A stage was set up on the other side of the river, and actors went on stage to sing a classic song about the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl.
On the river beside them, lion dancers leaped onto plum blossom poles, jumping around and performing various difficult moves, drawing loud cheers from the crowd.
"good!"
"One more!"
Shen Ning's gaze was drawn to it. Lion dance was a familiar performance, but she could only see it a few times a year. During festivals, she was always drawn to it. There was also a little lion next to it, wagging its tail and looking very lifelike.
Shen Ning was amused and said to Liu Ying at the next table, "Sister Liu Ying, take some silver over to give as a reward."
Liu Ying nodded: "Okay, I'll go right away."
A young master's voice came from beside them: "Does Sister Chen like that little lion?"
Shen Ning turned around and saw that the young master had actually sat in Princess Chang Le's seat, holding a teacup and smiling at her.
Up close, that face is so white and tender, it makes you want to pinch it.
Perhaps sensing something, the young master leaned closer, innocently blinking his cigarette, and asked, "Why isn't sister saying anything?"
Shen Ning remained silent, slowly taking a step back: "Is the young master so familiar with everyone?"
She called him "sister" so naturally.
The young boy shook his head and said seriously, "No, I just think that my sister is pretty and kind. I wouldn't pay attention to anyone else."
Shen Ning: "Why did you go out alone? Where are your family members?"
Whose child is this? Come and take him home!
The young boy sighed with a worried look on his face: "I came out with my uncle, but he was busy chasing after his future aunt and completely forgot about me."
What a poor little thing.
Then he changed the subject, a smile on his face: "Luckily I met you, sister, otherwise I wouldn't know what to do."
Shen Ning stared at him for a long time, making him feel uncomfortable, before she finally chuckled.
Qin Yan looked at her curiously: "What are you laughing at, sister?"
Shen Ning smiled, her smile undiminished: "It's nothing, I just think you're quite cute."
His feigned innocence, yet undeniably cunning demeanor, is quite amusing. Of course, the main reason is his striking good looks—his rosy lips and white teeth. Even knowing he's deliberately acting, it's not off-putting; rather, it's quite entertaining.
He glanced at the pastries on the table but didn't eat a single bite.
"These pastries don't suit your taste?"
Qin Yan: "I'm not in good health, and my family won't let me eat food from outside."
Shen Ning glanced at his teacup, held it for a long time, and it seemed that nothing was missing.
"If you're not in good health, you really should pay more attention to it."
Qin Yan was in low spirits: "They won't let me eat food from outside, and they don't want me to go out. This is the first time I've been out in two years. I'm locked up like I'm in prison. I don't know what the point of living is."
This world-weary sentiment didn't sound fake, and Shen Ning immediately withdrew her gaze from the spectacle and focused it on the young boy who looked extremely pampered.
"How old are you? How do you know that life is meaningless?"
Qin Yan: "I'm fifteen years old. In fifteen years, I've only come out to play three times."
Shen Ning was surprised. That was indeed quite tragic. Although she liked cats at home, that was only on snowy days. She had seen the vastness of the world and the prosperity of the world. To be kept at home for fifteen years and only allowed to come out three times was unacceptable.
“You’re still young…” Shen Ning carefully considered her words, but then she thought about what she was doing when she was fifteen, and realized that fifteen wasn’t actually that young.
"It's not that living is meaningless, but that being unable to control one's own life is meaningless."
She said it offhand, but that's what she wanted to express.
She leaned back slightly, relaxing in her chair: "There are too many rules and regulations in this world. There are the constraints imposed on you by the world, the scrutinizing and critical eyes of others, and the lectures from parents and elders in the name of love. It's like being wrapped in swaddling clothes when you're an infant, wrapped up on all sides and restricted in every way. Only when we learn to walk will the swaddling clothes disappear."
"You're already fifteen years old, not far from growing up. Don't say that life has no meaning, but think about how to live a meaningful life."
After saying that, she realized she had been nagging. What was wrong with her today? She was always lecturing others.
Perhaps the young boy was just saying it casually, but she took it seriously.
Thinking this, she turned around unintentionally and saw Qin Yan looking at her with bright eyes.
Unlike his previous deliberate, innocent smile with narrowed eyes, he opened his eyes wide. Only then did Shen Ning notice that his eyes were very large, with pupils as black as ink, and quite beautiful.
Unlike the feigned innocence and harmlessness he had just displayed, his eyes now seemed to hold genuine appreciation and affection.
"I really like what you said, sister. I'll be an adult soon, and I should be in charge of my own life."
There are many things he wants to control, but they are all part of his life.
Catching something out of the corner of his eye, he stood up: "Sister, I saw my family. Thank you for inviting me. We'll meet again. Goodbye."
After saying that, he grinned sheepishly, showing his teeth, and turned to run in the other direction.
Princess Chang Le finally returned, having changed her clothes. She was in a bad mood: "I don't know which blind person bumped into me just now, dumped a plate of sweet cakes on me, did something bad and ran away in a flash, making me have to change my clothes."
The timing was quite coincidental, as if it was deliberately designed to delay Princess Yanle.
So that young master was coming for her?
"Alright, alright, don't be angry. It's not worth getting sick from getting angry. A new batch of fabric will arrive at the end of the month. I'll make two sets of clothes using the same pattern, one for each of us."
Princess Chang Le gave her a reproachful look: "You're the only one who knows how to make me happy."
After saying that, he noticed the fresh tea and snacks on the table: "Why did you order so much? There's even an extra teacup. Has anyone been here?"
Shen Ning told the waiter to take away the extra teacups: "A little boy just sat here, and he left without even drinking the tea I offered him."
Princess Chang Le thought he was really a child and chuckled, "You're so good-natured."
After watching the play for a while, Shen Ning casually asked, "Does Ah Xuan know Qin Yan?"
"Qin Yan?" Princess Chang Le thought for a moment. "The Qin family? I know the main branch of the Qin family, but I wouldn't recognize the collateral branches. Was that child named Qin Yan?"
Princess Chang Le was very perceptive.
Shen Ning nodded, and Princess Chang Le immediately said, "I'll ask my mother tomorrow; she might know."
Shen Ning wanted to say no, but then she thought that the child had come for her, so it would be good to know who it was and why.
"Then I'll have to trouble you, Your Highness."
Princess Chang Le smiled and said, "It's no trouble at all. My mother talks about you every day, but it's a pity that you are in mourning and cannot visit in person. Otherwise, my mother would have come to you long ago."
Having grown accustomed to her own children's antics, Princess Qi spoke highly of Shen Ning, and her desire to adopt her as a goddaughter grew increasingly urgent; she had urged Princess Chang Le to do so several times already.
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