"You’ve got quite the experience, Xiao Qi," Lian Manman raised an eyebrow and said, "Xiao Qi, be honest, have you ever skipped school?"
"No, no, absolutely not," Xiao Qi was startled and quickly denied it.
After Shen Qian left, Lian Manman and the others continued walking along the street, admiring the lanterns as they headed back.
Lian Manman glanced in the direction where Shen Qian’s carriage had disappeared, feeling a bit worried for him. Shen Qian had said that his family allowed him a day out, which seed true. However, his decision to co to Jinyang County Town was likely not approved by his family. Would he be punished when he returned?
After the worry passed, Lian Manman thought of Shen Qian’s composed deanor when Steward Zhong arrived, and she slowly felt reassured. No matter what, Shen Qian should have a way to handle it.
"...This child is quite charming, his words and actions are endearing..." Lian Manman snapped out of her thoughts, just in ti to hear Lady Li praising Shen Qian while talking to Lady Zhang.
"Yes, he’s lovable, not pretentious at all. When he ca to our house, he ate whatever was available and wasn’t picky, he was close with us..." Lady Zhang also praised.
Fatty Shen’s popularity was indeed quite good, Lian Manman thought.
At this mont, Xiao Long saw soone selling sugar-coated hawthorn and started clamoring for so. Zhang Qingnian took out so money, went over to the peddler, and bought a few sticks, giving each child one.
Lian Manman also received a stick. She noted the bright red hawthorn, which was very large, with clear sugar coating and an orange segnt on top, making it very appealing, so she didn’t refuse it and took a bite.
"This sugar-coated hawthorn is not bad," Lian Manman couldn’t help but praise after taking a bite.
Sugar-coated hawthorn is a common snack, often sold by peddlers in the streets. Even in Thirty Mile Camp during winter, there’s always at least one or two peddlers selling sugar-coated hawthorn every day. But not all sugar-coated hawthorn is made the sa.
So use small hawthorns, and so peddlers are even too lazy to remove the seeds. This one not only has large, uniformly sized hawthorns with the seeds removed but also includes an orange segnt, with exceptionally well-made syrup coating, making it top-quality.
No wonder Xiao Long insisted on this one among so many sellers.
Thinking this, Lian Manman glanced at the peddler selling the sugar-coated hawthorn. Sure enough, it wasn’t just Xiao Long who knew what was good; the peddler was almost surrounded by adults and children buying the sugar-coated hawthorn.
At this mont, the peddler looked up, and Lian Manman was suddenly taken aback.
"That peddler looks very familiar..." Wu Lang, who was beside Lian Manman, also saw the peddler, "he seems to be... that Huo Lang."
"It’s him," hearing Wu Lang say this, Lian Manman’s uncertainty disappeared. That sugar-coated hawthorn peddler was indeed Qian Huolang—who had taken in Lian Duoduo when she ran away from ho, only to be beaten and driven away by Lian Shouren, Lian Jizu, and Erlang later.
At that ti, Lian Shouren not only wanted Qian Huolang to leave Qingyang Town but also to leave Liaodong Prefecture.
After that, no one had seen Qian Huolang again, and everyone assud Qian Huolang, out of fear, had left Liaodong Prefecture and returned to his hotown?
Seeing him selling sugar-coated hawthorn in Jinyang County Town now was indeed unexpected.
Had he never left, or did he leave and then co back?
"Brother," Lian Manman asked Wu Lang, "should we pretend we didn’t see this, or take so action?"
Wu Lang hesitated.
Wu Lang and Lian Manman recognized Qian Huolang, and after handing a stick of sugar-coated hawthorn to a child, Qian Huolang also saw them. Qian Huolang seed a bit flustered and didn’t even collect the Copper Coin from the child before hurriedly picking up his hawthorn sticks and disappearing into the crowd.
Qian Huolang fled, but Wu Lang and Lian Manman didn’t let the matter go.
"...It’s been a long ti, and there haven’t been any rumors about Duoduo; it seems the Huo Lang has been behaving," Wu Lang whispered to Lian Manman as they walked, "of all places to make a living, why co back here..."
"Just in case, he can’t stay in Jinyang County..."
Wu Lang had already made a decision.
"Manman, don’t worry about this. I’ll discuss it with our father and Brother Jiaxing later," Wu Lang finally said to Lian Manman.
"Okay," Lian Manman nodded.
By this ti, everyone had reached the intersection of Nine-layered Pagoda Front Street and Guangmao Street. The pedestrians in front suddenly stopped, forcing Lian Manman and the others to halt temporarily.
"What’s going on?" one of the workers asked the people in front.
"Not sure whose sedan chair it is, but it’s lost its way," soone in front responded.
Everyone laughed good-naturedly. Lian Manman saw that two sedan chairs moving in opposite directions each tried to give way, nearly colliding. In no ti, the sedan chairs had negotiated their way around each other.
On their side was a sedan chair with a green cloth canopy, and the person inside seed impatient, lifting the curtain for a glance outside.
"So many familiar faces!" Lian Manman saw the person in the sedan chair and couldn’t help but remark.
*****
Here’s the first update, and I’ll aim to add more tonight. Please support with pink encouragent; with 430 pinks, there will be additional updates. O(∩_∩)O(To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please visit Qidian (qidian) to vote with your recomndations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
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