novelraw Chapter 379: Winning the Lanterns
Chapter 379: Winning the Lanterns
"Which lantern do you want? I’ll help you win it."
Jingzhe pointed to the sea of lanterns in front of him and asked Zhao Zhao, completely unaware that Tong Huaqiong and Old Mrs. Huang had already come to their side.
"I want that lotus lantern." Zhao Zhao pointed to the lotus lantern not far away.
The girl’s delicate face under the lantern light looked as pure and beautiful as jasmine.
The lantern seller took down the riddle and read it to Jingzhe.
Jingzhe guessed the answer almost without hesitation. The lantern seller handed the lantern to Jingzhe with a smile, and Jingzhe passed it to Zhao Zhao.
Zhao Zhao took it with a smile that never left her face throughout the whole process.
From this moment on, Tong Huaqiong knew she couldn’t stop the feelings between Jingzhe and Zhao Zhao.
If she really tried to separate them, she’d become an infamous mother-in-law, like Jiao Zhongqing’s mother and Lu You’s mom, notorious for breaking up her son’s relationships, written about in poems and books for future generations to scold.
All she could do was prevent Jingzhe from going astray.
Fortunately, Zhao Zhao was now involved in the Lu Family’s business, so even if Jingzhe were taken by a Commandery Princess in this life, she wouldn’t be as isolated and helpless as in her past life.
Moreover, Zhao Yang’s fate had completely changed. With Zhao Yang around, Jingzhe wouldn’t dare betray Zhao Zhao easily.
Old Mrs. Huang, seeing the perfect match of Jingzhe and Zhao Zhao, probed Tong Huaqiong about her intentions to form a family alliance with the Lu Family.
Tong Huaqiong changed the subject.
Jingzhe hadn’t even managed to become a Scholar yet, and even if she didn’t oppose him rekindling his past romance with Zhao Zhao in this lifetime, it was still too early for an engagement.
As Jingzhe won the lantern riddle, people around couldn’t hold back and joined in the riddle-guessing game, heating up the atmosphere at the scene.
Most of them guessed wrong.
After all, merchants had to do business. Most riddles were set to be tricky and peculiar, just to give festival-goers a thrill of participation rather than letting them win all the lanterns.
In the past, Zhao Yang was in poor health and had hardly participated in such lively entertainment activities.
At this moment, seeing this riddle-guessing activity aroused great curiosity in him, and with Jingshan nearby, his desire to win was strong.
Every time a tricky riddle was thrown out, Zhao Yang could guess the answer with just a little thought.
Usually aloof, Jingshan also showed enthusiasm for the activity today.
When Zhao Yang guessed one, Jingshan would take on the next one, and eventually, the crowd stopped guessing answers, just watching the two toss answers back and forth.
The two of them managed to solve all the riddles carefully prepared by the merchants.
The clerk’s face changed from happy to calm, and finally to hopeless, mechanically reading riddles and fetching lanterns.
Soon, Zhao Yang and Jingshan were surrounded by a pile of lanterns.
Man Er, Xiao Long, Yaozu, and Duo Er clapped happily around the lanterns.
The children were discussing which one to choose.
Jingshan let the children pick.
The other children watching showed envy in their eyes.
"How are we going to take all these lanterns back after winning so many?" Old Mrs. Huang smiled widely.
Her granddaughter and granddaughter-in-law really brought her honor.
"After all, only during the fifteenth will these lanterns be useful. Bringing them back will just let them gather dust," Tong Huaqiong said.
Jingshan spoke up, "Why don’t we distribute the lanterns to the children?"
There were many children watching on the scene.
Not every child had a lantern to choose from.
After all, the price of one lantern was enough to buy a bag of salt, and many families weren’t willing to spend that money to buy their children a lantern.
Zhao Yang had the same idea and quickly nodded in agreement.
Tong Huaqiong hastily added, "These lanterns were won by Miss Huang and Mr. Lu on behalf of the children."
You have to advertise your good deeds.
This wave had to earn Jingshan a reputation for kindness.
Hearing that lanterns would be distributed, the children rushed forward.
Jingshan, Zhao Yang, Jingzhe, and others stood in front of the lanterns, distributing them one by one.
"Don’t crowd."
"Everyone will get one."
Taking advantage of the lantern distribution, Zhao Yang turned around and quietly handed the lantern money to the merchant.
He couldn’t let the shopkeeper suffer a loss.
The shopkeeper said there’s extra, and pointed at the lanterns on the shelf, "Use the extra money to buy the lanterns on this shelf."
Soon, all the children on the street knew that Miss Huang had won all the lanterns and given them out to everyone, and children who didn’t have lanterns hurried to take one.
This scene naturally fell into the eyes of Tong Huaqiong and others. Huang Yuanwai praised repeatedly, increasingly satisfied with Tong Huaqiong’s matchmaking for this marriage.
"This lantern is for kids who don’t have one. You have one, why are you still taking one? If you take one, it means other children without lanterns get fewer." Suddenly, Man Er pointed at a child and said.
Tong Huaqiong saw Xiao Long grab a child’s wrist. That child was Chun Ni’s younger brother, Chun Wang.
Chun Wang, taking advantage of his height, wanted to hit Man Er but was grabbed by Xiao Long.
Tong Huaqiong extremely disliked Chun Wang.
Chun Wang’s family had bought two lanterns, and upon hearing there were lanterns being distributed, he gave the lanterns to Granny Luo and came to ask Jingshan for one.
Although Xiao Long was small, he was very strong and clutched Chun Wang’s wrist tightly. Chun Wang, in pain, couldn’t hold onto the lantern he got, and Man Er took it and handed it to a nearby child without a lantern.
"I’ll beat you every time I see you," Xiao Long said.
Chun Wang struggled, but seeing Tong Huaqiong and Su Chengmin staring at him fiercely, he didn’t dare fight back.
"Granny Luo, you already have two lanterns in your hand, why let Chun Wang come and take one. Taking advantage isn’t done this way, if the child doesn’t understand, do you not understand either?"
Granny Luo saw her grandson being bullied, carrying two lanterns, and came over, getting a sharp rebuke from Tong Huaqiong.
People around all expressed disdain for Granny Luo’s actions.
Even those families who already had lanterns but wanted to take advantage by letting their children take lanterns make a shameful retreat.
Soon, Jingshan, Gu Taohua, and others finished distributing the lanterns.
"This is for you," Su Chengmin said, handing a lantern to Taohua.
Taohua, who had just helped Jingshan distribute lanterns, ended up giving away her own. Su Chengmin had saved a peach blossom lantern to give her.
"Ah, this is exactly the peach blossom lantern I wanted to keep," Taohua said with a smile.
She had long had her eyes on this peach blossom lantern, but with so many children collecting lanterns, she felt too embarrassed to hide it away for herself.
Just as she regretted the peach blossom lantern being taken, she didn’t expect Su Chengmin to have saved it for her.
Holding the peach blossom lantern, Taohua smiled with a face as pretty as the blossom itself.
Su Chengmin raised his eyes and through the lantern saw Taohua’s smiling eyes.
The lanterns on the fifteenth in Yan Guan Town couldn’t compare to those in Shengjing, but he felt that tonight, whether the moonlight or lantern light, was more beautiful than in Shengjing.
At the street’s end, there was a troupe performing fire swallowing.
Even adults found it hard to resist this fascinating spectacle, let alone children.
Especially Xiao Long, who grew up in the palace and almost never left its gates, much less seen folk performances outside.
Seeing it in person now made him curious, his eyes wide open, pulling Man Er’s hand and squeezing into the lively crowd.