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After hearing this, Yingmei's depressed mood suddenly disappeared. Her face was full of energy and her eyes were shining. She straightened her back, put her hands on her hips, and a confident and proud smile appeared on the corners of her mouth.
"Hehe." She laughed softly, her laughter clear and happy.
When Columbia saw Yingmei's expression, he thought to himself, Code name Ueno Chiki, I can only help you up to this point.
But somehow, she felt a little envious of Yingmei.
Chapter 100 New Year Festival
At the festival venue, the appearance of Kamisato Ayaka attracted widespread attention.
As the noble Princess Egret, her elegance and dignity have always been a model in people's hearts.
However, at this moment she was walking intimately with a seemingly ordinary man, which shocked many people.
Although this man is quite handsome, he is obviously inferior to the elegance and nobility of Kamisato Ayaka.
Although the people were shocked, they did not disturb them.
"Brother Qianshu!"
In front of a stall selling fox masks, a cute little girl called out to Ueno Chiki. Her voice was sweet and loud, like a small silver bell.
Ueno Chiki was stunned. He looked at the little girl with some confusion, and quickly tried to recall whether he had seen her before.
The little girl seemed to see his confusion, she smiled and said: "Brother Qianshu, you may not remember me. Half a year ago during the famine, it was you who saved me by distributing porridge. Without your help, I might not have survived."
When Ueno Chiki heard the little girl's words, the scene at that time gradually emerged in his mind.
At that time, Tenryo Bugyo and Kanjo Bugyo imposed heavy taxes and levied heavy fines, causing food prices to soar. He could not bear to see those poor people starve to death, so he did his best to help those who were in trouble because of the famine.
He looked at the little girl, with a hint of tenderness and emotion in his eyes.
The little girl continued, "I have always remembered your kindness. Seeing you here today, I want to express my gratitude to you."
After saying that, she bowed to Chiki Ueno to express her gratitude.
She turned back to the stall selling fox masks and said a few words to the middle-aged stall owner. Under the owner's loving gaze, she picked up two exquisite fox masks and walked back.
"Brother Qianshu, Sister Linghua, if you don't mind, please accept these two fox masks." The little girl said sweetly to the two.
Ueno Chiki and Kamisato Ayaka looked at the fox mask in the little girl's hand and were touched. They knew it was a token of the little girl's love.
Ueno Chiki took the fox mask and said with a smile: "Thank you. We will cherish these two fox masks forever."
The little girl saw the smiles of Ueno Chiki and Kamisato Ayaka, and she also laughed happily, "By the way, Chiki, Ayaka, are you two lovers now?"
When Kamisato Ayaka heard the little girl's question, she looked at Ueno Chiki with some nervousness and anticipation.
Ueno Chiki smiled and nodded, "Yes, we are lovers. But we still need to get to know each other better."
When Kamisato Ayaka heard Ueno Chiki's answer, the tension and doubt in her heart instantly dissipated, and was replaced by full happiness and joy.
She felt as if she was in a beautiful dream, and the relationship was finally reciprocated.
"Then I wish you happiness." The little girl said sincerely.
"Qianshu, can you put on this fox mask for me?" Kamisato Ayaka said in a gentle tone.
Ueno Chiki picked up the fox mask, put it close to her face, and then gently put it on her head. His movements were gentle and delicate, and Kamisato Ayaka felt his fingers gently touching her skin, which made her feel warm.
Her face flushed slightly, and under the light, she looked like a peach bud about to bloom, delicate and beautiful.
The two of them stood under the light, staring at each other, as if time had stood still.
The people and noisy sounds around them disappeared, leaving only their presence and emotional exchange with each other.
Soon, the two men said goodbye to the little girl and walked forward.
"Linghua, actually I have something to tell you." Ueno Chiki took the initiative to speak.
After thinking for a while, he decided not to avoid his feelings anymore and to express his true inner wishes.
Some things must be made clear first, otherwise it will bring unbearable pain to each other.
Kamisato Ayaka had a bad feeling, and the happiness and joy she had just felt slowly faded away. "I don't want to hear it."
She didn't want to wake up suddenly from this beautiful dream.
"At least stay with me through this New Year's Festival." There was a hint of pleading in her voice.
These words made Ueno Chiki feel a slight tremor in his heart.
He sighed softly, "Okay, Linghua."
Behind a bottle and can stall not far from them, there were three figures lurking around.
"Why do I feel like Chiki is a bit of a spoiler?" Yingmei muttered somewhat dissatisfiedly after observing Ueno Chiki's reaction.
Columbia didn't say anything, but just stared blankly at the bottles and jars on the stall, as if thinking about which one was easier to hide.
"Traveler, isn't it a bit inappropriate for us to spy on them like this?"
Paimon felt a little embarrassed. Although she and the travelers had done a lot of sneaky things, she felt it was unethical to spy on their relatives and friends like this.
Yingmei was not embarrassed at all. Instead, she said confidently, "Paimon, I am concerned about them. Look at that guy Qianshu. He looks so dazed that he doesn't look like someone who would fall in love. Maybe I should help them."
Just as she continued to spy on Ueno Chiki and Kamisato Ayaka, a lazy and charming voice came from behind her.
"Traveler, who are you spying on? Let me come and see."
