After buying the silk flowers, the group continued to stroll forward. Most of the stalls below sold food, including painted sugar figures, dough figurines, fruit and flower stalls. During the Qiqiao Festival, people would set up an altar under the moonlight to worship the Weaver Girl, put flowers, fruits and other offerings on it, and kneel down to worship the Weaver Girl, praying for dexterity and a happy marriage. Therefore, fruits and flowers were very popular.
"Sweet soup!" Lin Yan spotted a stall selling sweet soup with his sharp eyes. He pulled Zhao Shiyun over with surprise and did not forget to greet the two little ones following behind him.
"There is also Sushan!" Lin Yan looked at the snow-white Sushan, licked his lips, and looked at it eagerly.
"You can have the Four Fruits Sweet Soup, but not the Sushan, it's too cold." Zhao Shiyun glanced at Lin Yan without any mercy.
Lin Yan curled his lips and pulled Zhao Shiyun to sit down. Zhao Shiyun ordered two bowls of four-fruit sweet soup and two bowls of crispy noodles.
"Yue'er, give it to you." Lin Yan pushed the Su Shan in front of Yue'er. Yue'er was stunned. This Su Shan was precious and he could not afford to eat it.
"I can't have it." Sushan ice is very cold and can only be made by merchants with ice cellars. A bowl costs twenty cents. I dare not eat it. Yue Ge'er pinched the corner of his clothes and lowered his head to think.
"This is a reward for your hard work. If you don't eat it quickly, it will melt. I can't eat it, and Brother Shi Yun doesn't like it. What should I do?" Lin Yan pretended to be distressed.
Yu Ge'er quickly scooped a spoonful of the Su Shan into Yue Ge'er's mouth, not allowing him to refuse. "Just eat it. You work so hard every day, this is what you deserve."
Yue Ge'er smiled with his lips pursed, with the crispy mountain in his mouth. It was sweet and cool, and he felt the sweetness in his heart.
This four-fruit sweet soup contains fruits, meatballs made of pumpkin and sweet potato flour, mung beans, lotus seeds, and sweetened red beans soaked in sugar water, served with iced honey water. A bowl costs fifteen cents. Lin Yan scooped a meatball, took a bite of red beans, and sighed with satisfaction.
Zhao Shiyun chatted with the boss while eating: "Boss, your stall is not big, and you still have Sushan?"
"Hi, I opened a restaurant on East Street. So, I set up a stall here during the Qiqiao Festival to make it lively." The boss had no business at the moment, so he chatted with Zhao Shiyun for a few words.
"What do you sell in your restaurant?"
"The main dish is sweet soup, and there are also various snacks and fruits..."
Lin Yan finished the four-fruit sweet soup in a short while. Seeing that Zhao Shiyun was eating slowly, he scooped a few meatballs with a spoon and quickly stuffed them into his mouth while Zhao Shiyun was not paying attention. Zhao Shiyun was busy chatting with the boss and didn't notice. When he finished chatting and wanted to eat the sweet soup, he found that there were only a few lotus seeds and a little sugar water left.
He raised the corner of his mouth helplessly, lifted the bowl and drank the remaining sweet soup.
"Anything else to eat?" He looked at the three people next to him.
Yu Ge'er burped and waved his hands, Yue Ge'er also shook his head slightly, and Lin Yan wanted to continue walking around to see if there was anything else to eat.
After walking and eating all the way, Lin Yan was full. The others walked to the end, bought some river lanterns, and prepared to release them by the river. It was already nearly 2:15 PM, and many people were rushing to the river.
When they arrived at the river, there were already quite a few people gathered around, and it was very lively. Lin Yan excitedly took Zhao Shiyun's hand and walked through the crowd. They found a relatively quiet place, lit the candles with a tinder, and prepared to release the river lanterns. Lin Yan carefully placed the river lantern on the water, clasped his hands together, closed his eyes, and muttered something. Zhao Shiyun looked at his pious appearance, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously rose. Yue Ge'er and Yu Ge'er also followed their example and placed the river lanterns in the water, their faces full of anticipation, their eyes sparkling.
On the river, lanterns drifted slowly with the current, their candlelight flickering like stars. Lin Yan opened his eyes and looked at his own lantern, a smile spreading across his face. He turned to look at Zhao Shiyun, who was looking back at him. They exchanged a smile, their hands clasped together ever tighter.
Just then, a gentle breeze blew, and Lin Yan's river lantern suddenly veered off course, drifting towards Zhao Shiyun's. The two lanterns collided, then clung to each other, continuing on their way with the current. Lin Yan exclaimed in surprise, "Brother Shiyun, look, our lanterns have touched!" Zhao Shiyun smiled and nodded, a warm feeling welling up in his heart. They just stared at the lanterns in silence, as if time had stood still.
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