Chapter 91 Chapter 91 "My heart is as far away as the bright moon."
In the blink of an eye, it was the seventh month of the lunar calendar. The dog days were hot and dry, cicadas were chirping incessantly, and the carriage was on its way back to the capital.
The carriage took the official road and took a detour to the southeast. When it arrived in Luoyang, the streets were bustling with people, colorful silks fluttering, and both men and women were dressed in exquisite clothes, rushing to this special day.
Xue Yuanyin lifted the carriage curtain and was stunned for a moment before reacting: "Today is the seventh day of the seventh month, the Qiqiao Festival!"
Usually this festival had nothing to do with him and she never paid attention to it, but today... she couldn't help but look back at Zhang Jingxuan.
Zhang Jingxuan looked up and asked, "What is our relationship? Why are you celebrating the festival with me?"
His voice was calm, but it was easy to hear the teasing in it. Xue Yuanyin's face flushed slightly at his gaze, and she turned her head away.
"Who said that! I don't want to live like that."
Zhang Jingxuan raised his lips slightly and said, "Why are you so easily teased?"
Recalling the records in the local gazetteer, he said, "I've heard that the Luo River in Luoyang was once the place where the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl met in ancient times. Therefore, every year during the Qiqiao Festival, it attracts many lovers seeking reunions. During the grand festival, pleasure boats would appear on the Luo River. If lovers could cross the river hand in hand, they would eventually become a couple and fly together."
After saying this, Zhang Jingxuan glanced at the sky. It was still bright and it was still early in the evening, so he said:
"Luoyang City's most noteworthy attraction is the spectacular sight of thousands of lanterns on both sides of the Luo River during the annual Qiqiao Festival. The young men of Luoyang's aristocratic families work together to place bright lanterns on the river, gathering a thousand lanterns that rise simultaneously into the night sky at the exact hour of the twilight. Many lovers will purchase a lantern, write a long-cherished wish or blessing on it, and let it soar into the sky, carrying their hopes. Luoyang City is the largest city outside of the capital. Since we're staying here, why not go for a stroll along the riverbank together tonight?"
He reached out his palm and took her hand, inserting his fingers into her white knuckles and shaking it imperceptibly.
There was no change in the expression on her face, and there was no sign that she was being affectionate and intimate in private.
Xue Yuanyin couldn't help but curl up the corner of her lips. Thinking that this was her first time meeting him on the Qiqiao Festival, she couldn't help but feel a little excited.
The carriage stopped on the street in Luoyang, and Xue Yuanyin couldn't wait to jump out.
Zhang Jingxuan followed closely behind him, walked to the side of the road and asked a few questions. He quickly identified a direction and soon arrived at a villa.
Xue Yuanyin then realized that the Zhang family also had a mansion in Luoyang. The manager of the other courtyard bowed and greeted the two of them. She walked in and looked at the exquisite mansion with its rugged rockery and gurgling water, and marveled at it:
"The Zhang family is truly a wealthy family."
"The Xue family must have had it before the incident, but you just didn't know it."
Zhang Jingxuan led her inside and said, "Luoyang was the deputy capital of the Great Zhou Dynasty. It was elegant and prosperous, attracting scholars and poets since ancient times. It was not uncommon for the aristocratic families in the capital to have villas here."
Xue Yuanyin said "oh" and came to the main room. The steward didn't dare to look at her out of the corner of his eye, but vaguely realized that she was of special status. He ordered the servants to prepare soapberries and wooden barrels for bathing, and the hot water was almost ready.
Since it's a tryst, she must dress up a little. Xue Yuanyin had this inexplicable little girl's thoughts in her heart. Knowing that she would have to dawdle later, she glanced sideways and said:
"Then wait for me for a while after you have packed up?"
Zhang Jingxuan seemed to be looking down, thinking about something, and did not answer for a long time.
Xue Yuanyin asked again suspiciously, and Zhang Jingxuan finally came out of his thoughts and said without changing his expression:
"I'm going to a local restaurant. At twilight hour, I'll go find you on the street."
Xue Yuanyin thought that they had not yet had dinner, but if they had dinner before going out, they would definitely be late, so without thinking too much, she happily replied "yes" and did not forget to remind him:
"I want some Gulouzi, with extra cilantro! And a pot of almond tea! And some ice cream if that's convenient."*
After thinking about it, she felt that her request was a bit too much. Even a young man from an aristocratic family like Zhang Jingxuan, who was not involved in worldly affairs, might not have heard of these folk delicacies. It would be really difficult to buy all of them. So she blinked and looked at him, and added obediently:
"Thanks."
