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Jiang Nian didn't expect Xiao Yingzhu to look at her at this time, and she slightly curved her eyes for a moment.
"Shall we go to the Lantern Festival?"
Xiao Yingzhu already had this plan, so she agreed calmly.
The carriage that brought them here stopped in front of the mansion at some point. Jiang Nian turned around and walked towards the door of the carriage.
Some things are not convenient to say openly, it is enough to know them in your heart.
She raised her head and looked at Xiao Yingzhu who was walking in front of her, leaving only his back to her.
When she saw the familiar figure, she could even imagine his profile in her mind, as he slightly turned his eyes away and glanced at her indifferently.
...has it become a habit?
Jiang Nian lowered her eyebrows and eyelashes. Xiao Yingzhu in front of her was still holding up the curtain of the carriage waiting for her to get in. She didn't want to look at anything more, for fear that her thoughts would be revealed. She sat down opposite Xiao Yingzhu with a natural expression.
The driver knew where they were going and turned the car around without asking any questions, heading down the mountain.
The carriage fell into an eerie silence. Xiao Yingzhu leaned his head and looked out the window casually. The streets of Jiangzhou were approaching, and colorful colors were reflected in from the window. The bright candlelight dyed his plain clothes, adding a bit of worldly air. His elegant and cold temperament seemed to be washed away by the noisy and festive atmosphere.
Jiang Nian's gaze rested on the scenery outside the car window for a few seconds before relaxing again. War was imminent, and perhaps because of the considerable distance between the capital and Jiangzhou, activities here continued as usual, undiminished by the turbulent political situation.
She wanted to enjoy life today, but she didn't want to dwell on the things she would have to face after tonight.
—
After the carriage stopped in a dark alley, Xiao Yingzhu got off first, looked around for a moment before looking away and extending his hand to Jiang Nian who was still in the carriage.
Jiang Nian's eyes fell on the other party's outstretched hand for a moment. Just as he was about to touch it, he remembered their respective identities and stopped abruptly.
The distance between their fingertips was exactly the same. Seeing Jiang Nian hesitate, Xiao Yingzhu lowered his eyes and closed his palms.
Outside the dark alley was a brightly lit street market. The driver who brought them here left without anyone noticing, leaving only the two of them standing in this corner, holding each other's hands.
The delicate warmth in the palm of his hand was transmitted to him through the other person's palm. Jiang Nian subconsciously looked at the people coming and going beside him, but he only saw children running with icing sugar in their hands, their parents following behind them, and childhood sweethearts walking side by side. As if they could feel the gaze coming from this dark alley, they turned around and met Jiang Nian's gaze, and smiled knowingly.
She had forgotten that no one here knew them.
It's like a refuge found at night, where everyone is safe and sound. There are no complicated conspiracies, and no malicious people who would label them. It's just an ordinary and bustling night market.
Jiang Nian felt a little embarrassed and wanted to pull his hand away, but the person next to him walked straight towards the bright light in front of him.
The darkness around him was gradually replaced by the bright light of candles, and the colors on his clothes became brighter, giving the black and white the luster they should have.
The scenery in the sight becomes vast, Xiao Yingzhu and Mu Shan are wearing purple sleeves and white butterflies are flying, the colors of each other's sleeves are set off, and the clear sky is dyed with each other, making the colors more beautiful.
The pedestrians passing by seemed to be no different from those in the future, except that their clothes and conversation were different.
Thousands of years have passed, and Jiang Nian was holding hands, looking sideways at the passers-by. Suddenly, he felt that all these years were just a quick glance, and in the blink of an eye, they were either turned into dust or turned into a legend in the book.
When their warm and cool skin touched, Jiang Nian looked away, took a few more steps forward, and stood shoulder to shoulder with Xiao Yingzhu.
Their hands were hidden in their wide sleeves. Jiang Nian looked up at Xiao Yingzhu's profile and said with a smile, "Does this count as taking a break from the busy schedule?"
The crowd was pushing forward, and Xiao Yingzhu did not hide his face, which attracted the women passing by to turn around and look at him, but they were put off by the coldness in his eyes.
The surroundings were bustling with activity. He was focused on the lantern festival at the end of the road ahead. When he heard the laughter coming from beside him, his cold brows relaxed for a moment, his eyelashes drooped, and he lowered his head to look at her: "?"
“…”
It's okay to say this once, but it would be a bit awkward to repeat it. Jiang Nian was silent for a moment, then turned his head away calmly: "Nothing."
A soft chuckle came from above her head. Xiao Yingzhu loosened her hand slightly, stopped by the roadside, and looked at a stall on the side of the road.
Jiang Nian was still preoccupied with what Xiao Yingzhu had asked him even though he already knew the answer. He paid no attention to the people around him and only watched the smiles of passersby until a deer outlined in caramel appeared in his sight.
The lifelike little deer appeared in his sight. Jiang Nian was stunned for a moment. Before he could react, the sweet smell penetrated his nose.
Xiao Yingzhu turned around and watched Jiang Nian take the sugar painting in a daze, with her eyes lowered to the deer. A moment later, someone came over and pushed her because of the crowd. Jiang Nian turned around and was taken to the side of the street by Xiao Yingzhu. The deer on the sugar painting was missing an horn.
Jiang Nian took a bite and savored it for a moment before turning his head to look at Xiao Yingzhu: "Why a deer?"
Xiao Yingzhu just smiled casually without answering, and raised her eyelids to look forward.
"The Lantern Festival is about to begin."
"?"
Jiang Nian frowned and was about to ask a few more questions when a loud noise was heard in the air behind him.
Xiao Yingzhu was right, the Lantern Festival had indeed begun.
