Looking at Flandre Scarlet's message, Alina was also very happy. It just so happened that Talulah came to find her, and seeing her happy expression, asked for the reason. After Alina recounted Flandre's news, Talulah looked up at the sky and couldn't help but sigh with emotion.
"I didn't realize it was already the end of the year. Alina, do you know why the New Year is also called the Spring Festival?"
Alina tilted her head, thought for a moment, and then replied, "The season of spring?"
"The arrival of the Spring Festival represents the passing of winter. After today, the temperature will gradually start to warm up from tomorrow. The Spring Festival represents the first day of spring's arrival. In Yan, the Spring Festival is a holiday to celebrate the end of winter and the coming of spring," Talulah replied.
"It seems we in Ursus don't have this kind of celebration." Alina couldn't help but laugh as she thought of this.
Ursus indeed did not have it, for a very simple reason: because Ursus is located in the north, the snow melts at least a month later than in Yan. In other words, while Yan is already warm and flowers are blooming as everything wakes up, Ursus might still be a world of ice and snow. Additionally, the strength of the north wind varies every year. When the north wind is too strong, it can stay cold even until April; when it's weak, it's about the same as in Yan. Therefore, it's impossible to fix a specific time to confirm the end of winter like Yan does. Because of this, Ursus celebrates the Autumn Festival, which is the Harvest Festival.
"Speaking of which, Talulah, you are also from Yan. Well, since it's a holiday, how about I cook something delicious for you in a bit!" Alina felt a bit of heartache seeing Talulah's reminiscing look, so she spoke in a lighthearted tone.
"Really? Then I'll look forward to it with great hope!" Talulah responded with a smile.
"Let's go, let's head out and shovel the snow first. The heavy snow these past two days hasn't been small." Alina pulled Talulah along, and the two of them walked out the door with shovels in hand.
On the other side, after Flandre left the house, she walked all the way to the edge of a snack street. Just as she was about to enter, she saw a familiar figure. Rope looked at the bustling crowd ahead and was very satisfied. This kind of street was the most suitable place to make a move during the New Year period. People who could come to this street in this weather would have a lot of money tucked in their pockets.
She didn't plan to take much, just enough for her to eat for today and tomorrow. After the New Year, she'd find an excuse to go back to the 'department' and stay for another ten days to half a month before coming out. By then, the weather would basically have warmed up. Just as she was about to start her daily routine, a pair of hands pressed down on her shoulders.
"Ah, sir, I haven't done anything yet. Just wandering around here isn't against the law, right!" She thought it was an acquaintance from the Lungmen Guard Department who had caught her, and replied with a cheeky grin. But when she turned around, she saw a blonde young girl.
"You are?" Rope looked at the girl with confusion, finding her somewhat familiar.
"Hello, Rope! I didn't expect to see you here. It's me, Flandre. Back in the Slums, you were the one who led me out of there."
Flandre's words made Rope recall the identity of the little bean sprout in front of her. "So it's you. Why are you here?"
"I came to the snack street. Naturally, I'm curious about the food here!" Although eating these things didn't provide energy for Flandre, she could still sense the taste, just like with candy and such.
"Ahaha, me too!" Rope couldn't very well say she was here to swipe some pocket money, so she could only respond with an awkward smile.
"Really? This is my first time here. Can you show me around?" Flandre excitedly pulled her hand.
"But..." Rope was a bit hesitant.
"I'll pay for all the food!" Flandre took a stack of Lungmen dollars out of her satchel.
Seeing this, Rope quickly grabbed her hand and stuffed it back into Flandre's satchel. "Don't show your wealth, don't show your wealth!" After saying that, she also scanned the surroundings. Sure enough, she noticed several gazes looking this way. Good grief, it seemed there were quite a few 'colleagues' here. Looking at Flandre's innocent appearance, if she let her go in alone, those guys would probably pick her clean of all her money. She couldn't help but sigh; in her kindness, she couldn't bear to see that happen.
"Alright, follow me!" With that, she pulled Flandre into the snack street.
The two hadn't walked far before they came to a small stall. "This is Aunt Wang who makes grilled rice cakes. Her grilled rice cakes are a masterpiece, especially when dipped in her homemade brown sugar." As Rope spoke, she leaned close to Flandre to form an angle, ensuring that even if someone wanted to reach for Flandre's satchel, they would have to pass through a gap between them that was less than a finger's width.
Flandre took out a bill and handed it over. "Oh my, where did this little one come from? You don't need such a large denomination just for some grilled rice cakes." The stall owner, Aunt Wang, saw the hundred Lungmen dollars Flandre handed over and asked with a smile if she had any smaller bills.
Flandre opened her satchel and rummaged for a long time, found a ten-dollar bill and handed it over. The other woman gave back six Lungmen dollars in change along with two rice cakes. "Just off the grill, watch out, it's hot!" Looking at the little tot in front of her, Aunt Wang warned.
