"Take a look, take a look, everyone has come to see it, the exquisite handmade lanterns, you can write your own beautiful life, and give you a unique and excellent experience."
It was getting close to evening, and the surrounding area was getting lively, with more and more people coming. Seeing that the time had come, Jiang Miao immediately stood up and shouted out the advertising slogan he had thought of before.
This long string of words stands out among the surrounding shouts of “Shaobing, selling shaobing,” “Baozi, hot buns,” and “Selling...candied haws—.”
Jiang Miao shouted with all his might, and in his heart he missed the modern large electric loudspeakers very much. That thing could shout for a whole day without stopping after recording one time.
"What did you just say?" Several people dressed as scholars were attracted by his voice and came over. Some of them looked at the table behind him and didn't quite understand what he said.
"Gentlemen, you are well-educated. Look, here are paper, pens and paints. You can make lanterns by yourself after paying money. You can draw pictures or write poems on them. Lanterns like this are unique. I bet that no one else on the street will have the same one as yours. In addition, if you have a girl you like, you can also draw one of these lanterns for her. It is sincere and expresses your feelings. Girls will definitely be moved!"
Jiang Miao raised his voice, not only to explain to the people in front of him, but also to the people behind who were ready to make a move.
The scholars blushed a little. They were at the age of youth and vitality. How could they not have some thoughts about that? It was really nice to give this unique lantern to the girl they liked. But they looked a little reluctant.
"This thing is quite rare. Well, I'll just make one. I really don't want to be the same as others."
"Yes, in the past, when I went out, there were always three or four of the same ones out of ten. It was so boring. I want to make one too!"
"I want to make two, and you have to pick the same rack for me."
"Okay, okay, come and pick some, gentlemen. It's a small business, and each lantern is only 30 cents. You'll make a profit if you buy one!"
The price is a little bit higher than the ordinary lanterns of the same type sold at other stalls, but this little bit is not worth mentioning in the eyes of scholars. Having a place where they can display their talents and hold their works in their hands for others to appreciate, isn't this much faster than winning the prize by guessing riddles
"Your pen is too bad." A scholar complained while writing. Not only was the pen not soft, but it also split and shed hair.
Jiang Miao was greedy and bought the cheapest brushes in the store. Naturally, the feel of the brushes was not as good as the ones they usually used for writing and painting.
"The pen is of poor quality, but it cannot match your good handwriting. What is it called... Iron painting and silver hook, right? Not to mention using a pen like this, I'm afraid even if I give you a pen holder to write with, you can still write well, right?" Jiang Miao pretended to be surprised and praised his handwriting.
"..." The scholar was shy but also contented. He stopped complaining and wrote more seriously. He seemed to be determined to write the best-looking words with the worst paper and pen.
The other scholars also remained silent. How could they let others think that their good handwriting was due to the paper and pen
After they finished drawing the picture and writing the poem, Jiang Miao picked up the paper, carefully applied glue to the frame of the lantern, and then attached a short candle to the bottom. The lantern was ready.
"Young master, your lantern is ready." Jiang Miao handed over the finished lantern. The man painted a cluster of orchids beside the stream. It looked lush and green and full of vitality. It was indeed very beautiful.
The scholar seemed quite satisfied with it. He took it and examined it carefully.
Others' lanterns also slowly came out, with different patterns and poems, which looked better than the monotonous lanterns on the streets. At least in the eyes of these scholars who pursued individuality, they were very satisfied with the works handed to them.
After this group of people finished drawing, the others who were eager to make lanterns came over to pay. Perhaps the sense of accomplishment gained from participating in making lanterns can make people happy. Of course, one of the reasons is that it is more face-saving when others ask about it. Otherwise, it would be embarrassing if others have it but they don’t.
Jiang Miao smiled so brightly that his teeth were visible. He gestured to Xiao Shitou to collect the money while showing everyone the frame of the lantern. He then gave them the paper they liked and asked them to write poems and draw on it.
Little Shitou stood by holding the purse his brother had given him to look after, collecting the money. He listened to the tinkling sound of the coins falling into the bag, and his whole body was bubbling with excitement.
The Yuanxiao stall owner who had made fun of Jiang Miao before stared at the booming business across the street in amazement, with many questions in his mind.
Perhaps, he should let the guests make the Yuanxiao themselves and let them roll
"Ah Che, go out for a walk!"
