The streets during the Lantern Festival were livelier than usual, with all kinds of lanterns and riddles adding to the excitement.
After having dinner for the Lantern Festival together, everyone set out to stroll around in groups.
"Here, for you," Pei Yicheng handed a rabbit-shaped lantern to Xu Nianhua.
Xu Nianhua was getting ready to look at the riddles when she unexpectedly saw the rabbit-shaped lantern Pei Yicheng handed her. The cutely shaped lantern looked especially adorable, immediately bringing immense joy to Xu Nianhua. She asked with a hint of confusion, "But why did you choose a rabbit?"
Xu Nianhua’s gaze rested upon the beautiful lanterns, full of curiosity.
"You like them," Pei Yicheng said, his eyes resting on her beautiful face. When she looked at him with those innocent and pure eyes, all he could think of were obedient and cute little white rabbits.
Hence, out of all the lanterns, Pei Yicheng picked out the rabbit instantly.
Xu Nianhua held the lantern delightedly. She had never seen so many beautiful lanterns or such lively scenes before. She didn’t know if South City’s Lantern Festival had lanterns this pretty, but the most common feature there were the fireworks.
Seeing Xu Nianhua and Pei Yicheng having a blast, Xu Nian’an also found himself especially interested in the riddles.
Ban Chuan and Ban Lin, the siblings, stuck close to Xu Nian’an, joining in on the fun.
Suddenly, a CD vendor in the corner of the street caught Xu Nianhua’s attention. He squatted there, peddling his goods, and Xu Nianhua felt he looked vaguely familiar.
"Second brother," Xu Nianhua called Xu Nian’an over, pointing out the CD vendor to him.
"Don’t look at those; they’re just a mess of CDs. Let’s go solve some riddles," Xu Nian’an spoke, his face slightly red with embarrassment. He had seen those kinds of CDs in his dorm; they looked shiny and colorful on the outside, but their contents... were indeed colorful.
It was better to keep his little sister, so pure and innocent, unaware.
"Second brother, doesn’t he look a bit familiar?" Xu Nianhua hadn’t even glanced at the CDs; her focus was entirely on the man selling them.
With his sister’s remark, Xu Nian’an turned his attention to the peddler’s face. Before he could figure out who it might be, trouble struck.
A few shady-looking men surrounded the CD seller, scattering the discs all over the ground.
"Brother Niu, I’m just trying to make some money. Once I have it, I’ll pay everything back," the man pleaded while looking at the CDs strewn on the ground, pain flashing across his face. He was counting on this batch of CDs to make some money. If they were damaged, what would he use to pay back the debt?
"I’ve been waiting for three days, where’s the money you promised?" Brother Niu kicked him to the ground with his foot.
Shrill screams rose intermittently as Brother Niu dragged the man into a nearby alley.
With the bustling crowd around and the incident occurring in a corner, after the initial screams died away, there was no indication of what had just transpired, save for the CDs lying on the ground.
"Second brother," Xu Nianhua furrowed her brow and said, "I think he looks a bit like Uncle."
"Ji Shuqin," Xu Nian’an blurted out the name instantly. Although the man had changed quite a bit since they were young, with Xu Nianhua’s reminder, he quickly realized this was indeed their uncle’s son.
"They have more people, we should..."
Xu Nianhua was about to suggest calling the police when she noticed Pei Yicheng had already dashed over.
"Be careful," Xu Nianhua called out, watching his retreating figure, while Xu Nian’an followed suit. Ban Chuan cautioned, "Xiaolin, just stay with Xu Nianhua. Don’t come over."
As soon as he finished speaking, Ban Chuan immediately followed suit. How could he miss out on a fight?