I bring bad luck to my husband, you bring bad luck to your wife.

The market during the Qixi Festival was packed with people.

A peddler carrying a load passed by the two men, shouting at the top of his lungs, "Mohele—newly released lotus petal Mohele! Take a look at these Mohele. Ten coins each."

The bamboo basket contained rows of exquisitely carved clay figurines.

Some wore small crowns, others wore colorful skirts, and their hair was adorned with delicate colorful tassels, which attracted Xiangxi's attention.

"Which one do you like?" Yang Tongchuan stood behind Xiangxi, shielding him from the passing crowd.

"Doesn't this look like Olaf?" Xiangxi picked up a Moho, a toy with a tiger-like head.

"They look somewhat alike, but Xuebao is a little thinner." During the hot summer, Xuebao ate less and kept growing, so it's a little thinner than when it was a child.

"This looks like you." Yang Tongchuan noticed a small clay figurine under the bamboo basket that resembled Xiangxi before she got married, so he picked it up.

"Nonsense, Moho is a character designed for children, how could he resemble me?"

Unbeknownst to Xiangxi, in Yang Tongchuan's eyes, she was just a child who needed to be pampered.

"Sir, if you like them, take both. You can pay eighteen coins for both." The peddler immediately tried to sell them, since after today, who would still buy Mohele?

"Here you go." Yang Tongchuan paid the money readily.

"Wait a minute, pick one for Yan'er, Bao'er, and Gui'er too." Xiangxi thought that since they were going to buy one anyway, no child in the family should be left out. He would deliver them to each family tomorrow.

"Okay, you choose." Yang Tongchuan didn't care; he'd buy whatever he wanted.

Xiangxi squatted down and spent a long time picking through the selections before finally buying everything.

"Have you chosen? Wrap them up securely." Yang Tongchuan paid the rest of the money and didn't bother to haggle any further.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure it's wrapped up properly for you." The vendor was overjoyed to have landed such a big order.

Carrying a large bag of Mohele (a type of milk tea) didn't dampen Yang Tongchuan and Xiangxi's spirits as they continued shopping.

"Why didn't my older brother and sister-in-law set up a stall this year?"

In such a bustling market, Xiang Qiang would definitely rent a small stall in the past.

Yang Tongchuan paused for a moment.

"Your sister-in-law isn't feeling well, so she didn't rent a stall for the Qixi Festival?"

"What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?" Xiangxi asked, then seemed to remember something.

"Could it be that she's pregnant again?" Xiangxi boldly guessed.

"I couldn't keep him. He's been resting at home for quite a while now. Your older brother told me this when I was patrolling the streets yesterday, and he told me not to tell you yet." Yang Tongchuan was also upset after hearing the news.

"Why couldn't you keep her again? How is your sister-in-law? Why didn't you say so sooner?" Xiangxi's tone was a little anxious.

"How would I know why? Your older brother told me not to say." Yang Tongchuan felt he had been wronged.

"Come with me to buy some things later, I'll go see them tomorrow." Xiangxi had already lost count of how many children her sister-in-law had lost.

"Okay, buy whatever you want. Don't think about it now, you look so down. It's a holiday, smile."

"If you keep hiding things from me, I'll really get angry."

"I won't lie to you anymore, I won't lie to you anymore. There are people dancing the Hu Xuan dance over there, let's go take a look." Yang Tongchuan coaxed Xiangxi for a long time before he finally calmed her down.

As dusk settled, the market's liveliness didn't diminish; instead, it gained a touch of splendor.

The street vendors lit up their horn lanterns, the dim yellow light spreading out and making the festive atmosphere even stronger.

Yang Tongchuan led Xiangxi to the front of the crowd and found her a good spot.

The rapid beat of the jie drum suddenly mingled with the clear, resonant sound of the pipa.

The dancer stood on a small camel hair mat, her toes touching the ground. She wore a hair ornament and silver bracelets that jingled on her wrists. Her feet spun rapidly to the beat of the drums, and the jewels at her temples swayed with her movements, drawing delicate arcs of light.

Those jade-like feet were so beautiful they were breathtaking, captivating many men who stared at them, unable to tear their eyes away.

The cheers rose higher and higher. As the drumbeats became more urgent, the dancers spun faster and faster, their skirts fluttering like butterfly wings, carrying a floral fragrance in the wind.

When the drumbeats stopped abruptly, she steadily stopped and nodded to all four directions, slightly out of breath.

Her alluring eyes held a hook, captivating the hearts of everyone present.

Xiangxi turned around and glanced at Yang Tongchuan.

Yang Tongchuan was also looking down at Xiangxi.

"Why are you looking at me? Look ahead!"

"My husband is prettier than that Hu woman." Yang Tongchuan had learned his lesson.

"Liar." Xiang Xi, knowing her own limitations, wouldn't believe Yang Tongchuan's nonsense.

"I'm not lying. In my eyes, my husband is the most handsome."

As the dance ended, the clamor of the crowd instantly turned into thunderous cheers, and copper coins and silver coins were thrown onto the felt, jingling loudly.

"Give me a few coins," Xiangxi said, reaching out to Yang Tongchuan.

Yang Tongchuan handed the reward money to Xiangxi.

Let Xiangxi throw it over with everyone else.

But I wasn't really interested.

"Don't like it? Then let's find another one. There's a magician over there."

"You don't like watching it?"

"I don't like it, I'm just here to keep you company."

"Then don't grab me. You're grabbing me so tightly that my waist is almost bruised."

Yang Tongchuan then realized that his right hand was firmly handcuffed to Xiangxi's waist.

What started as a gentle caress gradually transformed into a tight grip as the drumbeats intensified.

"Hehe, I didn't notice, I really didn't notice." Yang Tongchuan chuckled as he released Xiangxi.

The two withdrew from the crowd and went to the tent where the magic tricks were performed.

There stood a man in a blue cloth shirt, who had just finished performing something that drew cheers from the crowd.

"Look carefully, everyone!" The man's voice boomed.

As he spoke, he pulled out a bright red pomegranate from somewhere and tossed it into the basket in his hand.

Then, a coarse cloth was placed over the basket.

Then, he picked up the bamboo basket with both hands, looked around the crowd, and walked up to Xiangxi.

"To bask in this gentleman's noble aura, please help me lift up the coarse cloth. We need to invite the Jade Rabbit from heaven to descend to earth."

Xiangxi looked at Yang Tongchuan.

"Go ahead and lift it, it's okay."

With Yang Tongchuan's permission, Xiangxi boldly lifted the cloth, and there really was a palm-sized rabbit inside, its ears perked up and its red eyes looking around.

"There really are rabbits!" exclaimed the crowd.

"The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl are too busy meeting and cuddling to pay attention to the Jade Rabbit," the man said, making everyone burst into laughter.

Xiangxi laughed along, and Yang Tongchuan generously tossed the reward money into the basket containing the rabbit.

This man has a sharp eye; he knows to find someone willing to spend money to flatter him.

After playing around, Xiangxi's feet were sore from exhaustion.

"That's enough, let's go back."

"Have you had enough fun?"

"Yeah, I'm all sweaty and sticky. I want to go home and take a shower."

"OK."

The new house has fewer people and more rooms.

Yang Tongchuan specially arranged a spacious hot spring room with a large bath tub inside.

Usually, Xiangxi and Xuebao would shower first and then go to bed early, while Yang Tongchuan would shower last.

Today, after he added hot water to Xiangxi's bathtub, he suddenly had a different feeling and didn't want to leave.