On Lantern Festival, Han Qin, who loves to join in the fun, is a natural choice. He spent the whole afternoon at the Duke Zhong's Mansion, trying to persuade Pei Che to go out with him. Among the four, Su Jin is the least interesting and doesn't like to join in the fun. On days like this, he would rather stay at home alone than go out. He Chen has been assigned work by his father recently and can't get away. Only Pei Che is free, so Han Qin naturally can't let him go.
"No."
Pei Che stood in front of a plum tree, observing it carefully. When he was studying how to better paint light recently, he also found that the state of the scenery should be different when viewed from different angles. In the past, he always took it for granted to paint based on the impressions left by what he saw, but never thought about the rationality of it.
"You've been staring at this tree for the whole afternoon. What's so special about it? If you really like it, why don't I take you to my father's plum garden? Also, when did you start to like plum trees? Didn't you like bamboo the most before..." Han Qin muttered to himself. He walked around the tree. No matter how he looked at it, it was just an ordinary red plum tree.
"Let's go!" Pei Che was somewhat helpless. With Han Qin's voice interfering beside him, he had no time to calm down and think.
By the time the two went out, it was already late, but the soft light from the lanterns hanging on the roadside illuminated the entire street. The halos of various colors, including yellowish and pink, enveloped the surrounding objects, adding a touch of warmth to this cold night.
Han Qin looked around and stopped in front of a shop. There were many people gathered in the open space in front of the shop. In the middle was a shelf with all kinds of lanterns hanging on it. The top one was an exquisite horse-drawn palace lantern with twelve ladies painted on it. As the lantern rotated, the ladies in the pictures danced gracefully, as if they were alive.
"Boss, how much is this lantern?" Han Qin always loved to paint pictures of ladies. The one on this lantern was different from what he usually painted. He liked it as soon as he saw it, so he looked at an old man in front of the shop and asked.
The shopkeeper stroked his beard and said with a smile, "Sir, this lantern with twelve ladies is our shop's prize for today. Only those who can correctly guess the ten riddles we have prepared can take it home."
Han Qin's eyes curved and he said, "Interesting. So, no one has guessed all ten correctly today? How did they guess?"
"You have to pay two taels of silver first. If you guess all ten correctly, you can not only take back the prize, but also the silver. If you fail, you can choose any lantern below. Moreover, each person only has one chance."
He smiled and said, this is why there are many people watching but not many people taking the challenge. If you can't guess ten correctly in one go, it's like using two taels of silver to buy a lantern worth dozens of coins. Who would be willing to do that? Haven't you seen those scholars who were proud of their outstanding literary talent, who paid the money excitedly, but didn't guess a few, and finally ran away with red faces.
Han Qin looked at the items below, which were all ordinary stuff, and could not be compared with the one at the top. He raised his hand, and the servant following behind him immediately handed over two taels of silver respectfully.
"Take out your riddles."
"Li Chun, bring the riddles over quickly." The old shopkeeper called out, and the clerk brought the riddles over. This riddle was completely different from the previous ones, which eliminated the possibility of cheating by memorizing the riddles. It was unknown where the old shopkeeper had found these riddles.
Han Qin answered the first few without hesitation, but when it came to the seventh one, he thought hard but still couldn't figure it out. The riddle was "I alone can't figure it out".
Pei Che on the side thought for a while and answered silently in his heart: 圄.
Sure enough, after Han Qin admitted defeat, the shopkeeper revealed the answer: "The answer to this question is a word 圄, which means being imprisoned."
Han Qin suddenly realized that the word "I" in his mouth meant "I" alone, right? He had just split the word "I" into two parts.
He was a little annoyed. He took a peach-shaped lantern from the shelf at random and walked to Pei Che: "Did you answer it just now?"
Pei Che thought for a moment, but before he could say anything, Han Qin said, "You must have guessed it. If you hadn't guessed it, you wouldn't have hesitated. Oh, how embarrassing!"
He stared at the Twelve Ladies Lantern above with hatred, and suddenly an idea came to his mind: "Ache, why don't you give it a try? Maybe you can get the lantern? You can take it back and give it to someone." For example, give it to him.
Just as Pei Che was about to refuse, Han Qin came over with two taels of silver. He and the shopkeeper pointed at Pei Che who was standing on the periphery, and everyone's eyes followed him.
