I aimlessly looked at the stalls in front of me.
Hair ties, hair clips, plush keychains—these were all colorful little accessories.
Standing in front of the stall selecting ornaments were basically young little girls. It seemed I was the only boy here.
Beside me was the plastic pole the stall owner had set up to support the sunshade cloth. It was quite sturdy. I lightly leaned my shoulder against it and idly tore at the glutinous rice paper of the candied hawthorns.
The classmates who had come with me to stroll the ceremony had all gone to the food street not far away to buy candied hawthorns.
Speaking of which, the reason they wanted to buy candied hawthorns was still because they saw me standing there for a long time without moving, so they wanted to come over and join the fun, also buying a stick to try something new.
Heh… speaking of which, why did I want to buy something like candied hawthorns that looks good but doesn’t taste good?
Unconsciously rotating the bamboo skewer in my hand, I reflected on the psychological motive for buying the candied hawthorns just now, yet what floated up in my mind was this kind of scene…
At the end of the corridor lined with red wall tiles, the black-haired catgirl with hair like a waterfall rested her arms on the corridor railing. The cat ears on her head were slightly folded back by the wind.
Her eyes stared straight at the auntie selling candied hawthorns at the school gate—that kind of expectant gaze was exactly like the three-year-old little sister from a relative’s family seeing an ice cream truck, excitedly grabbing the corner of my clothes and shouting that she wanted to eat.
Somehow, I just wanted to bring Zhi Nian a stick of candied hawthorns.
But today I clearly had no chance at all to go find Zhi Nian. No free time. The time had already been booked by classmates and Shiratori.
Yet I still inexplicably bought a stick, brought it ahead of time to this place, cooling off while spacing out. The other classmates were still discussing whether buying a few more sticks of candied hawthorns could get the stall owner to give a discount.
This accessories stall was backed against a large plane tree with lush branches and leaves.
The summer sunlight leaked down through the gaps in the plane tree leaves, shattering into a ground of light spots by my feet.
Thinking this way, I bit into a hawthorn. The sour taste rushed up all at once, and my brows couldn’t help but furrow.
Not delicious. Or perhaps I truly couldn’t handle this kind of flavor.
Forced to taste the flavor of the hawthorn, I pondered whether if Zhi Nian ate the candied hawthorns, she would like them or not.
While I was immersed in analysis, a voice suddenly rang by my ear.
“Ya, young man, want to pick some accessories? I see your girlfriend has been standing there for a long time. Pick a nice-looking hair clip for her?”
Girlfriend? Who?
The little girls who had been in front of the stall earlier had all selected their preferred accessories and left. The stall owner called out toward me who was staying under the sunshade.
The accessories stall owner’s words made me suddenly freeze, and I hurriedly turned my head to look around.
I did not see the pitch-black figure I was thinking of. Only Shiratori with a smile on her face was cooling off behind me. She was holding that box of takoyaki bought earlier at the food street, with several still remaining inside.
“Hello Gu Fan, strolling here? Everyone and I have been looking for you for a long time.”
Shiratori said this, familiarly using a toothpick to pick up a ball from the box.
“Here, help me deal with some? I’ve eaten a bit too full.”
Shiratori leaned very close, close enough that I could smell that cloying perfume scent.
“Eat it yourself.”
I shook my head wanting to politely refuse.
But Shiratori somehow glanced behind me, then suddenly stood on tiptoe and pressed the little ball on the toothpick in front of me.
“Help me out. Just treat it as me owing you a favor. The teacher taught us not to waste food. If Gu Fan doesn’t eat it, then I’ll become a bad child, okay?”
Shiratori’s tone was light and floating, carrying a sticky force that made it impossible to truly refuse. Plus her very deceptive face and smile, most people would choose to silently accept this ambiguous behavior that crossed the boundary line.
I had known her for a period of time as well. I knew that if I kept not responding, she could keep dragging it out like this until I loosened my mouth.
“Fine.”
I did not directly let Shiratori feed it to me, but silently took the toothpick from her hand and stuffed it into my mouth in one bite.
Shiratori’s expression suddenly darkened, but quickly adjusted back. The speed of the change was so fast I thought my eyes had blurred and I had seen wrong.
“Then I’ll trouble the great, kind, and attentive Gu Fan classmate who takes care of girls~”
The young girl said with a light and cheerful tone, stuffing that box of little balls into my hands.
Her fingertip brushed past the back of my hand, the lingering time a tiny bit longer than ‘accidental.’
Then she turned her head and walked toward the stall, slightly bending down and beginning to thoughtfully examine the accessories on the stall.
The classmates who had finished buying candied hawthorns not far away also entered the commercial street and were idly strolling nearby.
