Chapter 16 East Wind Night "A face as beautiful as a flower, a heart as pure as ice and snow."...
It rained twice right after the New Year.
The lush green was softened by the rain, sprinkling onto the withered and slender willow branches that had endured the winter. A gust of wind blew, and the bright new green swayed, heralding the Lantern Festival.
Unable to resist their youngest daughter's expectations, the Cheng couple took her and Xue Chan out to celebrate the festival early in the morning.
As the first drumbeat sounded, the golden-red sunset sank below the towering city walls, the moon slowly rose through the gentle breeze and swaying willows, and all the lanterns lit up at once.
Cheng Huaizhu pulled Xue Chan down from the carriage, where a lantern display had been set up in front of Xuande Gate early in the morning.
Starting from Chang'an Avenue, long frames were erected along both sides of the road, hanging with all kinds of lanterns. The road of ten thousand lanterns stretched out as far as the eye could see.
Cheng Huaizhu runs fast and jumps around happily.
Madam Zhou couldn't help but grab her arm: "As soon as you're let out, you're like a horse released from its cage!"
Cheng Huaizhu reluctantly walked slowly beside the two of them.
Xue Chan smiled secretly and stepped forward to take her hand: "I see there are lanterns for sale ahead, let's go buy a couple to match the occasion."
She blinked, and Cheng Huaizhu immediately understood, then pulled Xue Chan along the long street.
The Cheng couple walked behind and exchanged a helpless smile.
"All you know is how to use Qiaoniang as a raft."
"Since they've come out, let them have some fun."
Under the lanterns, women adorned themselves with flowers and jade, strolling in small groups. From afar, all that could be seen was the interplay of fragrant clothes and elegant figures against the backdrop of lantern lights. They chatted and laughed, pointing at the lanterns hanging on wooden frames, and with a flick of their fingers, the glass lanterns began to spin.
"So beautiful!"
Cheng Huaizhu suddenly tugged at Xue Chan and pointed forward.
Look!
Ahead was a young woman carrying a crimson gauze lantern, laughing and joking with her friends. She unexpectedly bumped into a young man who was looking at the lanterns under the stand. He helped her up, too embarrassed to look at her, and stammered, "Be careful, young lady."
She was equally shy, and her face looked even more delicate under the light.
"Thank you, my lord."
"The lantern market is crowded, young lady, please be careful..."
Her sisters covered their mouths and laughed, making her even more shy. She lifted her skirt and left.
Seeing that the person had walked away, the young man, reminded by his companion, picked up the fallen lantern and chased after them.
The girl took the lamp, thanked him, and was about to leave when she noticed he was still standing there.
So she blushed, took off the small embroidered pouch from her waist, threw it into the boy's arms, covered her face, and ran away.
Upon seeing such a vivid scene, Xue Chan and Cheng Huaizhu both smiled.
Cheng Huaizhu laughed and said, "So the line in the poem, 'A smile so enchanting, a glance from her, and all the flowers pale in shame,' wasn't an exaggeration after all. I was moved myself; I wonder how captivated that young man must be!"
Xue Chan nodded and hummed in agreement, then chuckled at her, "I wonder how many handsome young men our Second Miss Cheng can charm when she gets shy?"
Cheng Huaizhu blushed instantly and raised her hand to hit her: "What nonsense are you talking about?"
Xue Chan nimbly dodged, laughing as she walked away.
"I'm not talking nonsense. Our second daughter has eyebrows like spring mountains, more beautiful than flowers, and more beautiful than the moon."
"Xue Chan! Don't say another word, or I'll tear your mouth apart right here and now!"
Xue Chan moved with light steps, and although she was right in front of Cheng Huaizhu, he couldn't catch her.
"I'm going to say it, I'm going to say it."
"You never blush when you say these things normally, so why do you become shy and timid when others say them? I'm just saying it casually, and you're already so embarrassed. If you were to actually meet some handsome young man, wouldn't you be ashamed of all the lanterns?"
"Aaaaaaah, Xue Chan, I hate you!"
"It's okay, it's enough that I like you. There are so many handsome young men lining up for you to like." Xue Chan practically floated past her, not forgetting to hook Cheng Huaizhu's chin.
Two girls strolled through the alleyway, their laughter light and cheerful.
Above the lamp stand is the teahouse.
Jiang Ce leaned against the railing and looked down at the sound, where he saw figures playing and laughing.
That figure seemed very familiar.
Jiang Ce rested his hands on the carved railing and leaned out, waiting for the person inside the lantern to turn around with her skirt swirling.
He hadn't been mistaken; it really was her.
Is she ever this lively?
Jiang Ce wanted to see more clearly, but the figures had already been swallowed up by the dazzling lanterns.
