Repeatedly broken branches

After a day's work at the dye shop, Xie Huai and Xiao Mu earned a total of four taels of silver, enough to rent a carriage to return to the capital. However, it was already very late, and the carriage companies had all closed for the day. The earliest carriages available for rent would not be available until dawn.

"Xie Qing, Xiao Mu, are you coming to our candy festival tonight?"

As Xiao Mu and Xie Huai were about to return to the inn, Wang Ning called out to them from behind and extended a sincere invitation.

"Cloth? Sugar Festival?"

Wang Ning smiled and said, "Yes, it's a traditional festival at the dyehouse. My aunt's dyehouse only dyes one batch of cloth a year because there isn't enough material. But selling this batch of cloth is enough for the workers to live on for a year. If you're free tonight, you can come to the backyard of the dyehouse and celebrate the Cloth Candy Festival with us."

"Good good!"

Xie Huai asked, "Are we really going to go and celebrate this so-called Sugar Festival with them?"

Xiao Mu looked at him and smiled. "They've already invited us, so let's go. We're not leaving until tomorrow anyway."

Are you feeling better?

She tilted her head to look at him, her eyes flickering slightly, and said without changing her expression, "I'm all better now. It was just temporary. I feel really smelly. I need to go back and take a shower and change my clothes... Luckily, I didn't lose my clothes. I'll go back dressed clean!"

"Then you go by yourself. I'm exhausted after a long day, I'm not in the mood for that!" Xie Huai turned and went into the inn.

Xiao Mu returned to the inn and immediately took a bath, changing back into the light blue dress she had worn before. She was no longer the dirty, slovenly girl she had been moments before.

Washing away the day's fatigue and gaining comfort in the present moment, she drank a bowl of chicken soup for dinner and felt quite full. Actually, she deliberately ate very little because there would definitely be a lot of delicious food at the Sugar Festival later, and she wanted to save room for those delicious foods.

After leaving the room, Xie Huai was nowhere to be seen. That's right, he didn't seem to have said he would accept Wang Ning's invitation. This guy just likes to make himself stand out. If he doesn't go, then Xiao Mu will go by herself.

There weren't many pedestrians on the street, probably because they were all going to the Sugar Festival. She was quite curious because she had never heard of this festival before.

Hmph, just as I arrived at the entrance of the dye house, I saw a familiar figure standing under a tree, head bowed and pacing back and forth.

Xiao Mu stepped forward and deliberately mocked, "Didn't someone say they weren't coming? How come they're here before me?"

Xie Huai raised his head and said confidently, "Wang Ning also invited me. I'll come if I want to. Stop talking and let's go in and take a look!" After saying that, he walked ahead and entered the courtyard.

There were so many people gathered here, it must be the whole town. There were several long tables arranged around a stage, and people sat around the tables. There were several stages, but almost all of them were full.

Wang Ning spotted them immediately. He excitedly stood up, waved back at them, and shouted, "Xie Qing, Xiao Mu, come here quickly!"

It turned out that Wang Ning had already reserved seats for them, so they had a place to sit as soon as they arrived.

Xiao Mu asked with a grin, "Wang Ning, what are we going to do at the Sugar Festival?"

Wang Ning said unhurriedly, "It's just people in town gathering together to drink tea, chat, and eat candy. They mainly eat the maltose candy made by the host family. Try it, it's delicious." He pointed to a piece of candy wrapped in a piece of blue dyed cloth in front of Xiao Mu.

Xiao Mu's eyes sparkled as she gently peeled back the dyed cloth. Inside, there was another layer of kraft paper, and at the very bottom, a pile of small, square-shaped pieces of maltose. They were almost all the same size and looked as beautiful as crystals. She had never eaten maltose like this before.

She eagerly picked up a piece and popped it into her mouth. It was sweet, but not cloying; it was a light, refreshing sweetness, unlike the artificial sweetness of saccharin. It was subtly sweet, delicious, and not cloying at all. It also had a delicate fruity flavor. The sweetness must have come from the juice itself.

"What kind of candy is this, Wang Ning?"

Wang Ning said earnestly, "This is plum juice candy, made with bayberry juice. Can't you taste the sourness? Because it's made with pure sweet bayberries. And the dyed cloth wrapped around the maltose in front of you, you made that by yourselves today!"

Xiao Mu then realized that the fabric that had been unraveled in front of her was the yellow dye she had used that day. She remembered that she had used this dye to paint Xie Huai's face.

Then look at the purple cloth wrapped around the maltose in front of Xie Huai. They dyed it together today. How interesting, extremely interesting.

She ate a piece of Xie Huai's maltose, which was surprisingly peach-flavored, while Wang Ning's was apricot-flavored. Wang Ning explained that everyone's maltose has a different flavor, and there may be some repetitions, but it is very rare.

