Five minutes later, there was another knock on the office door, and Mrs. Wen walked in with a child of about eight years old.
Mrs. Wen looked at her grandson with concern, “Tongtong1, are you hungry now?”
Tongtong shook his head and touched his tummy. “Grandma, I’m not hungry.”
Instead of being happy, Mrs. Wen felt even more distressed.
Tongtong had always been a pickier eater than other children and had always lived with his parents in the capital, only seeing them during holidays. When they visited during a recent holiday, she noticed Tongtong had lost weight and, upon asking, learned she had childhood anorexia.
Childhood anorexia wasn’t a life-threatening illness, but it was still very distressing for these elders.
Tongtong often has poor appetite, showing no interest in food and even refusing to eat. The couple has been seeking medical help for some time now.
Mrs. Wen led Tongtong to the sofa, had him sit down, and waited for Chancellor Wen to finish work.
Just then, she glanced at the wall next to her and was surprised to find that the calligraphy on the left wall was gone.
If it were any other scroll, it wouldn’t be so bad, but that calligraphy of Li Shangyin’s ‘Untitled’ poem was a token of their love.
Mrs. Wen frowned, walked to the desk, looked at her distraught husband, and asked with some displeasure, “Why did you take that calligraphy scroll down?”
Chancellor Wen: “…”
He couldn’t exactly say it’s because the blue bird in the poem actually jumped out in real life, could he?
Chancellor Wen awkwardly wiped his face, speaking vaguely, not wanting to alarm his wife, “I plan to get it maintained before hanging it up again.” This maintenance period would probably… last ten thousand years.
After hearing his explanation, Madam Wen understood and let him go.
Chancellor Wen was a lover of ancient culture. He enjoyed reading ancient books, playing chess, painting, and collecting things. Mrs. Wen remembered that he had collected many antiques and ancient paintings.
Madam Wen turned to look at the wall next to her and noticed with a puzzlement that the painting of the wenyao was gone.
She asked, “Didn’t you like the wenyao? You even said they brought bountiful harvest and was very auspicious. Why don’t you have it up anymore?”
“… Let’s not dwell on the past,” Chancellor Wen finally said. “I’ve long since stopped liking this kind of supernatural beast.”
Chancellor Wen had become increasingly melancholy after meeting Qing Niao.
Why was he so popular with supernatural beasts? Whoever’s calligraphy or painting he hung, that supernatural beast would soon come to visit.
A frightening thought arose in Chancellor Wen’s mind: could the calligraphy and paintings he hung, and all the books he collected, all come true in real life? That’s impossible!
His other collections were far more impressive than the wenyao and the bluebird; how could they possibly be brought to life in the human world?
Chancellor Wen turned to look at the fenghuang on the right wall, then turned to look at the Azure Dragon on the back wall. He had many other collections in his home that he has not yet displayed.
However, even after the wenyao incident and the blue bird incident, Chancellor Wen found that he still didn’t want to touch the two paintings, after all, they were bought at a high price!
To boost his morale, Chancellor Wen picked up the Pixiu carved from sandalwood, about half the size of his palm, from his desk.
This was the Pixiu given to him by an old friend. Many people know that Pixiu could attract wealth, but it also had another name: Bixie (warding off evil). If you have a Pixiu near you, you will be protected from all evil.
Although Chancellor Wen liked mythical creatures, he had only ever read ancient books as novels and didn’t believe in their contents. But this Pixiu was a gift from a good friend, and he couldn’t refuse it. This small sandalwood Pixiu was easy to handle and play with, and over time it became shinier with handling, and he developed a fondness for it.
Chancellor Wen glanced at the Pixiu in his hand. He had such a good relationship with the Pixiu that if it became real, it would definitely help him and drive away all the supernatural creatures around him.
Chancellor Wen was so engrossed in his own world, fantasizing about the Pixiu transforming into human form to protect him, that he didn’t even notice when the delivery order was opened.
Seeing that he hasn’t touched the lunch box, Mrs. Wen took the initiative to open the package for him.
As soon as the box was opened, a strong fragrance filled the air inside the office.
Tongtong couldn’t help but put down his toy, look up, and mutter, “What smells so good?”
Mrs. Wen glanced at the contents of the lunch box, a hint of amazement flashing in her eyes. “It’s a big chicken leg.”
The big chicken leg, with its reddish-brown color and golden sheen characteristic of roasted food, was a visually appealing piece that deserved applause. A unique sweet aroma mingled with the meaty fragrance, making one’s mouth water.
