Chapter 64

Xu Hongdou watched Chen Mo finish her half-eaten noodle soup in no time and didn't know what to say for a moment.

"Let's go, there's a coffee shop up ahead. I'll buy you a cup of coffee. I guess you're still not used to these."

After Chen Mo finished eating, he packed the packaging box into a bag, threw it into the trash can next to him, clapped his hands and said.

"No, what's wrong with you?" Xu Hongdou was still a little unresponsive.

"Don't worry, I don't dislike you." Chen Mo waved his hand and said generously.

"You still want to dislike me?" Xu Hongdou said with eyes wide open, somewhat incredulous.

"I said I don't dislike you, how did you listen to me?" Chen Mo asked puzzledly.

"Heh, I'm talking to you" Xu Hongdou laughed angrily.

"Let's talk while we walk." Chen Mo turned around and gestured.

"Tell me clearly, how did you eat me just now?" Xu Hongdou quickly followed without finishing his words.

Chen Mo was startled and said, "Don't accuse me, when did I kiss you?"

"When did I say you kissed me? Don't interrupt me." Xu Hongdou was furious and slapped Chen Mo's arm twice.

"Okay, okay, then just tell me what you want to say." Chen Mo looked like he was all ears.

"I" Xu Hongdou's chest heaved.

At this moment, Xu Hongdou felt like she had an argument with Xu Hongmi when they were children. It was obviously the other party who did something wrong first, but in the end it seemed as if she was the one who was nitpicking.

"I won't say anymore." Xu Hongdou said angrily.

After saying that, Xu Hongdou walked forward quickly.

"Hey, watch out for the cars."

Chen Mo saw a child riding a bicycle quickly coming towards him, so he quickly pulled Xu Hongdou to the side and subconsciously put his arm around Xu Hongdou's shoulders.

Xu Hongdou looked at the hand on her right shoulder and the chest on her left side. She felt as if she was dazed and then she was half-held in Chen Mo's arms.

Now Xu Hongdou found the opportunity to attack and stepped hard on Chen Mo's foot.

"You're addicted to being a hooligan, aren't you?"

"Hiss~~" Chen Mo let go of his hand in pain.

"How can you be so ungrateful? I was just afraid that you would be hit by that kid."

"Good intentions? I only see the heart of a pervert." Xu Hongdou snorted coldly.

"A five or six-year-old kid riding a small bicycle was described by you as looking like a huge truck."

"Don't underestimate the child. He rushes around like this and it will be very painful if he gets hit." Chen Mo defended.

"Then just pull me to the side. Who told you to hug me like that?" Xu Hongdou glanced at me.

“I’ve always seen this play out in TV dramas,” Chen Mo laughed dryly.

"I think you are addicted to taking advantage of others." Xu Hongdou sneered.

"Hey, I don't agree with what you said." Chen Mo said in a firm voice.

"You said I took advantage of you by hugging you, so I admit it."

"But what kind of advantage was that just now? I didn't even mind your saliva."

"You still dislike my saliva?!" Xu Hongdou laughed in anger when she heard that.

"Who told you to eat it? Did you ask me if I was willing?"

Xu Hongdou suddenly became furious and chased Chen Mo, punching and kicking him.

Chen Mo fled in a hurry, still trying to make excuses:

"I'm not kissing you, you have nothing to lose."

"You're just taking advantage, you bastard!"

"Then buy me a cup of coffee later. I'll take a sip and then give it to you. This way, you can take advantage of me and it will be considered as paying you back." Chen Mo suggested.

"Bah, disgusting!"

"Hey, are you still being unreasonable? If I eat your saliva, I'm taking advantage of you, but if you eat my saliva, you're disgusted?" Chen Mo complained.

"I'm unreasonable? Don't run away. I'm going to reason with you now." Xu Hongdou pursued relentlessly.

"If you want to make sense, just stand there and talk. If you don't want to chase me, why should I run?"

Chen Mo looked back at Xu Hongdou's aggressive look and dared not stop.

"If you weren't feeling guilty, why would you run? If you didn't run, would I have to chase you?" Xu Hongdou said breathlessly.

The two of them ran around in the alley, chasing each other, bickering and playing, like two older children in a busy city.

The shadows of the two people were performing a shadow play in the light golden morning light.

"Ouch—"

When Chen Mo heard the sound, he turned around and saw Xu Hongdou leaning against a tree, half bent over, holding her stomach.

"What's wrong? Do you have a stomachache or stomach discomfort?" Chen Mo quickly ran back.

Xu Hongdou half lowered her head. Chen Mo couldn't see her expression. He could only hear Xu Hongdou breathing lightly.

"You just ate, you can't run. I'll help you sit over there for a while."

Chen Mo reached out to help Xu Hongdou, but Xu Hongdou suddenly grabbed his arm with one hand, and then used her hands and feet to attack him.

