Chapter 22 — Praying for Tham Yen Tri Binh A

"When I was thirteen years old, I fell from this tree. You carried me and ran through three streets to find the doctor. Along the way, you scolded 'So Lang Yen, you are a pig'." She tilted her head to look at him, "You liked me then, right?" "...Yes." He replied. So Lang Yen smiled and continued to walk forward. The old wonton shop owner saw them walking side by side and happily greeted: "Your Highness Seventh, General So, will you have two bowls? Still the same?" "Still the same." The two people said in unison. The wonton was brought up. Chili oil floats on the surface of the soup, next to it is placed minced ginger. So Lang Yen sprinkled a handful of minced ginger into the bowl of Tham Yen Tri. He doesn't avoid it. She squinted her eyes: "Didn't you not eat spicy food before?" "Pretend." "There's nothing to pretend about, but pretend you don't eat spicy food." He tilted his head to look at her, the dim yellow light of the wonton shop falling on his face. His eyes were as deep as the first time in this life she scolded him for being "sick" on the city wall, as serious as in his previous life when he carved "I'm here" on the cliff. "Every time you sprinkle minced ginger into my bowl, when you are proud of your successful teasing, you smile the most beautifully." She picked up her chopsticks and tapped the back of his hand: "Cheesy." Under the table, his hand covered the back of her hand. She turned her hand over and intertwined her ten fingers with his. Halfway through eating the wonton, she suddenly put down her chopsticks, took something from her sleeve, and pushed it to his hand. A small, dilapidated horse lamp has the word "Tri" written on the horse's belly. It was a pair with the rabbit lamp he once gave her. "A return gift. You give me the rabbit, I give you the little horse. We're even." Tham Yen Tri picked up the lamp, turned it over and looked at the word "Tri" crooked under the horse's belly. He squeezed it in his palm for a long time. "Yes. Even." Two rabbit lamps hung side by side on the table. One was missing an ear and then glued it back together, the other was crooked but had both ears. So Lang Yen suddenly spoke up. "Every year on Thuong Nguyen Tet, you make a rabbit lantern, are you afraid that I will lose the old one?" "No." He looked at the two lamps hanging side by side outside the window, "I want to tell you once a year that this lamp was not picked up on the side of the road. I ran across three streets to buy it. I didn't dare to say it before, but from now on I will say it every year." So Lang Yen bowed his head and took a sip of wonton soup, the chili oil making his eyes a little hot. She put down the bowl and looked at him through the steam in the shop. "Okay. Then from now on every Thuong Nguyen New Year, you will make one. Do it until your hands don't tremble and the sugar doesn't go awry, I'll give you a nice compliment." "...Then maybe you have to wait a long time." "I have a lot of time to wait." She said.— End —