At the corner of a long street, numerous figures moved about. Shen Jianhe rolled up his sleeves, hooked a money pouch with his fingers, and distributed silver coins to those helping release Kongming lanterns, one coin per person.
While handing out the silver coins, he thought to himself that he truly was a great and helpful person.
Shen Jianhe had nothing to do this afternoon. After returning from the riverside outside Chang’an City, he didn’t want to idle around and went to another bustling inn, filled with a mix of people, to gamble for silver coins. The atmosphere was lively.
Just as the gambling was getting exciting, someone called out to him.
He turned his head to look.
Wasn’t that Miss He? Shen Jianhe saw her coming to find him and thought something might have happened.
Most of the people in this inn were burly men with bare chests, working hard labor jobs in Chang’an. Normally, they didn’t pay much attention to such things, and with no women in the inn, they were even less mindful.
He Sui’an’s presence here was quite abrupt, and everyone turned to look at her in unison.
Shen Jianhe quickly gathered the silver coins he had tossed on the gambling table. As a senior, he couldn’t set a bad example for the young lady. He pulled the red-dressed He Sui’an out of the inn.
Outside the inn, the sounds of gambling diminished significantly. Before Shen Jianhe could ask about He Sui’an’s purpose, she spoke with a flushed face.
Shen Jianhe was utterly surprised to learn that He Sui’an came to borrow some silver coins.
He knew they had returned all the thousand taels of gold from the auction of the Water Jade Pendant to Princess Luoyan, but why didn’t He Sui’an directly ask Qi Buyan for the money? Why did she take a detour to find him here?
Could it be that Qi Buyan didn’t have money? That was unlikely. If he ran out of money, he could pawn any of his silver ornaments for cash.
Shen Jianhe didn’t refuse to lend money to He Sui’an; he could lend it.
He was just curious about why she needed the money.
He Sui’an didn’t hide it from Shen Jianhe and said she wanted to buy many, many Kongming lanterns and also needed to buy ink to write on the lanterns.
Before coming to find Shen Jianhe, she had asked around to find a place in Chang’an where she could buy Kongming lanterns. After comparing several shops, she chose one with the best quality and reasonable prices.
However, He Sui’an didn’t have enough silver coins.
She wasn’t just buying one or two lanterns but hundreds of them. The large quantity required a significant amount of money, and He Sui’an, short of funds, could only ask to borrow some. Shen Jianhe, who lived next door, was her first choice.
Shen Jianhe gave He Sui’an a heavy bag of silver coins and asked in confusion, “Why do you need to buy so many Kongming lanterns?”
He Sui’an held onto the money bag tightly.
A red snake in the vegetable basket poked out its flat head. It didn’t know what they were up to; as long as He Sui’an was fine, it didn’t matter. It glanced around and then lay back in the basket, curling its brightly colored body.
“To release them at night.”
She said.
Worried that He Sui’an might encounter trouble if she went alone, Shen Jianhe accompanied her to buy the Kongming lanterns. After purchasing the lanterns, they stayed at the shop for several hours while He Sui’an wrote on them.
The shop owner, delighted by the large purchase, welcomed them to stay as long as they liked. He Sui’an bought ink and focused on writing.
The shop was filled with the fragrance of paper and ink.
Shen Jianhe wanted to help, but He Sui’an insisted on writing all the lanterns herself. Unable to assist, he stood by and watched her.
To be honest, the writing wasn’t very neat. He Sui’an seemed unaccustomed to this style of writing; her strokes were awkward and unrefined. She deliberately wrote in large characters so they could be seen when the lanterns floated in the sky.
When Shen Jianhe saw the words “Happy Birthday,” he guessed the reason behind her actions.
He Sui’an only had Qi Buyan by her side, and Qi Buyan only had He Sui’an. Who else would He Sui’an go through so much trouble for if not him? It wasn’t hard to guess.
Shen Jianhe shook his head with a smile.
After finishing the writing on the lanterns, He Sui’an asked Shen Jianhe to find people to help release them. Releasing hundreds of Kongming lanterns simultaneously was impossible for just one or two people; they needed assistance.
At He Sui’an’s request, Shen Jianhe gathered a group of people to release the lanterns that night.
At this moment.
Hundreds of Kongming lanterns, filled with wishes, floated slowly into the sky, piercing through the night and illuminating the darkness. In an instant, the sky was bright with stars, making the heavens look magnificent.
The citizens of Chang’an looked up and saw the sky filled with Kongming lanterns.
In the inn, the innkeeper and waiters leaned out of the windows, admiring the night sky adorned with lanterns. The innkeeper squinted at the words on the lanterns, thinking that the writer was truly brave to release them despite their appearance.
In the princess’s residence, Princess Luoyan stood in the courtyard, gazing up at the freely floating lanterns.
In a humble residence, Xie Wenqiao sat by the window, recalling the events of the night, holding a dossier, his brow furrowed. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the lanterns symbolizing light breaking through the darkness.
In the Xie residence, where Jiang Xuewan was staying, she pulled Jiang Songwei excitedly and said, “Third Uncle, look at all the lanterns in the sky.”
In a secluded courtyard, Su Yang stood with her hands behind her back, feeling inexplicably homesick.
When she was young, Su Yang had released Kongming lanterns with her father. However, until she uncovered the truth, she couldn’t return to Fengling Town, to her home.
Su Yang felt a bit down.
Then, she pulled herself together and returned to her room.
