Murphy's scandal, fueled by those with ulterior motives, grew larger and larger, but for Yang Yi, he still trusted his own eyes. Whether there was anything between Murphy and that Ju Jie could be seen from those "candid" photos.
Besides, Murphy had specifically explained it to him, so Yang Yi didn't take it to heart.
Instead, it was Murphy herself who was worried and uneasy. Yang Yi, with his easygoing nature, cheerfully took his daughter and went to the temple fair as originally planned!
In Tingshan District, besides many well-preserved ancient villages, there were also some interesting traditional customs, such as the mid-month temple fair. Yang Yi had heard from the neighbors around that this temple fair was very lively and on a large scale!
Whether it was elderly people who loved tradition, young folks who enjoyed excitement, or children with a sweet tooth, everyone could find their fun!
Having longed to go, Yang Yi had even asked about the date of this month's temple fair. Finally, that day arrived. In the evening, without even eating dinner, Yang Yi set off with Xixi!
"Daddy, I want to eat lots and lots of yummy things!" Xixi sat in the car, unable to contain her excitement, chattering away in her pleasant voice like a lark.
"How do you know there will be lots of yummy things? Daddy and you have never been there before," Yang Yi teased her. "What if there aren't any yummy things?"
Xixi covered her mouth with her little hands, her big eyes wide with surprise. The innocent little one actually believed him and asked nervously, "Ah! What do we do then? Is Xixi going to go hungry?"
Xixi was already adorable, but now that she was serious, she was even cuter!
"Haha, haha!" Yang Yi couldn't help but laugh heartily at his daughter. For safety, he gently pressed the clutch to slow down the car.
"Mmm, Xixi wants to eat yummy things!" The little girl protested, raising her voice.
Only then did Yang Yi laugh and say, "Alright, there will be lots of yummy things, Daddy promises! No way will Xixi go hungry!"
...
The temple fair wasn't held near the university town but on Chenghuang Temple Street at the foot of North Tingshan Mountain. Before they even arrived, Yang Yi could feel the bustle—his car couldn't drive in, so he had to find a paid parking lot far away and park there.
In the afterglow of the setting sun, Yang Yi held Xixi's little hand and walked over. Because of a slight slope, from a distance they could see a wide but already crowded long street, lined with shops on both sides, but more so with vendors setting up stalls on the spacious street, and many itinerant hawkers pushing carts and hawking their wares.
As they got closer, they could truly feel the liveliness. Above their heads hung high signs and fluttering banners; around them, the crowd surged and jostled shoulder to shoulder; in their ears, the sounds of hawking, greeting, and laughing were even noisier than a vegetable market!
"So many people!" Xixi was a bit nervous. It was clearly her first time in such a chaotic environment. From her small perspective, all she could see were various legs. She couldn't help but look up, only to see unfamiliar and scary adults. She felt as if she would be knocked over by the surging crowd and clung tightly to her father's hand in fear.
Suddenly, she felt a lift under her armpits, and then she seemed to soar through the clouds, spinning around to sit on her father's shoulders.
"Oh!" Xixi quickly hugged her father's head tightly, afraid of falling off.
This wasn't her first time doing this, but every time she first sat up there, Xixi would panic—the slight dizziness was terrifying!
"You're covering Daddy's eyes," Yang Yi said helplessly with a laugh. He reached up and pulled at Xixi's clothes. Today, Xixi was wearing denim shorts with a short-sleeved T-shirt and a little vest, giving her a fresh and delicate look. Of course, sitting on her father's shoulders also made it less likely for her to be exposed.
Once she got used to the height, Xixi became lively. Not only could she sit high and see far with a broad view, but more importantly, on her father's shoulders, holding his head, she didn't have to worry about being knocked over. The little one's sense of security soared.
"So fragrant!" Xixi happily looked around and kept calling out to her father, "Daddy, look, there are so many yummy things... Daddy, look, what's this?"
Yang Yi was very patient. Although sometimes his interest in a calligraphy stall was interrupted by his daughter, he still followed her directions without getting annoyed.
"This is sugar painting. The craftsman is quite skilled!" Yang Yi also got interested. He hadn't expected this old trade to still exist in this world. Perhaps even if history diverged, some livelihoods born from material needs would still appear.
"Heh, this young man has a good eye!" The old man, busy with a steady stream of customers, paused to look up at Yang Yi and Xixi, smiling. "My sugar painting skills were learned in Sichuan Province—birds, beasts, trees, flowers, fruits—if you can name it, I can paint it!"
"So pretty, Xixi wants one too!" The little girl watched as the old man stuck a finished sugar painting onto a bamboo stick, gently lifted it, and handed it to a nearby young man. She said enviously.
"Then please, boss, paint a dragon for my daughter," Yang Yi said with a slight smile. "She's born in the Year of the Dragon."
"Make it a cute little dragon!" Xixi added.
The little one was referring to the cartoon dragons her father used to draw for her, the chibi versions. She liked those little dragons—they were cute, much nicer than the fierce, clawing big dragons.
Yang Yi smiled and put Xixi down, telling the old man, "She wants a dragon that's not as fierce as the ones in New Year paintings—shorter body, bigger head, and looks cute."
Too bad he didn't have a pen; otherwise, he could have drawn it for reference.
"No problem, Grandpa will paint one for you. See if it works, okay?" The old man said to Xixi with a kind smile.
Xixi shyly nodded.
The old man started boiling the sugar. As he boiled it, he chatted and explained, "Sugar painting—the real skill isn't just in the painting; boiling the sugar is also important. If the sugar is too thick or too thin, you can't paint a good sugar figure!"
Having been a craftsman for most of his life, the old man was confident in his skills. After boiling the sugar, he calmed down, scooped up the syrup with a ladle, and used the ladle as a brush to paint on the copper plate.
Not inferior to a calligrapher writing large characters, the old man moved his wrist and the ladle, sometimes lifting, sometimes flicking, sometimes pausing, sometimes pressing deeply, and the outline of a little dragon began to take shape.
Xixi stood on tiptoe, watching curiously. She didn't dare to breathe heavily, her devout expression as if she were watching a delicate piece of art, afraid that a single breath would shatter it.
Finally, the old man finished. It was indeed a dragon in the traditional shape, but with a bigger head and shorter feet, giving it a unique, comical charm!
But it had to be said, the old man's skill was excellent. The dragon's scales were clear, and the whiskers at the corners of its mouth were all detailed. When he gently lifted it, those fine whiskers still firmly adhered to the dragon's body.
"Little one, do you think Grandpa's painting is pretty?" The old man stuck the sugar figure onto a bamboo stick, shook it in front of Xixi, and asked with a smile.
"Pretty!" Xixi was mesmerized. She hugged her father's leg and said obediently.
"Do you want it?" The old man asked with a laugh.
Xixi looked at her father shyly, but the longing in her eyes was unmistakable.
Yang Yi smiled and took out his money. Of course he wanted it!
He even gave an extra hundred yuan as a token of respect and support for the craftsman's dedication to preserving his craft.
But this little sugar "dragon," Xixi held in her hand all evening and couldn't bear to eat it!