Fate
More than twenty days and nights passed, and Peng Xuan'an recovered as he wished. Pang Linqiu once again submitted an urgent request to return home.
One day, Qin Xiangde suddenly approached her and invited her to go to Xiafeng Town together. He said, "There is a rope-walking event in Xiafeng Town today. I wonder if you would be interested in going?"
As the name suggests, "牵绳" (qiān shéng) means to tie a red thread and form a good marriage.
She frowned and thought for a moment, "Is Brother Mohe trying to find a partner for Chun'er?"
Qin Xiangde nodded, "I'll go too."
Her eyes lit up instantly. "Really?" She thought he had come to his senses. She had heard that the requirements for being a matchmaker in Xiafeng Town were that one must either be single, have a partner, or be married.
Her eyes flickered. Shu An wasn't there either, and Brother Mo He also fit the bill...
“Really?” he replied, adding, “Xuan An will go too.”
Pang Linqiu's expression changed instantly. She felt he was a third wheel, and with a pout and a worried look, she asked, "Why does he have to go too?"
He simply smiled, "Xuan'an is of marriageable age, he's going there to find his soulmate." He gently stroked her head, his demeanor as warm and refined as jade. He whispered softly, "Zhichun, do you not want him to go?"
She enjoyed being touched by him, like a clingy cat begging for petting. She said, "No." She couldn't wait for him to find his soulmate so that he would have the self-awareness to keep his distance from her.
"Alright, then Zhichun, you can get ready first." He let go of her hand and prepared to leave. "We'll depart at Shenshi (3-5 PM)."
"Okay!" She watched him leave and happily went to prepare her clothes and makeup.
The two had an agreement that when there were outsiders present, he would only call her by her courtesy name, but when it was just the two of them, she could call him by his real name as she pleased. He didn't mind if she called him by his real name in front of others.
In the blink of an eye, the setting sun hung high in the sky, its afterglow painting the mountains and forests.
It was already late afternoon, and Yingkou had prepared three horses. During this time, Pang Linqiu had been diligently learning how to ride a horse, because she didn't want to share a horse with Peng Xuan'an anymore, and she didn't want Qin Xiangde to mind.
She wore a horse-face skirt, her face was delicate and pretty, and her hair was simply styled in an updo with a jade hairpin he had given her. She was very beautiful and graceful. She walked towards Qin Xiangde, who was waiting for her, with a smile.
He was standing side by side with Peng Xuan'an, chatting. One was a refined gentleman, and the other was a dashing young man, both dressed in simple, casual clothes. Their demeanor and attire were quite different from their usual appearance in the military camp, where they usually exuded a serious, just, sacred, and unapproachable aura. Now, however, they were kind and approachable, except for Peng Xuan'an.
Before leaving, Uncle Lu, like a parent, repeatedly told Pang Linqiu not to get separated from them and not to go into deserted alleys alone, etc.
With all three present, the journey to town would take half an hour.
As the sun slowly set, the three arrived to find the large signboard of Xiafeng Town in sight. The sky was gradually darkening, and a small stall stood at the entrance of Xiafeng Town, displaying many ropes.
The three of them left Mato at the teahouse and were about to enter the dimly lit, bustling town when they were stopped by a vendor at a stall.
The vendor grew anxious: "Hey, hey, hey! Gentlemen, wait a minute! Wait a minute!"
The three looked on, puzzled.
Qin Xiangde stepped forward to inspect the vendor's stall. "Brother, what do you need us for?"
The vendor looked at the three of them and asked, "Are you three here to participate in the matchmaking event?"
"Hmm, what's wrong?" She nodded.
The vendor looked at the three colors of rope on his stall and asked Pang Linqiu first, "Did that girl come alone? Or with a partner? Or a couple?" Of the three people, one must be single, or they must be siblings, but the three of them didn't look alike, so he was certain that she was with a partner.
Pang Linqiu looked at him with her round almond-shaped eyes, blinked, as if to tell Qin Xiangde, "Can you say that you are my partner?"
Peng Xuan'an also glanced at the ropes on the stall. He wondered what the three colors represented: one deep red, one light pink, and one pale red.
