Chapter 276: A Loaf Of Bread
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He could see her eyes went big and round in excitement when she saw the scene in front of her.
With her free hand, she reached out to him, "Let's go there, Xiqing!" and ushered him to the colorful lanterns on the street which was now closed for vehicles and only opened for pedestrians.
But before she could drag him further, he stopped her tracks.
"No, wait. It's this way," he tilted his head to the other direction.
"If we keep walking straight there, you will get further away from the crowd, so it was the wrong direction. See that the lanterns are more crowded this way?"
"Oh!" She grinned back at him, "It's good that you're here, or I would have lost my way."
He looked at the lantern in her hands, before reaching out and took it from her.
"Here, let me hold this for you. You can take as many pictures as you want."
They had been exploring the island for the two weeks they were here. Shao Yan had taken so many pictures that her memory card was fully loaded for a couple of times that she had to transfer them to her laptop.
The night was crowded around them. People carrying lanterns and at the same time they lifted their hands to take the pictures using their phone.
Shao Yan saw some bicycles were decorated in colorful papers with tiny string lights swirled around them, making the bicycles shone like real lanterns. She also took a couple of pictures with Li Xiqing in it; while posing candidly.
Every time after she took one, Shao Yan would take a look at the result while giggling mysteriously. If her man had found out that she had been taking pictures of him, he would not be so happy right now, posing so relaxedly.
----------
"Where are we going now?"
"I have no idea, let's just walk around. I have to work the whole day, and can only accompany you at night, let's make every minute count."
Shao Yan pursed her lips and smiled with agreement.
"Oh! Look!" She pointed to another crowd in front of her, "A night market."
And then she tugged his hand, "Let's go and take a look."
Small tents were set up along the roadside that was already closed for traffic.
The sellers seemed to have guessed that the crowd of people would be varied from all ages. There were options for everyone to choose.
Some couples would pay attention to gifts and accessories shops, parents with children would go to shops for mini games, and the elderly would go for snacks instead.
Shao Yan patiently walked through everything along with Li Xiqing tugged on the side.
"Hey, Xiqing, look at this," Without averting her eyes away from the item in front of her, her hands reached to the side to pat him on his shoulders.
"These cherub anklets look like my necklace. How cute!"
She reached out and her fingertips made a slow brush over the chain.
"This actually reminds me that your sister was wearing a similar one as a bracelet last time."
Shao Yan could feel Li Xiqing stood next to her with his head slightly bowed to take a look at the accessories.
"En, they look similar to yours, too," He nodded.
"Right?" She glanced to the side and beamed at him, "Your sister told me there is actually an interesting story behind them?"
He stared into her eyes while nodding, "There is, indeed."
----------
He circled his arm around her shoulders and pulled her away from the accessory stall and started to continue their stroll.
"It's nothing fancy, actually," He started to say, "You may actually feel bored while listening to it."
She stopped on her tracks, planted on her feet.
"Well, I get to decide if the story is fancy or not," She gently tugged on his shirt, "So, please continue."
Li Xiqing slowly smiled at her, defeated.
"Alright," He circled his arms around her shoulders again, "But don't regret it."
"I won't," She solemnly promised.
He peeked a glance at her, "It was many many years ago, when Grandfather had just met a very beautiful woman when he went to a barbershop."
"He was really young, maybe eighteen or nineteen years old?"
"This woman was sitting behind a window, no one actually noticed her among other women around her, she just looked as normal as the others."
"But no to my Grandfather," Li Xiqing took a quick glance at Shao Yan, before looking up straight ahead again.
"And after that one glance, Grandfather felt that he kept seeing her everywhere he went."
"When Grandfather was working at the post office. When Grandfather was fixing his bicycle tires. When Grandfather went to collect his army permit. He would be walking past her shop, and his head would always look for her."
"That went on for I don't know how long, but Grandfather finally braved himself to talk to her just a few weeks before his deployment."
The couple were walking along the alleys and the people around them were still crowding the road stalls. Their hands were still holding onto the lanterns and the noise blanketed them, but all Shao Yan could hear was his voice.
She was focusing on Li Xiqing, his deep velvet voice and his story.
----------
"And then? What did he do?"
"Grandfather went to the bakery and bought fresh baked bread, and then he waited for her in front of the shop."