On the dark and surging river, a lamp was placed on a platform on the river. At this time, the fireworks burned the wooden rope, and the fireworks in the box shot straight into the sky, lighting up half the sky.
Jiang Nian turned his head following the sound and watched the fireworks above light up in a variety of colors. The same pattern fell into the hearts of different people, brightening up different moods.
The icing in her hand was still warm. She stroked the stick for a moment, lowered her eyes, and took a light bite, biting off the other antler of the deer.
The sweet frosting melted due to the heat. Jiang Nian lowered his eyes and looked at the edge of Jin Zibaimei's sleeves.
The warmth under the sleeves was still there, and they both knew it tacitly.
The person in front was holding a lantern and writing something on the stamen with an ink pen. It should be a note for praying, wishing for good health this year, or some fortune-making things, expressing the admiring and ambiguous wishes of young boys and girls, and sending it to the heart of the lotus and onto the river.
The flickering candlelight drifted away into the distance on the moonlit river waves.
Most of the people who were having fun gathered in that part of the street market. Their location was a little remote, so there weren't many people around, which was just enough to avoid being disturbed by others.
No one was watching them, so Jiang Nian finally came to his senses. He turned to Xiao Yingzhu and smiled for a moment: "...Did you do this on purpose?"
"In this place, no one comes to talk to us anymore."
Not far away, the childhood sweetheart was surrounded by children, as if they wanted to reach the beautiful bouquet in Qingmei's hand, fold it into flowery paper, pin it in a card filled with wishes and blessings, and send it together to the invisible distance by the river.
Glancing at the bouquet in Qingmei's hand, Xiao Yingzhu paused for a moment before suddenly speaking, "There's a legend in Jiangzhou that says people pin their worries on flowers and send them across the river on lanterns. If the decorations are beautiful, they'll receive the Sea God's blessing, bringing good fortune to every household."
"Lucky?"
Jiang Nian looked at the houses that were closer to the river: "They should not be submerged by the rising tide, or they should be carried away by the sea."
"Hmm." Xiao Yingzhu squeezed her hand thoughtfully, as if to remind her, "Do you want to ask for it too?"
Jiang Nian didn't believe it, but as usual, she looked at the lanterns floating on the riverbank and said with a smile, "I don't need the Sea God's blessing... I just need a lantern and a few wishes."
Xiao Yingzhu responded and looked up at the sky, not knowing who he was looking at. After a moment, a secret guard holding a lantern appeared beside Jiang Nian.
The secret guard landed beside Jiang Nian, held the lantern in his hand in front of her eyes, and motioned her to take it.
“…”
Jiang Nian was startled by this sudden action and subconsciously took a step back towards Xiao Yingzhu. When he touched his sleeve, he came to his senses and reached out to take the lantern from the secret guard. After the secret guard disappeared, he turned to Xiao Yingzhu and said with a slightly complaining smile:
"Your secret guards are really everywhere... Could it be that they are spread all over Huandu?"
The lanterns had already been lit and were emitting a faint light, with a slight warmth showing through from under the lotus petals, as if they had been prepared in advance, just waiting for Xiao Yingzhu's order.
“…”
Jiang Nian didn't get Xiao Yingzhu's answer, so he didn't plan to wait any longer. He lowered his eyes and stared at the lantern in his hand for a moment, then laughed again: "If I said I wanted to... light lotus lanterns along the river, you wouldn't be able to do it, right?"
Feeling Xiao Yingzhu's downward gaze, Jiang Nian looked up. Although he didn't catch a glimpse of the emotion in his eyes, he seemed to be afraid that he was really serious. He quickly shook his head slightly and added, "No, no, I was just kidding."
After she finished speaking, she felt a little funny again and added: "I read some story books before, and the protagonists on them were powerful and noble, and then..."
Light fireworks for the woman and spread them all over the river, or do something that will make the whole country know about it.
Jiang Nian was halfway through his words when he suddenly felt a little ashamed and stopped talking. He just pursed his lips and said seriously, "That's all. Let's go release the lanterns."
Seeing this funny thing, Xiao Yingzhu curled her lips, but did not point out the unfinished meaning of her words. She just let Jiang Nian turn her head and let her loose black hair cover her face, leaving only her loose bun on her temples.
Fireworks on the riverside soared into the sky, and the sound of the explosion quickly dispelled the embarrassment in Jiang Nian's heart. She took a pen and wrote something on the card, and then pinned it in the middle of the lotus lantern.
Occasionally, water would flood the shore. Jiang Nian's skirt was long, so she took a half step back, then turned to look at Xiao Ying who was standing not far behind her, and raised the lantern in her hand towards him.
"I can't put it in, Xiao Yingzhu, please help me put it in."
The smile on the man in front of him was not obvious under the fireworks, but Jiang Nian still saw it.
The lotus lantern tilted slightly for a moment, then was picked up by another pair of hands. With a turn of perspective, it fell onto the surface of the river.
Unlike other lanterns gathered together, it was farther away than the others.
Without the need for other people's wishes, it only carries beautiful wishes for the future and floats in the direction pushed by the waves, until it merges with other lanterns to form a lantern road unique to the river.
Jiang Nian quietly watched the lotus lantern merge into the sea of lanterns. The lights not far away rose into the sky, as if they would continue all night long, dispelling the darkness until dawn.
At this time, you should be like everyone else, thinking in your heart about what you hope to achieve this year, and receive blessings from the gods of this river.
But Jiang Nian didn't want to think about these things. Instead, he turned to look at Xiao Yingzhu, as if he wanted to remember his gentle and elegant expression at the moment, forget all the unbearable things in the past, and only regard the current experience as the best memory, keeping it in his mind.
After all these things are over, all I can recall are the warm and cozy moments we spent together.
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