Fifteen days have passed since Master Rachel arrived at Duogu Village.
Ash still hadn't found the chance to expose Rachel.
In the midst of his distress and worry, his sixteenth birthday arrived.
Early that morning, he woke up tiredly from his dream again. When he opened his eyes, he saw a bunch of flowers against the tip of his nose. On the fresh petals and tender leaves, there were still residual dewdrops rolling, which were crystal clear.
The tip of his nose twitched slightly and he smelled a sweet fragrance.
The fragrance seemed to have magical power, more effective than any refreshing potion, and it suddenly relaxed his tense spirit that had been tense for many days.
He suddenly remembered that today was his birthday.
At this time every year, people celebrate for him, which makes his birthday very memorable and he will never forget it.
"Thank you." He did not get up immediately, but remained lying down. His eyes moved from the bouquet to the pair of white hands holding the bouquet, and then to the owner of these hands - it was Shanna, the beautiful and dexterous Shanna.
She playfully brushed the tip of Ash's nose with the petals, "You're welcome." Then she stuffed the bouquet into Ash's hands, "Hurry up, Aubrey and the others are waiting for you outside."
Ash held a large bouquet of flowers, sat up, and looked out the window. Beside the stone tower, his friends were all very clever. When they noticed his gaze, they made all kinds of funny expressions and movements, while shouting loudly:
"Ash--happy birthday--"
The sound was so loud that the dust on the eaves fell down.
Ash smiled, raised his hand and waved out the window, trying to raise his voice: "Thank you!"
Shanna couldn't help laughing: "They wanted to come to the house to celebrate with you, but thinking about the situation last year, they gave me this opportunity today."
As Ash listened, he immediately recalled the heroic act last year when a large group of young men rushed into his cabin, jumping up and down, making a lot of noise, and finally destroyed the cabin.
The smile on his lips grew wider.
"But Aubrey has been complaining." Shanna raised her hand and helped him to smooth his short hair that had stood up from sleeping. "He said that the first time I gave him flowers, it wasn't for him. He has been arguing with me since last night, and it's been a headache. Is he still a child?"
Aubrey can be quite childish sometimes. Ash glanced out the window again and saw Aubrey glaring at him.
What happened? He thought for a moment... Oh, is it because Shanna is smoothing his hair?
Aubrey, who is in love, has reduced his mental age by several years.
"How childish." Apparently, Shanna also noticed the gaze from the window that could not be ignored. She curled her lips in a good mood, and her beautiful lake green eyes flashed with a gentle and moving smile, "Forget it, forget it, I'll give him a bouquet of flowers tomorrow morning."
"Why tomorrow morning?" Ash pulled her sleeve and handed the bouquet back to her, "There's a bouquet of flowers right here."
Shana was holding the bouquet and didn't react for a moment.
"This bouquet contains the best wishes." Ash looked at her seriously, "I want to give it to you."
Shanna held the flowers and stared at him blankly, not coming back to her senses for a long time.
"Shaanna?" Ash called her in confusion.
Shanna finally came back to her senses, shocked and excited: "Oh my God! Ash, you have grown up. You are so good at talking today!"
On one side, there was caring and touching: "Ahh! Ash, you're such a lovely guy!"
"I'm almost in tears!" she muttered, and rushed over to hug Ash tightly - of course, she had to ignore the pair of eyes outside the window that were about to pop out of their sockets - and then, without rejecting Ash's feelings, she turned and ran out, placing the bouquet of flowers filled with the best wishes on Aubrey's heart.
So when Ash slowly walked out of the cabin, he received another hug from Aubrey, a hug so strong that it almost flattened him.
"Good brother!" Aubrey laughed, "Happy birthday!"
Ash struggled in his steel-like embrace, stretched out his thin arms with difficulty, and patted Aubrey's back: "Thank you, thank you...Okay, okay."
Let me go, Aubrey, I'm almost out of breath.
The air was squeezed out of Ash's chest, and he couldn't even finish his words.
Because Aubrey was so moved in the way he expressed his emotions, Ash was trembling as he was helped into the village by his friends.
When passing by the village entrance, Uncle Derek teased him severely.
When you enter the village, you can obviously see that the village is decorated everywhere. It looks lively and beautiful, like preparations before the festival.
Ash wasn't surprised by this.
He is the only child in the village without family, so his birthday is celebrated every year by the whole village.
Because it has been practiced for so many years, this day has gradually and magically become a fixed festival and a must-celebrate in the village.
The name of the celebration is: Celebrate Ash's Birthday.
Although it sounds a bit embarrassing, Ash said that as long as everyone is happy.
When he returned home, a rich breakfast had been prepared and the center of the living room was filled with gifts - most of them were daily necessities, enough for Ash to use for a year.
The gifts given by people in Duogu Village are so genuine and thoughtful!
Ash finished his breakfast with gratitude before being pulled out of the room by his friends again and joining them on the vacant lawn in the village.
Since it was a celebration, Duogu Village had already planned today's program.
Joyful singing and dancing...Ash helped with the accompaniment.
Intense fight...Ash clapped his hands vigorously.
Interesting game...Ash watched attentively.
