Rebirth of Bloody Romance

With the sound of scissors, Xiao Haichen's hair fluttered down like snowflakes. The little guy stared at himself in the mirror with his big round eyes curiously, and seemed to be full of expectations for the new image that was about to be born.

Finally, the hairdresser stopped the scissors and finished cutting Xiao Haichen's hair. He stretched out his little hand and gently touched his head. He was a little uncomfortable with the bald feeling, but also a little curious.

Zhong Yuemin couldn't help laughing when he saw his son's adorable appearance. "How is it, son? Do you feel like something is missing?" He joked, his face filled with the tenderness and doting unique to a father.

After hearing this, Xiao Haichen pouted and his eyes instantly filled with tears. He looked at Zhong Yuemin aggrievedly, as if he was about to cry out loud.

Seeing this, Zhou Xiaobai stood up quickly and glared at Zhong Yuemin. "Can you act a little more like a father?"

Seeing this, Zhong Yuemin quickly stopped smiling, walked to Xiao Haichen, and gently picked him up. "Son, don't cry. Dad was just joking, and I didn't expect you to be so sad."

Zhou Xiaobai also came over and gently stroked little Haichen's cheek. "Haichen, be good. Your hair will grow again after you cut it. Look how energetic you are now. You're like a handsome boy."

With the comfort of his parents, Xiao Haichen gradually calmed down. He looked up at himself in the mirror. Although his hair was shorter, his bright eyes still sparkled with curiosity and exploration. He seemed to understand his parents' intentions and showed a childish smile on his face.

After cutting their hair, the family of four strolled in the streets. Zhou Xiaobai gently stroked Xiao Haichen's freshly cut hair, with emotion welling up in his heart.

"Yuemin, times have really changed. Look at this intersection. There weren't so many street vendors before."

Zhou Xiaobai's words reveal his nostalgia for the past and his admiration for the current society.

Zhong Yuemin smiled and responded, "Wife, it's normal. When you are poor, you must change, and when you change, you will succeed. The world is changing, and people are changing too. The more people set up stalls, it means life is getting better."

Zhong Yuemin's eyes wandered through the streets and alleys, as if looking for traces that could witness the changes of the times.

Little Shihua didn't care what her parents were saying. Her big eyes had already been attracted by the roadside stalls.

Her little nose moved slightly, as if she smelled the scent of delicious food. Then she pulled Zhong Yuemin's sleeve, leaned over and whispered in his ear, "Dad, I want to eat rice cakes."

Hearing this, Zhong Yuemin looked down at his daughter's expectant face, and a warm feeling welled up in his heart. He touched Xiao Shihua's head lovingly and smiled. "You little greedy cat, I'll buy it for you."

As he spoke, he came to the stall selling rice cakes. There were all kinds of rice cakes on the stall, some sweet, some salty, and some with red bean paste.

Xiao Shihua's eyes lit up immediately. She pointed at a piece of rice cake with red bean paste and said, "Dad, I want that!"

Zhong Yuemin smiled and nodded, and said to the stall owner, "Boss, give me a piece of rice cake with red bean paste first, and one piece of each of the other flavors."

"Okay." The stall owner deftly cut pieces of rice cake, strung them on bamboo sticks, and handed them to Zhong Yuemin.

Xiao Shihua took the rice cake and couldn’t wait to take a bite. The sweet taste brought a satisfied smile to her face.

Zhong Yuemin was about to pay the bill when he suddenly heard a hurried shout. "Run! The people from the Municipal Management Committee are coming!"

The vendor selling rice cakes suddenly became nervous and waved his hands, indicating that Zhong Yuemin didn't need to pay.

He hurriedly packed up his stall and prepared to run away with his cart.

Seeing this, Zhong Yuemin quickly grabbed the vendor's hand and wanted to ask about the situation. But the vendor looked anxious and said quickly, "Wait until you see me next time before giving me money. I'm running away first. If the people from the Municipal Management Committee come, I'll be in trouble."

Before Zhong Yuemin could react, he saw the vendors around him taking action, packing up their things at lightning speed, pushing their carts and running in different directions. Their speed was so fast that it was obvious that this was not the first time they had encountered such a situation.

Zhong Yuemin stood there in a daze, watching the once bustling street become empty in the blink of an eye. The vendors had run away without a trace, leaving only him, Zhou Xiaobai, and Xiao Shihua, a family of three, standing there, staring at each other in bewilderment.

Xiao Shihua opened her big eyes, still holding the unfinished rice cake in her hand. She looked at the fleeing crowd and forgot to eat the rice cake for a moment, with a surprised expression on her face.

Zhong Yuemin came back to his senses and said jokingly, "This is really fast."

Xiao Shihua looked at Zhong Yuemin and said, "Dad, it seems we didn't give any money."

"There's nothing I can do, girl. He's gone far away. I'll give it to you next time I see him."

