River Lantern Wish

The spring days in Yongcheng are immersed in mist. It rains continuously from the beginning of the year to late spring, and the road paved with bluestone slabs never dries up.

Even when the rain stopped, water droplets continued to seep out due to the high humidity.

The compacted soil of the unpaved road surface was soaked by rainwater and turned into puddles of mud after being trampled by pedestrians and horses.

The mud was trampled onto the stone road by people and horses, and when it rained, it flowed out into gurgling muddy streams.

The dried fish you buy will grow mold if you don't eat it for three days. The washed clothes hung on the pole will not dry out when blown by the wind carrying moisture, and will also give off a bad smell.

At one point, people living in the city even thought that mushrooms might grow in their beds at any time.

The rain fell for a long time, and the faces of the people in the city became gloomy. The whole city of Yong spent the spring of that year under the cover of this gloomy cloud.

Fortunately, although the rain lasted for a long time, nothing serious happened. Otherwise, the Ministry of Rites would have suspected that there was some mistake in the year-end sacrifice that caused the disaster from heaven.

After the beginning of summer, God finally stopped his magical powers and stopped the rain that had lasted for several months.

Due to continuous rain and snow, the Lantern Festival was cancelled. Without this annual event, something seemed to be missing, so they took advantage of the Empress Dowager's birthday to make up for the missed Lantern Festival.

The bright sunshine for several days in a row bathed the entire city of Yongjing in sunlight. Xiao Luochen breathed a sigh of relief. The eczema that had troubled him for a long time finally left him.

"It's a pity that my uncle and his family were tied up this year and couldn't come. Otherwise, with Chen Qian here, you wouldn't have to suffer like this."

A major event happened in Shenghuang Wulin this winter. A secret manual that had been missing for nearly a hundred years reappeared in the martial arts world. Various factions scrambled to get it, causing constant disputes.

Wanhua Castle was originally a peaceful place, but as more and more people came to seek medical treatment and medicine, it became impossible to stay out of it completely. This paradise was eventually drawn into the dispute.

Su Musong, who was far away in Xiangping, only thought that his uncle's family had encountered some trouble, but he had no idea how dangerous their situation was.

Su Musong lifted up Xiao Luochen's sleeve to check. His skin was smooth and white, without any trace of the red rashes and wheals that had covered his skin before.

Having said that, Su Musong couldn't help but complain when he saw Xiao Luochen being tortured by the itching caused by the rash and was unable to sit still.

Xiao Luochen retracted his arm, straightened his sleeves, picked up the bamboo sticks used to make river lanterns placed on the stone table and started spinning them around.

"If Chen Qian heard you say this, she would definitely blame you. Could it be that you only care about her medical skills and don't miss her at all as a person?"

"I don't miss her at all! This girl only thinks about her senior brother. I'm afraid she has never cared about anyone else. If she doesn't miss me, why should I miss her?"

"Senior Brother?"

"Yes, I did meet her senior brother once. He looked no more than two years older than you and me. He was cold and pretentious. He was just good-looking. I don't know what that girl saw in him."

When Su Musong said this, Xiao Luochen remembered the County Lady Duanmin whom he met in the Zen temple that day.

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. You don't look special, but there are still people who are attracted to you, aren't there?"

Su Musong stopped what he was doing when he heard this, and suddenly his handsome face came up to Xiao Luochen, with the tip of his nose only two inches away from Xiao Luochen's nose, and asked with a hint of anticipation:

"Falling in love with me? Who? You?!"

Xiao Luochen was stunned for a moment. Su Musong was too close to him. The warm breath on his face made Xiao Luochen feel hot.

The breathing of the two was entangled, and it was impossible to distinguish one from the other. Xiao Luochen didn't know why his throat was a little tight, and when he spoke, not only was his tone different from usual, but he was also hesitant.

"I...I didn't!"

"there is nothing?"

"I'm in love with you..."

