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墨書 Inktalez
"Let's go."
Shen Muqing was momentarily taken aback, but seeing Yan Zhouwan already stepping away, he could only darkly follow behind her.
The two walked in silence. If one were to say they were strangers, it would be hard to find anyone on this road who would disagree.
Although Yan Zhouwan had been here for a while, she had initially been too upset to enjoy herself and later became too busy to wander around. Now, looking at the street filled with all sorts of fresh and exciting items, she felt like a child, her eyes wide with curiosity as she turned her head from side to side. She was now wealthy; Xia Muxin was particularly generous with her, giving her at least twenty taels of pocket money every month.
She had declined several times, but Xia Muxin insisted, saying that she was too tired and should take some time to explore Town and buy things she liked.
In truth, she really had no need for money. Her meals and lodging were all provided by Muxin's family, and even the clothes she wore were made by Aunt Xia during her spare time, tailored according to Xia Muxin's requests. The only thing she would buy occasionally was some makeup; she enjoyed applying a light touch of cosmetics.
Yan Zhouwan had the kind of beauty that resembled a delicate flower, but for some reason, she often wore light makeup. Xia Muxin had told her several times that the scar on her face was hardly noticeable now; it was just the spot where the character had been carved out that hadn’t fully healed yet. Although she applied medicine daily, she no longer wore a veil because even disfigurement was better than bearing the humiliation of that character.
She often paused at small stalls, lowering her head and staring for a long time without buying anything. After a while, this would irritate the vendors, who looked at her with disdain in their eyes. Yan Zhouwan remained unfazed and continued to do as she pleased.
After all, the money was in her hands; she could buy whatever she wanted. She didn’t rummage through their goods, yet the more those vendors reacted this way, the longer she lingered without making a purchase, almost as if engaging in a silent competition with them.
Shen Muqing followed behind her, feeling his face grow hot. Goodness, could someone tell him what was going on with this woman?
What was the point of competing with these vendors?
She truly acted like a child. He could have gone back first but chose not to; instead, he felt like an invisible person completely ignored by Yan Zhouwan.
Yet Shen Muqing showed no signs of anger. If Xia Muxin saw this scene, she would surely burst into laughter upon recognizing someone who looked exactly like Shen Muqing.
Perhaps everyone was busy at this hour because more and more people filled the streets. The air buzzed with shouts and bargaining voices, mixed with the laughter of children.
In an instant, Yan Zhouwan was unexpectedly bumped into by a group of children singing nursery rhymes while holding ice treats and candied hawthorns.
Because she had no mental preparation beforehand, when she was knocked down, she was still in a daze. A few children, being mischievous, collided one after another; the first bumped into the second, who then hit the first due to inertia, and so on. In the end, Yan Zhouwan found herself surprisingly overwhelmed by six children.
The oldest among them was no more than six years old, while the youngest was just one and had just learned to walk.
Before she could say anything, a deafening wail erupted from above her head. One child cried, and then another joined in. In the blink of an eye, four out of the six were crying, leaving only two older ones relatively calm. The four beautiful boys closest to her were now staring at Xia Muxin with wide black-and-white eyes, their lips stained a rosy red from the candied hawthorn they had been eating.
Half of the candied hawthorn remained in their mouths as they spoke in a garbled yet precocious tone:
"Sister!"
Yan Zhouwan jolted at the sound, inexplicably feeling that there was a teasing glint in the boy's eyes, as if he were trying to take advantage of her...
The other little ones were pulled up by their parents, who gently comforted them while wearing apologetic expressions. Seeing that the little boy remained on top of her for too long, they worried he might be hurt. Just as a few adults exchanged anxious glances and were about to step forward to check on her, a loud voice broke through like firecrackers. At the same time, someone yanked the boy's ear, causing him to scream out in pain:
"Damn it! You little brat! How old are you? You haven't even grown hair yet and you're already trying to flirt like your old man. Don’t you look at yourself before trying!"
"Hey! Hey! Hey... Mom, I was wrong! Isn’t it enough that I said I was wrong? I’m not flirting; I’m looking for a daughter-in-law for you..."
The woman yanking the boy's ear was in her thirties and dressed simply, but her voice boomed like thunder. Her shout echoed down the street, drawing attention from everyone around. It seemed they were familiar faces; after the boy finished his retort, laughter erupted all around them.
