met free Chapter 50 Temple Fair
Chapter 50 Temple Fair
Yan Yu's hand seemed to have just been taken out of an ice cellar. The moment it was placed on Yan Xun's knee, Yan Xun wondered if he would get rheumatism and couldn't help but shiver.
Sun Zhao watched their interaction. He looked at Yan Yu and then at Yan Xun, saying, "You two don't look alike."
Compared to Yan Yu, whose features resemble ink paintings, Yan Xun's features are more striking. In the words of marketing accounts, she can be considered a "striking beauty." The two also have completely different styles of dress. Yan Xun wears a T-shirt, shorts, and sneakers, while Yan Yu looks like she's afraid of the cold and wants to button her clothes up to her throat.
As Sun Zhao spoke, she quietly approached Yan Xun and whispered, "Is he really your cousin?"
Sun Zhao's voice wasn't exactly quiet; at least Yan Xun felt that the person next to him, as long as their hearing was fine, would definitely be able to hear it.
He grabbed Yan Yu's sleeve, pulled his hand aside, and then said to Sun Zhao, "I've never seen him before."
Sun Zhao's eyes widened, as if to say, "How dare this swindler be so audacious as to impersonate a relative?!"
"Don't listen to his nonsense!" Father Yan spoke up again from the front, "He hasn't been back here since he was born, if it weren't for Yan Yu's marriage..."
He paused awkwardly at this point, as if omitting something, "It's normal that he hasn't met his cousin."
Yan Yu sat down next to Yan Xun, smiled, and didn't seem to find Sun Zhao's question offensive.
He looked at his hand, which Yan Xun had pulled aside, and rubbed his fingertips slightly before saying to Yan Xun, "I've heard of you before."
"If I could, I would also like to visit big cities."
This was originally a very ordinary sentence, but Yan's mother suddenly slammed on the brakes—causing the bodies of the people in the back seat to lurch forward involuntarily—Yan Xun, bracing himself against the front seat, asked, "Mom?"
"Oh, something just darted out," said Mother Yan. "I didn't expect there to be so many small animals here at night."
"Could it be some kind of shaman?" Father Yan said somewhat apprehensively. "Be careful when you open it."
Yan Yu's words were naturally interrupted.
Yan Xun glanced at Yan Yu beside him, "You've been staying in the village the whole time and haven't left?"
Yan Yu nodded. "The signal is bad in the village, so I can only read books most of the time." He told Yan Xun, "I can only go out and join in the fun during the temple fair."
"Speaking of which, the temple fair will be held this month this year."
Yan Yu said to Yan Xun, "If you're interested, I can show you around."
"Don't bother your cousin unless it's important," Father Yan said again from the front seat. "When the temple fair starts, your cousin will be very busy. He'll have to make decisions about many of the sacrificial items."
"Sacrifice?"
Seemingly noticing Yan Xun's confusion, Yan Yu took the initiative to speak, "The temple fairs in Wusheng Village every year, big and small, are all related to sacrificial rites."
"The biggest temple fair is held on the day of one's birthday, and this year it's summer."
"There's also one around the Lunar New Year, and of course, there's a big celebration three weeks after the Autumn Equinox."
Yan Yu touched the layers of jewelry on her body. "In another week, before my wedding, there will be the biggest sacrificial ceremony of the year."
"These are also worn on the body during sacrificial rites."
Upon hearing this, Yan Xun stared at the jewelry around his neck and chest. He couldn't discern the material of these items; they seemed to be a mixture of colored gemstones and natural minerals. However, each piece was polished to a glossy sheen, making them appear to be antique objects.
"Curious?" Yan Yu asked softly.
He didn't know when, but he was already extremely close to Yan Xun, his arm almost touching Yan Xun's shoulder.
The back seat wasn't very spacious to begin with. Not only was Yan Yu's arm touching Yan Xun's shoulder, but Sun Zhao's trouser leg was also touching Yan Xun's knee. Sun Zhao's huge hiking backpack was also placed in the gap between his legs, so he alone took up a lot of space in the back seat. No wonder the three of them were crammed together in the back.
"Do you want to touch it?" Yan Yu tilted his head and looked at Yan Xun.
He reached out and lifted one of the strings of beads that hung down to his waist... Yan Yu looked up at Yan Xun, and stretched out his other hand, as if asking Yan Xun to extend his hand as well.
Yan Yu's movements were so natural, and Yan Xun was indeed curious about what was on him. Just as he was about to reach out, Yan's father in front said again—
"You child!"
"Your cousin is being polite to you, but you're really not being polite at all."
"Those are ancestral jewelry worn during sacrificial rites, so don't touch them carelessly."
Yan Xun's hand suddenly stopped.
He looked at Yan Yu and said, "Thank you, cousin, but I'd better not touch it."
Yan Yu shook his head and said to his father in front of him, "It's alright."
"Although it's something used by priests..."
"On the day of the blessing, everyone will come and touch it."
“It won’t hurt if my cousin touches it now.”
He turned to Yan Xun and said, "If you're still interested, you can come find me." He spoke softly, more like coaxing a child than talking to a soon-to-be college student.
Yan Xun: "..."
He couldn't help but rub his goosebumps.
He simply couldn't stand that way of speaking.
"Oh, that's interesting?" Sun Zhao looked at the beaded bracelet on Yan Yu's hand. "Speaking of which, when I was in school, I even participated in the school's folk custom interest group..."
"This is the first time I've ever seen jewelry worn during a sacrificial ceremony."
"I heard these are all old objects that have been 'spirited'?"
Yan Yu returned to his original sitting posture, his hands resting on his knees, his sleeves long enough to cover his hands... He seemed to have no patience for Sun Zhao, a complete stranger, and upon hearing his words, he simply said, "It's just something in a movie, don't take it seriously."
He glanced at Yan Xun's knees out of the corner of his eye. "It's a bit cold in the village."
Did you bring long pants?
Yan Xun had no idea whether he had brought it or not, but he still nodded.
Yan Yu didn't continue speaking. He seemed to have been away from other people in the village for too long, and seeing his distant cousin Yan Xun made him feel an overwhelming sense of closeness.
Yan Xun looked at his profile and asked, "How old are you this year?"
"Me?" Yan Yu pondered for a moment, "28."
"You've stayed in the village the whole time and never left?"
Yan Yu nodded.
"You didn't go to school either...?" Yan Xun asked, trying to sound casual.
Hearing Yan Xun's words, Yan Yu gently shook his head, "I've always stayed in the village and never left."
He looked at Yan Xun and said, "It would be great if you could tell me about what's happening outside the village."
"I've heard that the outside world is very interesting."
"And what about your wife?" Yan Xun asked.
“My wife…?” Yan Yu repeated Yan Xun’s words.
How did you two meet?
Yan Yu looked at Yan Xun, then shook his head.
Yan Xun didn't understand his meaning and pressed further, "Is it a secret? Can't I tell you?"
“We…” Yan Yu looked at Yan Xun, then avoided his gaze, “You’ll find out in a few days.”