Chapter 486 - 185: Temple Fair
Chapter 486: Chapter 185: Temple Fair
The temple fair was absolutely packed. It would be no exaggeration to call it a shoulder-to-shoulder, teeming sea of humanity.
Chen De’an marveled at the surging crowd, finally asking, "There are so many people. Even the Lord Prefect wouldn’t be able to get in, would he?"
Sheng Saya seemed to shoot him a sidelong glance. "My father went to the City God Temple in the wee hours of the morning. The ceremony is over, and he should be on his way down by now."
De’an went, "Ah? The Lord Prefect is already sixty. Does he get up in the wee hours because he can’t sleep anymore?"
Sheng Saya: "..."
Wang Jun, Wang Xiao, and the others all turned away, stifling their laughter.
To be honest, De’an had a good personality and was quite likable. But why was he also so infuriating? It was all because of that mouth of his!
Sheng Saya, who considered herself a good-tempered person, was so exasperated by De’an that she couldn’t help but laugh. She pointed at him and said, "Chen De’an, you just wait! I’m going to completely destroy you in our equestrian class next year!"
"Sigh, it’s the New Year. Why bring up something as unpleasant as equestrian class? Aren’t you sick of classes already? We’re out here to have fun, so let’s have fun. Don’t mention such a buzzkill."
"We’re not unhappy. We’re having a great time."
The one who said this was Wang Jun, who loved nothing more than to stir up trouble. He even nudged Zhao Jing. "Isn’t that right, Jing? The academy’s riding class is a blast, isn’t it?"
Zhao Jing couldn’t be bothered with them, taking Chen Wanqing’s hand and starting to head deeper into the fair.
He had only taken a couple of steps when he suddenly remembered his sister was still with them.
So Zhao Jing asked Xiang’er, "Are you going to stay with me, or..."
Xiang’er hurriedly said, "I’m going with Kaiyan, Zhen’er, and Lingxin. Big Brother, you and Wanqing can go have fun."
Satisfied with her answer, Zhao Jing nodded and led Chen Wanqing away.
This left Wang Jun to tsk-tsk behind them. He muttered about Zhao Jing, "Ditches his bros for a girl."
With Zhao Jing having left ahead of them, the trio of Wang Jun, Wang Xiao, and De’an escorted the young ladies into the fair.
In truth, the girls hardly needed their protection; they were all accompanied by their own maids and chaperones.
This was especially true for Sheng Saya, who was the apple of her father’s eye. Every time she went out, Mr. Sheng would have guards with military backgrounds follow her discreetly.
As long as you stuck close to Sheng Saya, you generally wouldn’t run into any trouble.
Even if you got separated from Sheng Saya, there was no need to worry about being abducted by human traffickers at the temple fair.
Such incidents had happened before, so Mr. Sheng had long since taken precautions.
About a third of a mile from the temple fair, everyone was required to dismount their horses and exit their sedan chairs.
Constables guarded all four entrances to the fair. Anyone trying to leave would be scrutinized. If someone looked suspicious, or if a child or woman didn’t seem right, the constables would immediately intercept them.
Overall, the temple fair was safe.
But just in case, Wang Jun and the others still planned to stick with the young ladies.
Zhao Jing and Chen Wanqing had gone on ahead and were already inside the fair.
As expected of the last temple fair before the New Year, it was teeming not only with people but with vendor stalls as well. Walking inside was a dazzling, overwhelming experience; there was too much to see at once.
At the fair, Zhao Jing saw many of his classmates from the academy. He even spotted a couple of his instructors and prefects of discipline.
Chen Wanqing, in turn, saw Xie Ming and his wife, and even the female manager of the Kangning Fragrance Workshop.
They couldn’t avoid exchanging pleasantries with everyone they met. Even though they only shared a few polite words with each person, it still took up a lot of time.
Even though Zhao Jing and Chen Wanqing had entered the fair very early, Wang Jun and the others quickly caught up to them.
Wang Xiao, looking a bit disheveled, tugged his robes back onto his shoulder. "This was a mistake. We shouldn’t have come today. It’s so crowded, I almost lost a shoe."
The two brothers had given their all to protect the young ladies. And the result? With all their attention focused on Wang Zhen and the girls, he hadn’t even realized his waist-pouch had been pickpocketed.
Fortunately, he had prepared before coming, placing all his valuables in his sleeves and the folds of his robes. The pouch had only contained unimportant things like a handkerchief, so losing it was no great pain.
Meanwhile, Xiang’er and the other girls already had their hands full.
Sheng Saya was holding roasted chestnuts, Zhang Lingxin had a colorfully painted tangram puzzle, Wang Zhen held a carved wooden eagle in one hand and osmanthus candy in the other, while Xiang’er had a fox mask and an exquisitely crafted peach-wood comb.
Chen Wanqing’s hands, in contrast, were empty.
Wang Jun and De’an teased Zhao Jing, "What did you even come here for?"
"It’s not every day we get to come out. You could at least buy something for my sister!"
Finding them annoying, Zhao Jing simply pulled Chen Wanqing forward again.