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Xing Ruyi was going crazy!
It was a bright day, with the sun shining and the sky clear, yet she had lost her Husband over wanting to buy the Osmanthus Cake she was holding.
She looked at the bustling crowd in the market and, feeling a bit regretful, took a big bite of the Osmanthus Cake.
Three days ago, she had Awaken from her sleep. As she opened her eyes, she saw a haggard-looking fox sitting blankly at the foot of her bed, almost growing stubble. It wasn't until she pinched his cheek that he snapped out of it and pulled her into his arms.
That embrace was quite strong, squeezing out the last bit of air from her lungs. She rolled her eyes, thinking she was about to become the first person in Qingqiu to be hugged to death by her own Husband. Fortunately, the fox knew when to stop; otherwise, it wouldn't be her worrying now but rather him looking for a Second Wife.
Seeing Xing Ruyi anxiously looking around and then standing there dazed while biting into the Osmanthus Cake, the kind Shopkeeper called out to her and pointed to the right.
"Madam, your Husband seems to have gone that way."
"Thank you! Thank you!"
Xing Ruyi came back to her senses, repeatedly thanking him as she took out a few coins to hand to the Shopkeeper.
"Here, this is for the Osmanthus Cake."
The Shopkeeper smiled and pushed them back: "Madam, you forgot. Your Husband already paid for this Osmanthus Cake."
"Oh." Xing Ruyi laughed awkwardly and suddenly had an idea. She forcefully shoved the coins into the Clerk's hands: "The Shopkeeper misunderstood; this isn't for this piece. I think your Osmanthus Cake tastes great, so I want to buy another one."
The Shopkeeper quickly rubbed his hands together and accepted the coins: "I see now; I misunderstood you, Madam. Here is your Osmanthus Cake, take it."
"This piece is quite large!"
"The extra part is a gift for the lady. Isn't she looking for you, Husband? I reckon she's gone over to the Fish Market to see the commotion." After making two deals, the Shopkeeper was in a great mood. With his spirits high, he naturally had more to say. While speaking, he pointed out a specific direction to Xing Ruyi: "What the lady doesn't know is that the fisherman caught something rare."
"What is it?"
"A Turtle."
"I thought it was something fresh. Is it that Turtles are rare in our river or were there none before?"
"If it were an ordinary turtle, it wouldn't be considered fresh." The Shopkeeper shook his head. "This Turtle can talk."
"I've seen talking birds, but I've never seen a talking Turtle. Shopkeeper, you're busy; I'm going to check out the excitement and also look for my lost Husband."
"Lady, you really know how to joke. How could such a big living person as your Husband get lost? It's possible he was taken away by someone, after all, he's quite handsome."
"Ah! I do worry about that."
Xing Ruyi sighed lightly and left the stall with the Shopkeeper's kind smile behind her as she walked toward the Fish Market.
When she first woke up, she had asked the Fox how long she had been asleep.
The Fox replied, "Three!"
She looked at the stubble on his chin that had recently grown and found it hard to believe. She and the Fox had spent time together before; three could just as easily mean thirty. Without eating or drinking, without washing or changing clothes, the Fox shouldn't have let himself become such a messy sight.
Later, she learned that the "three" mentioned by the fox referred to the three years in Qingqiu. When converted to the human calendar, it amounted to a full three years. At that time, she finally understood how heavy the sword Chang Tai had pierced her with. The reason she had no consciousness in the Reincarnation Wheel was due to the Spell, and after stepping out of the Reincarnation Wheel, she instantly collapsed. At that moment, even if she didn't mention it, the fox would still take her to Qingqiu.
After waking up, her interest in Qingqiu, which she had longed for, faded away, and instead, she missed her days in the human world even more. The fox noticed this and kept it in mind, looking for an opportunity to quietly take her away.
Xing Ruyi felt timid; she neither dared to return to Rouge Shop to check on her Xing nor wanted to go to the Yun Family Gathering, fearing that it would stir up emotions. The fox let her be and randomly chose a bustling town in the mortal realm to land in. However, unexpectedly, within moments, the fox disappeared.
With a piece of Osmanthus Cake in her mouth and a warm bag in her hands, Xing Ruyi squeezed into the Fish Market.
After just a few steps, she felt that the fishy smell in the air was altering the taste of the Osmanthus Cake. She frowned and planned to find a place to throw it away.
“Madam, do you not want the Osmanthus Cake in your hand? Can you give it to me?”
A pair of muddy hands reached out towards her.
“My name is Ling'er, and this is my younger brother, named Dou Dou. My father is a fisherman, my mother sells fish, and my brother and I help our mother sell fish too. But our family is very poor; the money from fishing isn't enough to buy rice. My brother has a craving and has always wanted to eat Osmanthus Cake, but our father won't let us buy it, and our mother can't afford it. So madam, if you don't want the Osmanthus Cake in your hand, could you please give it to my brother?”
