There have been several heavy snowfalls this winter, but no matter how cold it is outside, it cannot dampen the good mood of the people in Li Prefecture.
In a blink of an eye, New Year's Eve arrived. The atmosphere of the New Year in the capital city became even more intense. Every household was filled with joy, and big red lanterns were hung in front of the Li Mansion.
On the 30th day, Xiao Xuer wore a red cotton jacket and asked Lin's mother to paint his forehead with a touch of bright red. He looked pink, tender, white and plump, just like the boy under the jade throne of Guanyin. Lin's mother loved him so much that she called him her darling.
After the New Year's Eve dinner, Lin's mother held Xiao Xu'er and teased him, and Yang Yi made jokes from time to time. The family was in a lively and lively mood. This was the most relaxing New Year for Lin's mother and Yang Yi in more than ten years. They kept having fun until after midnight that night, and when they were too sleepy, they went back to their rooms to sleep.
This year, Lin Yixuan increased the gift from Prince Lian's mansion by three times. In fact, she and her husband understood that if Prince Lian had not been willing to help, even if Li Yaonan wrote ten more ancient novels, he would not be able to have his name mentioned in front of the emperor. No matter what Prince Lian's intention was, they would remember this kindness in their hearts.
Lin Yixuan also sent a gift to Jingyang Marquis's Mansion. It was not something valuable, he just followed the rules. It was other people's business whether to accept it or not, but it was his business whether to give it or not. He couldn't let others talk about him.
On the fifth day of the New Year, Lin Yixuan began to move around. She couldn't cut off contact with her brother's friends just because he was away. Besides, her husband had a shallow foundation in Beijing, so it was always good to have more connections so that he could go further in his career in the future. Lin Yixuan was not worried at all that her husband would not pass the exam.
During this period, except for two days of relaxation during the Chinese New Year, Li Yaonan spent the rest of his time in his study.
Lin Yixuan gave him some test questions and asked him to try to do them. The test questions were divided into different categories, and there were more than twenty of them. Each question was profound and wide-ranging. The person who set the questions had obviously put a lot of thought into it. How could Li Yaonan let his young husband down? He locked himself in the study every day and worked hard, determined to finish the essay well.
Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, the fifteenth day of the first lunar month is here.
Li Yaonan has always been very careful about combining work and rest. After working all day, he had a rare chance to relax at night, so he simply decided to take his family out to visit the lantern festival.
Mother Lin smiled and politely declined, leaving space for the young couple. She saw the couple busy these days and it was rare for them to have some free time, so how could she feel embarrassed to disturb them? She just said that she would stay at home with Xuer and let the young people have fun on their own.
Yang Yi smiled narrowly and was determined not to go with them. He was very familiar with the roads in the capital, so he took a few people with him and ran away without a trace.
Li Yaonan didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and turned to ask her husband: "If my little cousin goes out alone, will he... "
“No.” Lin Yixuan chuckled, “He knows his limits and has servants following him. My cousin and I have also gone out to play on our own in previous years.”
Li Yaonan nodded. This was good. He was afraid that his little cousin might be Shuang'er. If something unexpected happened, it would be too late to regret.
Lin Yixuan wore a light blue shirt today, with a snow-white fox fur coat on the outside. His hair was casually tied up with a hairpin, and his black hair cascaded down like a waterfall. His delicate face was softer and less cold, with a faint smile on his lips, which made his temperament like a spring breeze. Just standing there seemed to attract people's attention.
Of course, Li Yaonan is not bad either. After a year of recuperation, his height has increased by at least six centimeters. Although he is still a little dissatisfied, this body is still growing. Li Yaonan firmly believes that one day he will reach the appearance he wants.
Li Yaonan was wearing a black dress today with golden patterns embroidered on the edges. He was indescribably suave in his every move. His eyes were three parts sarcastic, three parts cold, and four parts indifferent. However, when he turned his head to look at Shuang'er beside him, his expression turned into a touch of tenderness. What a perfect couple.
Even though people nowadays look down on men who marry twins, when they see this couple in front of them, they can't help but praise them in their hearts. They are truly a good pair of handsome young men.
On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, there were many people visiting the lantern festival like them. Li Yaonan was a country bumpkin, and although he found everything new, he did not show it on his face. He just pulled his little husband to amuse him.
Lin Yixuan was in a trance for a while, looking at the colorful lights everywhere, as if he was in another world, it felt so familiar, and yet so strange. He hadn't participated in a lantern festival for seventeen years in his past and present lives. Walking on the noisy street again, he suddenly felt an inexplicable melancholy in his heart. However, when he looked at the man beside him, that emotion was instantly swept away. Lin Yixuan smiled knowingly. Everything has changed now, and it's good to have him by her side.
"Do you want to guess a riddle?" Seeing her husband staring at a lotus lantern, Li Yaonan felt eager to try.
Lin Yixuan pursed her lips and smiled, letting him misunderstand, her eyes sparkling, and nodded: "Okay."