Fang Cheng had somehow already run over to the balloon-shooting side. Even across several stalls one could hear his noisy voice.
“Boss, is the sight on this gun crooked? Again again, this time I’ll definitely hit a big plush!”
The stall owner enthusiastically recommended accessories to Shiratori. Mixed together with Fang Cheng’s voice was Shiratori’s energetic tone by my side.
“Mm… which one is better to choose? I’ve been lacking something to tie my hair with recently. Gu Fan, do you have any colors and styles you like?”
I turned my head and met Shiratori’s slightly narrowed smiling eyes.
The stall owner’s gaze shifted back and forth between me and her, a smile also hanging on her face, the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes like chrysanthemums.
“That’s right that’s right. Girls dressing up nicely is just wanting their boyfriend to appreciate it. Young man, hurry and take a look.”
“…Let me take a look.”
This kind of arbitrarily matching behavior made me feel very resistant.
For the first time in a long while, a trace of irritability surged up from the bottom of my heart. I felt very resistant toward the stall owner’s arbitrarily matching behavior like this.
But hindered by this being a public place, plus the teaching my mother had given me since childhood was that during social interactions, no matter what one was thinking or what the emotions were like, they all had to stay in the heart and not be easily revealed.
Moreover, with this chance-met mobile stall owner, there was also no meaning in arguing with her. Better to go with the flow and make do with accepting this form of address.
I refocused my attention on the stall in front of me. The warm yellow light bulbs hanging from the top of the shed illuminated these cheap plastic pieces with a bit of warm luster, making them not look so tacky after all.
I casually scanned a circle and selected a deep blue hair clip in the corner.
It was not any special style, just that ordinary straight clip, but inlaid with a small porcelain-white plastic flower as decoration. The overall look was average.
“This one then.”
“Alright alright, then I’ll first put it into a bag.”
The stall owner smiled until her eyes narrowed into slits and took out a small gift box prepared in advance, placing that deep blue straight hair clip inside.
Shiratori standing by my side made a small sound. I turned my head to look. She opened her mouth as if wanting to say something, but in the end did not speak, only nodded with a smile and said:
“Gu Fan’s eye is really good. I like this blue hair clip a lot. Thanks.”
“No problem.”
I said lightly, my gaze not continuing to rest on Shiratori, but returning to the stall. I raised my hand and pointed at a hairpin right in the middle of the stall.
It was made of wood, deep brown, very thin and long, with a small string of light pink tassels hanging from the tip.
A few nameless flowers were carved on the body of the pin. The lines were not refined, but there was a kind of clumsy care from a handicraftsman.
Of course, one could not rule out that it was an inferior product of industrial production. After all this was just an ordinary small stall.
I recalled a previous time when Zhi Nian had forgotten to bring a hair tie and used a ballpoint pen to pin up her hair.
That day was spring, yet the temperature was especially scorching hot. The air conditioning in the classroom had not yet been turned on.
Gu Fan and Zhi Nian took advantage of the class not being important and sneaked away to sit and cool off in the pavilion of the geography garden.
The long-haired catgirl obediently nestled by my side, quietly rolled her hair a few times, then handed a ballpoint pen to me, letting me help fix the ends of her hair.
I still remembered that the wind brushing past the pavilion that day was very cool. A few strands of loose hair by Zhi Nian’s cheeks fell down and stuck to her neck. She slightly furrowed her brows, the tail behind her restlessly swinging back and forth, occasionally unintentionally brushing past my arm.
That always expressionlessly indifferent little black cat—if she received this kind of gift, would she blush? Or would she pretend not to be interested and put it away, then secretly appreciate it when she got home? Heh heh.
Unconsciously, I entered a realm of fantasy.
If Zhi Nian used this wooden hairpin to pin up her hair, then put on a set of gorgeous hanfu…
In the depths of my mind I began to sketch the appearance of an ancient-style catgirl on my own, from the embroidered shoes on her feet, to the light gauze covering her legs, the upper-body apron and pale red shawl.
Just as I was about to depict the refined, painting-like face of the catgirl maiden, a clear female voice abruptly barged in.
“Hairpin? Does Gu Fan think my hairstyle suits a hairpin? I’ve also wanted to try it, just that my hair is kept relatively short. Hairpins still suit those black-long-straight aloof girls more.”
Shiratori tilted her head and leaned over. The fine shoulder-length short hair by her ear brushed past my fingers.
I was startled into a tremble of my fingers.
“No, just casually looking.”
After speaking, I thought for a few seconds and supplemented in explanation.
“A gift to bring along for the little sister next door.”
“Ha, casually looking yet picking for so long. Looks like Gu Fan is only skilled at picking suitable styles for short-haired girls like me? What does that little sister’s face shape and hairstyle look like? Let me give some suggestions.”
