Lin Xuan stopped before a stall selling hairpins and picked up an exquisitely carved peachwood hairpin.
Though the hairpin was not valuable, it possessed a certain wild, rustic spirit.
Huang Rong stood beside him, her delicate hands unconsciously twisting the corner of her clothes. Watching the bustling market and listening to the peddlers' cries, she felt, in a daze, as though she had truly returned to more than a decade ago.
Back then, she had still been a young maiden, lively and mischievous, always causing trouble.
"Silly Rong'er, what are you thinking about?"
Seeing her lost in thought, Lin Xuan smiled and directly slid the hairpin into her hair. His fingers lightly stroked the top of her head twice, his gaze unbelievably gentle.
"You're the silly one."
Huang Rong pursed her lips and smiled. With that smile, even a hundred flowers paled in comparison. Several passing merchants by the roadside stared dumbly, nearly dropping the teacups in their hands.
At that moment, Huang Rong possessed both a young girl's charming playfulness and a mature woman's elegance. Those two seemingly contradictory temperaments blended harmoniously within her.
She reached out and pinched the soft flesh at Lin Xuan's waist, humming softly. "Why didn't I ever see you give me these little trinkets in Xiangyang?"
"In Xiangyang, everything was business. Out here, you're only my woman."
Lin Xuan casually wrapped an arm around her shoulders and strode down the street. "Come on. I saw that shop ahead has some good Osmanthus Cake. I'll buy you some to try."
The two wandered through the town, stopping now and then. Lin Xuan would buy her a novel little pendant one moment, then take her to sample local snacks the next. Huang Rong was like a spoiled child, pointing here and there, the smile never leaving