After seeing his face clearly, everyone was surprised to find that the young man who had just stood there silently was even more handsome than the young man who had guessed the riddle before!
Pei Che put his fist to his lips and coughed lightly, bringing everyone back to their senses. He took a few steps forward and said politely, "Please ask the questions, boss."
"Okay, please listen, sir. I heard a dog barking at the wooden door. Guess a word."
"Run!" There was a barking sound from behind the door. Wasn't it Run
"Oh, sir, listen again. If there is no dog barking at the entrance, guess a word."
"Ask!" When there is no dog barking, there is only a mouth. The mouth in the door is for asking questions.
"Sir, please listen again..."
"How amazing! This is the ninth question already?" Someone at the side couldn't help but sigh in a low voice. The questions included guessing words, flowers and plants, idioms, and poems, but this young man answered each question in almost no time. Could it be that he could really guess ten questions in one go
"Yes, it all depends on how you guess the last one!"
Everyone was a little excited. They were actually more nervous than the young master who was standing there guessing the riddle. When he just started guessing, they had been wondering when he would fail, but when there was only one left, they hoped that he could guess all of them correctly.
"Please listen carefully to this last riddle. Mountains overlap and merge into the clouds. Guess a word. But this word needs to be solved by another riddle, and it must be well-matched. You only have half an incense stick of time."
As soon as this was said, everyone was in an uproar. This riddle was not difficult to guess, but the difficult part was how to come up with another well-balanced riddle in such a short time. It seemed that the palace lantern with the Twelve Ladies could not be taken away today.
Time passed bit by bit, and seeing that the half-broken incense stick was about to burn out, everyone held their breath, waiting for the last bit of ash to fall and the shopkeeper to announce the answer.
"I hide in my old home every New Year's Eve." As the last bit of incense ash fell to the ground, a voice as gentle as the breeze and bright moon slowly rang in everyone's ears.
Han Qin recited it silently in his mind, his eyes lit up, and he stepped forward and said, "Boss, are the answers to these riddles the same? Are the riddles well-organized?"
The old shopkeeper nodded in amazement: "Young Master, your couplet is very well-balanced. I will give you the two taels of silver and the palace lantern with both hands!"
Someone who didn't understand the meaning couldn't help but ask the person next to him: "What are the answers to those two riddles?"
Someone nearby explained, "When the mountains overlap, it's called "coming out", and when the clouds go in and out, it's called "going out". And when New Year's Eve comes every year, it's called "coming out", and when you retreat into your old home, it's also called "going back to your old home".
Everyone around who heard it suddenly realized what had happened, and no one noticed that the two people who had just answered the question had left under the protection of their servants.
Pei Che was holding a lantern, and Han Qin walked beside him, glancing at the lantern again and again. Under normal circumstances, Pei Che would have offered to give him the lantern he didn't like, but Han Qin's decision to ask him to answer the questions just now made him a little unhappy, so he deliberately held the lantern and refused to give it to Han Qin, pretending not to notice that he was hesitant to speak.
"The monkey show is coming!" Someone shouted, and the crowd suddenly rushed forward. For most people, monkey shows are much more interesting than watching lanterns.
Pei Che and Han Qin passively followed the flow of people. Pei Che was tall, so he squeezed out in a few steps when passing an intersection, but Han Qin was nowhere to be found.
Pei Che frowned, handed the lantern in his hand to the servant who followed him out, and ordered: "Look for Master Han everywhere. If there are many people, hold up this lantern high and you will definitely find him. I'll walk around here." He didn't like places with a lot of people.
The servants did as he said, and after they left, Pei Che also walked towards the street.
Compared to the main street, this street was no less crowded, and there were many vendors selling small items on both sides of the street. When Pei Che passed by a small stall selling steamed buns, he stopped and saw a middle-aged man guarding the stall.
"Brother Wang, this tiger lamp you painted looks really majestic."
"No, no, your painting of a hundred flowers blooming is truly a masterpiece."
Two scholars passed by Pei Che with lanterns in their hands, and their flattery caught Pei Che's attention. He looked at the lanterns in their hands and found that the paintings on them were a bit exaggerated.
However, can you draw the lamp surface yourself
Pei Che, who had been staring at the plum tree for the whole afternoon, felt a little itchy. He thought about going over to paint a lantern painting to see if he had any sudden realization that afternoon.
