TATSD Chapter 72

The sky had not yet completely darkened, and the number of pedestrians on the street was noticeably more than usual, though it wasn’t crowded yet.

The vendors in West Street had all changed to a fresh batch of faces.

The vegetable sellers were gone, replaced by mobile carts, with merchants displaying signs and hawking exquisite trinkets and snacks, drawing in many passersby.

As they walked along, there was a wide array of items for sale: windmills, sugar figurines, jewelry, sugar paintings, lanterns, and more, making it hard to take it all in—things that were seldom seen in the past.

Daxi Town was livelier than Changliu Town on such days. Unfortunately, after Liu Yimian turned ten, he didn’t have the chance to go out and enjoy the festivities. He was always left behind to watch over the house, and if he was caught sneaking out, he would inevitably face a beating and go hungry for an entire day.

The last time he had gone out was when he was ten, during the Lantern Festival when guests were at home. He had sneaked out with his younger sister, Liu Piaoxu, who was not yet nine.

The colorful lanterns hung all along the street, creating a dreamlike scene that was as bright as day.

Now, seeing it again felt like a distant memory.

“Lanterns! Mid-Autumn lanterns! There are lanterns you can’t imagine, and none you can’t find!”

If there was a day when business was the most bustling, it was definitely during the Lantern Festival.

Even if there was a row of colorful lanterns hanging from the treetops, it didn’t stop the vendors from presenting various uniquely shaped and exquisitely crafted lanterns.

As Liu Yimian walked past, he couldn’t help but linger, sometimes gasping in awe, other times lost in fascination.

When they reached the sixth vendor selling lanterns, Ji Wei pulled Liu Yimian to a stop, pointed at one of the lanterns, and took out money to buy it.

“How much?”

“Just thirty wen, it’s not expensive. Look at this double-layered octagonal design with silk fabric on top—” Before the vendor could finish his enthusiastic explanation, Ji Wei had already counted out the coins and was about to hand them over.

Liu Yimian tugged at Ji Wei’s sleeve, whispering, “Why buy this?”

Ji Wei chuckled softly but didn’t reply.

After handing the money to the vendor, he took the octagonal palace lantern and pressed it into Liu Yimian’s hands.

“I could see how your eyes lit up; how could I not notice?”

“It’s not that, I’m just curious…” Liu Yimian felt his face heat up, unable to look Ji Wei in the eye. Even the wooden handle of the lantern in his hand felt hot.

“Thirty wen is too much,” he mumbled.

“It’s not too much. This double-layered palace lantern uses colored silk, and the candlelight shines through beautifully,” Ji Wei said, glancing back to tuck a loose strand of hair behind Liu Yimian’s ear.

He worried about startling him and added an explanation, “Your hair fell out.”

Liu Yimian softly acknowledged him with a hum, and the two of them walked together, their shoulders brushing against each other.

As the night deepened, the number of pedestrians gradually increased.

By the time the sky was fully dark, they had reached the end of West Street.

Outside Changliu Town, there was a mountain, and at its foot flowed the Green Willow River. The water was clear, and willow trees surrounded it, winding their way through three small towns.

On the surface of the river, they could see numerous little lights drifting downstream. When they got closer, they realized these were paper lanterns floating on tile-like rafts.

The candle flames flickered, drifting with the water.

“Young master, would you like to buy a water lantern?” A middle-aged man approached them, holding up a simple paper lantern and smiling amiably.

Liu Yimian also held up his octagonal palace lantern and smiled back, saying, “We already have one, no need.”

The middle-aged man shook his head. “Little master, that’s a flower lantern. This is a water lantern; they are different.”

“They’re both lanterns. How are they different?” Liu Yimian asked, puzzled.

“Look at the lanterns floating on the water,” the man said, taking a few steps toward the river. He bent down and fished out a lantern that had floated to the shore, comparing it to his paper lantern. “Don’t they look very similar?”

Liu Yimian nodded.

The man then placed the lantern back into the river, sending it floating away.

“The flower lantern in the young master’s hand is for playing with; the paper lantern is different. You write your wishes on paper and let them float away with the river. This tradition of lighting lanterns is well-known, but I see you two young masters are unaware?” The middle-aged man noticed their confusion and smiled even more warmly. “Most of these paper lanterns float down from Daxi Town.”

