Chapter 103 Listening to the clamor of the world, watching the lights...
The clamor of the dragon boat races gradually faded away, and the river surface was dyed a warm orange-red by the afterglow of the setting sun.
The dragon boats that won the rankings cruised slowly along the river in order, showing off their prowess to the people who had not yet dispersed from both banks.
Although the rowers were exhausted, they still stood tall with proud smiles on their faces, accepting the cheers and attention of the crowd.
This is not only a display of glory, but also a tribute to the water god who protects the river.
The shore was even more lively than before.
Many families did not leave after the event ended; instead, they found better spots and waited for the parade to begin.
Among them were many young girls in the throes of first love and family members concerned about their children's marriages.
The dragon boats were filled with young and strong men, many of whom were unmarried. They were tall and handsome, and some of the bolder girls would throw their carefully prepared sachets and pouches at the dragon boats or men they liked, which drew good-natured laughter and cheers.
If the young man happens to catch it, or responds with a smile, it could stir up even more excitement, and perhaps a beautiful marriage would begin from there.
The families and friends supporting each dragon boat also spared no effort.
As the dragon boat they supported passed by, they scattered the flower petals and confetti they had prepared onto the river and the boat, shouting words of blessing and encouragement.
Lin Yan thought to herself, "So supporting celebrities is a long-standing tradition."
Lin Yan leaned on the railing of the painted boat, watching with great interest. "Your Majesty, look! That oarsman in blue over there has caught the girl's sachet! Oh my, he's blushing!" He tugged at Xiao Che's sleeve, pointing excitedly.
Xiao Che looked in the direction he pointed, a smile in his eyes: "Hanzhang is quite observant."
He paused, then continued in a casual tone, "It seems you're quite interested, but unfortunately, with me here, no one dares to throw a sachet at Hanzhang."
Lin Yan turned around upon hearing this, meeting Xiao Che's teasing gaze: "I don't care for sachets given by anyone other than Xiao Zhaolin."
As he spoke, Lin Yan picked up a grape, peeled it, and held it to Xiao Che's lips. While Xiao Che opened his mouth to bite the grape, Lin Yan leaned in and kissed Xiao Che's lips: "Is it sweet?"
Xiao Che's Adam's apple bobbed slightly: "Sweet."
But his gaze was deep and unfathomable, and it was unclear whether he was referring to the grapes or the person.
After the parade, the water surface did not become still; instead, it was filled with another lively scene—the water acrobatics began.
The water surface has become a huge stage for folk artists.
First came the water puppet show, where artisans used ingenious mechanisms to create puppets that performed stories of the water god bestowing blessings and ensuring a bountiful harvest on specially made floating platforms, eliciting gasps of amazement from the audience on the shore, especially the children.
Next up was a juggling performance by skilled swimmers.
They either stood on floating wooden stakes and performed various thrilling stunts, or several people stacked themselves into a human pyramid, and some even played water monsters and river gods, chasing and playing in the water, making all sorts of funny faces, which made people laugh out loud.
The grand finale was the duck-grabbing contest.
The organizers threw dozens of live ducks into the river, and swimmers jumped into the water from the bank and small boats to snatch the panicked ducks.
The ducks flapped their wings and darted around, while the swimmers used all their skills to chase and intercept them, creating a chaotic yet lively scene.
According to custom, the duck that is caught belongs to the catcher, symbolizing good luck. Whenever someone successfully catches a duck, it is met with cheers.
Lin Yan watched intently, and in this scene, two words came to mind—vivid and vibrant.
Even without power or wealth, the ordinary people of Chongqing can live such vibrant lives.
Standing to the side, Xiao Che watched as Lin Yan became even more excited than if he had personally gone into the water to snatch the weapon. He couldn't help but shake his head and chuckle, feeling that this ordinary human world had become exceptionally vivid and interesting because of the person beside him.
As dusk fell and the last rays of the setting sun sank behind the western mountains, the people on both banks of the river slowly began to disperse, reluctant to leave, preparing to find something to eat in the market and continue enjoying the festive night.
Inside the painted boat, candles had already been lit, and Li Defu directed the palace servants to quietly set out the evening meal.
The dishes are all seasonal Dragon Boat Festival delicacies: small and exquisite rice dumplings of various colors, both sweet and savory; soup made with freshly caught fish, the milky white broth exuding an enticing aroma; mellow and sweet newly brewed rice wine; and tender yellow salted duck eggs, emerald green mugwort cakes, and more.
While watching the dragon boat races and acrobatics, Lin Yan was unknowingly fed a lot of snacks and fruits by Xiao Che, so he didn't feel very hungry at the moment.
He only picked one zongzi with cured meat, peeled it open and took a bite. The glutinous rice was soft and sticky, and the cured meat was salty and fragrant. The taste was quite good.
After tasting a few more bites of fresh fish and drinking a small bowl of soup, he put down his chopsticks and sipped the warm rice wine.
In contrast, Xiao Che, who had been so busy taking care of Lin Yan that he hadn't eaten much himself, was now eating his dinner properly, with elegant posture and a fast pace.
