I searched high and low but found nothing.
Tang Feng was somewhat of a no-brainer from Master Tang's letter, as he had no intention of returning home. However, the year was drawing to a close. In Shanghan, there was a Vegetarian Washing Festival before the New Year. On that day, people across the country ate vegetarian food, washed old clothes to cleanse themselves of the year's dust and toil, and welcomed the new year. Afterward, they sang and danced until dawn. Tang Feng got up early to wash and dress, not because he was particularly diligent, but because it was so lively downstairs today, with children's laughter and firecrackers everywhere. Tang Feng washed his face with warm water, opened the window, and saw Liu Yiwan putting up couplets below. "Young Master? You're up so early today?" Liu Yiwan heard the voice from above, looked up, and saw Tang Feng peering down at him through the window.
"No, it's just that it's too noisy downstairs. I'm just checking to see what's going on. What are you doing? Why did you make so much paste so early in the morning?"
"Oh, you mean this?" Liu Yiwan pointed to the basin of paste behind him and explained, "Old Bu said that during the Cold Winter Festival, everyone has to go door-to-door putting up couplets, saying it's to bless merchants traveling abroad so they can return safely with their silver. Oh, by the way, I have to go to the shop later; Old Bu said they have to put them up there too. We need to ask Heaven to bless us so we can make a fortune this year."
"He actually believes in this stuff!" Tang Feng muttered, then waved for Liu Yiwan to continue, closing the window and leaving the house. Looking at Qin Liuliu across the hall, who was still asleep, Tang Feng frowned, wondering if the loud firecrackers outside had woken the kid up. Actually, Tang Feng didn't want to disturb Qin Liuliu's sleep, but Qin Liuliu loved excitement and fun, and on holidays he would definitely go out and have a blast. If he wasn't woken up, he would definitely make a fuss.
"Liu Liu, Qin Liu Liu! Get up! The firecrackers outside didn't wake you up," Tang Feng said, sitting beside Qin Liu Liu's bed and patting his stomach. He then put his slightly cold hands inside Qin Liu Liu's clothes, making Qin Liu Liu jolt awake. "Brother... how old are you? Still playing this..." Seeing Qin Liu Liu's drowsy and unsteady state, Tang Feng couldn't help but tap his head. "How old am I? How old are you? Still lying in bed? I kindly came to wake you because of the firecrackers outside, and now it's my fault?"
Upon hearing the firecrackers outside, Qin Liuliu immediately perked up, threw off the covers, got out of bed, and opened the window. She saw every household busy hanging lanterns and pasting couplets, and below were vendors selling New Year's goods—goods only seen during the Spring Festival. What attracted Qin Liuliu most were the firecrackers in the hands of the children downstairs.
"Qin Liuliu! You're not allowed to open the window without an overcoat! I've told you so many times!" Liu Yiwan, who was still putting up couplets outside, heard the sound of the window opening and thought Tang Feng wanted to talk to him. He looked up and saw Qin Liuliu leaning against the window in her undergarments. "Alright, alright, it's a holiday. I told you to." Seeing that Qin Liuliu was about to retort, Tang Feng quickly stepped forward to mediate. He didn't want to hear the two of them arguing in his ear on a holiday.
"Brother, what day is it today? Can we set off firecrackers?" Qin Liuliu was finally fully awake after all that commotion. Although Shanghan was usually quite lively, this kind of celebratory atmosphere was a first for Qin Liuliu. "I heard it's the Vegetarian Festival, and we have to eat vegetarian food all day." Tang Feng had only heard about the Vegetarian Festival from an old lady selling melon seeds on the street a couple of days ago, and he was just passing on what he had learned to Qin Liuliu. "Vegetarian food all day? Huh?! I wanted to eat braised pork today!" When Qin Liuliu heard that she couldn't eat meat all day, she wilted like a frost-bitten eggplant. Qin Liuliu tugged at Tang Feng's sleeve and shook it, "Brother... I can't go without meat! You know, besides candied hawthorns, meat is my absolute favorite food." Tang Feng pulled Qin Liuliu's hand away, grabbed some clothes from the bed, and stuffed them into her hands, saying, "You eat meat every day, don't you? It's just one day of vegetables! Hang in there! Also, put your clothes on quickly, otherwise you'll catch a cold, and if Liu Yiwan keeps nagging, I won't care." Looking at Qin Liuliu's pouting lips, Tang Feng felt a little sorry for her and patted her shoulder, "Tomorrow, tomorrow I'll hire a chef to make you Xiling steamed lion's head meatballs."
Hearing Tang Feng's promise, Qin Liuliu didn't say anything more. After putting on her clothes, she asked, "Brother... shall we go set off firecrackers together?"
Tang Feng waved his hand, "Never mind, kids don't play with these things anymore. You can go downstairs by yourself." He then went downstairs. He had told Bu Gu a couple of days ago that he was going to check out the shop today, and he couldn't go too late. He still had to come back to celebrate the festival with Qin Liuliu. As soon as he stepped out the door, Tang Feng said to Liu Yiwan, "After you put up the couplets, buy me a few buckets of flowers. I'll put them up tonight."
"Young Master, didn't you say that's childish stuff and you haven't played with it for a long time?" Looking at Liu Yiwan, who was grinning mischievously and pointing out his weakness, Tang Feng, unusually, wasn't angry. He simply pulled out a few taels of silver from his pocket and handed them to Liu Yiwan. "What do you know? Festivals need a festive atmosphere. Besides, a man is a boy until he dies, you know? And also, while your cunning hasn't improved, your eavesdropping skills have certainly gotten better."