".... Bread?" Shao Yan paused for a few seconds, feeling confused, "But, why bread?"
"I remember Grandmother told me one time, 'Xiqing, your grandfather spent all of his money to buy that loaf of bread because he was afraid I would be hungry after work. He did not know what to say when I exited the shop. He just stood there like a fool, and then he shoved the bread onto my hands,' and I saw how Grandmother giggled after she told me that. Grandmother was looking at both of her palms, as if she could still feel the bread in her hands."
Li Xiqing paused and did not say anything for a while as he reminisced his memories over Grandmother Li.
"And then she also said, 'I saw how other men would spend all of their money to buy flowers to impress the women in the shop because they imitated the western show, but not your grandfather. He has always been worrying if I ate right or if I was cold. Other women in the shop teased me to no end for getting such a poor man chasing after me, but all I felt every time he came over with the bread was how warm the bread was. You know why, Xiqing? Because your grandfather always kept them close to his embrace so the bread would stay warm and soft by the time I received them,' and then Grandmother said that was how she knew the man was in love with her and genuinely cared for her."
His eyes were looking upfront, and she could see the warmth in those eyes as he spoke about his grandparents and how they first met each other.
Shao Yan felt her heart constricted with unknown emotions that suddenly surged up and she felt so touched.
Such a small gesture, but Grandmother Li knew very well that she had gotten the best man out there.
A loaf of warm bread compared to a bunch of pretty flowers.
Truly a Li.
From early on, both Grandfather Li and Grandmother Li had known their priority really well.
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He could see her eyes went big and round in excitement when she saw the scene in front of her.
With her free hand, she reached out to him, "Let's go there, Xiqing!" and ushered him to the colorful lanterns on the street which was now closed for vehicles and only opened for pedestrians.
But before she could drag him further, he stopped her tracks.
"No, wait. It's this way," he tilted his head to the other direction.
"If we keep walking straight there, you will get further away from the crowd, so it was the wrong direction. See that the lanterns are more crowded this way?"
"Oh!" She grinned back at him, "It's good that you're here, or I would have lost my way."
He looked at the lantern in her hands, before reaching out and took it from her.
"Here, let me hold this for you. You can take as many pictures as you want."
They had been exploring the island for the two weeks they were here. Shao Yan had taken so many pictures that her memory card was fully loaded for a couple of times that she had to transfer them to her laptop.
The night was crowded around them. People carrying lanterns and at the same time they lifted their hands to take the pictures using their phone.
Shao Yan saw some bicycles were decorated in colorful papers with tiny string lights swirled around them, making the bicycles shone like real lanterns. She also took a couple of pictures with Li Xiqing in it; while posing candidly.
Every time after she took one, Shao Yan would take a look at the result while giggling mysteriously. If her man had found out that she had been taking pictures of him, he would not be so happy right now, posing so relaxedly.
----------
"Where are we going now?"
"I have no idea, let's just walk around. I have to work the whole day, and can only accompany you at night, let's make every minute count."
Shao Yan pursed her lips and smiled with agreement.
"Oh! Look!" She pointed to another crowd in front of her, "A night market."
And then she tugged his hand, "Let's go and take a look."
Small tents were set up along the roadside that was already closed for traffic.
The sellers seemed to have guessed that the crowd of people would be varied from all ages. There were options for everyone to choose.
Some couples would pay attention to gifts and accessories shops, parents with children would go to shops for mini games, and the elderly would go for snacks instead.
Shao Yan patiently walked through everything along with Li Xiqing tugged on the side.
"Hey, Xiqing, look at this," Without averting her eyes away from the item in front of her, her hands reached to the side to pat him on his shoulders.
"These cherub anklets look like my necklace. How cute!"
She reached out and her fingertips made a slow brush over the chain.
"This actually reminds me that your sister was wearing a similar one as a bracelet last time."
Shao Yan could feel Li Xiqing stood next to her with his head slightly bowed to take a look at the accessories.
"En, they look similar to yours, too," He nodded.
"Right?" She glanced to the side and beamed at him, "Your sister told me there is actually an interesting story behind them?"
He stared into her eyes while nodding, "There is, indeed."
----------
He circled his arm around her shoulders and pulled her away from the accessory stall and started to continue their stroll.
