Actually, Chen Jiannan and the others really wanted to go and see.
They wanted to see what this Miss Zhou, who was known as the number one businesswoman in Anguo, was like, but since Jing Zhe didn't move, they were even more embarrassed to move. They just stood there, tiptoeing to look at the crowd in front of them.
"It seems we really don't need to go!"
At this moment, Chen Jiannan stood on tiptoe, pointed ahead, and said excitedly.
While Zhang Xiaoyu and Jing Zhe were talking, Zhou Ziqiong and her maid had already arrived at the riverbank not far from them.
Chen Jiannan and nearly twenty others formed a semi-circle in a very organized manner. Seeing this, the others did not dare to get too close to them. Zhou Ziqiong, seeing that there was some empty space here, walked to the riverbank downstream from them, carrying a lantern, and stopped.
Although he had seen her once before, Jing Zhe was still stunned by Zhou Ziqiong's breathtaking beauty when he saw her again.
Just like last time, Zhou Ziqiong wore a white fitted long dress today, with a pink tulle overlay, which perfectly showcased her beautiful figure.
Her long, black hair reached her waist and was tied with a single light blue ribbon. As the wind blew, it danced in the air, adding to her ethereal beauty.
With skin as smooth as jade, eyebrows as light as wisps of smoke, almond-shaped eyes that shimmered like water, and pink lips beneath her upturned nose that were utterly alluring, Zhou Ziqiong's eyes held a noticeable melancholy that made her appear pitiful compared to the last time we met.
She is a proud woman.
This was Jing Zhe's first thought; otherwise, this wouldn't be the first time he'd participated in the Lantern Festival after all these years.
It seems that the Zhou family's cloth shop is facing considerable trouble, otherwise such a proud woman wouldn't have broken her rule.
...
In fact, Zhou Ziqiong also longs for the Lantern Festival.
After all, she was a young woman of marriageable age, and what young woman doesn't dream of love?
However, in recent years she has devoted all her attention to the Zhou family's cloth shop business and has not had time for anything else. Now she has time to come, but she is not really here to release the lanterns; she has another purpose.
"Miss, it's time to release the lanterns!"
While Zhou Ziqiong was lost in thought, the maidservant next to her couldn't help but remind her. Seeing Zhou Ziqiong turn her head, she quickly handed her the lantern she had prepared.
After receiving the lantern, Zhou Ziqiong took out a slip of paper from her bosom and stuffed it inside.
At this moment, the surrounding crowd became restless again.
These guys came here to find the girl's lantern, and among all the girls present, Zhou Ziqiong is obviously unique. Wouldn't it be wonderful to get her lantern?
So a group of people ran downhill to find favorable terrain.
Because Jing Zhe and the others were standing upstream of Zhou Ziqiong, the lanterns were placed in the water and drifted with the current. Although the current was not strong, it would not go upstream. Therefore, after Zhou Ziqiong picked up the lanterns, the group ran downstream.
The people around Jing Zhe scattered instantly.
Because of a rule in the Lantern Festival that prevents people from scrambling to grab lanterns as soon as they are released, it is forbidden to retrieve them within five meters before or after they are released. As a result, Zhou Ziqiong was also surrounded by people who ran to a spot five meters downstream of her to grab a good position.
"This is the spot I got first, why are you squeezing in?"
"You're standing in such a good spot, why can't others stand there too?"
"Don't push, or I'll fall!"
"I'll squeeze in, it'll be even better if I get off!"
"Ouch, are you going to push again? You think I won't pull you out—"
"Thump!"
After the two fell into the river together, the order on the riverbank improved slightly. The water wasn't deep, and after the two were pulled out, they lost interest in snatching the lanterns and slunk away.
Seeing this, Zhou Ziqiong feared that the later the lanterns were released, the more unforeseen problems might arise, so she quickly placed the lanterns in the water.
"Oh~"
Another gasp rang out from the crowd, and all the men strained, waiting for the lantern to drift by.
Jing Zhe and the others also stood by the river, watching with great interest.
Logically speaking, even though the moat's flow is not strong and the current is slow, the lanterns should still be able to float downstream.
But Zhou Ziqiong's lantern was strange. After being placed in the water, it did not go downstream. Instead, it slowly drifted towards the center of the river. The scholars on the other side of the river, who were too late to run over, saw this and shouted excitedly, rubbing their hands together in anticipation.
They even claimed it was a match made in heaven, that God had chosen Zhou Ziqiong's future husband, and that person was clearly among them—right across from them—and they spoke with great conviction, making Zhou Ziqiong blush.
If she didn't have a mission to complete, she would have left immediately.
Seeing her mistress's shyness, her maidservant tugged at her and whispered comfortingly, "Miss, although we're here to promote the poetry gathering, who knows, we might meet someone we like!"
Zhou Ziqiong glanced at her and said with dissatisfaction, "Huaqin, you know I already said that I only came to the Lantern Festival for the fabric shop's business. I don't have the leisure to talk about love. Besides, my note said..."
As she spoke, Zhou Ziqiong's eyes swayed, following the lanterns floating on the water.
...
The next moment, a strange phenomenon occurred.
A gust of wind blew across the water, and the lantern that had been swaying in the middle of the water was suddenly blown back and drifted towards the shore where Zhou Ziqiong was.
"Oh~"
Instantly, the group, who had been listless, became excited again.
However, the lantern's drifting trajectory was unusually strange; instead of flowing downstream, it went upstream.
Upon seeing this, the people on the shore quickly chased after them.
After swaying and wobbling, the lantern drifted towards Jing Zhe's location. The crowd chased after it, trying to squeeze in, but unfortunately, nearly twenty people surrounded Jing Zhe and Zhang Xiaoyu, and they showed no intention of making way, leaving everyone at a loss.
Just then, another gust of wind blew, and the lantern swayed faster. In just a moment, the lantern floated to a position in front of Jing Zhe and stopped.
"..."
Those who hadn't managed to squeeze in also looked over, and when they saw Jing Zhe dressed in brocade and a magnificent robe, and his incomparably handsome face, they began to feel ashamed of themselves.
In this world... there is such a handsome man...
Even those who previously spread rumors, saying that the lanterns floating to the other side meant that God had chosen a husband for Zhou Ziqiong—
Looking at Zhou Ziqiong and then at Jing Zhe, they were starting to believe the rumors they had fabricated.
This must be... a truly match made in heaven, right?
As a result, all the talented men and beautiful women along the moat stopped in their tracks and conversations, all looking in Jing Zhe's direction, as if they wanted to witness a magical and wonderful marriage.
————
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