Chapter 71: The Tower Lock

Thousands of heart-shaped lanterns lit up on the trees at the same time, and when the breeze blew, the bells on the lanterns tinkled.

There was an official Cupid parade today. It wasn't the kind of parade where dwarfs went out to confess their love as the businessmen had come up with, but a formal parade where a beautiful girl sat sideways on a unicorn, smiling and waving at the crowd.

The girl dressed up as the goddess of love Aphrodite, wearing a white gauze dress and a laurel wreath on her head. She used a golden bow in her hand to shoot arrows of love at the crowd. Those arrows would not hurt anyone. Before hitting anyone, they turned into countless golden butterflies and flew into the sky.

Countless couples were quietly leaning against each other in the open-air cafe, and a bard was playing "Love Song" on his kithara. The clear singing could be heard from far away, and the atmosphere in the entire royal capital was very good.

Ye Wan was looking at the chocolates sold at the market with great interest. Those chocolates were different from the ones he made at home: especially the ones shaped like hearts, whose surface trembled slightly, imitating the beating of a heart; there were also chocolates shaped like Easter eggs, which, when cracked, would reveal a moving little dragon that could even breathe fire.

"The one spewing fire is chili-flavored chocolate." The stall owner winked at Ye Wan.

On the shore of the lake next to the square, there are activities specially set up for singles. Singles can relax and wish for the boats by the lake. When those wish boats slowly float towards the Tower of Cupid, Cupid can hear them.

There are rose stalls everywhere under the Tower of Eros, and golden lights are floating in the air because the Tower of Eros sprinkles gold powder every hour.

Ye Wan had a lock in her brown bag, and she didn't want You An to see it, so she said, "I'm going to the bathroom. Wait for me! Just a moment."

Then he ran up the tower with the muffin without looking back.

The railings of the Tower of Eros are already hung with all kinds of locks, the most common of which are metal locks, which sparkle in the sunset.

Ye Wan also met Arthur Berlin, a tall and majestic figure, slightly bent over and furtively fastening the lock.

"Oh, it seems you are going to get Kiara's lock." Ye Wan said happily behind him.

Arthur was obviously startled. He turned around and saw Ye Wan, and was obviously relieved. He said embarrassedly: "Actually, the big iron block gave it to me. There is a lock on their clothing box."

It was an old wooden lock with Arthur and Kiara's names carved crookedly on it.

"I wish you success." After saying this, Ye Wan walked up again, trying to find a good place on the railing. Finally, she saw a very high railing and hung the lock on it.

There was a cute sticker on the lock that said "Ye Wan wants to dance with You An".

The setting sun made her face red.

She clasped her hands together and bowed slightly to the lock. "Please, God of Love, it's just a dance."

"That's foolproof, right, Muffin?"

"squeak!"

When she hurried down from the Tower of Love, Youan was still waiting for her there with two lollipops in his hand.

"Aphrodite scattered a lot of it when the goddess of love was on parade."

He ate one himself and handed one to Ye Wan. Pancake looked at him eagerly.

"Only two." Youan shrugged.

Muffin was so angry that he turned his back and ignored him.

"I'll buy it for you right after dinner." Youan said helplessly.

Ye Wan took the pink-wrapped lollipop, peeled off the wrapper and put it in her mouth: "Oh, this is really sweet and delicious."

Muffin got even angrier.

There are many stalls under the Tower of Eros, all of which are open-air stalls. You can see the crowded people in the square and the lively couples on the tower.

It was rare for Ye Wan to eat outside the tavern, and she was choosing today's dinner very carefully. You An followed behind her, occasionally looking up at the tall Tower of Eros.

"Cheese omelet, poached eggs, radish salad... I'm so torn as to what to choose."

There was a bustling crowd under the tower. Most of the stalls were decorated with pink ribbons and colorful ropes. Only a small stall on the edge had only a bottle of roses and looked very quiet.

"It smells so good." Ye Wan sniffed and walked over, smelling the scent.

The stall owner was an old man wearing a formal old-fashioned three-piece suit, with neatly combed silver hair and a half-faded apron.

He stirred the bubbling red sauce in the pot, and the aroma of tomatoes wafted far away.

Ye Wan pulled You An to sit down beside the stall: "I have never smelled such a strong tomato aroma."

