Robbery
Xie Shangjia bought some hot sugar-roasted chestnuts, peeled one and fed it to Shen Qianyue. He then bought a fox lantern from the stall next door and stuffed it into her hand.
He even stood in front of a mask stall, picked up a mask with an exquisite fox face painting, and smiled as he wanted to put it on Shen Qianyue's face.
Shen Qianyue turned her head slightly to avoid the overly fancy mask. There was a hint of helplessness in her cold eyes, but there was no real resistance.
Xie Shangjia didn't force it. He happily bought a pig-faced mask with green face and fangs and put it on his face. He deliberately got in front of Shen Qianyue to scare her, causing Shen Qianyue to curl the corners of her lips almost imperceptibly.
Shen Qianyue stretched out her hands to ravage his masked face: "Why did you choose a pig's head?"
Xie Shangjia bent over and let her rub him: "You are a smart little fox, and I am a big stupid pig. This way I will only listen to you, and you will not leave me."
One of them is as cool as the moon, the other is as passionate as fire. One is "dressed" up with all kinds of gadgets and can hardly take them off, while the other is happy to show his courtesy. In the small town market on a snowy night, they form an extremely eye-catching and strange scene.
The wind and snow grew stronger and the sky became darker.
The flow of people in the market showed no sign of decreasing. Instead, as it was approaching the time for the New Year's Eve dinner, the market became even more crowded with people returning home and browsing the stalls.
The two walked along a relatively secluded alley leading to the river, trying to avoid the congestion on the main road.
The alley is narrow, with high white walls on both sides and icicles hanging on them. The light from the lanterns here appears sparse and hazy.
Just when they reached the middle of the alley, two figures suddenly appeared at the corner ahead, blocking their way, and two people followed closely behind.
The people who came were all wearing bulky and worn coarse cloth jackets, with their faces covered with cloth, revealing only four pairs of eyes flashing with greed and ferocity.
The masked man in the lead lowered his voice with a thick local accent.
"Leave all the silver and valuables you have on you to me. Be sensible. It's New Year's Day and I don't want to see blood."
They all held shiny sticks in their hands, but no sharp weapons.
After Shen Qianyue took a look and heard these words, she immediately felt relieved. Since her identity was not recognized, it was the best thing that she could be robbed.
Xie Shangjia had been firmly pulling Shen Qianyue behind him to protect her. His eyes suddenly became as sharp as an eagle. The laziness and casualness of a child from a wealthy family disappeared in an instant, replaced by a sense of being offended.
He threw away the chestnut in his hand and subconsciously clenched his fist. His knuckles made a slight crackling sound. He took an attacking stance and was about to move forward.
Just when he was ready to strike.
A slightly cool hand gently pressed on his arm.
It’s Shen Qianyue.
Xie Shangjia paused and turned back in surprise.
Shen Qianyue walked out from behind him, the wind and snow blowing the fluff on the collar of her cloak.
There was no panic on her face. Her icy phoenix eyes appeared even deeper in the dim light. Her gaze fell on Xie Shangjia's tense profile and she shook her head slightly.
Don't do it.
Xie Shangjia understood her eyes, and instantly felt a huge sense of confusion and frustration in his heart. They were just four thieves, and he could beat them, so why should he endure it?
However, Shen Qianyue's calm eyes were like a basin of ice water, instantly extinguishing his boiling anger and impulse.
He believed in her, unconditionally.
He suppressed the urge to take action, his body remained tense, and he stared ahead vigilantly.
The leading man shook the stick in his hand and growled fiercely: "What are you dawdling for? Hand over the things now! Otherwise..."
Shen Qianyue's gaze then slowly turned to the leading robber, ignoring his threats.
"My dear fellows, we are only seeking wealth, why do we have to fight?"
She placed the fox lantern in her hand on the snow at her feet and calmly took out a handful of brand new banknotes from the inner pocket of her large mink coat.
The thickness and denomination of the banknotes were enough to make the robbers gasp for breath, and greed instantly flashed in their eyes, even in the dim light.
Shen Qianyue didn't even look at the stack of banknotes, as if it were just useless waste paper. Her slender fingers casually seemed to be distributing a few insignificant pieces of paper.
She didn't hand it over, but took a step forward, put the banknote on the ground, and stepped back slightly.
"The New Year is not easy. I'm offering you a little money as a token of my appreciation. I'll treat you all to a drink to keep the cold away, and also as... a token of my respect for the passage."
One of the robbers stepped forward and took a look at it. He had never seen so much silver and money before, and his voice trembled.
"Boss, it's...it's true."
The leader swallowed hard and snorted coldly, "Get out of here!"
They are just after money, but they are not stupid enough to mess with someone who looks like he is from a wealthy family.
If you kill an ordinary person, you can just get away with it. At worst, if you are caught by the government, you can be imprisoned for a few years and then released.
But if you kill a rich kid, you will have to pay with your life, and the family behind him will not let you go.
Chen Qianyue picked up the fox lantern and left with Xie Shangjia, followed by the sounds of several people eagerly dividing the spoils.
The wind and snow were still howling in the alley.
They left the alley and strolled along the path leading to the river.
Xie Shangjia stopped and blamed himself: "Blame me, I shouldn't have brought you out, otherwise I wouldn't have lost a lot of money in vain."
Chen Qianyue turned to look at him, the wind and snow blew up the loose hair on her forehead, revealing her smooth forehead and the golden velvet hairpin.
"I thought you would blame me for giving away so much money casually."
Xie Shangjia shook his head: "I don't blame you, it's my incompetence."
After calming down, he realized that he had acted rashly. What if the other party got anxious and attacked Shen Qianyue? After all, two fists could not beat four hands.