Next, the town's girls and boys performed a song and dance. They sang "The Dyeing Song" in the local dialect, which Xiao Mu and Xie Huai couldn't understand. However, the joyful smiles on their faces were full of vitality and deeply touched Xiao Mu's emotions.

"Now I would like to invite five couples to come up."

"me!"

The young couples in the audience were eager to try, but only four couples managed to get together.

Wang Ning looked at Xiao Mu and Xie Huai and said, "Why don't you two go up too? You're siblings anyway, it's okay, just make up the numbers."

"No way." Xiao Mu refused directly. She was a married woman, how could she show her face in public with Xie Huai as a couple?

The flame that had ignited in Xie Huai's heart was instantly extinguished.

"It's okay, it's just a ceremony. If we can't get five couples together, we can't proceed. Please help us, Xiao Mu, Xie Qing." Wang Ning looked at them with pleading eyes.

Xiao Mu's attitude was firm: "No, we are...brother and sister, not a couple. What's the point of going up there?"

Xie Huai lowered his head and looked at the ground, saying, "Yes, no, we're just siblings." No one noticed his disappointment.

"Oh dear, you're siblings, so go on up there. What are you dawdling about? Do you want us to keep begging you?"

"Yes, otherwise why would you come to the Sugar Festival? You don't follow our rules at all. But what can we do when you're a man and a woman?"

"It's pointless, there's no need to be so sentimental."

The villagers sitting below the stage were all criticizing Xiao Mu and Xie Huai. Xie Huai was furious and slammed his fist on the table.

"Then why don't you just send up a man and a woman? Why do you have to send us?"

One of the men, a dark-skinned and thin one, glared at Wang Ning and cursed, "It's all your fault! What are you doing bringing in all these random outsiders? You can't even meet this simple request! What kind of person are you?"

Wang Ning was speechless and silently blamed himself, lowering his head.

Xiao Mu couldn't bear it, so she grabbed Xie Huai's arm and went up on stage, standing in the far left position.

Xie Huai stared in astonishment at Xiao Mu's resolute expression, his heart pounding. He gasped in shock. This wasn't the Xiao Mu he knew; she was never swayed by anyone.

There was nothing she could do; she couldn't bear to see Wang Ning being criticized for nothing. So what if he went on stage? She wanted to see what other trouble he might cause.

A dozen or so people came up, each carrying a torch, and circled the five couples together. Under the blazing firelight, Xiao Mu and Xie Huai became the focus even though they were standing on the side. The people below the stage thought they were a perfect match, like a golden couple.

A thick hemp rope hung in the air. A woman draped in colorful dyed cloth grasped the rope and slowly descended, stopping in mid-air. The dyed cloth draped over her shoulders was five colors and extremely beautiful. She looked up at the moon with a devout expression, offering the most beautiful blessing.

"Moon Goddess, please bless these five couples before me, bless them to never be separated for all eternity, bless them to live in harmony and happiness, and wish them a long and lasting relationship! Moon Goddess, please bless our town with favorable weather, the villagers with health and peace, and the dyeing workshop with prosperous business!"

Xiao Mu glanced awkwardly at Xie Huai, whose expression was focused and serious. He was as attentive as if he were in class. What was he thinking?

As soon as the girl finished speaking, all the villagers below the stage knelt down and kowtowed three times to her. The girl then pulled herself down with the rope and slowly landed on the ground.

The girl walked up to Xie Huai and Xiao Mu and handed each of them a love knot, woven with five-colored silk threads.

"I wish you a long and happy life together."

Xiao Mu smiled politely and tucked the love knot into her sleeve.

Xie Huai also tucked the love knot into his sleeve. A fleeting smile appeared on his lips.

Back in her seat, Xiao Mu looked at Wang Ning beside her and asked, "By the way, Wang Ning, who exactly is that Moon Goddess Princess that the older sister was talking about?"

"It's a god worshipped by our people. Legend has it that he lives on the moon and blesses our clan's couples to have long-lasting relationships, as well as the elderly and children to be safe and healthy, and so on... He's very effective. Would you like to go and ask for a blessing too?"

Xiao Mu lowered her eyes and pondered for a moment before raising her head to ask, "How do I ask?"

Wang Ning pointed to the wooden box behind the girl and said with a smile, "Write what you want to say on a piece of paper, Mingmeng, and she will pass it on to Princess Moon."

Xiao Mu chuckled. Although she didn't believe it, she still asked Wang Ning for a piece of paper and a pen.

Xie Huai stood behind her. When he saw the line she had written, he felt a sharp pain in his eyes and his heart skipped a beat, as if he had been stabbed for no reason.

May Yu Yanjing be safe and sound, and may we be together day and night, year after year.

