I returned along the same route I had taken, and when I arrived at the stall where I had just bought the mask, I didn't see Song Heng.
Turning around, I asked the merchant to describe Song Heng's appearance. The merchant slapped his head and shouted, "Oh! I saw it! You are the girl who just rushed over, right?"
I nodded excitedly.
He sighed, "Just now, that young man was about to chase you, but suddenly a large carriage arrived, followed by a large group of followers! The crowd was immediately thrown into chaos! I didn't even see him!"
I thanked him and said that it would be safest for me to wait here for now. If he didn't come later, I could just go back to the Zhuang Mansion without any problem.
Looking at the huge crowds of people on the streets, men and women holding hands, I suddenly felt a strong sense of loneliness.
When Song Heng was around, I didn't have this feeling at all. I only felt that the city scene was bustling with a unique kind of liveliness.
But now I suddenly find that I depend on him more than I thought.
Just as I was thinking about it, I suddenly saw a man standing in front of a stall. He was tall and thin, wearing a black robe, and his profile was the fox mask I bought for him!
It turns out that what is happier than something falling from the sky is actually finding something again after losing it.
I don't know how I managed to push through the crowd and rush over, but when I got behind him and knew he was right in front of me, I wasn't in such a hurry anymore.
With a sudden thought, I quietly walked behind him and patted his right shoulder.
As he turned right, I immediately jumped to his left side. He didn't see me and immediately looked left again, so I jumped to the right side before him.
I couldn't help but laugh, and thought I had had enough fun, so I planned to jump on his back to scare him one last time. But when I was about to jump, I felt someone grabbing my waist from behind, and then I fell into a warm embrace.
"What are you doing?" It was the first time I heard Song Heng so impatient that he would repeat a sentence twice.
What’s even more surprising is——
I turned around and saw Song Heng wearing a mask!
Then whose shoulder did I photograph earlier?!
I turned my head blankly, only to see that the man in front of me, who had a similar figure to Song Heng, had also turned around and was looking at us.
Well, taller than Song Heng, but also fatter.
Oops, I misread...
Before I could speak to him, Song Heng spoke to the person in front of him: "My wife is stupid, please forgive me."
Although he was clearly asking for forgiveness, Song Heng's tone was very cold, as if he wanted the other person to apologize.
The man naturally felt the same chill as I did, said "It's okay, it's okay" and quickly left.
Leaving me alone trembling.
"Hmm..." I confessed: "I was mistaken. I thought it was you, so I did that..."
Song Heng didn't say anything, just let go of my waist and stood in front of me.
"Really!" I said anxiously, "Just now, I saw a child fall down and went to help him, but when I turned around, I couldn't find you. I was anxious and then I saw him, and then I was too excited and thought it was you..."
My voice became lower and lower, but he still stood in front of me without moving.
The evening breeze blew by, and after a long while, I heard him mutter like a dissatisfied child: "You made me wear a mask, but you can't even recognize me..."
I am in the wrong.
I quickly agreed, "Well, then, don't wear it anymore! To make amends, can I take it off for you myself?"
He paused, then nodded.
Seeing him nod, I felt relieved. He lowered his head slightly, and I raised my hand to help him untie the straps of his mask.
After untying it, he looked down at me and said, "Let me untie yours too."
"Okay." As soon as I finished speaking, I found that everything in front of me was suddenly dark!
Immediately, there was a warm touch on the lips, and that was it.
The next second, I felt the tie on the back of my head being easily pulled open, and his smiling face instantly appeared in front of me.
"Punishment," he said, looking down at me, "next time, don't run around without saying anything. It's dangerous."
It turned out that he was mad at me for running around.
I nodded, and subconsciously turned my head to look at the melodious singing coming from the cruise ship in the distance. I heard Song Heng whispering to me, "Want to take a boat ride?"
I continued to nod. He seemed to pause, then took my hand and said, "Let's go."
Since we were two people, we rented a small boat. The boatman stood at the bow, paddling the boat and singing a simple and straightforward ballad: "Sister, hold my hand, and we will love each other and connect our hearts."
Song Heng was sitting in the boat awning, and I was leaning on the bow and giggling. He heard me and asked me what was wrong, and I said the boatman sang beautifully.
The old boatman must have heard our conversation, so he sang even more vigorously, drowning out the voices of the beauties on other boats who were playing pipa and singing lyrics.
I walked to the bow out of curiosity, and heard Song Heng shout "Be careful" behind me.
I immediately turned around to look at him, thinking something was wrong. He sat in the boat and calmly explained, "Watch your step at the bow. It's a small boat and there are no guardrails."
I waved my hands and smiled, "Don't worry! Do you want to go outside with me?"
He paused and said, "I'll come later."
I thought he must be tired tonight, having played chess with Master Mu all afternoon, and unlike me, he wasn't just chatting or taking a walk, which didn't require any thinking. So I immediately said, "Well, then you can have a good rest in the boat."
As I stepped out of the boat, I saw the river shimmering in layers under the lights on the shore. Gorgeous pleasure boats were passing by, with handsome gentlemen and graceful beauties on board.
There was also a pipa girl with her face half covered by a veil, singing a gentle and sad tune, and a singer playing the guzheng sitting in front of the boat, smiling at some passerby.
Looking towards the shore, I actually saw Eunuch Afu and Guard Li, whom I hadn't seen all night. They now showed up, staring at our boat motionlessly.
I waved at them hesitantly. They seemed stunned and waved back. Then I felt someone gently hug my waist. Song Heng's chin rested lightly on the top of my head: "Shuang'er."
"Hmm?" He seemed to sound a little tired. I thought it was because he was too tired to accompany me, so I said a little embarrassedly: "Thank you for your hard work tonight..."
"No," he said calmly, tightening his arm around my waist. "The scenery on the boat is beautiful."
"Yeah," I replied, "the moon is beautiful today too."
Looking up, I saw a full moon, exceptionally bright.
He didn't say anything else, just held me and stood at the bow of the boat.
The night breeze was cool and gentle, and the old boatman beside him fell silent for some reason, letting the women on the other boats sing their tender and touching songs, which floated on the leisurely river:
Listen to me playing the strings of the zither, tears have made my eyes red. Watch me putting on my makeup and painting my eyebrows in front of the bronze mirror, but no one asks me how deep my feelings are. I long to see your face, I miss you, but you don’t see me...
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