In the high auction house building, Aunt Cui silently read the words on the Kongming lanterns: “Happy Birthday.” April 19th. It seemed today was Qi Buyan’s birthday. Was there someone in Chang’an celebrating a birthday today as well?
Someone approached quietly, considerately draping a coat over Aunt Cui’s shoulders, and spoke softly, “The wind is a bit strong tonight. Be careful not to catch a cold.”
Aunt Cui turned back.
Liu Yan smiled faintly.
After draping the coat over her shoulders, he turned to leave. Aunt Cui hugged Liu Yan from behind, causing the jade pendant at his waist to sway. She called out, “Liu Yan.”
Few people in this world would address him directly as Liu Yan. The emperor only called him the Second Prince, and others dared not address him by his name, as he was a prince of the Great Zhou, even if he was a leisurely one.
Only Aunt Cui dared.
She was a person of the Jianghu, unconcerned with such formalities.
Before meeting Liu Yan, she couldn’t understand why the intelligent Qi Shu would fall for a man, be deceived by Bian Yichen’s feigned kindness, and become entangled in his tender trap.
After meeting Liu Yan, Aunt Cui slowly began to understand Qi Shu’s feelings. It turned out that one’s heart could sometimes be beyond one’s own control.
For instance, at this moment.
Aunt Cui pressed her face against Liu Yan’s back, rarely showing such tenderness, “Liu Yan, can you consider me more in your actions in the future?”
Liu Yan covered her hands with his palm, patting them as if to comfort her, “Cui Niang, I won’t let anything happen to you. You only need to manage your auction house well.”
It was the same old line.
She was tired of hearing it.
Liu Yan had never married, had no children, and had never mentioned marrying her. From the day they met until today, Aunt Cui had waited for him for over a decade, only to end up with the same result.
“I won’t serve you anymore,” Aunt Cui, furious, tore off the coat Liu Yan had draped over her, threw it on the ground, stomped on it a few times, and walked away.
Liu Yan didn’t chase after her.
He leaned against the railing of the tall building, expressionlessly watching the countless Kongming lanterns.
*
A few Kongming lanterns floated over the inn’s roof.
He Sui’an pointed at the lanterns and shook Qi Buyan’s wrist. The butterfly silver chain on his wrist brushed against her, “Make a wish, go on.”
Qi Buyan turned to look at her.
Seeing that he still hadn’t made a wish, she hesitated and asked, “Have you not thought of a wish yet?”
The moonlight and the lanterns illuminated them, allowing Qi Buyan to take in He Sui’an’s face entirely, even the slightest changes in her expression. Suddenly, he raised his hand to touch her brows and eyes.
Many emotions are conveyed through a person’s brows and eyes. Qi Buyan studied He Sui’an’s brows and eyes, which held a starry smile, reflected him, and the lanterns around them.
He seemed to really enjoy looking at her.
It was as if he had obtained a rare treasure, causing Qi Buyan to feel a constant delight, needing to look at it often. The longer he spent with He Sui’an, the stronger this feeling grew, seemingly never fading.
The ribbon in He Sui’an’s hair was blown to her shoulder by the wind, falling behind her waist and fluttering. She was also looking at Qi Buyan. When he didn’t answer, she asked again, “Have you not thought of a wish yet?”
He said, “I have thought of one.”
It could be considered a wish, he thought.
He Sui’an’s eyes lit up. She glanced at the lanterns floating higher and higher, worried they might drift too far away. She pulled down Qi Buyan’s hand from her face and urged, “You’ve thought of it? Then make your wish quickly.”
Following He Sui’an’s gaze, he looked at the lanterns. “How do I make a wish?”
She immediately demonstrated, facing the lanterns with her hands clasped in front of her and her eyes closed. “Then say your wish in your heart. This is how people usually make wishes.”
Qi Buyan’s eyelashes slowly closed, his hand raised into the air. The indigo wide-sleeved robe without a wrist guard fell to his wrist, and the butterfly silver chain slid down, revealing crisscrossed scars.
He didn’t believe that making a wish could come true.
Making a wish meant entrusting one’s desires to a nonexistent deity.
Utterly useless.
If he wanted something, he would do everything in his power to get it, no matter the means, life or death. Qi Buyan would obtain it.
But he still made a wish.
Probably because he wanted to see He Sui’an smile. Seeing her smile brought him unparalleled joy. This strange sense of joy prompted him to make a wish.
He Sui’an watched Qi Buyan quietly from the side, not disturbing his wish.
Soon, Qi Buyan opened his eyes.
She led him to sit on the high point of the roof. Although the lanterns were gradually drifting away, the light from the hundreds of lanterns was still beautiful and eye-catching, visible even now.
He Sui’an took out a small purse and pulled out the silver necklace she had been keeping for Qi Buyan for the past few days. She needed to return it to him.
Holding the silver necklace between her fingers, she extended it in front of Qi Buyan.
“I forgot to return this to you.”
She looked at Qi Buyan’s slender white neck and the Adam’s apple that occasionally moved. It was bare, without any silver ornaments. This silver necklace seemed to fill the void perfectly.
Wondering what Qi Buyan would look like wearing this silver necklace, He Sui’an impulsively said, “Do you want me to help you put it on?”
The silver necklace gleamed under the moonlight.
It was beautiful.
He Sui’an remembered Qi Buyan mentioning that people from the Miaojiang Tianshui Village made and wore their own silver ornaments or those made by their family. They rarely wore silver ornaments sold outside the village.
The craftsmanship of this silver necklace was exquisite. She didn’t know who made it, and she didn’t ask. It was enough to know that it belonged to Qi Buyan.