"Oh~ So Luo Chen, you admire me."

Su Musong's gaze was so scorching that Xiao Luochen had to turn around and avoid those affectionate eyes.

"Nonsense, it's not me!"

"If it's not you? Then who is it?"

"Yes..." Xiao Luochen thought of his promise to Duanmin County Master, and swallowed the words back.

"have no idea!"

Su Musong thought that the people of similar age he knew in Yongjing City could be counted on one hand, and who else could the person Luo Chen was talking about be except himself.

Seeing Xiao Luochen's blushing face, he thought he was embarrassed because he had hit the nail on the head. So although he was very happy, he knew that he couldn't tease Xiao Luochen anymore, otherwise they would end up parting on bad terms again.

"Okay, you don't have to lie to comfort me. I know that no one would care about someone like me, let alone admire me."

Su Musong deliberately pretended to be lost. If it were in the past, Xiao Luochen would definitely have said a few words of comfort when he heard him say this, but now he didn't dare to respond.

Ever since Su Musong went to the Zen temple and the two reconciled, although Xiao Luochen thought about just getting by and letting things take their course, he still reminded himself all the time how to maintain the status of a close friend with Su Musong and not to cross the line.

But Su Musong didn't seem to feel any boundaries, completely letting his temper run its course, behaving properly in front of others, and everything was normal. When the two of them were alone, they would always flirt and test each other from time to time, but they would always stop when it was right.

After repeating this process over and over again, he became more and more adept at controlling the timing to stir up the emotions in Xiao Luochen's heart without making him angry and alienating himself.

Su Musong took the bamboo stick that Xiao Luochen was about to break, and measured the distance between them on the base. He started working again, and continued to talk from the previous interruption of Changsun Chenqian's senior brother.

"Alas, Chen Qian's affection for his senior brother is probably in vain, and her feelings are wasted in vain."

Seeing that Su Musong was no longer obsessed with who was in love with him, Xiao Luochen breathed a sigh of relief and continued the previous topic as if nothing had happened.

"How do you know?"

"Her senior brother is obviously a stubborn person. I heard Chen Qian say before that his heart is completely devoted to her, so he and her are probably just fellow disciples."

"Love is something that cannot be forced. Perhaps in the future, there will be some changes in opportunities, and Chen Qian may finally get what she wants."

"If she comes this year and catches the Lantern Festival, maybe she can release a river lantern and make a wish to the gods. If some god shows mercy, maybe she can really get her wish."

Xiao Luochen picked up the bamboo strips on the table and hit Su Musong

"You deserve a beating. Such ridicule is really inappropriate."

It was winter and they were wearing thick clothes. Xiao Luochen's attack was so gentle that it didn't hurt at all, but Su Musong pretended to be pitiful.

"It hurts~"

However, Xiao Luochen had indeed wronged Su Mushong, because that was what he really thought, and he was not joking.

Xiao Luochen also knew that it was impossible for him to hurt Su Musong with that blow, so he simply ignored his pretending to be pitiful.

People pray to gods for peace of mind. When they are at their wit's end, praying to gods and making wishes may be their only remaining comfort.

Xiao Luochen has always kept his distance from the ways of ghosts and gods, but at this moment he really hopes that, as Su Musong said, the river lanterns can bring his wishes to the gods.

"If the river lanterns are truly effective, I'd be happy to make a thousand of them myself...as long as it keeps Sixth Brother safe."

When mentioning Xiao Luoyao, Su Musong felt a sense of melancholy.

"I don't know where Sixth Brother is right now..."

Thinking of the missing Xiao Luoyao, Su Musong couldn't help feeling a little regretful. Although he was not his biological brother, he was like a real brother to him over the years.

"Wherever he is, he must be living the life he wants, and we should be happy for him."

Xiao Luochen's words were to comfort Su Musong as well as himself.

