The shops on Cultural Street are side by side, selling all sorts of things, and there are also many performances.
The majority of the items are from Dunhuang itself.
Camels carved from poplar wood, handcrafted copper kettles, and silk scarves printed with flying apsaras patterns—you'll encounter one every few steps.
Squeezed among these local shops were also some items from other places. There was a stall selling Shu embroidery with several handkerchiefs embroidered with pandas hanging on the wall, and another stall selling Longquan celadon, where the owner, speaking with a southern accent, was telling people how wonderful the glaze of this plum vase was.
It truly lives up to its name as a cultural street.
Qiguan Yuan and Pei Yubai walked slowly hand in hand.
The two walked slowly. Pei Yubai would step aside to block out crowds when they encountered them, while Qiguan Yuan didn't care about the number of people and just looked around casually.
Some tourists recognized them and took photos of them from a distance with their phones. They allowed the photos to be taken without hiding or making any special effort to cooperate.
Their hands were naturally clasped together. Occasionally, when Qiguan Yuan stopped to look at something interesting, Pei Yubai would stand beside him and wait.
Lu Zhao followed half a step behind the two, keeping his eyes down the entire time.
He has done a very good job of mental preparation.
From the very beginning: How could Senior Qiguan possibly take a liking to a mortal?
Later on: Brother Pei really does have some skills.
And now it's like this. "Brother Pei! Keep Senior Qiguan firmly tied to you, so that I won't have to worry about Senior Qiguan's attitude when I ask Brother Pei for help to untie the red thread in the future."
His gaze occasionally drifted to their clasped hands, then he expressionlessly looked away to examine the camel plush toys sold in the nearby shop.
The Taro Balls in the live stream are different.
The camera followed the two people from a distance. In the scene, Qiguan Yuan and Pei Yubai walked side by side on the bluestone road, their fingers intertwined, occasionally turning their heads to say a word.
There was no deliberate attempt to promote the business, no deliberate interaction; it was simply the most natural state of two people strolling around town.
The comments section was flooded with memes of adoring smiles; it was even sweeter than watching an idol drama.
Some say that the way they hold hands has become muscle memory, while others are counting how many times Pei Yubai turned around to look at Qiguan Yuan along the way. Anyway, they don't find it boring.
As it got dark, the streets became more crowded.
It's too hot during the day, so both locals and tourists prefer to wait until sunset before going out.
One by one, the lanterns in front of the shops lit up, and a stall selling kebabs set up on the street corner, the aroma of cumin and chili powder wafting along half the street on the wind.
A voice in the middle of the street was shouting particularly loudly.
It was a boy's voice, hoarse with the huskiness typical of puberty. His throat was already a bit hoarse from shouting, but the volume hadn't decreased at all. "Shadow puppetry! Free shadow puppetry! Starting soon! Those with money, please donate; those without, please show your support!"
Upon hearing the shout, Qiguan Yuan turned and walked in that direction.
Pei Yubai followed him astray, Lu Zhao followed suit.
He just wanted to cling to Senior Qiguan and Brother Pei.
He wanted to protect their love.
A makeshift shadow puppet stage was set up on a small open space by the street.
It was called a stage, but it was actually just a long table covered with a white cloth. Behind the cloth, two lamps were lit, and the light shone through the cloth, casting a warm, yellow glow.
A dozen or so folding stools were placed in front of the long table, where several children and elderly people with children were already seated.
An old man held up a whiteboard that read, "The Yue Lao brings together lovers."
Lu Zhao's eyebrows twitched slightly when he saw those four words.
Qiguan Yuan saw it too, but he didn't say anything and sat down on the last row of folding benches.
Pei Yubai sat next to him, Lu Zhao sat on Pei Yubai's other side.
A former Yue Lao, a current Yue Lao, and Moon Official are all waiting for the shadow puppet show called " Yue Lao's Fate" to begin.
The boy shouting looked to be about fifteen or sixteen years old. He was tall and thin, wearing a striped short-sleeved shirt with a loose collar, short hair, and a few pimples on his forehead.