Although the street vendors are being chased by the Municipal Management Committee, they still enjoy doing it. At this time, the Municipal Management Committee is equivalent to the Urban Management Committee, but its jurisdiction is larger than that of the Urban Management Committee. It not only manages street vendors occupying the road, but also manages the city's street lights and environmental sanitation.

The sun shone obliquely on the afternoon street. Zhou Xiaobai looked at Zhong Yuemin beside him in confusion. The light in his eyes flickered like the brightest star in the night sky, and he seemed to be thinking about something.

The two walked side by side, the road beneath their feet was illuminated by the sunlight shining through the gaps in the leaves, casting various shapes of light and shadow, as if nature was painting a beautiful picture for them.

"Are we going home now, or what?" Zhou Xiaobai asked, with a hint of mischievous anticipation in her voice. She looked at Zhong Yuemin, wanting to know the answer in his mind.

Zhong Yuemin stopped and frowned, as if he was recalling something. He lowered his head in thought, the sunlight shining on his profile, outlining his handsome outline.

After a while, he raised his head, a gleam of light flashed in his eyes, and a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"I haven't been to the store opened by Zheng Tiancheng yet. How about we go and take a look? It's been open for such a long time, and I've never been there once. If it doesn't work, let's just let him run it alone and we won't get involved."

"Where is the store?" Zhou Xiaobai asked curiously, with anticipation gleaming in his eyes.

"Not far away, over at Liulichang Cultural Street."

After the two of them had discussed it, they went to Liulichang Cultural Street together. The street was bustling with people coming and going.

The slanting sunlight makes the ancient charm of Liulichang Cultural Street seem to be gilded with a layer of gold. The shops on the street are full of various antiques, calligraphy and paintings, and cultural relics.

Zhong Yuemin and Zhou Xiaobai took their two children through the exhibition, sometimes stopping to admire and sometimes talking in low voices.

"Yuemin, look at that vase, the color is so bright!" Zhou Xiaobai pointed at a blue and white porcelain vase on a stall, his eyes sparkling with excitement.

Zhong Yuemin walked over, looked at the vase carefully, nodded and said, "It's indeed a good thing." Anyway, he couldn't tell whether it was real or not, he just thought it looked nice.

The two continued walking forward, and soon they arrived in front of Zheng Tiancheng's shop. The shop's facade was quaint, with a plaque that read "Tianchengzhai" hanging on it. Zhong Yuemin pushed the door open with Xiao Shihua in his arms, and Zhou Xiaobai followed closely behind with Xiao Hai in his arms.

The store was filled with all kinds of antiques and cultural relics, and there were several calligraphy and paintings hanging on the wall, exuding a strong cultural atmosphere. When Zheng Tiancheng saw the two people coming in, he hurriedly came forward with a surprised smile on his face.

"Yuemin, Xiaobai, why are you here?" Zheng Tiancheng greeted them warmly.

"Uncle Zheng, I haven't been here since you opened this store! Fortunately, we are free today, so we came here to take a look." Zhong Yuemin replied with a smile.

The three chatted while admiring the treasures in the store. Zheng Tiancheng introduced the origins and values ​​of various antiques to them from time to time, and Zhou Xiaobai listened with great interest, exclaiming from time to time.

The store is filled with a variety of artworks, including porcelain, calligraphy and painting, jade, etc., which are dazzling and eye-catching.

Zheng Tiancheng carefully took out a pair of jade pendants from the drawer. The jade pendants seemed to carry the sedimentation of history and shone with a warm luster. He gently stroked them, with a bit of reluctance and nostalgia in his eyes.

"This pair of jade pendants is from the Qing Dynasty. They are engraved with auspicious patterns of dragons and phoenixes, which symbolize good luck and fortune." Zheng Tiancheng gently placed the jade pendants on the table and showed them to Zhou Xiaobai and Xiao Shihua.

Zhou Xiaobai walked closer upon hearing the sound, her eyes moving across the jade pendant, as if she could penetrate the layers of time and see the scene carved stroke by stroke by the ancient craftsman.

Xiao Shihua widened her eyes in surprise, and her little hand involuntarily reached out for the jade pendant carved with a phoenix.

"Mom, this is so beautiful!" Xiao Shihua's voice was full of childlike admiration.

Zheng Tiancheng looked at her, a hint of warmth flashed in his eyes. "Girl, if you like it, grandpa will give it to you, okay?"

Zhou Xiaobai heard this and waved his hands. "Uncle Zheng, this won't do. It's too expensive."

Zheng Tiancheng waved his hand and said with a smile, "Hey, it's just a worthless little thing. One is just right for the little girl, and the other is for Xiao Haichen. Yuemin, Xiaobai, don't refuse!"