The evidence Xiao Luoyao brought back from Luzhou helped the Sikou Mansion solve the case. After he recovered from his injuries, he cleared the case for Huo Yanran and her father.

This case turned the Luzhou officialdom upside down, pierced the Wang family's purse, and caused heavy losses to the Grand Tutor's party.

The emperor took the opportunity to reorganize military affairs and transferred Mu Yi, who was a sworn brother of Su Maoyi, to Luzhou to serve as the deputy general.

However, Prime Minister Xiao was not willing to accept Huo Yanran as his daughter-in-law. After his pleading failed, Xiao Luoyao stopped forcing her.

One day, he left a letter, resigned from his job at the Sikou Mansion, and left Yongjing City with Huo Yanran.

Regarding Xiao Luoyao's choice in the past, Xiao Luochen might have thought that he shouldn't have made it, but now he only feels admiration and envy.

Su Musong felt more regretful and worried, and he stopped the work in his hands unconsciously.

"You said, he's gone like this, why not fight for it again? Maybe if he begged your father again, he would agree. Although it's good to be able to live the life he wants, it's really lonely to leave his parents and family behind like this."

Xiao Luochen had also thought about this question.

If Sixth Brother's right hand had not been disabled, he might have argued with his father again, but now his hand could no longer hold the sword, and since his future in the Sikou Mansion was gone, it didn't matter where he went.

Besides, my father had someone check Miss Huo's background. If she was just the daughter of the head escort of an escort agency, even if she was a person from the underworld, she might still be accepted.

But her grandfather was the leader of a bandit in a mountain stronghold somewhere in Xizhou. It was impossible for a noble family like the Xiao family, which had a scholarly background for generations, to become related to a bandit.

This is also the reason why the sixth brother broke off relations with his father and ran away with Miss Huo after knowing this relationship.

Xiao Luochen understood all this, but he didn't tell Su Musong about it. He just comforted him.

"He said when he left that he would write to me once he was settled, and then we would go visit them, and then he wouldn't be lonely anymore."

"It's been almost three months since he left, why hasn't he written yet?"

"I think he's probably gone back to Luzhou with his sister-in-law. Don't worry, maybe the letter is already on the way."

"Then we'll just have to wait."

Compared with Xiao Luochen, Su Musong is considered to be an impatient person, but compared with Su Muliu, Su Musong can also be considered to be a patient person.

Su Muliu, wearing a fiery red satin cloak, ran across the Queyu Corridor and shouted to Su Musong from a distance.

"Brother, brother, are the river lanterns ready? Are they ready?"

The birds in the cage were frightened and started to make noise and flutter. When Su Musong saw her coming, he hurriedly picked up the river lantern base and pretended to be pasting the lantern.

Su Muliu had obviously just returned from outside, so he came straight here. Seeing the half-pasted river lantern, he couldn't help but blame Su Musong.

"Big brother, you only know how to chat with Brother Luo Chen. The river lanterns you promised to give to others haven't been made yet. What am I going to put up tonight?"

"Little Ancestor, your lamp is indispensable. If you can't make it in time, I'll go buy you a better one, okay?"

"Hmph, you don't keep your word. I don't want to buy it, I want you to make it. If you don't make a river lantern for me, I will only cling to Brother Luo Chen from now on and never let him play with you again!"

As Su Muliu spoke, she snuggled into Xiao Luochen's arms, resting her elbows on her brother Luochen's knees, supporting her chubby little face, and blinking at Su Musong, as if asking him if he was afraid.

"Oh, I'm afraid of you. I promised to make one for you. Your brother Luo Chen has a knee injury, so please stop pressing on him."

Xiao Luochen picked up Su Muliu with a smile and weighed her.

"How can you be so fragile? Our Mu Liu doesn't weigh that much. It's okay."

Although Xiao Luochen didn't care, Su Muliu obviously took his words to heart. As soon as her feet touched the ground, she immediately changed her posture and snuggled in Xiao Luochen's arms, but she still didn't forget to give Su Musong the order.