“No need to trouble. Just this one. She should like it.”
I shook my head, refusing Shiratori’s enthusiastic self-recommendation.
After taking out my phone to scan the code and finish paying, I picked a more refined small gift box and personally placed the wooden hairpin inside and closed it.
“Eh…?”
Shiratori’s expression was a bit surprised. Her lips opened as if wanting to say something, yet were interrupted by a shout ringing out not far away.
“Hey! Gu Fan! Come help me shoot two shots! This broken gun’s sight is ridiculously crooked!”
Fang Cheng’s voice crashed over through the crowd, eight degrees higher than usual, carrying a deliberately lively energy.
I looked over. Fang Cheng held that toy gun in one hand and vigorously waved the other hand toward this side. A smile hung on his face, but it did not look like the smile of missing shots, more like watching the show.
“Coming.”
I responded from afar, handing the blue hair clip packaged by the stall owner to Shiratori.
“I paid for the hair clip together as well. Shiratori, try it first. I’ll go check the situation at Fang Cheng’s place first.”
Without giving Shiratori a chance to continue speaking, I tucked the gift box into my pocket and walked quickly toward the balloon-shooting stall to the side.
Quite a few mutually acquainted classmates had gathered in front of the stall. I nodded and greeted them. The crowd made way for me.
“Gu Fan want to try? Maybe you can hit the luxury plush grand prize in one shot.”
A classmate said in a teasing tone.
I returned a smile.
“No no. My accuracy is truly no good. Even shooting a three-pointer I always clang it. Better not make a fool of myself.”
Fang Cheng in the inner circle of the crowd had just finished shooting the bullets. He put down the air gun with an angry face. From the looks of it he had gained nothing at all, not even a small prize.
“Damn it, why is my luck so bad today? Three consecutive rounds and didn’t hit anything. Is this gun really problematic?”
Fang Cheng complained with his mouth, but the expression on his face did not show much fluctuation. He yielded the position and walked over toward me who was standing on the outer edge watching.
I jerked my chin toward the balloon stall. Fang Cheng’s face stiffened.
“Yo, Classmate Xiao Gu, you busy?”
“Far worse compared to you.”
“Damn, just bad luck today, not a problem with my marksmanship.”
“Got your meaning.”
I perfunctorily responded and handed over that box of unfinished takoyaki in my hand.
“For you to calm your nerves, ease the depressed mood of three rounds without hitting a single shot.”
“Screw you.”
Fang Cheng laughed and punched my shoulder once, but still took the box and chewed in big mouthfuls.
“How was it? The feeling of being personally fed by the social butterfly beauty?”
Fang Cheng with food in his mouth asked indistinctly.
“If you’re interested, later I’ll leave it to you to handle.”
Fang Cheng shrugged his shoulders.
“Nah, joking big bro. I can’t handle this kind of girl.”
“Want to eat the candied hawthorns? This one also leave to you to deal with.”
After all this fuss, I already had no appetite left. I simply tossed the stick of candied hawthorns bought earlier to Fang Cheng to deal with.
Using the excuse of going to the toilet, I quickly left this commercial street, planning to find an open and sparsely populated place to get some air and relax my mood.
Passing through the most densely crowded central stage, I turned into a relatively quiet small path.
The lanterns and colored ribbons hanging on the trees were still there, but the stalls had become fewer, and the crowd was sparse.
By the roadside a few children were setting up stalls, selling some bubble-blowing toys and fluorescent sticks and such small items.
Walking further ahead there were only one small shed after another set up, with no one inside. Perhaps it had not yet reached the liveliest nighttime period. The owners of these sheds had not yet started business. Only some barbecue facilities and inflatable plastic pools for scooping goldfish were placed there.
No need to deal with social interactions, purely just walking. The feeling of gradually emptying the thoughts was still very nice.
Thinking this way, I walked without purpose on this small path. I did not know how much time had passed when a large tent appeared at the end of the small path.
Different from those colorful sheds around, this tent was deep purple, with a circle of dark golden tassels hanging from the edges. On the tent cloth were dotted some glittering patterns.
At the entrance hung a cloth curtain with two characters written in brush—Divination.
Whoa, didn’t expect that in such a small town celebration there would actually be something novel like ‘divination’?
I thought with some surprise, but had no intention of going in to investigate. I was not interested in joining the fun.
Although a few days earlier during Qingming, in the bamboo grove of my hometown, that old grandma had read my fortune, I did not believe that at this kind of small stall one could still encounter such miraculous things.
Just as I was about to turn back and leave this place, the cloth curtain of the tent suddenly lifted.