The puppet show began with the first meeting between Xiang Yu and Yu He, summarizing their passionate love and tragic deaths.
The highlight of the play was when the city was surrounded by the Han army, and the songs of the Chu kingdom echoed from all directions. Instinctively realizing his defeat, Xiang Yu sang the “Gai Xia Song,” lamenting the humiliation that Yu He would face after his death. Following that, Yu He sang a response and ultimately took her own life for Xiang Yu.
After Yu He jumped into the river and died, Xiang Yu followed suit, and sobs resonated from all around.
The touching love between the two lovers ended in tragedy, evoking a strong sense of empathy among the audience, particularly couples and lovers.
“That’s so sad.”
Namgoong Ruby muttered as she sniffled.
Looking at Tang Sosu and Samajak, their eyes were red, indicating they were quite moved as well.
The only ones among the audience showing no sign of emotion were Dokgorin and me.
‘Maybe it’s because I already know the story.’
Also, since it was performed with puppets rather than real people, I honestly found it hard to immerse myself in it.
I could read a novel and get lost in it, but a puppet show felt a bit different.
“Isn’t Rin sad?”
At that, Dokgorin nodded.
“I think if I were her, I’d rather run away together. Committing suicide just seems like a foolish death.”
It seems she doesn’t quite understand the psychology of Umiin.
Well, everyone has their own way of accepting stories, so it can’t be helped.
Anyway, after the puppet show ended, we all entered a nearby teahouse.
It wasn’t so much about quenching thirst as it was for resting our legs after standing for nearly an hour.
We casually ordered green tea and snacks, and the girls gathered around the table began sharing their thoughts on the puppet show they had just watched.
“I think it’s really amazing that they were willing to die for their loved ones.”
“Isn’t it because Xiang Yu treated Yu He so well?”
“When Xiang Yu first appeared, he looked like a rough man who wouldn’t bleed even if stabbed, but later he showed a more humane side, which was nice.”
“Just like Yu He was influenced by Xiang Yu, Xiang Yu must’ve been influenced by Yu He too.”
Though the four of us had different tastes, the very fact that we could discuss a single topic together felt like the power of ‘culture.’
Not feeling any need to join in their girl talk, I quietly listened when suddenly Namgoong Ruby shot a question my way.
“Let’s ask the guy, Chilbok. Why do you think Xiang Yu followed Yu He in death?”
“Um… Maybe it was out of extreme self-loathing?”
“Not because of love?”
“Of course, he must’ve been sad about Yu He’s death, but I think he felt pathetic for ruining everything after winning for so long, only to lose once.”
“Ugh… So this guy is a realist too.”
Tang Sosu, who argued that Xiang Yu died for love, said this with a look of disgust.
I mean, it’s a bit much to react so seriously over this.
Just then, our ordered green tea and snacks arrived right on time, prompting us to pause our conversation and dig into the treats.
“But where are we going next?”
Namgoong Ruby, who was busily chewing on snacks packed in her cheeks like a squirrel, spoke up.
“How about visiting the royal palace? There are lots of statues themed after the Three Kingdoms nearby, making it a popular tourist spot.”
“Three Kingdoms!”
Upon hearing her, Samajak’s eyes lit up.
I already knew she was a bookworm, but I never realized she liked the Three Kingdoms.
“Do you like the Three Kingdoms?”
I asked, curious, and Samajak eagerly nodded.
“Of course! There’s so much to learn from the Three Kingdoms!”
She then began to chatter away about her knowledge of the Three Kingdoms.
As everyone listened silently to Samajak’s stories, she suddenly turned red, perhaps realizing she had been chattering a bit too excitedly.
“Why is no one saying anything?”
“Why should we? Your story was interesting.”
At this, Samajak blushed even more and buried her face in her teacup.
*
After taking a sufficient rest in the teahouse, we decided to follow Namgoong Ruby’s suggestion and go see the royal palace.
“Wow! It’s so huge!”
Namgoong Ruby exclaimed upon seeing the palace.
In fact, all four of us were locals, and this was the first time we were seeing a real royal palace.
With the Ming Dynasty having established Beijing as the capital, it now served as a government office, but since it used to be a place where the emperor resided, everything was grand and colossal.
