C130

"Mother, put one on." A Jin tied her mask around her neck and held onto a lantern, "Let's do it like this."

"If A Jin likes it, then buy it." Just as she was about to fork out the money to buy the lanterns, the bean bun crawled into a nearby stall and reached out to grab the rabbit hair.

Su Zhi didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She only knew that she still had to ask Bi Yue to follow her. The two mischievous girls really couldn't take care of them.

"Madam, children like this rabbit, so just buy it."

"Mother, how about we just buy it? This way, little sister won't have to keep trying to get rid of Big Yellow."

Helpless, Su Zhi could only spend money to buy the rabbit and the small cage to be carried by the small bean bag herself.

A Jin held the lamp and happily ran towards the river.

The banks of the river were crowded with people who had lit lanterns to bless them. In the middle of the river were many different kinds of lamps.

A Jin couldn't squeeze through, so she held the river lamp anxiously.

"What a coincidence, Jin also came to put on the river light to pray?"

A familiar voice came from behind. A Jin turned around and saw that the man in blue was also holding a river lamp and smiling at him.

"Teacher!"

Not expecting to meet Shen Zhu here, A Jin quickly ran up and took his hand.

Su Zhi was holding onto a small bean bag, and only after seeing that it was Shen Zhu, did she nod and greet him, "Young Master Shen."

"Teacher, are you going to put out the river lanterns as well?"

The man nodded and replied, "Yes, I pray for the blessings of an old friend. Ever since she left, I have come here every year to put out the river lamps."

A Jin nodded in understanding, but then felt distressed. "But, there are too many people here, we can't squeeze in."

Shen Zhu lovingly patted his little head, squatted down and patiently said, "I know of a place where there are few people."

"Then take me there, Teacher."

Su Zhi glared at the child, "A Jin, you're not allowed to mess around. Don't disturb Teacher's work."

Shen Zhu smiled, "What serious matters could I possibly have? I'll take my child with me."

A Jin was the most active, holding onto Shen Zhu's sleeve as they left.

Su Zhi relaxed a little. With Shen Zhu watching over the child, she could concentrate on staring at the small bean bun.

The duo held hands as they headed towards the direction where the crowd had left off. After walking a short distance, they turned around and dived into the darkness of the river.

"Lady Su, be careful."

Shen Zhu was worried that the child would fall down, so he carried A Jin.

He stood to the side, holding a river lamp to illuminate Su Zhi. After this part of the journey, everything would be fine.

They followed the small stone bridge to the other side of the river and arrived at a wide open area. From this point of view, the street view of the creek is very beautiful.

On the surface of the river, there were a few flickering lanterns. On both sides of the river, however, which were six feet wide, were teahouses with blue walls. Bright yellow lights were imprinted on the surface of the river, giving off beams of golden light.

"It's really a good place to put a river lamp." Su Zhi nodded in agreement.

A Jin quickly took out the river lamp, turned on the oil paper arc below, and carefully dragged the flower lamp to the surface of the water.

A breeze blew, and the river lamp in the shape of a tiger drifted away with the wind.

Seeing the child's happy smile, Shen Zhu also smiled and conveniently let go of the river lamp in his hand.

"Who does A Jin want to pray for?"

"That's too much. My father, mother, sister, Uncle Xiao, and Teacher, oh ~"

Su Zhi sat on the shore, hugging her bean bag and laughed out loud.

After so long, this child still hadn't forgotten about Nie Rufeng. He had always remembered this favor.

"A Jin is a filial child." Shen Zhu stroked the child's head, a complicated look in his eyes.

There were sounds coming from the shore, accompanied by gongs, drums, and cheers from the crowd.

Shen Zhu looked towards the shore and explained, "It's time to start the dragon dance. Does A Jin want to take a look?"

"Yes, I want to go."

The child nodded his head. Shen Zhu didn't mind the trouble and returned with the child on his back. Afraid that Su Zhi wouldn't be able to see the path clearly, he deliberately stood by the shore and watched her safely get on the shore.

After just a short while, the amount of tourists on the shore had increased.

The pavilion was crowded with onlookers.

The dragon-dancing team consisted of a total of twenty robust young men. They wore a uniform set of clothing, specially made long boots, and a coat on a cold day. They didn't feel cold at all.

In front of him was a man wearing a mask to tease the dragon. In his hand was a stick as thick as a child's arm.

The child had never seen such a rare thing. He clapped his hands and jumped up with a smile.

A Jin was amazed by the visual feast that the dragon dance had brought her. She could only watch as her big brother, who had a face full of smiles, calmly sat by the side of the small bean bun. He reached out his fat hands to grab the rabbit's ears.

The pink-haired rabbit was nibbling on a finger-long radish, very unwilling to be grabbed by the ear. It bared its teeth and was about to bite, yet it couldn't bite the child through the iron cage.

Su Zhi patted the child's hands and lifted up the cage herself. "You're not allowed to pull the rabbit. Watch the dragon dance."

She rubbed the fur on her hands and leaned against her body to look at the dragon in the middle of the street.

The fireworks were accompanied by the sound of the gongs and drums. From time to time, the crowd would give a cheer, and thunderous applause and laughter could be heard.

The dragon danced for a while before it ran towards the street in front of it. Many pedestrians were in hot pursuit of it. The crowded street only opened up a little space for them.

A Jin wanted to continue, but Su Zhi was too tired to move forward.

Seeing that she was too weak, Shen Zhu suggested that they find a place to sit.

The two of them took the child to a noodle shop on the street and ordered two bowls of noodle soup and a pot of Longjing.

"Mother, I'm not hungry. I want Sugar Man."

A Jin pointed at the shop of the sugar artist in front of them and found it very interesting.

"Don't eat so much sweet food. Mother will cook it for you when you go back, okay?"

Very rarely did a child who went out for a walk find anything new. Su Zhi couldn't bear to see him looking forward to something, so after persuading him, she handed him the silver.

"Take it, don't run around."

Su Zhi sat with her back facing the candy stall, while Shen Zhu, who was sitting face to face with her, was able to look at the child very carefully.

A Jin took the copper coin and happily ran away.

Two or three children stood in front of Sugar Man's Shop, accompanied by a few adults.

A Jin watched the old man scoop a spoonful of sugar from the box, shake his wrist and pour it on the metal plate. With a few strokes, he made a butterfly.

The child cried out in alarm and said, "Old mister, can you make a dragon?"

The old man smiled at him and said, "Sure. I'll trouble you, my friend, to wait. I'll make two swallows first."

A Jin wasn't in a hurry. She stood in front of the stall and watched curiously as he drew the candy. After he finished drawing it, he took out a thin bamboo stick and tied it up, handing it to the waiting child.

"Jin, are you here too?"

Hearing the call, the child turned around and saw a sedan chair parked behind him. The woman sitting inside was the same lady he had met in the empty alley last time.

"Good morning Madam."

Jiang Si glanced at the girl who was eating the noodles not far away, only to find that Shen Zhu was staring at him vigilantly.

She gave a bitter smile and reached out her hand to hold the child's hand, "Does A Jin like sugar people? "One day, auntie will give you a good one."

A Jin grinned. "Sure, thank you Madam."

Seeing the child's genuine smile, Jiang Si refused to leave.

If it wasn't for Shen Zhu's tight watch, she really wanted to hug the child and be alone for a while. How could her own nephew not love her?