Chapter 16: Haven't Tried It, But Just Know

As the moon began to rise, Little River Town’s riverbank shimmered with flickering lights, bustling with people gathered for the quadrennial Mid-Autumn Festival.

The last time Wei Lai visited this event, he was only six years old. Xu Xiang and Wei Zikang hadn’t trusted him to play alone back then; they both held his hands as they walked together.

Wei Lai vaguely recalled that it was during that visit when he suddenly discovered his ability to foresee the future. As for the exact moment it occurred, he couldn’t be certain.

His memories felt like waking up from sleep; anything happening in the darkness of slumber remained unknown, revealing only what transpired once awake.

Now ten years old, Wei Lai no longer needed Xu Xiang and Wei Zikang to hold his hand. Instead, he stayed close by their side, scanning the surroundings.

He had made plans with Qing Ting to explore the festival together, but Wei Lai chose not to go directly to her house. The look in Qing Qishu’s eyes, as inscribed into his mind, left a deep impression on him. He feared that if he proactively sought out Qing Ting, Qing Qishu might react negatively again.

Moreover, facing Wei Zikang and Xu Xiang, he felt too embarrassed to mention wanting to attend the Mid-Autumn Festival with a girl.

“Well, we’re all here now, so we’ll surely bump into them,” Wei Lai murmured to himself, continuing to search through the crowd for Qing Ting and her family.

Without his son as a tag-along, Wei Zikang felt transported back to his early days of courtship with his wife.

“Honey, I heard after the fair ends, there will be fireworks,” Xu Xiang said, mirroring Wei Lai’s actions by scanning for where the fireworks might be set up.

“Every time during these fairs, old man Xu and others collect stall fees from vendors. As this is the last one, they’ve splurged and hired a professional firework team. No need to search now; they won’t appear until it’s time.”

As they walked along, Wei Zikang spotted a nearby stall displaying instruments like erhu violins and eagerly pulled Xu Xiang towards it.

“Wife, let’s go take a look. It’s rare nowadays to find places selling erhus.”

“Alright, but later you have to accompany me to check out perfumes and sachets… Wei Lai, play on your own here. If you get lost, just head straight home.”

“Oh.”

There it was again. Wei Lai had grown accustomed to his parents often sidelining him.

He reached into his pocket, pulling out a green frog-shaped wallet – a souvenir from the previous Mid-Autumn fair, which he used exclusively for his pocket money.

Flipping through the contents, he found quite a sum accumulated, all saved bit by bit over time. He rarely spent money; even when wanting comics, he’d usually ask Wei Zikang to pick them up on his way home from work.

His dad often liked to borrow his money, making it impossible to resist emptying Wei Lai’s wallet.

With the Mid-Autumn Festival coinciding with the National Day holiday, and being the last autumn fair of the season, people from surrounding areas seemed to converge at this small town. The riverbank, usually wide enough for three vehicles to pass side by side, was now packed with crowds.

After separating from his parents, Wei Lai struggled through the throng but couldn’t find Qing Ting immediately. Spotting a stall selling candied haws nearby, his eyes lit up, and he headed towards it.

Unlike what is often depicted on TV dramas, instead of skewering individual candied hawthorn fruits onto tall sorghum stalks, this vendor had a large glass display case. Inside, alongside the candied hawthorns, there were also oranges, honeydews, kiwis, mangoes, and various other fruits, each piece carefully threaded onto bamboo sticks. Under the warm yellow glow of incandescent lights within the glass cabinet, they resembled exquisite artworks.

Wei Lai managed to squeeze out of the crowd, ready to take out his wallet to buy some candied haws, when a figure standing next to the glass display caught his attention.

Her neatly combed hair draped softly over her shoulders, while the blue qipao she wore stood out amidst the warm yellow hues of the bustling fair, like a fairy emerging from the shadows. When she spotted him, a hint of sugar crumbs from the candy haw remained at the corner of her lips, slightly lifting them into a playful yet charming smile.

“I knew I’d find you here. Come on, let’s play together.” 

