Chapter 28: Chapter 20.1

Translator: Mimi

The sun had gradually sunken into the west, and enveloped the sky in twilight. The red glow of the sunset and the various lanterns hanging on the street were shining in harmony side by side.

Li Luo protected the petite Liu Ruoyan from the crowd that collided with them by making the crowd disperse to the side. He was wearing a white robe edged in blue embroidered with gold blossoming lotus flowers. On his waist, he was wearing a dark blue half foot wide belt, which made his slender waist seem tough. He looked as if he was an elegant and beautiful gongzi [1] that came down from a painting.

From time to time, Liu Ruoyan stole glances at Li Luo from the corner of her eyes, her cheeks were slightly pink. For her convenience she also changed her clothes into an ordinary green robe. Even so, it still couldn't dismiss her charming and lovable appearance of a daughter from a noble family. Seeing how Li Luo meticulously took care of her, she couldn't help but feel excited. She was looking at whatever small toys she liked in the stalls and let Li Luo buy them for her.

Since it was he who agreed to come out with Liu Ruoyan, moreover today was her birthday, so naturally he couldn't let Liu Ruoyan do the paying. When they came to the largest stalls selling lanterns in the city, Li Luo's hands were already full of many things.

When Li Luo and Liu Ruoyan arrived at the lantern stalls, they saw a few people crowding the front of a stall that had attracted countless people's gazes.

A man wearing a short coarse robe was holding a goldfish-style lantern in his hand. He was looking at the bowing peddler that had a polite smile on his face in front of him and angrily said, "Look at all the lanterns you sell, the work on this one is so rough. The patterns of the goldfish's tail and scales were immediately opened when they were only slightly heated. It not only cost me twenty copper, but it was also not as good as the lotus flower lantern that I bought with fifteen copper at that old stall."

The peddler said in a polite manner, "Customer, our stall is having a sale tonight, all the lanterns are selling at the lowest price. If you are really dissatisfied with the lantern, then it can be returned."

Liu Ruoyan glanced at the lantern in the angry customer's hand, her eyes immediately brightened. She quickly walked forward to the customer, "Big brother, where did you buy that lantern?"

The angry customer turned around and looked at Liu Ruoyan, then opened his mouth and said, "This little xiaojie [2], are you asking me where I bought this lotus flower lantern? It looks like you also have good insight. Don't buy a lantern at this stall, even if it is the largest stall they cheat the customers. I bought this lotus flower lantern at the old stall in the street alley. That stall has more than ten years of history…"

The peddler at the side of this talking customer, couldn't help but to have a bitter smile on his face. He had finally pulled that costumer into his stall. He had even introduced all of the products he had to that customer, while he welcomed him into his stall.

After Liu Ruoyan got the location of her favorite lantern's stall, she took Li Luo right away to the place where the customer said to go.

Two people walked through the crowded streets, and turned into a corner of an alley where the customer had said the location of the old lantern stall was, and went inside the alley right away. Although this place from time to time still had people who passed while holding onto an exquisite lantern, but compared to the main street where the people walked shoulder to shoulder, it seemed very deserted.