"Not one, but two. Mu Feng also wants one."

"As expected of you, you came out of the womb together. You think of him in everything."

"He is me, and I am him. Of course I think of him in everything."

Su Musong looked at Su Muliu's smug little face and couldn't help but stretched out his hand to pinch it.

"You, since you are him and he is you, then you are here, where is he? Didn't you go to become his disciple together?"

"He went back to his room to change. I was thinking about the river lanterns, so I came to check them out first."

"Become a disciple? Have you found a master for these two little guys?"

Xiao Luochen knew that the Duke of Anguo and his wife were looking for a good teacher for their two young children, but he had no idea that the progress was so fast.

"Well, I heard he's a Taoist priest with profound knowledge and strong martial arts skills, practicing in a Taoist temple outside Beijing. Mu Liu, what do you think of this master?"

"Hmm... Master is very beautiful. Beautiful eyes, beautiful nose, beautiful mouth, beautiful hair, like a beauty!"

After hearing Su Muliu's answer, Xiao Luochen couldn't help laughing.

"You little nympho, how can you just stare at whether Master is good-looking or not."

"But, but, Master is very beautiful. If you don't believe me, ask Mu Feng!"

When Su Muliu saw Xiao Luochen laughing at her, she felt dissatisfied and hurriedly pulled Su Mufeng, who was coming towards her, in front of Xiao Luochen.

Xiao Luochen naturally couldn't disobey the little girl's wishes, so he smiled and asked Su Mufeng

"Mu Feng, Brother Luo Chen wants to ask you, you went to become a disciple today, what do you think of this master?"

Su Mufeng blurted out without thinking

"Master is a beauty."

Su Muliu raised his face and looked at Xiao Luochen, as if to say, "See, I was right."

Since both of these little guys said so, it seems that this Taoist priest is indeed very handsome.

"Mu Feng, Mu Liu, remember this: beauty is used to describe women. To praise your master, you should say he's handsome. Got it?"

"oh."

Su Mufeng and Su Muliu responded reluctantly. Although they agreed, they felt in their hearts that there was nothing wrong in saying that their master was a beauty.

"Okay, go play somewhere else. Your brother Luo Chen is going to help me make river lanterns, and he has to make another one for brother Mo Lin. If you're late any longer, don't cry in front of me if you don't have any lanterns to put out at night."

For the sake of the river lanterns, Su Mufeng and Su Muliu had to leave in disappointment.

"Big brother is so annoying. I wanted to play with Brother Luo Chen, but he chased us away again."

"He must want to play with Brother Luo Chen and thinks we're in the way."

"Yeah, it's like this every time."

"He goes to school with Brother Luo Chen every day, and he doesn't allow us to play with Brother Luo Chen."

"How stingy."

The two little kids walked away complaining all the way. Xiao Luochen listened to their childish chatter and looked at Su Musong's embarrassed expression. He felt like he was going to get hurt from trying so hard to hold back his laughter.

Although he was scolded, Su Musong still had to continue with the work of pasting lanterns. However, the Queen Mother was holding a banquet in Lingbo Pavilion, inviting nobles, ministers and their families, and the Duke of Anguo's Mansion naturally had to attend the banquet.

Seeing that it was too late, Su Musong ordered his servant to go out and buy three simple river lanterns. In this way, he only had to make Su Muliu's one and he would still be in time.

"Since you're buying it, why not pick something exquisite?"

"Mu Liu is a very clever little girl. She knows at a glance that I didn't make it myself. She'll make a fuss then."

Xiao Luochen patted Su Musong's shoulder sympathetically.

"You really have good intentions."

"As long as that little ancestor doesn't come to bother me, I'll be thankful."

While Su Musong was making river lanterns, he would sometimes wonder whether the wishes he brought to the gods through the river lanterns would come true.