Chapter 458: More Contact Is All Right
There is a pedestrian street near the hot spring resort mall, very close to the lake. During holidays, a market will be set up along the pedestrian street according to the characteristics of the festival. Small shops with the same shape are connected together. There are both merchants and retail tenants. Food, clothing, toys and daily necessities are all sold.
This New Year's Day was no exception. When Liu Wangxue and the others came to play script-killing yesterday afternoon, they saw that the shops along the pedestrian street had already been set up. This year's lantern festival was not limited to the pedestrian street, but turned a corner at the entrance of the pedestrian street and directly connected to the lake, and then extended about three kilometers along the lakeside pedestrian path.
No tickets are required to enter the hot spring resort. Not only is the scenery beautiful, but it also has everything you need for eating, drinking and having fun. It is a good place for leisure and entertainment on weekdays. Therefore, in addition to tourists from other provinces and cities, residents of this city and nearby areas also often come here to play, treating it as an open park.
This year's New Year's Eve event was quite grand. The resort had put out publicity early in the morning and a lot of people came. When Liu Wangxue and his group arrived, the lakeside was already crowded with people.
After discussing it, we all decided not to go to a restaurant for dinner. There are so many snack shops here, and they all look delicious. After walking around, even if we restrain ourselves from buying too much, we can still be full without feeling too full.
The place where they got off was in the mall, which was very close to the entrance of the pedestrian street. The twins suggested that they start from here and walk all the way to the lake. Everyone had no objection, so they went together.
At the entrance, staff members in doll costumes were handing out flyers. Xu Qingsong was walking at the outside, and the flyer was handed right in front of her. He took it and looked at it: "A guide to the Lantern Festival?"
When everyone heard what he said, they turned around and asked the staff for one.
In fact, the official video account of the resort had already posted the promotion of the Lantern Festival, but unfortunately none of them paid attention to it. The promotion was not only online, but also in the various B&Bs and hotels in the resort. The Lake and Mountain Hotel where Liu Wangxue and his friends stayed had a roll-up banner at the front desk since the day before yesterday. A few people came and went and just glanced at it. They only knew that there was this event, but had no idea about the specific process and how to play. Moreover, they were originally scheduled to have dinner at Junior Master Xu Qingsong's house tonight, so Liu Wangxue didn't care about this event at all.
Everyone walked and looked at the flyers. On the front was an introduction to some traditional games in the market, including guessing riddles, flying flowers, tossing pots, kicking shuttlecocks, etc., a total of eight kinds.
These games were jointly launched with the Chinese animated film that Li Yu suggested to watch last night. There is also a small shop at the entrance of the cinema. Players can get a booklet from here first. If they win the game, they can collect a stamp on it. When they collect ten, they can come back and exchange them for a movie ticket.
The number of movie tickets is limited and divided into different grades. There are 150 full-price tickets, 300 half-price tickets, and 500 20% off tickets. They are on a first-come, first-served basis. Which one you get depends on both your ability and luck.
When the twins saw this, they didn't want to turn around anymore. This was a challenge, and they had to ignite their fighting spirit and desire to win. So they forgot about the snacks they had just planned to buy, looked to the side, and saw the small shop of the cinema a few steps away, so they pulled Li Yu over directly.
Beibei: "Brother Xiaoyu, come play this with us!"
Kang Kang: "When three people travel together, there must be Zhuge Kongming. We must get the first-tier movie tickets!"
"Okay!" Li Yu had the same idea. When he was in Country Y, he went to get a stamp for the Confucius Institute's Mid-Autumn Festival event. The prize in the end was secondary. The main thing was that he really enjoyed the process of the game.
Xu Qingsong was also asking Liu Wangxue if she wanted to play. Liu Wangxue was still hesitating when she saw the twins and Li Yu going to get the booklet. She pointed at the backs of the three people and said to Xu Qingsong, "That's good. As you wish, you don't have to take care of the children at all."
Xu Qingsong was extremely satisfied with this phenomenon: "Well, very good, very good, it is reasonable for the older children to take care of the younger ones. Besides, we don't need small bulbs with all the lights on the street."