"Sir, I'm sorry, but our shop is closing. Please come back tomorrow." Jiang Miao was tidying up the things on the table with his head down when a figure blocked the light in front of him. He thought it was a customer who came to paint a fan, so he casually dismissed him.
"Jiang Miao?" Unexpectedly, the person called out his name directly.
He looked up and saw an unforgettable handsome face in front of him.
"Mr. Pei? What a coincidence, you are here to visit the lantern festival too?" Jiang Miao stopped and greeted him with a smile.
"I thought you would sell buns." That's why he stopped in front of the bun stall just now, but he didn't expect that the vendor would simply change his business. He thought he had recognized the wrong person.
"Isn't this a way to make some money in accordance with the season? But my main business is still selling buns. Do you still want longevity peaches?" After Jiang Miao went back for a while, the longevity peach business was no longer doing well.
"Don't worry, Shoutao, tell me first, what's wrong with your lamp?"
Since they were regular customers and he had given them a free ride last time, Jiang Miao naturally couldn't bring himself to close the stall. So he put the things he had just put together back and said, "You can paint the lanterns yourselves, and then just stick them on the frame I made. This way, the lanterns will be guaranteed to be unique, right?"
Pei Che looked at Jiang Miao with a strange look. He always felt that this peddler had a very flexible mind, especially when doing business, he could always think of things that others could not think of.
"Mr. Pei, what's wrong with you?" Jiang Miao waved his hand in front of him.
"…Nothing, how much is this lamp? I want to paint one too."
"That's cheap, just thirty cents will do." Jiang Miao didn't think too much and quoted the price directly. After quoting, he realized that he seemed a little stingy. The last time he took a ride, the person didn't ask him for money. Just when he was about to say, "How about I give you one?", he saw Pei Che stretched his hand back out of habit. Jiang Miao looked over and saw no one behind him.
Pei Che also froze. He didn't have the habit of carrying money on him. He looked at his body, suddenly took off the pendant from his waist, and held it in front of Jiang Miao.
"I'll trade this with you."
Jiang Miao looked at the jade pendant that was emitting a warm glow. Even though he didn't know much about jade, he could guess that it was definitely not cheap. He traded this for a lantern worth thirty cents? What a spendthrift!
"Mr. Pei, it's okay if you're not convenient for the moment. I'll give you this lantern as a gift." Seeing that he was about to refuse, Jiang Miao immediately said, "I didn't pay you last time when you asked Xiao Shitou and I to take a ride. Let's just consider it as making friends."
After hearing what he said, Pei Che had no choice but to take the pendant and try to tie it back around his waist, but he had never tied it around his waist before, so it was easy to pull it off but difficult to tie it back.
"Let me help you!" Seeing that he was clumsy, Jiang Miao came out from behind the table, took the pendant, bent down slightly and tied it for him. Pei Che was a little stiff again. The last time he tied the rope for himself, he seemed to have been so close.
"That's enough!" Jiang Miao patted him on the waist after tying it, and then realized that he seemed to have offended him. Fortunately, Mr. Pei didn't seem to notice it. Jiang Miao quickly went back to the table and handed him the brush.
"I have almost sold out this shelf. I only have two rabbit lamps left. You can draw on them." He took out a piece of rabbit-shaped drawing paper.
Pei Che took the pen, his mind wandering, only grasping the key words in Jiang Miao's words. When he came to his senses, Jiang Miao had already glued the rabbit lamp and handed it to him.
"I didn't expect you like rabbits. I just happened to keep a rabbit lamp!" Jiang Miao looked at the two cute little rabbits on the lamp and laughed secretly in his heart.
Pei Che took the lamp and was about to say something when he heard Han Qin's shouting from not far away.
"Is he looking for you? Come over quickly!" Jiang Miao said, "We also have to pack up and go back!" After saying that, he lowered his head and started to pick up the things on the table.
Pei Che had no choice but to thank him and walked towards the source of the voice.
"Ache, is that the rabbit lamp in your hand? It looks quite interesting. You refused to give me the one in the Ladies' Painting, so how about this one? I'll take it back to please my little sister!" As he said that, he reached out to take it.
Pei Che glared at him, turned away, and then slapped his hand away.
"I'll give you the painting of the ladies! I'll take this lamp back and give it to Mu'er."
The unexpected surprise made Han Qin no longer care about the hand that he had just hurt. He happily snatched the painting of the lady from the servant's hand and admired it with great pleasure.
(End of this chapter)