Temple fairs are an old tradition in Jiangcheng.
The busiest one is on Taihe Street, passing through Xiershitiao Hutong, on the outer edge of Donghu Park. Locals call it the New Year's Day Temple Fair.
Peng Xizhi loved to come here when she was a child. There were crowds of people here, so she would sit on her father's shoulders, eating candy figures and shaking her head while enjoying the scenery from above.
After puberty, she was no longer interested in it as she felt it was too crowded. Later, when she went to college and played in a band, who cared about this thing anymore
But today was different. She thought Xiang Wan needed some excitement. After thinking for a long time, she concluded that the most lively place in Jiangcheng was still the temple fair on the first day of the new year.
It was afternoon when they arrived, and it was already late. Entering the tall archway, the cars outside were so jammed that they couldn't move. The crowds got denser as they went deeper, and the hustle and bustle completely obscured the excitement of the temple fair. Fortunately, there were horns playing music one after another, which made the crowds look cheerful.
Xiang Wan felt a little dizzy after being hit, and Peng Qianzhi handed her his hand: "Follow me, don't get squeezed."
Xiang Wan was wearing a plaid coat today, with a beige wool scarf tied around her neck, her long hair draped over the scarf, and no makeup on. She looked so clean that it would be an offense to touch her.
Peng Xizhi wore a short wool jacket-style coat and tight jeans tucked into black flat boots, which made her look particularly slender and capable. She also wore a dark red beret tilted on her long curly hair, which neutralized the handsomeness of the jacket with her femininity.
Xiang Wan held her hand and walked carefully. Her shoulder was bumped again. She sighed, "There are many more people here than yesterday."
Peng Xizhi laughed at her: "Yesterday was New Year's Eve, who would come out for no reason?"
"But you came to see me yesterday," Xiang Wan asked her, "didn't your family say anything?"
"They can't control me."
He squeezed her hand and motioned for her to look ahead: "Look at that kid, hahahaha, following the rhythm of the speakers. Look, when I count to one, two, three, she's bound to fall."
Xiang Wanbukan: "You are so wicked."
"What else is the use of children if not to amuse them? You are really boring." Peng Xizhi snorted at her, still chasing the child with his face turned sideways.
One, two, three, hey, it fell.
She was overjoyed and lowered her head to cover her lips with a faint smile.
"Hey? Who said I'm a bad person? If you have the guts, stop laughing." Peng Xizhi glared at her.
"This smile is not because of immorality, but because of childishness." Xiang Wan said slowly.
"Who is childish?" Peng Xizhi frowned.
"You are childish, and so am I." Xiang Wan said with a curled corner of his mouth.
"Okay," Peng Xizhi let go of her hand, patted it lightly, and held it again, "It's fair."
Smelling the aroma of stewed food, Peng Xizhi led Xiang Wan through the crowd and squeezed to the side of the street. They looked at a half-person-high pot in a stall. The old soup in the pot was steaming with intestines, lungs and offal. The stall owner scooped and poured the soup and sprinkled a handful of chopped green onions. The aroma was so fragrant that Peng Xizhi's mouth was watering.
She took out her phone and asked Xiang Wan, "Do you want to eat?"
Xiang Wan frowned and pulled his head back.
Peng Xizhi saw the word "fear" in her eyes.
"Hey, what do you mean?" Peng Xizhi hated it most when someone questioned the local cuisine of their Jiangcheng.