Qi Su got up and pushed open the door to look.

A red carp lantern hangs under the eaves.

The fish tail swayed gently in mid-air like a light veil, and its eyes were made of glass, lifelike and exquisite.

Red carp swam gently in the darkness in front of her door.

It was as if someone had quietly passed through her dream.

Qi Su looked up and ahead.

The man had already reached the door and placed his hand on the doorframe, seemingly not expecting Qi Su to wake up.

His movements froze for a moment.

His slender figure was wrapped in a thick cloak, and he wore a straw hat.

A bright, icy moon hung overhead, its light shimmering like water.

His shadow was cast on the ground, stretching long.

He didn't look back.

The figure looked familiar; we had just parted ways last night, and I hadn't thought I'd see him again so soon.

Just looking at his back, Qi Su smiled silently.

The man seemed to know she was watching him.

Without turning back, he lifted his foot and stepped out of the courtyard.

…

Before two breaths had passed, a dark shadow hung upside down outside the porch.

The dark figure said coldly, "Don't overthink it. This lantern was a gift from someone else to its owner; they just didn't want to waste the sentiment."

Qi Su didn't even look up.

"I didn't think much of it."

She tiptoed and took the lantern down. The moonlight and lamplight illuminated her face, which revealed a faint smile.

She took the lantern and went inside.

Tonight I will no longer sleep alone.

There was light with her.

.

The eighteenth day of the first lunar month.

The Lantern Festival has just passed, but the lanterns on the streets of the capital city have not been taken down and are still clustered together.

Based on previous years, these lanterns will not be taken down until at least after the first month of the lunar calendar.

A blue silk carriage traveled along Zhuque Avenue.

The lifted carriage curtain was lowered.

"Alright, stop looking." The woman's gentle voice came from outside.

The child inside the car was pouting.

"My aunt wouldn't let me go out to see the lanterns on the Lantern Festival, and now she won't even let me take a look during the day when I'm out of town."

The woman laughed.

"Don't you have enough lanterns at home? Aren't they enough for you to see?"

The child was still pouting.

"How can they be the same?"

The woman smiled and hugged him.

"Your aunt is worried that there will be too many people on the street and you might get jostled. If you get separated from the crowd, be careful the beggars might grab you."

"Hmph, they say the same thing every year!"

"Alright, alright, next year, next year I'll definitely let you go to the Imperial Street to see the lanterns."

The carriage headed towards Ciyun Temple outside the city.

The women of the Changping Marquis's household were devout believers in gods and Buddhas. They would go out of the city to worship Buddha every month.

First came the New Year, then the Lantern Festival—both big holidays. This was my first time going out since the New Year.

…

If we're talking about the most famous temple in the capital, it's naturally Xiangguo Temple.

But that was a royal temple, and those who worshipped Buddha and burned incense were all the families of princes and nobles.

Although the Changping Earl's Mansion still held a noble title, it had fallen into decline, and the monks there regarded them with utter indifference and detachment from worldly affairs.

It is not as good as Ciyun Temple outside the city.

The temple occupies a large area, and the abbot is compassionate. Dao Ci, a former Buddhist disciple, practiced here for several years.

The Changping Marquis's Mansion also retains some commonly used guest rooms here.

After entering the Buddhist temple, offering incense, praying to the gods, and eating vegetarian food, it's time for a midday rest.

The child ran around all morning and still hadn't come back by lunchtime.

Just as Aunt Ji was about to send someone to look for her, she saw the wet nurse who had been with the child return, covered in sweat, to report back.

They said they hadn't seen him for a moment, and then the young master disappeared.

What? Aunt Ji didn't even have time to curse anymore. She threw down her chopsticks and hurriedly ran out.

After searching around, I heard from a young novice monk that he had seen a child by the release pond.

The release pond is located near the back mountain of Daci Temple.

The group hurried over, only to hear the child's giggling laughter coming from the stone forest outside the release pond.

Aunt Ji breathed a sigh of relief.

It was noon, and the sun was blazing. There was hardly anyone by the release pond.

A little boy wearing a royal blue satin jacket was teasing a turtle in a pond, holding a piece of pastry in one hand and a broken bamboo stick in the other.

"Brother Bao'er!" Aunt Ji called out.

The child looked up, his dark eyes sparkling like black grapes.

"Auntie!" he called out in a muffled voice.

"My sister and I are feeding the turtles here!" she said, laughing heartily.

Aunt Ji hurried over, and just as she was about to reach Bao Ge's side, she saw a cherry-pink figure turn around in the stone forest.

He also leaned on the stone railing, looking into the pool.

"Sister, look, I have the most small fish here."

Bao Ge called out.

Aunt Ji didn't pay attention to the woman at first, until the woman opened her mouth with a smile.

"Wow, there are so many fish."

Aunt Ji was startled and looked up at the woman's face.

But what I saw were a pair of round, cat-like eyes, and a gentle smile on her face, like a blooming flower. Under the sun, she resembled a delicate, dewy lotus flower.

Aunt Ji gasped.

After calming down, she touched her temples and instructed the maids and servants following behind her.

"You take Bao-ge'er and go first."

The children are having a great time.

"I don't want to leave, I want to play catching fish with my sister!"

"What sister! Aren't you afraid that a demon will kidnap you!" Aunt Ji frowned, stepped forward, grabbed his arm, and pulled him back.

The child was suddenly scolded by his aunt, and after a moment of stunned silence, he burst into tears.

The maid and the old woman took him away from there.

The girl who was leaning against the stone railing feeding the fish laughed.

"My aunt still has such a bad temper. I thought that after a year apart, she had a son and her personality had changed."

Aunt Ji: "That's your father's youngest son. You dare to touch him?"

The girl in the cherry blossom pink dress didn't speak, her dark eyes staring at her intently.

The wind brushed across the water's surface.

The crumbs of pastry in her hand fell to the ground, and the fish in the water poked their heads out to feed.

"Auntie, what are you saying? I am your daughter, and he is my brother. What can I do to him?"

Aunt Ji was stunned.

She raised her hand and smoothed her hair.

"I acted rashly in a moment of panic. Your father is keeping a close eye on him, and I was just afraid something might happen to him."

The girl laughed.

"I understand, a mother's heart is always with her children."

The atmosphere was quiet and a little awkward.

Aunt Ji looked at the girl in front of her.

She wore a phoenix-tail hairpin, the most fashionable style from Liuxiang Pavilion, and a string of gold-threaded armlets in her hands.

His clothes were exquisite and expensive.

Her tone softened, "When did you get back? Why didn't you tell your family?"

The girl smiled and said, "Auntie, you've finally come to the point. Well, I just got back these past two days. I had nowhere to stay when I got back, so I was thinking of discussing with you how I could return to the manor."

"Return to the residence? Which residence do you want to return to?"

“That is naturally the Changping Marquis’s Mansion. My aunt is a frail woman, living alone in that dangerous place. How can I be at ease? My aunt does not know how much trouble I went through to come back from Jincheng, just to protect her and prevent her from being bullied by anyone again.”

After hearing her words, Aunt Ji remained silent for a long time.

Qi Su: "What's wrong, Aunt? Are you unhappy that I'm back?"

Aunt Ji calmed herself down.

"How could that be? You are my precious child, the one I raised with my own hands. Look, you've gotten so thin."