"It's nothing fancy, actually," He started to say, "You may actually feel bored while listening to it."
She stopped on her tracks, planted on her feet.
"Well, I get to decide if the story is fancy or not," She gently tugged on his shirt, "So, please continue."
Li Xiqing slowly smiled at her, defeated.
"Alright," He circled his arms around her shoulders again, "But don't regret it."
"I won't," She solemnly promised.
He peeked a glance at her, "It was many many years ago, when Grandfather had just met a very beautiful woman when he went to a barbershop."
"He was really young, maybe eighteen or nineteen years old?"
"This woman was sitting behind a window, no one actually noticed her among other women around her, she just looked as normal as the others."
"But no to my Grandfather," Li Xiqing took a quick glance at Shao Yan, before looking up straight ahead again.
"And after that one glance, Grandfather felt that he kept seeing her everywhere he went."
"When Grandfather was working at the post office. When Grandfather was fixing his bicycle tires. When Grandfather went to collect his army permit. He would be walking past her shop, and his head would always look for her."
"That went on for I don't know how long, but Grandfather finally braved himself to talk to her just a few weeks before his deployment."
The couple were walking along the alleys and the people around them were still crowding the road stalls. Their hands were still holding onto the lanterns and the noise blanketed them, but all Shao Yan could hear was his voice.
She was focusing on Li Xiqing, his deep velvet voice and his story.
----------
"And then? What did he do?"
"Grandfather went to the bakery and bought fresh baked bread, and then he waited for her in front of the shop."
".... Bread?" Shao Yan paused for a few seconds, feeling confused, "But, why bread?"
"I remember Grandmother told me one time, 'Xiqing, your grandfather spent all of his money to buy that loaf of bread because he was afraid I would be hungry after work. He did not know what to say when I exited the shop. He just stood there like a fool, and then he shoved the bread onto my hands,' and I saw how Grandmother giggled after she told me that. Grandmother was looking at both of her palms, as if she could still feel the bread in her hands."
Li Xiqing paused and did not say anything for a while as he reminisced his memories over Grandmother Li.
"And then she also said, 'I saw how other men would spend all of their money to buy flowers to impress the women in the shop because they imitated the western show, but not your grandfather. He has always been worrying if I ate right or if I was cold. Other women in the shop teased me to no end for getting such a poor man chasing after me, but all I felt every time he came over with the bread was how warm the bread was. You know why, Xiqing? Because your grandfather always kept them close to his embrace so the bread would stay warm and soft by the time I received them,' and then Grandmother said that was how she knew the man was in love with her and genuinely cared for her."
His eyes were looking upfront, and she could see the warmth in those eyes as he spoke about his grandparents and how they first met each other.
Shao Yan felt her heart constricted with unknown emotions that suddenly surged up and she felt so touched.
Such a small gesture, but Grandmother Li knew very well that she had gotten the best man out there.
A loaf of warm bread compared to a bunch of pretty flowers.
Truly a Li.
From early on, both Grandfather Li and Grandmother Li had known their priority really well.
