71 Lantern Festival
Returning to the market, the various lanterns illuminated the entire street as if it were daytime. Everywhere you looked, there was an ancient charm, and being there truly gave one the illusion of traveling through time.
There was some kind of excitement ahead, which attracted a lot of people to gather there.
The constant flow of people quickly separated the group.
Ye Zhenzhen's feet had been stepped on several times. She was glad that she had left the black leopard at the Zhou residence, otherwise she might not have been able to keep its paws tonight.
The Zhou family's attendants had long since disappeared. Without the familiar NPCs, the three of them felt less restrained and began to address each other casually.
"I don't know what's going on up ahead, Lao Gu, can you see it?" Ye Zhenzhen held Gu Sinan's hand and stood on tiptoe, but she still couldn't see anything. She could only listen to the cheers coming from inside and get anxious.
"There's a circus performance." Gu Tingshen could naturally see it. Seeing how anxious she was, he looked around, grabbed her hand, and said, "Come on, follow me."
The three of them arrived at a restaurant and were warmly welcomed inside by the waiter.
The waiter was immediately struck by the sight of the two men. One was tall and the other short. The taller one had broad shoulders and a commanding presence, while the shorter one had delicate features and a handsome, dashing appearance. A pretty child was also by his side.
Although most of the people who came out to visit the lantern festival today were handsome men and beautiful women dressed in their finest attire, it was rare to see someone as outstanding as the one in front of us.
Ye Zhenzhen instinctively reached into her pocket, only to find it empty. She then realized she was wearing a robe and didn't have any trouser pockets!
She awkwardly touched her nose, and was about to suggest that they go for a stroll in the street when she saw Gu Tingshen pull out a money pouch from his pocket, pour out copper coins and a few silver ingots, and hand them to the waiter, "Are there any seats left on the third floor?"
"We have a private room facing the street, perfect for watching the lantern festival. Please come in, sir!" The waiter reached out and took the room, leading the way with a beaming smile.
The third floor indeed offered a fantastic view, overlooking the entire street. Although we were quite full, since we were already there, we ordered two more servings of the restaurant's signature glutinous rice balls.
Once only her own people were left in the private room, Ye Zhenzhen moved closer to Gu Tingshen, examined him for a while, and then suddenly reached out to touch his chest.
"Young Master Ye, what are you doing?" Gu Tingshen grabbed her restless hand and said with a half-smile, "I am a proper scholar."
"Hahaha, I'm being silly now!" Ye Zhenzhen laughed uncontrollably, digging even more vigorously. "Let me see where you pulled out this money pouch!"
Gu Tingshen easily grabbed Ye Zhenzhen's two mischievous hands. Unable to break free, Ye Zhenzhen anxiously called out to her teammates, "Nannan, come help!"
The child excitedly jumped on his father, but unfortunately, he was also subdued at lightning speed.
The three of them were making a ruckus when they heard a "knock, knock" sound coming from outside the door, and they quickly sat up straight.
The waiter brought in a tray, lowered his head and placed two bowls of glutinous rice balls steadily on the table. "Please enjoy, sir."
Gu Tingshen reached for the spoon, but out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ye Zhenzhen glaring at him, her cheeks slightly puffed out, looking just like an angry pufferfish.
He shook his head with amusement, took the money pouch out of his pocket again, and tossed it to Ye Zhenzhen, "Here, just put it in your lapel. If you're worried about it falling out, you can put it in your belt."
Taking the dusty money bag, Ye Zhenzhen stuffed it into her arms, stood up and jumped a few times, finding it to be quite stable.
Looking down, I noticed several exquisitely embroidered sachets hanging from my waist. When I opened them, I found that they contained some copper coins, as well as gold and silver ingots shaped like ingots, ruyi scepters, and plum blossoms.
She raised an eyebrow at the man triumphantly, patted the sachets and jade pendants at her waist, and said, "Look, now I'm the real tycoon! Tonight it's my treat!"
He then threw the money bag back to Gu Tingshen, and took off a sachet embroidered with butterflies and flowers, and tied it around Gu Sinan's waist.
Only then did I turn my attention to the table. I saw steam rising from a white porcelain bowl, with several round dumplings floating up and down in the rice wine soup. They were white, plump, and crystal clear.
Ye Zhenzhen took a bite and then made a "hmm?" sound.
In the spoon, a bite taken out of a glutinous rice ball slowly oozes out its deep red filling, which also exudes a faint rose fragrance.