A sarcastic smile crept onto his lips. Wasn't what she wanted the truth? She was someone else's wife; what was wrong with that?

She handed the note to the girl named Mingmeng, looked up at the beautiful Mingmeng, and said excitedly, "Miss Mingmeng, please be sure to tell Princess Moon Goddess my wish, thank you."

Mingmeng smiled sweetly, "Of course." After saying that, she opened the note and couldn't help but ask, "Is Young Master Yu the boy behind you?"

Xiao Mu didn't want her lie to be exposed, so she smiled without saying a word. Ming Meng seemed to understand something and put the note into the wooden box behind her.

On the way back, Xiao Mu vaguely felt something poking her hand in her sleeve. When she took it out, she found it was the love knot.

"This isn't really suitable for me to keep, I should just throw it away." With that, she casually tossed the love knot into the roadside bushes.

Xie Huai felt extremely bitter. He knew that Xiao Mu's actions were right, but he still couldn't help feeling sad. He could only blame himself for not being able to control his thoughts.

She suddenly stopped and turned to look at him, asking in a light voice, "By the way, Xie Huai, where's your love knot? Take it out and I'll throw it away with you."

Xie Huai coldly replied, "Do you think I would keep something like that?"

Xiao Mu blinked. "What do you mean?"

"I lost it a long time ago, you just didn't notice. I would never keep something like that."

Xie Huai suddenly quickened his pace and walked ahead of Xiao Mu, as if he had done something wrong and was afraid of being discovered. Even his back looked guilty.

Back at the inn, he locked himself in his room without saying a word, which made Xiao Mu even more certain that men also have those abnormal days every month.

The next day, Xiao Mu wanted to ask the innkeeper Xie Huai where he had gone, and why no one could be seen when passing by his house.

But just as she came downstairs, the innkeeper called her back and told her that the carriage was already waiting outside, and that Xie Huai had gone back first, so she shouldn't go looking for him.

Xiao Mu was extremely puzzled. Xie Huai and she had used all their money to rent this carriage, so how did he get back? He was such a strange person; why did he leave without saying goodbye?

She cursed Xie Huai in her heart for a long time before calming down and angrily got into the carriage.

Xiao Shao and Ruan Cifeng waited idly in the teahouse. The clinic hadn't been open for two days either. Although Xiao Shao had an indescribable feeling in her heart, finding Xiao Mu was still the priority.

"Old Cai, give me a bowl of beef soup."

It was Xie Huai's voice. Upon hearing Xie Huai's voice, Xiao Shao and Ruan Cifeng both stood up and looked at Xie Huai, who was standing at the door, looking tired and travel-worn.

Ruan Cifeng strode forward, grabbed his arm, and asked through gritted teeth, "Where's Xiaozhi? Why didn't she come back with you?"

Xie Huai released his hand and said slowly, "Why didn't you ask me how I got back? I rode a horse all night, and this is how you treat your brother?"

Ruan Cifeng stared at him angrily and asked, "Where is Xiaozhi?"

"She's fine. She should arrive in the capital this afternoon. If you want to see her, go back to the palace and wait. I'm starving." After saying that, he shouted to the kitchen, "Old Cai, I don't want cilantro!"

Ruan Cifeng walked out of the teahouse like a different person, opened the door of the clinic next door, and knowing that she was safe, he was in the mood to examine her.

Xie Huai sat in the chair, looked at Xiao Shao sitting there dumbfounded, and chuckled, "Why don't you go and take a look?"

"Is there any need for that? He... he can do whatever he wants. I think... as long as he's happy, that's all that matters."

That's fine, as long as he's happy.

"Knowing he doesn't love you, you still marry him. Have you been happy during this time? Don't just think about his happiness; are you happy too?"

Xiao Shao forced a smile and said, "I'm happy." But inside, she was already riddled with holes. She would rather Ruan Cifeng treat her badly than be treated like a stranger, with polite formalities but not even a casual chat. Such a life was terrifying, so terrifying.

Xie Huai smiled helplessly. As an observer, he could see everything clearly. Xiao Shao was in pain, and Ruan Cifeng was in pain too. In this game, only Yu Yanjing and Xiao Mu were happy. He was also a character suffering in the game... except that his pain was not as intense because he... did not make love the entirety of his life.

Just last night, he suddenly had a change of heart. What was the point of tricking Xiao Mu into coming to the small town to live together? She would have to go back sooner or later. Wouldn't it be better to maintain this relationship?

That night, Mingmeng's blessing was like a sharp blade, piercing his heart, because he knew... everything was fake, the blessing was fake, they were not a couple, how could they accept the blessing of the Moon Goddess?

The only person she ever loved was Yu Yanjing, and he, from beginning to end, should never have had any connection with her.