16. Has a master
She smiled and asked, "Aren't you going to answer?"
The bouquet of osmanthus flowers was eventually sold for ten coins. Ying Jianhua later told her that if she had negotiated a little more, she could have even gotten a lower price.
The vendor's expression had already turned sour, and worried that if he stayed any longer, the two of them would start arguing, so Du Zhijin quickly said he would go to the front to check.
When the vendor handed her the flowers, he planted a trap for Ying Jianhua as revenge: "Miss, you may not know this, but there is another custom of the Orchid Bathing Festival, which is that men must hold flowers and plants while dancing."
"Oh? Dr. Ying, do you know how to dance?" Du Zhijin asked with great interest. She had never seen a man dance before, and Dr. Ying was so handsome; he must be very elegant when he danced.
Without a second thought, Ying Jianhua replied decisively, "No."
Dancing? He would never imitate some foolish men who dress up as peacocks to please their sweethearts.
He has no sweetheart and doesn't need to dance.
"I see." She nodded regretfully, not paying much attention, and quickly shifted her focus elsewhere.
Ying Jianhua was behind her. He took out ten copper coins and gave them to the vendor. Before leaving, he also took a sprig of mugwort.
The streets are full of men and women who can't wait for the Lan Bathing Festival and come out for a rendezvous. If a man doesn't have a flower in his hand, he will be mistaken for a lone lover.
He had learned this the hard way before, when several bold women asked his name, family background, and marital status because he hadn't brought flowers. After that, he simply stopped going into town around the time of the Orchid Bath Festival. If he hadn't been with Du Zhijin this time, he would have chosen to stay home as well.
The Lanyu Festival is a major festival for the people of Jinxi City. It is a gathering place for people who have fled famine from all over the country. They have different customs and accents, but the Jinxi River is the only thing that connects them. The Lanyu Festival originated here.
The Flower Goddess and the Water God fell in love at first sight. The Water God expressed his feelings through dance, and the Flower Goddess responded with orchids. They drank from the Jinxi River together, and their beloved was always by their side.
Not far away by the stream, a man was practicing his confession for next month under the trees. What was this "wishing to find a single-hearted lover," what was this "knowing that I will always remember you"? Ying Jianhua inexplicably thought of that monster; if it were here, it would surely have a long, passionate speech.
Speak of the devil, and he appears. The crowd surged, and the distance between him and Du Zhijin grew ever wider. Suddenly, a voice echoed in his mind: "[At this moment, Constable Lu is on his way. Heh heh, a scene of carnage.]"
Lu Ping?
Ying Jianhua subconsciously scanned his surroundings and, sure enough, spotted a constable at the end of the crowd. He thought to himself, "He's like a persistent ghost," and strode after Du Zhijin.
Du Zhijin was just trying to bargain with the vendor like he had just done, but he didn't say a word. He just tossed down ten copper coins, grabbed her, and started walking forward.
She opened her mouth in surprise.
That sugar painting only cost two coins...
Ying Jianhua led her forward without saying a word, nor did she say where they were going. There were people everywhere, and the only way to avoid being found by Lu Ping was to hide in the woods by the stream. At first, he didn't realize this until he heard various strange noises coming from around him, which brought him back to reality.
In broad daylight... no, in front of everyone, how dare they...
Fortunately, the lighting here was dim, which concealed the unusual redness on his cheeks. Ying Jianhua suddenly released his grip on her sleeve and coughed a few times in an attempt to cover it up.
Du Zhijin has better hearing than him; she must have heard it...
What will she think? Will she think he did it on purpose?
He held his breath and casually glanced up, but saw no reaction as expected.
She lowered her head and nibbled on a corner of the sugar painting, listening with great interest to the various sounds around her.
Ying Jianhua: "...Don't look at everything, or you'll get a sty."
“There are people dancing over there.” She pointed ahead, where two men were dancing around a girl.
One of them had fair skin, held a willow branch in his hand, and danced gracefully and shyly.
The other was more unrestrained; perhaps thinking there was no one around, he hooked his arm around the girl's and pulled open her shirt. The girl clearly fell for it, laughing heartily.
Du Zhijin nodded repeatedly: "This girl has good taste."
The one with her bare chest is quite well-endowed and has practiced a lot.
Ying Jianhua: "...Hmph, an insult to culture."
Unwilling to stay any longer, he stormed off, his face flushed. Du Zhijin chased after him, but after only a few steps, someone called out, "Miss Mu!"
It took her a while to realize that they were calling her. When she saw that it was Lu Ping, she suddenly remembered what had just happened.
"Officer Lu."
Ying Jianhua paused, turned around abruptly, and saw Lu Ping and Du Zhijin standing together, one grinning like a fool, the other looking up at him intently.
He pursed his lips, didn't move, and stood still, watching them from afar.
The streetlights illuminated Lu Ping's flushed ears clearly. His beloved, however, remained oblivious, preoccupied with the flowers he had given her.
The man was in love, but the woman was not, yet that did not prevent them from standing side by side, smiling and whispering, like a perfect couple.
Perhaps the monster is right.
Lu Ping and Du Zhijin are indeed a perfect match. Even if he tries to avoid them, he can't prevent them from meeting.
He felt superfluous, his mind a jumble of thoughts. Unwilling to look at their complementary appearance any longer, he turned and disappeared into the crowd.
Anyway, she's leaving soon, and no matter how much Lu Ping tries to persuade her to stay, he can't stop her from leaving him like a gust of wind.
