The streets were bustling with people, mingled with the sounds of vendors hawking their wares—a lively scene indeed.
Xie Ning had been excited from the very moment he learned they were going out, bouncing around like he'd been injected with adrenaline.
"So happy, are we?"
Lang Xuan had asked around beforehand to find out what kids these days liked, and he'd known Xie Ning would be pleased—but he hadn't expected him to be this thrilled.
Hearing this, Xie Ning stole a quick glance at Shen Wang, then nodded with a barely perceptible movement.
"Oh~ so it's because of someone special," Lang Xuan said knowingly, teasing as he put on a fake wounded expression. "Does that mean going out with me isn't worth being happy about?"
At that, Xie Ning's smile doubled. He hopped backward, his tone brimming with excitement. "So it's double happiness!"
Hearing this, Lang Xuan felt his heart warm instantly.
So his efforts in asking around hadn't been wasted after all.
Butler Liu stood at the doorway, beaming as he watched them leave.
Since it was a spur-of-the-moment decision, they hadn't brought any attendants along—and besides, with Shen Wang there, even if anything came up, he could handle it.
By the time the three of them arrived, the place was already packed with people.
It was indeed as Lang Xuan had said—a group of Hu merchants had come to do business. They'd set up a makeshift performance stage in an open area, surrounded by all sorts of strange and curious trinkets.
But that wasn't all—some of the items had been popular in the capital before. Looking at it that way, it seemed like locals had learned the Hu merchants' crafts and style, then come back to make money off it.
They'd certainly drummed up quite a buzz, advertising through every street and alley days in advance.
Word had spread from mouth to mouth, so even before the performance began, people had packed in ring after ring.
Xie Ning was short—even standing on his tiptoes, all he could see was the backs of the people in front, blocking his view completely.
Xie Ning: "…"
Lang Xuan noticed his expression and couldn't help but laugh. "Don't worry, Ningbao. In a bit, I'll lift you up and you'll be able to see."
Shen Wang had never cared for crowded places like this. He kept even his household staff to a minimum, and on most days, he preferred to be alone.
The moment they'd stepped into this area, the empty space behind them had been instantly claimed by others. Now they were surrounded on all sides, and getting out would require squeezing through the crowd.
Shen Wang remained silent.
"Bear with it—places like this don't have private rooms," Lang Xuan leaned in and whispered. "Look, Ningbao's having so much fun!"
Shen Wang didn't move.
Knowing that his silence meant consent, Lang Xuan's lips curved up slightly.
He didn't know why Shen Wang was so stubborn about it. Others might not know, but he certainly did—Shen Wang had actually been on official duty today.
Before long, the sound of gongs and drums rang out, and the atmosphere hit a fever pitch.
As the crowd cheered, a man wearing a hat shaped like a boat emerged, leading a dog on a leash, his face painted with strange makeup.
Caught up in the excitement, Xie Ning strained on his tiptoes.
The next moment, Shen Wang's large hand swept out, hoisting Xie Ning up to sit on his shoulder. And just like that, Xie Ning became the tallest person in the crowd.
Not only could he see the performance up ahead perfectly clearly, but with a single glance down, he could see everyone's fuzzy heads.
Awesome!
Xie Ning instantly felt like the coolest kid in the whole place!
His bottom couldn't help but wiggle as he leaned forward, wanting to get even closer to the action.
But immediately, Shen Wang straightened him up and said in a low voice, "Sit still, don't move."
So Xie Ning immediately sat up obediently, not daring to move at all. If Shen Wang could see his expression at that moment, his face would be written all over with "praise me."
However, Xie Ning's attention was soon drawn away by the performance in front of him.
The man in the hat casually made a few movements, then suddenly, a strong burst of fire shot out from his mouth, immediately eliciting gasps of amazement from the crowd below.
Following that, taking advantage of the crowd's high spirits, he made a few moves that looked quite intimidating.
He stood on a wooden barrel and rolled it along as he walked, occasionally causing the audience's hearts to skip a beat.
Seeing this, the man in the hat immediately gave a signal to those behind him. His companion came forward leading a cream-yellow puppy, with a broken bowl balanced on its head.
"Those with money, give some money; those without, give some support."
He shouted as he walked, and the silver coins in the bowl grew more and more, his smile widening with each step.
When he reached the end, he yelled at the top of his lungs, "There's an even more impressive performance coming up later, folks can enjoy it to the fullest."