"Fuck, you're trying to sneak attack me! You can't afford it! You..." (Electronic music here)

In the end, Chen Mo let Xu Hongdou vent his anger.

The two walked out to a larger alley, which was obviously much more lively.

Besides residential buildings, there are various shops on both sides of this alley.

There are cafes, tea houses, bookstores, grocery stores, as well as art shops selling embroidery, porcelain, aromatherapy, and even pet shops.

It can be said to be a commercial street with "hutong culture".

"You are too cruel."

Chen Mo rubbed his waist. The soft flesh on his waist had been twisted a few times by Xu Hongdou.

I don't know if this can be considered a kind of talent for women. It seems that they don't need to learn it, and they can find men's weaknesses skillfully without any guidance.

The technique, the skill, and the strength are all extremely similar.

Don’t ask Chen Mo why he knows this so clearly, because Chen Mo has seen Fang Shuyun approach Chen Huaisong over the years.

"Hmph~ You deserve it."

Xu Hongdou kept looking around and ignored Chen Mo who was playing the victim.

"What a cruel and ruthless woman." Chen Mo muttered.

"What are you mumbling about? Walk faster." Xu Hongdou said, turning around.

"Here it comes, it's because your long legs are walking too fast." Chen Mo took two quick steps and said shoulder to shoulder with Xu Hongdou.

"Someone just started running and I couldn't catch up with him." Xu Hongdou glanced at Chen Mo and said.

"But didn't I still fall into your hands in the end?" Chen Mo said softly with a smile.

"If you can't catch up with me, I will come back to find you."

"Why should I chase you?" Xu Hongdou asked.

"It's okay for me to chase you, just like just now, when you turned around and called me, I followed you." Chen Mo said.

"If we chase each other for too long, it will be too tiring. We will all be tired." Xu Hongdou said.

"Then if we stand side by side like we are now, we won't have to chase." Chen Mo said with a smile.

"Can we always walk side by side?" Xu Hongdou asked in a low voice.

It seemed like he was asking Chen Mo, but it also seemed more like he was asking himself.

At this time, a pedestrian came from the opposite side. Xu Hongdou lagged behind Chen Mo and let the pedestrian pass first. "Then let's hold hands. This way, we won't get separated even if we are not walking side by side." Chen Mo turned sideways and stretched out his hand.

Xu Hongdou stared blankly at the hand Chen Mo extended to her, then looked up at Chen Mo's eyes.

"You want to take advantage of others openly now, huh?"

Xu Hongdou gently patted Chen Mo's palm. Chen Mo wanted to grab it, but failed.

"I came here for a legitimate purpose." Chen Mo said with a smile.

"Didn't I say yesterday that I would take you home this year?"

"You mean bringing a girlfriend, which I didn't," Xu Hongdou corrected.

"You can be." Chen Mo said seriously.

"Even if your family is pushing you hard, it's not good to find someone to pretend to be your girlfriend and deceive your parents." Xu Hongdou waved her hand and said, "I can't do such a thing."

"You don't have to lie, just act yourself." Chen Mo said.

"I'm not an actor. I can't act." Xu Hongdou shook her head.

"Xu Hongdou, are you pretending to be stupid in front of me?" Chen Mo put his face in front of Xu Hongdou, stared into her eyes and asked.

"I don't understand what you're saying. Didn't you say you wanted to buy some coffee? The one in front seems pretty good."

Seeing Chen Mo's extremely aggressive attitude, Xu Hongdou quickly dodged backwards, found an excuse, and hurried to buy coffee.

Chen Mo couldn't help laughing as he looked at Xu Hongdou's back as she fled.

In fact, Chen Mo was not very anxious, but every time he saw Xu Hongdou, he couldn't help but want to flirt with her.

Chen Mo liked Xu Hongdou's every reaction and expression. Sometimes she was shy, sometimes angry, and sometimes a little cunning and a little arrogant. She was very funny and beautiful.

After Xu Hongdou bought two cups of coffee, the two of them walked around while drinking coffee.

"Let's go, let's go to the next place." Chen Mo said.

"Where are we going?" Xu Hongdou asked.

"Panjiayuan, there is a Xinqiao Handicraft Market over there today, let's go take a look."

When you enter Panjiayuan, you will see a bustling and noisy place.

Panjiayuan used to be mainly for various cultural relics, calligraphy and paintings, and antiques.

After all, throughout the dynasties, the thing that Sijiu City has never lacked is dignitaries. All the rare treasures in the world will gather at the feet of the emperor, making it the best place in the world.

Therefore, there are many rumors and interesting stories about finding bargains in Panjiayuan. Twenty years ago, many people wanted to find bargains in Panjiayuan and become rich overnight.

