TRBDM -Chapter 115 Rabbit Sugar Figurine

At this point, refusing again would seem pretentious.

“Then I’ll trouble Master Jiang.”

The two walked side by side, occasionally brushing shoulders in the crowd.

Xie Wanrou tried to step aside, but there was barely any space to move.

Although Jiang Yuelin was looking ahead, his peripheral vision never left Xie Wanrou.

The white rabbit mask covered her gentle face, making her inexplicably cute.

Those little ears, in particular, added a touch of playfulness.

“Miss Xie, this rabbit mask suits you very well.”

Xie Wanrou gave a soft smile. “My third brother picked it out for me.”

She couldn’t help but recall the scene earlier, with Xie Lan and Xie Yu fighting to pay for the mask, and it made her chuckle again.

“It seems Miss Xie really likes the mask chosen by Third Young Master.”

“Yes, I do,” Xie Wanrou replied after a moment. “Today, Third and Fourth Young Masters said that whenever I, Big Sister-in-law, or Second Miss Dou buy anything, they would pay.”

Having been the eldest sister for over twenty years, it was the first time her younger brothers had been so protective. Even someone as low-key as Xie Wanrou couldn’t help but feel a little proud.

“In that case, Miss Xie really should be happy.”

They walked and chatted, passing by a sugar figurine stall. Jiang Yuelin stopped.

Xie Wanrou, unsure why, also stopped.

“Sir, what shape would you like? I can make anything,” the vendor called cheerfully.

“A rabbit.”

The vendor, shrewdly noticing the woman beside him wearing a rabbit mask, smiled. “Sure thing, please wait a moment.”

Under the vendor’s skillful hands, a lifelike sugar rabbit appeared.

He added a little twist, pressing the two long ears together to form a heart shape.

Jiang Yuelin knew the vendor had misunderstood their relationship, but he didn’t correct him. He even gave a little extra silver when paying.

“Oh, thank you, sir! Please visit my stall again—I’ll give you a discount.”

In a vast crowd, a chance encounter like this might never happen again in their lives. The vendor’s casual words would be forgotten by most.

“Miss Xie, here you go.”

The sugar rabbit with heart-shaped ears was handed to Xie Wanrou.

No one had ever given her a little sugar figurine before. She blinked in surprise. “For me?”

“Yes.” Jiang Yuelin’s smile was calm and easy. “A rabbit lady, of course, should have a rabbit sugar figurine.”

Across the sweet treat, their eyes met in midair.

Around them, the crowd flowed by, with vendors calling out in every direction.

But the two of them stood as if time had frozen.

“Big sister, big sister…”

Xie Yu’s voice broke through the noisy crowd, snapping Xie Wanrou back to reality.

She spun around quickly, her ears turning red.

Once again, she was grateful for the mask, which preserved her dignity.

“Fourth brother, I’m here.”

Xie Yu was still a child, small in stature. In the crowd, he could hear Xie Wanrou’s voice but couldn’t see her.

He craned his neck and jumped several times, looking around in all directions.

Failing to spot her, he did notice a man wearing a silver-glass lion mask.

The man was tall and stood out among the crowd—it was hard not to notice him.

Xie Yu jumped around until he was out of breath, still unable to find her.

Just as he was anxiously circling about, Xie Lan arrived and took him by the hand.

“Come with me, I saw Big Sister.”

After struggling through the crowd for a while, the two finally reached Xie Wanrou.

“Big Sister, we finally found you! Third Brother and I were worried sick.”

The two of them had been distracted earlier by a bookstall and had squatted down to choose a few books. When they looked up, Big Sister had disappeared.

Dou Shuyao immediately said, “I’ll go with Shuxin, you two go together. We’ll split up to find Big Sister. Whether we find her or not, let’s meet in an hour at the noodle shop where we’ll have lunch. How does that sound?”

Truly the mistress of the household, Dou Shuyao’s arrangement gave the two inexperienced younger brothers a sense of direction.

“We’ll follow Sister-in-law’s lead.”

So the four of them split up.

Xie Lan and Xie Yu were young and agile; they weaved through the crowd and retraced their path in no time.

Not finding anyone, they continued along the route they had come in.

Sure enough, Xie Wanrou wasn’t far from the place where they had separated.

“Who’s this?” Xie Yu asked, looking at the tall man.

Jiang Yuelin removed his mask. “It’s me.”

“Master Jiang!”

Xie Lan and Xie Yu exclaimed simultaneously.

“I happened to run into Miss Xie, so I’m just strolling along with her,” he said.

“I see.”

Xie Yu’s sharp eyes caught the sugar figure in Xie Wanrou’s hand.

“Master Jiang, did you give this sugar figure to Big Sister?”

“Yes,” Jiang Yuelin nodded. “Though it seems Miss Xie doesn’t like it; she hasn’t eaten a single bite yet.”

“I do like it,” Xie Wanrou hurriedly said.

It was just inconvenient to eat while wearing a mask.

“Big Sister, take off your mask! Hurry and eat it—you shouldn’t waste Master Jiang’s thoughtfulness.”

Xie Yu’s innocent remark made Jiang Yuelin smile. “Yes, Miss Xie, don’t waste my thoughtfulness either.”

Xie Wanrou could only sigh and remove her mask, taking a bite of the rabbit-shaped sugar figure.

Jiang Yuelin curved the corner of his mouth.

“Master Jiang, we won’t bother you any longer. You enjoy your stroll, and we’ll leave,” Xie Yu said.

Jiang Yuelin’s slight smile softened.

Xie Lan discreetly nudged Xie Yu and hurriedly added, “Master Jiang, are you busy? If not, come stroll with us—it’s more lively with people.”

“I’m not busy.”

“That’s great! Then let’s go together.”

“Mm.”

Hearing this, Xie Yu suddenly understood.

Master Jiang strolling alone would indeed seem lonely. The full-moon masquerade is fun precisely because of the crowd.

“Master Jiang, Big Sister, I see people up ahead releasing lanterns. Let’s go take a look,” Xie Yu suggested.

Xie Wanrou hesitated, glancing at Jiang Yuelin, afraid he might not want to.

Unexpectedly, Jiang Yuelin said, “Sure, let’s take a look.”

Two became four.

With three gentlemen escorting her, Xie Wanrou wasn’t jostled by anyone.

Jiang Yuelin, in particular, stayed just behind her right side, his tall figure shielding her in the shadows, giving her immense comfort.

Meanwhile, Dou Shuyao and Dou Shuxin were searching in a less crowded alley, not far from the noodle shop where they had eaten. Skipping past the crowd, they could see the shop’s banner swaying in the wind.

“Shuxin, did you see Big Sister?”

Dou Shuxin strained but couldn’t find even a hint of a familiar silhouette in the crowd.

They stood at the alley entrance, and Dou Shuxin instinctively stepped inside for a glance.

Then she froze on the spot.

“Shuxin, what did you see?”

Someone in the alley, like a hawk, stared at her, finger pressed to lips in a shushing gesture.

Dou Shuxin’s breath caught, but the next second she stepped back, clutching Dou Shuyao’s arm. “Sister, it’s so dark in there. Let’s just wait at the noodle shop.”

Dou Shuyao agreed.

Outside, the crowd was too dense. If they got separated again, it could be dangerous.

“Okay, let’s wait at the noodle shop.”

Inside, Dou Shuyao found a window-side seat.

Dou Shuxin, distracted, fiddled with her handkerchief, her heart nearly leaping out of her chest.

But in a single moment, she suddenly stood up, startling Dou Shuyao.