Tan Xiao stood silently beside them, impressed by their ability to talk past each other. "... Hurry up and start repairing it."

Tan Chunying used tools to scrape off the original lacquer skin of the dragon boat, then pressed the prepared putty and hemp into it, and finally applied another layer of putty, so that it could be repainted with oil paint.

The putty was also simple to make, just hot tung oil* mixed with lime powder.

*T/N: An oil from the seeds of the tung tree, commonly used in woodworking

The materials were simple, which made the craftsmanship even more important.

"Once this dries, we'll touch up the patterns to match the original." Tan Chunying patted the dragon boat, making it sound easy. "It's still good wood. Although it looks a bit worn from being stored for so long, it'll be a great boat again after we repaint it. Little Kong, if you need materials for repairs, just get them from me. I'll portion some out for you so you don't have to mix it yourself."

As for Tan Xiao repairing the mask, the subsequent color matching was also very important. It had to match the original color and texture perfectly to avoid obvious repair marks. This required a lot of experience, as colors had subtle differences when wet versus dry.

Tan Xiao applied the colors to the mask and held it up to the light to check. Not bad. "Let's see how it looks when it dries."

By this time it was getting late. Tan Chunying and Tan Xiao went to the kitchen together. "It's your classmate's first time having dinner at our house, we have to showcase our skills!"

"...Mm-hmm." Tan Xiao thought to himself that he had already eaten here so many times.

Tan Xiao cut the marinated beef into small pieces and pan-fried them until golden brown on both sides. The mushrooms were also sautéed in butter. The two dishes together, glistening red, had a rich and strong aroma. One was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, the other was refreshing and cut through the greasiness, stimulating the appetite.

At the same time, Tan Chunying made another main dish, golden fried lamb chops. The lamb chops, marinated with chili powder, salt, soy sauce and other seasonings, were lightly coated with cornstarch before frying. The lamb chops sizzled and oozed oil, first turning golden, then an even more enticing deep brown.

At this point, some golden crumbs were sprinkled on top. The golden crumbs here were made with dried chili peppers, toasted breadcrumbs, fried minced garlic and other ingredients, all with a crispy texture that brought a special flavor to the lamb chops.

Just the aroma of these two dishes wafting out from the kitchen drove the film crew crazy. Since the shaman ritual feast was said to be a major highlight, they naturally wanted to film the cooking process as well.

Standing on one side of the courtyard, filming through the window while frantically swallowing saliva, they secretly asked the director, "Are we sure we're filming 'The Great Shaman' and not 'A Bite of China'?!"

Zhu Yixin: "..."

When all the dishes were on the table, Tan Chunying urged Kong Xuan to eat more. The film crew members swallowed hard again, looking at their own takeout boxes that they had just bought but not yet opened, suddenly finding them unappetizing.

Kong Xuan put on disposable gloves and started gnawing on a lamb chop. The crispy, loose golden crumbs wrapped the lamb chop that was charred on the outside and tender on the inside, salty and fragrant, followed by a mouthful of fresh juiciness.

Zhu Yixin covered her mouth, tears welling up. "I always thought the biggest challenge of filming was getting up early and staying up late, running around exhausted. I never imagined..."

She never imagined having to watch the Tans eat!

They said not to interfere with the subjects being filmed, so of course they couldn't go ask for food!

They had indeed learned about the characteristics of the Tan family's rituals during their preliminary research, and knew that in the past, the performances included meals that were said to be quite tasty.

But they hadn't taken it to heart, after all, they had never happened to be there at mealtime during their research. Only now did they suddenly feel like they had been hit hard...

"So my dad was also a live-in son-in-law before?" Tan Xiao, oblivious to the crew's pain, asked Tan Chunying as he ate, recalling what she had said earlier. He didn't know if she had been joking with Kong Xuan or if it was true.

Tan Chunying thought for a moment. "I guess you could say that. Anyway, your dad did a thorough job, learning to cook and always serving the best food to my parents first. But that's how it should be, since he was living in our house after all!"

Kong Xuan was shocked. He realized this sounded a bit like what he was doing, as he was also living at Tan Xiao's house.

The only slight difference was that he couldn't cook, and the good food that belonged to him was actively taken and eaten by Tan Chunying first.

Were the terms "patron god" and "live-in son-in-law" actually synonyms?

When there was only one lamb chop left, Tan Chunying said, "You young people eat it, I can't eat too much anymore."

Kong Xuan couldn't help but laugh. Who was she trying to fool?

Tan Chunying: "?"

Tan Xiao: "..."

"It's fine, Auntie can have it..." Kong Xuan thought that as the patron god, he should still show some magnanimity and generosity, and not quibble with Tan Chunying over a bit of food in the future.

"No need, no need, you eat it. I can see you like it." Tan Chunying thought to herself that Tan Xiao's classmate had quite an appetite too, even though she had clearly made very large portions today.

Kong Xuan continued to politely decline.

Tan Xiao looked at the two of them, acting so differently from usual. He quietly picked up the lamb chop. "Enough, I'll eat it."

