The Dragon Boat Festival, also known as Duanwu Festival, is celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth month of the lunar calendar. It’s one of the most culturally rich traditional Chinese holidays, marked by customs such as eating zongzi (sticky rice dumplings), drinking realgar wine, hanging calamus and mugwort leaves, burning herbs like atractylodes and angelica, and, of course, dragon boat racing.
While dragon boat races are usually reserved for organized events in cities, other traditions like drinking realgar wine, eating zongzi, and hanging mugwort have been passed down for centuries and are still widely practiced in most households.
This is especially evident in Daocun Village.
Even before the festival arrived, the villagers had already started cutting mugwort, burning herbs, and preparing to make zongzi at home. Most villagers in Daocun wouldn’t dream of buying zongzi from the market—not only is it a waste of money, but the taste and hygiene are often questionable. Many store-bought zongzi are pre-cooked, and who knows how long they’ve been sitting there? Some street vendors even sell spoiled zongzi!
Making zongzi at home is not only cheaper and tastier but also ensures cleanliness and safety. Plus, it’s a tradition that brings families together.
As for the ingredients, Daocun has no shortage. The leaves used to wrap zongzi—whether reed leaves, bamboo leaves, or corn husks—are abundant in the village’s fields. Glutinous rice, red bean paste, dates, and lotus seeds are also readily available, making the village self-sufficient.
Jiang Fei returned to his villa in Daocun the day before the festival to start preparing. He followed the tradition of hanging mugwort and burning herbs, and as a culinary master, he was ready to showcase his skills by making zongzi from scratch.
Lin Moli had taken Jiang Fei’s car to the city for some errands and was expected to return for the festival. Meanwhile, Zeng Tong and He Yuxuan, the soon-to-be-married couple, had already arranged to stay at Jiang Fei’s villa for the holiday, expecting a grand feast.
Jiang Fei had gone all out for the zongzi-making. He prepared a variety of fillings: fragrant mugwort zongzi, sweet tea zongzi, lotus seed zongzi, ham zongzi, and his personal favorite—salted egg yolk and pork zongzi. As a culinary master, wrapping zongzi was a breeze for him, and he planned to make extra of the salted egg yolk variety for himself.
Around noon, while preparing lunch, Jiang Fei retrieved a dozen salted duck eggs from a sealed jar. He boiled them to extract the yolks for the zongzi.
Jiang Fei had developed a love for salted duck eggs after reading Wang Zengqi’s essay “Duck Eggs on the Dragon Boat Festival” in elementary school. Every year during the festival, he would indulge in them. As a child, his grandmother would prepare them, but after moving away for university and work, he had to settle for store-bought ones. This year, however, he had taken matters into his own hands, curing the duck eggs himself. They were perfectly salted—not too strong, not too weak—just right for the festival.
“Sizzle…”
Before lunch was even ready, the duck eggs were almost done boiling. Jiang Fei fished them out and placed them in cold water to cool. Once lunch was served, he eagerly picked up a duck egg, cracked a small hole in one end, and began scooping out the contents with chopsticks.
The salted duck eggs Jiang Fei had cured were just as Wang Zengqi had described—rich in oil, with a smooth texture. The yolk, in particular, was a vibrant golden color, oozing with oil and emitting a mouthwatering aroma. Even the egg white was tender, unlike the dry, chalky texture of many store-bought versions. Every bite was a delight.
As Jiang Fei savored the first bite, the doorbell rang, startling him. “Could it be Zeng Tong and He Yuxuan arriving a day early?” he wondered.
Lin Moli had a key to the villa, so she wouldn’t need to ring the bell. Aside from her, the only people who knew the villa’s address were Xia Xiaozhi and her friends, who were still in school, and Zeng Tong and He Yuxuan.
“Talk about perfect timing. They show up just as I’m about to eat,” Jiang Fei muttered, putting down the duck egg and heading to the door.
