Only after a long while did the child poke his little head out of his mother's arms, timidly reach out a small hand, and snatch the two crisp jujubes from Cui Jiuyang's palm.
Yet the moment those two jujubes were taken, two more remained in Cui Jiuyang's open palm.
Thinking his eyes were playing tricks on him, the child rubbed them. Cui Jiuyang bounced his palm slightly and gave him an encouraging smile, signaling for him to take the remaining two as well.
At this, the child plucked up his courage, reached out his little hand again, and took those two jujubes too.
Something magical happened. The child already held four jujubes in his little hands, yet when he looked at Cui Jiuyang's hand, there were still two brilliantly red jujubes in it.
The child scratched his little head, utterly unable to figure out what sort of trick this uncle was performing. His curiosity stirred, he kept reaching for more.
Yet after he took two, Cui Jiuyang still had two in his hand; he took another two, and there were still two left.
He kept taking them until the child had gathered a great bundle of crisp jujubes in the front of his little shirt, yet Cui Jiuyang's open palm always held two jujubes.
Their skins were deep red, their shapes plump and round, and they gleamed with an enticing sheen. One glance was enough to tell they were superior jujubes, both sweet and crisp.
By then, the passengers sitting nearby had also been drawn to Cui Jiuyang's marvelous trick. They craned their necks and widened their eyes, gathering around curiously to watch.
Seeing this, Cui Jiuyang laughed heartily, took a handful of jujubes from the child's gathered shirttail, and handed them out for those around him to taste.
He