"Miss Mu, you... came here alone?"
Du Zhijin shook his head, looked ahead at Ying Jianhua's figure, but didn't see him: "I came with Doctor Ying, but now he's gone."
Lu Ping's smile faded slightly, but still maintained a perfectly measured curve: "Then let's look together, there's strength in numbers."
Du Zhijin poked his head out and pointed to the group of constables behind him: "Don't you have official duties to perform?"
"It's alright, it's alright. We were just released from duty for a walk." One of the constables quickly realized what was happening and led his men away. Lu Ping breathed a sigh of relief and gratefully clasped his hands in a fist salute to them.
The city lights were dazzling, men and women walked side by side, and the fragrance of orchids lingered for a long time.
Lu Ping slowed his pace and walked alongside her, slightly lowering his head, and noticed the hairpin she used to hold her hair up.
It was the peach blossom he gave me.
Perhaps knowing that it carries the owner's heart, the peach blossoms remain fresh and beautiful even after several days, their blooms never fading.
But he lost face.
He wanted to burst into laughter, but his sister had warned him to hold back, so he covered his mouth with his fist and feigned surprise: "Miss Mu really likes peach blossoms?"
If she liked it, he wanted to invite her to see the peach blossoms at the mountain temple after a few days.
Du Zhijin was momentarily bewildered, then followed his gaze to the hairpin, and suddenly realized: "Because it's pretty."
It looks good and feels comfortable, so I've been wearing it all the time.
Lu Ping almost couldn't hide his joy, and only managed to suppress it after thinking through all the bosses he hated the most.
The street was crowded, and people were jostling each other when a man stumbled and bumped into them. Before Lu Ping could react, Du Zhijin noticed first and reached out to pull him back.
Her palms weren't soft; they had rough calluses from the sword, yet they gave one a sense of security.
"Be careful."
The surrounding area was bustling with noise, but they were extremely quiet.
No, there was also a pounding heartbeat, relentlessly betraying the master's true feelings.
Lu Ping felt he couldn't take it anymore.
He was eager to tell her his truest thoughts.
he......
[The peach blossom hairpin is a perfect finishing touch!]
Oh dear, they've held hands!
[Lu Ping, why are you blushing?]
Oh, is he finally going to confess?!
Ying Jianhua really wanted to yell at the monster, "Can you please stop chattering in my head?"
He didn't want to know how far Lu Ping and Du Zhijin had progressed at all; he didn't want to at all.
What kind of monster doesn't do its job and spends all its time worrying about trivial matters of love and romance? He'll do whatever you want with it, but he just can't stand it hitting Pingzhou every day.
So he abandoned his caution and boldly reprimanded the unknown monster: "Shut up."
He thought his actions would anger the monster and bring about its revenge, but to his surprise, nothing happened.
The monster seemed not to hear him and continued to immerse itself in its own world.
Ah, so I got rejected.
Rejected? Who was rejected?
Ying Jianhua stood there, stunned, until a cool breeze brought her back to her senses.
Lu Ping was rejected by Du Zhijin?
Yes, given Du Zhijin's personality, she probably doesn't even know what love is.
He felt inexplicably relaxed, and even the shouts of the vendors around him ceased to be noisy. He changed his mind and turned to walk back the way he came.
This street is built along the Jinxi River, running from east to west. If you turn back, you'll be going in the opposite direction.
In the jostling crowd, the mugwort was pushed aside. Not only that, he was also jostled and nearly bumped into the woman.
The woman was about to unleash a torrent of curses at whoever was so blind, but upon seeing a handsome face, she immediately forgot what she was saying.
The Orchid Bathing Festival is a grand affair, and many young people, such as the Liu family's daughter and her fiancé, have decided to get married on that day. Therefore, the days leading up to the festival hold special significance, with everyone tacitly acknowledging that those going out are considering each other. Although today isn't the actual day, it carries an ambiguous connotation of "pre-wedding confidantes." Ying Jianhua felt a pang of anxiety, wanting to produce an orchid to prove she was "taken," but couldn't find one.
But then the woman asked him, "Can you dance?"
If he answered "yes" at this point, the woman would invite him to dance in the woods by the stream. Therefore, Ying Jianhua decisively chose "no".
"Oh dear, what a waste of such a handsome face, what a pity." One woman sighed and left, but another woman appeared behind her at some point, staring at him with eager anticipation.
Seeing that the person in front of her had left, she asked the same question: "Can you dance?"
Ying Jianhua pursed her lips, desperately hoping that the monster would continue talking about Du Zhijin's situation.
That way he can find her...
"I've already been skipped by someone, please make way."
The woman shook her head, exposing his lie with a single sentence: "If she had accepted you, you should have had a bunch of orchids in your hand, but you didn't."
Ying Jianhua was at a loss for words.
He hates crowded places; perhaps he shouldn't have stepped into the market today. The Orchid Bathing Festival, dancing, giving flowers, and his sweetheart are all things far removed from him. Why, then, did he become so foolish as to come here?
Do these things concern him? No, they have absolutely nothing to do with him. He would never dance a ridiculous dance for anyone in his life, much less accept anyone's orchids.
Having made up his mind, he was about to refuse again when suddenly a sprig of osmanthus appeared before him.
He looked up and saw Du Zhijin extending his hand to him.
Seeing him look over, she smiled and asked, "Aren't you going to answer?"
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