Chapter 129: Ice Skating Fun

Chapter 129: Ice Skating Fun

There were stalls in the park selling soda, sugar-roasted chestnuts, and donkey rolls (a traditional Chinese snack made of glutinous rice), as well as a vendor renting ice carts and ice skates.

Ye Xiaoxiao and Xia Li went to rent an ice cart.

Ice skates were available, but they thought they weren’t very clean, and it was also hard to find the right size.

The single ice cart was more suitable for them.

Fifty cents bought them hours of fun.

Ye Xiaoxiao and Xia Li each pulled an ice cart back.

"You’re actually going to play with this?"

Tang Xiuxiu looked at the things they brought back, unimpressed.

Ye Xiaoxiao: "I’m curious to try it."

Tang Xiuxiu: "Go ahead and sit; I’ll push you."

Ye Xiaoxiao held two metal poles in her hands, "What are these?"

Tang Xiuxiu: "These are for helping you glide on the ice. Aren’t you from the Northeast (a region in China known for its cold winters and ice activities)? It seems like you’ve never played before."

Ye Xiaoxiao: "Oh… I guess I forgot."

Tang Xiuxiu gave Ye Xiaoxiao a firm push on the ice, and she went sliding off into the distance.

Ye Xiaoxiao used the two metal poles to glide effortlessly across the ice.

After playing for a while, she realized the others were nowhere to be seen.

There were many people on the ice, some zipping around in ice skates, and the more skilled ones were even dancing on the ice.

Ye Xiaoxiao was envious; she found it hard to glide in her flat shoes.

Tang Xiuxiu called out to her from the shore, and Ye Xiaoxiao pulled the ice cart over.

The cart had a two-yuan deposit, so it couldn’t be lost.

By the time she reached the shore, the cold had faded.

"Want some soda?"

Tang Xiuxiu held a glass bottle.

Ye Xiaoxiao shook her head, "No thanks. It’s so cold, drinking cold water could give me a stomachache."

Tang Xiuxiu: "It’s not that bad. If you’d rather have something hot, we can head to a restaurant outside."

Ye Xiaoxiao: "I’m not really thirsty. Where are the others?"

Xia Li and Li Meiru were on the ice, while Wang Jiao and He Jing were nowhere to be seen.

They figured couples liked their alone time.

Ye Xiaoxiao handed the ice cart to Tang Xiuxiu, "You go and play too."

Tang Xiuxiu: "I’m not really in the mood to play."

Ye Xiaoxiao: "Come on, you didn’t come all this way for nothing."

Tang Xiuxiu placed the soda on the bench and pulled the sled onto the ice.

Ye Xiaoxiao sat on the bench, staying with the two sodas.

Today was sunny, and soaking up the sun felt nice for Ye Xiaoxiao, who closed her eyes contentedly.

Until she felt someone sit next to her.

She opened her eyes.

A stranger.

Ye Xiaoxiao closed her eyes again.

"Um... classmate, are you also a student from nearby?"

The boy, noticing her movement, finally spoke up.

Ye Xiaoxiao couldn’t fake sleep anymore.

"Yes."

When she responded, the boy’s eyes lit up, "I’m a student from Jingcheng Normal University, and you are?"

Ye Xiaoxiao: "Jinghua University."

The boy noticed Ye Xiaoxiao’s cool demeanor, but his heart was beating too fast—it felt like love at first sight.

So he pushed himself to keep talking and asked the crucial question, "Hey, do you have a boyfriend?"

Ye Xiaoxiao blinked, her lashes fluttered, "I already have a boyfriend."

The boy was shocked, "Your boyfriend isn’t here with you?"

Ye Xiaoxiao straightened up, "We don’t even know each other; you’re being too forward."

The boy looked down, embarrassed, "I was just too eager, sorry."

The boy stood up, flustered, apologized, and hurried off.

Xia Li and Li Meiru walked over.

"What’s going on, someone hitting on you?"

Ye Xiaoxiao calmly said, "He was just asking for directions."

Xia Li: "He was probably using that as an excuse to hit on you."

Ye Xiaoxiao: "Don’t overthink it, want some soda?"

She handed Xia Li the soda to shut her up, and sure enough, her attention was diverted.

"I’m getting cold, let’s go."

After finishing the soda, Xia Li felt a chill run through her.

Ye Xiaoxiao went to find Tang Xiuxiu, "Let's find them first."

She had just reached the shore and was about to call Tang Xiuxiu back.

Suddenly, someone shouted on the ice.

"Stop the thief! Someone is stealing money!"

Ye Xiaoxiao saw Tang Xiuxiu, who had been sitting in the ice sled, stand up and chase after the thief.

"Wait! That's dangerous!"

Ye Xiaoxiao shouted loudly, but couldn't stop her.

The thief bolted from the ice to the shore and disappeared.

Tang Xiuxiu, on impulse, chased after him.

At first, a few people tried to help catch the thief, but he must have stolen a lot of money and ran very fast.

As she chased, Tang Xiuxiu found herself alone.

Suddenly, the thief pulled out a knife from his jacket...

...

Ye Xiaoxiao, Xia Li, and Li Meiru returned the ice sled to the rental stand.

Then the three of them stood at the corner where Tang Xiuxiu had taken off, waiting for her to return.

After what felt like forever, Tang Xiuxiu finally came back.

She wasn't alone; a young man wearing glasses was with her.

One lens of his glasses was missing, and he walked with a slight limp.

"Xiuxiu, are you okay?"

Ye Xiaoxiao hurried over and asked.

Tang Xiuxiu: "I'm fine, but I didn't catch the thief. Thanks to this guy who helped me, or I might have been in real danger."

The young man smiled at the girls, "Hi, I'm Gao Lin, a student from the nearby Language University."

Ye Xiaoxiao: "Hello."

Tang Xiuxiu asked Gao Lin, "Are you sure you're okay? Do you need to go to the hospital?"

At that moment, the thief pulled a knife and came at her.

If Gao Lin hadn't run over from the side and tackled the thief, she would have been in serious danger.

Gao Lin: "I'm really fine, I just need to find an optometrist to get new glasses."

Tang Xiuxiu: "Is your vision bad? Let me come with you."

Gao Lin chuckled: "Well, I can still see well enough."

Tang Xiuxiu: "But you broke your glasses saving me, I owe you a new pair," she said.

Gao Lin: "It's not that serious, I can go by myself."

Ye Xiaoxiao watched their interaction and felt a pang of sympathy for Zhang Kaining for a moment.

Serves you right for not coming earlier.

The place they were standing was the main road leading into the park, and many people had just seen the thief run out, including the victim.

"Hey, did you manage to catch that thief? He stole quite a bit of money from me."

Tang Xiuxiu looked at the inquiring lady and replied truthfully, "I chased him for a bit, but he got away."

The lady exclaimed "Oh no!" and then bent over, slapping her thigh.

"That just makes things worse!"

This comment made Tang Xiuxiu very uncomfortable. She had acted bravely, but that didn't mean she should be guilt-tripped.

Ye Xiaoxiao was also shocked by the lady's shamelessness, "Lady, you didn't even try to chase him yourself, so how can you blame others for not catching him?"

The lady showed no shame, "I'm old, not like you young people with strong arms and legs. Isn't it your duty to help? As the saying goes, we should all be like Lei Feng."

Tang Xiuxiu pointed at Gao Lin's glasses, "Ma'am, why don't you show some of that Lei Feng spirit? My friend’s glasses got broken chasing the thief, so how about you buy him a new pair?"