He Sui’an glanced at the wild insect in Qi Buyan’s hand and tried to discreetly move her wooden stool, but Qi Buyan gently pressed her shoulder, his large palm easily covering it.
His warmth seemed to penetrate the thin silk outer garment she wore, making her shiver, though she dared not show it.
Qi Buyan had already discarded the insect.
Catching poisonous insects and snakes was a habit Qi Buyan had developed from a young age. Whenever he saw a sufficiently venomous insect, he would catch it. The hand he used to hold He Sui’an was not the one he used to catch the insect.
Just now, Qi Buyan noticed out of the corner of his eye He Sui’an’s small movement to adjust her stool. He immediately understood why: she was afraid of the insect he had caught. Realizing this, he had discarded the insect.
He Sui’an also noticed that Qi Buyan no longer had the insect. Had it flown away?
Good.
She then stopped moving her stool.
He Sui’an had long known about Qi Buyan’s fondness for poisonous insects. It was his habit, his hobby, and she would not ask him to stop handling them. However, she couldn’t help her fear of insects and snakes.
So, He Sui’an always instinctively moved away a little.
Qi Buyan sat back down.
She picked up the teapot from the stone table and poured him a cup of warm tea. Qi Buyan always washed his hands after handling insects or snakes. Whether it was because he was a clean-freak among Gu masters or for another reason, she didn’t know.
Qi Buyan used the tea she poured to wash his hands that had held the insect.
He Sui’an handed him a handkerchief.
Su Yang hadn’t paid attention to the insect situation. After hearing what they had to say, she quickly jotted down some notes on a piece of paper, connecting various clues. Today had been quite fruitful.
At least now she knew that Yan Luoxu was still alive, which was quite important. This could slightly alter the direction of her future investigations.
“Thank you,” she said to them.
Su Yang was very grateful they had come and were willing to share so much with her.
It was getting late.
Unnoticed, the sun had set behind the western hills, and the sky was half-painted with a reddish glow. Su Yang folded the paper and personally escorted them out, with Zhong Huan and Zhong Kong close behind her.
In the secluded alleys, few people walked. He Sui’an could hear their footsteps.
Su Yang had initially planned to escort them back to the inn, but upon hearing that they were not yet planning to return, she refrained from asking further. She only saw them to the end of the alley without inquiring about their destination.
After leaving the alley, a quarter of an hour’s walk would lead to the wide, bustling main streets of Chang’an, filled with the hustle and bustle of the crowd.
He Sui’an wasn’t planning to return to the inn immediately; she wanted to have dinner before going back.
The inn was expensive, both for lodging and meals.
A simple meal there cost a tael of silver, while eating on the street would only cost a few dozen coins. Naturally, He Sui’an chose to eat outside the inn, where there were more food options.
She turned to ask Qi Buyan what he wanted to eat so she could buy it. Just then, the sound of drums, gongs, and suona horns playing music came from a nearby street.
It was a bridegroom welcoming his bride.
On the evening of the wedding day, the groom would ride a horse and parade the bride, who sat in a flower sedan, through the streets. They would then hold the wedding ceremony at night. He Sui’an was quite interested in watching and stood on tiptoe to look towards the side street.
The people of Chang’an also enjoyed watching wedding processions, and soon the street was packed.
He Sui’an, being short, couldn’t see over the crowd even on her tiptoes. She jumped up to get a glimpse of the procession but fell back down.
A child standing next to He Sui’an also wanted to see the bridegroom. His father lifted him onto his shoulders, allowing him to look towards the side street. The child laughed happily.
The child turned back to look at He Sui’an, who was still jumping, and stuck his tongue out playfully.
Was she being teased by a child?
He Sui’an wished she could grow taller.
Suddenly, Qi Buyan crouched down in front of her, and He Sui’an was puzzled.
Seeing her not moving, Qi Buyan easily lifted her onto his shoulders like others did with children. He Sui’an let out an uncontrollable scream, but fortunately, the sound of drums and gongs drowned out her sudden cry.
Just like that, He Sui’an found herself sitting on Qi Buyan’s shoulders, her legs instinctively clamping around his neck, with her legs hanging down in front of him.
He Sui’an froze for a few seconds.
Realizing their position, she quickly lowered her head, afraid of being seen, her face turning red. She whispered, “Put me down quickly, I’m not a child.”
“Didn’t you want to see?” Qi Buyan didn’t put her down. “What does this have to do with you being a child or not?”
To Qi Buyan, there was no difference between children and adults.
At a loss for words, He Sui’an stammered, “I…”
Both sides of the street were crowded. They stood at the back of the crowd on their side, where few people would look back at them. However, the people on the opposite side, watching the wedding procession, had a clear view of them.
Given the situation, He Sui’an thickened her skin and stayed still. Since she was already up there and had been seen, staying a bit longer made no difference. After all, she wanted to see the bride.
She was only interested in seeing the bride.
As the wedding procession moved forward, many onlookers moved along with it.
The procession stopped in front of a mansion. The red curtain of the sedan chair was lifted, and the bride emerged, holding a harmony fan.
He Sui’an, sitting on Qi Buyan’s shoulders, quickly turned to look at the flower sedan chair, afraid of missing anything.
