"Make way! The dragon is about to open its eyes!" someone shouted. Lin Wei was pushed and shoved forward by the crowd, her nose almost touching the colorful ribbons hanging from the dragon lantern. The master craftsman held his breath, his brush tip lightly touching the dragon's eye. In an instant, all the gongs, drums, songs, and noise stopped. Then, someone shouted, "The dragon is awake!" and the entire dragon lantern suddenly came to life. The men ran, holding the dragon lantern high, its body drawing continuous arcs in the night sky, its scales clattering together with a crisp sound. Where the dragon's tail swept, the crowd erupted in thunderous cheers.
Lin Wei stared in disbelief, only realizing her palms were sweaty when the dragon lantern turned past the riverbank and disappeared behind the stone bridge. The little girl beside her tugged at her sleeve, saying, "Sister, there will be fireworks later! Under the old locust tree at the town entrance!" Before she could finish speaking, she was swept away by the surging crowd. Lin Wei quickly grabbed Chen Mo, and the two followed the flow of people towards the town entrance. The bluestone slabs beneath their feet, worn smooth by countless feet, shone brightly, reflecting the lantern light like a flowing silver river.
A large crowd had already gathered under the old locust tree. The trunk was wrapped with countless red ribbons, each inscribed with a blessing, swaying gently in the evening breeze. Lin Wei looked up and saw many small lanterns hanging among the treetops, their light filtering through the leaves and casting dappled shadows on the ground. An old man selling candied hawthorns pushed his cart through the crowd; the hawthorns skewered on bamboo sticks glittered like strings of red agate in the night.
"They're here! They're here!" someone shouted. Lin Wei quickly tiptoed and saw several men setting up fireworks tubes on wooden frames in the open space at the town entrance. The eldest man lit the fuse and quickly stepped back. After a brief silence, with a "whoosh," the first firework shot into the night sky. It was a huge golden chrysanthemum, suddenly blooming against the dark blue sky, its petals layered upon layer, finally transforming into countless firefly-like sparks that fluttered down.
"Wow—" A gasp of amazement rippled through the crowd. Then, a second firework rose, this time green, like an emerald tossed into the night sky. It exploded into a shower of emeralds, some particularly bright, trailing long, luminous tails like shooting stars. Lin Wei was mesmerized when she suddenly felt someone tap her shoulder. Turning around, she saw the old woman who had sold candied lotus root earlier, carrying two rough porcelain bowls.
"Girl, try some homemade rice wine." The old woman placed a bowl in her hands. "Take a sip while watching the fireworks; it'll warm you up." The rice wine was warm, with a subtle sweetness. As it went down her throat, it felt like a warm current, instantly dispelling the chill of the night dew. Lin Wei held the bowl, watching the third firework explode in the night sky. It was a string of purple stars that formed a spinning windmill pattern. The sparks fell onto the river's surface, dyeing the flowing water purple.
"Do you know why we set off fireworks today?" The old woman squinted at the sky, a smile playing on her lips. "The older generation says it's to light the way home for the dragon. Once the dragon is gone, the year will be prosperous." As she spoke, the silver hairpin at her temple glittered in the fireworks light, like a star falling into her hair.
Lin Wei suddenly remembered the revolving lanterns she had seen in the alley during the day, the silver thimbles on the embroiderers' fingers, and the silver bells on the ankles of the girls dancing around the bonfire. She realized that all the liveliness, all the lights, all the songs were a prelude to an encounter with tradition. As the last firework transformed into a sky full of fireflies in the night, she suddenly felt that the warmth and vibrancy diluted by modern life were hidden deep within this small town, in the rice wine offered by the old woman, in the roar of the dragon lanterns cutting through the night sky, and in the eyes of everyone who looked up at the fireworks.
The crowd gradually dispersed, but the lotus lanterns on the river continued to float, like a flowing river of lights. Lin Wei and Chen Mo walked back along the riverbank, the cobblestone path littered with fragments of fireworks, shimmering in the moonlight. As they passed the old locust tree, she saw several children picking up unburnt fireworks from the ground, their chattering laughter startling the birds roosting in the tree.
"Look at this." Chen Mo suddenly stopped and took something out of his pocket. It was a small rabbit lantern, with the "Butterfly Loves Flower" sachet that Lin Wei had bought during the day still tied to its ear. "I lost it in the crowd, but that little girl found it and asked me to return it to you." The rabbit lantern's eyes were two black glass beads, sparkling in the night as if filled with starlight.
Lin Wei took the rabbit lantern, her fingertips touching the warm pearls on the sachet. The opera was still playing in the distance, the erhu music broken and intermittent by the night wind, yet exceptionally clear. She suddenly understood that what remained in her memory that night was not just the dazzling fireworks and bustling crowds, but also the warmth hidden in the details—the warm rice wine offered by the old woman, the sweat on the little girl's palm as she guided her in dance lessons, the smile lines at the corners of the embroiderer's eyes when she spoke of the sachet.
As Lin Wei reached the inn's entrance, she glanced back. The town's night sky was still brightly lit by lanterns, and the lotus lanterns on the river floated on the water, casting long, long reflections. She knew that when the sun rose tomorrow, the lanterns would be taken down, and the fireworks would turn to dust, but the warmth and emotion she felt in those fleeting moments of brilliance would remain like pebbles on the riverbed, forever etched in her memory, shimmering unexpectedly at some unexpected moment.
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