Xue Shen led her to a shallow body of water where wisps of white mist were rising, and said, "Zhao Zhao, close your eyes first."
Shen Youying obediently closed her eyes. She heard rustling sounds coming from the grass and the faint sound of rippling water. But Xue Shen was holding her hand the whole time, so she wasn't scared, only more curious.
After a while, she heard Xue Shen's voice say, "Zhao Zhao can open her eyes now."
Shen Youying opened her eyes and was momentarily blinded by the light in front of her. She squinted instinctively, and when she looked again, she saw the source of the light—it was hundreds of Kongming lanterns that had been released into the sky.
Kongming lanterns soared from the opposite bank, casting countless warm and bright lights onto the tranquil water, like twinkling stars.
Shen Youying exclaimed in surprise, her eyes sparkling as she looked back at him: "When did you prepare this?"
Xue Shen said, "In the next couple of days."
He pointed to a Kongming lantern flying low and said, "Hanging down there are prayer plaques I wrote myself, wishing Zhaozhao a peaceful and joyful life."
Shen Youying looked up at the prayer plaques hanging under the lamps, fluttering in the wind, her eyes reflecting the lights of the sky, and muttered softly, "I've never seen any of these."
...
The two watched the lanterns for a long time, until the lanterns were blown away by the wind and flown off to who knows where, before they returned.
When we arrived downstairs, we saw the villagers taking out firecrackers to set them off. The firecrackers exploded with a crackling sound, and men, women, and children covered their ears and laughed joyfully.
Touched by the scene, Shen Youying took out the love rope she had made earlier and gave it to him: "This is a local custom. Every New Year's Eve, wives have to braid a hand rope for their husbands."
She was too embarrassed to say what it meant.
She lowered her eyes and put it on Xue Shen's wrist; the size was just right. As for the one that belonged to her, she already had it on her wrist.
Xue Shen placed his wrist next to hers, raising an eyebrow: "Since it's a custom, there has to be an explanation."
Shen Youying shyly looked away, gazing at the firecrackers in the distance: "There's no particular significance to it, it's just for good luck." After a pause, she added, "It's called the 'Concentric Rope'."
With one heart and one mind, husband and wife are of one mind.
Xue Shen looked at the carefully woven love knot on her wrist, intertwined his fingers with hers, and whispered, "Zhao Zhao's heart is also my heart."
"May we spend every day and night together, growing old hand in hand."
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