Chapter Sixty-One: The Legend of the Lamb Kidney

In the days following Women's Day, the nurse sister rose early each morning and immersed herself in the library. She had boldly declared she would become the greatest stylist in the world. With her out of the house, Ren Qian was left "alone in an empty chamber," engulfed in solitude and ennui.

He thought of staying home to play computer games, but he was already past the age of being obsessed with online gaming. Helpless, he could only browse aimlessly through current events and news online. Stories like the "Dragon King" manned submersible setting a new world record for deepest dive; or the Empire's third space station coming online, with astronauts broadcasting live physics experiments from orbit.

After skimming through these, Ren Qian opened the entertainment news page. The superstar had his one-million-yuan genuine crocodile-skin handbag stolen abroad and took a helpless selfie. Wen Zhang, after his infamous affair, was caught on camera entering and leaving a bar...

He chuckled. He always skimmed through such insipid entertainment headlines at lightning speed. Yet, not all the news online was trivial gossip. Ren Qian came across a story that moved him deeply; perhaps it was no longer news, but rather a touching tale of love.

In the 1950s, Liu Guojiang, a twenty-year-old farm boy from Yudu, fell in love with a beautiful widow ten years his senior, Xu Chaoqin. But their genuine love, between a young man of twenty and a lovely widow of thirty, was met with endless gossip and disdain. To protect their hard-won love, the two eloped together and settled deep in the mountains and forests.

But the mountain paths were treacherous, and to ensure Xu Chaoqin’s safety, Liu Guojiang spent his life chiseling stone steps along the cliffs to connect them to the outside world. Over the decades, more than six thousand steps were carved into the sheer precipices.

Their love was immortalized with each step, and the stairway became known as the "Ladder of Love." Two years ago, Liu Guojiang passed away... And just the day before yesterday, the beautiful widow closed her eyes and followed her beloved into the beyond...

Their story of defiant love swept through the country once more.

“Remarkable.” Ren Qian too was touched, and a song came to mind. He couldn’t help but close his eyes, recalling the melody, his fingers tapping in rhythm with his thoughts, gently humming. Had there been a piano before him, the room would have been awash in notes enough to bring tears.

He pulled a blank sheet of paper from the drawer and began to compose lyrics and music.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Ren Qian: “...”

He knew it had to be Young Master Yan. No one else would knock on his door with the persistence of a debt collector.

Whenever he thought of Young Master Yan, Ren Qian always felt it was a pity—a wealthy heir living like a pauper. He had all the looks, wealth, and status, yet lived like a commoner. Ren Qian had never seen him drive a luxury car, never seen him splurge, nor ever seen him with gold-digging women on his arm. Perhaps this was the ideal successor in the eyes of Young Master Yan’s elders.

“Qian, I’ve brought my guitar,” Yan announced as soon as the door cracked open, squeezing inside with a cheerful grin, waving the guitar behind him. A guitar had much more style than the ubiquitous flute or pipa.

He crossed his legs and strummed languidly, lost in the music. Sitting in a quiet garden corner with a girlfriend, playing guitar—far more romantic than sipping tea and listening to music.

Ren Qian smiled in silence. Young Master Yan truly spared no effort to please his girlfriend. He worked at the office every day, earning money, and always found new ways to be romantic. Long ago, he had reserved a spot with Ren Qian to learn a love song. Usually, Ren Qian was too busy to teach him, but today, with the nurse sister out and nothing else to do, he called Yan Yu over. Consider it repaying a favor.

“Heh heh... Qian, don’t teach me one of those overplayed pop songs. I want something alternative, something wild, something that shows off my unique masculine charm!”

Ren Qian: “...”

Are you kidding me!?

Despite the unreasonable request, Ren Qian patiently searched his song library. There were countless songs about expressing love; surely one would fit this picky taste.

“If you were a teardrop in my eye,
I’d never let myself cry...”

He hummed a verse and asked if it was to Yan’s satisfaction. But Young Master Yan just shook his head disdainfully.

He truly treated Ren Qian as no outsider.

If Ren Qian’s works were to be sold, each would fetch at least hundreds of thousands, and were priceless to boot. Yan, however, dismissed it in a second.

Fine, next song. Ren Qian searched again.

“I love you,
Love you,
Like a mouse loves rice...”

Again, Yan shook his head after hearing the main verse.

Another try!

“I wish to become,
In fairy tales,
The angel you love,
Opening my arms to become wings and protect you...”

“Qian, give me something fresh, something that oozes masculinity and hormones. Not this kind of stuff.”

Seriously, you’re pushing it...

Since you want hormones, don’t blame me for what comes next.

Ren Qian grinned, a smile three parts roguish, seven parts wicked. He recalled a legendary “divine song” from five thousand years of Chinese history. Not only were its lyrics catchy and profound, but it also doubled as a science lesson.

If this couldn’t win over Young Master Yan, Ren Qian would admit defeat.

“I’m going to play my showstopper now.
If this doesn’t do, you’ll have to find someone else... Listen up!”

Clearing his throat, gathering his focus, adjusting his posture, Ren Qian prepared himself. The song to come would truly test a singer’s skill.

...

“Lamb kidneys are good,
Lamb kidneys are marvelous!”

He belted out the line, emphasizing the words with explosive force, as if delivering a blow straight to the heart. As Ren Qian modulated his voice, Yan Yu felt all his long-standing afflictions cured in an instant!

Exhilarating! Liberating! Even his hips started to sway along.

“Do you know the benefits of lamb kidneys?!
Lamb kidneys are delicious,
Lamb kidneys dance~
Eat lamb kidneys and you’ll be amazed!
Lamb kidneys are fragrant,
Lamb kidneys are strong~
Lamb kidneys heal all your wounds~
Lamb kidneys bring joy,
Lamb kidneys bring wildness~
Lamb kidneys will tear up your whole night!!”

Yes, yes! That’s the feeling! That’s the unrestrained spirit!

Unable to help himself, Yan swayed left and right to Ren Qian’s rhythm, getting more and more excited...

Watching the utterly enraptured Yan Yu, Ren Qian’s lips twitched.

What kind of deranged aesthetic was this?

He had to hand it to him.

But if he wanted to learn, so be it—it was his own bed to lie in.

“Qian, what does ‘lamb kidneys’ mean?” Yan asked, perplexed by the “technical jargon.”

...

“There are two explanations for this term.

First, according to the ‘Twenty-Four Histories: History of Jin,’ there was an extraordinarily handsome man named Yang Yao. He was so stunning that gods and ghosts wept, so people respectfully called him ‘Lamb Kidney.’ It’s said that when he went out, the streets filled with beautiful women just for a glimpse.

Second... Have you heard of musk? Lamb kidneys are formed in a similar way and have similar effects—deeply beloved by women.”

Satisfied, Young Master Yan nodded. He knew it—given his artistic taste, any song he liked was bound to have profound meaning.

Wasn’t that the truth?

Truly a discerning eye for hidden gems.