Wenxi, Du Yunkai and Tao Huayu were discussing whether they should also join in the fun. Although they had seen the movie, they had hardly played the game.
Wenxi pointed at the flyer and said, "I really want to play this pitching pot game. I've only seen it in movies and TV shows, but I've never experienced it myself."
"Okay, let's go." Du Yunkai certainly followed her idea.
Tao Huayu asked: "Can everyone play these games, or can only those who have received the stamp collection booklet play them?"
They were not sure, so they simply went to the small shop in the cinema to ask the staff.
Li Yu and the twins had already received the booklets. They glanced at the "movie ticket collection record" on their workbench and found that more than 20 tickets in the first batch had been taken.
The twins suddenly felt a sense of crisis and pulled Li Yu away. When they turned around, they saw Xu Qingsong and the others coming over. They greeted them hurriedly and ran towards the first game point.
Xu Qingsong shouted from behind: "Be careful——"
The three of them said without even turning their heads: "I know—"
They asked the staff, and they said, "It doesn't matter, anyone can go and play."
So Du Yunkai and Wenxi prepared to find a place for the tossing pot game, and Tao Huayu also planned to go with them.
Liu Wangxue had no interest in these little games. She turned to the back of the flyer and saw a shop called "Lantern Making". Although she had clumsy hands, she really liked handicrafts.
At this point, the New Year's Eve team split into two again. Tao Huayu looked at the crowd, waved the flyer in his hand to Xu Qingsong and Liu Wangxue, and said jokingly: "Then we will meet again by chance."
Wenxi and Du Yunkai laughed together: "See you again if we are lucky."
Xu Qingsong and Liu Wangxue waved to them together: "Well, see you again if we are lucky."
The specific location was carefully marked on the flyer. The lantern experience shop was at the other end of the pedestrian street, near the lake. Xu Qingsong and Liu Wangxue were not in a hurry, so they walked over slowly holding hands. Anyway, the original plan was to take a stroll.
The pedestrian street was very wide, with shops on both sides selling all kinds of goods, and pedestrians walking in the middle of the street. It was already dark, and when they arrived, the lights in the shops were on. Lanterns were hung on the eaves of each shop, in various shapes, round, square, diamond, fan-shaped, etc., all painted with traditional patterns or flowers, birds, fish and insects. It looked bright from a distance and exquisite up close.
Xu Qingsong asked Liu Wangxue: "Are you hungry? Do you want to buy something to eat?"
After having a full lunch, Liu Wangxue sat in the tea room for the whole afternoon, eating fruit and snacks. She was not hungry at all. She asked Xu Qingsong, "Are you hungry?"
"Hmm..." Xu Qingsong put his other hand on his stomach, as if he was carefully feeling the signal coming from it, "I guess a little bit."
Liu Wangxue was amused by him and shook their holding hands: "Let's go buy it!"
The two walked a few steps forward and saw a shop selling grilled cold noodles. Liu Wangxue suddenly felt a little greedy for it, so Xu Qingsong pulled her to line up. After waiting for more than ten minutes, Xu Qingsong took two bamboo sticks from the small box next to the operating table and used them as chopsticks. He picked up the first steaming mouthful, blew on it, and fed it to Liu Wangxue first.
As soon as Liu Wangxue put it in her mouth, her eyes suddenly lit up and she gave him a thumbs up.
Seeing that she was enjoying her meal, Xu Qingsong was happy too. He picked up another piece to cool it down, and then fed it to her after she finished that one.
Liu Wangxue shook her head: "One bite is enough, I'm just greedy, eat it quickly, it will get cold soon in the cold weather."
Xu Qingsong then ate it himself and found it tasted indeed good.
Then they bought two snacks and flower and fruit tea, one cup of flower and fruit tea each. Liu Wangxue took a bite of the two snacks, and the rest belonged to Xu Qingsong. After finishing the food, they threw the packaging into the trash can in the middle of the street, and there was still half a cup of tea left in their hands.
Liu Wangxue was also drinking intermittently when she suddenly saw a clothing shop in front of her. She was attracted by a denim jacket hanging inside, so she pulled Xu Qingsong over to take a look.
