“I’ve already memorized it. No need to copy.” Qian Jianing smiled. “I have a good memory.”

Wang Chenchen looked at her in disbelief. “You memorized it just from glancing at it?” She flipped to another page. “Then tell me what I wrote in the third paragraph on the second page?”

Qian Jianing glanced at her and fluently recited a string of complex sentences. Wang Chenchen stared dumbfounded at her notebook. She only came back to her senses after Qian Jianing finished. “Out of all my friends growing up, you’re the smartest.” She looked like she was about to cry from excitement. “I feel like if I stay around you, my grades are bound to skyrocket.”

Qian Jianing’s expression became slightly mysterious upon hearing that.

After two classes, Qian Jianing began packing up her bag. Wang Chenchen looked at her, confused. “There’s still one more class—Treatise on Cold Damage.”

Qian Jianing slung her bag over her shoulder and bent down to whisper in Wang Chenchen’s ear. “My restaurant’s open tonight. I have to go back and prep. So make sure you take good notes in the next class. I’ll borrow them tomorrow.”

Wang Chenchen: “……” Weren’t we supposed to improve together? Why are you ditching class!
—

September 23rd, the fifth day of the eighth lunar month, autumn equinox. It was the 75th birthday of General Li Honghai. His children and grandchildren were throwing a grand banquet for him that day at No. 1 Nanting Alley, in Qian Xiaomi’s Private Kitchen, inviting relatives and friends to celebrate.

Lately, many households in the Imperial Capital had been discussing this event, often asking if others had received invitations. The conversations usually went like this:
“Have you ever eaten at this Qian Xiaomi’s Private Kitchen? Never heard of it before.”
“No idea. I thought the birthday banquet would be at the Li family mansion or maybe the Imperial Capital Hotel. How’d they end up at some home-style restaurant?”
“Exactly. And it’s in an alley—probably not even that big.”
“Still, it’s the General’s big day. I’m sure it’ll be something special. The Li kids are all really filial.”
“True. We’ll see on the day if this Qian Xiaomi’s Private Kitchen is as special as people say.”

Qian Jianing still had no idea that her little restaurant had become the talk of the town. At that moment, she was carefully preparing for the banquet.

That morning on the 23rd, Wang Chenchen changed into the outfit she planned to wear for the day and was putting on her shoes when Li Shuling, having just placed freshly boiled milk on the table, asked, “Where are you off to so early? We still have to go to your grandpa’s place at ten.”

“I’m going to the restaurant first. I’ll head to Grandpa’s on my own later,” Wang Chenchen said, grabbing her backpack from the coat rack and rushing out.

“You haven’t even eaten!” Li Shuling called after her. But Wang Chenchen ran even faster. Today, Qian Jianing had surprisingly agreed to let her come over for breakfast—she couldn’t be late.

Her home wasn’t far from Qian Jianing’s residence. Riding her bike fast, she reached Nanting Alley in about ten minutes. She parked outside and rang the doorbell.

“Coming!” Qian Jianing opened the door with a sweet smile. “Perfect timing—the buns just came out of the steamer.”

“I followed the smell here,” Wang Chenchen grinned, hugging Qian Jianing’s arm. “You have no idea. Since you invited me to breakfast on Friday, I’ve dreamed of your food two nights in a row. My mom was so confused—she asked why my pillow was soaked with sweat.”

They both burst into laughter. “You’re a proper young lady, you know. Is it okay to drool over food like this?” Qian Jianing teased.

Wang Chenchen chuckled. “It’s my mom’s fault for being a bad cook. My dad’s always busy, so once I tasted your food, I was hooked.”

They walked into the main hall. The room had been completely redecorated. A big “Longevity” character was hung on the wall, and evergreen plants were placed around. The old square table was replaced with a large round one.

“That calligraphy is beautiful!” Wang Chenchen said, inspecting it. “I don’t know much, but I’ve seen plenty at my grandpa’s place. This one feels powerful.”

