Chapter 225: Joyful Event
The next day, as dawn was just breaking, the streets of Xianling City were still shrouded in a thin morning mist, yet several young people were already unable to stay still.
"The assessment is still three days away, we can't just stay in the inn the whole time, can we?" the round-faced youth said enthusiastically as he stretched.
"Exactly! I heard there are morning markets all around Xianling City, selling all sorts of delicious things, let's go check them out!" the long-blade youth also became energetic.
Ye Fan smiled and did not object. Although he was usually calm, he still had the heart of a youth, full of curiosity about this prosperous city.
And then soon...
"This smells so good!"
The round-faced youth held a freshly fried sugar-oil fruit in his left hand and half a sesame flatbread in his right, his cheeks bulging as he exclaimed incoherently.
The long-blade youth had no time to pay attention to him, busy tackling a bowl of scalding hot tofu pudding, with fresh and fragrant broth floating with green chopped scallions. He scooped a large spoonful into his mouth, hissing from the heat but unwilling to spit it out.
Ye Fan walked at the back, holding a pack of freshly baked osmanthus sugar cakes, with a clear, sweet aroma rising with the steam. He took a bite, the soft, glutinous rice cake melting on his tongue as the fragrance of osmanthus instantly filled his mouth.
The morning market was even livelier than they had imagined.
Simple stalls lined both sides of the street, steamers emitting white mist, and oil in the frying pans sizzling. Cries of vendors rose and fell—
"Freshly cooked meat buns! Three wen coins each!"
"Spirit Rice Porridge! Drink a bowl and feel energetic all day!"
"Sugar Paintings! Freshly made and drawn!"
The several young people walked and ate, their eyes unable to take in everything. The round-faced youth suddenly grabbed Ye Fan's sleeve:
"Brother Ye, look quickly! That sugar figure that turns by itself!"
They saw a white-haired old man sitting on a small stool, holding a wooden stick with a sugar figure attached that was slowly rotating, gleaming with an amber luster in the morning light. Even more amazing was that the sugar figure was in the shape of a young cultivator flying on a sword.
"This is made from boiled spirit honey," the old man explained with a smile, "it can rotate all day under the sun."
They continued strolling forward, passing a stall selling spirit fruits. The verdant, tempting fruits were neatly arranged in bamboo baskets, each emitting a faint spiritual glow. The stall owner was an auntie with a headscarf, skillfully packing bags for customers.
"Would you young cultivators like to try some?" she greeted warmly,
"These are Vermilion Fruits, picked from the spirit fields this morning, they're very sweet!"
The long-blade youth curiously picked one up, and his eyes lit up the moment he took a bite. The flesh was crisp and juicy, sweet with a hint of just-right tartness. Even more wonderfully, after swallowing, a coolness rose in his throat, dispelling even the early morning drowsiness.
The group ate and strolled all the way, passing through several lively streets and alleys, and unconsciously arrived at Ping'an Block in the west of the city.
However, the moment they stepped into the block, they were stunned.
They saw people everywhere in the neighborhood hanging red lanterns and pasting the character for "double happiness." Several children were running around laughing, holding candies in their hands, while the adults bustled about, their faces all beaming with joyous smiles.
Strangely, these people were almost all mortals, with hardly any cultivators in sight.
"What... is there a joyous occasion?" the round-faced youth couldn't help but ask a middle-aged man who was pasting the "囍" character on a door.
The man did not turn back, his hands not stopping as he said with a chuckle, "Yes! There is a wedding in Ping'an Block today. The bride and groom are a couple we in the neighborhood have watched grow up together!"
The several young people looked at each other, all a bit curious.
Seeing their interest, the man wiped his hands and turned around, his face holding a touch of emotion: "Speaking of which, this is a long story..."
"The groom's surname is Chen, he's the fortune-teller of our Ping'an Block. The bride is called Ah Li, a vendor at the general store."
"The two were neighbors very early on, moving here when Immortal Spirit City was still a small town. They've watched this city grow prosperous bit by bit."
"Although Mr. Chen is a fortune-teller, he is an upright man who never cheats or deceives, so the neighbors all trust him. As for Miss Ah Li, she is diligent and capable, single-handedly managing the general store's business."
"The two developed feelings for each other over time, and the neighbors all saw it. They all thought they would get married sooner or later, but unexpectedly..."
At this point, the man sighed.
"Ten years ago, Mr. Chen's family suddenly had a mishap, and he had to leave Immortal Spirit City to handle family matters far away. Before leaving, he told Miss Ah Li not to wait for him, but Miss Ah Li just smiled and said, 'I'll wait for you to come back.'"
"And so she waited, for ten years."
The several young people listened intently, and the round-faced youth couldn't help but ask, "Then... has Mr. Chen returned now?"
"He's back!" The man's face showed a smile again. "He just returned some days ago, and the first thing he did was go find Miss Ah Li. Guess what? Miss Ah Li didn't marry for these ten years, staying at the general store the whole time, waiting for him to come back."
"Now everything is good. Mr. Chen has not only returned but also saved some money and bought a small courtyard in Ping'an Block. The two are finally getting married!"
With that, he took out a few red envelopes from his pocket and stuffed them into the young people's hands: "Here, here, share in the joy!"
The young people felt a bit embarrassed, but seeing the neighbors' overflowing enthusiasm, they couldn't refuse and had to accept them.
Ye Fan held the red envelope, his heart slightly touched.
Ten years of waiting, finally becoming a couple...
Such a story, in this prosperous city of cultivators, might be just a trivial matter, but to the neighbors of Ping'an Block, it was a major joyous event worth celebrating.
He looked up at the street full of red lanterns, then at the smiling mortals, and suddenly felt that the charm of this city perhaps lay not only in its prosperity and opportunities, but more so in these ordinary yet heartwarming scenes of human life.
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