"Boss, can you take that down so I can have a look?" Liu Wangxue pointed at the washed white one with a spring field pattern on the back and asked the boss. It should be for display purposes, it was hung a bit high, and Xu Qingsong probably couldn't reach it even if he stood on tiptoe.
The shop owner was a plump middle-aged lady. She didn't wear any makeup, but her complexion was very good. She smiled and said in a friendly manner: "Sure."
Liu Wangxue handed the flower and fruit tea in her hand to Xu Qingsong and took the coat that the boss had taken down. It felt very soft to the touch, and she could see clearly that the pattern on the back of the clothes was not printed, but embroidered with colored cotton thread - green grass stretched to the green hills in the distance, and small unknown flowers clustered together and bloomed. Warm, vigorous, and dazzling vitality, she was attracted by this bright color just now.
Liu Wangxue liked it more and more. She pinched her shoulders and compared it in front of the mirror. There were also scattered flowers embroidered on the pockets, front, cuffs and hem. She asked the boss: "Can I try it?"
The boss made a gesture of invitation: "Sure." After all, it's just a coat, it's easy to put on and take off.
Because they only sell coats, there is no curtain for trying on clothes in the shop. Liu Wangxue stood at the door and stepped aside to let other customers in. Xu Qingsong held two cups of tea together and stretched out his hand to Liu Wangxue: "I'll hold it for you."
Liu Wangxue handed him the coat first, took off the outer coat, and put it on. The mirror was temporarily occupied by other customers, so she didn't look in the mirror, but turned around and let Xu Qingsong see: "Does it look good?"
Xu Qingsong nodded: "It looks good and fits me well." It was like wearing spring on his body.
After the customer left, the space in front of the mirror was temporarily empty. Liu Wangxue jumped over, looked around, was very satisfied, and asked the boss for the price.
"599." said the boss.
Xu Qingsong asked Liu Wangxue: "Do you want it?"
Liu Wangxue lowered her head to check the hidden buttons on her front and cuffs, and nodded when she heard what he said: "Yes."
Xu Qingsong put her coat over his other arm and took out his cell phone to pay.
After checking the buttons to make sure they were fine, Liu Wangxue was about to take off her coat. She looked up and saw Xu Qingsong scanning a QR code with his phone in the mirror. She suddenly wanted to tease him, so she turned around and asked, "You're paying now? You're not even going to bargain?"
Xu Qingsong paused while scanning the code, and then he could almost read her inner thoughts by looking at her expression.
"Yes," he said, deciding to go along with it, and then asked the boss, "Can you make it cheaper?"
The boss still had a smiling face. He raised his hand and pointed to a sign that read "Purely Hand-embroidered" on a hanger in the middle of the shop, and said, "As you can see, I don't have many clothes in this shop, because the embroidery on them is all hand-embroidered by my family. It's not easy to make one, so I won't bargain."
Liu Wangxue and Xu Qingsong met each other's eyes and both smiled.
Xu Qingsong said, "Take it off and put on your coat. It's cold."
Just as Liu Wangxue was about to take off her coat, the twins jumped out from nowhere and hugged her arms, one on each side.
Beibei: "Sister-in-law, you are buying clothes."
Kang Kang: "This embroidery is beautiful!"
Xu Qingsong pulled them apart: "Stop making trouble, let your sister-in-law change her clothes first."
The twins immediately pestered him: "Brother, I want one too!"
When Xu Qingsong saw Liu Wangxue take off her coat, he immediately shook it open, helped her put it on, and said to the twins, "Go pick your own."
"Okay!" the twins cheered and went into the shop together and started looking at each item one by one.
At this time, Li Yu also came over, holding three take-away boxes of snacks he had just bought. He was waiting at the shop opposite, and when he turned around, the twins were gone. He looked into the crowd and then saw this side.
He handed the snacks to Liu Wangxue and Xu Qingsong: "Brother Qingsong, Sister Xuxu, do you want to eat? These are freshly-cooked octopus balls."
Xu Qingsong said, "I've eaten, you can eat now."
Liu Wangxue also said so.
