Chapter 66: The Cultural Exhibition

The father and son hadn’t seen each other in a long time, so they chose a relatively upscale place to dine together. As usual, Qi Yan submitted himself to another round of “re-education from the working masses.”

Whenever his father saw his son, who was toiling away in another city, he would always follow the same old script: Have you found a stable job? Is your money enough? Are you living well? Do you have a girlfriend yet? And so on and so forth.

No matter how carefree Qi Yan was in his daily life, in front of his father, he always made sure to restrain himself and stick to one principle—only share the good news, never the bad. He barely mentioned his trip to Thailand, and he certainly couldn’t talk about anything related to spirit amulets or the recent terrifying experiences he had endured.

Dinner was warm and comforting, and the familial affection soothed Qi Yan’s weary heart, if only a little.

However, Qi Guoheng made it clear that he wouldn’t be staying at Qi Yan’s rented place; he’d come to Xincheng for a business trip at the invitation of the exhibition organizers, and both accommodation and meals were already arranged.

“That’s settled then. Next Saturday and Sunday, the exhibition lasts two days. Set aside your work and come along with me. Take it as spending more time together,” Qi Guoheng insisted, despite coming here for work—after all, since his son was here, he wanted to make the most of it.

Qi Yan scratched his head. Weekends were fine, but he really had zero interest in some international cultural exposition. Still, his father had come all this way to see him; if he stubbornly refused, it would feel a bit unkind.

In the end, his father just wanted more of his company, and since he was free on the weekend, tagging along wouldn’t hurt.

His father’s work seemed quite busy this time, so even though he was in Xincheng, there wasn’t much time for them to spend together.

“Alright, alright… You’re going as a guest, so I’ll act as your assistant—or rather, your lackey. You still love to make a show of things, just like before.”

Qi Guoheng raised his hand as if to swat him, laughing and scolding, “Enough nonsense! I’m only dragging you along because you’re always idling about. Where do you get all these cheeky lines?”

Qi Yan accompanied his father all the way to the hotel and then made an excuse about having some things to do that evening and left.

He didn’t head straight home. Instead, he went to the hospital.

Today was Dong Ye’s discharge day, and Qi Yan wanted to check on Li Lan’s condition as well.

It had been two days since that ill-fated night, and everyone had been struggling through these two days.

Who could have imagined that disaster would befall them all on the very same day?

In the hospital room, Dong Ye had already changed and was packing up his things when Qi Yan arrived, and immediately received a big hug.

“Brother, I owe you big time! When I get married to Dandan, you’re off the hook from giving us any wedding cash.”

Qi Yan was a bit taken aback, awkwardly grinning. “Don’t thank me. Even if you punched me now, I wouldn’t fight back. After all, that red-silk ghost should have been haunting me, but you got caught in the crossfire and almost died an ugly death. But don’t worry, it’s no longer a threat. The red-silk legend of Xincheng ends here.”

Dong Ye deliberately shifted the topic and joked, “Maybe I should take some time tomorrow to visit the temples on the outskirts and get rid of the lingering evil… Hey, aren’t you dealing in Buddhist amulets lately? We didn’t manage to get one when we were in Thailand last time—why don’t you pick one out for me?”

Qi Yan paused, sensing Dong Ye was trying to avoid his apologies, and felt both lonely and deeply moved.

He didn’t have many friends, but those he had were all truly close; even knowing what Qi Yan had been through, none of them blamed him.

“Alright… I’ll pick out a suitable image for you, something for peace or prosperity, how about that?”

“I’ll leave it to you.”

At that moment, Xu Dan walked in. Though she hadn’t slept well over the past two days, her face still brimmed with optimism as she returned from handling the discharge paperwork.

“Qi Yan, you’re here?”

“Yeah.” Qi Yan helped them pack as he spoke. “Oh, by the way, my dad’s in Xincheng—just arrived this afternoon.”

Dong Ye and Xu Dan had met his father before and asked, “Your dad came to see you?”

“Sort of. He’s here for an event and came to visit me at the same time. Seems to be some kind of international cultural exchange exhibition?”

Dong Ye’s eyes lit up. “You mean the Asian Art and Culture Exhibition at Longbin Exhibition City next week?”

“You know about it?” Qi Yan was surprised.

“Of course. They started promoting it all over the city seven months ago. It’s a major exhibition, jointly organized by various Asian countries—China, Japan, Thailand, India, Nepal, and more. It’s already toured other provinces in the southwest before coming to Xincheng. And one of the co-organizers and sponsors here is the company I’m about to work for—Dingtai International Group.”

Xu Dan, unable to follow, interjected, “What kind of exhibition is it? What are they showing?”

“Tch, I told you before we quarreled,” Dong Ye explained again, “The Asian Art and Culture Exhibition is a collaborative event between several major museums from our country and art museums from Southeast Asia.”

Qi Yan and Xu Dan still didn’t quite get it; Dong Ye’s explanation sounded too formal.

So Dong Ye continued, “It’s basically an exhibition of Asian folk religion and cultural art. I remember in 2011, the Capital Museum and the Taipei Museum of World Religions held a similar world religions and cultures exhibition. There was another one in 2015. It might not interest young people like us, but for scholars and experts who study religion, it’s a grand event for all of Asia.

“Did you know that four large museums from our province and the southwest, plus over seventy temples, Taoist shrines, and other folk religious institutions from all over the country, are lending more than six hundred Buddhist, Confucian, and Taoist artifacts? There are even more Buddhist artifacts from India, Thailand, and Nepal. Apparently, hundreds of religious representatives from various countries are coming to help with the exhibition, mostly from Buddhist and Taoist associations. Even the Ise Grand Shrine in Japan is sending over a dozen priests…”

It did sound lively—a grand event bringing together specialists in Asian religions and folk traditions.

Xu Dan was genuinely interested. “Wow, so many different beliefs and sects coming together for an art exhibition? That must be fascinating!”

She was the type to be intrigued by such cultural things. Qi Yan, on the other hand, just shrugged. “To me, it sounds more like a convention for spiritualists. So what exactly are they showing?”

“What else? All sorts of religious art from Asia—statues that have been enshrined for generations, original scriptures handwritten by eminent monks, hanging scrolls, folk religious objects… The purpose is to let people today understand these cultural treasures and appreciate the highlights of various faiths.

“The reason it’s a joint effort between so many countries and religions is to enrich people’s understanding of religious culture—kind of like a World Expo, but for faith.”

Qi Yan remained unimpressed and chuckled. “My dad’s going as a photographer, and he wants me to tag along for the fun of it. Honestly, my boss would probably be more interested in this kind of exhibition—but she’s too busy to make time for it, I suppose.”