Forced into a romantic relationship

Chapter 253 So stupid

Where are we?

Xiao Xiaoxiao opened her eyes groggily, rubbing them and looking around.

"Still on the way," the guzheng player beside her whispered.

"Oh."

The old man was still calmly describing the dangers of Beicheng back then, and it was not hard to hear the embellishment in his words, but Lin Anyu still showed his curiosity and nodded from time to time, looking like he was listening attentively.

The broken tree blocking the road was moved away soon after, and the road was clear again. The journey was still bumpy, and the old man seemed to be a little carsick, so he closed his eyes and stopped talking.

Seeing Lin Anyu breathe a sigh of relief, Bai Tongtong whispered, "You weren't listening carefully just now, were you?"

Lin Anyu shrugged: "I don't really want to hear the rest. I can still tell the difference between true stories and fantasy stories."

The old man was alright at first; although he exaggerated a lot, it was still somewhat realistic. But then he started to go on and on, telling legendary stories about how he single-handedly fought eight robbers when he was young. The whole story was full of holes, and the old man just couldn't listen to it anymore.

Some middle-aged and elderly people are like this nowadays; they start by bragging. Lin Anyu seriously suspects that they liked this kind of thing when they were young, and they even started to believe their own boasts as they bragged, which they then use as conversation topics when they get old.

Thinking of this, he whispered a reminder: "Some older men are like this nowadays. I suggest that if you hear someone start with a sentence like 'I'm not bragging,' you should take the rest as a joke."

"Since you know he's fabricating facts, why are you still pretending to listen attentively?" Bai Tongtong asked curiously.

"Give me some face, okay? Sometimes you have to pretend you know what you don't in class or at work. Just nod and agree. It's not like it'll cost you anything."

Is this a way of being considerate of other people's feelings?

"Um, probably."

"Thank you, I'll remember that."

"What did you remember? Actually, it depends on the situation..."

"..."

"These two are actually chatting. I don't think they were close in high school." Gu Zheng muttered to herself, watching the two whispering in front of her.

Xiao Xiaoxiao had already woken up, so she no longer needed to worry about whether the other person would bump their head. She sat down next to Han Zhou.

“We didn’t seem like close friends to others in high school,” Han Zhou smiled, then asked, “So, have you found a dance that’s suitable for the two of you?”

"Hmm." Gu Zheng nodded, then pouted and said, "You clearly invited me to dance, yet I have to find a dancer for you. You have no sincerity at all."

"I'm just afraid you won't like the one I find, aren't I?"

Gu Zheng rolled her eyes at him: "If you're really afraid I won't like it, you shouldn't have made any demands at all. You insist on finding a dance where you can hold hands the whole time. It's such a hassle to find one."

Although he knew she wasn't really complaining, Han Zhou still tactfully said, "Name a time, and I'll treat you to dinner."

"That's pretty much it."

Gu Zheng smiled and coughed lightly, saying casually, "I'll send you the dance video when we get back. You can practice on your own first, and then we'll rehearse together a few more times before the social event to avoid any mistakes."

"We still have to rehearse?" Han Zhou gave a wry smile. "It's just a dance party, there's no need to take it so seriously, is there?"

"You're so clumsy, what if you embarrass me?"

"I already told you that it wasn't a competitive event, so there's nothing shameful about it. Besides, I'm very confident in my physical coordination."

“I don’t have confidence in you. I’m going to wear new shoes that day, and I’m afraid you’ll step on my feet.”

"I'll just be careful where I step, and I'll make sure I don't step on anything."

"What's the point of dancing if you're always staring at your feet?" Guzheng corrected, disapprovingly. "You have to look at your partner when you're dancing!"

"Aren't feet also part of a dance partner..."

"Eyes! Look into your dance partner's eyes!"

Gu Zheng punched Han Zhou. She had already figured it out; this guy was clearly pretending to be stupid on purpose.

She was initially a little embarrassed, but now she stopped pretending. With her arms crossed, she said fiercely, "Anyway, you have to make time to rehearse with me before the social event starts, otherwise I won't dance with you."

"Okay, okay." Han Zhou chuckled, then puffed out his chest in a serious manner. "I will practice hard with the goal of 'not stepping on your feet'."

"Humph."

Gu Zheng rolled her eyes at him, then turned to look out the window.

Blue sky and white clouds, with traces of morning glow remaining.

For some unknown reason, the girl gradually narrowed her eyes and stared blankly at the birds flying in the sky.