Seeing that most people were seated, he bowed to the audience, then turned and walked behind the curtain.
The old man holding the whiteboard had gray hair and wore reading glasses with the temples wrapped in tape.
The old man smiled as he watched the boy walk over and handed him the shadow puppet.
The boy called out "Master," took the shadow puppet, and squatted down to start adjusting the lights.
The old man didn't interfere; he just sat beside him and watched, occasionally reaching out to adjust the man's joints.
The drums and gongs sounded.
It wasn't a real gong or drum; it was a recording played from an old phone connected to a Bluetooth speaker. The sound quality wasn't great, but it was adequate for the noise of the street.
The first thing that appeared on the screen was the silhouette of a woman, with her hair styled in a high bun and a slender figure.
The voice acting was done by a male voice actor speaking into the microphone. He imitated a female voice in a high-pitched voice when speaking the female parts, and he deliberately softened his voice when reciting the lines, although it was still clearly a male voice.
When speaking in a male voice, use your natural voice, lower it, and try to sound affectionate.
The story is about a wealthy woman who falls in love with a poor scholar.
Her family disagreed, neighbors gossiped, and friends and relatives all tried to persuade her to turn back from her wrong path.
The woman knelt before her parents for several days, begging them. Her father smashed a teacup and said, "If you marry him, don't ever come back into this house."
The woman cried all night, and before dawn she packed her bags and left.
The scholar waited for her at the city gate. The two walked hand in hand for a very long time until they reached a Yue Lao Temple.
The temple was abandoned; most of the red paint on the offering table had peeled off, and the clay statue of the Old Man Under the Yue Lao had several cracks.
The woman knelt before the statue of the Old Man Under the Yue Lao, saying that she had no dowry, no bridal sedan chair, and no arranged marriage, but she had a sincere heart and asked the Old Man Under the Yue Lao if he could tie a red thread between her and the scholar.
The scholar also knelt down and said, "I can't give her anything, except these two hands. No matter how hard life gets in the future, I will never let her suffer."
The image of the Yue Lao on the curtain suddenly lit up.
The silhouette of an old man with white hair slowly rose from behind the statue, holding a red thread in his hand.
The Old Man of the Yue Lao said to the woman, "Your sincerity has moved me."
He then said to the scholar, "Once the red thread is tied, it's an unchangeable bond for life. Are you willing?"
The scholar said, "I'm willing."
The red thread fell down and tied a knot on the little fingers of the two people.
The Yue Lao said, "From this day forward, I will protect your marriage, and no one can separate you."
The woman and the scholar bowed and kowtowed three times and nine times before the statue of the Old Man Under the Yue Lao, thus holding their own wedding ceremony.
The final scene shows the two of them standing side by side on a mountaintop, holding a red thread, with the rising sun behind them. The woman's hair is blown by the wind, fluttering together with the scholar's sleeves.
The voiceover read the last line, "From this day forward, we'll wander the world, sharing life and death. Our marriage is predestined, with the red thread of fate as our witness and the Yue Lao as our guarantor."
The music from the Bluetooth speaker ended.
The lights on the curtain went out.
The boy emerged from behind the curtain, his forehead covered in sweat, and the back of his striped short-sleeved shirt was soaked.
He bowed, then presented a cardboard sign with a QR code printed on it, and with a slightly embarrassed smile, uttered a classic closing remark.
Several elderly people with children took out change, while a few young people scanned the QR code.
The boy thanked them one by one, his voice still carrying the lingering energy from reciting his lines.
Qiguan Yuan leaned back in the folding chair, his fingers lightly tapping on his knees.
He watched the whole thing, and his expression remained unchanged from beginning to end.
Lu Zhao stood to the side with a complicated expression, his mouth opening and closing repeatedly before finally choosing to remain silent.
But after a while...
Lu Zhao couldn't hold back any longer.
He lowered his voice and leaned close to Qiguan Yuan, saying, "Senior, this is a tragic fate. How could I possibly bless them?"
Qiguan Yuan hummed in agreement. "If I hadn't been possessed, I wouldn't have either."
