Rebellious officials bow their heads

The fine grass and petals are blown by the breeze, flying in the sun. The emerald lake is like a side of jasper, inhabited by a group of leisurely ducks, and the rippling lake reflects the shadows of people.

There is a flat and long drum in the open space, and several young girls dance on the drum made of buffalo leather. The sound of the drum is like mountains and flowing water, and it is like wind and thunder.There was also a group of girls who gathered together and held colored threads to compare skillfully with needles. Five or six shirtless men by the lake embankment shouted slogans together, with hemp ropes wrapped around their arms, and pulled the wooden frame vigorously to build a high platform.

Xu Yan found an open space on the side of the street, unloaded the horse's goods, spread a blanket woven with brocade on the wooden case, and unfolded oiled paper umbrellas.

Ye Liuzhou sat on the box and took out the food Mrs. Xu made for him. Inside was a box of peach blossom crisps, which were delicate in appearance and had a sweet smell.

While watching the passers-by, he picked up a piece of peach blossom cakes, but before he could eat a piece, Ah Zhong ran over and called him, "Brother Ye, come quickly! The dragon lantern show is about to begin!"

Ye Liuzhou took down the box, and followed him in the crowded crowd. A group of people flew up and down happily holding a long dragon lantern. The fast movements of the dragon seemed to travel all over the world. Applause.

The two of them wandered around, and after a few hours passed, when Ah Zhong was going to go boating on the lake, Ye Liuzhou returned to Xu Yan's stall, and those paper umbrellas had already been sold.

There was a layer of sweat on his forehead, his throat was smoking with thirst, he took out a water bottle and took a few sips of water, sat on the box, and said: "Ah Zhong is running around so fast, it's really hard to keep up, Children of this age seem to have endless energy.”

Xu Yandao: "He has been looking forward to today's Qiqiao Festival for a long time, so naturally he enjoys it so much that he doesn't think about it."

Ye Liuzhou nodded, turned around and opened the box that he had put down earlier. He wanted to eat a few pieces of peach blossom crisps, but when he reached out to touch it, he found it was empty. .

He said, "Xu Yan, have you ever left here?"

Xu Yan focused on adjusting the frame of the paper umbrella, without raising his head, he said, "No."

"Why is there no piece of peach blossom cake?" Ye Liuzhou put the empty box in front of him, "Can someone still steal things under your nose?"

Xu Yan lowered his eyes motionlessly, with obsidian-like pupils under his thick eyelashes, and his knuckle fingers were holding a few umbrella ribs, making rattling noises as they adjusted.

"Could it be that Zhou Yuan ate it? Didn't he wander around by himself as soon as he came here?" Ye Liuzhou was so hungry that he paused thinking about the scraps in the box. He narrowed his eyes slightly and sat cross-legged. Xu Yan moved closer and sniffed the other person's scent, "Xu Yan, you didn't eat it, did you?"

What he couldn't see was the uncomfortable look on Xu Yan's face.

Ye Liuzhou didn't hear the other party's answer, so he was more sure of his thoughts. He raised an eyebrow and said, "No way, Xu Yan, that peach blossom crisp is so sweet, do you like sweet things?"

"Enough." Xu Yan pushed his face away, "So what if it's me?"

Ye Liuzhou said: "Madam Xu made it for me, but you ate all of it, why don't you leave a piece for me?"

"It's just a few pieces of peach blossom cakes." Although Xu Yan's voice was flat, his face was still somewhat uncomfortable, and he raised a hand to cover his face, "There is a seller of Qiqiao fruit in front, You go and buy some food."

Ye Liuzhou was greatly surprised, and said with a smile, "Did you pay me?"

"Don't think too much." Xu Yan said, "My mother likes to eat Qiqiao fruit, and I wanted to bring it to her."

"Understood." Ye Liuzhou followed him to the front street, listening to the voice, five or six young women were making fried fruits, and they should have come out to set up a stall on the Qiqiao Festival.

Seeing Xu Yan approaching, the girls all laughed and chattered.

Xu Yan threw a few copper coins into the money box, "I want two begging fruit."

Ye Liuzhou heard a particularly crisp female voice saying, "Xu Yan, when did you come back?"

As soon as she spoke, the girls in the circle also let go and said, "It's been more than a year since Mr. Xu returned to town last time?"

"I heard that you have done a big business in Yanjing, and you are too busy to take time off. Is it true?"

"Don't be a girl from a rich family in Yanjing?"

The girls asked one after another, and the crisp female voice said again: "I won't leave again this time, will I?"

These words made the stall quiet for a moment, and then Xu Yan's deep voice sounded: "I can't tell."

He only answered this sentence, and the girls winked and pushed the woman with bright eyes and white teeth in the middle, and the woman handed Xu Yan the begging fruit in a paper bag.

After he took it, he walked back and forth with Ye Liuzhou.

Ye Liuzhou held a bag of fruit and asked, "Who is that girl? Do you know you?"

"Her surname is Liu, the elders of the family and my mother once wanted to be a matchmaker..." Xu Yan saw Zhou Yuan saying goodbye to a beautiful woman in crimson clothes not far away. He didn't know what he said. The woman covered her lips and smiled, and the two After they parted, Zhou Yuan walked over quickly and said, "What to eat? Give me one."

Ye Liuzhou said: "It's sweets."

Zhou Yuan took one and stuffed it in his mouth, and said: "Dissolve white sugar into syrup, add sesame seeds and flour, stir evenly, roll it out thinly and let it cool, then cut it into pieces with a knife, fold it into delicate embryos, fry them in a pan until golden. But...well, the pattern of this fruit is pretty good."

He reached for the paper bag in Ye Liuzhou's arms, and said, "You just had your eyes treated, so you can't eat this kind of thing, let me help you eat it?"

Ye Liuzhou had never heard of such a perfunctory reason, and he did not let go of the paper bag, "Stop talking nonsense!"

The two were struggling with the paper bag, and one hand stretched out to lift the paper bag easily. Xu Yan ate a Qiqiao fruit, facing the eyes of the two, he said flatly: "The taste is not bad."

Zhou Yuan said angrily: "Xu Yan, you already have a copy, and you still robbed me!"

"That share is for my mother."

Ye Liuzhou rushed over and said, "You've eaten peach blossom cakes, and you still want to grab Qiaoguozi? Give it back to me!"

Xu Yan was knocked back a step by him, held up the paper bag high, and was about to speak with a hint of a smile, when he suddenly heard a commotion and confusion not far away.

I saw that the elevated frame with a series of lanterns was pulled by the hemp ropes on both sides, and it was collapsing with a bang, bringing up flying dust. Several children, one of them is Ah Zhong.

The expressions of the three of them changed at the same time, and the slight curvature at the corner of Xu Yan's mouth became extremely cold.

The crowd either exclaimed on the shore, or reacted and rowed into the lake—but it was too late.