Dreaming With My Dragon Lover

"It's incredible!"

On the other end of the screen, Violette Fu's eyes widened in disbelief. Seeing her cluttered room largely rearranged in accordance with the customs of the Qing dynasty royal family, not only is the furniture properly arranged, but even the stationary and decorative items on the table, such as wrist rests, paperweights, seals and teapots, have been placed in their appropriate places. The dust that had accumulated in the room over the years is cleared away, the incense from the copper burner is wafting about, and the antiques collected over the years are carefully polished and placed tastefully on the shelves, displaying the elegance that should have belonged to them.

"What do you say momps? Don't you think he has a unique taste and considerable attainment in history and archaeology? On the basis of his ability to transform your messy room into a work of art, momps, I think you should even consider taking him in as your postgraduate student in the future. I think this room tidying exam could be even harder than the postgraduate entrance exam at Beijing University!" Yuan Ge joked.

"If he's interested in studying in my field, I would be delighted to take on a good student."

Yuan Ge pats Rong Qiuchen on the shoulder after hearing his mother's words, "Did you hear that? Professor Fu said to accept you as her postgraduate student. Your future is all set even if you don't want to become an actor …"

Before Rong Qiuchen can answer, Yuan Ge sees his mother's eyes suddenly change and hears her ask anxiously, "Yuan Ge, zoom in on the couplet posted on the door of my room with your phone now. Let me have a close look."

"'One hour divided into two years, every year has you; one night connected to two years, each year has me', hey, this was also written by Rong Qiuchen. His calligraphy is really good, isn't it?" Yuan Ge was made to practice calligraphy when he was a child, so he has enough appreciation for this art form.

"His writing is indeed very good! But what I want to know is whether the paper used for this couplet is the 'Jade Plated' Xuan paper that I have kept very carefully?"

"To answer Auntie Yuan's question, yes, that is exactly so." Rong Qiuchen replies respectfully, "I saw this roll of paper in the corner of the room. The paper was made during the Xianfeng period, half raw and half ripe[1], so I took the liberty to use it to write a few couplets and stick them in various parts of the house. I did this because Gege took me to the New Year's market and I saw that the Spring Festival couplets for sale were very unimpressive and really not worthy of having, so I dared to write them myself."

"A few?" Violette's face is starting to turn white, "Qiuchen, uh, so the ink you used was …"

"Auntie, I also found a gold-grade royal ink stick from the Qianlong period in a pile of old papers. Although it is slightly dried out from age, it is still as lustrous as black jade when mixed with water. It is rightly top quality."

Violette meowed and almost fainted with Rong Qiuchen's words. Yuan Fen, however, bursts out laughing, "I think Qiuchen has done the right thing. Putting these things to good use is the best way to realise their value."

"The market price of Jade Plated Xuan paper is ten thousand yuan a piece! The ink stick is twenty thousand yuan a piece! The point is, they are so rare that you can't buy it even if you have the money!" Violet rubs her forehead, feeling quite painful inside.

"Auntie, have I done something wrong?" Rong Qiuchen is not sure what is happening, but he looks terrified.

"It's fine, no it's not … hmm … well … Good calligraphy deserves good paper and ink …"

At that moment, the sound of New Year's fireworks is heard from outside the window. It turns out that Moonlight Valley is adjacent to West Lake, and the other side of the lake is one of the designated fireworks display points outside the city. Remembering that Qiuchen loved the festive atmosphere of the New Year, Yuan Ge hurriedly asks him to put on a coat, and then the two of them go together to the rooftop to watch the magnificent firework display.

The moon shines clearly and the lake shimmers with light. High in the sky clusters of colourful fireworks burst into bloom one after another, illuminating the night sky. Some are scattered in the air after a loud bang; others are like fireballs, flying into the sky with ribbons of fire; some of these fireworks look like daisies; others like unopened parachutes. They are red, green, yellow, purple, and gold and look so dazzling and festive.

"Happy New Year, Chenchen!"

"Happy New Year, Gege!"

They look at each other as they spin the fireworks in their hands. All that is reflected in their eyes is the glow of heaven and earth and each other's smiles.

"Ding!" The sound of TweeChat rings as a red packet arrives in Yuan Ge's account. When Violette Fu sees through the screen the fireworks from the Western Hills that she has missed for so long, she instantly puts her earlier displeasure behind her and eagerly urges Yuan Fen to send their son a red packet as well.

"Dad, can you send one to Qiuchen too? He has given you both a big kowtow salute earlier." While Yuan Ge is busy paying his New Year respects to his parents, he is still thinking about what Rong Qiuchen said earlier about not having met his parents.

"I was just about to do it. Ask Qiuchen to add me as a TweeChat contact."

"Dad, you can just send it to me, and I'll withdraw the money and give the cash to him later. He doesn't have a TweeChat account. In fact, he doesn't even have a mobile phone."

With a "ding", another red packet is sent over.

"Chenchen, this is the lucky money my parents give you for the New Year." Yuan Ge opens the red packet, and it is indeed another ten thousand yuan. He is overjoyed, knowing that his dad has always been very generous with money.

Although Rong Qiuhen doesn't understand the purpose of the TweeChat red packet, he immediately gets the significance of it. Cupping one hand into the other before his chest, he says aloud, "Thank you, Uncle Yuan and Auntie Yuan!" He is about to kneel down and kowtow again to show his appreciation, but Yuan Ge pulls him back.

"It's not fashionable to kowtow anymore. Just take the lucky money, and don't worry too much. Let's work hard together in the New Year and get good results, then they'll be happy!"

"By the way, son, I just thought about it; after New Year, you must remember to take down all the Spring Festival couplets carefully and keep them well...…" Violette Fu, whose thoughts are always erratic, seems to be focused on some new idea again. 

"Think about it, paper can be preserved for thousands of years. This Jade Plated Xuan paper is originally from the Xianfeng period, and the ink stick is indeed from the Qianlong period, and your little porcelain bumping prince can write quite well. With such a high standard combination, there's no problem at all having him pretend to be from the Guangxu period. You take these Spring Festival couplets to Liang Yu Xuan[2], and you can just say that they are the work of an unknown scholar from the Guangxu period. That Boss of Liang Yu Xuan, Mr. Lin, I have met him a few times and am on good terms with him. So maybe these couplets will not only pay for themselves, but also earn us a good profit …"

"Vivi, don't get any further down the road of committing antique fraud!" 

On the screen, Yuan Ge sees that before his mother can finish her thoughts, his father has rushed up, grabbed her by the neck and carried her away like a kitten. Another heated and familiar argument comes from outside the empty screen. Yuan Ge can only shrug and make a face at Rong Qiuchen before ending the call.

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[1] Due to different producing methods, Xuan paper can be classified into Shengxuan, Shuxuan, and Banshuxuan. Shengxuan (literally "Raw Xuan"), which is not specially processed, excels in its ability to absorb water, causing the ink on it to blur. Shuxuan (literally "Ripe Xuan"), however, has Potassium alum worked into it during production, which results in a stiffer texture, a reduced ability to absorb water, and less resistance to shear stress (meaning that it can be torn much more easily). Banshuxuan (literally "Half-ripe Xuan") has intermediate absorbability, between Shengxuan and Shuxuan.

"Half raw and half ripe" referred here by Rong Qiuchen means the paper is a Banshuxuan and suitable for calligraphy. 

[2] Liang Yu Xuan is a shop specialising in traditional Chinese stationery and artworks.