A cool breeze brushed against his face. Jiang Ce glanced at Zheng Shaoyu out of the corner of his eye and saw him holding a folding fan with ink painting on it, resting his face on his hand and closing his eyes to listen to the faint singing and playing of a musician coming from the painted boat.
Jiang Ce: "Why are you fanning yourself in this freezing weather?"
Zheng Shaoyu closed his fan and said, "What do you know? This is called elegance."
Jiang Ce: "......."
He gave a wicked smile, and the words that came out of his mouth were as sharp as knives.
"Whether it's elegant or not is another matter. The imperial examinations are just a few days away. Even though you're not taking the exams this year, why aren't you staying home and preparing to pass them in a couple of years instead of coming out to join the fun?"
Zheng Shaoyu's face fell, and he tilted his head back and downed a glass of wine.
"Don't even mention it. My old man nags all day long, I'm sick of it. He talks about winning the moon and laurels, but I think he's just full of crap."
He shrugged and resigned himself to his fate: "My older brothers are all in high school, they don't need me. I've been cooped up at home for so long, and I finally made it to the Lantern Festival. Asking me to go back to school is worse than killing me."
Zheng Shaoyu muttered under his breath, "It's easy for you to talk when you're not the one suffering."
Jiang Ce fiddled with the celadon wine cup in his hand: "Not to mention standing, even sitting doesn't hurt my back."
"By the way, your mother wants you to take this path, doesn't she?"
Jiang Ce rubbed his temples without saying a word, filled his glass, and drank it all in one gulp.
He remained silent for a long time before slowly speaking.
But I still...
Before he finished speaking, Zheng Shaoyu had already understood.
“I know you still want to go there, but the world has only been at peace for a few years now, and who wants war to break out again?”
Jiang Ce glanced at him: "Do you think I'm the kind of person who would disregard peace and happiness and only care about making a name for myself?"
“Oh, that’s not what I meant at all. I know what you’re thinking. I know you want to reclaim the lost land and your father’s remains, and I know you have nowhere to vent your anger and resentment…” Zheng Shaoyu hurriedly explained.
Jiang Ce looked up at the full moon: "I also hope that where I am of no use, the world will be at peace?"
He looked down at Zheng Shaoyu: "But you have stayed in this capital city for too long, and all you see is peace and prosperity. Do you know that in recent years, the Western Rong have frequently harassed our border peace and are showing signs of making a comeback?"
"Who knows when..." Jiang Ce's voice lowered, swallowing all his words with the wine. "Enough! Let's not talk about this anymore."
"That's right, there's the Huan family in the north and your third uncle in the west."
Zheng Shaoyu leaned closer and put his hand on his shoulder: "Think about it, there are three great joys in life, and you're about to achieve one of them. You saw Miss Xue at the Marquis's birthday banquet last time, right? What did you think?"
Jiang Ce lowered his eyes to look at the wine in his cup, the clear, bright cup reflecting the full moon. He flicked his wrist, and the moonlight shattered.
"A face as beautiful as a flower, a heart as pure as ice and snow."
"Si," Zheng Shaoyu said, narrowing his eyes as he saw him remain silent. "Judging from your tone, it doesn't sound like you're praising someone."
Jiang Ce suddenly remembered the painting "Zanggu Temple" in the art gallery: "How is this not a compliment? Don't underestimate this little girl, she's very capable."
Out of the corner of his eye, Zheng Shaoyu saw Youyu beside him flipping through a book he didn't know where it came from.
He reached into his pocket and found it empty: "Youyu! How could you steal my book?"
As he reached for it, Youyu pushed his face away with one hand and moved the book away with the other: "Can't you speak properly? You dropped it yourself."
"Then why don't you give it back to me?"
"You dropped it, I picked it up, why should I return it to you? I've been sitting next to you for almost half an hour, whose fault is it if your eyesight is bad?"
Zheng Shaoyu used both hands and feet to entangle himself around it, and after a short while of playful fighting, the book fell down.
Jiang Ce reached out and took it, then flipped it back to the cover and saw that it read "The Golden Hairpin".
"Is it pretty? And it's made of jade."
"It's alright, his taste is so-so, I don't know where he found these obscure stories."
"I have excellent taste; it's just that you don't know how to appreciate it."
Zheng Shaoyu shrank back, clutching the book in his arms, and bared his teeth in a fierce expression. You Yu drew a small section of the knife from her waist and hid behind Jiang Ce.
Jiang Ce pushed him away: "Can't you do something productive?"
"What did I do wrong?" Zheng Shaoyu protested, then looked around. "But speaking of which... why hasn't Xiao Huaiting arrived yet?"
Jiang Ce: "The Marquis of Mingyi is ill. Moreover, the imperial examination is just around the corner. He has studied hard for many years, and he is waiting for this day to support the Marquis of Mingyi's family. It is normal for him to be late."