He could see her eyes went big and round in excitement when she saw the scene in front of her.With her free hand, she reached out to him, "Let's go there, Xiqing!" and ushered him to the colorful lanterns on the street which was now closed for vehicles and only opened for pedestrians.But before she could drag him further, he stopped her tracks."No, wait. It's this way," he tilted his head to the other direction."If we keep walking straight there, you will get further away from the crowd, so it was the wrong direction. See that the lanterns are more crowded this way?""Oh!" She grinned back at him, "It's good that you're here, or I would have lost my way."He looked at the lantern in her hands, before reaching out and took it from her."Here, let me hold this for you. You can take as many pictures as you want."They had been exploring the island for the two weeks they were here. Shao Yan had taken so many pictures that her memory card was fully loaded for a couple of times that she had to transfer them to her laptop.The night was crowded around them. People carrying lanterns and at the same time they lifted their hands to take the pictures using their phone.Shao Yan saw some bicycles were decorated in colorful papers with tiny string lights swirled around them, making the bicycles shone like real lanterns. She also took a couple of pictures with Li Xiqing in it; while posing candidly.Every time after she took one, Shao Yan would take a look at the result while giggling mysteriously. If her man had found out that she had been taking pictures of him, he would not be so happy right now, posing so relaxedly.----------"Where are we going now?""I have no idea, let's just walk around. I have to work the whole day, and can only accompany you at night, let's make every minute count."Shao Yan pursed her lips and smiled with agreement."Oh! Look!" She pointed to another crowd in front of her, "A night market."And then she tugged his hand, "Let's go and take a look."Small tents were set up along the roadside that was already closed for traffic.The sellers seemed to have guessed that the crowd of people would be varied from all ages. There were options for everyone to choose.Some couples would pay attention to gifts and accessories shops, parents with children would go to shops for mini games, and the elderly would go for snacks instead.Shao Yan patiently walked through everything along with Li Xiqing tugged on the side."Hey, Xiqing, look at this," Without averting her eyes away from the item in front of her, her hands reached to the side to pat him on his shoulders."These cherub anklets look like my necklace. How cute!"She reached out and her fingertips made a slow brush over the chain."This actually reminds me that your sister was wearing a similar one as a bracelet last time."Shao Yan could feel Li Xiqing stood next to her with his head slightly bowed to take a look at the accessories."En, they look similar to yours, too," He nodded."Right?" She glanced to the side and beamed at him, "Your sister told me there is actually an interesting story behind them?"He stared into her eyes while nodding, "There is, indeed."----------He circled his arm around her shoulders and pulled her away from the accessory stall and started to continue their stroll."It's nothing fancy, actually," He started to say, "You may actually feel bored while listening to it."She stopped on her tracks, planted on her feet."Well, I get to decide if the story is fancy or not," She gently tugged on his shirt, "So, please continue."Li Xiqing slowly smiled at her, defeated."Alright," He circled his arms around her shoulders again, "But don't regret it.""I won't," She solemnly promised.He peeked a glance at her, "It was many many years ago, when Grandfather had just met a very beautiful woman when he went to a barbershop.""He was really young, maybe eighteen or nineteen years old?""This woman was sitting behind a window, no one actually noticed her among other women around her, she just looked as normal as the others.""But no to my Grandfather," Li Xiqing took a quick glance at Shao Yan, before looking up straight ahead again."And after that one glance, Grandfather felt that he kept seeing her everywhere he went.""When Grandfather was working at the post office. When Grandfather was fixing his bicycle tires. When Grandfather went to collect his army permit. He would be walking past her shop, and his head would always look for her.""That went on for I don't know how long, but Grandfather finally braved himself to talk to her just a few weeks before his deployment."The couple were walking along the alleys and the people around them were still crowding the road stalls. Their hands were still holding onto the lanterns and the noise blanketed them, but all Shao Yan could hear was his voice.She was focusing on Li Xiqing, his deep velvet voice and his story.----------"And then? What did he do?""Grandfather went to the bakery and bought fresh baked bread, and then he waited for her in front of the shop."".... Bread?" Shao Yan paused for a few seconds, feeling confused, "But, why bread?""I remember Grandmother told me one time, 'Xiqing, your grandfather spent all of his money to buy that loaf of bread because he was afraid I would be hungry after work. He did not know what to say when I exited the shop. He just stood there like a fool, and then he shoved the bread onto my hands,' and I saw how Grandmother giggled after she told me that. Grandmother was looking at both of her palms, as if she could still feel the bread in her hands."Li Xiqing paused and did not say anything for a while as he reminisced his memories over Grandmother Li."And then she also said, 'I saw how other men would spend all of their money to buy flowers to impress the women in the shop because they imitated the western show, but not your grandfather. He has always been worrying if I ate right or if I was cold. Other women in the shop teased me to no end for getting such a poor man chasing after me, but all I felt every time he came over with the bread was how warm the bread was. You know why, Xiqing? Because your grandfather always kept them close to his embrace so the bread would stay warm and soft by the time I received them,' and then Grandmother said that was how she knew the man was in love with her and genuinely cared for her."His eyes were looking upfront, and she could see the warmth in those eyes as he spoke about his grandparents and how they first met each other.Shao Yan felt her heart constricted with unknown emotions that suddenly surged up and she felt so touched.Such a small gesture, but Grandmother Li knew very well that she had gotten the best man out there.A loaf of warm bread compared to a bunch of pretty flowers.Truly a Li.From early on, both Grandfather Li and Grandmother Li had known their priority really well.