Qing Ting caught Wei Lai, holding her newly bought sugar-coated hawthorns with one hand and grasping his hand with the other, and led him in another direction.

“Wait, I haven’t bought my sugar-coated hawthorns yet.”

“No need to buy more, I can’t finish these alone. I’ll share two with you.”

As Wei Lai watched the candy stall getting further away, he noticed Qing Ting had no intention of letting go. She then offered him part of her remaining sugar-coated hawthorn skewer.

Realizing he couldn’t escape the witch’s control, Wei Lai reluctantly accepted the skewer, biting off half a piece. Chewing on the tangy-sweet flavor, he muttered:

“I’ve already tried the hawthorn ones, I wanted to try something different.”

“Don’t bother, they’re all quite tasteless.”

“How do you know that? You haven’t even tried them.”

“I may not have tried them, but I just know,” Qing Ting affirmed confidently as she led Wei Lai through the crowd, still holding his hand.

She had waited for Wei Lai at the candy stall for a long time, listening to many people’s thoughts about the sugar-coated hawthorns. Naturally, she was aware which varieties were considered tastier.

“Afternoon earlier, you mentioned giving me a reward. Is this it – the sugar-coated hawthorns?” Wei Lai casually asked after finishing one hawthorn.

Qing Ting stopped, turning to look at Wei Lai with feigned confusion, causing his scalp to tingle.

“Reward? You mean the reward for complimenting my outfit earlier? I almost forgot about it. Are you that eager?” 

(Here we go again. How many times does she need to tease me in a day?)

Wei Lai lowered his head and continued munching on the candied haws. He wished Qing Ting would simply accept them as a reward, allowing him some peace of mind.

“I knew you liked candied haws, so I specifically waited near the stall for you. The candied haws were just a casual purchase, not a reward.” 

Holding Wei Lai’s hand, Qing Ting navigated through the crowd, her other slender index finger pointing emphatically as she explained.

(As long as I pretend not to hear, this reward issue can finally end.)

Wei Lai focused on eating the candied haws without saying a word. Just as he reached the last haw, Qing Ting swiftly snatched the stick from his grasp.

“Weren’t the candied haws meant for me? Why did you take them away?” Wei Lai looked astounded as Qing Ting popped the final piece off the stick and placed it in her mouth.

“I never said they were all for you; I only offered you two pieces to share.”

Qing Ting quickly popped the candy haw into her mouth, creating a round bulge in one cheek. With her eyes sparkling under the surrounding lights, she looked perfectly content.

Wei Lai pouted, unable to respond.

“Would you like a reward? I’ll take you somewhere special.”

After claiming this small victory, Qing Ting’s smile reappeared. She grabbed Wei Lai and rushed towards a nearby trash bin, discarded the bamboo stick, and then continued sprinting ahead as before.

Before Wei Lai could say he wasn’t interested in a reward, she had already dragged him to a ring toss booth.

“Uncle, give me one ring toss round for ten yuan.” Still holding onto Wei Lai, Qing Ting pulled out a ten-yuan bill from her sleeve pocket.

It was Wei Lai’s first time realizing money could be stored in such a place.

Once the stall owner handed Qing Ting six rings, she gently tapped Wei Lai with one of them.

“You can have three.”

“I don’t really want to play,” Wei Lai muttered but still took three hoops from Qing Ting.

After receiving his three rings, he turned to her, “What’s next?”

“Throw the hoops, and whatever you catch will be your reward.”

“Oh, I see.”

Realizing it was such a simple reward, Wei Lai felt relieved.

However, Qing Ting’s next words raised his anxiety again.

“But if what you catch isn’t as good as mine, there will be a punishment.”

“How can this be? We agreed on a reward; why has it suddenly become a punishment?”

A gentle breeze swept across the riverside, carrying moist air infused with the scent of fresh grass. Glancing at the smiling girl beside him, Wei Lai internally lamented before focusing intently on the items at the stall.

“If you want a competition, just say so. It’s not like I’m afraid to compete.”

Seeing Wei Lai’s serious expression, Qing Ting’s smile faded slightly, though the joy in her eyes remained unchanged.