He stood up, holding the lamb chop in one hand and gnawing on it as he cleared the table, putting the dishes in the dishwasher, then headed towards the bedroom. "Mom, I'm taking Kong Xuan to sit for a bit."

"Okay, you boys go play, I'll tidy up the tools." Tan Chunying said, unconcerned.

Kong Xuan followed a few steps behind, staring at Tan Xiao's lamb chop on the stairs.

Tan Xiao tore off a piece of meat and fed it to him. "That's what you get for being falsely polite."

Kong Xuan glared at him as he ate. "...Can't I be courteous?!"

Kong Xuan had also brought some tools upstairs to repair Tan Xiao's desk. Under the desk lamp, he worked with focused concentration, though his hands were still a bit clumsy as it was his first time doing this.

Suddenly, it started raining outside. Tan Xiao could hear the panicked voices downstairs, probably the film crew hurriedly packing up their equipment.

Tan Chunying was also covering the dragon boat. Passersby outside the courtyard wall quickened their pace.

But he was indoors, and the sound closest to him was the leisurely rhythm of Kong Xuan repairing the desktop, very soothing and relaxing.

Kong Xuan felt the same. Raindrops pattered, but all he heard was the rhythm of Tan Xiao's heartbeat behind him.

Tan Xiao sat on the edge of the bed watching for a while. "You're really fixing it?"

"In addition to being your desk, this is also my altar table. Doesn't it deserve to have a brand new look?" Kong Xuan planned to repaint the entire thing.

"Haha, I just feel like..." Tan Xiao couldn't find the right words for a moment. He leaned against the headboard, thinking. "Aren't you going to be more like an immortal? Whoosh, turn it into a new one, or better yet, turn it into a gold table."

Kong Xuan was very sensitive. With his back to Tan Xiao, he retorted angrily, "What's wrong with me using the methods I learned in the mortal world?!"

"It's fine, quite good actually." Tan Xiao blinked and said softly, feeling like a little sugar sprite had kicked his heart. Kong Xuan would bestow blessings in an ancient way, but also express himself awkwardly using techniques learned in the mortal world.

......

Tan Chunying yawned and got up, brushing her teeth while opening short videos.

The platform recommended her trashy short dramas with a super fast pace. Right from the start, there was a cheating scene. The wife brought a big family to rush upstairs, knocking hard on the door. Inside, the lead was flustered and pushed the mistress out of bed, "Hurry, hide! Climb out the window and stand against the wall!"

It was quite a lively scene.

"Hahaha, such bad acting!" Tan Chunying thought of something while boiling eggs. She put down the eggs and walked to the second floor, calling out, "Tan Xiao, are you up?"

Tan Xiao rolled over in bed, yawning. He was awake but planned to lie in a bit more. "Getting up soon..."

"Then I'll just change your sheets. Is your classmate up? Does he want eggs and fried dough sticks?" Tan Chunying was almost at the door.

Tan Xiao's door wasn't fully closed. His originally slightly dazed eyes instantly cleared.

Oh no!!

He suddenly remembered, they had worked on the table repairs quite late last night, then he did homework for a while. He and Kong Xuan very naturally rested according to their usual way.

It was already quite late then, and Tan Chunying was also tidying up downstairs late, so he didn't think to act out a leaving scene, figuring pretending to stay over would do.

But Kong Xuan wasn't a normal sleepover guest, he lived on the wall! After Tan Xiao reacted, he leaped up and shut the door tight, blocking it.

"It rained last night, I see the putty and tung oil portioned out for him weren't taken." Tan Chunying was still chatting. Seeing Tan Xiao close the door, she laughed, "Why close the door? What were you two up to last night?"

She rarely saw Tan Xiao have such a close classmate friend, which was great, but it didn't stop her from suspecting Tan Xiao closed the door because they were up to some mischief, almost locking it. But if he really locked it, she'd probably be even more puzzled.

So in the end, Tan Xiao made an urgent whispered call to the great god, "Kong Xuan, Kong Xuan, Kong Xuan! Come out quick!"

Kong Xuan emerged from the mask, "What is it?"

Tan Xiao stuffed him into the quilt, "Get in bed!"

Kong Xuan: "..."

Kong Xuan had his coat stripped off by Tan Xiao and got stuffed under the quilt, then the door was reopened, "...We were doing homework last night, just that Kong Xuan isn't wearing clothes."

Tan Chunying saw Kong Xuan lying in bed with eyes wide open, the thin quilt indeed covering below, "Then you don't need to open the door haha. Bring your sheets down yourself, and come down for breakfast soon."

"Okay." Tan Xiao was still in pajamas.

Tan Chunying leaned in and said softly, "I'm not distrusting you, just afraid you two high school boys will wreck the house. Seemed like I heard you clanging around with the table and chairs last night."

Tan Xiao slowly nodded, that's still not trusting! "Mom, we're high schoolers, not huskies."

"Hahahaha!" Tan Chunying laughed loudly.