Naturally, nobody was willing to fork out that much money just to follow us upstairs. Thinking we would come out of the store eventually anyway, they all left shortly after.
I breathed a sigh of relief when I glanced over the railing and saw that the number of customers in the store had returned to normal.
“They’re just trying to share our joy. You’re getting a little too worked up about this,” Anthony said after glancing down the stairs.
He really is dense when it comes to stuff outside of work, huh? Oh, well… I guess he used up his quota for romantic thoughts at the wedding earlier, so he probably wouldn’t understand the difference between me not wanting to share our joy and my desire for some time alone.
“Yeah, but I want a peaceful and quiet night for ourselves, one that is free from unwanted attention.” I then turned toward the sales staff and asked, “Excuse me, do you guys sell any other type of clothing apart from Hanfu?”
“Sorry, I’m not sure I follow…” The sales staff frowned as he eyed us both from head to toe. As if he had suddenly recalled something, the sales staff then offered his assistance by saying, “Oh, we do make Hanfus worn by servants for our staff members. We also have masks provided by the organizers of the cultural festival. All you two have to do is log in to your member accounts to claim it. There’s a passage that leads to the back door from the storage room. I’ll show you where it is in a bit.”
He then led us to the counter downstairs, and I logged in using Emery’s account as I didn’t have one of my own.
After that, the sales staff retrieved the items from the storage room and showed us where the back door was before leaving us alone.
The service provided was so excellent that I couldn’t help but exclaim as I put on the outfit, “That sales staff sure is a smart one! I can’t believe he figured out what I wanted so quickly!”
“His family makes these traditional wedding attires,” Anthony said calmly while adjusting the straps on his outfit.
“He sure has a great eye for… Wait, what?”
I paused mid-sentence when I realized that the sales staff had helped us because he recognized who we were and knew what we needed.
Anthony had seen right through it but kept it to himself when he saw me thanking the sales staff profusely.
That b*stard! I can’t believe he let me make a fool out of myself!
I shot him a fierce glare at the thought of that. “Anthony!”
He let out a little chuckle and acted all innocent as he helped adjust my outfit. “Okay, okay… Next time, I’ll be sure to tell you out loud that you’ve been recognized.”
“You…” My face was all puffed with anger. Tell me out loud? That’ll just humiliate me in front of others even more!
Anthony gave me a kiss on the forehead and led me toward the stairs as he said, “Come on, we need to get going now. We won’t even be able to leave through the back door if we don’t hurry up.”
Having no other choice, I could only swallow my anger and leave the store with him.
Fortunately for us, the group of people waiting outside had yet to discover the back door, so we were able to get out of there smoothly. We then made a few turns through some alleys and successfully blended into the crowd shortly after.
While watching a fire-breathing performance, I noticed a rock candy vendor passing by and begged Anthony to buy me some.
I’ve always found it satisfying whenever I see people eat rock candy on television. Now that I finally get to experience that satisfaction myself, I realize flavor is only a part of what truly makes a food amazing. What’s even more important is the feelings you have while eating it as well as the environment you eat it in.
I thought to myself while holding two sticks of rock candy in hand.
“Whoa, slow down there! People might think I’m starving you if they see you wolfing it down like this!” Anthony said teasingly.
Refusing to back down, I snapped back at him with the rock candy in my mouth, “Is that not the case?”
Anthony could only let out a wry chuckle as he said, “Yes, you’re right. I’ve been starving you because I’m the worst husband in the world.”
“Exactly! You’re the worst!” I stuck my tongue out at him smugly before moving on to the next stall.
I was about to pass by an alley when a kid came running out and crashed straight into me. Having been knocked off balance, I would’ve fallen on my bottom and embarrassed myself in public a second time had Anthony not been there to catch me in time.
“Are you okay?” Anthony checked me anxiously for any injuries and let out a sigh of relief when he saw that I was fine. He then deliberately took up a stern tone and said, “From now on, you are to hold my hand tightly whenever we’re in a crowded area!”
I stuck my tongue out at him mischievously before helping the child up as I asked, “Are you okay, kiddo?”
It wasn’t until the child stood up that I realized she was a pretty little girl. I figured she wasn’t wearing a mask because her parents feared they wouldn’t be able to spot her if they lost her in the crowd.
The little girl was no princess and simply patted her bottom before saying with a bright smile, “Don’t worry, ma’am! It doesn’t hurt at all! I’m sorry for running so fast and bumping into you!”
What a polite and well-mannered child! On top of that, her voice sounds absolutely adorable too! Of course, not as adorable as my baby girl Audrey, though!
Feeling a lot better after hearing her apology, I generously handed her a stick of rock candy. “Here, this is a reward for bravely owning up to your mistake!”
“Thank you, ma’am! Thank you, mister!” The little girl thanked us both and waited till we gave her a nod before running back into the alley and disappearing into the crowded street on the other side.
Noticing that I was staring at the little girl, Anthony leaned in and whispered softly, “I think Audrey is way better.”
Of course! No one could possibly compare to his little princess!
As I knew Anthony would never agree otherwise, I simply ignored him and turned around to carry on walking.
I had barely taken a step forward when Anthony yanked me back toward him to check me for injuries a second time.
After taking a moment to confirm that I could stand just fine, he held one of my hands and interlocked our fingers as he said, “I just told you to hold my hand tightly when in crowded places, remember?”
I knew he was simply trying to find an excuse to hold my hand, but I didn’t have any evidence to support my argument. As such, I had no choice but to walk hand in hand with him.
However, we didn’t get very far before I felt something tugging at my right sleeve.
I turned around and noticed the little girl from before staring at me with puppy-dog eyes.
“What is it, kiddo?” I asked.
“Rock candy,” she replied. Although she didn’t say anything about wanting more, it was obvious from the sight of her licking her lips.
Did she finish it already? But it hasn’t even been two minutes! ”Didn’t I give you one just now? Did you drop it or something?” I exclaimed in shock.
She shook her head and pointed at the street behind her as she replied, “It was my sister that you gave it to.”
I shifted my gaze toward the direction she was pointing at and saw another girl who looked just like her. She was standing next to a food vendor and waving a stick of rock candy happily. It was an adorable sight to behold, but I felt a spine-chilling sensation spreading throughout my body instead. I then subconsciously handed the little girl my rock candy and only snapped out of it after she left.
Anthony and I continued strolling through the night market, but I couldn’t seem to concentrate as my mind was all over the place.
It is indeed difficult to tell two completely identical people apart. What if I had an identical twin? Would the people around me be able to tell us apart?
I was so lost in thought that I didn’t even notice Anthony falling behind. It wasn’t until I had gotten really far that I noticed he wasn’t next to me and quickly turned around.
There were tons of tourists on the busy street behind us, but Anthony’s height allowed him to stand out in the crowd even though he was dressed rather plainly.
Even so, we were soon separated by a huge crowd crossing the street between us.
“The ninety-nine couples are about to make their marriage vows on stage! Head over now if you are interested in witnessing the event!”
As everyone was running toward their destinations in a hurry, I had to stand on my tiptoes just to see where I was going.
I used to think nothing of crowded places whenever I saw clips of them on television. I always thought it was just people being a little closer to each other, only to realize how hard they were bumping into each other when moving. A tiny and frail woman like myself could easily get lost and stuck in the crowd.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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