Seeing that Lin Yan was eating little, Xiao Che put down his chopsticks and looked at him: "Hanzhang, do you have such a small appetite? Is the food not to your liking?"
Lin Yan waved her hand: "It tastes great, but I ate too many snacks this afternoon, so I'm not hungry right now."
He patted his belly and complained, half-jokingly, "If this keeps up, His Majesty will fatten me up."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Che actually put down his chopsticks, reached out, and gently gestured at Lin Yan's waist through his clothes, saying in a serious tone, "I see that Hanzhang hasn't gained weight; his waist is very slender."
The warmth from his fingertips seeped through the thin summer clothes, resting on my skin with a hint of subtle ambiguity: "Besides, I really need to gain some weight, otherwise every time..."
The words were left unsaid, but the meaning in those smiling phoenix eyes was clear.
Lin Yan was stunned at first, but when he realized what he meant, his cheeks turned bright red and he almost choked on the rice wine in his mouth.
He suddenly widened his eyes and stared at Xiao Che in disbelief.
In broad daylight... uh, by candlelight, on a pleasure boat, even though everyone around was looking down, they could definitely hear! How dare Xiao Che!
His Majesty's shamelessness is truly beyond the reach of ordinary people.
Lin Yan was speechless, and could only glare at Xiao Che fiercely, expressing her shock and accusation with her eyes.
Xiao Che seemed oblivious, even blinking innocently, before picking up his chopsticks again and placing a piece of mugwort cake in Lin Yan's small dish: "Try some of this to aid digestion."
Lin Yan: "..." Your Majesty, this is made of mugwort, not hawthorn.
As darkness fell, lanterns of all kinds were hung along both sides of the river, winding like a galaxy. Most of the people gathered in the market, and the riverbank became quiet.
Lin Yan figured it was dark anyway, and they couldn't see each other's faces clearly, so she mustered her courage and pulled Xiao Che off the painted boat: "Your Majesty, shall we take a walk and digest our food?"
Xiao Che naturally complied, waving away Li Defu and the others who wanted to follow, and only ordering guards to follow at a distance, before he and Lin Yan disappeared into the night.
The river breeze, carrying moisture, dispelled the daytime heat.
The two strolled slowly along the riverbank, listening to the faint sounds of people coming from the nearby streets, enjoying this rare tranquility and freedom.
Lin Yan was in a good mood. He shook the two of them's clasped hands, pointed to the rising stars in the sky, and said some meaningless chatter.
Xiao Che turned his head to look at his soft profile outlined by the lantern's dim light, feeling a sense of peace and contentment in his heart.
However, Lin Yan's confidence that "no one recognizes him" was clearly premature.
He never expected that in a relatively secluded place, two familiar figures were standing and watching them.
Lin Mo came to watch the dragon boat races today, but accidentally lost the Dragon Boat Festival gift her best friend gave her—a very beautiful hairpin. So she asked her mother to accompany her to find it.
After finding the hairpin, she wanted to take a shortcut back to the mansion via the river, but unexpectedly she ran into her own brother—and that extraordinary man holding her brother's hand.
Because they were quite far apart and the light was dim, Lin Mo couldn't see the man's exact appearance, but he seemed to be tall and imposing, definitely not an ordinary person.
Meanwhile, her own brother and that person were acting intimately, chatting and laughing.
Lin Mo froze on the spot, and the hairpin in her hand fell to the ground with a "clatter".
Wen Yun also saw it, and she saw it more clearly than Lin Mo. Her heart was filled with shock and turmoil.
Didn't Yan'er say this afternoon that she was going on a spring outing with her colleagues?
How can this be considered a colleague?
Which colleague would hold hands and walk side by side like this?
Suddenly, two people in the family learned that Lin Yan had not spent the Dragon Boat Festival with his colleagues as he had claimed, but had instead gone on a date with a man of unknown identity.
Wen Yun's mind was in turmoil. She subconsciously pulled Lin Mo back, who was about to step forward and call him "brother," and shook her head at her daughter, whispering, "Don't make a fuss, let's go home first."
With a complex mix of emotions, she glanced once more at the two intimate figures walking further and further away, then pulled the still shocked and bewildered Lin Mo along, hurriedly turned around, and disappeared into the darkness on the other side.
A gentle river breeze caressed their clasped hands.
Lin Yan was completely unaware that her intimate moments with Xiao Che had been witnessed by her mother and sister, and was still immersed in the comfort of the night and her lover's company.
He pointed to the increasingly dazzling lights in the distance, his voice filled with excitement: "Your Majesty, shall we go for a stroll in the market over there?"
Xiao Che naturally agreed, only holding his hand even tighter, as if afraid that the warmth of human interaction would sway him. "Alright, as you wish, just be careful with the crowd."
The two followed the flow of people and slowly walked into the brightly lit place.
The night market was bustling with activity.
Colorful lanterns hung high, illuminating the bluestone path as bright as day.
The shouts of vendors, the sounds of bargaining, and the laughter of children mingled together, creating a vibrant atmosphere full of life.
