"Oh dear, there are so many people here." Shen Yunzhi muttered, his face flushed. Li Jiao reluctantly stopped talking and secretly gave Tang Qingyu a meaningful glance.
Tang Qingyu received a look from her, lowered her eyes shyly, and stepped forward with the river lantern, saying calmly, "Just now, Sister Jiao and I saw that these river lanterns were exquisitely made, so we bought a few on a whim, thinking that we could light them by the water to pray for blessings, just like everyone else. Qingyu wonders if any of you brothers would like to come along?"
Shen Yunzhi glanced at the little girl's shy and nervous expression, seeing through her without pointing it out, "Of course I have to go. After all, wherever my wife goes, I will go."
Li Jiao rolled her eyes at him again, "Who asked you?"
"..." Shen Yunzhi was once again rebuffed.
Yang Xi looked up at the bright moonlight and saw Tang Qingyu's expectant eyes. Not wanting to spoil his younger sister's mood, he smiled and said, "It's a rare opportunity to get together with you all today. Qingyu, I'll come along too."
"That's wonderful!" Tang Qingyu smiled excitedly. Feng Chuli looked at Tang Qingyu, who couldn't hide her emotions, pursed his lips for a moment, and said regretfully, "Everyone, I'm afraid I'll have to spoil your fun today."
"Why?" they all asked in unison.
Feng Chuli pointed to the auspicious building with lanterns hanging not far away and said helplessly, "Several guests have come from the provincial capital and are waiting at the auspicious building. They are all business friends and cannot be neglected. I need to go and accompany them in person, so it is inconvenient for me to go with you."
After he finished speaking, he looked at Yang Xi with pleading eyes, "I only brought Qingyu out tonight because she begged me to. She usually stays in her room and rarely goes out, so she doesn't know how treacherous people can be outside. I'm not by her side, so please take good care of her, Brother Yang."
Tang Qingyu nervously tugged at her skirt, then smiled and playfully scolded, "Oh dear, I'm a grown woman, and I have servants with me, nothing will happen."
Feng Chuli's expression immediately changed, and he coldly rebuked, "That won't do."
Yang Xi recalled the vicious child traffickers who had snatched the child in the street earlier. "Brother Feng is right, Qingyu. You must stay with us at all times and not wander off. Don't worry, I will keep an eye on her."
"..." Tang Qingyu's cheeks flushed slightly. Li Jiao took her hand again and smiled, "Yes, Chuli, don't worry. With Yang Xi, the head constable of the yamen, any thief who doesn't know what's good for him and dares to cause trouble will be beaten to a pulp."
Feng Chuli smiled, cupped his hands in a gesture of respect, and said, "Then I'll entrust Qingyu to you. Farewell."
Li Jiao watched Feng Chuli walk away, then secretly pinched Tang Qingyu's sensitive waist and teased in a low voice, "Little girl, the autumn wind is chilly, you should be shivering, why are you blushing?"
"Oh dear, Sister Jiao... please don't tease me." Tang Qingyu's face flushed even more, but Li Jiao wasn't satisfied and continued, "What's wrong with a grown girl like you saying that?"
"No!" Tang Qingyu pursed her lips and snorted softly, nervously turning back to look at the two behind her. Before Li Jiao could finish speaking, she quickly grabbed Li Jiao's hand and walked ahead.
Shen Yunzhi glanced sideways at Yang Xi, who remained expressionless beside him, and sighed regretfully, "Alas, I think it's all been a wasted effort."
As Yang Xi walked, he kept an eye on the surrounding crowd to see if anything was amiss. Only after confirming that nothing had happened did he reply to Shen Yunzhi, "Who's been working for nothing?"
Shen Yunzhi stroked his mustache. "It's nothing. I was just walking around and remembered the patient I saw a few days ago. I felt like I had wasted my time."
