"What should I do? What should I do...?"
In the midst of the chaos, A-Mian immediately tried to check her soup pot; thankfully, it hadn't happened at her stall. She had barely taken a step when someone grabbed her from behind and shouted, "Everyone, hide on the donkey cart! Come here!"
Meng Chijian lifted A-Mian onto the donkey cart, and Xiao Jing, Wang Wang, and Aunt Liu quickly followed suit. Although it was a bit crowded, the donkey cart had barriers on all sides, and since they were taller than the people around them when they stood up, it was perfectly safe.
Grandma Liu clutched her chest, still shaken: "Oh my, that was terrifying! I almost lost my life here."
These words were meant for Ah Mian's ears; to appease the helpers, they should be paid more money, right?
Amian didn't hear him at all, and clung tightly to Meng Chijian's clothes, "Then what are you going to do? Why don't you ride on Adou?"
"It's alright for me to be here; I can keep an eye on the things at the stall."
"Why don't we put these wooden tables and chairs together? That way we can at least block some of the view."
The crowd on the street got a little out of control, with shouts and cries everywhere. Aunt Liu couldn't care less about paying more money at this point. Fortunately, she had gotten shelter here early and felt very lucky.
Right now, A-Mian's stall hastily set up has become an isolated island. Meng Jing said, "What are we going to do now? People inside are too crowded to get out, and people outside are blocked from getting out."
Ah Mian stood up and shouted, "Stop pushing! Stop shoving!"
Her voice was like a drop of water falling into the vast ocean, completely unnoticed by anyone.
"What's it to you..." Liu Da Niang subconsciously pouted.
Seeing that no one was paying attention to her, A-Mian sat down again and muttered to herself, "Nobody listens to me."
Meng Chijian, who was standing next to her, said, "It's too noisy outside."
"That's strange, where are the government officials? I clearly saw several constables patrolling the streets earlier."
"I guess they haven't been able to squeeze in yet." Meng Chijian reached out and plucked a blade of grass from her hair.
"Looking at it this way, everyone huddled together looks just like a group of little ants."
Aunt Liu looked at the two of them, but mainly at A-Mian—
Perhaps even Ah Mian herself didn't realize how focused and devoted she was when she looked at Meng Chijian.
Those dark eyes were filled with trust, no, perhaps something else, like admiration (if he hadn't been there, the stall might have been destroyed long ago), like courage—when two people are together, they're afraid of nothing…
Anyway, the first word to pop into the head of this woman in her fifties startled even herself.
The word is: deep affection.
If anyone were to casually utter this phrase, Liu Xiufang would laugh at them for three days and three nights.
Deep affection and love—these are all things young people make up; they're neither edible nor drinkable. And anything even remotely related to them has to be met with an air of disdain, otherwise, otherwise…
Xiao Jing felt someone trembling beside her. Turning her head, she saw that it was Liu Da Niang, who was terrified by the crowd. The old woman was crying and wiping away the tears on her face with her hands.
"Auntie, you..."
Aunt Liu forced a very awkward smile. "I feel so choked up. I think crying will make me feel better... I'm just thinking, how did I get to be over fifty in the blink of an eye?"
Xiao Jing felt that Aunt Liu was too emotional, so she quietly moved a little to the side.
If Meng Chijian had heard what Aunt Liu was thinking, he would have definitely sneered.
The claim that Ah Mian's eyes are very affectionate—Ah Mian looks even more affectionate when she looks at chickens or coins! She just has a slight "peach blossom eye" characteristic at the corners of her eyes, slightly upturned. That appearance might be deceiving; she even looks at two dogs fighting on the street with tender affection!
At first, when A-Mian was particularly dull and expressionless, she didn't attract much attention. Now, she's learned to look at people sideways, and her eyes are so captivating that it's impossible to look away.
Lu Amian is the world's number one liar.
They have no heart or conscience; they're just good at bluffing and fooling people.
The big liar is still lying now, "I'll take you to the most popular teahouse in town tomorrow when I close my stall. There's a new female musician there who plays the zither very well. Consider it a belated celebration for you."
Meng Chijian knew that the teahouse had recently launched a new batch of red bean-flavored dim sum, but neither of them knew anything about music.
Ah Mian always felt that if she said she was going to eat snacks, it would make her seem like she was greedy, which was very inappropriate, but saying she was going to listen to the zither was very elegant and proper.
He pinched the big liar's cheek.
"What should we do? It's been so long and the number of people hasn't decreased..." Wangwang worriedly said, "If we don't go back soon, my family will probably come out to look for us."
Adou had never been surrounded by so many people before, and he kept pawing the ground with his front hooves, equally agitated.
As the night grew colder, the crowded streets were already filled with a sense of tension. People who were tired, weary, and bored were naturally in a bad mood, and there were constant arguments and shouts of alarm about their lost wallets.
Just then, the sound of clashing swords pierced the night sky, followed by a series of clanging sounds. This was followed by warnings: "Don't move! Don't move now! Anyone who moves will regret it!"
"Now look at this red flag in my hand. Stop when I wave it! Now, on the outer perimeter, those who want to leave, go first. The rest of you, don't move!" The voice came from afar, and the people saw a minor official on horseback, holding two flags, one yellow and one red.
When the yellow flag is waved, it indicates that the person is heading in one direction, and the tourists on the left side of the official pass by quickly.
"Isn't that...isn't that Constable Chen?!" Wangwang exclaimed in surprise. "What's he doing here? He should be in Zhoucheng right now..."
After Officer Chen's efforts to direct the flow of people on the street, the crowd finally started to move in a more orderly fashion. First, those who were in a hurry to go home left, making way for the crowd.
The doctor from the clinic then came in and carried the two injured people who had overturned the soup pot away, stumbling along. Fortunately, because of the weather, everyone was dressed warmly.
In the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, there are fewer people on the street, and many stalls have closed down and gone home.
Meng Chijian nudged A-Mian, "You can move now."
Amian said, "But they're still waving red flags."
“That’s for pedestrians to see; you’re sitting on the donkey cart.”
Wangwang said, "A-Mian, I just remembered I have something to do, so I won't be packing up here. I'm leaving now!"
"oh."
After packing up their stall and sweeping the ground, A-Mian secretly checked again to make sure that the money she had earned on the donkey cart was still there safely.
She did a quick mental calculation and realized that, after deducting the initial investment, she would make a net profit of four taels of silver tonight.
After packing up, Aunt Liu left. Now, the country lanes were filled with farmers carrying torches, scattered about. Returning home in groups like this, even though it was nighttime, wasn't too dangerous.
Meng Chijian sat in front driving the donkey cart. As they passed the lantern street ahead, A-Mian held her chin and looked at it carefully for a few moments.
Huh?
She thought she saw Wangwang talking to Constable Chen.
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