Liu Yiwan counted the silver coins, knowing Tang Feng had given him a tip, and immediately said obsequiously, "Young Master is absolutely right. As for eavesdropping... I couldn't help it. Martial artists have excellent hearing... Next time, I'll plug my ears before you speak."
The day before the Lunar New Year is called New Year's Eve in Xiling, but it's called the Su Xi Festival in Shanghan. On his way to the shops, Tang Feng saw many stalls selling fish-shaped lanterns, ranging in size from the size of a palm to several strong men needing to lift them. The fish were drawn on paper, pasted onto a frame, and then secured with long wooden sticks. Presumably, these were being prepared for the evening's lantern festival. Looking at the lanterns, so different from those in Xiling, Tang Feng bought one from a stall, feeling the festive atmosphere of Shanghan as he held it in his hand.
"Old Bu, is the shop busy today?" Bu Gu quickly got up and started calculating on his calculator when he saw Tang Feng coming over. "Well, not too good, not too bad. After all, it's the Vegetarian Festival today, so most people are out buying New Year's goods... Sir, do you still like this fish lantern?"
"Oh? You mean this?" Tang Feng smiled as he looked at Bu Gu pointing to the lantern he had just bought. "I saw a lot of these being sold on the street today, and they looked interesting, so I bought one to play with."
"This is a fish lantern. People here make one at home during the Su Xi Festival, big and small. They say lighting the lantern at night is to appreciate nature's bounty, and dancing with it is to pray for peace and tranquility in the coming year." Then, as if remembering something, Bu Gu slapped his forehead apologetically and said, "Sorry, sir! I originally invited you to the shop to look at the goods today, but... I couldn't help but ramble on about so many things." Seeing Bu Gu's embarrassed apology, Tang Feng frowned. "Old Bu... don't be so reserved. Learn from Liu Yiwan, be a little thicker-skinned. I'm not going to eat you. Speaking of goods... that caravan owner you said you'd find for me a few days ago... have you found him yet?"
Bugu shook his head. "I've been searching for days, in the taverns on the street, the butcher shops outside, even his own shop, but I just can't find Fu Chenchen. Oh, by the way, that old man's name is Fu Chenchen, everyone calls him Uncle Fu."
"Still haven't found it... It's alright, there's no rush," Tang Feng quickly changed the subject, afraid that Bu Gu would start blaming himself again. "If there's nothing else, I'll head back now. It's a festival today, so after Liu Yi comes to put up the couplets tonight, you should go home! I'll give you half a day off." Without waiting for Bu Gu's reply, Tang Feng turned to leave, but Bu Gu quickly grabbed Tang Feng's arm. "Sir! Don't rush, I still have something to show you! We recently received a new batch of sample items, and we don't know how to sell them. We were just about to discuss it with you."
"Um..." Tang Feng originally wanted to go back quickly. If he couldn't spend the night with Qin Liuliu, she probably wouldn't have a moment's peace for the rest of the year, and might even complain to Zhou Ziliang. "How about... we wait until tomorrow?" Looking into Bu Gu's firm and sincere eyes, Tang Feng immediately gave in. "Okay, okay, but we need to hurry. The little brat at home doesn't want me to work overtime."
"You mean Qin Liuliu? She's about the same age as my daughter. Kids love to play, what can you do?" "You have a daughter?" Tang Feng, like an old woman overhearing gossip, quickly stepped forward and pulled out a handful of melon seeds from his pocket, saying, "Tell me quickly!" "Sir, you're here to look at the goods..." Seeing Tang Feng's increasingly dejected appearance, Bu Gu took out several vases from the counter. "These are all antiques from the previous dynasty, please take a look..."
By the time Bugu released Tang Feng, it was already dark outside. Tang Feng quickly said goodbye to Bugu and headed home. As soon as he opened the door, he was captivated by the scene outside. The flowing lights on the street resembled a galaxy. Lanterns with large fish-shaped handles, requiring several strong men to lift, slowly floated past him. The light from these lanterns illuminated Tang Feng's eyes. In the night, everyone on the long street held a lantern with a fish-shaped handle, singing and dancing. A cold wind blew, causing the lanterns at the doorways to sway. The long street was packed with people. Tang Feng could only walk home along the side of the street. Lanterns of all sizes brushed past him. Adults carried huge lanterns in front, followed by a group of children chasing each other with small lanterns. The warm yellow candlelight shone on the white walls, warming the entire Fuyang. Tang Feng was mesmerized by this beautiful scene and gradually stopped in his tracks.
"Truly... the jade pot shines brightly, a night of fish and dragon dance!" Tang Feng was startled by the voice behind him and quickly turned around to see a person standing behind him. At that moment, fireworks lit up the sky. The fireworks in the sky and the lights on the ground reflected each other, the lights twinkling and illuminating the entire sky. Tang Feng was also able to see the face of the person in front of him clearly. "Are you also out to see the lights?"
"No, no! We're not looking at the lights, we're looking at the everyday life of people! Young man, you seem to be seeing this beautiful scene for the first time. You're probably not from Fuyang, are you?" Tang Feng quickly clasped his hands in a fist and bowed, saying, "I am from Xiling in Yanyun, and I've come to Fuyang to find someone to do business with."
"Business?" The old man took a puff of his pipe and patted Tang Feng's shoulder with it. "What a coincidence, I'm also a businessman. My surname is Fu and my given name is Fu Chenchen. My shop is just behind here." He then pointed behind him with his pipe. "Would you like to come in and have a seat?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com