"Dong'er’s mother, Dong'er is right; he’s looking for you a daughter-in-law."
"Dong'er, you've been looking for a daughter-in-law every day for seven years now. Why haven’t you found one yet?"
"Haha! Should I increase my efforts for you?"
"Hmph! I don’t want that; I’ve already found one—it's that sister over there."
Listening to this banter back and forth, Dong'er finally turned cold-faced and pointed decisively at Yan Zhouwan still sitting on the ground.
Yan Zhouwan felt utterly humiliated, unable to face anyone after being targeted by such a young Child, who had pointed at her and declared he wanted her as his bride. At that moment, she couldn't think of anything to say in response; all she could do was lower her head and cover her face in despair.
It wasn't until Dong'er was pulled away by her mother that Yan Zhouwan learned from the crowd that Dong'er was already nine years old this year. However, she looked no bigger than a seven-year-old Boy. The other children of the same age looked down on her because her mother was an actress and her father was the troupe leader, but he had died young, leaving behind a widow and an orphan. Fortunately, her mother was strong-willed; not only did she take over the theater troupe, but she also sang every day. Over time, however, their reputation suffered, and whenever the neighbors saw Dong'er, they would laugh at her...
Standing nearby, Shen Muqing had already darkened his expression, clearly in a bad mood as he coldly glared at Yan Zhouwan, who remained seated on the ground. Feeling the temperature drop, Yan Zhouwan looked up to meet Shen Muqing's deep-set eyes. She felt a jolt of surprise but couldn't find the words to speak.
In truth, it wasn't that she couldn't get up; it was just that when she fell earlier, she had twisted her ankle, and it still hurt deeply.
After a brief pause, she forced out a stiff smile.
"How about... you go back first?"
Shen Muqing shot her a glance of disdain before taking a step closer to her. As Yan Zhouwan looked on in confusion, he bent down and picked her up effortlessly.
"Dong'er... your bride has been taken away..."
Nearby, an older gentleman noticed the scene and called out to the already distant Dong'er and her mother. Shen Muqing paused for a moment while Yan Zhouwan immediately covered her face; she couldn't see or hear anything.
However, she failed to notice the fleeting smile that flashed in Shen Muqing's eyes...
What should have been a quick return for Yan Zhouwan took them over half an hour instead.
When they finally arrived home, Xia Muxin and Shen Muhan were sitting in the courtyard discussing something. On the right side of the yard stood a stone pavilion where cool breezes flowed gently and floral scents wafted through the air. Shen Muhan had hung two lanterns above while Xia Muxin leaned against the round stone table inside the pavilion, speaking softly.
Upon seeing Yan Zhouwan return with Shen Muqing, the couple exchanged glances and both wore sly smiles.
Xia Muxin looked at Shen Muhan with an inward smirk: It seems experience still holds its value.
Shen Muhan seemed to sense her thoughts and raised an eyebrow with an Old Fox demeanor that made Xia Muxin laugh out loud.
"You’re back! There’s chilled watermelon in the kitchen, and it’s delicious!"
In order to hide her little secret from Yan Zhouwan, Xia Muxin spoke with a concerned smile before she turned around.
Watermelon was quite rare in this era, and Xia Muxin had no idea where Shen Muhan had managed to get some. When she first saw it, her eyes sparkled with excitement, startling Shen Muhan.
However, instead of eating it right away, she placed it in the water she had just drawn from the well. Then she sighed, wishing there was ice to go with it. Shen Muhan overheard her, and within a tea's time, Ming Qi brought over some ice cubes. Xia Muxin couldn’t stop smiling.
She quickly made chilled watermelon and dragged Shen Muhan to enjoy a feast, with Ming Qi also benefiting from it.
As they entered, Yan Zhouwan asked Shen Muqing to let her down. Although every step still caused her sharp pain, she gritted her teeth and insisted on walking those few steps.
To her surprise, Xia Muxin and the others were indeed in the courtyard, about ten steps away from her. She hesitated for a moment about whether to join them when Xia Muxin suddenly called out. She forced a smile and said cheerfully:
"Chilled watermelon? I’ve never had that before! I’m thirsty too."
With that, she quickened her pace despite limping.
Xia Muxin didn’t notice her awkward gait; she just felt something was off about her today. It wasn’t until she disappeared from view that she turned to Shen Muqing with a puzzled expression and said:
"Do you think this girl is lovestruck?"
- End of Chapter -
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