As they sit down at the table, Yuan Ge serves the spaghetti Bolognese and salad on a plate and places it in front of Rong Qiuchen. He wants to remind him that he should eat the pasta with a fork, but when he sees the way he plays with the cutlery like he has never seen a knife and fork before, he gives up again and hands him the chopsticks instead.
However, looking at his plate of deliciously smelling pasta, he suddenly loses his appetite - it is the first time in his life he has used a toilet brush - and he feels that not only his hands but his whole body stank!
Rong Qiuchen peeks at Yuan Ge's face, trying to read his mood, and naturally he doesn't have much of an appetite either, his head hanging low, his face ashen, and even though he is not blushing, his expression is still one of obvious embarrassment. Perhaps he feels it is inappropriate to remain silent, so he tries to make small talk to get out of this awkwardness.
"Childe Yuan, do you usually stay in this house? Do people in the imperial city no longer live in courtyard houses?"
"The courtyard house? Yes, people still live in them. It costs several hundred million yuan to buy, not something the average person can afford." Seeing Rong Qiuchen's puzzled look, he has to add, "What, you want me to help you change the currency unit to the Guangxu period? Well, I've done my research anyway when I was preparing to shoot the film Qingqing, so if you're good at maths, happy to continue your game. One tael of silver in the Guangxu period was about 200 yuan in today's currency, so 100 million yuan would be 500,000 taels, which most people could not afford at all, even in your day. This small flat of mine, although it is only 60 square metres, is worth about nine million yuan, or roughly 45,000 taels of silver, just because it is in this prime location."
Rong Qiuchen says in surprise, "For such a small residence …" and then immediately stops and covers his mouth, as if realising that he has said something rude.
Yuan Ge says with a self-mocking smile, "No problem. You are right. It is very small. If you think about it, Beijing has a huge population now, 23 times more than in the Qing Dynasty. Many immigrants can't afford to buy a house, so the living space is definitely not as spacious as it was in the Qing Dynasty. I've only recently come to live in this flat because it's closer to the film set and more convenient for me. When I'm not filming, I usually go back to my parents' house in the Western Hills."
"I see. The Second Lord of the House of Rong also has a dozen private residences in the imperial capital."
"Ha! You mean Ronglu? How can I compare with him! He was a first-grade minister, a real powerful figure, the equivalent of someone from the Guan family of today. I'm just a film director. I don't have that kind of financial power."
Rong Qiuchen's face relaxes a little and says with a smile, "I know who you are. I stayed in the Rong Mansion for the past few days and I saw that Childe Yuan and Qiuchen are actually in the same profession. You are also a performer in the theatrical circle."
Yuan Ge tilts his head and blinks, "Uh, the acting world is much broader now than the theatre world used to be. I, as a director, would have been the person in charge of choreographing plays in an opera troupe in the Qing Dynasty. You said I was a performer … Hmmm … I guess it can be called that, in a way." After saying this, he suddenly glares at the boy, "Why do I have to convert everything to the Qing Dynasty for you? Haven't you had enough of cosplaying as Rong Qiuchen?"
Rong Qiuchen seems to be accustomed to this kind of questioning from Yuan Ge, and after taking a few bites of the pasta on his plate, he asks another question, "Childe Yuan, what kind of spell are you using? How can you make fire out of thin air?" As he asked, he pointed to the gas stove in the kitchen.
Yuan Ge deliberately makes an evil face, ''I can do demon spells! It's the gas produced by the decaying bodies of various creatures that died billions of years ago. I use it for cooking - are you scared?"
However, Rong Qiuchen can tell that he was teasing. He laughs and continues to ask, "Why don't you have any maids in your house? Do you have to do such trivial things as washing and cooking yourself?"
"Where did you get this feudal thought in your head? What maidservants or boy servants, I'm not blessed with that! You little decadent, have you remembered your real name or not? I see you are quite familiar with the area, so your family must live nearby, right?"
Rong Qiuchen's dark eyes look seriously at Yuan Ge and he says, "I am indeed Rong Qiuchen, a servant of the Rong Mansion. I am not deceiving you, Childe Yuan. Now that I've been saved by you, I am willing to be a servant in your mansion and take care of your daily needs."
"Fine, fine, my servant boy, finish your dinner and go take a shower when you're done. Take care of me? If you can take care of yourself, I'll be thanking the Buddha for that! Don't forget, I'm still waiting in line for the shower, so hurry up. If it wasn't for the pasta getting cold, I wouldn't want to eat with this toilet 'aroma'."
Seeing Yuan Ge's disdain, and hearing him bring up the previous topic, Rong Qiuchen dares not dawdle any longer. After finishing the meal in front of him in a few bites, he wants to get up and clear the dishes, but is afraid of continuing to annoy him, so he goes into the bathroom as he was told.
However, a long time passed and he did not come out. Nor is there any sound or movement in the bathroom.