Lantern Festival
During the first month of the lunar calendar, everyone was busy visiting relatives and friends. Yu Roulan didn't have any relatives in Qingzhou, so she and her mother lived their lives as usual.
Defu, Wenshan, and Wenjiang, representing Taibai Wine Shop, delivered New Year's gifts to Penglaiju, Baiweilou, and some wealthy families who frequently bought wine from the shop. The gifts had already been packaged, and they only needed to deliver them to the addresses on the list.
Now that the three of them are no longer servants or guards, they can no longer live in the Fu residence. Fu Zhi Qiao specially bought a courtyard for them to live in in a nearby alley.
On the sixth day of the first lunar month, shops in Qingzhou reopened.
With Defu overseeing the business at the liquor store, Fu Zhiqiao was happy to have some free time and stayed home obediently with Yu Roulan.
The snow in the yard outside was already two inches thick, and Fu Zhiqiao stayed in the warm room, not wanting to move.
Yu Roulan had become obsessed with medicinal cuisine at some point, and asked someone to buy several black-boned chickens from the countryside, saying it was to nourish her body, such as black-boned chicken and jujube porridge, old hen and ginseng soup, and black-boned chicken stewed with angelica...
This caused Fu Zhiqiao to turn pale at the mention of "chicken".
Not only that, Yu Roulan also prepared some beauty and health-enhancing teas for her, which were said to be recipes used by the empresses in the palace to nourish their bodies.
Fu Zhi Qiao knew that her body was still developing, so she did not refuse Yu Rou Lan's feeding and always ate all of Yu Rou Lan's loving soup.
Under Yu Roulan's vigorous feeding, Fu Zhiqiao's complexion became increasingly rosy, and she grew taller, even her chest became more defined.
Enjoy the lanterns on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.
The Lantern Festival is a traditional custom of the Great Wei Dynasty. On the day of the Lantern Festival, the whole city will light lanterns to celebrate. From nobles and officials to ordinary people, every household, whether it is a shop or a house, will hang all kinds of lanterns under the eaves.
A stage was set up on the imperial road well in advance, and on the fifteenth day, actors would be invited to perform plays and acrobatics. Of course, the most lively riddle-guessing competition would also be held.
The rules of the riddle-solving contest are very simple: whoever guesses the most riddles wins the prize.
The focus is on quantity, not quality; the lantern riddle festival is all about creating a lively atmosphere.
The lantern festival allows merchants to set up stalls and sell goods. Each stall has riddles to solve. The first person to guess twenty riddles can simply take the riddle to the corresponding stall to claim the prize.
Each tier consists of guessing twenty riddles correctly, the second tier consists of guessing forty riddles correctly, and so on, with higher tiers yielding richer rewards.
The riddles at the stalls become increasingly difficult as the game progresses, because the easy ones are taken long ago. As a result, people who plan to participate in the riddle-guessing contest arrive very early.
Fu Zhiqiao also sponsored ten jars of Taibai wine as a prize.
On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, Fu Zhiqiao and Yu Roulan had dinner early, dragging along servants. For safety, she also brought along Wen Jiang and Wen Shan, two people skilled in martial arts.
She used to be too weak to withstand the jostling of crowds, so she could only stay at home at this time of year. Therefore, this was the first time Fu Zhi Qiao had gone out to enjoy the Lantern Festival.
Heading north along the street, the next corner leads to the Imperial Road, which is guarded by government officials. No vehicles or horses are allowed to enter; regardless of your status, you must enter on foot.
When they arrived, the imperial road was already packed with people.
The streets and alleys were brightly lit, looking like a fiery dragon in the night, mesmerizing the eye.
The imperial road was lined with all sorts of vendors: lion dancers, dough figurines, sugar paintings, iron flower performances, and parade groups wearing masks and walking on stilts...
Fu Zhiqiao was dazzled by the sight.
She simply waved her hand and said, "Go have fun, everyone. Remember to meet at the end of the street at 7:45 PM." It was a rare day of relaxation, so she decided to let everyone enjoy themselves.
The maids and servants were somewhat tempted, and then glanced at Yu Roulan.
"Go play!" Upon receiving the order, the maids and servants immediately scattered.
Yu Roulan's task for Yinxing was to keep an eye on Fu Zhiqiao. Walking in the crowded throng, Yinxing tried her best to stand up straight and stay by Fu Zhiqiao's side to prevent others from pushing her. Wen Jiang and Wen Shan followed not far away to protect her.
"So many lanterns!" Ginkgo exclaimed enviously at the lanterns carried by others. Pointing to the rabbit lanterns on the stall ahead, she said, "Girl, I want that rabbit lantern..."
Then he tugged at Fu Zhiqiao's sleeve, looking pitiful: "Miss, is it alright?"
Fu Zhiqiao glanced over and saw a lantern riddle stall. The rule was that you could guess a riddle for one coin, and if you guessed three riddles correctly, you could choose a lantern to take home.
Looking at Yinxing's longing eyes, Fu Zhiqiao couldn't bring herself to refuse.
These kinds of riddles, meant to be fun, weren't too difficult. Fu Zhiqiao walked up to the stall to check out the riddles.
Unarmed, guess a word.
She pondered for a moment, then reached out and took the note. Her unarmed state meant her hands were empty, and together they formed the character "控" (control).
As expected, word puzzles were easier. Fu Zhiqiao then guessed two more word puzzles, and Yinxing excitedly ran to exchange them for rabbit lanterns.
Just then, a performance troupe walked by, and the surging crowd separated the two of them.
"Ginkgo? Ginkgo? Where are you?" Fu Zhi Qiao kept looking around, but there were heads everywhere, and she couldn't see Ginkgo anywhere.