Li Yu opened a box, picked up one with a bamboo stick, and ate it in one bite.
Liu Wangxue asked him how he was doing with the game. He chewed and swallowed the food in his mouth and said, "I have collected six seals. I still have to play Feihualing and Kicking Shuttlecock."
"Then you are very fast." Liu Wangxue praised.
The twins picked out the coats, but Kang Kang was the only one holding one. Because there was only one of a certain pattern or style on display in the store, the twins seemed to have a common brain and fell in love with this one at first sight. They came over to ask the boss to bring out another one.
The boss was embarrassed: "It's hand-embroidered, there's really only one piece."
The twins looked at each other, unhappy, and looked at Xu Qingsong: "Brother——"
Xu Qingsong smiled and shrugged, indicating that he was powerless.
Liu Wangxue suggested tentatively: "Why don't you pick another one? That way you two can switch between them, so each of you will have two pieces of clothing?"
Xu Qingsong agreed: "I think your sister-in-law's idea is good."
The twins have never used different things since they were little. When they were little, they were like conjoined twins, doing everything together. If their family bought them different things, even if they were the same style but different colors, they would be unhappy. It was not because they liked each other, but because they felt that they were forcibly separated in this way. When they were a little older, they only avoided suspicion in terms of gender. Some unimportant food, clothing, and daily necessities were still the same. For example, when buying clothes, whether it was men's or women's clothing, they had to buy two identical pieces.
Xie Zhuoyi and Xi Muya also had a headache about this matter, because they both had to grow up, separate, and become different.
For example, when it came to choosing a major after the college entrance examination, both children initially chose landscape architecture, which was what Beibei was going to apply for.
Every year, the school where the twins attend has a teacher who is responsible for academic planning to communicate with the senior students and their parents about the major selection. There is a column on the feedback form asking "Why did you choose this major?" Kang Kang simply filled in "My sister likes it."
The teacher saw that this was not possible, so he quickly contacted the parents. That day, Xie Zhuoyi and Xi Muya had a very formal and serious conversation with the two children.
Actually, there is a reason why Kang Kang wrote this way. When they were young, their family would ask for their opinions when making decisions about them, mainly to see if they could get different answers from them. Of course, they didn't, so the adults would guide them, such as asking "Brother wants this, sister, do you want to choose something different?" or changing the order of addressing "Sister wants this, brother, do you want to try to choose that?"
The two children always give the same answer, "I will choose whichever my sister/brother chooses, and I will like whatever my sister/brother likes." When they grow up, they can make their own decisions, and there is no need to discuss at all. No matter what decision one makes, the other will follow. As for choosing a major in college, it was Beibei who made the decision.
Xie Zhuoyi and Xi Muya said earnestly: "Kang Kang, although you can study any major in college, and you may not be able to use what you have learned after graduation, but we still have to choose what we really like and want to study. This kind of choice related to life, we must make our own decisions, we can't follow my sister."
Kang Kang said: "I want to be with my sister, we will never be separated."
Beibei also echoed: "Yes!"
Xie Zhuoyi and Xi Muya forcibly pulled them apart: "You can go to the same school, you don't have to study the same major. Kang Kang, mom and dad want to ask you, do you really like landscape architecture and want to study this major?"
When asked this question, Kang Kang hesitated, which was unusual.
After that, Kang Kang was conflicted for several days. He didn’t know how the twins finally discussed it, but Kang Kang changed his major and chose Fine Arts.
Xie Zhuoyi and Xi Muya were happy for a while, thinking that this was a good start, which should mean that they could "separate". However, things did not develop in the direction they expected. Except for this time, the twins remained the same.
Xie Zhuoyi once worried, saying: "If they both start dating in the future, will they still be like conjoined twins like they are now? How will they get along with their partners then?"
Xi Muya was a little more optimistic than him: "Maybe, it won't be like this after you start dating, right?" Otherwise, what would the boyfriend or girlfriend think?
Whenever Xu Qingsong returned to Beijing, he often heard his junior master talking about this matter. Now he thought, why not take this opportunity to try it? The boss didn't want to miss this business, so he recommended a few other items to the twins, but the twins didn't like them and were a little reluctant to buy them. But when they looked at the one in their hands, they really liked it and were reluctant to put it down.