The vendor smiled again, and seeing that the three were from out of town, he introduced, "You three may not know this, but in our Xiafeng Town, there's a day every year dedicated to helping people find their soulmates. The government supports this custom. It helps people find their match and promotes happiness..."
"Just tell me the purpose of this rope." Peng Xuan'an picked up the pale red thin rope.
The vendor began to introduce each person one by one, saying, "Anyone who wants to go in and find a partner must have a rope tied to their ring finger. Dark red represents husband and wife, with one end tied to the husband and the other to the wife, signifying a long and lasting union. The dark color also represents affection and a lifelong bond."
Peng Xuan'an was somewhat tempted. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and asked, "Then... what about light red?"
"This light red color represents lovers. Meeting is fate and the beginning of love. The deeper the love, the deeper the color. Lovers will live together and spend the rest of their lives hand in hand."
"This is great!" Pang Linqiu was very satisfied. She looked at Qin Xiangde with a smile and said, "Brother Mohe, can we... use this...?" Although her face was lightly covered with powder, it was still extremely red.
Peng Xuan'an was devastated upon hearing this, and immediately put the pale red rope back, though he had still held onto some hope...
"This pink one is looking for a good match. If two people like each other, they can tie the rope together, which means they are tied together. They can then hold hands and spend the day together."
"The ropes are all tied around the ring finger." He added, "Two ropes only cost two copper coins! I see you three have had a difficult journey, so two copper coins for three ropes!"
Peng Xuan'an turned to look at Qin Xiangde, his face dark and sorrowful.
Qin Xiangde knew he was hurt by her. He thought for a moment, and there was Pang Linqiu in front of him, pleading pitifully, wanting to use the light red rope with him.
He suddenly had a plan. After using the rope with her, he walked into the crowded area, then handed it to Peng Xuan'an, and had Xuan'an tell her that he was lost.
He hesitated for a moment, "Linqiu, wait a minute, I need to talk to Xuan'an about something first."
"good."
Then Qin Xiangde put his arm around her shoulder, walked a distance with his back to her, and whispered a few words to her.
Peng Xuan'an's complexion improved afterward, and Qin Xiangde agreed to use a light red rope, while Peng Xuan'an used a pink rope.
The deep red rope is the longest, followed by the light red rope, and the pink rope is the shortest.
One end of the pale pink rope was tied tightly around her slender ring finger, while the other end was tied loosely around his well-defined ring finger. Peng Xuan'an casually wrapped it around a few times; even if it fell off while walking, he probably wouldn't have noticed.
The three entered the town. Colorful lanterns hung from the eaves, and the streets were filled with them, creating a warm glow that made it impossible to tell that it was already dark. The streets were long, lined with many stalls, and the air was filled with laughter and chatter. The most common sight was couples strolling hand in hand, clearly very affectionate.
Street vendors hawked their products, urging people to come and watch.
The crowd began to gather, and Peng Xuan'an followed closely behind the two, like a hunter guarding its prey, keeping a close watch on her back. She skipped and hopped around happily like a child who had never seen such excitement before, constantly pulling his finger, pointing here and there, her face beaming with joy.
Although several girls approached Peng Xuan'an along the way, trying to strike up a romance with him, he coldly rejected them all, as if afraid that the prey he was watching in the dense crowd would get lost.
In the dim light, he searched for his reflection, his beloved in front of him, his lover behind him.
The three of them surged into the crowd—perfect timing! Qin Xiangde grabbed Peng Xuan'an's sleeve, forcefully pulling him behind her before quickly pulling the rope out and placing it in his hand, gesturing for him to be quiet. He then took the pink rope from Peng Xuan'an's hand and left the crowd. His heart suddenly pounded. He looked down at the pale red rope with a faint smile, then tightly bound it to the ring finger of his left hand.
The bright lights illuminated the beautiful woman's smile, a smile that seemed to steal his heart.
She suddenly felt the crowd was too dense. She took a step forward, grasped his hand, and with the rope beside her, she was even more certain it was him. She and he walked out of the crowded area. They came to a small stall selling sesame cakes. She smiled and turned back, opening her mouth: "Brother Mohe, I want to..." Her pupils dilated in surprise.
He rubbed his eyes in disbelief, and after confirming that the person in front of him was Peng Xuan'an, he hurriedly tried to untie the rope.
