Juhua looked up at him and saw him smiling gently at her, his hand gripping hers tightly. A trace of heartache flickered in his eyes, and she suddenly understood. He had seen Mei and the others picking out accessories that girls adored, while she alone seemed completely uninterested. 'He probably thinks I'm avoiding them because I'm upset about my ugly face.'
Now that she understood, she smiled at him. "I'm going to pick out a comb and a wooden hairpin. Later, I'll have Yan teach me a simple way to put my braids up. It'll be cooler when the weather gets hot."
Zhang Huai was pleasantly surprised to hear this and quickly beamed. "Alright!"
So, he took her hand, and the two of them went over to browse. They picked out a fine-toothed poplar comb and a wooden hairpin. Though the hairpin's design was simple, it had a rustic, gentle quality that Juhua found very pleasing.
