"No branches, no leaves, no one planted it, a north wind blows overnight and silver flowers bloom, the flowers dance in the wind, the rooftops and the ground all turn white." Nan Wusi quickly recited the riddle.
Without uttering a single word, Xiao Yi replied directly, "Snow."
The shopkeeper was listening to both sides at the same time and was very busy. As soon as he heard the correct answer, he would say "correct".
As soon as he heard the shopkeeper's reply, Nan Wusi quickly tore off the note and looked at the next one.
"A family with many brothers sits side by side, and no one who dares to enter will be let off lightly."
"teeth."
...
In this way, the two teams removed all the riddles from the existing lanterns and came to the shopkeeper.
So the shopkeeper counted the number of slips of paper for each of the two groups.
"This..." The shopkeeper was also surprised and said to everyone, "Gentlemen, both of you have the same number of riddle slips."
“What? How is that possible?” Ouyang Jiangli was the first to object.
“Miss, that’s absolutely true. You all watched me count them.”
"Then how do you plan to calculate the prize for first place?" Ouyang Jiangli really wanted that lantern.
"This..." This shop owner has been here for so many years and this is the first time he has encountered such a situation.
"Does the shopkeeper have any other riddles? Why don't we try another one?" Nan Wusi suggested.
"Please allow me some more time to think about it." The shopkeeper was also a riddle enthusiast, so he had accumulated quite a few over the years. However, it would take him some time to come up with a solution now.
"I've got it!" The shopkeeper remembered a riddle: "Not very old, but with a huge beard. No matter who he sees, he always calls them 'Mom'."
"Goats," both sides answered in unison.
After the shopkeeper came up with a few more riddles, both of them answered them almost simultaneously, which really put him in a difficult position.
The onlookers cheered, feeling that the match was very exciting.
"This is the last riddle I have left. If you all answer it at the same time, then I really won't be able to help you." The shopkeeper said with a bitter face.
"Why don't you tell us first?" Nan Wusi found it somewhat amusing.
"Green gate and jade room, guess a fruit," the shopkeeper said.
When this riddle was revealed, everyone seemed stumped and remained silent for a moment.
"The answer is watermelon," Xiao Yi said.
"Why?" Nan Wusi asked, his eyes wide.
"I've heard that watermelons are jade-green, so that's my guess. I wonder if I'm right, shopkeeper?" Xiao Yi said slowly.
"Young master, you've answered correctly. Here is the prize for first place. Please take it." The shopkeeper handed over the very beautiful lantern.
"Miss Nan, please take it," Xiao Yi said to Nan Wusi with a smile.
"Then I won't be polite, hehe." Although Nan Wusi didn't really want the lantern, she was willing to cause trouble for Ouyang Jiangli.
Sure enough, she looked at Ouyang Jiangli triumphantly and saw her distorted expression.
Although Xiao Mu didn't care much about a single lantern, he didn't like the feeling of defeat. However, with so many people watching, he couldn't say anything unpleasant, lest he damage his prestige.
"Congratulations, Miss Nan, on winning first place." Xiao Mu congratulated her in a very nonchalant manner, as if he wasn't the one who had just lost.
"Your Highness is too kind," Nan Wusi replied with a smile, feeling quite pleased that she had just embarrassed Ouyang Jiangli.
"Thank you very much, Your Highness Prince Yi." After the crowd dispersed, the group walked together on the street, and Nan Wusi said to Xiao Yi.
"Miss Nan, there's no need for such politeness. I'm just here to join in the fun."
“But this lantern is indeed quite beautiful, no wonder Ouyang Jiangli wanted it so much.” Nan Wusi looked at the lantern in his hand and smiled.
"Since she's so beautiful, Miss Nan can stay and play with her for a couple more days." Xiao Yi wasn't particularly interested in these things; he only made a move because he was intrigued.
"Your Highness actually came to participate in this Lantern Festival." Nan Wusi thought that Xiao Yi wouldn't participate in these activities because he was blind.
"I will be releasing lanterns by the river in a little while. Miss Nan may come along if she is interested."
Besides viewing and buying lanterns, another activity at the Lantern Festival is releasing lanterns, which mainly expresses prayers for deceased relatives.
Every year on this day, Xiao Yi would come to the river to release lanterns to express his grief and remind himself not to forget the deaths of his mother and elder brother.
“Okay, I want to go and see too.” Nan Wusi became interested, but then she remembered that Xia Ziqian was still with them, so she looked at Xia Ziqian instead.
“If Miss Nan wishes to go, Ziqian is willing to accompany her.” Xia Ziqian watched Nan Wusi and Xiao Yi interact and felt as if he couldn’t fit in at all, but he wouldn’t give up so easily.
So the group of people walked towards the river in a grand procession.
Xuan Heng had already prepared the lanterns and chosen the locations in advance, so they could start releasing the lanterns as soon as His Highness Prince Yi arrived.
By this time, a dense crowd had already gathered along the riverbank. Each person occupied a small space, releasing lanterns and talking to themselves, all expressing their longing for and feelings for their loved ones.
Xiao Yi remained calm throughout. He simply accepted the lantern from Xuan Heng and, guided by Xuan Li, placed it into the river.
The lanterns drifted slowly into the distance along the river, while Xiao Yi simply stared blankly into the distance without saying a word.
Although many lanterns floated on the river, making it look quite beautiful, a sorrowful atmosphere permeated the entire riverbank.
Nan Wusi stood silently behind Xiao Yi, not daring to make a sound and disturb this important moment.
Nan Wusi was very fortunate that her relatives and friends were still alive and well in this world, so she didn't need to use lanterns to express her longing for them.
After releasing the lanterns, Xiao Yi stood by the river for only a short while before deciding to leave. Although he missed his mother and elder brother very much, he would not allow himself to be shrouded in such sorrow, as he had more important things to do.
On their way back, Nan Wusi also saw Ouyang Xinxi coming up from downstream.
Ouyang Xinxi and Xiang'er also returned after releasing the lanterns together. Nan Wusi could tell that she had just been crying, as her eyes were red and swollen.
Namo thought that Ouyang Xinxi's biological mother had only passed away less than half a year ago, and at this time she should still be grieving the loss of her mother.
However, Nan Wusi was terrible at comforting people, so she could only quietly accompany them to avoid saying anything that sounded like comforting words that might actually hurt their feelings.
Xia Ziqian hadn't been able to give Nan Wusi a lantern by the end of the lantern festival, let alone receive one from Nan Wusi. He could only sigh inwardly and wait for the next opportunity to meet.
After Xia Ziqian escorted Nan Wusi to the entrance of the General's Mansion, Nan Wusi politely said that he had a lot of fun today and that they should play together again next time.
Xia Ziqian ultimately failed to express his feelings for her.
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