Zhou Xiaobai wanted to refuse, but was stopped by Zheng Tiancheng's firm eyes. She knew that Zheng Tiancheng was a principled man, and it was difficult for others to change his decision.

Xiao Shihua couldn't wait to put on the phoenix jade pendant. She seemed to have transformed into a flying phoenix, dancing gracefully. Zhou Xiaobai felt a warm current in his heart as he looked at his daughter's happy face.

Seeing his sister's expression, Xiao Haichen also stretched out his little hand. "I want it, I want it."

Zheng Tiancheng put the dragon jade pendant on the little guy. Little Haichen took the jade pendant in front of his eyes and looked at it carefully for a long time.

Xiao Shihua played in the store for a while. The phoenix jade pendant in her hand seemed to have lost its magic. Her eyes began to wander around and she felt that everything had become boring.

An urge surged in her heart, wanting to escape from this small world and go outside to find new excitement and fun.

"Mom, I want to go to the street to play." Xiao Shihua ran to Zhou Xiaobai, blinking her curious eyes.

Zhou Xiaobai was feeding Xiao Haichen water. She looked up at Xiao Shihua with a trace of worry in her eyes. "There are too many people on the street. It's not safe."

"But I want to go and take a look. I haven't been here before." Little Shihua pouted, her eyes full of anticipation.

Zhou Xiaobai hesitated for a moment, and looking at Xiao Shihua's eager eyes, her heart softened. She thought about it, picked up Xiao Haichen, and took a deep breath. "Okay, I'll take you there, but you have to follow me closely and don't run around."

Xiao Shihua cheered, grabbed Zhou Xiaobai's hand and ran out. Then, Zhong Yuemin heard Zhou Xiaobai's voice. "Yuemin, I'll take them out for a walk."

"Okay, I'll come find you guys later."

Zhong Yuemin was sitting in Zheng Tiancheng's antique shop, which was filled with all kinds of antiques, from porcelain to calligraphy and painting, from jade to bronze.

The sunlight shines through the half-open windows, onto the objects that have been weathered by the years, as if giving them a layer of golden glow.

Zhong Yuemin took a sip of tea and looked at Zheng Tiancheng with a look of concern on his face. "Uncle Zheng, how is the business in the store now?"

Zheng Tiancheng smiled, and the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes showed the traces of time. "It's good. Although the competition is fierce, the items in my store are all genuine, and there are still many customers who know the goods."

Zheng Tiancheng paused and sighed again. "It's just that the price has increased a lot compared to the previous two years. It's getting harder and harder to get good things."

Zhong Yuemin nodded and said with deep feeling, "That's for sure. In troubled times, gold is valuable; in prosperous times, antiques are valuable. Now that everyone has money, they naturally want to collect some good things that can both preserve and increase their value."

Zheng Tiancheng nodded in agreement. "You are right. However, there are more people setting up stalls now. Look at the streets, there are so many stalls and all kinds of people. Some real things are mixed with fake ones, and ordinary people can't tell them apart."

Zhong Yuemin frowned after hearing this, thought for a moment, and then said, "Indeed, it is difficult to distinguish the authenticity of antiques on the market now. You need a pair of discerning eyes to distinguish. However, I believe in your vision, Uncle Zheng."

Zheng Tiancheng smiled proudly after hearing this. "Of course, I, Zheng Tiancheng, have been working in the antique business for decades, relying on my integrity and vision. Although the competition is fierce, as long as we stick to our principles, we will not be afraid of not having customers who know the value of our products."

Zheng Tiancheng seemed to have suddenly thought of something, his eyes flickered, as if hiding some secret. He looked around, and after confirming that there was no one around, he quietly approached Zhong Yuemin.

Zheng Tiancheng took a deep breath, as if he had made a great decision, and then whispered, "Yuemin, do you want something fresh from the soil? The price is very cheap."

Zhong Yuemin was shocked when he heard this, and immediately understood what Zheng Tiancheng meant. He stared at Zheng Tiancheng with wide eyes, and didn't say anything for a long time. Zhong Yuemin knew what Zheng Tiancheng meant by "something that just came out of the soil".

"Uncle Zheng, you should know that I am not short of money." Zhong Yuemin shook his head, his tone firm. "Besides, this kind of thing is too risky, so we try not to accept it in our store."

"Yuemin, don't underestimate this thing. It's just out of the soil, and it's a treasure." Zheng Tiancheng said as he carefully took out a tightly wrapped cloth bag from his arms, gently opened a corner, revealing a bronze object inside that seemed to be shining with a faint luster.

"Uncle Zheng, I came here today for another thing. This store will be yours from now on, and I will no longer be involved."

"Yuemin, does it have anything to do with me collecting these things? If I do, I won't collect them anymore."

"Uncle Zheng, this has nothing to do with it..."

Zheng Tiancheng showed a hint of disappointment when he heard this. "Okay, Yuemin, since you said so, I won't force it."