Zhang Jingxuan looked at the sky. It was daytime now, so there was still plenty of time. He looked at her and added calmly:
"Impossible with cilantro. I can't stand the taste. Forget it."
Xue Yuanyin had already stepped into the house, but upon hearing this, she ran out again, saying in disbelief, "Why?! What does it have to do with me if you don't like cilantro? Why don't I just not share it with you?"
Zhang Jingxuan looked at her speechlessly, raised his hand and tapped his forehead, and said, "Think for yourself."
After he walked away, Xue Yuanyin finally understood what he meant - because he wanted to kiss her later, so she couldn't eat coriander.
She felt a little suffocated, but her cheeks were burning.
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After Xue Yuanyin finished bathing, the steward brought her a new dress, saying it was ordered by the young master. She shook it open and saw a carved bell on the waistband of the crimson dress, which made a crisp tinkling sound when it was shaken.
She couldn't help but wonder, Zhang Jingxuan seemed to like wearing bells on her clothes?
Why? Because she used to wear bells on her wrists as a child?
After changing her clothes, Xue Yuanyin sat in front of the bronze mirror and tied her hair up, putting on a flowing pearl hairpin. After she was ready, she walked around the house. Zhang Jingxuan was not in the house, so she asked the housekeeper, but the housekeeper said he had not seen him.
Could it be that he really bought those foods for her?
Xue Yuanyin glanced at the clepsydra and saw that it was almost the hour of You. She did not delay any longer and rushed to the street before the time came.
It was dusk, the twilight was all around, the setting sun dyed the sky red, forming beautiful clouds of fire.
The streets become increasingly bustling and prosperous in the evening of the Qiqiao Festival. Vendors push out carts, hold up banners and shout to sell their goods. Even noble ladies rarely take their daughters out at this time. Children run by with candied haws in their hands, laughing. There are also pairs of young boys and girls who rarely go out to meet on this day, hiding in the street corners with shy cheeks flushed.
There is an endless stream of pedestrians, the streets are filled with BMWs and luxury cars, and lanterns are hung high on the branches like stars. The dazzling sight stretches as far as the eye can see. It is a prosperous scene.
Xue Yuanyin looked around but didn't see Zhang Jingxuan. She didn't expect him to be so slow in buying food, so she found a bright place to wait for him.
Unexpectedly, they had to wait from dusk till pitch dark. Xue Yuanyin's feet were numb from standing. She went from anticipation to expressionlessness. More than half an hour had passed, and when the clepsydra clock had passed the hour of Xu, Zhang Jingxuan finally came slowly from the side of the street.
He carried the dry air of a summer night, and handed her a bag of ancient lozenges, whispering:
"Sorry I'm late."
Xue Yuanyin took the ancient wine cup and smelled it was still hot. Did he just buy it?
So where did he go for the previous half hour?
She suppressed the unhappiness in her heart and raised her eyes and asked, "What else?"
Zhang Jingxuan paused for a few seconds, looked at her, and said, "I forgot."
Xue Yuanyin opened her eyes wide in disbelief: "Then what were you doing just now? Do you know that I waited for you for more than half an hour!"
After she finished speaking, suspicion rose in her eyes: "Tell me the truth, do you have a lover in Luoyang City?"
Zhang Jingxuan's expression remained the same as usual, but he probably knew he was in the wrong, so his words were somewhat soothing:
"I just happened to run into the owners of a few of the Zhang family's shops, so I stopped to ask a few questions. I didn't expect to be delayed."
After saying that, he also realized that this reason would only add fuel to her anger. Looking up, he saw that the girl's face was indeed not looking good. He paused and said helplessly:
"Never mind. It's true that I miscalculated the time and made you wait for so long in vain."
Xue Yuanyin didn't hear any sincerity in his words. She was filled with disappointment and frustration, but she had nowhere to vent. She bit a mouthful of Gulouzi angrily, and after swallowing it, she said in a flat tone:
"How dare a commoner like me with no background argue with Master Zhang?"
Zhang Jingxuan could tell she was angry, and he couldn't calm her down at the moment, so he whispered to comfort her:
"I won't do it again."
Xue Yuanyin felt frustrated when she thought about how he had left her out for so long despite her high expectations. She said, "What else can I do? I can't just beat you up like I did in the barracks."
Zhang Jingxuan was helpless. This girl had a bad temper. He had already anticipated the situation and had no choice but to go along with her and ask, "How do you want to fight?"
Xue Yuanyin glanced at him and asked tentatively, "Just hit me?"
Zhang Jingxuan also nodded in agreement: "As long as you can vent your anger."