Qian Jianing smiled. “It’s borrowed from a friend. I have to return it after the banquet.” It was a rare gesture of generosity from Treasure Bowl, who had insisted on its immediate return afterward. Seeing the way Treasure Bowl was practically glowing with greed, she figured the Li family must have paid generously for this banquet. Otherwise, Treasure Bowl would never do something without profit.

Qian Jianing went to fetch breakfast from the kitchen. Wang Chenchen, having washed her hands, poked her head in. “Need help with anything?”

“Put this on the table,” Qian Jianing said, handing her a plate of smoked ‘wild goose wings.’

These weren’t actual goose wings—they were made from pork ribs arranged to look like outstretched wings. Qian Jianing had coated the marinated ribs with red yeast rice and smoked them over sawdust all morning. They were perfect now.

Wang Chenchen smelled the dish and couldn’t help swallowing, a goofy grin spreading across her face. “Meat in the morning, huh?”

“You can have pickles,” Qian Jianing said, handing her a plate of soy-pickled radish. “Goes great with porridge.”

“No way, meat gives me strength,” Wang Chenchen said firmly.

Qian Jianing brought out two steamers of soup dumplings, two bowls of glutinous rice porridge, and a plate of deboned duck feet. In no time, the table was full. Wang Chenchen looked at the spread with envy. “Do you eat like this every morning?”

“Depends on my mood. Sometimes even more than this.” Qian Jianing smiled and pushed a steamer of dumplings toward her. “Try the crab roe ones. They made me famous back home.”

Wang Chenchen picked one up and bit into it. Hot soup gushed out immediately. She winced at the heat but couldn’t help slurping the soup, eyes brimming with emotion. “So good, Jianing! The crab roe is so fresh—my whole mouth is full of crab meat. I feel blessed just eating it.”

Afraid she’d scald her mouth, Qian Jianing poured her a chilled sour plum drink. “Eat as much as you like. I made plenty.”

They sat back down. Qian Jianing popped a piece of duck foot into her mouth and took a sip of porridge. The porridge had been simmered for an hour using rice from Xiantao.com. Each grain looked intact but melted in the mouth. Paired with the savory, slightly spicy duck feet, she felt like she could easily finish two bowls.

After two dumplings, Wang Chenchen switched to the smoked ribs. She bit one end, gave it a gentle tug, and the meat slid cleanly off the bone. It was tender, flavorful, and not greasy at all.

“Jianing, whoever marries you will be the luckiest person alive.” Wang Chenchen’s mouth was stuffed, one hand holding a dumpling, the other a rib, her face full of longing. “If I were a man, I’d marry you. Why am I not a guy? We could be planning our wedding right now.”

“Well, thank you for falling in love with me so easily!” Qian Jianing said, stuffing a bite of smoked meat into her mouth. After chewing thoughtfully, she nodded. “First time making this, and the seasoning turned out just right. Not too salty, doesn’t get stuck in your teeth. I should make more as snacks later.”

Wang Chenchen was in tears. “Sis, your snacks are way too extravagant! Why don’t we just talk about getting married already?”

Qian Jianing couldn’t help but laugh. Looking at Wang Chenchen’s innocent, gluttonous face, she reached out and smeared some grease on it.

After breakfast, Qian Jianing turned down Wang Chenchen’s offer to help with the dishes. While she went to wash her hands, Qian Jianing quickly tidied up and loaded everything into the dishwasher. When Wang Chenchen came back in after washing her hands and face, she found not only the table spotless, but even the floor had been wiped clean.

“Then what should I do? I can’t just sit around, right?” Wang Chenchen looked at Qian Jianing expectantly. “Give me more work to do, so next time I’ll have a better excuse to freeload again.”

Qian Jianing glanced around. “Actually, there’s not much you can help with right now. Oh, if you’re free, why not make the cake with me?”

Wang Chenchen blinked and looked at her with great anticipation. “A birthday cake? I’ve only eaten them, never made one.”

