Chapter 3 Frost Moon As the sky gradually darkened, Tang Suzi had no choice but to find a home nearby...
As it grew darker, Tang Suzi had no choice but to find a nearby inn to stay in.
The injured arms and knees began to turn black, red and swollen, and even though I applied ointment, they still hurt.
She tossed and turned in bed for a long time before falling asleep.
It's late at night.
In the lobby of the inn, the lights were dim and the waiter was curled up in a corner of the counter and dozing off.
It was quiet all around, with only the occasional barking of dogs and the sound of the night watchman ringing the bell.
Suddenly, the half-open wooden door in the lobby was gently pushed open, making a low and harsh "creaky" sound.
The cold wind outside the door brought in the biting chill of the winter night, making the already dim space even colder.
The sleeping waiter was startled by the sudden noise and cold wind. His brows furrowed slightly and his body trembled involuntarily.
He unconsciously wrapped his cotton jacket tightly around him, and at the same time turned his head to another direction, as if trying to find a more comfortable sleeping position to resist the sudden cold.
But soon, a series of knocking sounds on the table came through the wood into his ears, like thunder, and he was instantly awakened from his sleep.
"check out."
A clear voice fell into my ears.
He slowly opened his heavy eyelids, and in his sleepy eyes, he saw a man in red appear before him.
Looking closer, I saw that the man in front of me was wearing a crimson feather satin cloak. His long hair was as black as night and was cleverly tied behind his head with a thin red ribbon. The hair hanging down his back fluttered gently in the cold wind, adding a bit of coolness and unruliness.
Oh, it's him!
The waiter remembered, wasn't this the Mr. Ling who checked in three days ago? But...
"Guest, would you like to check out now?"
"Um."
"Okay, please wait a moment, I will refund your deposit."
Before he could finish his words, he saw Mr. Ling put down the wooden key and leave.
Looking at the receding figure, the waiter shook his head and couldn't help muttering,
What a strange young man.
At the same time, in another room of the inn, Tang Suzi was sleeping soundly and was completely unaware of the changes in the outside world.
On her wrist, an exquisite glass bracelet lay quietly. It was originally crystal clear and warm in color, but it had quietly changed at a moment when no one was aware of it.
At first, the bracelet only slightly glowed a faint red, like the red glow at dawn.
However, as time went by, the red color became increasingly intense until it became as red as blood. It appeared particularly dazzling in the pitch-black night sky, as if it had gathered all the fire and light in the world.
Each glass bead on the bracelet seems to be given life. They tremble gently with the flow of red light, emitting an indescribable mysterious light and shadow.
However, as the inn fell silent, the red light on the bracelet began to fade away, as if it was gently swallowed by the night.
Finally, everything returned to calm, and the glass bracelet returned to its original appearance, as if everything that had just happened was just a dream.
Tang Suzi's breathing was even and long. She was still sleeping soundly and had no idea about the strange changes in the bracelet.
The glass remains the same as before, and the night remains the same as usual.
—————————————
Tang Suzi stayed in the inn for five days.
During these days, she used the limited resources around her, studied maps, books, and even talked with passers-by, and gradually pieced together the basic outline of Weizhou and even the entire Feng Dynasty.
Feng Dynasty had a total of twelve prefectures, with Yaozhou as the first and centrally located. Weizhou was adjacent to Yaozhou in the west, located south of Yunluan and north of the Wei River. It governed twenty-one counties, each of which had several counties under its jurisdiction.
Tang Suzi is now in Banli County of Weizhou.
Ever since she set foot in Banli County, she has been expecting the bracelet to provide clues about Ling An's location, but unfortunately, five days have passed and the bracelet still has no response.
She thought that Ling An was probably not in Banli County.
But where would Ling An be?
Weizhou is so big and has so many counties. If she searches blindly in each county, she may not be able to find any trace of Ling An until half a year is up.
Tang Suzi felt worried for a while.
But now she is facing another more realistic dilemma.
That is, she didn't have much money left.
If she couldn't find a new source of income or Ling An's whereabouts as soon as possible, she would probably have to sleep on the streets in half a month.
What should I do...
—————————————
Three days later.
At the night market in Banli County, the moon is as bright as a disk, and on the streets, all kinds of colorful lights are blooming, making the night look like a dream.
It turns out that today is Fengchao's Frost Moon Festival.
For the people of Fengchao, this is an important festival to celebrate the harvest and pray for good luck in the coming year.
The long street is bustling with activity.
From east to west, both sides are densely packed with small stalls selling all kinds of small commodities.
These stalls vary in size and shape. Some are made of bamboo and wood and are simple and plain; others are decorated in colorful colors and are eye-catching.
The stall owners were either standing or sitting, greeting passers-by enthusiastically.
Tang Suzi is also among them.
She stood in front of an inconspicuous stall, surrounded by lanterns she had made herself.
These lanterns are of various shapes and lifelike, and each one contains her hard work and ingenuity.
Yes, Tang Suzi found out three days ago that on the Frost Moon Festival, people would give each other lanterns to pray for auspicious snow, a good harvest, good fortune and good health.
If you sell lanterns on this day, you should be able to earn some money.
Therefore, she decided to use her skills to make lanterns to earn some money to solve the urgent problem.