Zheng Shaoyu: "Shall we go and see him off on the day of the imperial examination?"
"Okay."
A burst of gongs and drums sounded, and restaurants on the opposite bank of the Jinliu River had already set up tables next to the lamp stands.
"On this Lantern Festival night, my Ningcui Tower will hang lanterns here and set out a challenge. The winner will not only be able to take any lantern from this lantern stand, but will also receive two jars of 'Qingyun Shang' liquor. Furthermore, after passing the imperial examination, the winner can come to my Ningcui Tower for a free cherry banquet."
Zheng Shaoyu leaned against the railing: "Wow! That's a banquet at Ningcui Tower. Let's go and try our luck. Even if we don't win the Cherry Banquet, it would be great to get two jars of 'Qingyun Shang' to congratulate Xiao Huaiting!"
Jiang Ce stood up and started to walk downstairs. Zheng Shaoyu pressed him, "Where are you going?"
“Go and win that cherry banquet for Xiao Huaiting.”
Below the teahouse.
Xue Chan and Cheng Huaizhu frolicked along the banks of the Jinliu River.
The area was even more lively, with vendors setting up bamboo sheds adorned with various lanterns and hawking their wares.
They stood in front of a lantern stall, where lanterns were piled up or hung, illuminating the small stall with dazzling light.
"What a beautiful lamp!"
The stall owner was an elderly man with graying temples. Seeing Cheng Huaizhu's eyes light up, he smiled and said, "If you like it, young lady, please buy one. My lanterns are the most beautiful on the whole street. Every year on the Lantern Festival, many young men and women come here specifically to buy a few."
The child in his arms babbled and clapped his hands, saying, "Buy one, buy one."
Cheng Huaizhu patted the child's topknot: "Good."
She picked up a green-shelled crab lamp; the crab's eyes trembled vividly and adorably, and its two large pincers came to life as it was pulled by a thin string.
"This looks fun, I want it."
"Why don't you pick one too?" Cheng Huaizhu nudged Xue Chan's shoulder and pointed to the lanterns hanging nearby. "Look how pretty that rabbit lantern is, it looks just like it's alive."
Xue Chan's gaze fell upon the rabbit lantern, then the rolling lantern, the Kui Xing lantern, the basket lantern, and finally she took a fish lantern with a red body and a green tail.
The lamp is exquisitely crafted, and the fish tail sways gently as the person moves.
Xue Chan turned around and called to Ming Xiayunsheng and the others: "Since you've all come out, why don't you all choose something you like?"
Men and women passing by stopped and, seeing how beautiful and varied the lanterns were, began to look at and buy them.
The old man was so busy that he was in a flurry of activity.
Xue Chan and Cheng Huaizhu squeezed through the crowd, and then more people came up and stood in front of the stall.
"Brother, do you think this lantern is pretty?"
The girl picked up a flower basket lantern and spoke to the boy beside her.
Xiao Huaiting nodded and said gently with a smile, "It looks good."
Xiao Yangjun picked up another lantern, the one symbolizing "standing out from the crowd," and said, "Second brother, shall I buy this for you? I wish you success in this year's imperial examination."
Xiao Huaiting smiled and said, "Okay."
Someone shouted.
"The lanterns on Mount Ao have been lit!"
Xiao Huaiting looked down at her and smiled, "Yang Jun, it's the Aoshan Lantern, shall we go and take a look?"
"Um!"
Walking ahead of them, Cheng Huaizhu, like a fish, pulled Xue Chan through the crowd, shouting, "Let's go see the Aoshan Lantern!"
At the end of the street, in an open space, stands a huge lantern, about twelve feet tall.
A small hill embraces the lake, supporting a small bridge and a small boat with a green canopy, further enhanced by lake rocks and vines. The pavilion with upturned eaves and hanging spherical lanterns is quite impressive.
The area around the enormous Aoshan Lantern is the most bustling and prosperous part of the entire street.
As Xiao Huaiting and his sister approached the Aoshan Lantern, a group of people surrounded the acrobats in front of them. At the most exciting parts of the performance, the crowd erupted in cheers.
"Look, look, that's amazing!"
"Don't get so close, you'll hurt yourself."
"Oh, what are you afraid of? I won't be."
The performer breathed fire, the flames mingling with the lamplight, making it as bright as day before Xiao Huaiting's eyes. When the sparks landed, a beautiful young woman with delicate features appeared before him.
Xiao Huaiting's heart skipped a beat.
It's her!
A note from the author:
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I had a terribly bad crab roe rice bowl for lunch today, and I swear I won't order it again for at least a month. [Cracking face]
Note: "A smile so radiant, a glance from her, and all the flowers pale in comparison." -- Xin Qiji, "Rui He Xian: Ode to Plum Blossoms"
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