"Watch me." Seeing that he was happy, Li Yaonan was also very happy in his heart. Suddenly he remembered that he seemed to have not given any gifts to his husband since they got married. This was really wrong. He must get the lotus lantern this time no matter what.
The Lantern Festival has a tradition. You can’t buy beautiful lanterns even if you have money. You have to guess the riddle correctly.
"Boss, I want that lantern." Li Yaonan brought his young husband to the stall and pointed at the lotus lantern hanging at the top.
The boss smiled and said, "Okay, if you guess twenty riddles correctly, you can take this lotus lantern for free."
Li Yaonan frowned: "Isn't this a riddle?"
The boss didn't take it seriously and said with a smile: "Those are ordinary lanterns, see..." The boss pointed to a row of lanterns and said: "The top lantern requires twenty correct guesses in a row, and the next row requires fifteen correct guesses. Your husband has good taste."
Li Yaonan smiled with great pride. His husband, who naturally had good taste, looked at the boss and said with a smile, "Bring me the lantern riddles."
"Okay." The boss responded loudly, taking out a fine wooden box with a pile of riddles neatly stacked inside. "To ensure fairness, the riddles can be drawn by the guests themselves, five cents each. Of course, if the guests guess all of them correctly, the Lantern Shop will give them away for free."
Li Yaonan raised his eyebrows and smiled, feeling quite impressed. It turned out that promotion activities had existed since ancient times. He randomly picked a lantern riddle and unfolded it. "A real man should not stand out."
"sky!"
The boss smiled and didn't take it seriously. He just let Li Yaonan draw the next puzzle.
"There are bamboo forests on the ground, and an inch of gold under the ground."
"Wait!" Li Yaonan said without hesitation. He had studied for two lifetimes, so he might find it difficult to deal with serious things, but when it comes to playing, Li Yaonan considers himself an expert.
"Heavy rain fell on Hengshan Mountain."
"Snow!"
"A man without faith cannot stand."
"Word!"
"A thousand miles of marriage are connected by a thread."
"Heavy."
After guessing five riddles correctly in a row, more and more people gathered around to watch. The boss no longer looked relaxed, and even though it was a cold day, cold sweat broke out on his forehead.
"Seven people have grass growing on their heads."
"flower."
"Good!" Someone nearby cheered. Li Yaonan turned around and smiled back. She then looked at her husband again. Their eyes met, full of affection. People around them were envious and thought that they had a good relationship. Li Yaonan gladly accepted this and continued to draw the next puzzle.
After the customer guessed 10 questions correctly, the boss quickly took back the wooden box and replaced it with a more beautiful small box. He then said, "The first 10 questions are word puzzles, but the last 10 are not. Please, guest."
Li Yaonan didn't bother with him. He just smiled and picked out another puzzle.
"While wandering, I still have plum blossoms as neighbors."
"White Begonia." Li Yaonan thought for a moment and gave the answer immediately. He couldn't help but feel fortunate in his heart. When his grandfather was still alive a few years ago, he had specially studied the Lantern Festival riddles in order to please him. The purpose was to make him proud. That riddle was a combination of the essence of ancient and modern times. Ordinary riddles could not stump him. However, this boss was also cunning. The word riddles were easy to guess, but as for plants, except for some wealthy families, ordinary poor people probably had never seen many flowers and plants, so how could they guess them
"There are orioles singing on the willows on half of the embankment."
"Cuckoo."
"The winter plum blossoms have already given the signal of the east wind."
"primrose."
“Send the old year with the sound of firecrackers”
"winter jasmine."
"Good!" There was another round of cheers. More and more people gathered around, and the young boss, who was sweating profusely just now, gradually turned into a smiling face. Why? Of course, it was because the business was good. With Li Yaonan taking the lead, more people came to guess the riddles.
Li Yaonan guessed 20 riddles in a row. Under the reluctant gaze of his boss, he picked up the lotus lantern and handed it to his husband, saying with a smile, "This is for you."
Lin Yixuan smiled, adding a layer of brilliant color to his beautiful face: "Thank you."
Li Yaonan smiled cheerfully: "Why are you being so polite to me? Don't worry, my husband won't be so careless in the future. This is the first gift, you keep it first, and I will give you the rest later."
Lin Yixuan glared at him, her cheeks flushed, her heart felt as sweet as honey, and their hands were held tighter.
Li Yaonan felt a chill on his back, as if someone was staring at him. He glanced around and his eyes suddenly met a young man in the teahouse next door. The man had a handsome face and an elegant appearance, and he exuded an aura of nobility from head to toe, but the look in his eyes made him very unpleasant.
Li Yaonan's face turned cold, he turned sideways to block his husband, lowered his head and asked, "Do you know him?"
Lin Yixuan looked up and saw that the man's eyes became eager. Li Yaonan was furious. No matter whose husband was stared at like this, he would not be in a good mood.
Lin Yixuan retracted his gaze and said calmly, "It looks familiar, but I probably don't remember it."
Seeing that he looked normal, Li Yaonan didn't take the matter to heart. Not wanting to be disturbed by that man, she took her husband and left quickly, planning to go to the next place for fun.