Yang Xi looked at Shen Yunzhi suspiciously, and realizing that Li Jiao and Tang Qingyu had already walked quite a distance, he immediately snapped out of his daze, grabbed Shen Yunzhi's arm, and the two quickened their pace to catch up.
Meanwhile, Zhou Chenyu followed Baoyu to find Chen Tongsheng, and the three of them returned to the small table by the lake.
Li Xiuju stepped forward worriedly, and seeing that Zhou Chenyu was alright, she breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, "You're back just in time. After we settle the bill here, we'll go buy a few river lanterns to release, and then we should head home."
The moon has been enjoyed, and the people have been seen. Zhou Chenyu looked at the colorful lotus lanterns floating in the water, nodded and smiled, "Okay, I'll listen to you."
Although it was nearing midnight, the city lights were still very bright.
The stone steps on both sides of the river were filled with people praying for blessings. Some were families, some were sisters and relatives, and some were couples. They stood together by the river, each with a happy smile on their face.
After buying the lotus lanterns, they began looking for a place to release them. Baoyu searched along the shore and finally found an empty spot that could accommodate six or seven people. He claimed the spot and quickly waved to the large group that was arriving behind him.
"There's a seat here! There's a seat here! Sisters, hurry up! If you're late, someone else will come."
Zhou Chenyu and Chen Tongsheng exchanged a glance and quickly went up to them, saying, "They're here, they're here."
Looking at Baoyu, who was as lively as a rabbit, Old Mrs. Wang patted Li Xiuju's hand and said with a smile, "He's still a child, full of energy, unlike us, who are all old."
"So careless and sloppy, it's really unacceptable," Li Xiuju scolded, then she and Old Lady Wang linked arms and slowly followed, accompanied by Shu Qing and Hong Mei.
As people gradually arrived at the riverbank, the dazzling lights and smiling faces complemented each other. Red, pink, yellow, and orange lotus lanterns floated down the current to the center of the water, filling the entire river.
Grandma Wang placed the lamp in the water beforehand, then looked at the young people and asked, "What blessings are you all planning to pray for?"
Hongmei wiped the drool from the child's mouth and looked at Zhou Shuqing, who was holding the lamp.
With her eyes lowered, Zhou Shuqing carefully placed the river lantern into the water, a happy smile on her face. "I'm a bit greedy. My first wish is that God will bless Grandma to live a long and healthy life, and that the children will grow up healthy and strong, and that our family will stay together forever."
Looking at their happy family, Chen Tongsheng looked on with envy and laughed frankly, "I wish I could get married soon, marry a good wife, and have a few big, healthy sons. If this wish could come true, I would be overjoyed."
Grandma Wang pinched his strong arm and nodded with satisfaction. "A fine young man like you will surely find a good girl. If you don't mind, Xiuju and I will find you a few maids."
Although Chen Tongsheng was a rough and impulsive man, he still became somewhat agitated when discussing the matter in front of everyone, saying, "How can that be allowed?"
“Why not? You’re my godson, it’s only right that I do this.” Li Xiuju answered confidently, then glanced at Zhou Chenyu with pity.
Zhou Chenyu pretended to be naive and looked away, holding the carefully selected pale yellow lotus lantern in her hand. "You've all finished praying, it's my turn."
The old man selling lanterns said that the later the lanterns go out after being lit, the more effective the prayers will be.
As someone who has studied diligently for sixteen years, Zhou Chenyu shouldn't believe in these feudal superstitions. However, since it's a beautiful day with a full moon and family reunion, it's not unreasonable to follow local customs.
She lifted her skirt, held the lantern, and walked down the stone steps. She gently placed the lotus lantern in the water, watched it float away, clasped her hands together, and devoutly made a wish upon the lantern:
"Oh God, I know it's a bit difficult for you to send me, Zhou Chenyu, back to the modern world. I don't really ask for much. Considering how difficult it is for you, how about you wish me great wealth?"
At this time, people also began to arrive from the other side.
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