Liu Wangxue saw that the pattern on the clothes they chose was a cicada singing on a summer tree, but the cicada was a lazy cicada, leaning on a branch with its legs crossed and taking a nap, and even blowing a huge snot bubble, which was very cute.
She looked at Xu Qingsong and felt that for some reason he just wanted the twins to choose two different clothes, so she tried to give a suggestion again and handed over the one in her hand: "How about this, the one you chose is the summer cicada nap, how about pairing it with this spring flower sea?"
She pointed at the two pieces hanging above and said, "I see the boss has some embroidered with autumn and winter patterns. Qingsong and I will choose these two. We can put together four seasons. What do you think?"
After she finished speaking, she looked at Xu Qingsong.
Xu Qingsong agreed again: "I think it's okay."
Beibei took the one that Liu Wangxue handed to her and said, "It looks good too." They had just been buying octopus balls across the street. When they turned around, they saw Liu Wangxue trying on clothes. She was also attracted by the pattern on the back of this dress.
When the boss heard this, he hurried over to take down the pieces of Sunset Autumn Water and Snow Falling on Branches Startling Birds, handed the former to Liu Wangxue, and then handed the latter to Xu Qingsong: "They happen to be both your sizes."
When Liu Wangxue was trying on clothes just now, she wanted to buy another couple outfit, and then pick one for Xu Qingsong based on the one she tried on. But she felt that the current one was better. There was a pine tree beside the autumn water in her hand, and there was falling snow on Xu Qingsong's hand. This could show their love secretly again!
Liu Wangxue leaned against Xu Qingsong and pointed out the two places on the map to him.
Xu Qingsong understood immediately, and after looking at her, he couldn't help but smile, and whispered to her: "This one is good, I want this one."
Li Yu was eating octopus balls on the side, looking happy, as if he was watching a good show.
The two customers who came in at about the same time as Liu Wangxue had just finished their shopping and left, but the twins inside were still struggling.
Xu Qingsong issued an ultimatum, waving the clothes in his hand: "I'll give you five seconds to consider. If you don't want them, your sister-in-law and I will pay for these two pieces."
The twins muttered, "Is this about money?"
Xu Qingsong began to count down: "Five——"
The twins looked at each other and liked both pieces, but they were different.
Xu Qingsong: "Four——"
The twins looked at each other again and thought, forget it, they were hand-embroidered to begin with. After all, even if the patterns were the same, there would still be differences if you looked closely.
Xu Qingsong: “Three——”
Twins: “Yes!”
Then he turned around and saw Li Yu had just finished eating the box of octopus balls and was putting the bamboo skewers back into the takeaway box and tying the bag tightly.
The twins' faces suddenly changed as they walked out quickly: "Brother Xiaoyu, you pick one too. The five of us will all wear the same one."
"Yes, Xiaoyu, do you want to pick one too?" Liu Wangxue turned her head to look at Li Yu, pointed at one of the items hanging on the wall of the shop, and said, "Look, that one, the one with the carp leaping over the dragon gate, what a great New Year's blessing."
Xu Qingsong also said: "That's great, I'll pay for it together, just as a New Year's gift to you."
When the twins saw Liu Wangxue pointing, they quickly asked the boss to take off the clothes.
Li Yu was still holding the remaining two boxes of octopus balls and an empty box in his hand, and waved his hands repeatedly: "Sister Xuxu, I have no shortage of clothes, Brother Qingsong, please don't spend money." Before, he was to be a tour guide for Joshua, and later he would go to work at Porcelain, so Wenxi prepared a lot of clothes for him. There were also some clothes he bought himself under Wenxi's guidance when he was in Country Y. There were too many clothes, and he felt he had too much to wear.
The twins pestered him to accept it, and Beibei even held the coat to compare the width of his shoulders: "What a perfect fit!"
Xu Qingsong asked the boss to calculate the total price. This should be the largest order today. The smile on the boss's face deepened, and he gave him a discount when he was happy.