“There are many students in Daxi Town; the literate young masters all love lighting lanterns by the riverside. You seem refined, young master, so why not give it a try?” The man was quite perceptive and noticed that Liu Yimian was starting to warm up to the idea. “Paper lanterns are much cheaper than flower lanterns—only ten wens each. If you both want one, it’ll be eighteen wens for two.”

“Then let’s get two.”

Although Ji Wei had been silent, the middle-aged man saw that he was the one calling the shots. Upon hearing him speak, he couldn’t contain his excitement and immediately waved to his companion behind him to bring over two lanterns.

“This is paper and pen. You two young masters can come here to write down your wishes. Then, they’ll float away with the water, and the river god will bless you both to have your wishes come true.”

“Can it come true?” Liu Yimian asked, holding the pen and looking curiously at the man.

The man winked at him mischievously and said, “If your heart is sincere, it will be effective. If your wish comes true, remember to come back next year to express your gratitude.”

If one’s heart is sincere, then… Liu Yimian murmured an “oh,” feeling a little less enthusiastic. However, seeing Ji Wei already writing a note and placing it under the lantern, Liu Yimian quickly scribbled a few words, folded it up, and followed Ji Wei to the riverside with his paper lantern.

“Why am I feeling so nervous?” Ji Wei thought to himself. It was his first time doing something like this, and he couldn’t deny that his heart raced a little while he squatted by the river with Liu Yimian.

He turned to see Liu Yimian pursing his lips, seemingly nervous as well, which made him exhale deeply.

“Can we let it go now?” Liu Yimian looked around. Nearby, many young couples were squatting by the river, half-bending their bodies to send their paper lanterns floating away.

They were constantly splashing the water to make the lanterns drift further.

Ji Wei agreed and pushed the paper lantern into the water. Liu Yimian quickly followed suit, gently splashing the water. To his surprise, a gust of evening wind blew, and the paper lantern drifted forward, colliding perfectly with Ji Wei’s lantern.

The edges of the lanterns caught onto each other, and they floated away together.

Liu Yimian felt like a child who had done something wrong; he tightly wrung his hands, not daring to look at Ji Wei.

“The lanterns are lit. Let’s go,” Ji Wei said, patting him on the shoulder and pulling him up from the ground. “We saw plenty of good food on the way here; let’s eat something later.”

More and more people gathered by the Green Willow River, all flocking toward the vendors selling paper lanterns by the riverbank.

Liu Yimian protected the palace lantern with one hand to avoid it getting damaged, while Ji Wei held onto his other hand tightly as they maneuvered through the crowd, leaving the riverside behind.

Back on West Street, the previously not-so-wide path was now packed with people. It was unclear whether all the townsfolk had converged here, but navigating through the throng was uncomfortable as they brushed against each other.

“Stay close; be careful not to get pushed away,” Ji Wei tightened his grip.

Liu Yimian’s palms were sweaty with nerves as he followed Ji Wei closely behind.

Ahead was a space cleared for a street performer troupe passing through Changliu Town.

Such lively scenes were rare to see every day. A layer upon layer of people blocked the street, creating a dense crowd where moving forward or backward was difficult.

“What are you pushing for? You stepped on my shoe—can’t you see?” A tall, burly man leaned forward to watch the performance. When the people in front of him stepped back, he followed suit and accidentally stepped on Ji Wei’s heel.

Ji Wei apologized, but the big man was not easily appeased. He wasn’t a local from East Street; he had come specifically to see the performance and didn’t recognize Ji Wei.

Seeing Ji Wei’s friendly demeanor, the man’s temper flared, and he pushed Ji Wei.

“You stepped on my shoes and made me lose one. You’d better go find it, and we can call it even!”

The man shouted, looking far from friendly. People around them, fearing they might get caught in the commotion, recognized Ji Wei and hastily moved back.

Liu Yimian was originally being held by Ji Wei, but as the crowd surged, he was suddenly pulled away from Ji Wei’s tight grip.