Xue Yuanyin looked him over, glanced at his crotch, and her gaze lingered for a moment before she asked innocently, "Can I hit him there?"
Zhang Jingxuan was silent for a moment, then he tapped her forehead and said with a half-smile, "That won't work."
Xue Yuanyin dodged his hand and snorted.
After a few words of quarrel with him, her temper had dissipated, and she was too lazy to care about why he had delayed her for no reason. With less than half an hour left until the Thousand Lantern Festival, she stopped wandering around the bustling streets and alleys. Instead, she pulled Zhang Jingxuan straight towards the Luo River, urging him:
"Hurry up, we're almost late! It's our first tryst, and it's also Qiqiao Festival, and you're so indifferent that you've asked me to wait for you on the street all night..."
She stopped and walked along the way, but she was still unhappy and kept muttering to herself, accompanied by the jingling of the bells on her waist, which was quite noisy and cute.
Zhang Jingxuan didn't explain, but looked at the bustling Luo River in front of her. Anyway, she would know after waiting for a while.
…
Ancient texts refer to the Luo River as Luoyang's guardian river. On the nights of major festivals, exquisite pleasure boats float across the river. Boatmen, often skilled in their craft, ply their trade during this period, ensuring the boats steer neatly along the river. Lanterns hang high on both sides of the river, illuminating the shimmering waters. The scene resembles a beautiful silver silk, a sight so captivating it's impossible to look away.
Xue Yuanyin finally reached the bank of the Luo River. It was packed with people, noisy and bustling. Some wanted to board the boat, while others were buying Kongming lanterns on the shore. She had to shout to talk to Zhang Jingxuan:
"Zhang Jingxuan! Do you think we should rent a pleasure boat and take a ride there!!!"
There was so much noise around her that her voice was quickly drowned out by the crowd.
Zhang Jingxuan shook his head gently at her, held her hand, and pulled her to the path on the side. After climbing the stairs and bypassing the layers of mountains, she realized that there was a different world above her - there was actually a pavilion built on a high place, with pointed corners like flying eaves rising into the sky. It was seldom visited by people and the atmosphere was mysterious.
Xue Yuanyin climbed up to the tower and found that it was not as dark here as the way she came. Instead, there were lanterns hanging on the treetops nearby, shining some light in, allowing her to see clearly where she was.
She held onto the carved railing and looked ahead, slowly opening her eyes. The entire Luo River was in sight, with pleasure boats drifting across the river. The trees drowned out the noisy voices below, and the subtle sounds of stringed instruments became clearer, drifting into the pavilion along with the hot summer night wind.
She turned around and looked at him in surprise: "How did you know this place? Such a great viewing spot, but there's no one here."
Zhang Jingxuan said calmly, "I guessed."
Because he had just come to take care of it and spent a lot of money to send the guests from the pavilion away in advance, he naturally knew it clearly.
Xue Yuanyin drew out an "oh" sound, and at this moment a bell rang, and the hour of Xu had arrived. She quickly turned around and leaned over to look towards the Luo River.
The pleasure boats had been drifting slowly, almost motionless, on the river. After the bell rang, everyone's eyes turned to the river. One by one, the pleasure boats began to move. Boatmen paddled, and the exquisite boats sailed forward from their starting point. The melodious sound of stringed instruments gradually grew louder, forming a rhythm of sudden, rapid, and slow drumming that echoed across both banks of the Luo River. Amidst this melodious music, sky lanterns floated out of the pleasure boats and slowly soared into the sky.
Several pleasure boats raised their bright lights one after another, slowly engulfing the pitch-black night sky, making the surface of the Luo River as bright as day, until they rose high into the sky, filling the night sky with bright lights. The reflected light stretched across the entire river, and the lights were brighter than those of tens of millions of homes. This was the grand spectacle of a thousand lights.
The bright lantern is not blank, but is covered with all kinds of words, like the Eight Immortals crossing the sea, each showing their magical powers.
Some are more conventional, with only the mansion and name written on them, implying that this is a beacon contributed by someone.
Some people were creative and wrote puzzles on them. The lights rose slowly into the air, and those with good eyesight below squinted their eyes to guess.
Of course, more of them are written by lovers making wishes on the Qiqiao Festival, and are filled with all kinds of private conversations.
Xue Yuanyin couldn't help but exclaimed, "How beautiful!"
The pleasure boat was still moving slowly, and a larger pleasure boat was gradually floating up from behind.
These pleasure boats are the highlight. They are much more exquisite than the previous ones. They were bought by wealthy young men at a high price. Each one is different. The bright lights raised on these pleasure boats are also designated by the owners of the pleasure boats. Each light is different, and the words written on them are easier to see.