When Xu Qingsong was paying, the boss packed up the clothes and handed them to them one by one. He also gave Liu Wangxue a business card and said, "This is my own small brand. I have a small store in the city. You can go and have a look if you have time. There is a QR code on it. You can scan it and follow it. The store will post new products online. They are all one-of-a-kind."
"Okay, thank you." Liu Wangxue took it and put it in her bag.
Li Yu received a New Year's gift and felt embarrassed. He said to Xu Qingsong and Liu Wangxue, "I didn't even prepare any gifts for you."
Xu Qingsong raised his hand and rubbed his head: "What kind of gift is this for a kid? Okay, go play, and be careful."
"Brother, sister-in-law, let's go." The twins happily pulled Li Yu away. Only then did they remember that there were still two games left to collect all the stamps, so they had to hurry.
Xu Qingsong carried the two bags in his hands, held Liu Wangxue's hand and continued to walk forward, full of satisfaction: "We have accomplished a great thing."
Liu Wangxue wondered if it was really about the twins buying clothes, so she asked him.
Xu Qingsong told her about it.
Liu Wangxue didn't react much to this. You can't choose a major casually, but wearing clothes is a small matter. It's no big deal. Doesn't this just show that the relationship between the siblings is good? She was very curious about one thing and asked Xu Qingsong: "How do you tell Beibei and Kangkang apart?"
Xu Qingsong looked at her with a smile: "Can't you tell the difference?"
Liu Wangxue shook her head: "I can't tell the difference at all."
Logically, since one of them is a boy and the other is a girl, there should be some differences between them, at least in terms of height, body shape and voice. But Beibei and Kangkang are not like that. They are the same height, body shape and voice are almost the same. Today, they are still wearing clothes with stand-up ties and frayed edges, which cover their necks tightly.
After Liu Wangxue finished her comparison, Xu Qingsong laughed even more happily: "Indeed, they are very similar. It's okay now, after all, Kang Kang has male characteristics, Adam's apple, and generally no one will mistake him. Unlike when they were young, even Junior Master and Junior Aunt would confuse them. As for Kang Kang, my Junior Master is also very worried about his lack of height. He has taken him to the hospital for a check-up. There is nothing we can do about it, it's just genetics. Also, he didn't have a voice change period. When he was in junior high school, almost everyone around him had a hoarse voice, but he still has a childish voice."
Hearing this, Liu Wangxue became a little worried: "What does Kang Kang think in his heart?" Could he be under pressure from the environment, or was he said something unpleasant by his classmates?
Xu Qingsong knew what she was worried about: "Kang Kang accepted it well. He and Bei Bei are both mentally strong. There are indeed some unpleasant voices in the class and school, but he himself doesn't like to play with those boys. He dislikes them playing sports and getting sweaty all day long. Hahaha..."
Xu Qingsong laughed out loud when he said this. He could already imagine Kang Kang's expression of fanning his face with his hands when he said this. He looked disgusted as much as he could. "As for children, apart from these annoying ones, there are always some righteous ones, and Beibei will protect him. Besides, our Kang Kang is very popular with girls. He has a lot of fans in school."
"That's good." Liu Wangxue was relieved to hear him say that. The topic had obviously gone off topic again, and Xu Qingsong still didn't say how he could tell the twins apart, so Liu Wangxue asked again.
Xu Qingsong said: "We went to school from kindergarten to high school. When they were born, I was already in junior high school - tsk, when I think about it, I suddenly feel so old!"
"No way!" Liu Wangxue smiled and told him the truth, "She is in her prime!"
Xu Qingsong raised the hand that was holding the bag and pinched her face, then continued, "By the time they were in kindergarten, I was already in high school. We were in the same school and our homes were close, and my junior uncle and aunt were busy, so I would take them to school every day and bring them home after school. The school was near Peking University, and I often did this after I went to college. I couldn't count how many times I took them there. Later, when I was studying for my master's degree, they would often come to visit me."
Liu Wangxue understood: "Just like practice makes perfect, it's natural that you can't recognize family members you see every day, right?"
"Yes," Xu Qingsong held her hand and shook it gently, "Just get in touch with it more. You're so smart, there's no way you can't tell the difference."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