When Ji Wei turned around to look for him, Liu Yimian had already been swept away by the tide of people.

Panicked, Ji Wei reached out to push through the people blocking his way, desperate to find Liu Yimian. However, the burly man behind him wouldn’t let up, insisting that Ji Wei help him find his shoe. Seeing Ji Wei’s movements, the man thought he was trying to escape and grabbed the back of Ji Wei’s collar, shouting that he wasn’t allowed to run.

“Let go! Can’t you hear me? I need to find someone!” Ji Wei yelled back at the man, his voice tinged with urgency and cracking slightly.

Even amidst the surrounding shouts, his voice rang out clearly.

Startled by the sudden yell, the big man was momentarily taken aback, but he quickly regained his composure and shouted back.

“You stepped on my shoe first! Now you want to run away after I asked you to help me find it! What’s wrong with that?”

Ji Wei wasn’t interested in arguing with him. He shouted a few times for the crowd to clear a path, and the people ahead made way for him. As he walked through, he thanked them, but the man feared Ji Wei would escape, so he hurriedly followed behind.

Once they finally broke free from the most crowded area, Liu Yimian was nowhere to be seen.

“Hey, kid, where’s my shoe?”

The burly man, barefoot and with several footprints on his exposed foot, was furious.

“I’ll say it again: don’t follow me!” Ji Wei glared coldly at the man. “If you try to follow me again, don’t blame me for getting rough.”

The man was momentarily intimidated by Ji Wei’s fierce demeanor, but after a few steps, he felt dissatisfied and decided to follow Ji Wei anyway.

This time, Ji Wei meant what he said. Just as the man’s hand was about to land on Ji Wei’s shoulder, Ji Wei suddenly turned around and punched the man squarely in the stomach.

The man howled in pain as the blow struck his soft belly, staggering back and knocking into passersby before falling to the ground.

“I told you not to follow me,” Ji Wei said, leaving that behind. He called out for Liu Yimian while jogging to search for him.

Liu Yimian was being carried away by the crowd.

He stretched out his hands and shouted Ji Wei’s name, filled with fear, but it was all in vain.

At that moment, he suddenly felt a hand around his waist. Startled, Liu Yimian’s scalp tingled, and his whole body went stiff, unable to move.

As the hand continued to roam, Liu Yimian finally mustered the courage to shout, “That’s inappropriate!” The hand seemed startled and quickly yanked the money pouch from his waist before vanishing into the crowd.

“Thief! There’s a thief!” Liu Yimian turned quickly and shouted, trying to alert everyone, but all he saw were unfamiliar faces. The crowd was too eager to push their way out, and no one seemed to notice anything amiss.

Feeling the space on his waistband, he fought to suppress the wave of nausea and fear surging through him. Stumbling forward, he tried to find the thief who had blended into the crowd.

But he walked for what felt like ages, eventually returning to the Green Willow River without a single clue. Extreme anger, fear, and sadness at being separated from Ji Wei all surged within him.

He leaned against a willow tree by the roadside, hugging his knees tightly, burying his face as he quietly sobbed and whispered Ji Wei’s name.

He wanted to find him, but he felt utterly powerless; his legs were weak and he couldn’t walk. The only thing he could do was silently pray for Ji Wei to appear and save him from this predicament.

So when Liu Yimian heard that familiar call, he looked up through tear-filled eyes—

And met Ji Wei’s anxious and worried gaze.

At that moment, Ji Wei felt like a deity.

Liu Yimian was stunned, and the emotions welling up inside him surged forth and overwhelmed him.

He leaped up and threw himself into Ji Wei’s arms.

Ji Wei, bending down and unprepared, instinctively wrapped his arms around Liu Yimian’s slender waist. He stumbled back two steps before regaining his balance.

The boy trembled in fear, his limbs wrapping around Ji Wei like an octopus.

Ji Wei’s heart ached, and even his breathing felt painful.

“I’m late. Don’t be afraid, Yimian. Ji Ge is here,” he gently patted the boy’s frail back, soothing him like a helpless child, his voice unbelievably tender.

Liu Yimian’s stiff shoulders gradually relaxed as he buried his face in Ji Wei’s shoulder and began to cry softly.