Fireworks illuminate the night
Dusk, like a crumpled piece of indigo silk, was gradually descending upon the small town with its white walls and gray tiles. Lin Wei clutched the strap of her camera bag, her fingertips still warm from the long-distance bus seat, but her nose was already drawn to the sweet aroma floating in the air—the scent of osmanthus-flavored lotus root mixed with freshly baked glutinous rice cakes, wafting from a bamboo food basket at the entrance of the alley ahead, blending with the newly hung red lanterns on the eaves to make the evening air thick and translucent.
"Grandma, is this candied lotus root freshly made?" Chen Mo, who was with him, had already approached the food stall. The tips of his canvas shoes brushed against the still-wet stains on the bluestone slab, startling a few dragonflies. When the old woman selling candied lotus root looked up, the silver hairpin in her hair swayed, reflecting the lantern light as she replied, "Silly boy, how can festive food be kept overnight? The copper pot on the stove hasn't stopped since dawn." She scooped up a spoonful of amber-colored syrup and poured it over the porcelain-white lotus root segments, the sugar threads stretching long, drawing a shimmering arc in the twilight.
Lin Wei crouched down to adjust the camera's focus, and suddenly a blinding flash of red entered the lens. It was the proprietress of the next stall unfolding a stack of bibs embroidered with gold thread. The palm-sized pieces of fabric were embroidered with adorable tiger cubs, each with a glittering copper bell at the tip of its tail. "Young lady, you've come to see the 'Dragon Boat Festival,' right?" the proprietress said with a smile as she folded the bibs. "This year's dragon lantern team has added a new twist. They'll dot the eyes at the riverbank at 9 PM. If you're late, you won't be able to get to the front."
Suddenly, a gong rang out from the depths of the alley, like a drop of boiling oil, instantly shattering the deepening twilight. Lin Wei looked up and saw a string of lanterns swaying and drifting towards her at the end of the bluestone path. The lanterns depicted the story of "The Legend of the White Snake," with the White Snake's flowing sleeves flickering in the candlelight. The colorful silk ribbons tied to the lantern poles fluttered in the breeze, sweeping past the wine flags on either side. A peddler selling malt candy pushed his wheelbarrow through the shadows, the bamboo whistle hanging from the handle whistling softly in the wind, blending with the faint sound of a huqin coming from the distant stage.
"Look!" Chen Mo suddenly tugged at her sleeve, pointing to the corner of the alley. A bamboo rack had been erected there, filled with colorful sachets. An embroiderer in a blue cotton jacket was threading a needle, the silver thimble on her fingertips gleaming under the lantern light. Lin Wei leaned closer to look. The sachets were embroidered with various patterns: some depicted twin lotus blossoms amidst ripples, others showed pomegranates split open to reveal plump seeds, and the most exquisite was a palm-sized sachet of two fish, their scales embroidered with interlaced gold and silver threads, and two round freshwater pearls adorning their tail fins.
“If you’re using it yourself, this ‘Butterfly Loves Flowers’ embroidery is the most suitable.” The embroiderer looked up, her eyes filled with warmth as she smiled. “It’s made with Hangzhou white chrysanthemum and mugwort, which repels mosquitoes and calms the nerves.” As she spoke, the jasmine at her temple trembled slightly. Only then did Lin Wei notice that she also had a small cluster of freshly picked jasmine pinned to her apron, with water droplets still clinging to the pale green petals.
Suddenly, a more intense gong and drum sounded from the alley entrance, like spring thunder rolling across the bluestone slabs. Lin Wei turned her head and saw a group of boys in red silk robes running past, carrying carp lanterns. The fish's eyes were two rotating glass beads, and the gold foil on the tails shimmered under the lanterns. The boy at the front carried a long bamboo pole with a watermelon lantern hanging from the end. The emerald green rind was intricately carved with lotus scrolls, and the candlelight inside cast the patterns onto the wall, turning them into swaying green shadows as he ran.
"Stay close!" Chen Mo grabbed her wrist, and the two ran out of the alley with the crowd. Suddenly, the view opened up before them. It was a riverside square, the stone steps of the riverbank already crowded with people. Hundreds of lotus lanterns floated on the water, each holding a red candle, turning the river a winding orange-red. On the stage across the river, a martial arts actor wearing a flag was performing somersaults, the silver studs on the soles of his boots drawing fine silver lines in the moonlight. A cheer erupted from the audience, startling the night herons perched on the eaves of the stage.
"Here, try this." Chen Mo had bought two strings of sugar paintings from somewhere, and the one he handed over was a lifelike dragon. When Lin Wei took the sugar painting, her fingertips accidentally brushed against a strand of sugar, and the sticky sweetness spread along her fingertips. She looked up and saw a group of girls in indigo homespun shirts dancing around a bonfire in the open space in the center of the square. Colorful pom-poms were tied to their braids, and with each turn, the pom-poms drew a rainbow-like arc. The silver bells on their ankles jingled with their dance steps, echoing the sparks popping from the bonfire.
A little girl with her hair in two buns suddenly ran up to her, tilting her sugar-coated face up and asking, "Sister, do you want to learn? It's very simple!" She then took Lin Wei's hand and led her towards the campfire. Lin Wei stumbled after her, her toes barely touching the warm earth when she heard the lead dancer begin to sing a song. The song was like a clear mountain stream, moist with dew and warm with the scent of cooking fires. She didn't quite understand the lyrics, but the melody was melodious and captivating, making her heart tremble.
"Hands should be positioned like this." The little girl bent her hands into delicate, orchid-like fingers. "Follow my steps, one, two, turn!" Lin Wei moved her feet to the rhythm, her skirt sweeping across the grass clippings on the ground, startling a few crickets hiding in the shadows. The firelight shone on her face, warm and comforting, as if even her eyelashes were dusted with gold. She saw Chen Mo standing on the outskirts of the crowd, holding a camera, the lens aperture flashing in the firelight. Further away, the old man selling osmanthus wine was lifting the wooden lid of a ceramic jar, the aroma of wine mingling with the smoky scent of roasted chestnuts, like an invisible net enveloping the entire square.
Suddenly, a louder gong rang out, drowning out the singing. The crowd parted automatically, and sixteen strong men carried a huge dragon lantern. The dragon lantern was at least twenty zhang long, its scales made of layers of dyed bamboo strips, gleaming like jade in the torchlight. A perfectly round, luminous pearl swayed gently in its mouth with the men's steps. The foreman at the front held a cinnabar brush, preparing to dot the dragon's eyes.
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