Chapter 346 Discovered
The peaceful city center with the arrival of the New Year was not darkened early at night like in the past. As soon as Bai Lingshan came out of the supermarket, she was attracted by the decorative lights and loud firecrackers and fireworks all over the street.
I thought the usually bustling Yuewan Night Market would be even more prosperous during the Chinese New Year, but when I actually walked in, I found that it was empty and extremely dark.
The neon lights and the crowds were all just her imagination. Even the most basic street lights had stopped working early.
They all went home for the New Year.
Bai Lingshan planned to walk around and leave, but when she walked to a snack shop, she saw an old lady taking a nap.
She remembered this shop. It was the place where Camellia Bird asked for candy back then. The only difference was that the person in charge was different.
Perhaps the old lady felt someone approaching, so she stood up excitedly, but when she stuck her head out and saw Bai Lingshan greeting her, the old lady's expression became lost.
Bai Lingshan smiled awkwardly, "Happy New Year, grandma."
Looking down at this set of clothes from the country of Jingdu, people would not like such strange clothes.
After all, what kind of girl from a good family would dress like this in the middle of winter?
At this time, the old lady looked a little impatient, and casually pointed at the table shelf where things were placed: "You want to buy something? There are not many things left tonight. Let's see if there is anything you want."
Bai Lingshan wanted to buy some candy, so after saying "oh", she started looking for it.
The place where the sugar was placed was not very conspicuous, so she looked for it for a long time.
"Granny, I want that."
At this time, the old lady's gaze also followed her and looked over there.
"How much?" Although she didn't bring her cell phone, she took a small amount of cash.
But when the old lady saw the ten yuan in her hand, her eyes dimmed suddenly, and then she hesitated for a long time before she was willing to take the candy.
"I have two more here."
"I just need one."
Hearing the old lady say this, Bai Lingshan quickly replied.
The old lady smiled.
"Today is New Year's Eve, and this candy is selling very fast. I have a son who was supposed to come home with his wife and children today, so I left two candies for him. But a few hours ago, my son called and said he would not be coming back again, so this candy... my son must have something important to do if he didn't come home. My daughter, if you want some, I'll give it to you. No money required."
Bai Lingshan blinked stupidly, and the old lady grabbed her hand which was suspended in the air. Although the old lady's hands were rough and wrinkled, she felt extremely warm when she held her hand. Bai Lingshan looked at the two lollipops put into her hands, and her heart trembled involuntarily.
"Tomorrow... aren't they coming?" Bai Lingshan asked weakly, looking at her, "If they come..."
The old lady shook her head and smiled, "They live too far from here. If they don't come back today, they won't come back." Then she looked up at the night sky filled with the smell of fireworks and touched the summer hat on her head that was worn for the wrong season. "This hat was given to me by my son when he came to see me in the summer. He also came over on New Year's Day...ah."
The old lady sighed, and some moisture appeared in her old eyes. Then she turned her back and gently wiped away her tears where Bai Lingshan couldn't see.
"…It's too cold tonight. I, the old lady, have to go back early."
When she looked into Bai Lingshan's eyes again, a smile appeared on her face again. Then, Bai Lingshan walked out of the shop, turned off the lights and locked the door.
At dusk, fireworks filled the sky. Bai Lingshan also left the Moon Night Market, watching the old lady leaving with a flashlight. With the help of the Leaping Spell, she returned to her home where she had lived for seventeen years in ten minutes.
The area around her home is not like the usual densely packed small bungalows, but rather a collection of scattered two-story buildings with their own independent yards.
Red firecracker shells are scattered on the ground in front of each house, and couplets and lanterns celebrate the New Year together.
Bai Lingshan stood in front of the iron gate of her house, looking at everything in the yard.
Colored lights, empty shells of fireworks, and the strong smell of gunpowder in the air are all filled with the atmosphere of the Chinese New Year.
With a light leap, Bai Lingshan hid in a corner of the yard as swift as a sword.
It was not dark in the courtyard, so her white dress would not be too conspicuous. Bai Lingshan walked lightly towards the house in the moonlight, secretly peeking into the hall across the window.
In the living room, a 55-inch LCD TV was playing this year's Spring Festival Gala, and sitting opposite the TV were her parents and herself.
Bai Lingshan stretched her neck to take a closer look and saw that the reflection that replaced her at home was watching TV and eating melon seeds.
At this moment, it seemed that twelve o'clock in the morning had arrived. Fireworks bloomed in the sky one after another, and people in the house laughed constantly. In the huge and peaceful city, it seemed that only Bai Lingshan was hiding in the dark, blowing in the cold wind.
Poor and lonely.
But she didn't have much time to stay here, even if she could only watch from afar. Bai Lingshan sighed regretfully, and then put on the half-face mask she had been holding in her hand.
Well, she is going back to the country of Jingdu.
But just as she was about to move, a shadow elongated and deformed by the moonlight and colored lights broke into her sight under her feet. Bai Lingshan was instinctively startled. How could someone else appear so late at night?
Bai Lingshan boldly took a sneak peek and happened to see Yin Sha glaring at her fiercely.
"Who are you! Why are you here!?"
"..." Bai Lingshan was shocked when she heard the voice and didn't dare to breathe.
She couldn't let any third person know that she had sneaked back to see her family, so she didn't say a word even though Yin Sha got close to her.
"Are you Xiao Bai? Are you... the real Xiao Bai?"
But her second sentence made her break out in a cold sweat.
Fortunately, Yin Sha's tone of uncertainty was strong, and she was wearing different clothes and covering her face than usual, so she could use the presence of the mirror image to confuse the attention on her.
"Say something." Yin Sha's low voice seemed to be avoiding the people in the room. Bai Lingshan had no choice but to change her voice, "Who is Xiaobai? You recognized the wrong person."
"Admit your mistake?"
That night, the flashing fireworks really dazzled Yin Sha. She looked directly at her when she said this. Even the only recognizable voice was different. How could people make a judgment like this?
(End of this chapter)
