I hurried back with her. Our parents stood at the kitchen door, looking helpless. Seeing me return, they looked at me as if I were their savior. “A Yao, what’s wrong with your elder brother?” Mother pointed at the bustling stove and my brother’s busy back. “He’s cooked enough rice, vegetables, and meat to last half a month.”
My elder brother, sweating profusely, was carefully carving a peony flower on a white radish, completely focused.
I sighed inwardly and led our parents and younger sister away. “Let him cook.”
That night, our family ate the most luxurious meal of our lives. My elder brother brought out a jar of Bamboo Leaf Green wine, drank two cups before collapsing, and fell asleep on the table, occasionally mumbling Miao Yin’s name.
Our parents looked confused, and my younger sister asked curiously, “To win? Is elder brother practicing to participate in a cooking competition?”
I forced a smile. “Maybe.”
The royal families of the three countries quickly determined the details of the competition, agreeing to hold it in the late spring and early summer in Yanfeng City, with the events and format consistent with tradition.
The new emperor of Xiliang stated that he would escort the Qi country’s third prince, Xia Zhichun, who had been a hostage in Xiliang, back to his home country. Naturally, the entire Qi country was jubilant. The Qi Emperor announced that all citizens could participate in the selection, and those who could win first place in individual events could choose their own rewards.
Anjin and I both believed this was a heaven-sent opportunity.
If we could help our elder brother win a championship in an event, he could then propose to Xue Miaoyin to the Qi Emperor. No matter how reluctant the Emperor and Empress were, they would not refuse in front of Xiliang and Nanrui, lest they lose face for the great Qi country.
I brought the competition roster home and pulled my elder brother out of the kitchen. He was covered in the smell of smoke, his eyes bloodshot, unshaven, with a sparse beard hanging from his chin, looking utterly dejected. After hearing about the competition, his eyes briefly brightened before dimming again, shaking his head in despair. “No, I can only cook, how could I compete?”
“There are two months until the competition; we can train intensively,” Anjin advised.
