Fayin Temple held a temple fair every year from the first to the fifteenth of the first lunar month.
The common people had always revered the deities. Most of them went to the temple fair not just to join in the fun, but to pray for blessings and good fortune.
After breakfast, An Sheng ordered Wu Da to gather a group of guards and hidden sentries, and brought along two maidservants skilled in martial arts. Only then did the grand procession set off.
Inside the carriage, A Mei sat closely next to An Sheng, clutching a delicate hand warmer. Her eyes curved into crescents, showing her joy and anticipation. "This is A Mei's first time visiting a temple fair. I've only ever heard others talk about it before."
An Sheng chuckled softly, leaning lazily against the back of the carriage with a faint expression. "I went a few times in my early years with the masters I served. There really wasn't much to see."
A Mei tilted her head and leaned against An Sheng's arm. Holding the hand warmer in her left hand, she pulled one of An Sheng's large hands over with her right, placing it onto the warmer together. "Husband, you said it yourself, that was in your early years. It must be different now. Besides, Husband is different from before too."
An Sheng turned his head and lowered his gaze, his eyes falling on the hair whorl atop A Mei's head resting against his arm. He raised an eyebrow slightly, a gentle smile lifting the corners of his lips. "Then A Mei, tell me, how is it different?"
A Mei suddenly sat up straight. Turning sideways, she looked up to meet An Sheng's eyes, her bright, watery gaze filled with joy and pride. "Now, Husband is a very powerful official. And, you also have A Mei."
An Sheng's smile deepened. "Indeed, it is very different."
Suddenly, An Sheng's thoughts drifted far away. He recalled leisurely, "It's been almost ten years in the blink of an eye. Back then, I was about the same age you are now. It was a time when I was solely focused on making a mark for myself. I spent my days flattering others, bowing and scraping, doing everything I could to curry favor with the masters just to climb the ladder. With my mind preoccupied like that, how could I possibly care about the scenery or worldly distractions?"
These light words fell heavily on A Mei's ears, making her heart ache. With a pained expression, she gently stroked An Sheng's cheek, her voice trembling slightly. "Husband had such a difficult time in the past."
An Sheng narrowed his eyes slightly, savoring the soft warmth on his cheek. A mocking curve appeared at the corner of his mouth. "Hmph, there were many who had it much harder than I did. It's just that, in the end, my luck was a little better than theirs, which allowed me to survive and have the last laugh."
A Mei moved both hands from An Sheng's face to his neck. Then, clinging to his nape, she twisted her body and shifted onto him, planting herself firmly on his lap.
Leaning against him as if she were boneless, A Mei spoke in a soft, sweet voice, "A Mei doesn't care about anyone else. A Mei only feels for her own husband."
"Husband, if only A Mei could have been by your side and married you back then."
An Sheng embraced the soft, delicate figure in his arms. It took a long while before the stirring in his heart finally settled.
After an unknown amount of time, An Sheng suddenly let out a low chuckle, a look of helpless amusement appearing on his face. "What nonsense are you talking about? If I had married at that age, my godfather wouldn't have brought back an eight or nine-year-old girl to be my wife."
A Mei hummed coquettishly. "You never know. In the village next to ours, there were people who took in child brides. They were brought home at a very young age too."
Suddenly, A Mei grew serious. She pouted her small lips and glared at An Sheng. "Husband, let A Mei ask you: if Godfather really had taken A Mei in as your child bride back then, would Husband still have liked A Mei?"
An Sheng felt a faint headache coming on. He had always been a man who calculated every move and planned thoroughly. In the past, he would have sneered at discussing such hypothetical matters. But now, facing the relentless, charming, and delicate look of his little wife in his arms, he couldn't harden his heart to shatter her fantasies. He had no choice but to coax her, "Yes, yes, yes. A Mei is so cute and obedient, anyone who saw you would like you immensely."
A Mei was satisfied. Her small face immediately broke into a bright smile. She was so thrilled and joyful that she would have jumped up if An Sheng hadn't been holding her waist firmly.
An Sheng was speechless.
Before long, the carriage came to a halt. It wasn't that they had arrived at Fayin Temple, but rather the road ahead was simply too crowded. The An family's carriage was too wide to pass through.
An Sheng then led A Mei out of the carriage.
A Mei had been to lantern festivals and markets, but this was indeed her first time at a temple fair. Although it wasn't as boisterous as the lantern festival, it was still bustling with voices. Starting from Fayin Temple, the official road stretching for miles was lined with all sorts of stalls. The ones selling incense, candles, and offerings were especially numerous, dazzling the eyes of the onlookers.
A Mei happily ran about, looking at everything. An Sheng walked slower, steadily following behind her. Whenever he saw A Mei take a liking to something, he would signal his subordinates to buy it.
In just a short while, before they even reached Fayin Temple, several guards, including Wu Da, were carrying various items in their hands.
Even An Sheng was holding a set of incense sticks and candles with distinct patterns. Helplessly resting a hand against his forehead, he said with a half-smile, "Madam, with such generous purchases, I can guarantee that the Buddha will surely grant your wishes."
A Mei knew perfectly well that her husband was teasing her. She turned around, stuck her tongue out at An Sheng, and said in a crisp, sweet voice, "I don't care, they all look quite nice, so we should buy more. Can one ever have too many of these things?"
At that moment, the crowd surged on the street, and two older children came running from the side. A Mei didn't notice when she turned back around and was about to be bumped into by them.
A Mei widened her eyes slightly, but before she could dodge, a hand reached out, grabbed hers, and gently pulled her to the side. An Sheng's doting, soft voice rang in her ear. "There are more and more people now. Remember to watch your step. It's fine if you bump into others, but if someone bumps into you, I'm the one who will feel the heartache."
These words made A Mei's small face inexplicably flush red. Her heart pounded uncontrollably, feeling as sweet as if she had eaten honey. The corners of her mouth couldn't stop rising, but feeling a bit embarrassed in broad daylight, she simply looked away. Gazing at the bustling crowd nearby, she pointed somewhere to change the subject. "Are they selling candied haws over there? A Mei wants to eat some. Does Husband want any?"
An Sheng nodded.
As A Mei walked toward the stall, she said, "Then Husband wait for me, A Mei will go buy them."
"Mm, take your time," An Sheng stood in place with his hands behind his back, watching her and waiting.
Soon, A Mei trotted back holding a stick of candied haws, her face still flushed, perhaps from the exertion.
As soon as she reached An Sheng, she muttered softly, "They sold out so fast, this was the last stick."
Saying this, she held the candied haws up to An Sheng's eyes with a bright smile. "Husband, you eat first. A Mei will buy more later if we run into another seller."
An Sheng reached out to take the candied haws, but once he had them in his hand, he brought them to A Mei's pouting red lips, his expression focused and serious:
"You eat first. Taste it and see if it's sweet."
A Mei didn't have time to overthink and instinctively took a bite. She immediately scrunched up her little face and was just about to open her mouth to say it was sour.
Then she saw her husband bring the candied haws to his own lips and take a bite right where A Mei had just bitten.
Then he narrowed his eyes, carefully savoring the taste as he swallowed. Turning to A Mei with a gentle smile, he said, "It tastes incredibly sweet to me."
A Mei: ...
A Mei's face instantly flushed an even deeper shade of red.