But now the most popular items in Panjiayuan are various bracelet accessories, handicrafts and trendy toys.

Enter from the north gate and you can see the bracelet exhibition area.

There are so many bracelets in various styles, colors, materials and shapes that it is dizzying to choose from.

"Have you been here before?" Chen Mo unconsciously raised his voice a little.

Because there were so many people, I had to speak louder.

"I came here twice with Nanxing when I was in college, and haven't been here for a long time," said Xu Hongdou.

"Then let's mainly visit the handicraft market, which has only been around for the past two or three years."

Chen Mo took Xu Hongdou in, turned right and went straight to the handicraft market.

The two could see a makeshift shed from a distance with "The 4th Xinqiao Handicraft Market" written on top of it. People were queuing in an orderly manner at the entrance.

Because you need to buy tickets, but it's not expensive.

It’s 6 yuan for one person and 9 yuan for two people, and each person will also receive two 3 yuan coupons.

Chen Mo and Xu Hongdou waited in line for a long time before they were able to get in.

What comes into view are various stalls:

Some stalls sell felt handicrafts, cloth items and plush toys; some display a variety of wooden spinning tops, insect brooches, clay figures, various earrings and ornaments, as well as various illustrations, peripherals and postcards. Each stall is novel and creative.

Xu Hongdou was obviously dazzled by these cute and novel gadgets.

"It seems that each of these spinning tops is different." Xu Hongdou walked to a stall selling handmade wooden spinning tops, took a closer look, then turned to Chen Mo and said.

"Really?" Chen Mo also walked closer.

"These are all my own original designs, and each one is different," the stall owner introduced.

The stall owner is a young man. He only has one kind of spinning top in the stall, and it is obvious that he has a special liking for spinning tops.

"How many do you have, boss?" Xu Hongdou asked curiously.

"More than 150, that means more than 150 styles." said the stall owner proudly.

"Awesome." Chen Mo praised.

Although the thing is small, and maybe not many people play with it now, but whether it is out of love or sentiment, it is amazing that so much effort is put into researching so many tricks.

Chen Mo bought one as a way of supporting his boss's persistence in what he loves.

"Thank you for your patronage."

Chen Mo and Xu Hongdou continued to stroll.

"Do you like these?" Xu Hongdou asked, looking at the spinning top in Chen Mo's hand.

"No, it's mainly because when I saw the owner's expression when he introduced the spinning top, I felt like I was seeing myself who loves music."

"Just think of it as supporting young people." Chen Mo said with a smile.

There were many people visiting the stall, but not many buyers. Most of them came to see the novelty and recall their childhood toys.

"How old are you? Why do you talk like an old man?" Xu Hongdou complained.

"At least he should be a few years older than the boss."

"If the boss wasn't young, he wouldn't have chosen to specialize in something that doesn't make much money," said Chen Mo.

"Maybe he just treats it as a hobby." Xu Hongdou said.

"I usually have nothing to do for fun, so I'm here to set up a stall today since there's a market."

"Yes, then I'll go and return it. It's a waste of my hope." Chen Mo pretended to turn around and go back.

"Hey, you..." Xu Hongdou quickly grabbed Chen Mo's hand.

"You've already bought it. If you hadn't asked the price like I did just now, how could you regret it within two minutes of buying it like you did? You're just trying to make fun of me."

"It's just a joke, don't be nervous." Chen Mo said with a smile.

Chen Mo glanced at Xu Hongdou's hand holding his wrist, which felt warm.

Xu Hongdou was speechless and was about to let go of Chen Mo's hand, but Chen Mo grabbed it with his backhand.

"This place is big and crowded, let's not get separated." Chen Mo said righteously.

After saying that, Chen Mo ignored Xu Hongdou's "struggle" and just gently tightened her hand slightly, and continued to walk forward holding Xu Hongdou's hand.

Xu Hongdou tried to break free several times, but failed and was firmly "imprisoned" by Chen Mo's big hands.

There were so many people in the market that they could be described as "shoulder to shoulder", and Xu Hongdou couldn't move her hands away.

So Xu Hongdou could only purse her lips helplessly, glared at Chen Mo's back, and then let Chen Mo lead the way.

Then the two of them looked at some wood carvings, silver jewelry, intangible cultural heritage embroidery, paper-cutting, and some calligraphy works.

"Look at these wood carvings, there's even an Ultraman one." Xu Hongdou said, pointing to a stall.

"A man's childhood." Chen Mo picked one up and took a look, and couldn't help but sigh.

"There is also a wooden carved fortune cat. Do you want to buy another one?" Chen Mo asked with a smile.

"Don't you have a lot of them at home?" Xu Hongdou remembered that Chen Mo had just bought four last time, and they were all very cute.

"If you like it, there's no such thing as too much."

(End of this chapter)