CH 81.1

Chapter 81.1 – Something Like That

Lu Sheng almost never left home ever since she was born; the only chance she had to go out was when she was sent from the Lu Mansion to the princess’s mansion. She came there in a carriage, and was sitting obediently in the car while being hugged by Qi Bo. She didn’t even get to see the world outside the carriage.

Of course, children below three were still ignorant and wasn’t aware of their yearning for the outside world yet. That was, until she was taken outside the princess’s mansion’s gate by Lu Qipei and Qi Yang.

Seeing busy market and the pedestrians, the little dumpling realized that the world wasn’t just as big as the mansion.

Lu Qipei walked down the street with Lu Sheng on her arms, while Qi Yang walked by her side. The servants followed them a few steps behind. At first glance, they looked like a family of there that went out for shopping.

Lu Sheng had her arms around Lu Qipei’s neck, nestled in her arms, but her eyes kept looking at the street.

Lu Qipei ignored the child’s curiosity and turned her head to ask Qi Yang, “Which way are we going?”

When Qi Yang turned around at the question, she saw that more than one person was looking at her. One pair of big eyes and one pair of small eyes were looking at her; their clear black pupils looked very similar.

Somehow, she couldn’t help but laugh – she once again thought of Lu Qicheng and his eyes that were filled with false gentleness, but actually reflected hidden ambitions. But his only heir turned out to look like Lu Qipei.

Lu Qipei was a bit confused because she laughed out of nowhere. She blinked her eyes subconsciously and asked, “What’s the matter? Is there anything funny?”

Qi Yang smiled and waved her hand. Her gaze rested on Lu Sheng’s face for a while, then she said, “It’s nothing, I just suddenly thought of something. We didn’t have any particular purpose in going out today, so let’s just walk around. The street also happens to be pretty lively.”

Lu Qipei didn’t ask anything further. She nodded her head in agreement, then accompanied Qi Yang on her stroll of the street.

As the country’s capital, the capital city had merchants gathered from all over the country, and the street market was always lively. All kinds of strange things could be found there, so it was possible to encounter interesting little things occasionally when you go there.

Qi Yang and Lu Qipei came here for a stroll, so they weren’t in any rush. They chatted and laughed as they strolled along the street. Occasionally, they entered some shops, but most of the time their eyes lingered on stalls at both sides of the street.

Of course, there were no precious things on the small stalls, but there were many craftsmen with exquisite craftsmanship. It was hard to say what interesting little things could be found on these stalls.

As she walked, Lu Qipei suddenly stopped. Qi Yang also stopped and asked, “What’s the matter?”

Lu Qipei smiled and gestured for her to take a look. Qi Yang followed her eyes and saw Lu Sheng twisting around, looking in a particular direction. She followed the child’s eyes, and what she saw was a young man selling tanghulu1 on the street.

The red tanghulu glazed with honey looked very amazing. There were several children in front of the young man, all looking at the tanghulu on his hands. One of them handed over some money, and the young man took out some tanghulu and gave them to the child.

He immediately took a bite, and his companions around were so envious their saliva would flow out…

It was a very common scene to see in the market. For children, the temptation of tanghulu was probably something that they were born with.

Qi Yang smiled and raised her hand to touch Lu Sheng’s soft head. Seeing her turn around, she asked, “Do you want to eat tanghulu?”

When Lu Sheng heard the words, her eyes turned blank for a second. When Qi Yang pointed to the tanghulu held by the young man in the distance, only then did she realize that those red fruits were called tanghulu.

Children were gluttonous. When they saw something delicious, they naturally had some yearning for it. As soon as Qi Yang said that, her eyes turned bright, but in the end Lu Sheng shook her head reluctantly and said, “Ah Sheng eats rice, Ah Sheng doesn’t eat tanghulu.”

The child was too well-behaved. Even though she wanted it, she would not ask the adults. She even learnt restraint and how to refuse on such a young age, making people who see it feel inexplicably sad.

Of course, Qi Yang saw her curiosity and desire towards the tanghulu. She was surprised at the unexpected answer and immediately asked, “Why not? Do you not like them?”

Lu Sheng’s hand around Lu Qipei’s neck tightened a bit, and she drilled further into her arms. “Mama said that Ah Sheng needs to eat rice to grow bigger. If I eat random stuff, I will get a stomach ache, and Mama wouldn’t want me anymore.”

After saying that Lu Sheng burrowed into Lu Qipei’s arms, her face buried in the latter’s shoulder. She was feeling a little dejected. It was like as long as she didn’t take another look, she wouldn’t be tempted, and she would be able to return to her mother.

When Lu Qipei and Qi Yang heard such an answer, they looked at each other in dismay, and felt even more pity towards Lu Sheng.

The smile on Qi Yang’s face also receded. She gave it some thought, and wanted to go to the young man who was selling the tanghulu. However, Lu Qipei grabbed her sleeves before she could take more than two steps. “Don’t, she’s too young to eat these.”

However, Qi Yang shook her head and said, “It’s okay. Just let her taste the sugar outside.”

Lu Qipei stopped persuading her, and they went to the street vendor to buy tanghulu together.

Qi Yang still used money from Lu Qipei’s purse to pay – four copper coins were exchanged for two sticks of tanghulu. The red hawthorns were covered with a thin layer of sugar coating.

The young man selling tanghulu saw that the child Lu Qipei was holding was still young, and advised not to let her eat too much. He also told them to be careful, not to let the child swallow the seeds inside. He was very preachy, but it was well-intentioned.

Lu Qipei smiled and thanked him, then turned her head and asked Qi Yang, “What did you buy two sticks for? It’s not good to eat too much candy.”

Qi Yang winked at her and said with a smile, “I will set an example for your little niece.”

The tanghulu was handed to Lu Sheng. She was eager, but did not dare eat it. She looked so pitiful, as if she was gnawing at her fingers.

Unfortunately, she and Lu Qipei looked so much alike, so Qi Yang couldn’t help but give the latter several teasing looks.