Shen Qianyue raised her other hand and gently brushed away the snowflakes that had fallen on Xie Shangjia's shoulders. Her movements were as natural as if she was brushing off dust. Her red lips parted slightly and her voice was very soft.
"It can only be solved with a few banknotes. Even if you can escape unscathed, I don't want you to take any avoidable risks. It's me... I can't lose you."
A strong dragon cannot defeat a local snake.
Xiao Xitian cannot be crowned as the real Great Sage, and the old neighbor can really kill people when he gets angry.
Xie Shangjia held her tightly in his arms, with a glint in his eyes.
"You always deliberately make me cry."
Shen Qianyue stroked his hair and smoothed it: "Really cry, big stupid pig, don't cry."
Xie Shangjia sniffed and snorted softly.
Shen Qianyue patted his shoulder: "Husband, my chestnuts fell. I love eating them. There is a shop in front. Let's go buy some more."
Xie Shangjia rubbed his eyes and took a deep breath: "Okay, let's go buy it!"
Shen Qianyue looked back at the alleyway where she came from, her eyes cold and grim.
Tiny snowflakes danced in the halo of the red lanterns, like scattered silver, and the warmth in each other's palms was transmitted to each other.
Xie Shangjia held Shen Qianyue's hand tightly, fearing that she would disappear in the snowy crowd.
Finally, we arrived at a small river that meanders through the center of the town. The river is only about ten feet wide, but it has become the brightest place on New Year's Eve.
The two banks of the river were crowded with people lighting lanterns and praying for blessings. Lanterns of various shapes were carefully lit, carrying people's simplest and most pious wishes, and gently placed into the flowing river.
The twinkling lights spread across the inky river surface, drifting slowly with the water flow, reflecting the swaying red lanterns on both sides of the river and the snowflakes dancing in the sky, forming a flowing dreamy starry sky painting.
Xie Shangjia took out the twin lotus lantern he had bought a long time ago. Two pink lotus flowers were leaning against each other, sharing a green lotus base. On the lamp wall were four beautiful small characters "Never Separate" outlined in gold powder.
"Let's go too."
Shen Qianyue chuckled: "Okay."
Xie Shangjia carefully protected the lamp and pulled Shen Qianyue to find a riverside stone staircase with fewer people.
The stone steps were covered with a thin layer of snow, making them a little slippery. Xie Shangjia went down first, stood firmly, and then turned around. He naturally held Shen Qianyue's wrist, allowing her to step steadily on the stone steps.
His movements were focused and gentle, as if she were fragile glass.
The two stood side by side on the cold stone steps, with the inky black river reflecting thousands of lights under their feet, and the wind and snow blew their clothes and hair.
Xie Shangjia held the exquisite twin lotus lantern in his hand, took out a tinder, and carefully lit the wick.
A warm halo instantly lit up between the petals of the twin lotus flowers, soft and hazy, reflecting his focused and pious profile, and also illuminating Shen Qianyue's cold face, casting two clusters of dancing warm light in her frozen eyes.
"Here." He gently placed the lit lantern into Shen Qianyue's slightly cool palm.
Chen Qianyue lowered her eyes and looked at the twin lotus lanterns in her palm, which were leaning against each other and emitting a warm glow.
The golden words "Never Separate" on the lamp wall sparkled in the firelight.
"Make a wish!" Xie Shangjia's voice carried a hint of subtle tension and anticipation in the wind and snow. He clung to her and used his body to shield her from the cold wind blowing from the side.
Shen Qianyue did not move immediately, but just looked at the light in her palm quietly.
However, Xie Shangjia couldn't wait to close his eyes, put his hands together, and like a most devout believer, he made a wish in his heart facing the slowly flowing sea of stars and the auspicious snow flying in the sky.
I wish we could be like the mandarin ducks in the water and the lovebirds in the sky, growing old together and never being separated.
Chen Qianyue held the lantern, the flame dancing in her palm, her eyes fixed on Xie Shangjia's face with his eyes closed and an extremely pious expression.
He opened his eyes, and the wind and snow fell on his thick eyelashes, staining them with a little white. On that handsome face was pure, unreserved, and as hot as a newborn baby's love and expectation.
She had never seen Xie Shangjia so vividly before. Deep in the frozen lake of her heart, there seemed to be a sound of ice breaking.
"Miss, please make a wish."
Shen Qianyue slowly closed her eyes, and her long eyelashes fluttered like butterfly wings under the light.
I wish we could be together every year like this, and never be apart until we are old.
Chen Qianyue opened her eyes, Xie Shangjia held her hand, and together they gently placed the twin lotus lanterns in their palms into the inky river water.
The lantern fell into the water, causing a small ripple, and then floated steadily.
Two lotus lanterns leaning against each other, on the shimmering river surface, slowly merge into the galaxy of thousands of blessings along with the water flow, floating towards the unknown distance with a unique and warm light.
The two looked at each other. The lights on the river bank flowed into a hazy sea of light behind Shen Qianyue. The flying snow in the sky was like a stage curtain, making her look like a fairy from the Moon Palace.
Xie Shangjia held his breath, forgot the cold, forgot all the noise around him, and stared at her blankly.
The wind and snow seemed to stop at this moment.
It seemed as if they were the only two left in the world.
Xie Shangjia involuntarily stretched out his hand, wanting to touch a strand of hair on her cheek that was blown by the wind, his fingertips trembling slightly.
Shen Qianyue did not dodge, but slightly raised her face to meet his gaze. Her eyes, reflecting the stars and lights, clearly reflected his obsession and desire at the moment.
The lanterns on the river gradually drift away, just like the passing time.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com