Chapter 60: Mr. Youan, your most important treasure is...
The stained windows of Hagia Sophia were polished to a gleaming shine, and the giant fir tree at the entrance of the church was hung with glass balls, gilded bells and countless little angel pendants.
Under the tree, the choir children lined up in four rows and sang Christmas carols, and the nuns were at the door with baskets distributing candy and gingerbread cookies.
Ye Wan picked out several different flavors of toffee and chewed them until they made a crunching sound.
You An couldn't help but say, "Don't chew candy so loudly."
"Hey, but candy tastes better when eaten like this." She peeled off a shiny candy wrapper, revealing a round sea salt caramel toffee. Ye Wan stuffed the candy into his mouth in a lightning-fast manner.
"Don't be so elegant. Try it. It tastes better when you chew it."
Youan was caught off guard when a candy was stuffed into his mouth. The rich sweetness of the caramel spread in his mouth like a tide. After the sugar dissolved, some slightly salty sea salt particles melted on the tip of his tongue.
The candy had a soft, chewy texture, and You An couldn't help but start chewing. Ye Wan smiled and said, "How's it? Isn't it delicious?"
He took another from her hand.
"The nun gave it to me. Go and queue up to get it yourself."
"Don't be so stingy." Youan grabbed it.
The two walked to the square in front of the church, where there was a church charity sale. Because the pastor decided to renovate the church, he took many of the church's oak benches to sell. Many citizens responded positively and also brought unused items from their homes to sell here. There were red and green striped sheds on both sides of the path.
Ye Wan strolled excitedly along the way. The stalls were all hung with gas lamps and mistletoe wreaths, and they sold shiny Christmas trinkets, such as handmade nutcrackers and hand-knitted wool socks.
Ye Wan took out a pair of bright red wool socks with a herding deer embroidered on them and said, "I'm going to hang this by the bed. Maybe Santa Claus will bring me a present."
She looked down at Youan's boots and said, "Why don't you buy a pair of socks and hang them in the attic."
"No, I don't need any thanks."
"You can wear these handmade wool socks on your feet. They won't keep your feet cold."
"No, I don't need it." Youan refused firmly.
There was a little magic stall selling matches in a pretty metal box. The vendor took out a match, struck it, and in the light a large, shiny turkey appeared.
The onlookers applauded, and the vendor said loudly: "This is the legendary magical wish match from 'The Little Match Girl'. When you strike it, you will see the treasure of your dreams! It is perfect as a Christmas gift."
"What a meaningless magic gift." Ye Wan said.
Her dream treasure is a bag full of silver coins, and even better if it were gold coins.
"Muffin's treasure is nuts, right?" Muffin nodded happily while lying on her plush hat: "Squeak!"
"Then I probably know what Christmas gift to give you." In fact, she had already prepared a large bag of pine nuts and secretly hid it in the warehouse.
Pancake's eyes were bright and he looked very expectant.
Finally, Ye Wan settled on an oak chair with a backrest, about four feet wide, originally a church pew. According to the nun, it dates back to the time of the Queen, its color darkening with age. Ye Wan loved it, feeling that this antique piece held a timeless charm.
And it's very cheap, only 20 copper coins.
"It's only 20 copper coins because no one will buy it." Youan said disapprovingly.
"Oh please, Youan, this chair goes perfectly with my green ivy. Look, when the sunlight shines in through the window, this historic chair hidden among the lush green ivy makes the tavern look classy."
"I don't think this chair is so high-end." Youan glanced at the bench.
The chairs were polished to a shine by the buttocks of the devout believers who came to church to worship.
Ye Wan didn't listen and just took out 20 copper coins from his pocket. The nun took the money and kindly suggested, "Do you need a carriage to take you home? We have believers in our church who specialize in helping people move goods."
"That's great. Please deliver it to the Old Oak Tavern in Honey Lane." Ye Wan said.
"That's a little far, and the shipping fee might be around 100 copper coins." The nun was a little embarrassed.
"Then I don't need it, thank you..." Ye Wan turned to look at Youan.
The latter subconsciously took a step back.
"Please, Youan, just consider it as a Christmas present for me?" Ye Wan rarely put on a pleading look, and his beautiful black eyes fluttered twice.
Muffin stood on her hat and put her paws together: "Squeak."
The veins on his head jumped, and he had no choice but to compromise.
"How many believers has this chair eaten? Why is it so heavy? No, no, I need to rest for a while." Ye Wan was so hot that she pulled her scarf down. She was gasping for breath, and a large cloud of white mist came out of her mouth.
Youan wasn't breathing heavily. He looked slender, but quite strong.
Ye Wan sat on the chair for a while, then stood up again: "I'm ready."
Two people stood on both sides of the bench, one on the left and one on the right, and lifted the horizontal bar of the seat with both hands.
"rise!"
The chair wobbled back onto the road.
We finally reached Honey Alley. The alley was narrow and difficult to pass through, and the back of the chair was stuck between two walls.
"Turn a little to the left, then a little more." Ye Wan said breathlessly.
Passing by the iron sign at the entrance to Honey Lane, the sign happily says: "Turn left and you will find Honey Lane, and turn right and you will get a Christmas blessing!"