"It's delicious! Want to try some?" She handed the spoon to the man, her bright eyes filled with the delight of discovering a delicious meal.
Gu Tingshen took the food into his mouth with perfect ease, chewed it carefully, and then smiled and said, "The rose bean paste is sweet but not cloying."
The three of them shared the two bowls of glutinous rice balls and tasted several other wonderful flavors.
Leaning against the railing, I watched the acrobatic performance downstairs, still feeling a little unsatisfied.
Although the crowds are gone, the place is less lively.
In the end, the three of them went downstairs and rejoined the crowd.
Ye Zhenzhen was dressed in men's clothing with arrow sleeves, making her much more agile than the girls in their wide robes and sleeves. With Gu Tingshen protecting her, things were alright.
It's just tough on Gu Sinan. The little girl is short, and all you can see are legs. She can't see any scenery and is easily bumped into.
Ye Zhenzhen nudged Gu Tingshen with her elbow, winked at him, and gestured for him to look ahead.
Then I saw a man carrying a little girl on his shoulders, and nothing could stop her.
Gu Sinan was still dazed even after her father carried her on his shoulders.
With Gu Tingshen standing over 1.9 meters tall, Gu Sinan, sitting on his shoulders, instantly became the tallest person in the room.
He looked down, somewhat lost, and could only see the top of his father's head.
He doesn't remember how he interacted with his father when he was a child. In his limited memories, his father was always busy and rarely smiled. Occasionally, when he returned to the old house, his interactions with his father were more about politeness than about intimacy.
Grandma always comforted him, saying that his father actually loved him very much, but men are not good at expressing it.
What started the change?
He looked at his mother, who was winking at him, standing next to his father.
Everything changed from the moment his mother brought him back to Mantingfang.
"Nannan, sit up straight and hold onto Daddy's bun! Don't worry about hurting yourself, it's all a wig!" Ye Zhenzhen couldn't help but tease the little boy, who was sitting up straight and looking a bit reserved.
After being reminded by her, Gu Sinan looked at her father's hairstyle more and more and thought it resembled a bun. She chuckled and her tense body gradually relaxed.
Gu Tingshen looked down and saw that Ye Zhenzhen's face was somewhat hazy under the glow of the flower market lights, but her eyes were bright, mischievous and lively.
Something was pounding in his chest. Gu Tingshen felt like he was being mesmerized by those eyes. He swallowed hard, resisting the urge to kiss her, and pulled her closer.
---
The shops along the street are decorated with all kinds of lanterns, and there are also various lantern riddle guessing activities. As long as you guess the corresponding riddle correctly, you can take away a lantern.
Riddles were no problem for Ye Zhenzhen. She had read a lot of miscellaneous books in her previous life, and she could guess many riddles at a glance.
She wasn't greedy; she only picked what she liked, choosing one for each person and strolling around casually.
When we arrived at the sugar-blowing stall, the old man was still there, surrounded by a group of little kids who occasionally exclaimed in amazement.
Seeing that Gu Tingshen kept walking and was about to take out money again when he got closer, Ye Zhenzhen grabbed him and asked, "What are you doing?"
"You don't want it?"
"No, I don't want to!"
"You really don't want it? This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"
"So many little ones, I don't want to go!" Ye Zhenzhen grabbed his arm and led him outside. "Come on, let's go see the fireworks. I just heard them say there are fireworks ahead!"
They watched folk performances such as iron flower making, fire breathing, face changing, and bowl balancing along the way, and finally arrived at the square in the center of the street.
The area was already packed with people, with crowds even standing in front of many shops and on the second floor. As soon as they settled down, they heard shouts coming from above.
"Young Master Ye, Young Master Gu!!"
Looking up, they saw the other three groups of guests waving at them from the second floor.
Upon reaching the second floor, Ji Tiantian rushed over and pulled Ye Zhenzhen to check on him carefully. "Young Master, are you alright? I couldn't see you for a second, you scared me to death!"
"What could possibly happen to a grown man like me? Don't scare yourself." Ye Zhenzhen was clearly immersed in her role and couldn't extricate herself, patting her chest as if she didn't care at all.
Upon hearing this, Lanno covered her mouth and laughed, "Young Master Ye is so handsome and dashing, he's probably worried that some family might take a fancy to you and force you to be their son-in-law!"
Ye Zhenzhen wasn't annoyed. She brandished her fist and declared, "I'm skilled in martial arts; I'll make sure that thief doesn't leave alive!"
"A true master doesn't reveal his abilities. What martial arts skills does Young Master Ye possess?" Zhang Siqing, holding a handful of melon seeds, eagerly prompted her to ask.