Flandre picked up a rice cake, mimicked Rope's movements to blow on the heat, and then carefully took a bite. The outer skin was crispy and fragrant, while the inside was soft and chewy. Combined with the sweetness of the brown sugar, Flandre's eyes lit up. "Delicious!"
Rope pulled her along, told her to wear her satchel on her chest, and then passed by several more shops, stopping in front of a person selling tanghulu. "Grandpa Zhao's tanghulu is a decades-old brand. I heard that after he passed the craft to his son, he hasn't personally made tanghulu for a long time. I didn't expect him to be here today." Rope said, pointing at the old man selling the candied fruit skewers.
Hearing Rope's words, the old man lifted his eyes to look at the two children standing before him. "Ho ho ho, I didn't expect anyone to still recognize this old man. These two skewers of tanghulu are for you! No money needed. This old man doesn't care for this bit of money; my hands were just itching to make some." The old man picked up two skewers and held them out to Flandre and Rope.
"Thank you, Grandpa! I wish you good health!" Flandre recalled the blessings she had learned recently, then cupped her hands and spoke with great solemnity. Hearing this, the old man was so delighted that his beard trembled.
After bidding farewell to the old man selling tanghulu, Flandre saw a middle-aged man sitting at a stall not far away. He was holding something like a file and gesturing in front of him. Soon, a golden, lifelike fish painting was dipped onto a wooden stick and handed to the person in front of him. "That's a Sugar Painting. Do you want one?" Noticing Flandre's longing gaze, Rope asked softly.
Flandre nodded. It was her first time seeing this. Just as a spot opened up, the two of them walked over. Seeing customers arrive, the middle-aged man smiled and pointed to the spinning wheel beside him. "If you spin this wheel, I'll draw whatever it lands on. It's only two Lungmen dollars. If you want a specific drawing, it'll be between two and ten Lungmen dollars depending on the difficulty."
Flandre looked at the wheel, which had many things on it. She immediately took a fancy to that beautiful flower basket. "I want a flower basket."
"You want it directly? This is the most expensive one," the middle-aged man asked.
"Mm-hmm!" Flandre nodded and then placed the Lungmen dollars on the table.
"Please wait a moment!" Seeing that Flandre had paid readily, the man began his work. Flandre's eyes widened. She had been watching his movements the whole time, yet after just a few gestures, he had pulled out a beautiful flower basket. This wasn't scientific at all. But looking at the beautiful flower basket in front of her, Flandre was extremely happy. In her eyes, this money was well-spent.
She looked at Rope beside her. "What about you? What do you want?"
Rope shook her head and tried to back away, but Flandre held her firmly. Helpless, she looked at the boss. "I'll have a lollipop!" A lollipop was the simplest thing, just a piece of sugar pressed into a round disk. The key was that it wasn't that pretty, so she wouldn't feel bad eating it. Unlike the flower basket in Flandre's hand, which was practically a work of art; if it were given to her, she wouldn't even know where to start eating it. The two-dollar lollipop was handed to Rope, and she tasted it with satisfaction. "So sweet."
Next, the two of them headed to the next shop. This was a small stall with a banner that read [Dong's Scale Ball Shop]. "Eh, it really is Uncle Dong!" Rope looked at the shop name, then at the owner, and said in surprise.
"Hmm, is this very delicious?" Flandre asked curiously, looking at the people sitting inside.
"It's a must-eat! Especially in winter, having a bowl of steaming hot scaled marbles—you can't imagine how happy it makes you," Rope said with conviction.
"Then let's go in!" Flandre pulled Rope inside.
"Little ones, what would you like to eat?" Seeing the two walk in, Uncle Dong asked.
"Two bowls of the signature fish balls!" Seeing Flandre looking at the list of food and not knowing what to choose, Rope took the initiative to speak.
"Alright, find yourselves a seat." With that, Uncle Dong walked over to the stove and began to work.
"I'm telling you, Uncle Dong's skill is top-notch. I guarantee you'll want more after you eat them!" Rope said to Flandre, who was looking all around. Flandre expressed that she was looking forward to it.
Soon, two bowls of scaled marbles were served. Smelling the fragrance, Flandre knew Rope was right; this owner's skill was indeed very high. Taking a bite, it was soft yet springy, and the juices and aroma burst forth. Even the picky Flandre gave a big thumbs up after finishing.
After walking out of Uncle Dong's shop, Rope frowned. "Flandre, stay close to me!" With that, she pulled Flandre and dove into the crowd. Several thieves who had been eyeing Flandre's purse for a long time saw this and quickly gave chase. But they didn't expect the two children to be as slippery as loaches. By the time they caught up, the two had already vanished without a trace.
"Dammit!" someone said in annoyance.
"They can't have gone far, search around!" another person said, unwilling to give up. After all, they had all seen that stack of Lungmen dollars in Flandre's satchel. If they could just swipe it, they wouldn't have to worry about their living expenses for at least a month or two.