Lu Zhao added, "The woman comes from a wealthy family, while the man is experiencing a period of bad luck."
"This woman's luck is being constantly drained; you can tell just by looking at the color scheme of the shadow puppets. The female shadow puppet's color is getting darker and darker, while the male shadow puppet's color is getting brighter and brighter. The scriptwriter probably didn't notice this detail; the colors were reversed."
Qiguan Yuan hummed in agreement again.
That makes no sense.
At least in their view, it's illogical.
The Yue Lao won't appear to matchmake two people just because they elope to a temple and cry. Yue Lao oversees many marriages and doesn't have time to deal with just a few.
They would never utter lines like "No one can break them up," treating marriage like children playing house.
Marriage is a matter of fate; if you are destined to be together, you will be together, and if you are not, you will be apart.
No one can guarantee that two people can stay together for a lifetime.
The Yue Lao simply signs a bond between two destined people at the right time.
When there is no affinity, simply sever the connection.
Marriage is about the natural order of things, and the matchmaking relies on the compatibility of the right people. It can never be won over by anyone's "sincerity".
If he were to encounter such a story, he would most likely cut it off immediately.
Pei Yubai remained silent beside him.
After regaining his memories, he understood that his duty was to protect the bond.
"Shouyuan" means to protect one's destined relationship and maintain the order of fate, not to protect every couple who cries and begs to be together.
His standard procedure as the Moon Official for dealing with this so-called "love" where the man absorbs the woman's luck is: after confirming it, have Yuanyuan cut it off directly.
There's nothing to hesitate about.
The story took an absurd turn.
The boy walked up to Qiguan Yuan, holding the payment QR code.
Although the story wasn't great, Qiguan Yuan still used Pei Yubai's phone to scan the QR code and casually sent him 800 yuan.
The boy looked down at the payment notification on his phone, paused for a moment, and quickly said thank you several times.
He glanced at Qiguan Yuan again and found that Qiguan Yuan was still looking at him.
The boy hesitated for a moment before asking, "Handsome, did you like our performance?"
Did you write that story?
The boy nodded.
"Is that what you think love is?" Qiguan Yuan asked.
The boy shook his head.
Qiguan Yuan raised an eyebrow. "Then why did you write it that way?"
The boy tucked the cardboard sign with the payment code under his arm, scratched the back of his head, and thought for a few seconds.
"The market demands it. Isn't this exactly what everyone wants to see?"
"Whether male or female, everyone fantasizes about someone who is far superior to them in every way falling in love with them unconditionally, abandoning everything for them, and then moving heaven and earth, moving the gods, and finally having a happy ending."
"These kinds of stories are the easiest to write, the most exciting to perform, and the audience enjoys watching them."
"As for whether the story is plausible, many people don't care that much about it now."
After listening, Qiguan Yuan looked into the boy's eyes and asked, "So what do you think?"
The boy was silent for a moment, then asked, "What about you, brother? What do you think love is like?"
"Mutual support and companionship." Qiguan Yuan's voice wasn't loud. "If that's the case, then it's a destined match. If it's like the one in your story..." He turned his head and glanced at Lu Zhao.
Lu Zhao understood and continued, "It's most likely a tragic fate. The man kept draining the woman's luck, and in the end, the woman died suddenly. As for the man, without any more luck to drain, he returned to his impoverished state."
The boy listened and did not refute.
He lowered his head and remained silent for a while, then nodded, his tone showing neither resentment nor displeasure at their comments that his story was illogical.
"I know. But many people never meet their true soulmate in their entire lives, right? Most of the marriages I've seen aren't based on a true match."
Lu Zhao asked him why he thought that way.
The boy lowered his eyes, his gaze falling on the cardboard in his hand.
He began to talk about his own story.
It wasn't a complaint; the tone was very calm.
He has three children, all of whom are in school.
He and his sister just started high school this year. Tuition, accommodation fees, and material fees are all covered by their parents, who have to scrape together money from various sources to pay them during the first few days of each semester.
In many cases, they even need to borrow money from Huabei or Ant Jiebei to raise the funds.