"Uh," Ye Zhenzhen stammered, looking at Gu Tingshen with pleading eyes and desperately trying to signal him, "Young Master Gu, I was the one who fought off the bandits who attacked you before. Tell them quickly, what can I do?"
“Young Master Ye is a born military talent,” Gu Tingshen said slowly and deliberately, then, seeing Ye Zhenzhen’s questioning face, he added, “He is most skilled at commanding.”
command?
Wang Liqing was the first to react, laughing so hard she leaned against Yan Feng's shoulder, "Ouch, I can't take it anymore, my stomach hurts from laughing."
Ye Zhenzhen picked up a cup of tea to cover her embarrassment, and under the cover of the teacup, she glanced at the man several times.
Such a big CEO, and he has no sense of propriety at all!
A burst of laughter erupted in the private room.
Amidst the jubilation, an explosion rang out outside the building, and countless sparks burst open in the air, like countless flowers blooming in the night sky.
The children instantly crowded to the fence, exclaiming "Wow!"
"How beautiful..." Ye Zhenzhen looked up at the beautiful scenery, "Isn't this just like 'The east wind releases a thousand trees of flowers at night, and blows down stars like rain'..."
Gu Tingshen appeared behind her without her noticing, leaning against the railing as if trapping her in his arms.
The person in his arms lay lazily against his chest, looked up at him and smiled, their dimples seemingly filled with intoxicating wine.
He wore an unconscious smile, finding peace amidst the clamor of the room.
After watching the fireworks display, a group of people followed the flow of people to the riverbank to release river lanterns before returning home satisfied.
———
It was already midnight when they returned to the Zhou residence.
Ye Zhenzhen said goodbye to the father and son at the door and went into the courtyard alone.
Ji Tiantian wanted to keep watch, but she was pushed to go to the side room to rest.
It's just a TV show recording; they're not really master and servant. There's no reason for them to exploit the young girl.
As soon as Ji Tiantian left, the room fell silent.
Lying on the unfamiliar bed, Ye Zhenzhen tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.
Although the room was heated, her feet were still ice-cold after lying there for a long time, and she could only curl up pitifully.
She then realized that the reason she hadn't felt cold in her hands and feet this year wasn't because her health had improved, but simply because she had Gu Tingshen, this self-heating human-shaped body pillow.
Now that there's no big stove in her bed, she's back to square one.
As expected, he's still a useless person who's afraid of the cold...
Pinching her soft, yielding belly, she then imagined a man's hot, firm chest, strong, powerful arms, well-defined hands, and shapely, long legs...
In the darkness, Ye Zhenzhen suddenly pulled the blanket over her head.
Ughhhhh, what am I thinking?!
The phone under her pillow suddenly chimed, jolting her back from the brink of madness.
Old Gu: [Are you cold?]
She had just been reminiscing about their passionate encounter when she received a text message. Ye Zhenzhen felt inexplicably guilty, patted her burning face with the back of her hand before typing a reply: 【I'm fine】
Gu Tingshen raised an eyebrow, wondering who it was that had such cold hands and feet every night, and loved to put her jade-like feet on his lap to warm them up.
Old Gu: [That's good. Looks like we don't need the hot water bottle.]
【? I need it! It's so cold! JOJO╯▂╰ Tell me where the hot water bottle is!】 Ye Zhenzhen couldn't care less about being reserved and confessed instantly.
Old Gu: [In the middle compartment of the suitcase, there's an electric hot water bottle and hand warmers.]
Ye Zhenzhen jumped out of bed, put on her pajamas, and went straight to the suitcase at the foot of the bed.
While waiting for the hot water bottle to charge, I tore off two heat packs to warm my feet.
Amidst a soft humming sound, the pink Hello Kitty bow shimmered with a warm red light, making Ye Zhenzhen feel all warm and cozy inside.
Gu Tingshen always packed her suitcase, so she had no idea when he had prepared these things for her.
Sitting cross-legged in bed, Ye Zhenzhen typed on her phone.
Hehe, thanks~
How are you going to thank me?
Ye Zhenzhen felt flirted with, but the distance between them via phone gave her more courage to say flirty things.
[Mwah, my husband is the best! (Little pig kisses.jpg)]
Gu Tingshen had only intended to tease her, but this time he was hit hard by her direct approach.
He looked at the bed curtains above his head, and now he couldn't sleep at all. All he wanted to do was hug the little pig and kiss it to his heart's content.
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