The cake layers were already baked—five in total, each a different size. Qian Jianing took out the whipped cream and spread it on one layer before handing the spatula to Wang Chenchen. “The rest is up to you. Once you finish, I’ll decorate it.” Thinking of how pampered Wang Chenchen was, Qian Jianing felt the need to encourage her. “It’s your grandpa’s birthday anyway—even if it turns out ugly, he’ll still be happy. So go ahead and do it boldly.”

Holding the spatula, Wang Chenchen laughed. “My grandpa will definitely be happy. I’m his favorite at home. Hehe, and I’m pretty happy too.”

While Wang Chenchen clumsily waved the spatula around, Qian Jianing went inside and brought out a pumpkin and two radishes to start carving.

Wang Chenchen was fully focused on the cake. After much effort, she finally managed to frost one layer. Just as she was about to show it off to Qian Jianing, she saw her wielding a carving knife at lightning speed on the pumpkin. As pieces of it fell away, an old man with a staff and a birthday peach gradually emerged from the pumpkin.

Eyebrows, eyes, a smile—his facial features took shape. Before long, a lifelike Longevity God stood on the cutting board, full of charm.

“Jianing, you’re amazing—talented in every way!” Wang Chenchen felt like every day with Qian Jianing brought a new surprise. It was as if there was nothing in the world she couldn’t do.

She had been so engrossed in watching the carving that by the time Qian Jianing finished the cake topper, Wang Chenchen still hadn’t finished frosting her cake.

With nothing else pressing, Qian Jianing mixed a bowl of dough to make longevity peaches. The dough had to be stiff so the peaches wouldn’t lose shape during steaming. After letting the dough rest for ten minutes, she cut it into pieces and filled them with a variety of fillings—five-nut mix, black sesame, peanut, red bean paste, date paste, and white lotus seed paste. She shaped them into peaches, painted green leaves at the base with spinach juice, brushed a light pink hue over them, and finished with a bold red “寿” character on each.

Her hands moved quickly—one peach every thirty seconds. By the time Wang Chenchen finished frosting a few layers, Qian Jianing had already placed the peaches in the steamer to proof. She clapped the flour off her hands and walked over to examine Wang Chenchen’s work: uneven layers, rough edges—like something made by a child. The effort was there, but the result was hard to look at.

Still, Qian Jianing only wanted her to experience the joy of honoring her elders. Even if the cake wasn’t perfect, it could be fixed. Seeing the whipped cream was starting to melt, she took the bowl to the kitchen’s inner room. A minute later, she came back with thick, rich whipped cream.

The kitchen’s temperature gradually dropped. Qian Jianing spun the cake turntable deftly, smoothing the layers evenly in no time.

On the pristine white surface, she decorated with green pine trees standing proudly among the clouds, symbolizing longevity. That cake was set aside, and she picked up another one. Holding a piping bag, she carefully decorated it: a solemn turtle rested on one side, with cranes dancing gracefully nearby. On it, she wrote four large characters—“龜鶴延年” (Longevity like Turtles and Cranes).

“福如東海” (Blessings as Vast as the Eastern Sea) and “壽比南山” (Longevity like the Southern Mountain)—two more cakes emerged from her hands. She arranged them on the cake stand in order. The topmost layer was left blank except for the carved Longevity God and cranes, and she wrote a neat red “壽” character. The cake was finished.

Wang Chenchen picked up a corner scrap cut from one of the cake layers, dipped it in cream, and popped it into her mouth, smiling with joy. “Jianing, your cake is so delicious.”

Watching her scarf down all the scraps in no time, Qian Jianing reminded her, “The birthday banquet starts in two hours. If you keep eating, you might not have room for the Buddha Jumps Over the Wall.”

Wang Chenchen hesitated, then popped the cake into her mouth anyway. “It’s fine. I’ll just bring a few extra containers—whatever I can’t finish, I’ll take home!”