There were only a handful of large pleasure boats, and they had always been exclusively owned by the wealthy sons of Luoyang families. Others could not easily get one, nor did they have the financial resources to do so. Therefore, admiring the bright lights of these pleasure boats was a popular event every year.
Xue Yuanyin had good eyesight and could read the words clearly. She realized how diverse people's wishes were. The first large pleasure boat had a rabbit-shaped lantern with the words "May there be an endless supply of braised pork in the future," which delighted her immensely.
"Zhang Jingxuan, did you see that? There's even someone wishing to eat red meat! Which young master is that? He's too pitiful."
She didn't hear a response for a long time. Puzzled, she turned around to look, only to meet Zhang Jingxuan's deep, pensive eyes, which seemed to hold something in them, gentle yet profound. In the dim night, the faint light shone on his remarkable features, making her almost unable to look away.
He turned her face towards the Luo River and whispered, "Look carefully."
Xue Yuanyin was forced to turn her head and look at the river, only then she discovered that another huge pleasure boat was floating over, looking very elegant.
Unlike the bright lights on other pleasure boats, it only raised a dim and ordinary light in full view of the crowd. However, the handwriting on it was elegant and graceful, with clear strokes and extremely beautiful, which immediately attracted everyone's attention.
Her gaze suddenly froze.
I saw the words written on the lamp: Butterflies come in August, flying in pairs over the grass in the western garden.
It slowly rose into the sky, and then, a second lamp rose in the pleasure boat, with the words: Living together in Changganli, there is no suspicion between us.
Then came the third lamp, which floated up into the night sky and wrote: The spring breeze stirs my heart, and my eyes gaze at the mountains and forests.
The fourth lamp also slowly rose into the sky, with the words: Looking at each other with infinite love, smiles reflected in the spring moss.
Then came the fifth one, which read: I envy those two flying swallows, who can be seen in the jade tower morning and evening.
The sixth lamp reads: Why would a pair of mandarin ducks refuse to die, and why would a pair of mandarin ducks envy immortality?
The seventh lamp reads: A good marriage is made in advance, and a good couple is made in heaven.
The eighth lamp reads: Ten years of sailing on the same boat, a hundred years of sleeping on the same pillow.
The last one is the ninth one, which says: I wish we could be a pair of flying geese, staying together forever.
These nine lights rose into the night sky one after another, which was rare in the entire Luo River. However, they caught everyone's attention because of the clear and sharp handwriting. Immediately, all kinds of envious discussions spread on both sides of the river. Everyone was guessing which young master had paid a lot of money to rent a pleasure boat to write a love poem for his fiancée, and then raised it into the sky in such a way that attracted everyone's attention.
Xue Yuanyin stared at the nine lights in amazement. With her good eyesight, she saw them all clearly, yet precisely because she saw them all clearly, she was so shocked she was speechless. She knew these nine lights perfectly well; he had lit them specifically for her.
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, he made his feelings for her known to the public, in a high-profile yet subtle, gentle yet humble manner.
She turned her eyes and looked up, only to meet Zhang Jingxuan's gentle smiling eyes. His eyes and eyebrows, as black as green mountains and ink, now reflected her appearance clearly. The night was hazy and cicadas were buzzing. He leaned over slightly, put his arms around her waist, and kissed her lightly and tenderly on the lips.
After a while, he slightly withdrew, looked at her with his light brown eyes, and said slowly:
"This preparation was hastily made, but it felt like perfect timing, and thankfully nothing went wrong. You were once afraid of the world's ever-changing temptations, afraid that I wouldn't be able to commit to you forever, that I wouldn't be able to be faithful to you. What you said might have some truth to it for other men, but for me, this time, you didn't dare to know, didn't dare to wish, and didn't dare to trust me."
After a pause, he piously whispered, "My heart is as far away as the bright moon."
-----------------------The author has something to say: Translation: I like you.
I really do love the ultimate romance with a sense of ritual. Those who are reserved should just express their love directly! (Zheng Sheng——)
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*Luo (luò) River: Borrowing the name of the river, the story of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl meeting is a fabrication.
*Gulouzi: a type of mutton pie from the Tang Dynasty. Coriander: cilantro. Bingsuru: a dessert made from milk.
*The sentences on the nine lamps are all quoted from ancient poems with slight adaptations, and the sources are no longer marked one by one.
*“My heart has the bright moon far away.” The original sentence is “My heart has the bright moon far away, traveling thousands of miles.” It is from Hu Wenhuan’s "Selected Musics·Taoyuan Notes·Traveling Alone for Thousands of Miles".
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