The crowd was so dense that, to avoid a stampede if she went against the flow of people, she had no choice but to walk towards the Yuting Bridge.
The further you go in, the more young men and women you see, either in pairs or in small groups.
At the Lantern Festival, no one adheres to strict separation between men and women. It's a perfect opportunity for young men and women to meet and find their ideal partner. Unmarried young men and women gather at the festival with shy yet joyful smiles on their faces.
Looking up, the girls were all dressed exquisitely and gorgeously, with light or heavy makeup, each with their own unique charm, it was truly a visual feast.
Compared to them, Fu Zhi Qiao's attire was much more simple and elegant. She wore a moon-white ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), a brocade cloak with eight auspicious motifs, and only a gold hairpin and two pearl and kingfisher feather hairpins in her hair.
Fu Zhiqiao couldn't help but sigh, "Talented men and beautiful women are the most colorful part of the lantern festival!"
We walked all the way to the Yuting Bridge, where many girls were releasing lanterns by the river.
Fu Zhidao glanced around casually, when suddenly a lantern caught her eye. The lantern was floating alone in a corner, stuck in the water plants and motionless, and she didn't know how long it had been there.
Fu Zhiqiao carefully walked down the steps, lifted her skirt, reached out and hooked out the lantern, then gave it a push, letting it drift away with the water.
Fu Zhi Qiao watched the lantern drift away silently, wondering who had placed it and what wishes it carried. Suddenly, her nose stung with tears. Was her home far away doing well?
The entire city of Qingzhou was brightly lit, and the streets were filled with groups of three or five people. She was all alone, and this sense of loneliness made Fu Zhi Qiao feel a little down. Her originally bright eyes became confused.
Fu Zhiqiao stood alone by the river for a while, then noticed someone watching her. She turned her head and met Xie Zhuo's gaze.
Even through the crowds, Xie Zhuo spotted her at a glance.
People look extremely beautiful when viewed under lamplight.
Her fair and flawless skin glowed with a faint blush. She had arched willow-leaf eyebrows, a straight nose, clear and bright pupils, and long eyelashes trembled slightly with surprise. The pearl hairpins on her head shimmered, making her jet-black hair appear as smooth and lustrous as brocade.
She stood there quietly, seemingly shrouded in mist even though she was right in front of you, like an unreachable moon in the sky, about to disappear without a trace.
Xie Zhuo frowned slightly. She should be vibrant, not lifeless like she is now.
"Why is Miss Fu here alone?"
Why was she standing alone by the river? Where were her maids? Xie Zhuo suddenly felt a surge of dissatisfaction.
Fu Zhiqiao was taken aback for a moment, and after confirming that he was speaking to her, she nodded: "Thank you, young master."
After buying wine at the market last time, she never saw Xie Zhuo again. She guessed that Xie Zhuo was probably not a local of Qingzhou. His noble air was incomparable to that of ordinary people. It was rare to see someone with such temperament in Qingzhou.
Seeing Fu Zhi Qiao on the street was quite unexpected for Xie Zhuo. He pursed his lips, about to say something, when he saw the person in front of him sway and fall to the ground.
It turned out that a group of drunk people, arms around each other's shoulders, were passing by from behind and suddenly crowded around her.
Xie Zhuo strode forward and pulled the person into his arms.
The series of movements were fluid and seamless; before Fu Zhi Qiao could react, she was already in his arms.
In an instant, she was completely enveloped by a refreshing aura.
The man held her firmly in his arms, so close that he could feel her soft breathing. Fu Zhi Qiao's mouth opened slightly, but the scream got stuck in her throat.
In the past six months, Fu Zhi Qiao has grown taller and is already quite slender among her peers. Even so, the top of her head barely reaches Xie Zhuo's chin.
This forced Fu Zhi Qiao to look up at him.
They looked up and their eyes met.
All that could be seen were a pair of dark, calm eyes, so deep they seemed to draw you in.
Fu Zhiqiao was momentarily lost in thought.
Beauty is alluring!
Coming to her senses, Fu Zhiqiao felt somewhat ashamed and inwardly despised herself. After all, she had experienced the temptations of the world before, but she never expected to be so captivated by a man's appearance here.
The soft fragrance enveloped me, the delicate scent of a young girl lingering at my nose. I looked at her full, moist lips, glistening slightly, as if inviting a kiss.
His heart skipped a beat, and the taut string in Xie Zhuo's mind suddenly snapped.
"Uh, well, you can let go now." Fu Zhi Qiao's face was a little hot.
Her waist was so slender it could be encircled by a single hand.
Xie Zhuo released her, his fingers unconsciously rubbing against her twice, his fingertips still lingering on the feeling of touching her slender waist.
His eyes flickered slightly, and he asked in a hoarse voice, "Are you alright?"
"It's nothing," Fu Zhi Qiao replied. She stared at him for a few seconds, but Xie Zhuo didn't say anything.
There was a moment of silence. A gust of wind blew by, and Fu Zhi Qiao wrapped her fur cloak tighter around herself. Xie Zhuo noticed her movement and stepped aside to shield her from the wind.
If you think about it carefully, he has met Fu Zhi Qiao quite a few times: her bold and outspokenness in the teahouse, her chivalrous act on the street, her cunning disguise as a man in the market... and now, she is like a lost little lamb, with her clear black and white eyes, innocent and pitiful.
That very night after returning home, Xie Zhuo had some unspeakable dreams.
When Xie Zhuo woke up the next morning and looked at the bedding he had soiled, he resignedly let out a sigh of relief.
The servant came in and changed the bedding, then brought a basin of hot water. Xie Zhuo cleaned himself up and lay back down on the bed, but the fragmented images in his mind could not be dispelled.
He remembered everything that happened in his dream clearly; she was close to his ear, constantly calling his name, and his every move was influenced by her…
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