26 Where Joy Is 2 (1/2)

”He is in our kitchen.”

The manager's answer felt like a machete had just cut Sidney's face.

He continued, ”Well, when I was there, it seemed that he was washing the pots and plates.” The manager hesitated and begged softly, ”He worked very hard, sir. If he offended you in anyway, please do not blame him.”

Maxwell was stunned, Mary was shocked, and Sidney was astonished.

”The academy's hospitality is a little bit special,” Mary said.

After a long time, Mary quietly sighed. ”Fortunately, I never got a recommendation letter from my uncle, otherwise I would be sent to the kitchen as well. I am really quite curious to even think about it. After all, I have never done that kind of thing before...”

She clearly had a gentle tone but her words stabbed Sidney, making his face turn white.

”Life really always gives me an expected surprise,” Mary said.

”Oh, let's take a look at our guest who was driven away. What is he doing in the kitchen?” Maxwell said with a grin.

Sidney froze a moment, then hastened to catch up. He kept wiping off his cold sweat all the way, praying no more embarrassing things would happen. But just as the approached the kitchen, they heard a strange sound.

It was a chaotic symphony.

The sound of the utensils colliding, iron pots scraping, things dropping on the floor, and the overlap of the dozens of sounds formed…the march that had just been played?

Maxwell stopped, staring at the crowd gathered in front of the kitchen. They twisted, swayed, sang, immersed in the music.

”What does this mean?” He laughed softly, amazed and surprised.

－

The first was a knife being beat on a bowl. The crisp sound was like a bell ringing, like the reverberation of the wind at nighttime. Although it had a familiar rhythm and beat, it was unique, full of a strange feeling of speculation.

With the melody rising, the sound of the bowls fell into the rhythm like an invisible handyman making his effort to push the roundabout music notes to a higher level. The dog barked along with the noises which initially would have made people frown, but blended nicely with the rhythm of the tunes and drums.

It was not a soft sound like drizzling rain, but more rough like lively events. It sounded like a carnival ground, like dense stomping sounds, and like heavy raindrops.

On the streets of the carnival, cheers emerged, and people threw their hats into the sky. Hats of all colors started to come down, flying in the wind. Suddenly cheers burst into tears, like a flood had swept through the audience.

The emotional high-pitched sounds resonated in the air. The shadows also shook with the rhythm, as if the shadow of a flame had also been hijacked by the carnival tune!

But just at the most critical moment, the cheers paused, revealing a fatal flaw in the music which made Maxwell frown. It should not pause here but it should continue, continue rather than exposing the fatal emptiness!

Then in the next moment, the silence was shattered by an extremely sharp sound.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

It was breaking the barriers, breaking the rules!

Someone was beating the wok strongly, but the sound roared like thunder, echoing in everybody's ears.

This was the beginning of the celebrations!

The night wind suddenly became hot and dense, making it hard to breathe. It felt like a rock had sunk to the bottom of the chest. People's blood started heating up, and the cheers roared.

Senses and emotions were sucked into the frenzy like a flame burning in the wind.

Breaking the inherent pattern, this strange music was pushed to a higher level. The method was rough enough to make people frown, but the effect was still incredibly good!

Maxwell sped up and pushed through the crowd, only to see the juvenile's back in front of the sink.

His hands held a knife and a fork and his foot was stepping on the bottom of a dark pot. He was absorbed in the rhythm like nobody was around.

To his side was a big golden dog barking excitedly, dangling a sausage in its mouth. A fork was tied to its tail, so that as the dog wagged its tail, the fork would hit the lid of a pot, making a crisp and sharp sound.

In the kitchen, the waiters and the cooks applauded, dancing for him, singing with the melody. It was not like a dignified school, but a carnival pub.

Everyone was drunk, so that in the candlelight, their faces were red and drunk, and smiling.

”Did I hear it wrong?” Maxwell sighed softly, and he felt that he had an illusion as if he had seen his political opponent wearing a tutu and throwing kisses along the King's Avenue.

”I am afraid Bach, that bastard, would regret his letter of recommendation if he saw him play his piece like this?”

Although he was incredibly stunned by this absurdity, he could not help but want to applaud, and then did so without hesitation! The girl was shocked. But in her gaze, the old man was excited, getting ready to cheer.

”Oh, no way! I like this rhythm too much!”

Amid the cheers, the high-pitched tunes continued as if they were never-ending. In the rippling air, all the dishes shook from the resonance. An unparalleled sense of power and indulgence filled the air. There was also a sense of joy from the breaking jars and plates.

In the end, the wok underneath the boy's foot finally could not bear it anymore. After issuing one last high-pitched note, the wok cracked.

The music ended.

Suddenly the carnival came to an end, and the crowd cheered and applauded so loudly that they almost awakened the entire sleeping college.

Maxwell gently clapped his hand, looking at the surprised girl.

”Every day there are new surprises.” He smiled and said, ”This is where the joy of life comes from, Your Royal Highness.”

--

Ye Qingxuan was surrounded by the excited cook and the servants.