The audience responded enthusiastically.
But just then, something unexpected happened. The puppy being led let out a miserable yelp, and the broken bowl on its head fell off, scattering silver coins all over the ground.
Some quick-reacting people immediately bent down to pick them up, and the front area fell into brief chaos.
"Don't grab! Don't grab!"
But no matter how loudly he shouted, some people still bent over to pick up the coins.
At times like this, people almost held the mentality that whatever went into their own pockets was theirs.
Seeing this, the man in the hat quickly came forward to help maintain order. It took half a quarter of an hour before the crowd calmed down, but some people in the front had already left, not intending to stay and watch any longer.
The dog handler glanced at the coins in the bowl and could tell at a glance that there were considerably fewer than before—someone must have taken some while fishing in troubled waters.
He immediately flew into a rage and viciously kicked the little yellow dog.
It was all because of it that they had lost so much silver today.
His expression was fierce, and even after one kick, he still felt his chest burning with anger, so he raised his leg and kicked twice more.
The little yellow dog let out a series of pitiful cries, but didn't dare to dodge at all, allowing its master to beat and scold it.
Xie Ning, who had taken in all of this, was also angry. He punched downward with force, but forgot that he was currently sitting on Shen Wang's shoulders.
Shen Wang let out a muffled grunt.
Then he looked up at him with some confusion, "?"
He wasn't interested in this kind of thing, hadn't been paying close attention, and naturally didn't know what had happened up front. He only vaguely noticed that the crowd seemed restless.
"Father, put me down." Xie Ning wiggled his bottom to signal.
After Xie Ning was back on the ground, his face still wore an angry expression.
Lang Xuan lowered his head and asked with concern, "What's wrong?"
So Xie Ning recounted what he had just seen, "They… bad people! Bullying the little dog!"
He was so angry that he stuttered, which was adorable.
Shen Wang lowered his gaze and listened quietly as he finished.
Actually, he didn't have much compassion for other people. Countless people had come before him crying out for justice and pouring out their grievances—some true, some false—and he didn't have the leisure to deal with each one.
Some people truly had tragic backgrounds, but they also truly committed evil deeds. It was hard to define a person as good or bad based on a single matter.
So when he heard Xie Ning call the man a bad person just because he kicked the dog, he only found it adorable.
Only a child, perhaps, could say something so naive.
Looked at from another angle, they had also given this dog a meal—if left to wander the streets, it might not survive past tomorrow.
However, Shen Wang didn't intend to say any of that. He leaned in and asked calmly, "So what do you want to do?"
The moment those words left his mouth, Lang Xuan, who was listening nearby, knew that no matter how outrageous a request Xie Ning made right now, Shen Wang would see it done for him.
He was already breaking a sweat on behalf of the people on stage.
Xie Ning sniffled, tugged at Shen Wang's sleeve, and asked hesitantly, "Can we buy the little dog?"
How… how direct and simple a method.
Hearing this, Lang Xuan sighed inwardly.
"…Alright." Shen Wang paused briefly, then nodded in agreement.
Then the next second, he carried Xie Ning through the crowd and stated flatly, "That dog. I want it."
The dog handler was already annoyed, and upon hearing the mention of the dog, waved his hand irritably without even looking. "Scram, scram!"
Shen Wang didn't seem to intend to wait for his answer anyway. He produced a gold leaf from who-knows-where and tossed it into the broken bowl.
Then he set Xie Ning down and let him go over to pick up the dog.
The dog handler's eyes lit up at the sight of the gold leaf. He immediately snatched it up and stuffed it into his sleeve, afraid someone might come and take his money.
In all of this, he didn't spare a single glance at the little yellow dog whimpering on the ground.
By then, Lang Xuan had also managed to squeeze through. He stepped forward and added, "Well then, this dog belongs to us now."
A single gold leaf could buy who knows how many dogs like this one—anyone with eyes could see which choice to make.
The dog handler was no exception. He immediately nodded and bowed in agreement, only then realizing the person before him was his benefactor. "As you please! Being chosen by you is this dog's good fortune."
Xie Ning crouched down in front of the little yellow dog and gently stroked its fur.
"Will you come home with me?"
The little yellow dog lay on the ground, looking rather weak, but when it heard him speak, it still let out a small response—whether it understood him or not, who could say.
Xie Ning scooped it into his arms, walked up to Shen Wang, and still remembered to make a face at the dog handler.
Bad! Person!
