Section 4

The young girl from the mountains, who is a fierce hunter, felt a sense of closeness and no longer maintained her politeness with them, speaking while eating about the customs and traditions of Jiujiu Bridge Town

On the corridor over the lake in the courtyard, You'er and Bai Yuanyang were leaning on the railing, affectionately conversing while fishing for the koi in the lake. The koi in the lake had developed a certain spirit, and even when caught, they could not be eaten; Bai Yuanyang would hold them, lick them, and then return them to the lake. You'er also wanted to try tasting them, but at that moment, someone knocked on the door outside

Bai Qingming and Liu Feiyin rushed out of the house and saw that Bai Yuanyang's ears and tail were out, clumsily clinging to the umbrella seller with all four paws, while the umbrella seller wore a look of confusion, completely unaware of what had happened

The white mandarin duck paused for a moment, twitched its nose, and sensed a peculiar fragrance emanating from the person before it. It knew it should invite the person inside, yet its hands and feet seemed unresponsive as they moved closer to sniff at the individual. The person looked at the small child, who had burrowed into their embrace, with a puzzled expression, their face flushed, eyes glazed, and drooling at the corners of their mouth, emitting an unintelligible laugh as if inebriated.

As soon as the white mandarin duck's hand touched the swimming child, it immediately embraced tightly with all four limbs, continuing to nuzzle and coo.

The umbrella seller smiled and said: "It doesn't matter if you didn't bring any money; we can't just leave the umbrella behind while letting the rain soak the people."

Liu Feiyin took a sip of his tea, thinking to himself that your two umbrellas are indeed quite expensive

The child was in a great hurry, wanting to shake him off but unable to do so. "Why does the young master want to hold him while sleeping? Oh dear, what is wrong with the mandarin ducks... Mandarin duck, don't bite me... It hurts, it hurts, it hurts..."

The umbrella seller called out to him, "Young sir, it is raining heavily, take an umbrella and go."

Bai Qingming asked: "Foolish? How to say?"

Liu Feiyin exited the restaurant, gently waving a folding fan, while being sprinkled by a light rain. The raindrops fell on the fan's surface, rolling off like they would on a lotus leaf. He walked directly onto the bridge, leisurely passing by the umbrella vendor.

Liu Feiyin stood firm, slightly tilted his head, and did not take the umbrella, only smiling, "I left in a hurry today and did not bring any money"

This kind of certainty is inexplicable. Liu Feiyin found it somewhat amusing; where did this foolish monster come from? It appears shrewd, but after asking a few more questions, one discovers that it has the mentality of an eight-year-old child

The child saw the white mandarin ducks go to the sound of the door and not return. Upon approaching, he immediately jumped in fright, exclaiming, "What kind of sorcery have you used, you monster?!" After saying this, he became scared himself, taking two steps back while baring his teeth, and shouted into the house, "Little Boss Bai, if you don't come out soon, your mandarin ducks are going to be eaten by a monster!"

How can there be someone without a name

Bai Qingming inadvertently glanced out the window; not far across the bridge, the umbrella seller was standing on the bridge, holding an umbrella, with a bamboo basket placed beside him. He did not resemble an ordinary businessman at all, but was merely staring at the passersby.

I should have it, I just don't know.

The umbrella seller pondered for a moment, seemingly seriously considering whether to befriend this person, weighing the appropriateness of it, and hesitated for a moment: "Friend, I have never had one, so I do not know how to make friends. I do not even have a name; everyone in the town calls me Brother Umbrella."

Has this umbrella seller always been in the town

He sells umbrellas and cannot bear to see others get wet in the rain. When he encounters someone without an umbrella, he gives one to them. What do you think, is that foolish?

Liu Feiyin recognized that this was the essence of wood that Bai Qingming had mentioned. It appeared to be a spirit, so beautiful that it was impossible to discern its gender, resembling a lifeless figure.

Liu Feiyin then opened the umbrella, the sound of the copper bell ringing was very pleasant, "You are quite a nice person, let's be friends. I am Liu Feiyin."

In the evening, Miss Liu Si sent the steward to fetch Liu Feiyin back. Liu Feiyin had a hard time escaping, and naturally, she was unwilling to return. She leaned casually against the couch, fanning herself, indifferent to the steward's pleas. The steward, being equally stubborn, refused to leave the doorframe. Bai Qingming was currently playing chess with the painter and was troubled by their commotion, so he could only assure them: "You go and inform Miss Liu Si; the person is absolutely not going to escape from me."

In a few days, it will be the second day of the second lunar month, known as the Dragon Raising Its Head, and the town will hold a bridge sacrifice, which is quite lively. Liu Feiyin is someone who enjoys joining in the festivities; he has only experienced the bridge sacrifice once in his childhood and has mostly forgotten about it, but he is very interested in listening.

The steward received assurance, and only then did he feel at ease to return and report.

It is already late at night, and the lantern flowers of the lantern tree in the center of the courtyard gently sway their blossoms. The surface of the lake reflects what seems like a sky full of stars, creating an illusion of having inadvertently entered a fairyland

The white mandarin duck went to open the door, and outside stood a person, whose presence was accompanied by the deepening path and the heavy dew, bringing with them the damp scent of fresh grass.

Bai Qingming tapped the tabletop lightly with his finger, his eyes darting as he came up with an idea. He beckoned Liu Feiyin over and whispered a few instructions. Liu Feiyin smiled with her lips pressed together, then with a "pop" opened her fan and went out to attract attention.

This young man, Master Liu Feiyin has invited me here." The person thought for a moment and added, "We are friends.

Yan Yan glanced out the window and saw a familiar sight. "It's him, isn't it? He has been in the town for seven or eight years now. He comes out to sell umbrellas whenever it rains. Everyone in the town knows him, but they all avoid him. A strange person, and a fool at that"

Not knowing is simply not knowing, what is strange about that? It seems that not knowing is a perfectly normal thing. The umbrella seller, suppressing a smile, said earnestly, "You will eventually know."

Isn't it even stranger not to know

It is indeed somewhat interesting

Bai Qingming couldn't help but chuckle softly, stepped forward, and "tore" Bai Yuanyang away from the person, then turned and handed him over to You'er, saying, "It's fine, you can sleep with him tonight."