Chapter 126 (1/2)
Chapter 126
Translator: Nyoi-Bo StudioEditor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
The fragrance of food was brought around by a young man. Making some unrecognizable sounds, the man seemed to be telling them to eat up. It seemed like this man was dumb. The young owner of the restaurant followed behind the man and looked strangely at Chu Qiao and Li Ce. Taken aback, Chu Qiao looked back at her. As if she felt her gaze, the owner smiled, and said, ”Miss, you are not mistaken, I am blind.”
The moment the noodles reached the table, Li Ce started devouring the food.
Chu Qiao was overwhelmed with awkwardness as she replied, ”Oh, excuse me.”
”It is okay,” the owner replied, before whispering, ”I've been blind since I was young, but it hasn't been that inconvenient beyond having trouble shopping for food.”
Chu Qiao started to eat her bowl of noodles, but she suddenly recalled something. ”If you cannot see, how did you know to call me 'miss'?”
”I smelled magnolia. Freshly picked magnolia, in fact.”
”Oh, I see.” Chu Qiao nodded, and marveled, ”Your sense of smell is so keen.”
”I am blind, so I have to compensate for it with my other senses.”
At this time, a drum roll could be heard. It seemed that a drama troupe had set up a stage around the corner of the street. The moment the actor started to sing, a crowd of kids swarmed around, instantly flooding the area.
The child from this noodle store was no exception, as she ran out of the shop to look for the performance. Before Chu Qiao could get a good look at her, she had already plunged into the crowd. But alas, it was a pity that she was so young, as her tiny frame was quickly squeezed back out of the crowd. Falling down, she started to wail uncontrollably.
Upon hearing the crying, the owner patted her husband's back. Noticing the crying child, the man strode up and carried the kid back. Using his sleeves, he wiped her tears off. Then he stuffed a fruit into her hand, before returning to work. The kid continued to cry, as though she had been wronged by the heavens. Observing the kid, Chu Qiao inquired, ”Li Ce, do you have kids?”
”Of course! How could I not have any when I am so popular with so many ladies?” Li Ce replied while still eating.
As though she had not heard him, Chu Qiao continued to talk, ”Being a child is great. When she is sad, she can just cry. When she is happy, she can just laugh. Everything is so simple and direct.”
”You can do that too.” Li Ce took a sip of his soup and lifted his head to meet Chu Qiao's eyes, before commenting, ”Oi, Qiao Qiao, we are eating, shall we not reflect about life in the meantime? Even the soup does not taste good anymore.”
Chu Qiao gave him a glare and went back to eating her noodles. Amidst the banging of cymbals and drums of the performance, one could hear a performer starting to sing. The tune was great, and the voice was firm, the only issue was that it is was in a dialect from the Tang Empire, so Chu Qiao could not understand it at all. Li Ce, on the other hand, paid full attention. But just before one segment even ended, he suddenly turned away and spit out a mouthful of tea!
As Li Ce turned away, Chu Qiao was lucky to have not been spat on. But the same could not be said for the kid who was sitting behind Li Ce. Her face was now covered in tea. She was so confused she stopped crying.
Li Ce immediately hurried over to wipe her face. While wiping, he did not forget to drop some compliments. ”Just by looking at your mother I knew you would be a beauty. Please excuse me.”
Chu Qiao stared at him with interest. ”What happened to you?”
Li Ce waved it off and said, ”It was nothing.”
The kid, however, trotted over and sat next to Chu Qiao. Stretching out her white chubby hand, she said, ”Give me money.”
Stunned, Chu Qiao asked, ”Money?”
The kid nodded, and elaborated, ”He dirtied my clothes. It cost two coins to wash it.”
Interested, Li Ce leaned over and asked, ”What do you need the money for?”
Looking extremely serious, the kid replied, ”I want to go watch the performance!”
”Qian'er, no such nonsense!” Frowning, the owner of the shop called the kid back, ”Come over here, do not disturb the guests!”
”It is okay, we are not hungry anyway.” Waving his hand, Li Ce shrugged it off.
Chu Qiao had not eaten for ages, so she was naturally famished. Hearing Li Ce declare that they were not hungry, she defiantly ate one big mouthful of noodles.
Holding her chin, the young girl had clearly taken an interest in Chu Qiao as she asked, ”Do you know how to sing?”
Chu Qiao shook her head and replied, ”I don't. What about you?”
Disappointed, the kid sulked. ”I don't know either.”
”But do you understand the singing?”
”Of course I can understand.” The kid looked at Chu Qiao strangely. ”You don't?”
Chu Qiao nodded.