"Han Zhou".

"Ok?"

"It's okay if you step on it."

"But you have to look me in the eyes..." she silently added in her mind, deciding to say it aloud during rehearsal.

"Oh...does that mean we don't need to rehearse anymore?"

"Think beautifully!"

……

The bus arrived at Linhai Town Station at around 10:00 AM. The bumpy ride made everyone feel uncomfortable, so they got off the bus and rested for a while before leaving the station.

According to Xiao Xiaoxiao, there is no direct bus from Linhai Town to Jianyan Village, so you need to find your own transportation. However, because the roads there are quite rugged, many drivers are unwilling to drive there. Fortunately, she knows a few drivers who are willing to go, so she doesn't need to worry about the rest of the trip.

Although Jianyan Village is very remote, Linhai Town is not as backward as people think; it is similar to an ordinary town.

"It's quite lively here." Lin Anyu looked around curiously.

"It's the weekend, and it's the Haiyan Festival recently, so it's normal for it to be a bit lively. It's usually quite quiet," Xiao Xiaoxiao explained with a yawn.

This wasn't the first time everyone had heard the term "Sea Banquet." Gu Zheng asked curiously, "Xiao Xiao, what is a Sea Banquet?" "It's a custom in Linhai Town, kind of like a festival."

Xiao Xiaoxiao explained, "As you all know, Beicheng is a coastal city with a lot of people coming and going, from all over the world. With such good conditions, the coastal town hasn't really developed its trade, but it has learned a bit about the customs of various countries. It holds events in the middle of each season, which gradually became known as the Sea Banquet. I heard that they originally wanted to promote this custom to the whole of Beicheng, but they failed."

Lin Anyu concluded, "So, this is a custom that stitches together many traditions?"

"That's one way to put it, but I only heard it from the older generation, so I don't know the specifics."

"Customs and traditions are usually formed to commemorate a certain period of history. If the sea banquet is really a mixed custom without its own commemorative significance, it is normal that it cannot be promoted," Bai Tongtong said with a smile.

"What a pity," Lin Anyu sighed.

"What's there to regret?" Xiao Xiaoxiao glanced at him.

Han Zhou explained, "What he meant was that if this custom could really be promoted in Beicheng and even the whole country, we would have another holiday."

"Hehehe, Han Zhou really understands me."

The driver Xiao Xiaoxiao mentioned who was willing to go to Jianyan Village was a local. He would go back to the village every few days to visit and was willing to give passengers rides. However, he couldn't go at noon today because it was Haiyan's turn to go on a trip with his friends. He said he could only take Han Zhou and the others to the village in the afternoon.

No one cared. It only took about forty minutes to get from Linhai Town to Jianyan Village, so it wouldn't take long. They could also take some time to wander around the town.

As a coastal city, one of the most famous products of Beicheng is seashells. Seashells of various shapes are displayed in various shops at different prices. The coastal town is no exception. During the sea banquet, you can see many stalls selling seashells on the road. Some of them seem to have just been fished out of the water, and you can smell the fishy smell when you get close.

Seeing the curiosity on everyone's faces, Xiao Xiaoxiao took on the role of guide: "Many of the seashells sold in the shops look pretty, but they have actually been slightly polished. These stalls don't have that. However, the pretty ones have basically been picked up by the shopkeepers or other customers. Whether you can find one that suits your taste depends on your skills."

Girls are basically powerless against beautiful things. Guzheng and Bai Tongtong were very interested and gathered in front of the stall to pick them out.

The vendor enthusiastically explained the origin of these seashells.

Han Zhou wasn't interested in seashells, but Gu Zheng called him over to be her "laborer." Gu Zheng thought some of the seashells were too dirty and asked him to pick them out and also help her decide which seashell looked the best.

Bai Tongtong followed suit and called Lin Anyu over as well. However, compared to Gu Zheng's domineering manner, her words were quite polite and her attitude was impeccable.

Xiao Xiaoxiao stood still. Although she wasn't a native of Beicheng, she had seen far too many seashells since she was a child. This kind of common seashell, which could be picked up in large quantities, was simply not worth her attention.

About ten minutes later, Gu Zheng and Bai Tongtong finished selecting their shells and came over with a few shells, looking quite satisfied. Han Zhou and Lin Anyu were a little slower because they needed to wash their hands.

Faced with the two girls' questions, Xiao Xiaomian reluctantly gave a "not bad" rating, then proudly stated that she had even better seashells in her collection at home.

