Chapter 68
During their meal, Yuan Qiong behaved as usual, showing no signs of anything amiss. Lin Qiang served her food, which she accepted with a slight smile; when Lin Qiang glanced at her, she pretended not to notice.
The calmer Yuan Qiong appeared, the more uneasy Lin Qiang felt.
He knew the little girl's temperament best; she couldn't tolerate the slightest imperfection, and it was impossible for her to have seen what just happened without showing any reaction.
"Um..."
He was about to say something when Yuan Qiong silenced him with a dumpling.
"Hmm..."
Okay, if we're supposed to refrain from talking while eating or sleeping, then he'll keep it to himself for now.
Although Lin Qiang could be a bit oblivious at times, he wasn't stupid. He naturally noticed that something was wrong with Yuan Qiong. So, from the moment they came down the mountain until they reached the town, he kept trying to find an opportunity to explain the situation, but Yuan Qiong didn't give him any chance to do so.
Every time he tried to bring up the topic, she was interrupted in various ways, and the interruptions were very natural. Finally, when they arrived at Huayuan Road in the town, Lin Qiang still hadn't been able to explain things clearly.
The pristine white snow piled up on the rooftops. Lin Qiang looked up at the bustling Huayuan Road, trying hard to recall the customs of this festival.
What custom was it again?
It seemed like a man and a woman were walking from one end of the street to the other, each holding a red thread. Then the woman tied their red threads together into a bow and gave it to the man? No, not a bow, what kind of knot was it again? Um... he couldn't quite remember.
So, Lin Qiang stood at the street corner and pulled Yuan Qiong aside, saying, "We seem to have forgotten to bring a red thread when we came down the mountain. Why don't we go to a nearby shop and get one?"
His words startled Yuan Qiong for a moment, then she looked at him with the gaze one would give a wild man from the frontier: "Go to the shop and get one?"
Which family doesn't prepare their red thread of fate from a young age? That's the thread of destiny! You have to go to the Matchmaker's Pavilion to get it, okay? How can you just go out on the street and grab a foot of red thread?!
Unless he's one of those womanizers who deceive respectable women, or those promiscuous men... Thinking of this, she quickly looked Lin Qiang up and down.
Hmm... to be honest, judging from that good-looking face, it really does look like it!
Yuan Qiong was in a bad mood today and naturally didn't want to walk this ridiculous Huayuan Road with him. She said directly, "Since you didn't bring it, there's no point in arguing. I've never believed in these things; they're just folk tales and shouldn't be taken seriously."
"Don't take it seriously?" Her insincere words amused Lin Qiang, who laughed and said, "If you didn't take it seriously, why did you get up so early today to wait for me at the door?"
"I just came down the mountain to join in the fun, don't overthink it."
Tsk, that actually sounds quite convincing.
Lin Qiang shook his head and pulled him toward a nearby shop: "No, you have to come with me today."
Yuan Qiong didn't struggle, indifferently letting him pull her into a nearby shop. She saw that the bandit had indeed bought a red thread, cut it in two, and placed one end in her hand.
He said excitedly, "Let's go walk along Huayuan Road."
Yuan Qiong gently twirled the red thread in her hand with her fingers, finding it utterly ridiculous. From childhood to adulthood, this was the first time she had ever seen someone so casually tug at a red thread.
"Go by yourself if you want. I don't believe in these things and I don't want to go."
"How can you walk alone?" Lin Qiang knew she was still upset about what happened that morning, so he smiled apologetically and pulled her toward the street: "Be good, listen to me, when we get to the other side of the street, I'll buy you some xiaolongbao, the kind that you can eat one bite at a time."
"...Do you take me for a three-year-old?"
"No, no, just treat me like a three-year-old and play with me, okay?"
This made Yuan Qiong laugh. She gently poked him with her finger: "You're so old, aren't you ashamed to say such things?"
"How can you be so old? I'm still very young, I haven't even gotten married yet!"
Chatting and laughing like this, the two walked hand in hand across Huayuan Road amidst a crowd of men and women.
Lin Qiang wasn't very familiar with the rules, so he observed how the men around him behaved. After a few glances, he understood perfectly.
When the two reached the street, Lin Qiang put his arm around Yuan Qiong's slender waist, took out a red thread, looked down at the petite woman in his arms with a smile, and asked softly, "Qingqing, would you like to tie a red thread for me?"
My love, would you be willing to tie a red string for me?
This was the most beautiful love confession in the Great Yan Dynasty. Every woman in her boudoir, yearning for love, hoped that one day, under the winter sun, her ideal husband would say these words to her.
Now, the tall, handsome man also spoke these words to Yuan Qiong. The doting and affection that almost overflowed in his deep, starry eyes was captivating.
In that instant, Yuan Qiong almost truly believed it, believed that he would hold her hand and walk with her forever, through a lifetime.
But reason quickly prevailed. She smiled faintly, met his gaze with her slender fox eyes, pulled the red thread from the man's palm, and tied the half in her own hand into a knot.
"Sorry, I don't know how to tie these things."
After saying that, before Lin Qiang could react, she casually slipped the red thread into her sleeve, broke free from his embrace, and turned to leave.
Ai?
The script is wrong!
Wasn't it supposed to be given to the man after the knot was tied?
What does it mean that she took it?
Is this even possible?
Lin Qiang was completely baffled, so he grabbed a man from the roadside and asked, "Brother, can I ask you something?"
The man was bewildered by his tug and asked blankly, "What is it?"
"That red string, after it's tied, should be given to the man, right? What does it mean that the woman took it herself?"
As soon as he finished asking the question, the man looked at him with pity: "Judging from how fierce you are, brother, that girl probably didn't dare to refuse you outright, so..."
The words left unsaid, yet the meaning was profound!
"!!!"
Am I fierce?!
Lin Qiang thought the man was talking nonsense, so he snorted and released him.
"impossible!"
The little girl probably thinks her tie is ugly and is just embarrassed to give it to him!
Lin Qiang ignored the man and quickly caught up with Yuan Qiong. As soon as he reached her, he saw a wisp of white smoke rising from the little girl's hand...
"!!! Why did you burn it?!" He was stunned for a moment, and immediately reached out to snatch it, but Yuan Qiong's fierce glare stopped him in his tracks. Her eyes clearly said: You dare to try and snatch one?
"...If you don't like it, just give it to me. Why burn it?"
“Even if I don’t like my things, I’d burn them. There’s absolutely no reason for me to give them away.”
Okay, Lin Qiang understands.
She'd been holding back her temper all morning; it turns out she was waiting here.
"Girl..."
"Don't call me."
She loosened the half-burnt red thread knot, letting it fall to the ground and slowly burn to ashes. She covered it with her delicate embroidered shoes, and with a firm press of her foot, Yuan Qiong ground the ashes into the soil, little by little, until the mud and ash were completely mixed together.
She looked up, her gaze icy, and for the first time revealed her fierce fangs to him: "Big Beard, I've said it before, if one day you betray me, or try to break free from me, I will make you suffer unbearable pain and never have peace for all eternity."
"........"
Lin Qiang looked at the lump of mud on the ground, feeling both helpless and wanting to laugh.
This little girl is way too jealous! Tan Xiaoque just combed his hair, didn't she? Is it really that big of a deal?
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