The bride, dressed in a phoenix coronet and embroidered robe, her skirt trailing over the red carpet laid on the ground, had eyebrows like distant mountains and lips like cinnabar. Her makeup was neither too heavy nor too light, just right for the joyous occasion, and her face couldn’t hide her smile.
The groom, clad in a splendid wedding robe and wearing a silver crown, had a handsome face full of vigor and a tall, upright posture. He took the red silk ribbon and walked into the mansion gate with the bride.
The phrase “a perfect couple” came to He Sui’an’s mind.
Only guests invited into the host’s mansion could witness the wedding ceremony. Many townspeople regretted not being able to see this talented couple’s wedding.
But He Sui’an was satisfied just to see the beautiful bride. Everything else was secondary. She tapped Qi Buyan with her left hand and covered her growling stomach with her right hand. “You can put me down now.”
Qi Buyan gently lowered her.
Her pink skirt fluttered a bit, releasing a faint fragrance.
As he bent down to set her down, he had to briefly hold her calves to keep her from tipping backward. Her legs were slender, almost fitting into one hand, easily held in his palm.
Once on the ground, He Sui’an stood firmly.
Some townspeople who had seen her sitting on Qi Buyan’s shoulders glanced at them, seemingly amazed by their boldness.
Thinking about how she had just sat on Qi Buyan’s shoulders made He Sui’an’s cheeks flush. Her legs had been pressed tightly against his neck, which felt awkward despite the skirt and his long hair between them.
She didn’t bring it up again: “I’m hungry, let’s go eat.”
“Alright.”
Qi Buyan looked back at the brightly decorated mansion, full of red double happiness stickers and bustling with guests. He knew this was called a wedding.
But he didn’t understand what was so interesting about it.
He had seen a few weddings in the Tianshui Village of Miaojiang, though the outfits and steps were slightly different, the general idea was the same—a man and a woman, surrounded by people, hand in hand, entering the house to perform the ceremony.
They all seemed to enjoy this ritual, but Qi Buyan didn’t understand why. Would anything be different after they got married?
He Sui’an had no idea what Qi Buyan was thinking. She was so hungry her legs felt weak.
They headed to the bustling night market they hadn’t visited during the day. The night market was even livelier, with crowds and a mix of shouting and laughter.
The street was filled with an array of goods, and rows of hanging lanterns lit up the night, casting a brilliant glow on the people walking below.
He Sui’an and Qi Buyan found themselves in the midst of it all.
She bought a bag of osmanthus cakes to stave off her hunger and two skewers of candied hawthorns.
Tonight, He Sui’an wanted to enjoy the street snacks instead of a regular meal. She handed a piece of osmanthus cake to Qi Buyan. “Try this.”
Qi Buyan’s thin lips moved slightly as he took a bite of the osmanthus cake. It was sweet but not overly so. He Sui’an handed him a skewer of candied hawthorns, and she took a bite of the largest one at the top.
The candied hawthorn filled her cheeks.
He Sui’an chewed slowly.
With a bang, fireworks continuously shot into the sky above Chang’an, bursting into colorful displays. Some passersby stopped to watch.
Some local residents knew that the fireworks were set off by the wealthy family celebrating the wedding today.
They expressed their envy.
He Sui’an and Qi Buyan, standing nearby, heard this. While He Sui’an looked up at the fireworks, enjoying the display and eating her snack, Qi Buyan suddenly asked, “Is there something different between a man and a woman once they get married?”
“Of course, there is.”
She replied.
He Sui’an was still looking up at the fireworks when he tilted his head to look at her. “What’s different?”
“How should I put it,” He Sui’an pondered deeply, “Marriage changes the relationship between a man and a woman; it’s like taking their relationship to the next level?” She knew the meaning but found it hard to explain.
Qi Buyan blinked, his fingers playing with the skewer of candied hawthorns. “Marriage changes the relationship between a man and a woman… Why would they want to change their relationship through marriage?”
He Sui’an was stumped by the question.
Who asks such questions?
But then again, it was Qi Buyan, who often asked unusual questions.
How to explain it?
She refrained from biting into another candied hawthorn, her mind racing to find words to explain to him.
After a moment, He Sui’an earnestly said, “Marriage usually signifies a very different kind of feeling. Generally speaking, having that kind of feeling makes someone want to marry the other person.”
Qi Buyan still seemed puzzled. “A very different kind of feeling?”
“Yes.”
He Sui’an took another bite of the candied hawthorn, her entire being exuding a sweet, sugary scent. She added, “It’s called love.”
He murmured, “Love?”
She knew Qi Buyan might want to ask what love was, so she continued without waiting for him to ask, “Love is wanting to be with someone all the time, never wanting to be apart from them.”
This is He Sui’an’s understanding of love.
Qi Buyan’s fingers paused as he rubbed the bamboo skewer of the candied hawthorns: “So this is called love?”
Another firework bloomed above the long street, its petals falling like rain, disappearing in an instant before they could reach the ground. Its beauty was real but fleeting.
The light and shadows flickered, leaving no trace.
Like the moon in the water, the flower in the mirror.
As the sound of fireworks faded, the boy’s confused voice echoed in He Sui’an’s ear, ethereal and uncertain, accompanied by the sound of silver ornaments: “He Sui’an, am I in love with you now?”
He Sui’an’s heart skipped a beat.
She suddenly felt as if she couldn’t speak.
He asked again, very softly: “He Sui’an, am I in love with you now?”