Seeing her so quickly pull away from the situation, he felt a pang of disappointment. He quickly grasped her right hand with his left, his brow furrowing with reluctance, and pleaded, "No..."
"Get out!" she frowned angrily. "Let go!" She tried hard to pry his hands off and break free.
He wouldn't let go, pulling her into his arms and whispering in her ear, "Will you spend just one more time with me...?"
She was completely stunned and felt extremely uncomfortable. "Get out!"
He held her hand tightly, pulling her into his embrace, his voice soft, "If you don't agree, I won't let go..."
She was speechless and wanted to stomp on his foot.
"Linqiu, just once... I won't do anything reckless, I just want to... try it..." His tone was heavy and restrained as he pleaded with her to agree.
She froze on the spot, and the pancake vendor froze too.
Are you still going to buy?
She felt incredibly embarrassed! There were so many people around, and what's worse, she was blocking their business. She was so awkward that she wanted to run away.
Unable to bear the stares of the vendors and the whispers of the crowd, she reluctantly agreed, "Okay, okay! I promise, I promise!"
Peng Xuan'an was as happy as a child, hugging her even tighter to express his joy, while Pang Linqiu really wanted to kick him away.
"Let go!" She was annoyed by the hug.
"Okay!" He let go, clasped her hands, and smiled broadly.
Pang Linqiu felt embarrassed and afraid of the crowd's gaze. She sighed and said to the pancake vendor with a wry smile, "Boss, I'm sorry... come, come... ten pancakes, please." She thought it would be embarrassing to block someone's way of making money, so she might as well pay first and buy some to appease the boss's anger.
The vendor immediately smiled obsequiously, "Alright!" He glanced at the ropes binding the two of them, "You two are so affectionate, hugging for so long, haha."
She wanted her boss to shut up; she was truly helpless! If it weren't for your and the crowd's piercing gazes, shattering her already undignified self-esteem, would she even feel embarrassed? But the real culprit is Peng Xuan'an! He must take full responsibility!!!
She glanced at Peng Xuan'an with displeasure, only to see him secretly pleased and satisfied, which made her even more annoyed.
"Can you finish eating all this?" Peng Xuan'an asked curiously.
"..." She didn't want to pay attention and watched the boss make the pancakes.
"What if you can't finish it?" He smiled, resting his chin on his left hand as if deep in thought, but actually implying that he could help her eat it.
"Here you go, young lady, one's ready." The shopkeeper put the freshly made sesame seed cake into a paper bag and handed it to Pang Linqiu, still steaming hot.
She took it, holding the edge of the paper bag tightly to avoid getting burned: "It's not for you to eat, why are you worrying about it?"
He was taken aback. "Then who are you going to give it to?" He seemed to genuinely believe that the two of them were a true couple.
She blew on the pancake, "There are plenty of people who want to eat it." Because one hand was held by him and she couldn't grab a piece of pancake, it was still a bit uncomfortable to hold the pancake with the other hand.
"Then tell me, who wants to eat it?"
Annoyed by the constant questions and hints, Pang Linqiu rolled her eyes at him and muttered under her breath, "Such a nosy person, always causing trouble."
Peng Xuan'an heard this and smiled faintly: "If you don't meddle a little, I'm afraid you'll run off with someone else."
The stall owner chuckled over their conversation, "Young lady, you've certainly found a..."
"Boss, how much?" She didn't want the pancake vendor to talk about them, she just wanted to go to a less crowded place to question him.
"Ten cakes, fifty copper coins."
"Deliver it to the teahouse, and I'll pick it up myself." She struggled with her right hand; with one hand holding the cake and the other being held, how was she supposed to pay?
"Let go!" she glared at him, suppressing her anger.
"I don't!"
"If you won't loosen your grip, you'll have to pay up!" she said irritably.
"Yes, I'll take it." His eyes were smiling as he took out a tael of silver from the brocade pouch at his waist with his left hand, threw it on the stall, and said, "Boss, keep the change."
"???!!!" She was speechless. Nine hundred and fifty copper coins was a really generous tip.
"Linqiu, let's go look around at other places." He held her hand and walked towards other stalls, and Pang Linqiu was also forcibly pulled over.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