The sea banquet was somewhat like a large trade fair. Along the way, you could see all kinds of stalls, and the aroma of food kept wafting into your nose. Games like balloon popping were everywhere. Gu Zheng excitedly tried it out and easily won a prize. She even let Han Zhou try it out too.

Han Zhou shook his head to indicate that he was not interested. In reality, he was well aware of his own limitations. He knew that his shooting skills at shooting balloons were terrible, a fact he had known since he went to play with Mo Yixia during the summer vacation. There was no need to spend money and embarrass himself.

In addition, there were games such as ring toss and pinball throwing. Everyone tried them out. During the process, Gu Zheng showed amazing gaming talent and won many of the big prizes, which amazed Xiao Xiaoxiao.

She had fantasized about this moment since she was a child, that she was a great gamer who could easily win big prizes in any game, so that she could have lots of toys. She never thought that her fantasy would become a reality today, but the protagonist was not herself, but this girl named Guzheng.

As Gu Zheng's high school classmates, Han Zhou and the others were also surprised, but they were somewhat prepared, thinking that it was probably related to her well-developed athletic ability.

Gu Zheng, who had won many prizes, was like a triumphant general. Her eyes crinkled and her face was full of pride. Suddenly, she asked, "Speaking of which, Xiao Xiao, I've been wanting to ask you before, where did you buy these earrings? They're so pretty, I want to buy a pair too."

Xiao Xiaoxiao proudly touched her earlobe and said, "This is priceless; you can't buy it."

Han Zhou looked surprised: "Did you make this yourself?"

Although the workmanship of these silver rose earrings is exquisite, it is not too complicated. It is easy to mass-produce them industrially, and they should be available for purchase. That is why he suspected that Xiao Xiaoxiao made these earrings herself. Handmade products are unique and can be considered priceless treasures.

"I wish I had that skill." Xiao Xiao rolled her eyes at him and said irritably, "This was a gift from someone."

"A gift... Since it's priceless, it must have a very important meaning to you, right?" Bai Tongtong asked curiously.

"Yes, it's very important."

Seeing that the guy's head was practically pointing to the sky, Han Zhou joked, "Was it a gift from someone you like?"

Xiao Xiaoxiao said with a disdainful look, "More important than the person I like."

"Family?" Lin Anyu asked tentatively.

"More important than family."

"..."

As they chatted and strolled around, time slowly passed. Just as they were about to meet the driver, they stopped in front of a tree covered with wooden signs.

The wooden signs have words written on them, and a small string of wind chimes hangs below them. When the wind blows, all the wooden signs sway and make a crisp, melodious sound.

Without any explanation, everyone could understand the meaning of these wooden plaques. The words on them were clearly wishes left by others, and as long as the plaque with the wish written on it was hung on the tree, the wish would come true.

Lin Anyu suggested, "Since we've come all this way, let's write down our wishes too."

Everyone else had the same idea, and wanted to leave a memento here. They quickly bought wooden plaques and began writing their wishes at the table.

Han Zhou had just put down his pen when Gu Zheng leaned closer, puzzled, and asked, "'May Brother Cheng protect you, but may you never be struck by a woodcutter'... What does that mean? And who is Brother Cheng?"

“An angel with many wings, I hope he can bless me with good health and prevent me from encountering any accidents in the future.”

"With me here, are you afraid of encountering any accidents?" Guzheng snorted.

Han Zhou was taken aback for a moment, then chuckled and said, "You can't be here all the time."

Gu Zheng wanted to refute, but it was indeed the case. She couldn't stay by Han Zhou's side forever. She pouted and said, "Well, it's still better than praying to this vague and ethereal Brother Cheng, right?"

"How stupid! You could have changed your wish to have me stay by your side forever..." she thought sullenly.

“It’s different. Brother Cheng was an expert in this field when he was alive, so it’s more effective to make a wish to him.”

Han Zhou brushed it off without changing his expression, then turned to look at the wooden plaque on the guzheng and laughed, "'Always number one,' huh? That's just your style."

Gu Zheng rolled her eyes at him with some dissatisfaction. To be number one, she only needed to rely on herself. Her real wish was actually on the other side of the wooden plaque.

The more she thought about it, the more depressed she became. Taking advantage of Han Zhou's inattention, she wrote another line of small characters under the wooden sign.

"I want to be even better than Cheng-ge!"

(End of this chapter)