Unfortunately, the man was completely baffled and had no idea why he did that. But with the gold in his pocket, he still bowed and scraped as he saw the three of them and the dog off.
After watching them leave, the dog handler cautiously pulled the gold leaf from his sleeve and bit down on it.
Then his smile grew even wider.
The next moment, he shouted at the audience still lingering around: "No show today! Go home, go home."
"What kind of way is this to do business? You're just stringing everyone along, aren't you?"
"Exactly! We've been waiting here for ages, and you just call it off like that?"
The crowd below wasn't so easily fooled. They immediately pointed at him and demanded, "Then give us our money back!"
"That's right! Return the tips we gave you!"
At that, everyone's emotions boiled over. They raised their hands in unison, demanding refunds.
"Everyone, please calm down," the man in the hat hurried forward to smooth things over, trying to pacify the crowd. "You all just saw—our dog was bought at a high price. Without it, it's very hard for us to continue the rest of the show."
A spectator in the front row let out a jeering scoff. "With business practices like yours, who in the capital would ever dare come watch again."
With that, he flicked his sleeve and turned to leave.
Seeing this, the others felt there was no more excitement to be had and gradually dispersed as well.
The place that had been so lively moments ago suddenly became sparse and thin, taking on a somewhat desolate air.
……
Meanwhile, in the private suite of the Drunken Fragrance Pavilion.
The environment here was quiet, yet one could see the bustling street scenes from the window—an ideal spot for eating, drinking, and merrymaking.
Lang Xuan had originally intended to bring Xie Ning out to find some amusement, never expecting this little scene to unfold. But since they had finally managed to get out, and had unexpectedly dragged Shen Wang along as well, it was practically a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Xie Ning had already immersed himself in the joy of playing with the little yellow dog. The dog, having undergone some simple training, was not afraid of people and could understand a few hand gestures.
It was also quite adept at reading the room, rubbing up against Xie Ning persistently, eliciting giggles from him.
"Ningbao, do you want to keep it?" Lang Xuan asked, propping his chin on his hand.
Xie Ning paused mid-motion. He hadn't seemed to consider this question yet. Blinking, he looked toward Shen Wang, knowing he needed to seek his approval. "Father, may I?"
Seeing that familiar expression, Shen Wang knew that if he uttered a word of refusal, Xie Ning would burst into tears on the spot.
Who knew who had taught him this—crying at the drop of a hat, crying whenever things didn't go his way. His parents must have spoiled him far too much.
Shen Wang silently scoffed in his heart, the words turning over in his mouth several times before he finally said flatly, "If you want to."
…Then you may.
Xie Ning naturally wanted it a hundred percent, nodding hastily for fear that he might change his mind.
After hesitating for a moment, Xie Ning revealed a rare hint of shyness, then at lightning speed turned his head and pressed a quick peck against Shen Wang's cheek.
Everyone present was stunned.
"Woof!"
The little yellow dog barked without understanding why, instantly snapping everyone back to their senses.
When Shen Wang came to, his mind had been nearly blank, because in all his years, no one—no one—had ever kissed him before, and now a child had done just that.
This was truly… far too much…
His brow furrowed again. "You… who taught you this?"
Xie Ning tilted his head, not quite understanding why Father was reacting so strongly. Daddy often kissed him, and he would kiss Daddy too.
But that was alright—if Father didn't know, Ningbao would be happy to teach him.
So Xie Ning explained with a serious expression, "Ningbao likes Father, so he gives kisses. If Father likes Ningbao, you can kiss me too~"
With that, the implication was unmistakable. Xie Ning leaned his cheek forward with an expectant look, just waiting for Shen Wang to give him a kiss.
Ningbao was so adorable—how could anyone not like him!
Xie Ning thought smugly.
But the next moment, Shen Wang gently pushed his face back, a wordless refusal.
Seeing that Xie Ning was about to cry again in sorrow, Lang Xuan snapped out of his shocked expression and said to Xie Ning, "I like Ningbao. May I kiss you?"
Xie Ning generously replied, "Of course you may."
The handsome uncle had taken him out to play and treated him to delicious food—he was a very good person.
Hearing this, Shen Wang's face darkened with irritation, and he reached out to block between the two of them. "No."
Lang Xuan winked teasingly at Xie Ning. "He's jealous."
Xie Ning blinked and blinked. So Father wouldn't kiss him not because he didn't like Ningbao, but because he was shy after all.