…
"Ash, what are you doing standing in the corner again?" Uncle Derek just sang a song with his rough and bold mature voice, and then he saw Ash floating around the crowd like a ghost. He couldn't help but feel tired again and reached out to grab him, "Come here, aren't you learning potions with Nathan? Go and try the game over there to identify poisonous mushrooms in the wild!"
Ash was held by him, but he didn't resist. He just whispered, "It's fun just watching."
Rather than participating in it myself, I am more happy to see everyone’s activeness. It is particularly satisfying just watching them.
These words were written in his peaceful light-colored eyes.
"..." Derek let out a long breath, "You are such a jerk..." He let go of Ash's collar and patted Ash on the shoulder instead, "Just be happy. Forget about your previous troubles today! After today, if you really have no other options, come to Uncle Derek, ok?"
Ash was stunned for a moment, then looked up at Derek's resolute and calm face...
Has Uncle Derek noticed my recent uneasiness?
He pursed his lips and nodded carefully.
Maybe... although there is no actual basis for this, and although Rachel has helped the village a lot and won everyone's love and respect... but if he were to ask everyone, perhaps everyone would not deny him at the first moment, right?
Even if I don't believe his hunch directly, at least I can take precautions, right?
He can't do anything to Rachel alone, but there are so many people and so many eyes in the village. If he pays attention, he will be able to find out Rachel's fox tail, right?
Ash made up his mind to confess to Uncle Derek tomorrow. Uncle Derek had never received any favor from Rachel, nor did he respect Rachel's knowledge like Teacher Nathan did, nor did he like Rachel like Aubrey and the others. He was firm and steady, and although he was rough and bold on weekdays, he was actually very careful... and his fighting skills were among the best in the village.
If Uncle Derek said that, he would have a serious talk with him and would not treat him perfunctorily as he would a child.
With the decision made, the heavy stone pressing on Ash's heart was still there, but it was much lighter than before.
He continued to walk through the crowd, taking the snacks that the uncles and aunts stuffed into his hands from time to time, his cheeks bulging all the time, like a little hamster hoarding food.
The celebration lasted all day.
When evening came, Ash thought it would end with a cheerful open-air dance party like last year, but he didn't expect that when the rosy sunset covered the sky, he was surrounded by everyone and walked out of the village in confusion.
"Let's do something different this year!" Everyone said, "Sixteen-year-old Ash has become an adult."
What is the difference?
Ash followed everyone out obediently, climbed over the plateau, walked past the stone tower, and saw several large tents set up on the flat grassland. In the center was a round stage with colorful lights, and the rose-colored curtains were as thick as the colorful clouds in the sky.
It's finally time to reveal the answer.
Aubrey had endured it with great difficulty until this moment, and finally he could let it out: "Dangdangdang--" he dubbed, "It's a wandering theater troupe from out of town! They just recently came to perform nearby, and I heard the show is really exciting!"
The other friends were not to be outdone and all talked to Ash about this recently popular theater troupe.
Hey, everyone knows this?
Ash suddenly felt that he was out of touch with reality.
He was the only one who didn't know the latest fashion trends... He wondered what he had been doing these days, trembling with fear and anxiety, and ended up not getting anything done. Tomorrow, tomorrow he must go and have a good talk with Uncle Derek!
He listened carefully to his friends' introductions.
This wandering troupe is said to have come from a very far place. They perform wherever they go and rely on performances to raise money for their travel expenses.
About a week ago, the troupe arrived in the small town of Sachs near Duogu Village.
The wonderful performance made the troupe famous overnight here.
Some people in Duogu Village also heard about the troupe. Thinking that Ash's birthday was approaching, Village Chief Vann went to invite the troupe to hold a performance in Duogu Village tonight.
"I heard that the performers in the troupe are all very beautiful!" Aubrey thought to himself, "I wonder if any of them are as pretty as Shanna?"
Shanna, who was standing next to him, asked gently: "...If there is a way, what do you want to do?"
Aubrey shuddered. "Ha, just, just take a look."
Aubrey, who was looking downcast, didn't try to squeeze forward, but stood obediently at the back of the crowd, with an attitude of "not having any special expectations". He just waved at Ash and said, "Ash, go to the front and watch."
Ash shook his head, "It's clear here too."
The evening is wrapped in the gap between day and night, a thin piece that disappears in an instant.
In this thin gap, the sunset glow was like the skirt of a dancer. It turned around nimbly, spread out the hem of the skirt, and then quickly gathered it back.
Then he exited gracefully.
The stage of the sunset dimmed, and the sky was dyed with ink from light to dark, dotted with stars here and there.
The troupe's stage lit up, and the colorful light shone far away, dyeing the dark sky with a bit of bright color.
Even if you stand in the back row, you can still see the dazzling stage clearly.
An old man in a gorgeous robe stood on the stage and bowed gracefully to everyone in the audience: "This is the Starry Sky Theater, welcome everyone to our performance."
Oh, so they have a name. Ash thought in the audience, it’s not called the Wandering Troupe, it’s called the Starry Sky Troupe.
This name is nice.
He recalled the dream beside the stone tower and the flowing light in the dark space, and unconsciously raised a faint smile.
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