The old man generously shared his recipe with her: "First, choose ripe tomatoes, pick them when they are extremely flavorful, and mash them. Remember to peel and remove the seeds to make them more delicate. Then add basil leaves and olive oil, seal the bowl and let it sit for an hour."

Adding some chili powder to the tomato sauce can increase the flavor. Fry the bacon in a pan to release the oil, then cut some onion and garlic, and add salt to taste.

The old man poured the thick tomato sauce on the noodles, sprinkled some black pepper and chopped parsley, and handed it to Ye Wan and Youan.

The pasta was steaming hot right out of the pot. Ye Wan used a fork to mix the noodles evenly in the red sauce, coating each noodle with the sauce before taking a sip.

The tomato sauce is really rich, like the sweet and sour flavor stored for the whole winter. The noodles are chewy but not hard. The chili peppers just right alleviate the richness of the tomatoes. The bacon is fried until crispy, and the oil mixed in the sauce makes the noodles even more delicious.

Ye Wan and You An were eating like crazy and quickly finished a large plate of pasta.

"Oh, this is so delicious, grandpa. I think you should open a shop with this skill." Ye Wan said excitedly.

The old man was cleaning the food cart. His hands paused for a moment, then he sighed, "I own a restaurant, but I only come here to apply for a stall every year on Cupid's Day."

He seemed to be immersed in memories:

Tom, a poor boy who cooks noodles on the street, falls in love with Liya Eston, a noble lady. They ride their bikes around the capital and secretly date under the Tower of Eros. Liya always praises him for making the most delicious pasta in the world.

But Liya was forced to go to a distant place for marriage: "If you and I are destined, we will meet again under the Tower of Love."

Tom's street stall gradually grew into a restaurant. Every year during the Love Trial, he would apply for a stall and cook pasta under the Tower of Eros.

Many couples passed by the stall, busy padlocking the Tower of Love, and no one paid attention to this small, steaming stall.

The old man sighed, "Actually, I just want to see her again. Back then, she loved wearing a royal blue dress, holding a bunch of roses, and running towards me with a smile. I don't know if I will be able to see her again in this life."

Ye Wan paid the money and silently pulled You An away: "What a poor pair of Romeo and Juliet, if only we could help them."

"What is Romeo and Juliet, chocolate?" he asked.

Ye Wan laughed in anger: "Why are you like a pancake, only knowing chocolate?"

At dusk, when the sky turned pink, many people had already gathered at the foot of the Tower of Love. The square was filled with blooming roses. This year, the Publicity Department invited the Kingdom's famous magic singer Selena to sing a song called "Praying for Love to Bless Me Tonight."

The singing flows slowly, and with the help of the orchestra's cymbals, the sound is ethereal and soft.

You An remembered something and said to Ye Wan, "Wait for me."

He walked into the city hall. After a while, a man with slicked-back hair and a uniform came out hurriedly and took the microphone while singer Selena was taking a break.

"Dear Miss Easton, if you are at the festival venue of the Love God Festival, your old friend is waiting for you at the pasta stall in the market."

Ye Wan looked up in surprise: "Oh my God, how did you convince them to help?"

Youan shrugged: "For this or that reason." He seemed reluctant to say more.

Pancake was full of pasta and was sitting on Ye Wan's shoulder to rest. Suddenly, it discovered something and squeaked twice at Ye Wan.

Then he ran down from her shoulder, ran happily to a tall beech tree in the distance, and wagged his tail at an old woman in a gray cloak.

Ye Wan and You An ran over quickly: "Sorry, ma'am, I don't know what happened to my guinea pig. It's usually too lazy to move..."

The old woman was holding a bunch of roses in her hands. She waved her hand hurriedly and wanted to leave, but her cloak accidentally got caught on a branch in the flower bed, revealing her blue skirt underneath.

"Is that Miss Easton?" Seeing her so flustered and wearing a royal blue dress, Ye Wan asked tentatively.

The old woman's shoulders trembled: "I...I'm just passing by."

Ye Wan tried to find a way to stop her, You An understood and quickly ran away.

The old man walked over at Youan's request, not knowing why. His legs were not good and he was a little slow. When he saw the old woman, he stopped abruptly: "Liya?"

His voice was a little hoarse.

The old woman shuddered and turned around slowly: "Tom..."

"How are you doing?" asked Old Tom.

"Actually, I come here every year and secretly watch you cook noodles, but I can't face standing in front of you..."