Her soft and tender voice, combined with her respectful yet earnest words, made Xing Ruyi feel a pang of sympathy for this girl with twin buns and sparkling big eyes standing before her. Moreover, her name reminded Xing Ruyi of that year when someone called her auntie with a similar name: Bell. Her heart softened instantly. She squatted down to meet her gaze: “Can you tell me how you knew that I didn’t want this Osmanthus Cake?”
“Can I?”
“Of course you can.”
“Madam isn’t angry?”
“Sister isn’t angry!”
"Actually, it's nothing much. In the past, there were ladies who bought Osmanthus Cake and came to the Fish Market to pick out beautiful fish that could be admired. However, the fish here have such a strong fishy smell that it taints the Osmanthus Cake, so they would just throw it away."
"Did you ever ask them for some before?" Xing Ruyi's question was unintentional, but upon seeing the hidden pain in the Girl's eyes, she felt a bit guilty and quickly handed the Osmanthus Cake to the Girl, saying, "Sister, I didn't mean to pry. If you don't want to answer, you don't have to."
"The ladies are good people, but that doesn't mean all the ladies who come here are good." Ling'er said as she took the package of Osmanthus Cake. "Ling'er has asked other ladies before, but they either pretended not to hear or didn't want to pay attention to Ling'er. Some even deliberately threw the Osmanthus Cake into the sewage right in front of me. Of course, some would curse at me. However, Ling'er never retaliated or held any resentment. Those Osmanthus Cakes weren't ours to begin with; if those ladies wanted to throw them away, they could. Ling'er just asks a few more ladies; there's always someone kind-hearted."
Ling'er said this with a shy smile.
"That's right! Today, Ling'er has encountered a kind-hearted lady as mentioned by her mother."
Xing Ruyi didn't know what to say; she simply reached out and helped Ling'er smooth down her bangs.
"These Osmanthus Cakes have absorbed the fishy smell and aren't tasty anymore. How about I help you and your brother buy another batch?"
"No need! No need! Really, it's not necessary! Lady, being able to give this package of Osmanthus Cake to Ling'er is already more than enough gratitude." Ling'er hurriedly waved her hands and then deeply bowed to Xing Ruyi. "Lady, don't you remember? Ling'er and her brother are children of a Fisherman's Family. This fishy smell may be unpleasant for someone as delicate as you, but Ling'er and her brother are already used to it. If we didn't have this fishy smell while eating, we might feel uncomfortable instead."
Ling'er looked at Xing Ruyi's attire and then asked, "Are you also here to sell fish? Are you buying fish for eating or for viewing? The uncles at this Fish Market, like Uncle Su, I know them well and can tell which family's fish is the tastiest, which family's fish looks the best, and which family's fish is kept hidden. I can take you to buy some; I can help get the best price."
"Ling'er is amazing! But sister isn't here to buy fish." Xing Ruyi replied as she moved closer. "I heard from the shopkeeper selling Osmanthus Cake that there's a talking Turtle in this Fish Market. I thought it sounded interesting and wanted to come see it. Do you know where that Turtle is?"
"I do! That Turtle was brought back by my dad with Uncle Wang's help." Ling'er nodded repeatedly. "Don't be fooled by Uncle Wang being an old fisherman; he looks stronger than my dad but he's timid. That Turtle was originally meant to be sold to rich people for charity purposes, but when it was caught, it begged Uncle Wang for mercy! Uncle Wang nearly got scared to death! Luckily my dad is brave enough to catch that Turtle back. But it's still kept at Uncle Wang's house."
"Can Ling'er take me over to see it?"
"I can take you there, but if you're just hoping to hear that Turtle talk, you might be disappointed."
"Why?"
Ling'er shook her head. "I don't know about that. I only know that when the Turtle was first brought back, it could indeed talk. There was also a literate gentleman who, while passing by the Fish Market, heard the Turtle reciting poetry. But later on, the Turtle refused to speak, no matter how Uncle Wang teased it, fed it, or even poked it; it just wouldn't open its mouth. In recent days, it has been hiding inside its shell and won't come out."
"Then it's quite a character, that Turtle."
"What does 'character' mean?" Ling'er asked, tilting her head.
"Character means being different from others, just like you, Ling'er; you are not like the other children at this Fish Market."
"Then the lady is quite a character too." Ling'er turned her face slightly and added, "Lady, do you still want to see that Turtle? If so, we need to hurry. I heard from my father that after noon, that Turtle will be sold to someone."
"Someone wants to buy that Turtle?"
Ling'er nodded. "Yes, I heard it's a Fortune Teller. He has come to the Fish Market a couple of times and thinks this Turtle is something rare... a rare Divination Turtle, so he wants to buy it and take it home. Uncle Wang was worried because the Turtle wouldn't speak anymore and when someone offered money to buy it, he decided to sell it."
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