Tongtong, drawn by the enticing aroma, couldn’t resist moving closer. The rich meaty scent created an inexplicable emptiness in his stomach, which then began to gurgle.
Hearing her grandson’s stomach growl, Mrs. Wen was pleasantly surprised. “Tongtong, do you want a big chicken leg?”
Tongtong rubbed his belly, nodded deeply, and kept swallowing, “Grandma, I want to eat a big chicken leg.”
Mrs. Wen called out to Chancellor Wen, but he remained lost in his own world, seemingly pondering something, and did not respond for a long time. Following his usual behavior, Mrs. Wen assumed he had agreed, so she wrapped the chicken leg at the base with a tissue and handed it to Tongtong.
Tongtong’s eyes lit up when he saw the plump, crispy chicken leg with its bright golden sheen. He opened his little mouth, took a bite, and couldn’t help but exclaim, “Wow, this chicken leg is so delicious!”
The chicken leg was roasted to perfection, resulting in a tender and juicy texture rather than a dry or crunchy one.
The crispy chicken leg was deep-fried2, with paper-thin skin that was feathery and crispy. The first bite even produces a subtle crunching sound.
Once the crispy chicken skin melted in your mouth, the juicy chicken meat, mixed with the aroma of the crispy skin, would explode in your mouth.
The rich juices had been locked inside the chicken skin, making it tender, juicy, and savory. With each chew, the crispy roasted chicken leg revealed its full flavor.
Tongtong quickly tore at the large chicken leg with his teeth, eager to savor more of the tender, juicy meat. He was completely captivated by the crispy chicken leg in front of him, his eyes and mind fixed solely on it, and soon he had devoured all the meat off the bone.
When Tongtong saw that there was no more meat, a deep sense of frustration flashed across his eyes, but when he accidentally licked a bone, his eyes instantly lit up again.
The crispy chicken leg underwent multiple processes, ensuring that they were thoroughly marinated and flavorful, so even the bones were fragrant.
When Chancellor Wen felt waves of hunger in his stomach, he finally came to his senses, stopped thinking about supernatural things, and prepared to use food to heal his deeply wounded heart.
There was nothing in this world that a good meal cannot solve.
If it still cannot be solved, then have two meals.
However, when Chancellor Wen looked at his desk with great anticipation, he only found an empty box. The lunchbox, which had been full, was now completely empty, not even a single grain of rice, let alone the crispy chicken leg he had been longing for.
Meanwhile, his grandson, who had a poor appetite, was gnawing on chicken bones, repeatedly saying how delicious it was.
His wife gracefully pulled out a tissue and slowly and elegantly began to wipe his greasy mouth. “Your lunchbox is delicious.”
Chancellor Wen: “…”
Mythical Beast Cafeteria translated by Maela @ whitemoonlighttranslations.com
T/N: The fenghuang is a Chinese mythical bird that is 99% translated to phoenix but other than they are both mythical birds, it has nothing in common with the Western phoenix. It is not related to fire, it does not get reborn in ashes. It is a herald that descends from the heavens to mark times of great peace, virtue, and the dawn of a prosperous new era. It is considered the monarch of all birds.
It can see through a person’s heart, brings fortune to the virtuous, and signifies balance of the yin and yang.
It was originally of two genders: the feng (male/yang) and the huang (female/yin), leading to a famous ancient courting poem ‘feng seeks huang’. Over time, the fenghuang has merged into a female entity and is now associated with the empress, while the dragon is associated with the emperor.
Even today, the fenghuang (called hou’ou in Japanese) is a traditional symbol of the Japanese imperial family.
Here’s the feng and the huang depicted as facing each other.
The fenghuang is associated with 5 colors (not just red or with flames). Red, yellow, blue/green, white, and black—each representing the fundamental virtues of Chinese philosophy.
Note, the fenghuang is also NOT related to the Vermillion Bird of the South, which is traditionally one of the 4 guardians of the Chinese constellations (along with the Azure Dragon, Black Tortoise, White Tiger). Somewhat closer to the western phoenix, the Vermillion Bird is at least associated with the element fire.
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Opposite of what happened to the fenghuang, the pixiu—that also originally had two genders—became solely male over time.
The female pixiu (two antlers) is called Bixue, which means ‘to ward off evil’. The male pixiu (one antler) is called Tianlu; he is tasked with hunting and attracting wealth.
This is Bixue; she has two antlers.
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