Xu Zhi had once gone to the lantern festival in the capital with her brothers, and all she thought about the lively scene on the streets of Yuezhou was that it was quite lively.

Zheng Yuanyuan was different. When she was in the Pingxi Marquis's mansion, she usually stayed in the old lady's courtyard. Normal visits between relatives were also turned away by Madam Chen on the grounds that Zheng Yuanyuan was not in good health, let alone going out to play in the street at night.

She looked at the young women and wives setting up stalls on the street with great curiosity. The local customs were open, and even the young women selling things on the street were very open and generous. When they saw Xu Zhi with Zheng Yuanyuan and several servants behind them, some of the quick-witted and generous girls took the initiative to come over and solicit business. One of the girls was selling some hairpins carved from wood.

The girl smiled and said to Xu Zhi, "Madam, all the hairpins in our family are carved by my brother himself, and they are made of the finest peach wood. Why don't you buy one and wear it for fun?"

Xu Zhi looked at the few hairpins displayed on the stall. Their designs were simple and rustic, yet they also had a certain charm. It was clear that the person who carved these things had some talent.

Zheng Yuanyuan curiously picked up a hairpin shaped like a jade hairpin flower. After being carved from peach wood, it was carefully polished and finally coated with varnish, giving this originally ordinary hairpin a sense of weight and elegance.

Seeing that Zheng Yuanyuan liked it, Xu Zhi said, "If you like it, I'll buy two and give them to you."

Zheng Yuanyuan said, "Sister-in-law, it looks really nice to me. I was thinking of asking you if you have any favorites and I would buy them for you. I don't have any income right now, but once I can earn money on my own, I will buy you gold, silver and jade items."

Upon hearing this, Xu Zhi smiled and picked out a peach blossom hairpin. Zheng Yuanyuan quickly paid for two hairpins before happily continuing her stroll with Xu Zhi.

Besides these trinkets, there were also food vendors on the street. Many people carried loads on their shoulders, with a stove at one end. They would stop by the roadside, set up small tables, and start selling things like wontons and steamed buns. Some even made pastries to sell.

The street was bustling with people, many of whom brought their children out for a stroll. The children loved to eat snacks, and before long, Zheng Yuanyuan was also carrying a paper bag containing things like dried peaches and dried plums. She was eating while looking at the exquisite shops on both sides of the road.

As darkness fell, many lanterns were lit up on the streets. Ordinary shops used paper lanterns, while some well-established shops used glass or crystal lanterns.

As the crowds on the street grew larger, Xu Zhi stopped watching the commotion and focused all her attention on Zheng Yuanyuan, who was walking beside her, fearing that something might happen.

As Zheng Yuanyuan was walking, she turned around and was bumped into. After letting out a cry of pain, Xu Zhi, Hong Gu, and Hong Lian immediately surrounded her.

Xu Zhi pulled Zheng Yuanyuan behind her. Looking over, she saw that the person who bumped into Zheng Yuanyuan was a young man who looked about fifteen or sixteen years old. He was dressed in silk clothes, with a golden crown binding his hair. The jade pendant hanging from his waist looked very warm and smooth, and Xu Zhi thought it must be worth a lot of money.

The young master, already somewhat embarrassed, stood to the side. Seeing Xu Zhi and the others looking at him, he quickly apologized, "I'm so sorry, I didn't see you. Did I bump into this young lady and hurt her? I apologize to you."

Xu Zhi could tell that this young man was not frivolous. She turned to look at Zheng Yuanyuan, who had never experienced anything like this before. Her face turned red, and she kept waving her hands, saying, "I wasn't looking ahead either, it's not your fault."

Xu Zhi said, "In that case, farewell."

Xu Zhi was afraid that her aunt might cause some other trouble because of the collision. Seeing that nothing had happened on either side, she naturally pulled her aunt away quickly.

Xu Zhi was raised by her parents and brothers. She had heard all sorts of stories about boys and girls who met through various small accidents since she was a child. Those stories sounded nice, but they were not suitable for her or her family to happen to her.

Afterwards, Granny Wang stepped forward to protect her young lady. When she heard Xu Zhi say goodbye, she pulled Zheng Yuanyuan away. Zheng Yuanyuan, on the other hand, still looked apologetic and wanted to say a few words to that young master, but she didn't expect to be pulled away like this.

Xu Zhi watched as Zheng Yuanyuan walked a distance, then nodded to the young master and followed him.

Catching up with Zheng Yuanyuan who was walking ahead, Xu Zhi led them to a teahouse by the roadside and found a quiet place to rest.

After Wang Mama sat down, she said to Zheng Yuanyuan, "Miss, it is more open here than in our capital, but you should still avoid encountering men on the street."

Zheng Yuanyuan said, "I didn't do anything, did I?"

Granny Wang said, "Yes, we didn't do anything, but I'm worried about what people might do. What if they find out and come back to our house?"

Zheng Yuanyuan said in surprise, "Granny, it was just a bump, is anything wrong? Why would people go to great lengths to find out about us?"

Granny Wang glanced at Granny Lu, who then looked at Xu Zhi. At this point, it was up to Xu Zhi, as the eldest sister-in-law, to educate Zheng Yuanyuan. After all, isn't the eldest sister-in-law like a mother?

Xu Zhi was being watched by the two elderly people, and she also saw that Hong Gu and Hong Lian were looking at her with great interest, clearly wanting to hear what she had to say.

Xu Zhi began to slowly recall what her parents and brothers had told her.

那个时候自己是七岁还是八岁呢？还在河西城里待着，正月十五城里有灯会，很早i娘亲要带着自己去看花灯，许栀记得自己挺高兴的，有一天吃饭的时候，娘亲就说起花灯会上能发生的事情来，结果父母还有兄长就开始跟自己讲那些花灯会上曾经发生的一些轶事，什么大家的小姐一个不察被拐子给拐走了，卖到大山里面去过了很多年的苦日子，那个时候许栀还在想，家中的姑娘，出门都是要跟着伺候的丫鬟，还有伺候嬷嬷，甚至还要带着几个府中的侍卫，小厮，那么大一个人，怎么就能够被拐子拐走了呢？

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