Huo Qiyuan shifted his body, blocking a large portion of Su Muqing’s frame. He extended a hand, hovering protectively in front of her, to prevent the boisterous crowd from jostling her.
“I’ve only seen it on television, this is my first time witnessing it in person. I never imagined the atmosphere would be this lively.”
With a portable air conditioner nearby, much of the stifling heat dissipated. Su Muqing closed her fan, gently tapping it against her palm. Dressed in men’s attire, her face was alight with undisguised excitement. One might think she was determined to win the hydrangea ball!
Huo Qiyuan tilted his head, gazing down at the person beside him who was unusually animated. His mind involuntarily conjured an image of what she might look like, a vision of unparalleled beauty, on her wedding day.
Although there was no television in her space, she had a mobile phone. Su Muqing had shown him those things called videos, so he had some understanding of what a TV drama meant.
As it neared five o’clock, Su Muqing’s nose twitched. She suddenly caught a familiar scent. It was remarkably similar to the smell of pan-fried potato cakes from outside her university campus in her previous life.
Su Muqing was quite hungry. The food at the restaurant at noon had been very mediocre, standard boiled vegetables that were bland and tasteless. Thus, she hadn’t eaten much.
After taking a nap, she had started wandering the streets. Unconsciously, she began to feel hungry. Upon smelling the familiar aroma, her hunger became even more pronounced.
It wasn’t until her stomach growled for the third time that Huo Qiyuan looked at her with a questioning gaze. At first, he thought he had misheard, as the crowd was too large, and the noise was quite deafening.
Only when he looked over did Su Muqing’s stomach emit another round of “gurgles.” Huo Qiyuan finally confirmed he hadn’t misheard; it was indeed her stomach making the noise.
“Are you hungry? I’ve heard your stomach growl several times!”
Seeing Leng Ren and the others all turn to look at her, Su Muqing couldn’t help but mentally chide Huo Qiyuan. I really thank you! You only needed to ask if I was hungry, there was absolutely no need to mention that my stomach had growled several times!
Su Muqing felt a bit embarrassed, her ears even turning red. After all, the image she had always maintained was very… well, the image of a strong, independent woman.
It was normal to be hungry, but for someone to hear it, and to have it be someone she liked! And for that liked person to announce it in front of so many people. She truly felt the urge to find a crack in the ground and disappear.
“Yes, a little! The food at noon wasn’t to my taste, and then I smelled a familiar aroma, like scallion and potato pancakes, and suddenly I felt very hungry.” Su Muqing said somewhat awkwardly. Seeing Huo Qiyuan and the others staring at her, she averted her gaze, stood on her tiptoes, and pretended to be searching for the source of the scent.
However, at just over 1.6 meters tall, she appeared particularly petite in the crowd. Moreover, Leng Ren and the others were standing separately around her and Huo Qiyuan. The key point was that these people were all still staring at her, so no matter which direction Su Muqing looked, she could see their eyes.
Adding to this, these people were all well over 1.8 meters tall. Thus, even when she stood on her tiptoes, she could only see their backs and the dense, layered crowd.
Watching Su Muqing like this, Huo Qiyuan found her exceptionally endearing. He raised his hand, covered his mouth, and chuckled softly. He then ruffled her hair. Before Su Muqing could get flustered, he gave Leng Ren a look.
Leng Ren had clearly heard their conversation. Standing in front of the large banyan tree, he looked at the sea of people ahead. With a light tap of his foot, he leaped up the banyan tree, soon emerging from the top of the trunk.
After observing the surroundings for a while, he finally located a vendor selling small pancakes. He surmised this must be the scallion and potato pancakes Su Muqing had mentioned.
Leng Ren then leaped from the banyan tree onto a rooftop and ran along the roof towards the vendor. Su Muqing had also seen Huo Qiyuan’s look. She had intended to say that if they didn’t buy it, she could eat something else first, as she had plenty of food in her space.
However, before she could speak, Leng Ren had already swiftly departed. The words of protest were stuck in her throat, and in the end, she could only let him go.
Fortunately, Leng Ren possessed some light footwork. Otherwise, in such a tightly packed crowd, it would have been a difficult task to successfully break through the encirclement.
Time quickly approached five in the afternoon. The head of the Chen family appeared precisely on the third floor of the Yingbin Restaurant. Upon seeing his appearance, the people waiting below erupted in another wave of excitement.
The head of the Chen family was also quite pleased to see the lively scene before him. However, as he carefully scanned the people below, the smile on his face quickly faded.
While many people had come for this marriage selection, filling the entire street, he observed that apart from the first two rows of elegantly dressed youths, everyone else was dressed exceptionally ordinarily, with some even in rags.
He, who had previously held a firm belief in a master’s guidance, now felt a flicker of unease. What if his daughter’s hydrangea ball was not caught by the fated person, but by one of those rough, country bumpkins below? How would the situation be resolved then?
Would they publicly break the engagement? But the words had already been spoken, and the platform was now set. If they were to go back on their word now, the Chen family would become a laughingstock.
With this thought, the head of the Chen family could only silently pray to all the deities in heaven and earth, hoping they would bless his daughter’s marriage selection. May his daughter find a good match while also protecting the Chen family’s prosperity and enduring glory.
A smile reappeared on his face. He raised his hand, signaling for everyone to quiet down. Soon, the people waiting below ceased their chatter, each of them intently watching the head of the Chen family, fearing they would miss a single detail he spoke.
“First, I thank everyone for coming. For this selection of a spouse for my youngest daughter, I was guided by a master. Any man between the ages of 15 and 35, who is unmarried or currently has no legal wife, provided they have upright character, are in good health, have no hidden ailments, and no bad habits, regardless of their family background or whether they hold official titles, can participate in this selection.”
“If the person who catches the hydrangea ball already has a wife, or does not meet other conditions, the marriage will be automatically void, and we will throw it again. Therefore, those who do not meet the requirements, please step aside voluntarily and do not obstruct others from catching the hydrangea ball. Additionally, to thank everyone for their support, we have dedicated personnel to distribute festive rice and lucky money to everyone. Though the items may not be much, let us all share in the joy. Thank you for your cooperation!”