Dreaming With My Dragon Lover

"I say, do you want to stop by a barber today and get that long plait of yours cut off? Otherwise it feels weird, even when you're dressed in modern clothes."

When Rong Qiuchen heard Yuan Ge's suggestion, he immediately shook his head, "Every part of the body is a gift from the parents and cannot be damaged. How can I let my hair be cut off? Besides, I'm an actor, how can I perform on stage without my hair?"

"I thought you were going to talk about the hair shaving order in the early Qing dynasty, what with 'keeping the head but not the hair, keeping the hair but not the head'. The custom is such a strange thing, you know, when Dorgon[1] led the Jurchen army into the hinterland of China and forced the Han Chinese to wear Manchu hairstyle, they would rather die than shave their heads and change their clothes; yet by the end of the Qing dynasty, they would rather die than change their Manchu hairstyles and cut their plaits, because they did not want to follow the Westerners' example of wearing short hair. It took more than two hundred years to settle the issue of what to do with one's hair. Sometimes, when I think about these things, I feel there is a lot I can chew on and dig deeper into to express in the film, exploring aspects of cultural significance and human nature."

"Childe Yuan has a keen mind, compassionate, sensitive and diligent. My master once said, 'If you have that kind of temperament, you have what it takes to be a talented actor'."

"Your master has a rather high standard. He is right, though; an artist is meant to have a greater sensitivity towards all aspects of life. It's just that if one is too smart and perceptive, one is bound to hurt oneself, for such a person is destined to endure more trials and tribulations."

Qiuchen looked at the seriousness in Yuan Ge's eyes as he talked about art and could not help but say, "I wish I could discuss art with you more often. When I was hiding in the Rong Mansion, I was able to overhear you teach others and I felt immense admiration for you."

Yuan Ge laughed at this, "The director's job is to instruct and explain to the actors about their roles. You're not saying that just to please me, are you?"

"Why would I do that? I never say anything against my heart."

"That's good. We can talk more while we're on holiday." Yuan Ge said, finding a knitted hat with a pompom on top from his wardrobe and putting it on Qiuchen's head. The dangling hood was perfect for hiding his long plait in.

"You see, that's what a proper modern handsome man looks like."

Rong Qiuchen rubbed the pompom hanging down from the tip of his hat, suddenly remembering what Yuan Ge had just said, "Childe Yuan, you said that at the end of the Qing Dynasty, all men were required to cut their hair? Is this true? When did this happen? I wonder..."

"I just praised you for being normal, why are you being abnormal again? Let's not dwell on what happened after 'Rong Qiuchen's' death, shall we? Let's go. Let's go shopping for the New Year and get something nice to eat!"

The two drove out to one of the largest supermarkets in the neighbourhood.

Yuan Ge looked at the full car park and knew that the supermarket was destined to be crowded today. Apart from families stocking up for their New Year dinners, those who were going back to their hometowns also needed to buy some gifts to take home before they left the capital. The thought of the boy's tendency to fuss over everything he saw suddenly made him regret bringing him out.

But Rong Qiuchen's attention had long been drawn to the thousands of cars in the car park. When he got out of the car, he asked anxiously, "Childe Yuan, aren't you worried that your carriage will be stolen if you leave it here unguarded?"

Yuan Ge pointed his finger at the security camera high above and said, "I've deliberately looked for a parking space that can be monitored. My car is a bit special. It's likely to be scratched by people with bad intentions or bored children, so I'm quite careful. If there really are bad people trying to damage the car, the footage from the security camera can be used as evidence in court. By the way, this is called a Land Rover, one of the brands of cars nowadays. Don't call it a horse-drawn carriage like in the old days. Parking is not tethering a horse, and refuelling is not feeding the grass. Don't get these terms wrong, otherwise people will laugh at you!"

Seeing Rong Qiuchen nodding obediently, Yuan Ge pulled a shopping trolley and stuffed it into his hands, "We are short of supplies at home, so I guess we need to buy a lot of things today to stock up. Let's each push a trolley, and you stay close to me so you don't get lost."

Despite ample prior warning, Rong Qiuchen was stunned by the tens of thousands of different items stacked in the supermarket and the packed shoppers.

"Childe...Childe Yuan, how can the market look like this? There are neither shops nor shop assistants, and many people are crowded together to take things as they please... How can it not cause a riot?"

Yuan Ge couldn't help but laugh when he saw his dumbfounded face, "You really make a fuss about anything! You'll see how it's regulated soon enough. In modern times, everything is a hundred times more convenient than in the past. Hurry up, just pick whatever you want to eat and put it into the trolley."

"But...this wide range of goods, I… I… do not recognise..."

"It's just the packaging that's changed. I'm sure you'll recognize many of them." Yuan Ge said as he pulled him to the pastry and confectionery section, "Look, many of these are traditional snacks, such as candied fruits, sachima[2], tortoise jelly, and these traditional pastries. Everything you can think of is here, so just take whatever you like."

After taking a closer look, Qiuchen's face lit up. Feeling pleased, Yuan Ge said to him, "You stay here with your trolley, don't go anywhere else, just take enough to eat for the next few days. I'll go to the next aisle to pick up other stuff. To be honest, modern snacks taste better. Wait till I get something you've never tried before, and we'll be able to enjoy them tonight while watching movies."

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[1] Dorgon, also Prince Rui, was a Manchu prince and regent of the early Qing dynasty. Born in the House of Aisin-Gioro as the 14th son of Nurhaci (the founder of the Later Jin dynasty, predecessor of the Qing dynasty), Dorgon started his career in military campaigns against the Ming dynasty, Mongols and Koreans during the reign of his eighth brother, Hong Taiji, who succeeded their father.

Under Dorgon's regency, Qing forces occupied Beijing, the capital of the fallen Ming dynasty, and gradually conquered the rest of the Ming in a series of battles against Ming loyalists and other opposing forces around China. Dorgon also introduced the policy of forcing all Han Chinese men to shave the front of the heads and wear their hair in queues just like the Manchus. He died in 1650 during a hunting trip and was posthumously honoured as an emperor even though he was never an emperor during his lifetime.

[2] Sachima is a sweet snack in Chinese cuisine made of fluffy strands of fried batter bound together with a stiff sugar syrup, somewhat similar to American Rice Krispies Treats. It originated in Manchuria and is now popular throughout China. Its decoration and flavor vary in different regional Chinese cuisines, but the appearance of all versions is essentially the same.