"I don't need a Christmas blessing, I need God to send me a truck."
When the chair finally arrived at the tavern, Ye Wan was exhausted: "If I had known, I wouldn't have bought this."
"This is an antique that dates back three centuries and dates back to the time of the Queen." Youan repeated her words.
"Okay." Ye Wan pulled off the scarf.
She ran into the kitchen, and the moment she opened the door, the rich and mellow aroma of meat spread out.
When you open the pot, you will find pig's trotters that have been stewed until they are soft and boneless, lying in a thick red sauce.
As Christmas approaches, the prices of all kinds of meat are rising wildly. Most citizens will abandon the expensive beef shoulder and lamb loin chops and choose the more affordable pork. Moreover, pork is made into fried pork chops and croquettes, coated with a layer of breadcrumbs and fried, and the taste is extremely good.
This resulted in many pig's trotters and offal not only being unpopular but also being priced ridiculously low. Ye Wan bought a basket of pig's trotters at the right time and didn't spend much money.
Youan was very surprised by this. He didn't expect pig's trotters could be eaten.
Ye Wan was not very happy: "Think about the chicken feet you gnawed clean."
It was rare for Youan to keep his mouth shut.
The soft and rotten pig's trotters had already turned an attractive maroon color. Ye Wan picked up the chopsticks and poked them gently, easily breaking the skin.
Many shops were closed around Christmas, and Emma closed her shop early. She was the first to run into the pub, carrying a box of mandarin oranges: "I brought some fruit."
The screws on the cheap bench legs that Ye Wan bought were a little loose, and You An was tightening them with a screwdriver.
"Good evening, Youan, where is Ye Wanren?"
"She's fiddling with her pig's trotters in the kitchen. I'll go get her."
"Oh, these are some really weird foods, but it's clear that Ye Wan has the magic to make all kinds of food delicious, except for her snail noodles." Emma said, and put the box of mandarin oranges on the table:
"No need to call her, let her be busy. I'm just here to give her some fruit and a box of popular wish matches in town for her to play with. We have a party at home today, so I'll be leaving now."
She nodded at Youan, and probably was in a hurry to go home, so she turned around and ran away.
Youan took the initiative to get a basket and stacked the mandarin oranges one by one. At the bottom of the box was what Emma called the "wish matches". He had just seen them in the hands of a vendor at a second-hand market that morning.
What did the vendor say? Oh yes, strike a match and you can see the treasure you have been longing for in the light.
"Treasure...?"
His slender pale fingertips pinched the matchstick, and the match head rubbed against the rough phosphorus paper.
A golden flame shot up.
In the swaying golden orange light and shadow, Ye Wan's face unexpectedly emerged.
She wore a furry red cape and a brown hat with two round bear ears.
The hat was also obtained at the market. It was a prize that could only be obtained by shooting an arrow at a balloon. She stared at the little bear hat for a long time and was reluctant to leave.
So he picked up the bow and could clearly feel that an unscrupulous merchant had tampered with it, but this did not pose a problem for him, a qualified heir to the kingdom.
The moment the arrow hit the red balloon, Ye Wan clapped and cheered beside him: "You're amazing, You'an! I admire you so much!"
The vendor reluctantly handed over the thick woolen bear hat, and Ye Wan couldn't wait to put it on.
She smiled at Youan, her eyes sparkling brighter than the largest diamond in the Queen's crown.
"Is it cute?" Ye Wan asked.
"Childish," he said.
"You have no taste." She was so angry that she jumped up and down.
But childishness is not his inner voice. If the magic mirror that can illuminate people's hearts were here, he would definitely hear his heart constantly saying:
"Help, she's so cute."
The flame was still burning, greedily licking the matchstick. Ye Wan's smile kept getting closer and bigger, and the warm light flowed along his golden hair, seeming to slide into the gaps in his sweater.
When Ye Wan came out of the kitchen again, there was only a wisp of green smoke left in You An's hand, and the firewood stalk he was holding tightly in his hand.
"How old are you and still playing with matches?"
She glanced at Youan's palm and saw a basket of bright yellow mandarin oranges on the table.
"Emma gave it to you. She left first because of something else. That's the wish match she gave you."
Ye Wan took the metal box and asked, "Is this the wish match that looks useless?"
She turned around and yelled, "Muffin! Come down and play!"
Pancake came flying down from the upstairs like a cannonball, his short legs tumbling around very quickly.
Ye Wan grabbed its paw, struck a match, and a pile of nuts appeared in the firelight.
Its fluffy fur exploded with excitement, and it was so excited that it wanted to rub the nuts with its nose.
Ye Wan grabbed the back of his neck and said, "Silly pancake, that was an illusion."
She blew on the match, it went out, and the pile of nuts disappeared along with the halo of light.
"Squeak?!" Pancake was devastated to see the pile of nuts gone.
Ye Wan then remembered the matchstick in Youan's hand: "Did you play with it too? What did you see? Oh my God, Youan, even you who are so cold and indifferent have a treasure?"
He threw the matchsticks into the trash can:
"It's a treasure."
Those smoky crystal eyes met Ye Wan's black eyes: "It is an important treasure, but I won't tell you."
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