Shu Lan and Qin An chatted and laughed as they strolled through the streets. When they reached a vendor's stall, Qin An stopped.

It was an old woman selling carvings; her stall had many carved jade pieces and ornaments.

Qin An took a liking to a piece of jade, which was made of a pair of auspicious birds. Although the jade material was ordinary, the carving was incredibly lifelike. The two auspicious birds were tightly entwined together, making them particularly beautiful.

For some reason, the sight of the two auspicious birds circling around him reminded Qin An of himself and his brother holding hands. So he decided to buy them.

"Children, what has caught your eye? I may not boast about anything else, but when it comes to knife skills, no one within ten miles can match my skill." The old woman smiled at Shu Lan and Qin An, her eyes kind and gentle.

"Xiao An, what's on your mind? If you want it, I'll buy it for you."

"No, brother. I want to buy it myself this time." Qin An seemed a little stubborn at this moment. His parents usually gave Qin An pocket money, so buying this pair of jade stones wouldn't be a problem.

"I want to buy this." With that, Qin An picked up the pair of auspicious birds.

"Hmm, the child has a good eye. This is my proudest creation. It only costs two taels of silver."

"Grandma, keep the change." Qin An took out five taels of silver and handed it to the old woman. Then, he eagerly grabbed Shu Lan and ran off.

As they walked, Qin An handed one of the auspicious birds to Shu Lan.

"Huh? It's for me?" Shu Lan was a little surprised.

Qin An nodded seriously, looking at Shu Lan with expectant eyes.

"Then thank you, brother." Shu Lan said as she tied the jade pendant around her waist.

Qin An then tied another jade pendant to his waist.

The two exchanged a smile and continued walking into the myriad of lights in the homes...