The ancient town was called Queshui Town, said to have the lowest divorce and domestic violence rates in the country, with countless love legends—hence attracting many tourists in recent years.
Yu Wanwan stood before a scenic bridge, beneath which rushed clear, turbulent water. She began explaining to her phone: "This bridge is called the Magpie Bridge by locals. Yes, just like the one from the legend of Niulang and Zhinu meeting on the Magpie Bridge. There's a beautiful story about this bridge: if two people truly in love walk across it hand in hand, they will be blissfully happy and devoted to each other for life."
She stepped onto the Magpie Bridge. After just a few steps, Zhang Jingxu, who had been silent all along, suddenly asked, "Really?"
"Fake," Yu Wanwan said, turning off her phone. Surprised that he would be interested in such a romantic legend that fools naive girls, she mercilessly shattered his expectations. "It's just something made up to trick tourists into coming here."
With that, she strode toward the ancient town ahead.
Zhang Jingxu thought: This girl has absolutely no romantic bone in her body.
He had expected her to take his hand and walk across together for her filming material, but Yu Wanwan completely deviated from the script. He glanced at his empty palm and followed helplessly.
As soon as Yu Wanwan entered the ancient town, she was immediately drawn to the various handmade crafts and snacks lining the streets. She raised her phone and began filming.
After filming for a while, she was about to check the footage when she turned and noticed Zhang Jingxu strolling leisurely on the inner side of the road beside her.
Realizing her hand was nearly sore from filming while he ambled about like a lord, Yu Wanwan felt a pang of imbalance. She pouted slightly, put away her phone, and coughed to catch his attention.
With a sharp gaze, she slowly said, "I'll give you another practical lesson."
"Hmm?" Zhang Jingxu turned, looking eager to listen.
Yu Wanwan lifted her chin: "If you're shopping with your girlfriend, never walk on the inner side like you're doing with me now. Got it?"
The next second, Zhang Jingxu instantly asked, "Why?"
"Because the outer side of the road is dangerous with traffic and people. As a man, you need to protect her. What if she accidentally gets hit by a car and dies? Then you won't have a girlfriend anymore. Understand?"
Zhang Jingxu seemed to ponder for a moment, then appeared to understand. He quietly switched positions with Yu Wanwan.
Seeing that he was perceptive enough, Yu Wanwan felt much better. She handed him her phone to film, stretched her sore hand, and began to stroll leisurely herself.
They walked from one end of the street to the other. Yu Wanwan took the phone from Zhang Jingxu to check if his footage was usable: "Let me see what you filmed."
She scrolled through the gallery but only saw her own shots. She looked up, puzzled: "I told you to film for me. Where's your footage?"
At this, Zhang Jingxu's expression froze for a moment, then he said weakly, "I might have forgotten to press start."
"You..." Yu Wanwan felt a surge of anger lodged in her chest. She glared at him for two seconds, but seeing his sincere look of 'you can scold or hit me as you please,' her anger inexplicably dissipated.
Although he admitted his mistake readily, Yu Wanwan couldn't help complaining: "Seriously, you can't even do a simple task!"
After a bit of grumbling, she put away her phone: "Let's find a unique restaurant to eat. I'm starving."
As she spoke, she pulled a pack of breath mints her best friend had given her from her bag, popped one into her mouth, and bit into it.
The mint was jasmine and green grape flavored. As soon as she bit down, a sweet aroma spread throughout her mouth.
Chewing the mint, Yu Wanwan looked for a trash bin along the street, but after searching for a while, she couldn't find a single one.
The street was impeccably clean, with not even a speck of fruit peel or debris in sight—only dust and fallen leaves. Although the candy wrapper was thin, Yu Wanwan, who considered herself a person with some public spirit, didn't want to litter.
But she also didn't want to put the used wrapper in her bag. What to do?
After thinking it over, Yu Wanwan's gaze settled on Zhang Jingxu, who was walking ahead, earnestly searching for a characteristic restaurant.
A mischievous idea popped into her head.
Unobtrusively, she approached him and carefully slipped the candy wrapper into his pants pocket.
He seemed completely unaware of her little action, still focused on finding a restaurant.
Seeing this, Yu Wanwan grew bolder. She ate one mint and slipped another wrapper into his pocket. Watching him remain oblivious after she had stuffed so many, she had to stifle a laugh.
What a dope.
But just as she was about to slip another wrapper into his pocket, Zhang Jingxu suddenly bent his arm to put his hand in his pocket, inadvertently catching her hand in the act.
His warm palm enveloped her slightly curled fist. Yu Wanwan's heart skipped a beat. Oh no, caught.
Seeing his bewildered expression, Yu Wanwan's quick mind devised a plan.
She gave him an awkward smile, her eyes sparkling: "Um... would you like a mint?"
As she spoke, she turned her hand over and pressed the last mint in her palm into his.
Suddenly having a mint placed in his palm, still warm from her hand, Zhang Jingxu was at a loss. Before he could ask, Yu Wanwan was attracted by a nearby stall selling hairpins and dashed over.
Zhang Jingxu examined the candy she had given him, utterly baffled. He didn't dwell on it, carefully put the candy away, and walked over to the hairpin stall.
The stall owner was a young girl in a green Song-style Hanfu, with two pigtails and a headscarf—graceful yet playful. She was intently weaving a red string.
The hairpins were of three types: resin, wood, and silver.
Yu Wanwan picked up a wooden one and a silver one to examine closely. At the sound, the girl looked up, her gaze fixed on Yu Wanwan's face for a second, then her pupils dilated.
"You... you're the one with the account 'Abundance Every Year'?" The girl jumped up, dropping the red string in her hand, her voice cracking with excitement: "Oh my god! Little Fish, I love you! I've been following you since your mukbang series!"
She spoke rapidly, her face flushed, her eyes darting fervently between Yu Wanwan and Zhang Jingxu, finally settling on Zhang Jingxu. She covered her mouth with both hands, her lowered voice brimming with uncontrollable joy: "Is this the 'back killer' husband who cooks in your videos? He's so handsome! I must be the first to see his real face! Ahhhhh! I'm so excited!"
Zhang Jingxu: Is this a crazed fan?
Yu Wanwan was a bit overwhelmed by the machine-gun-like enthusiasm, just standing there smiling sheepishly.
"Sorry, I got too excited!" Realizing her excitement might have startled them, the girl quickly waved her hands, bent down to pick up the red string from the ground, but her eyes still sparkled as they clung to them. "Um... could I take a photo with you?"
"Of course," Yu Wanwan said, not wanting to refuse such a passionate fan's small request. She tugged at the stiff-as-a-corps Zhang Jingxu and had them take two photos with the girl.