The stalls selling sugar figurines, dough figurines, and various trinkets were all crowded with people. The air was filled with the sweet aroma of food, as well as the unique bitter scent of mugwort and calamus.
Lin Yan pulled Xiao Che to a sugar painting stall and watched as the old artist flipped his wrist, and as the sugar syrup flowed, a lifelike phoenix appeared on the board.
"That's amazing!" Lin Yan exclaimed softly, tugging at Xiao Che's sleeve. "Shall we buy one too?"
Xiao Che looked at his bright eyes, showing no interest in the ordinary snacks, but still nodded and gestured to the guards following a short distance away to pay.
The old craftsman asked with a smile, "What kind of design would you like, young master?"
Lin Yan originally wanted to point to the phoenix, but then a mischievous thought crossed his mind, and he pointed to a simpler kitten next to him: "I want this one."
When the adorable candy cat was handed to him, Lin Yan didn't eat it. Instead, he held it in his hand and played with it, occasionally waving it in front of Xiao Che and saying with a grin, "Your Majesty, look, doesn't it look like Aman?"
Looking at the round, chubby candy cat, and then thinking of Aman in the palace who had become increasingly rounded from being spoiled by Lin Yan, Xiao Che smiled and nodded in agreement: "Yes, it's just like her."
The two strolled around for a while longer, and Lin Yan stopped in front of a stall selling sachets.
The embroidery on those sachets wasn't top-notch, but they were uniquely designed and filled with a rich herbal scent.
He carefully selected a dark blue sachet embroidered with twin lotus flowers, paid for it, and then turned around and stuffed it into Xiao Che's hand.
"Here, a return gift." Lin Yan turned his face slightly away. Xiao Che had prepared more than one gift for him, so he prepared one for Xiao Che.
Xiao Che looked down at the ordinary sachet in his hand, the embroidery of which was far inferior to that of the palace needlework, but the pattern of twin lotus flowers made his heart warm slightly.
He carefully put the sachet away, looked up at Lin Yan, and said in a low and gentle voice, "What Han Zhang gave me is of course the best."
Lin Yan's cheeks flushed from his gaze, and she quickly pulled him forward, saying, "Hurry up, hurry up, there seems to be a place selling chilled drinks up ahead."
As he led Xiao Che through the crowd, trying to keep a low profile, their outstanding looks and demeanor still attracted frequent glances from passersby.
However, due to the dim night and flickering lights, no one could immediately recognize His Majesty the Emperor.
Lin Yan found a stall selling chilled drinks, excitedly bought two bowls of chilled plum juice, and handed one bowl to Xiao Che.
The two stood on the street, using the noise of the crowd and the shadows of the lights as cover, like the most ordinary couple, sharing the coolness of the summer night.
Lin Yan took a big gulp, squinted his eyes in satisfaction, and turned his head to see that Xiao Che had not touched his food, but was just looking at him.
"What's wrong? Doesn't it taste good?" Lin Yan asked, puzzled.
Xiao Che shook his head, his voice tinged with a sigh: "I just feel that it is very good to stand side by side with Hanzhang in the marketplace, listening to the hustle and bustle of the world and watching the lights as bright as day."
It is a thousand times better than that lofty dragon throne, or those silent and solemn palace walls.
Lin Yan understood the unspoken meaning in his words, and her heart felt as if it had been gently scratched by a feather, making her feel incredibly soft.
He leaned closer, and using the cover of his wide sleeves, hooked his little finger around Xiao Che's fingertip, whispering, "Then we'll come here often from now on."
Xiao Che grasped his mischievous fingers with his other hand, gently squeezed them, and looked at him with deep affection: "Okay."
After lingering in the market for a while, seeing that night was falling, Xiao Che was reluctant but had to consider returning to the palace.
He gestured, and Kim Gu approached silently, whispering a few words, clearly having arranged for the return carriage.
Lin Yan knew it was getting late, and although he was still reluctant to leave, he obediently followed Xiao Che to a less crowded area to get into the carriage.
The carriage stopped near the side gate of the Lin residence after escorting Lin Yan there.
Xiao Che held Lin Yan's hand and did not let go immediately.
“Today…” Xiao Che looked at Lin Yan’s eyes, which were exceptionally bright in the moonlight, “I am very happy.”
Lin Yan smiled and said, "I'm happy too."
He quickly looked around, and seeing that no one was paying attention, he leaned forward and pecked Xiao Che on the lips: "Your Majesty, you should go back now, there is an early court session tomorrow."
After saying that, before Xiao Che could react, he jumped off the carriage like a nimble rabbit and ran lightly toward the side door.
Xiao Che watched him disappear through the door, his fingertips brushing against his still-warm lips, and he chuckled softly.
Li Defu was already waiting beside the carriage, and cautiously asked, "Your Majesty, shall we return to the palace?"
"Let's go back."
Inside the Lin residence, Lin Yan had just stepped into his courtyard and hadn't even had time to savor the sweetness of the evening when a servant greeted him warmly: "Young Master, Madam requests that you go to the front hall immediately after you return."
Huh? What's his mother looking for him so late at night?
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