This twilight romance might have a good ending, so Ye Wan quickly covered Songbing's eyes and ran away secretly.

She watched Tom pull Leah to the cart, relight the fire and cook noodles, and the two smiled at each other in the fireworks.

Under the witness of the god of love, the small stall that had been guarded for thirty years finally welcomed the person who was most deserving of tasting it.

This is such a belated tender moment.

Ye Wan thought secretly.

After the singer finished another song, the mayor went on stage again with a long speech. It was obvious that he was trying to talk some nonsense on the stage again this year, but no one in the audience paid any attention to him. A couple even kissed in front of him.

The scene was very embarrassing for a while.

So the mayor, with a red face, said a few nonsense words like "I wish all lovers will finally get married" and then quietly walked off the stage.

The band that had been kicked off came back on stage and played melodious and soothing music with various instruments. Many couples spontaneously danced the waltz in the center of the square.

Ye Wan stood under the tree, straightening the crooked top hat of the muffin: "Perfect."

Muffin nodded seriously and quickly ran out to dance with a guinea pig wearing a pink ribbon.

Ye Wan looked left and right.

This is different from what she imagined. Where is Youan?

Someone grabbed her hand from behind and said, "What a beautiful oriental girl! Your eyes shine like obsidian. Will you dance with me?"

The person who came was a man with silver hair and red eyes. Despite such a cool color combination, his appearance was very average.

Of course, no matter how handsome he is, Ye Wan doesn't want to dance with him.

"Uh..." Ye Wan was thinking of a polite way to refuse, but she didn't expect her wrist to suddenly loosen, and soon she was pulled into a warm embrace by a familiar force.

"This is my dance partner, please stay away from her." Youan stood behind her, his smoky crystal eyes seemed to be filled with ice.

The young man shrugged and left tactfully.

Ye Wan could feel the anger coming from above his head: "Are you stupid?"

Ye Wan was also very unhappy: "Who knows where you ran off to."

Youan said, "I went to find Tom, but when I came back you had disappeared. I've been looking for you for ages, but you were running around. What would you have done if I'd been a little late? What should I have done?"

He wanted to touch her face, but suddenly pulled back. Ye Wan could only see his red ears under the flickering light.

Youan sighed again, took a half step back, bent slightly, put his left hand behind his back, and turned his right palm upwards. Every movement was graceful.

That is the most standard gentlemanly etiquette among the aristocrats.

He looked at Ye Wan, his eyes as gentle as the warm spring breeze: "Miss Ye Wan, may I have the honor of asking you to dance with me?"

Ye Wan felt her heart skip a beat, and then quickly put her hand into his palm: "Okay."

The latter held her hand firmly and led her firmly onto the dance floor.

Ye Wan was a little nervous, and his steps were disordered.

He bent down slightly and put his arm around her waist: "Just follow my steps. It doesn't matter if you dance wrong. It's just a celebration."

You An spun her around, her pink skirt fluttering like a beautiful flower. Ye Wan could only see the fire in his eyes.

Then she smiled.

"The lock of the Tower of Love is so effective." Ye Wan thought secretly.

The entire dance floor was shrouded in a warm glow, and countless figures were dancing to the melody. Old Tom finally waited for his lover, and cherished her and pulled her to dance on the edge.

They are old and their dance moves are small.

Kiara drank quite a bit of wine and dragged Arthur around the dance floor, while the big iron block nodded with satisfaction at the edge of the dance floor.

As a former paladin and hero of the capital, Leo had many girls lining up to dance with him. He looked very embarrassed, partly because someone was singing loudly in his ear: "In my heart, you swell like fermented dough..."

The statue of the god of love on the top of the tower in the distance felt the strong love and sprinkled gold powder rain all around. The gold powder floated down in handfuls, carrying the sweet scent of chocolate mixed with flowers.

The locks on the railings swayed gently in the golden dust rain. Ye Wan's lock was at the top, with the words written on it carefully: "Ye Wan wants to dance with You An."

And on a railing far below, there was also a small copper lock. This lock came from her bedroom door. Youan also bought a similar lock in advance and hung it on Ye Wan's door, then replaced the old one.

Anyway, Ye Wan, who is a bit thick-skinned, won’t notice it.

Just like she would not notice the small lock hidden among the many copper locks, on which was written:

"You An wants to invite Ye Wan to dance together, and I hope she will agree."