Even Dokgorin, who usually appeared indifferent, was gaping in wonder, so you can imagine how breathtaking it was.
We admired the statues created to commemorate the warriors of the Three Kingdoms and strolled through the open sections for civilians.
‘Something feels off.’
If only we had a camera, we could’ve taken a commemorative photo together, but with nothing like that available, it was all just memories.
After making our way around the palace, we were feeling hungry and decided it was time to get some food.
*
“To eat Peking Duck in Chang’an feels a bit contradictory.”
Tonight’s dinner menu was Peking Duck.
China has a vibrant exchange between regions, allowing one to taste various local dishes in one place.
The main dish was Peking Duck, accompanied by other foods like black pepper beef stir-fried with veggies (黑椒物流), garlic and bean pods stir-fried (蒜龙和豆), and Sichuan-style pickled vegetables (四川泡菜).
“But how do you eat this?”
When I asked about the Peking Duck, Namgoong Ruby, being accustomed to upscale restaurants as a wealthy girl, kindly explained.
“First, just try the skin on its own.”
“Just the skin?”
Following her instructions, I took a bite of the crispy roasted skin.
Crisp!
“Mmm.”
It was savory and oily.
The more I chewed, the more the distinctive fatty flavor of the duck lingered in my mouth.
And yet, I could still taste the duck’s essence even without the meat, which felt amazing.
“What do you think?”
“It’s tasty.”
“Then this time, try wrapping it with the pancakes.”
“Pancakes?”
“That thing next to the meat that looks like dumpling skin.”
“Oh.”
Finally noticing the pancakes, I added the skin, cucumber, scallion, and a sauce called “Yajiang” to it.
Rolling it up and taking a bite released a flavor that was richer and more diverse than just eating the skin alone.
“The scallions help cut through the greasiness, which is nice.”
“Right?”
Looking at the others, they were all enjoying the Peking Duck in their own styles, not just following Namgoong Ruby’s method.
It would be nice to have a drink with this, but it felt awkward to drink alone.
As I subtly looked around, Namgoong Ruby, quick to catch on, asked.
“Why? Do you need something else?”
“Uh, well…”
I hesitated but decided to just say it.
“If that’s okay, I’d like to have a drink.”
Seeing me looking shy, Namgoong Ruby responded, “Drink? Why didn’t you say so sooner?” and agreed readily.
“What kind of drink do you like?”
“Uh, Zhuyeqing?”
Of course, when it comes to martial arts, Zhuyeqing comes to mind.
Soon, the server brought the bottle of Zhuyeqing, and when I tasted it, it had a flavor of distilled liquor mixed with herbal medicine.
Observing me drinking, Samajak beside me showed interest.
“Can I have a sip too?”
“Have you ever had alcohol?”
Samajak shook her head negatively.
“Then just try a taste.”
I poured half a glass of Zhuyeqing into a shot glass-like cup and handed it to her.
Then she eagerly drank it, but her expression contorted almost immediately.
“Ugh! It’s bitter! Why would anyone drink this?”
Then she quickly grabbed some food to offset the taste.
Watching her, I couldn’t help but chuckle, prompting Dokgorin to pick up an empty glass and say.
“Give me some too.”
“What? You too?”
“Yep.”
I’d never seen Dokgorin drink, so I was a bit concerned, but she probably drank before her regression, so it should be fine.
I poured Zhuyeqing into the glass she offered.
Dokgorin downed the full glass in one go and grabbed some Shanlonghodu as a snack.
After three out of five of us had a drink, the remaining two naturally grew curious and asked the server for glasses as well.
“Hey, I’ve only had one drink!”
When I complained, Namgoong Ruby exclaimed, “Then let’s order more!” and placed a bold order.
Soon, the server brought additional Zhuyeqing.
“…”
I felt something was going wrong, but the girls, now fully into the mood, took their drinks and quickly finished another bottle.
“Hey guys, drink slowly.”
I tried to intervene, but my words seemed to vanish in the air.
Reluctantly, as I continued to drink, the number of bottles kept increasing, and as a result—
“…I’m in trouble.”
All of us ended up completely drunk.
