Even when the triplets were exhausted from all the walking, they would not ask Qi Qingyao to carry them of their own accord. At the most, they would mumble that they needed a break because their leggies were tired. It was only when Qi Qingyao saw that they could not walk no matter how much they wanted to that she finally remembered they were too young. Their legs were not as robust as an adult’s. She bent down and picked Erniu up, but that meant she could not carry Dabao or Xiaobao anymore. The two boys pursed their lips, blinking their large, adorably expressive eyes. Although they did not ask him to carry them, they grabbed one of Jiang Yeqian’s legs each anyway.
Jiang Yeqian looked down and met their big round eyes, their pleading gazes. Exasperated, he crouched down and wrapped each one of his large arms around the boys, letting them sit in the crook of his arms.
All three children fell asleep not long after they were picked up.
The three adults carried each of their heavy burdens and hurried to the vicinity of the koi temple.
Qingzhou had four koi temples, and they were very popular among the local citizens. Apparently there was a beautiful legend from three hundred years ago, when a young woman fished up a beautiful koi but released it instead of eating it. After that, the girl who was raised poor found fortune flowing into her family. She even made it from her village straight into the capital city, marrying the emperor of Northern Liang and winning all his favor. That was not where the story ended, either. After the emperor passed away, the girl personally killed her own son, the crown prince at the time. She eventually took the throne of Northern Liang for herself. Since then, Northern Liang had been ruled by a line of female emperors. The current one was the seventh.
The koi temples were established by that girl from the legends. To be precise, there were five koi temples, including Bailong Temple at the center of them all! The four koi temples were located at the north, south, east, and west of Bailong Temple, as though Bailong Temple ruled over them all.
The villagers said that it was because of the old saying.
“A koi that leaped through the dragon gate would become a dragon.”
That was why these koi temples were always popular with the populace. There was a constant stream of devotees on the quieter days, and during the temple fair on the first and fifteenth days of every month, there would be a veritable crowd around them.
When Qi Qingyao and company arrived, the stalls with a good location around the koi temple had already been claimed. The three of them randomly chose a spot, and Qi Qingyao quickly bought a piece of wood to rest the pig on.
Once that was done, the cautious Jiang Yeqian noticed that a lot of stall owners were already looking at him. He held his hand out to Qi Qingyao, saying, “Give me a copper-cash.”
“Why?” Qi Qingyao demanded fiercely.
“I want to buy a mask,” Jiang Yeqian said.
“Why do you want a mask all of a sudden? You’re not exactly painful on the eyes.” She was hoping he could use his face to attract a few female customers. How was he supposed to sell his looks if he wore a mask?
“I think it was a powerhouse who injured me that time. Now that I lost my memory, I can’t be sure if my enemies will show up at this fair. Just in case, I should wear a mask,” Jiang Yeqian said calmly.
That made sense to Qi Qingyao.
He still owed her a thousand taels. If he was killed before he regained his memory, all her plans would go to naught.
In that case, Qi Qingyao gave her a dozen copper-cashes and hastened him to buy a new set of clothing as well as the mask he wanted!
In no time at all, Jiang Yeqian bought two sets of new clothing from nearby stores. The clothes were very simple, gray outfits washed with starch. After he put them on, he quickly blended into the surroundings like a chameleon… and then he bought an ox-head mask at the mask stall!
He put it on and quietly walked back to the others.
Qi Qingyao jumped in surprise when she saw him.