Later, when he heard she was sick, he wanted to visit but felt he didn’t have the right. He could only stay outside.
He had people watching the Ning Guogong residence, and once he learned she had left, he rushed over to find her. However, when he saw her, he was shy and quietly followed behind.
When the peaceful cart was about to hit her, his body moved instinctively, rushing over to save her without hesitation.
She had already been carved deeply into his being, impossible to erase.
The haze in Si Zhan’s heart cleared, and warmth spread across his cold jade-like face.
“Okay,” he said, giving Yuan Bi a meaningful glance as he turned. Yuan Bi understood, nodded, and disappeared.
As they walked around a corner, Si Zhan suddenly pointed at two children below the railing. “What are they doing?” he asked Ning Wanwan.
Ning Wanwan looked and saw the children whipping a spinning top. “They’re playing with a top,” she replied, surprised to realize that Si Zhan had never played with one.
It made sense, as he was born and raised in the imperial palace, never experiencing the toys of ordinary children. Raised by the former emperor after his mother, Concubine Shu, died early, he had always been protected due to his weak health and had never encountered such folk toys.
After the former emperor’s death, Si Zhan was granted a residence outside the palace but lived cautiously, making his childhood a series of tall palace walls and long periods of illness.
Ning Wanwan couldn’t help but feel sympathy and naturally grabbed Si Zhan’s hand, saying, “Come with me.”
Si Zhan stiffened, staring blankly at her small hand holding his as she led him into the corridor inside the third gate.
Soon, they found a toy shop. Ning Wanwan released his hand, walked forward, and picked up a whip and top from the counter.
“This is how you play with a top,” she demonstrated, wrapping the whip around the top, placing it on the ground, and pulling hard. The top began spinning. “Try it, Your Highness!” she encouraged.
Si Zhan walked over, took the whip, and swung it. He missed the first time, and on the second swing, sent the top rolling away. Fu Yi quickly retrieved it and handed it back to Ning Wanwan.
Ning Wanwan rewrapped the whip around the top, standing before Si Zhan with her right hand on his arm, patiently explaining, “Don’t be anxious, Your Highness. I’ll teach you. Your force was incorrect. It should be like this…”
As Si Zhan gazed at her, his breath became heavy. Eventually, his gaze fell on her fuzzy head.
After the top was launched, Ning Wanwan darted out, shouting to Si Zhan, “Whip it, Your Highness!”
Si Zhan suddenly came to his senses, feeling his ears burning. He quickly lowered his eyes, gripped the whip, and struck the spinning top. This time, he hit it accurately, and the top spun quickly and steadily. Ning Wanwan clapped her hands, seemingly more excited than if she had played herself. Si Zhan felt this was his happiest moment.
Ning Wanwan then took Si Zhan to explore many more toys, explaining how to use them. “This is a rolling mill. I’ll be here, you’ll be there. Push lightly, or it’ll fall.” She also showed him a suspended puppet and how to play with it.
As they wandered, Ning Wanwan’s starry eyes brightened. She pointed ahead and exclaimed, “There’s actually a Guapo toy shop here!” She ran towards it while Si Zhan observed her interest, especially in a pair of golden boy and girl clay dolls holding lotus leaves.
He glanced at the wheel hanging on the wall, which displayed hundreds of tiny images of birds, fish, and other creatures. Ning Wanwan’s expression dimmed as she sighed, preparing to leave. Si Zhan, puzzled, asked, “Aren’t you going to play?” She replied, “I’ve never been good at Guapo.”
“Let’s go.”
Si Zhan stopped, grabbed her, and asked, “Which one do you want?”
Ning Wanwan was surprised, “Have you played Guapo, Your Highness?”
“No,” Si Zhan said frankly, “but I can learn.”
Recalling how Si Zhan had struggled with the top earlier, Ning Wanwan didn’t have much hope but pointed at the golden boy and girl clay dolls in the shop.
“I want that pair of Mo He Le.”
The shopkeeper laughed, “Young lady, you have good taste. This pair of Mo He Le was crafted by Gao Shan from Suzhou. It’s priceless, our shop’s treasure. It’s only for Guapo, not for sale, and Guapo is the most difficult game. If you want it, you’ll need some real skill.”
Ning Wanwan knew that Mo He Le was typically only available during the Qixi Festival, making these dolls rare.
Just as she was about to give up, Si Zhan confidently said, “Shopkeeper, just set up the game. We’ll play.”
“Alright!” The shopkeeper brought out three red-feathered arrow pins and explained the Guapo rules: “You only have three arrows. After the wheel spins, you must shoot three arrows without stopping. If you hit the flower, bird, and fish images, you win. You must bet fifty coins before playing.”
Si Zhan was about to take out his money pouch when Fu Yi quickly handed fifty coins to the shopkeeper.
“Wait,” Si Zhan took out a piece of silver from his money pouch, placed it in the shopkeeper’s hand, and returned Fu Yi’s fifty coins.
Confused, Fu Yi looked at the coins and then at Ning Wanwan for instructions. Ning Wanwan gently nodded, and Fu Yi reluctantly put the money back.
A crowd quickly gathered, eagerly awaiting the game. The shopkeeper shouted, “Open!”
Cheers erupted around them: “Hit! Hit! Hit…” Ning Wanwan watched the spinning wheel, its patterns swirling impossibly fast, making it impossible to distinguish between the birds and fish. Her heart sank as the game required three consecutive shots with extremely light needle arrows under challenging conditions. The shopkeeper confidently displayed this game as the shop’s treasure.
Si Zhan stood calmly about two zhang away from the wheel, holding three needle arrows, seemingly serene. As everyone cheered, he slowly closed his phoenix eyes, leaving the crowd stunned. In that moment of stillness, Ning Wanwan saw Si Zhan quickly open his eyes, a sharp glint passing through his pitch-black pupils.
For an instant, she saw the decisive Si Zhan from her previous life.
His hand moved deftly, with three light “dong” sounds as the arrows were shot.
The crowd eagerly watched the shopkeeper stop the wheel. Suddenly, someone exclaimed, “Birds and fish! All hit!”
The onlookers erupted in applause.
The impressed shopkeeper praised Si Zhan: “In all my years running this game, I’ve never seen such accuracy! Winning the shop’s best treasure on the first try!”
Si Zhan responded, “Just luck.”
The shopkeeper took down the pair of mohe le and handed them to Si Zhan, “Here, these are yours.”
Si Zhan accepted and turned to Ning Wanwan, nervously offering them, “For you.”
Ning Wanwan solemnly accepted, caressing the mohe le, “These are the most exquisitely crafted mohe le I’ve ever seen.”
She looked up, smiling at Si Zhan, “Thank you, Imperial Uncle.”
“As long as you like it,” Si Zhan’s cheeks reddened.
Ning Wanwan nodded happily, “I really like it.”
Hearing this, Si Zhan’s ears turned red.
Remembering Si Zhan’s extraordinary skill, Ning Wanwan praised, “Your aim is remarkable. Your archery must be too.”
Si Zhan’s expression darkened as he coughed softly, “Cough…”
As a disabled person who can’t draw a bow, how could my archery be good?”
Her smile faded. She remembered that Si Zhan had been physically weak since childhood and had never practiced horseback archery. She felt embarrassed for bringing up a sensitive topic.
Si Zhan turned to Ning Wanwan with a slight smile, “As for my aim… I was just bored as a child and often picked up stones to hit birds in trees. Over time, I could even hit them with my eyes closed.”