When Yingmei turned around, she found that behind her was Yae Shenzi, who looked like she wanted to watch a good show. Next to her was the cold and indifferent Lei Diandian. In order to avoid causing a sensation, the two of them wore bathrobes like ordinary people and covered their faces with a layer of veil.
"Of course I was spying on that idiot Qianshu. He's dating Linghua right now."
"Is that so? This is very interesting. I want to see it too." As he spoke, Yae Shinko nodded slightly to Columbia, who was a little surprised.
"Son of God, this isn't a good idea. Ueno Chiki is our good friend." Lei Dianying said with a little hesitation.
"Ying, it is precisely because he is our good friend that we should spy on him and care about him. If he has emotional problems, he may not write novels or cook anymore."
Lei Dianying thought for a moment and said, "Okay then."
So, the peeping trio became a group of five.
Chapter 101 New Year's Day
The venue of the New Year Festival was crowded with people, and there were all kinds of stalls, selling goldfish scooping, water balloon scooping, ring tossing, ball pitching and various small commodities.
"Qianshu, this year's New Year's Festival is much more lively than in previous years." Kamisato Ayaka said with some emotion.
After Inazuma implemented the reforms, people's living standards improved significantly.
And all this is inseparable from Chiki Ueno.
His policies successfully changed the situation in which the nobles of Inazuma enjoyed various privileges while the majority of the people lived in poverty, freeing the people from oppression and injustice by the nobles and improving the efficiency of the shogunate.
Now, Inazuma has gradually freed herself from the constraints of the old system and regained her vitality.
After his elder brother was elected as the first Prime Minister, he finally had the opportunity to display his talents and ambitions.
"Yes, everything is getting better." Ueno Chiki also felt the same way.
Neither of them was a person who liked crowds, so they did not stop in front of any of the busy stalls. They just walked slowly, quietly enjoying the happiness and warmth of the moment.
Yingmei, who was not far behind them, saw that they had little interaction and felt a little disappointed. "Qianshu, can't you be more proactive? This doesn't look like a date at all."
Yae Shinko also agreed deeply, "The little guy is really not that good, what should we do? Maybe I can teach him." As he said that, a sly smile appeared on his beautiful face.
When Yingmei heard this, she quickly waved her hands, "No, Master Yayoi, there's no need to bother you. I'm a master in love. I can teach him more than enough."
"Really? Then can you let me see your level of love?" Yae Shinko raised her eyebrows slightly and said with great interest.
"Of course." Yingmei looked at the dignified and charming face of Yae Shenzi and agreed without hesitation.
Just as the two were about to communicate further, they found that Ueno Chiki and Kamisato Ayaka were walking towards a deserted stall.
The stall owner was a gray-haired old man who sat alone next to a wooden rack with small pentagonal wooden boards hanging on it.
"Ms. Kamisato Ayaka, it's really you!" The old man took the initiative to step forward and greeted her, "Is the person next to you your lover?"
Kamisato Ayaka blushed slightly and nodded.
When the old man saw her like this, a look of nostalgia appeared on his face. "I still remember the scene when your parents went to the New Year Festival. So many years have passed in a flash."
He picked up two ema, "If you don't mind, just draw your wishes on them. When the gods see them, they will make them come true."
Ueno Chiki finally understood why this stall was so deserted. Although the Inazuma people believed in gods, they rarely believed that gods would fulfill their wishes. Most civilians would be very scared when they saw the Thunder General. They were afraid that they had done something wrong and violated her eternal justice.
Kamisato Ayaka took the two ema and handed one to Ueno Chiki, "Chiki, write down your wish. If the gods see it, they will understand our beautiful expectations."
"Okay, but I can't draw, so I can only write some sentences." Ueno Chiki said a little embarrassedly.
"Qianshu, it's okay, just express your wish."
Then, Kamisato Ayaka and Ueno Chiki wrote and drew their wishes on their respective ema.
After a while, Ueno Chiki finished his own ema, hung it on the ema stand, and then turned to look at Kamisato Ayaka.
I saw her concentrating on painting with the pen in her hand.
The dim light shines on her face, making her ice-blue eyes sparkle with charming light. Her slender hands dance nimbly on the drawing board, making people feel her intelligence and elegance.
Ueno Chiki sighed in his heart repeatedly, wondering how he could have deserved the favor of such a heavenly figure. This was something he had not dared to hope for in his previous life, but now he was still not satisfied.
Not long after, Kamisato Ayaka finished painting her own ema and hung it carefully on the ema stand.
When Ueno Chiki approached, he saw two adults and two children happily holding hands under the castle tower.
Her wish is self-evident.
"Qianshu, is this your Ema?" She asked shyly, blushing slightly.
Ueno Chiki pointed to one of the ema with words written on it.
Kamisato Ayaka looked in the direction he pointed, and saw eight words written on an exquisite painted horse, "I wish to have your heart and stay together till we grow old together."
These eight words were like a beautiful spell. In an instant, an indescribable happiness and joy surged in her heart.
It is a kind of warmth of being deeply loved, and a kind of romance of holding hands with your lover and growing old together.
She seemed to see herself and Ueno Chiki going through all the ups and downs together, growing old together, loving each other deeply just like her parents.
At this moment, she believed that she had found the most important person in her life.