However, the person standing outside left him utterly confused.
“Who are you looking for?” Jiang Fei asked.
The woman at the door was in her forties, not particularly attractive, with heavy makeup and bright red lipstick. She exuded an air of arrogance.
“Are you Dr. Jiang?” the woman asked, her expression a mix of awkwardness and barely concealed anger.
“I am,” Jiang Fei replied, nodding. He was certain he didn’t know her, but her voice sounded vaguely familiar, though he couldn’t quite place it.
Just then, another woman approached from the garden. This one was much younger, probably even younger than Jiang Fei. She had long, coffee-colored, slightly wavy hair that cascaded over her shoulders, giving her a carefree, artistic vibe. She wore a simple white button-up T-shirt and tight blue jeans that accentuated her long legs. Her shoes were a pair of black-and-white canvas sneakers from a niche brand Jiang Fei didn’t recognize.
She looked like a college student or perhaps a bohemian artist.
As for her face… Jiang Fei couldn’t tell.
She wore large black sunglasses that covered most of her delicate, oval-shaped face. But based on her sharp chin, small, well-defined lips, and fair skin, Jiang Fei guessed she was quite beautiful—possibly even campus royalty.
Still, Jiang Fei was certain he didn’t know her. He knew most of the villagers in Daocun, and none had a daughter this stylish and attractive.
So why was she here, knocking on his door?
The young woman nodded politely and greeted him in a hoarse voice, “Hello, Dr. Jiang.”
Her voice, though naturally pleasant, was strained, clearly indicating vocal cord damage.
“Vocal cord injury?” Jiang Fei suddenly remembered the two strange calls he had received a while back from someone claiming to be Qiao Yiyi’s manager, asking him to treat her damaged vocal cords at a hotel in Jincheng.
“Could this woman be the so-called ‘Next Big Diva,’ Qiao Yiyi, who just returned from Korea?” Jiang Fei wondered, his curiosity piqued.
He took another look at her. Despite her simple, college-student-like attire, she carried an unmistakable aura of a celebrity.
“Who are you?” Jiang Fei asked cautiously.
The woman removed her sunglasses, revealing a delicate face with minimal makeup—just a touch of eyebrow pencil. She nodded politely and said in her hoarse voice, “I’m Qiao Yiyi. I apologize for the sudden visit, Dr. Jiang.”
Jiang Fei didn’t need her to introduce herself. As soon as she took off her glasses, he recognized her. After the phone incident and He Yuxuan’s enthusiastic praise, Jiang Fei had looked up Qiao Yiyi online, browsing her photos and listening to a few of her songs.
Her music hadn’t left much of an impression on him, but her photos had certainly caught his attention. At the time, he had assumed they were heavily edited, but seeing her in person, he realized she was naturally stunning—no Photoshop needed.
Still, he was shocked to see the celebrity standing at his doorstep.
“How did you find me here?” Jiang Fei asked, surprised. As for the heavily made-up middle-aged woman, he now recognized her as the manager who had spoken to him on the phone with such arrogance.
Before he could get an answer, the phone inside the villa rang. Jiang Fei hesitated for a moment, then invited the two women inside.
“Have you met the celebrity yet?” Lin Moli’s voice came through the phone.
Jiang Fei immediately understood who had given Qiao Yiyi his address—it was Lin Moli!
“Why did you send them to Daocun?” Jiang Fei asked, slightly annoyed.
“They came to the hospital looking for you, but you weren’t there. And since your car is with me, they couldn’t wait for you to come to the city. So I gave them your address in Daocun. I thought it would be a good way to make them humble themselves and come to you. Consider it payback for their earlier attitude,” Lin Moli said with a laugh.
She knew Jiang Fei well and had thought everything through.
“Just make sure you treat her well. If you can heal her vocal cords and get her to promote our hospital in the media, our hospital’s name will spread nationwide. That’s more effective than ten features in the Sichuan Daily!”