After Dressing Up As a Little Fulang

The second stall that Zang Ya led An Yun to was the one for catching small fish. One lottery ticket got two bamboo paper scoops, and they could take away whatever they caught.

There were many lights hanging on the street, which illuminated the area as brightly as day.

Those lights hit the swimming little fish, and as their tails swayed gently, the ripples of light looked like tiny streams, making them even more brilliant.

An Yun looked at the colourful fish and suddenly remembered seeing such a stall in his previous life. Back then, he could only stand outside the crowd, watching with envy as other children were taken there to play by their parents.

An Yun could even recall the scene when those children, after crying wilfully, convinced the adults to reluctantly agree to let them play.

At that time, An Yun had been extremely envious. Because those children were pampered and knew they would get what they wanted, they could behave so unscrupulously.

And what had An Yun been doing at that time? He had been standing in a dark corner, holding a dirty woven bag filled with the cartons and plastic bottles he had collected. He had stared longingly at the children with their parents, his eyes full of envy.

An Yun still felt a little sad thinking about that time, when suddenly, ten paper scoops appeared in front of him, pulling him back to reality.

An Yun was stunned for a moment, then looked up at the hand offering the paper scoops and saw Zang Ya looking at him, gently raising his chin with a hint of arrogance in his tone. “Don’t be envious. You have what others have, too.”

After saying that, Zang Ya seemed to feel it wasn’t enough, so he added, “You even have more than others.”

An Yun looked at Zang Ya’s determined expression, then at the paper scoop he handed over, and suddenly laughed, his smile as bright as the sun. “Yes, I understand. Thank you, Zang Ya.”

There was something inexplicable in his sincere tone, and Zang Ya suddenly felt that there was something different about the person in front of him. However, before he could think about it, An Yun took him to find a place to sit down and prepare to fish.

An Yun had taken ten scoops from Zang Ya. After sitting down, he counted five and handed them to Zang Ya.

The boss, who had just collected so many lottery tickets from them, knew these two were big spenders. Smiling, he handed over a bamboo tube and said, “Take your time fishing. You can put the small fish you catch here, and when you’re ready to leave, take them with you. There’s no time limit for fishing.”

An Yun took the bamboo tube, thanked the boss, and then focused on the fish in the pond, preparing to fish them out.

Zang Ya, however, didn’t make any moves with his paper scoop. He just played with it, looking bored, while watching An Yun. He seemed to think that the look on An Yun’s face was far more interesting than the fish in the pond.

An Yun stared at the fish in the pond for a while, pondering sadly about how to catch them. After recalling the strategies he had heard in his previous life, he gradually came up with an idea.

The first scoop broke the moment it touched a fish.

The second one broke when the fish swam into it.

.

After five failed attempts, An Yun’s bamboo tube was still empty.

An Yun felt a bit frustrated and even began to wonder if it was the merchant’s trick that made it impossible to catch any fish.

However, the occasional cheers from adults and children nearby showed that the fish could be caught, but he just couldn’t catch one.

Zang Ya watched An Yun’s changing expressions along the way—seeing him excited, conflicted, disappointed, and then depressed. He watched with great interest, finding it extremely amusing.

An Yun, feeling completely downhearted, suddenly remembered that Zang Ya hadn’t fished yet. He turned around and saw Zang Ya watching him with keen interest, as if An Yun had done something entertaining.

An Yun couldn’t help but feel a little embarrassed when he thought about how he had failed repeatedly to catch the fish and had gotten angry in the process. Finally, he whispered, “What’s wrong? Do you think there’s something on my face?”

Zang Ya shook his head and said, quite honestly, “No, there’s nothing on your face. I just thought the way you looked just now was rather interesting.”

Hearing his words, An Yun felt embarrassed as he imagined the frustrated expression on his face from missing the fish.

Zang Ya noticed that after he spoke, An Yun just stared at him silently. After a moment’s thought, he handed over the paper scoops and said, “There’s more here. Go on.”

An Yun looked at Zang Ya’s calm expression, then at the paper scoops he offered. Zang Ya didn’t seem to think he had pointed out someone else’s shame. If Zang Ya didn’t usually speak like this, An Yun might have suspected he was doing it on purpose.

Earlier, An Yun had been struggling with the paper scoops without any success. He knew his limits. Looking at the paper scoop Zang Ya offered, he shook his head with a hint of resignation in his tone. “No, I can’t catch anything. It’d just be a waste if you gave it to me. You go ahead.”

Zang Ya, seeing An Yun’s dejected expression, didn’t seem to understand. He had just seen An Yun look happy while fishing, so why not continue?

Zang Ya insisted, handing over the paper scoop again, saying, “It doesn’t matter. If you can’t catch anything, that’s fine. Just have fun. If you want to play more, I’ll buy you ten more.”

An Yun knew Zang Ya’s family was wealthy, and in his eyes, this kind of money was a drop in the ocean, but no matter how rich someone was, they shouldn’t waste money like this!

Before An Yun could refuse, a young shuanger sitting next to them interjected, “Young Master Zang, not everyone can catch those fish. It takes skill. Since they think they don’t have that skill, it’s best not to force it, to avoid wasting money.”

Hearing this, both An Yun and Zang Ya turned toward the young shuanger. He was strikingly beautiful and had clearly dressed up for the occasion. With makeup that accentuated his features and elegance, with brocade clothes, he appeared even more refined. Two attendants stood behind him, suggesting he was from an aristocratic family.