Hearing this, Jiang Yuwei remembered that today was the Qixi Festival. She wondered what fun activities were available in Ninghe Town. Just as Jiang Yuwei was lost in thought, she saw Ning Wan put down the fried dough stick in her hand, take Jiang Yuwei's hand with her chubby, greasy little hands, and say coquettishly:
"Mother, Mother, Wan'er also wants to participate in the Qixi Festival. Mother, please go with Wan'er."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Yuwei quickly patted Ning Wan's hand and smiled:
"Mother, you still need to stay in the courtyard to take care of Daya. How about we ask Liu to take you and your brother out to play?"
Upon hearing this, Ning Wan pouted, reluctantly released Jiang Yuwei's hand, turned her body to the side, and said angrily:
"Hmph, Mother doesn't like Wan'er anymore!"
The skilled chef Zhu, unusually, looked up from the bowl, amused, and examined Ning Wan before leisurely speaking:
“Da Ya’s health is fine now, so we can let that dark-skinned boy stay in the yard to look after her. Our Qixi Festival in Ninghe Town is very interesting, it would be a real shame not to take the children to see it.”
After saying that, Master Zhu put down the bowl and chopsticks in her hand and went into the house without looking back.
Seeing that Ning Wan was still fuming, Jiang Yuwei smiled and said:
"Alright, after Mother finishes giving Daya acupuncture, she will take Wan'er to the street to participate in the Qixi Festival."
Ning Wan's expression immediately changed upon hearing this, and she turned around to look at Jiang Yuwei with a smile, saying:
"Wan'er knew it, Mother is the best."
Then he picked up the fried dough stick in front of him and ate it in big bites.
Jiang Yuwei looked at Liu Shi and Ning Qiu and said:
"You should all come and join the fun later. So much has happened these days, we should relax a bit."
Ningqiu and Liu nodded happily in agreement.
After breakfast, Jiang Yuwei went inside and, following the instructions of the skilled doctor Zhu, performed acupuncture on Ning Daya. She also instructed Tiezhu on how to remove the needles from Ning Daya at the appointed time. Only then did she close the courtyard gate with peace of mind and lead Ning Wan and the others to the street.
The Qixi Festival in Ninghe Town was quite a grand affair. The streets were packed with people, all beaming with joy. The vendors' calls filled the air, creating a lively and peaceful atmosphere.
There was a circus troupe on the street. Ning Wan was too small to see the fire-breathing performance, so she grabbed Jiang Yuwei's arm and asked for a hug. Just as Jiang Yuwei picked her up, the troupe breathed a large ball of flame in Ning Wan's direction, which frightened Ning Wan so much that she froze and kept burrowing into Jiang Yuwei's arms.
Ning Xin, who was strolling on the street with Madam Sun, became unhappy when she saw that Ning Wan was being held by Jiang Yuwei while watching the acrobatics. So she begged Madam Sun to pick her up as well.
At this moment, Madam Sun had no mind to pay attention to Ning Xin. She had heard Xu Qianqian, who lived next door, ask Ning Chunlin to take her to the Qixi Festival. Madam Sun had followed them all the way, but she lost Ning Xin in no time due to the crowds. Now she was searching for the two of them in the crowd.
Seeing that her mother was ignoring her requests, Ning Xin sulked and put her hands in her pockets, her eyes fixed on Ning Wan, who was hiding in Jiang Yuwei's arms.
Ning Wan watched the acrobatics for a while and then got bored, so she urged Jiang Yuwei to walk forward. Jiang Yuwei carried her past the candied hawthorn stall and bought a skewer of candied hawthorn for each of the children.
Ning Xin followed far behind, and when she saw this scene, her nose tingled and tears streamed down her face. She remembered the last time she went to the market in town, she cried and begged her mother to buy her candied hawthorns. Not only did her mother not buy them for her, but she also hit her and scolded her for being ignorant and a money-loser.
Ever since Ning Wan moved out of her family home, even her grandmother said she was a money-loser. The more Ning Xin thought about it, the angrier she became. She couldn't understand why, when the adults all said Ning Wan was a money-loser, she still had parents who loved her, while she didn't.
Ning Xin felt more and more wronged. Ever since her father brought Aunt Qian home, he had never looked at her properly, nor had he ever played horseback riding with her again. Even her mother had started to dislike her.
At this moment, Ning Xin stared intently at Ning Wan, who was nestled in Jiang Yuwei's arms, eating candied hawthorns and acting coquettishly. Suddenly, a thought popped into her mind: if Ning Wan died, would her aunt adopt her into her family? That way, she would be loved as much as Ning Wan.
Thinking this, Ning Xin's feet involuntarily led her towards Ning Wan. She walked up to Jiang Yuwei and greeted her with a smile.
"Aunt, Ning Wan is so big, why do you still want to carry her? Let her come down and play with me."
Jiang Yuwei looked down and saw Ning Xin standing beside her. She glanced around and then asked:
"Where are your parents? Why didn't they come out with you?"
Ning Xin then pointed in a direction and said:
“They went over there, and I told them I wanted to play with Ning Wan, so they sent me to find you.”
Seeing this, Jiang Yuwei first put Ning Wan on the ground, then looked at Ning Xin and said:
"You can play together, but you can't fight, understand?"
Ning Xin smiled obediently and nodded, then stretched out her hand and looked at Ning Wan with a smile:
"Sister Wan'er, let's go over there and watch them dance and pray for blessings!"
Ning Wan looked in the direction Ning Xin was pointing and saw a group of people dressed in colorful clothes dancing around a well. Her eyes lit up, and then she looked at Jiang Yuwei.
Seeing this, Jiang Yuwei patted Ning Wan's head and smiled:
"Go play with your sister, but don't go too far. Mom will wait for you here."
Ning Wan nodded happily upon hearing this. Then she said to Ning Xin:
Let's go!
Ning Xin extended her small hand to Ning Wan again, but Ning Wan glanced down at it and refused to hold her hand, instead walking straight ahead.
Ning Xin frowned upon seeing this, and then followed closely behind Ning Wan.
Jiang Yuwei murmured as she watched the two children's retreating figures:
"Ningxin may not be a bad person by nature, but she has been led astray by Chen Guixiang and Sun Shi. It would be a good thing if the two children could get along well, but if they really can't get along, there's no need to force it."
Ning Huaizhi, standing to the side, smiled and nodded upon hearing Jiang Yuwei's words:
"That's right, kids don't hold grudges, let them be."
Ning Wan and Ning Xin walked into the group of dancers. Ning Wan looked at the blessing movements with great curiosity, and then imitated them for a while.
Ning Xin stared intently at the candied hawthorn in Ning Wan's hand, swallowed hard, and then glanced at Jiang Yuwei and Ning Huaizhi, who were still standing there waiting for Ning Wan. Finally, she clenched her small fist and said to Ning Wan:
"Sister Wan'er, there's nothing fun outside. Let's go further inside; it's much more fun over there."
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