So she went out during the day to gather information, and at the same time did not forget to buy bamboo, wood, gauze, silk tassels, wheat straw and other materials needed to make lanterns.
After nightfall, Tang Suzi returned to the inn and began to make lanterns by the dim candlelight.
Perhaps because she had been with lanterns for many years, she was very adept at making lanterns. In just two nights, she completed the production of 100 lanterns.
At this moment, Tang Suzi was standing in front of the makeshift stall, feeling both nervous and expectant.
She mustered up her courage and imitated the experienced vendors around her, calling out softly,
"Selling lanterns! Selling lanterns! Lanterns of flowers, birds, fish, insects, and all kinds of other things, only thirty cents each!"
However, as she had just arrived, she was obviously a little shy, and her voice was as thin as a mosquito, which was soon drowned out by the lively shouts from all around her.
Fortunately, she has good craftsmanship. Her lanterns are delicately made and look particularly exquisite under the dim light, attracting many passers-by.
Therefore, in just a quarter of an hour, she sold more than twenty lanterns.
Just as Tang Suzi was choosing a lantern for a stopped customer, her eyes accidentally caught sight of an exquisitely crafted brocade bag lying quietly on the ground not far away.
She immediately put down the lantern in her hand, walked quickly forward, and gently picked up the brocade bag that had fallen to the ground.
The material of the brocade bag was soft and smooth, and felt great to the touch, but the edges were a little rough, and it looked a bit old.
Tang Suzi looked at it carefully again and found that on the brocade bag, a half moon was embroidered with delicate stitches. The moonlight was soft, as if it could penetrate the fabric, reflecting the softness and tranquility in people's hearts.
Under the half moon, two neat lines of small characters were cleverly embroidered.
"If you don't meet the black scorching sun, you will meet the bright moon. The bright sun and the gentle breeze will always be with you."
For some reason, this sentence instantly touched a chord deep in Tang Suzi's heart. She always felt that this treasure bag was familiar.
Without thinking too much, she looked up and saw two men walking side by side about to leave five or six steps ahead.
One of them was dressed in luxurious clothes and had an extraordinary demeanor. There was an indescribable sense of nobility and aloofness in his back.
Tang Suzi's heart moved, and her intuition told her that this brocade bag was most likely belonging to this man.
So, without hesitation, she trotted forward to catch up with the man and gently pulled his sleeve.
"Sir, please stay. Is this the lucky bag you dropped?"
The man turned around when he heard the sound, and when their eyes met, Tang Suzi's heart trembled suddenly.
Isn’t this the man who comes to Tanshan Temple to offer lights every year during the Minor Snow Festival?
Just as Tang Suzi was immersed in a brief moment of surprise, her arm was suddenly grasped by a force.
The man's reaction was so strong that it obviously exceeded Tang Suzi's expectations.
He held her hand tightly, his eyes filled with even greater disbelief and excitement than hers, as well as other emotions she couldn't understand.
In this sudden close contact, Tang Suzi clearly heard the name uttered from his mouth.
"Tiaotiao."
Fang Buyu's eyes were fixed on Tang Suzi's face.
That face gradually overlapped with the face he missed day and night and was haunting in his dreams. It seemed as if it had traveled through ten years and appeared vividly before his eyes again.
All the emotions that had been deliberately put aside over the years suddenly burst out like a flood. He found that he could not control the moisture in his eyes or hide the trembling in his voice.
He took a deep breath, as if all the thoughts of the past ten years were gathered in this moment, and once again called out the name that he had silently recited countless times in his heart.
"Tiaotiao".
"You got the wrong person. My name is not Tiao Tiao."
Tang Suzi struggled to break free from the restraint on his arm and handed the sachet to the other party again.
"This treasure bag just fell to the ground. Is it yours?"
Faced with Tang Suzi's firm denial and the lucky bag handed over to him, Fang Buyu's expression seemed even more complicated.
He stared at Tang Suzi, a hint of imperceptible loss and struggle flashed in his eyes, but he finally nodded and took the brocade bag.
"Yes, it's mine, thank you."
His voice was low and hoarse, as if every word was loaded with heavy emotions.
Seeing this, Tang Suzi secretly breathed a sigh of relief. She smiled and shook her head and replied,
"You're welcome, it's just a small favor."
After saying this, she confirmed again that the other party had firmly grasped the sachet, then turned around and left with confidence, quickly walking back to her stall.
At the stall, Tang Suzi tried to calm himself down, but the scene just now kept appearing in his mind.
She didn't understand why she cared so much about the man's reaction, and she didn't understand why he mistook her for "Tiao Tiao".
She recalled that every time she saw him at Tanshan Temple, he was so focused and devout in offering lamps to the woman named Zhou Tiao.
But today, he actually called him "Tiao Tiao".
But how could he be Zhou Tiao? Could it be that he looked a bit like the woman named Zhou Tiao?
Tang Suzi was puzzled.
"Maybe it's just a coincidence."
Tang Suzi comforted himself.
She refocused her mind on the work at hand, unwilling to let herself get caught up in such groundless speculation and difficulties.
But Fang Buyu seemed to be pulled by an invisible force, his feet firmly nailed to the ground as if they had taken root, and his eyes followed the busy figure of Tang Suzi in front of the lantern stall.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
