With great excitement, Sheng Li stepped ahead, when he was stopped by a man. Sheng Li glared at him when the man pointed his finger at him. "You seem familiar," the man said.
"Huh?" Sheng Li exclaimed and glanced at Ying Lili. "What do you mean?" Sheng Li questioned him in a firm tone.
"Aren't you the person from the other day?" Sheng Li was confused because this was his first time meeting this man and he claimed that he had seen him earlier.
"I think you are mistaken, Brother" Sheng Li stated and turned left to leave with Ying Lili when the man stood in front of him. "What are you doing?" Sheng Li controlled his anger and kept his tone polite as much as he could.
"I told you about your future the other day. I know palmistry. Looks like what I predicted was true. You have anger management issues," the man remarked and then shifted his gaze to Ying Lili. "Sister, I will read for you today. I am giving a heavy discount on my readings. Please come to my shop," the man humbly requested from Ying Lili.
"No. Go away. We do not want a reading from you. I know you were lying that day. You are lucky that I did not complain about you to the police about how you fool us people," Sheng Li tried escaping from there. He was enraged after he recalled the things this palmist told about him. Sheng Li found the palmist lucky because he was in disguise. If such words he had said openly about him then he would be dead by then.
"Sister, you do not believe me? Why would I make a fool of the people? Your husband is…" He glanced at Sheng Li and continued, "He is hot-headed, isn't he?"
Ying Lili giggled upon hearing that. Sheng Li clenched his fist when the palmist held his hand, shocking them. "What are you doing?" Sheng Li was furious when he heard the palmist, "Your hands are hard like iron – a born warrior you are! I can see that you…" he paused, confusing both Sheng Li and Ying Lili.
Sheng Li was pulling his hand back, but the palmist was not letting it go. Sheng Li chuckled. It was unbelievable for him that there were more annoying people than Hu Jingguo. At least, Hu Jingguo used to stop his ridiculous acts, but this palmist or con artist was the most annoying person the Crown Prince had ever encountered.
Ying Lili found that Sheng Li was getting angrier so, she tiptoed and whispered in his ear, "Let him read. He wants some money from us."
Sheng Li tilted his head. "I am not giving him a single penny," Sheng Li muttered.
"You have the lines which only a leader has!" The palmist left Sheng Li's hand and asked for 20 cents for the reading.
Sheng Li glared at him and pushed him away. "I did not tell you to read my palm. Just go away if you don't want to get beat up," Sheng Li threatened him. Ying Lili quickly pulled out the pouch full of money from the sash and opened it. She took out the coins and handed them to the palmist.
"Brother, thank you for reading!" Ying Lili asserted. The palmist thanked her and went back to his tiny movable cart.
"Why did you do that? I am taking my money back from him," Sheng Li was annoyed.
Ying Lili scoffed. "Let it be. How could you fight like kids with an unknown person? He has such a sharp memory. He remembers you. Don't ruin your mood over such matters," Ying Lili stated.
"Let's not talk about him," Sheng Li looked towards the cart of the palmist and saw no one there. "Con-artist," he huffed. Holding Ying Lili's hand, he walked ahead. After walking a few hundred meters, they halted outside a pottery shop.
Ying Lili's eyes gleamed, and she turned to face Sheng Li. "So, this is the place where you desperately wanted to bring me," Ying Lili proclaimed. Sheng Li nodded his head. "You told me once that you love to make pottery. So, I thought to bring you here," Sheng Li asserted and took her inside.
The pottery shop was quite old when a man in his 50s came to them. He bowed before them. "He is Ye Haoyu, making pottery for over forty years," Sheng Li introduced him.
"Your highness, it is my pleasure to have you two in this place. I am blessed to have you two at my workplace. Please, come this way," Ye Haoyu motioned his hand in the air and took them to another room, which was used mainly to make various earthen pottery.
Sheng Li made Ying Lili sit on a stool on a cushion and sat beside her on another. There was a 'pottery throwing wheel' that was placed in front of Ying Lili. Sheng Li leaned closer to Ying Lili and removed the hat from her head.
Ye Haoyu placed the veiled hat on a clean table there and brought a water bowl there. He put it on the table in front of Ying Lili and then brought some clay.
Placing everything on the table, Haoyu started the wheel. Ye Haoyu put the clay over the wheel. "Is her highness aware of this? Shall I demonstrate?" Ye Haoyu humbly asked.
"The Crown Princess knows. You can leave and wait for us outside. If we need anything, we will call you," Sheng Li ordered him. Ye Haoyu bowed and walked out of the big room, shutting the door behind him.
Sheng Li folded the sleeves of Ying Lili's sleeves. "Thank you," suddenly she said. A smile appeared on Sheng Li's lips, who pulled his hands back and told her to start.
Ying Lili nodded. She dipped her hands in the bowl, full of water, and then placed them over the clay. The moving wheel gave the shape to the clay according to the hand movements of Ying Lili over the clay. She held the clay from the sides, thus giving it the shape of a bowl. She was smiling brightly, like a child who had received her first gift. Sheng Li rested his chin on his curled hand, which rested over his knee, gazing at Ying Lili.