My father was an ordinary worker, and my mother worked as a cashier in a supermarket. Their combined income was just enough to feed the family of five.
After he and his sister entered high school, the family's expenses suddenly increased significantly, and his parents started arguing.
Sometimes it's about money, sometimes it's about other trivial things, but in the end, the father always slams the door and leaves, while the mother sits in the kitchen crying.
After the argument, his mother would talk to him privately, telling him how much she had suffered for him and that he should study hard and make something of himself in the future.
His father would also say on the way to school, "This is how my life is going to be. You and your younger siblings must make us proud." He said his grades weren't good.
Every time he heard these words, he felt extremely guilty. After feeling guilty, he would study desperately, but he wasn't the kind of person who was particularly smart. Even if he studied desperately, he could only get an average to slightly above-average score.
His parents still argued. Once, they had a particularly bad argument, and the furniture was smashed all over the floor. His mother grabbed him and cried, saying she wanted a divorce.
After hearing this, he actually felt that it seemed to be a very good solution, so he thought, "Let's get a divorce; everyone will be free once we're divorced."
Parents should not torment each other.
His guilt and remorse will be somewhat alleviated...
The mother was stunned for a long time, then wiped away her tears and said no, you are in high school, separation will affect your studies, let's talk about it after you get into college.
He said he felt like he couldn't breathe at that moment.
He doesn't need their one-sided self-sacrifice. Such sacrifice is more like a shackle to him, hanging around his neck every day, reminding him that he is the root of his parents' misfortune, and he must repay them with good grades.
But as a son, he had no right to say these things.
His parents did provide for his food, clothing, and education; they fulfilled all their responsibilities. As his son, he had no right to judge them, much less say, "I don't need your suffocating sacrifices."
He started working during the summer vacation after his third year of junior high school to earn his tuition fees and ease the burden on his family.
At first, I handed out flyers, standing at the entrance of the mall all day, getting sunburned and peeling, earning fifty yuan a day.
Later, I helped people move beer crates at the night market, earning one dollar per crate.
Later, I met the master shadow puppeteer I am now.
The master had a fixed stall on Cultural Street, and he helped the master with his work. The master taught him how to make shadow puppets, write scripts, and recite lines.
The two of them performed like this, earning tens of yuan a night, and sometimes hundreds.
Most of the books he wrote were melodramatic love stories like this.
Rich girls paired with poor scholars, heiresses paired with down-on-their-luck talents—write it however melodramatic it may be.
Because most viewers fall for this kind of thing; the more unattainable the love is, the more viewers there are.
He catered to the market, even though he didn't consider it love.
Because they have money.
Qiguan Yuan, Pei Yubai, and Lu Zhao listened quietly to the whole thing without interrupting him.
After he finished speaking, Qiguan Yuan paused for a moment before saying, "Everyone has their own difficulties. There's no absolute right or wrong in this kind of thing. Your parents have their limitations, and you have your own pressures."
He paused for a moment, looking into the boy's eyes. "You've managed to find another way out under these circumstances, earning your own tuition, learning a trade, without complaining or blaming others. You're very brave, kid."
The boy was silent for a few seconds, then said thank you.
Qiguan Yuan leaned back in his chair and continued speaking calmly, "The connections between people are not static."
"The marriage between your parents most likely ended a long time ago. You don't need to blame yourself; it wasn't your fault."
"When a marriage seems beyond saving, perhaps it's worth exploring other avenues; everyone's destiny involves more than just marriage."
"Wealth, career, studies—there's always a path that can lead you out of this predicament. Your parents have their own lessons to learn, and you have your own path to walk."
"Some things can be changed through your own efforts, so don't put yourself in the same place. You're a rational child, and you will succeed."
The boy remained silent for a long time. He took the cardboard sign with the QR code from under his arm and placed it on the table. He then wiped the sweat from his palms on the hem of his short-sleeved shirt.
Then he stood up straight, nodded, and said, "I understand, thank you."
Qiguan Yuan, his eyes crinkling. "You're welcome."