The old man was a bachelor, but he was old after all, and just like those people said, even if he wanted to, he was no longer able to.
However, physical submission could not stop his psychological pursuits, so the old man developed a peculiar habit: he would specifically choose the Qixi Festival or the Lantern Festival to go out and collect kites and lanterns, and then tear off the paper strips on them.
He wanted to critically examine how bold and shameless girls are these days!
After repelling a group of talented men, the old man sneered.
A bunch of all talk and no action, utterly useless!
If I were decades younger, what would be the point of this Lantern Festival for you guys!
The old man grumbled inwardly as he continued scooping the fish up.
Before long, the old man retrieved four or five more lanterns. He opened the first one and saw a few words written crookedly on it.
"My daughter is graceful and ethereal, serene as a virgin, swift as a rabbit in motion. She absorbs the essence and beauty of heaven and earth, gentle and virtuous, charming and captivating. If you, sir, are interested, you may..."
The next part lists the meeting location.
Upon reading this, the old man didn't want to read any further. It was simply too frivolous! Even if such a woman were truly beautiful, he would look down on her. Moreover, he thought that a woman who could write such terrible characters probably wasn't very good-looking either.
It's even worse than my own handwriting! I really wonder if it was written by a woman or a burly man!
Shaking his head, with a hint of disapproval for the first lantern, the old man opened the note on the second lantern.
He was stunned after just one glance.
Thinking he was seeing things, the old man rubbed his eyes and looked again. There it was, still, crookedly written: "My daughter is graceful, still as a virgin, swift as a rabbit, absorbing the essence of heaven and earth, gathering all the beauty of the world..."
Yes, the note on the second lantern is exactly the same as the one on the first!
The old man has confirmed that the woman who released this lantern is not only unattractive, but also probably extremely frivolous!
The old man had lived so long and collected so many lanterns—this was the first time he had ever seen a woman release two lanterns in a row!
That's really shameless!
With disdain for the first two lanterns and the one with the word "floating" on it, the old man lit the third lantern. He glanced at it and froze, then immediately lit the fourth, the fifth…
With all five lamps turned on, the old man was filled with despair and anger!
He was cursing under his breath. One person released five lanterns and he even had to pick them up. Did he have no shame?
After calming himself down, the old man picked up the last lantern from the river, praying that he wouldn't find that shameless lantern again.
He had just picked up the lantern and hadn't even had a chance to look at it when he was suddenly enveloped by a large, dark shadow, which startled him.
When he looked up and saw that the woman standing in front of him was much more magnanimous than the shadowy figure, he was utterly shocked.
My goodness, is this a black bear that has come to life?
The person standing in front of the old man at this moment was none other than the Black Bear Spirit—or more accurately, Liu Piaopiao, the owner of the lantern!
Today, Liu Piaopiao prepared five lanterns. Although she had a bold style, she was much more timid in her actions. After all, it would be embarrassing for a woman to release five lanterns in a row!
She chose a quiet spot and secretly released the lantern.
Five lanterns, carrying Liu Piaopiao's heart, drifted and swayed with the murmuring river, until—hmm? Who picked up all of my lanterns?
The lanterns were meant to be picked up by people, so why was Liu Piaopiao so angry? It was mainly because the same person who picked up her lantern was the same one, and an old man at that! Older than her father!
I'm here to choose a husband, not to find a father!
Liu Piaopiao cried out in her heart, if the old man had only picked up one of her lanterns, she could have pretended not to see it, since she had five lanterns.
But he actually picked up all five lanterns in one go!
However, you can't really blame the old man; it was Liu Piaopiao who put the five lanterns together.
The old man looked up at Liu Piaopiao, feeling a little scared. Anyone would feel fear if they saw such a large woman in front of them.
"this--"
The three terms of address, "brother," "brave man," and "girl," floated through the old man's mind, but in the end he said nothing, because it seemed too difficult for him.
"Is there...something wrong?"
Could she have a crush on me?
With a feeling of unease, the old man said.
"What is it? Hehe..."
A cold smile flashed across Liu Piaopiao's face, which added even more terror to her already frightening appearance.
Why did you pick up all my lanterns?
Liu Piaopiao lowered her voice because she was afraid that outsiders would find out that she had actually lit five lanterns by herself, which would make her famous.
"You...are Liu Piaopiao?"
The old man finally realized what was happening, and the fear on his face disappeared, replaced by contempt and disdain!
Let's leave aside the idea of being as still as a virgin, but what about being as swift as a rabbit?
It's probably as fat as a pig when it moves!
The old man felt he had done a good deed today. If he hadn't picked up the five lamps and they had been picked up by the five young masters instead, the consequences would have been unimaginable!
Therefore, the old man felt a strange sense of honor.
"Pah, you dare call me Piaopiao?"
Liu Piaopiao spat, her face turning ugly.
"I ask you, why did you pick up my lantern?"
After confirming that the woman in front of him was indeed Piaopiao, the old man was equally furious and said, "With your appearance, you still have the nerve to write that you are as still as a virgin and as swift as a rabbit?"
"None of your business!"
Liu Piaopiao gritted her teeth and said fiercely. If it weren't for the pedestrians coming and going by the river, she probably wouldn't have been able to control her hands and would have given the old man a good beating!
The old man was also extremely angry, thinking, "You expect me to interfere? Fine, I'll do something about it then!"
Thinking this, the old man shouted, "Come and see! This shameless woman dares to—"
"Shut up!"
When the old man called out, Liu Piaopiao was startled. If this got out, she would never be able to get married!
With a loud shout, she charged at the old man, her momentum suggesting she was determined to sit on him and kill him!
With the old man's quick wit, he had already noticed the danger, especially the thought of her plump bottom sitting on him—
Then the old man ran away.
The people by the river heard the old man shouting and turned to look. When they did, they saw a burly woman chasing after an old man, and couldn't help but marvel at how audacious women were these days. Chasing a man was one thing, but chasing such an old man was quite another…
What a tragic fate!
Having witnessed the whole thing, Jing Zhe praised it highly, saying that the local customs and people of Ruzhou were indeed very simple and honest...
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