Shocking Mountain Moon

Chapter 60 Chinese Valentine's Day
After Yuan Chenghai left, Nie Si Niang sat in the bathtub and washed her body vigorously.

Her skin was as white as jade, and the few red marks left behind became more obvious.

It made her sick.

She thought of her childhood sweetheart.

She promised to marry him, but broke her promise.

She asked her sister, "Does Brother Shuang know about her? How is he?"

My sister said he was hit and sick, but he is recovering now.

But my sister is the worst at lying.

She thought that her boy might be gone.

Since her sister didn't say anything, she stopped asking.

She would wait until the day the thief died before asking.

Hatred was like the most poisonous medicine, tormenting Nie Si Niang's heart.

"Si Niang, are you not done washing yet?" A familiar voice came from outside the screen.

Nie Si Niang hurriedly dried her body, changed her clothes and walked out.

Nie Sanniang looked at her sister worriedly.

Every time Yuan Zei comes to my sister's place, it makes her more miserable.

Nie Si Niang was hurt by her sister's worried look.

In the room where only the two sisters were, Nie Si Niang threw herself into Nie San Niang's arms and sobbed softly.

"Sister, how can we let him die?"

"It will be soon, it must be soon." Nie Sanniang comforted her sister, feeling uneasy in her heart.

I haven't heard from Brother Magpie recently. Is everything going according to Brother Magpie's plan, or has it failed?

She didn't know and had no way of confirming it, but she could only comfort her sister in this way in case she couldn't hold on.

The waiting process is really torturous.

Is it related to incense?

Nie Sanniang looked at the wisps of fragrance emanating from the lotus incense burner.

The fragrance is so pleasant, like the fresh breeze blowing from the unfettered wilderness, soothing the anxiety in people's hearts.

How could such a fragrance kill people? She must have overthought it.

As Nie Sanniang's confidence waned day by day, the Chinese Valentine's Day arrived.

The Chinese Valentine's Day is a festival for women. Throwing a needle to test one's skill and worshipping the moon and the Weaver Girl are must-do activities, and nowadays, releasing river lanterns is also popular.

Girls would write their wishes on lanterns and put them into the river, watching the lanterns float away, hoping that their wishes would come true.

Some of these lanterns are unlucky and quickly fall into the river, while others are picked up by young men with a smile.

Qiu Heng would not miss such an opportunity to go out and get familiar with the capital city in a legitimate way, so she immediately agreed when Qiu Xuan invited her.

In the evening, the Qiu sisters went out together and headed to the bank of the Bi Bo River.

The Bi Bo River flows through the inner city. On the Qixi Festival, soldiers patrol constantly, making it a great place for girls from wealthy families to play.

Of course, there are not only young girls along the Bi Bo River, but also various vendors and dazzling stalls, as well as young men who have the same aspirations.

The legend of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl adds a touch of splendor to this day, and every year there are reports of young men and women finding their ideal matches.

The sky had darkened, but the riverside was brightly lit. Countless lanterns were lowered into the river, dotted like stars, flickering on and off, like a galaxy pouring down from the sky.

"It's so beautiful." Qiu Ying sighed as she looked at the lanterns all over the river, and curiously asked her sisters, "What wishes did you write?"

Qiu Fu rolled her eyes at her and said, "You're the only one who's curious every year."

Qiu Ying covered her mouth and smiled: "I know, Fourth Sister must be seeking a marriage partner."

Qiu Fu was not shy and asked, "Isn't it the fifth sister? The second sister and the third sister?"

They have all reached the age to get married, what else can they ask for if not marriage?
She was not like them who clearly thought about it but refused to admit it. "Don't we still have our sixth sister?" Qiu Ying cast a teasing look at Qiu Heng.

Qiu Fu said matter-of-factly, "Sixth sister must be the same."

"Oh, I'm not." Qiu Heng said honestly.

People were coming and going on the shore like a river. She didn't know that when she said this, a young man stopped because of the familiar voice.

Such grand festivals inevitably require inspections by various departments, and the young man is none other than Xue Han, the Imperial Envoy.

Hu Si was following him, and when he saw Qiu Heng, he excitedly pulled Xue Han's sleeve.

What a fate it is to encounter red bean cake in such a crowded place!

"You're not?" Qiu Fu looked unconvinced. "Then what is Sixth Sister's wish?"

If they don't say it, it's certain that they love to say one thing and mean another.

Facing the curious eyes of her sisters, Qiu Heng said frankly: "I just hope that the world will be peaceful."

Peace in the world?

Qiu Xuan and the others were stunned at first, and then they all laughed at the same time.

"Hahaha, Sixth sister, are you going to make me laugh to death?" Qiu Ying held Qiu Heng's arm and laughed so hard that tears came out.

Qiu Fu laughed out of anger: "Sixth sister, if you don't want to say it, forget it. Why are you trying to fool us with such outrageous words?"

Qiu Heng listened with a smile and did not refute.

Peace on earth - these four simple words kept turning over in Xue Han's heart.

He silently walked past the girl who said this seriously, his eyes following the lantern she gently placed into the river.

It was a koi lantern. The shape of the fish allowed it to drift with the waves more steadily, which was clearly different from the lanterns that looked like flowers all over the river.

The koi lantern attracted the attention of many young men, and they all leaned over and stretched out their hands, trying to pick up the lantern.

A handsome young man touched the lamp with his fingertips. Just as joy broke out on his face, a bony hand reached out and picked up the lamp.

"Why don't you follow the principle of first come first served!" The young man turned around angrily, and when he saw Xue Han wearing the scarlet official uniform, he behaved himself.

How could we afford to offend someone so young who could wear such an official uniform?

What a pity for the koi lantern. I wonder what kind of interesting girl put it there.

The boy looked at the lantern that Xue Han was holding in his hand again and ran away quickly.

Hu Si snorted, "Sir, look at that boy, he's still reluctant to leave. It's not his lamp."

Some young boys just have no self-awareness.

"Sir, what did Miss Qiu Liu write? Did she really wish for peace in the world?"

At Hu Si's urging, Xue Han looked down at the koi lantern in his hand but hesitated.

Although it is a custom for unmarried young men to pick up unmarried girls and put them into the river on the Chinese Valentine's Day with lanterns, and no one can blame them, but because he knew that the owner of the koi lantern was there first, it seemed strange that he did so.

It seemed as if he was trying to get a glimpse into her thoughts.

But he did want to know.

Xue Han despised himself in his heart, and finally looked at the wish written on the lamp.

The beautiful and graceful handwriting caught my eye: I wish the world would be peaceful, I wish you good health, and I wish to see you many times when I am old.

Although he knew clearly that this wish had nothing to do with him, when he read the sentence "Three wishes are to see you more often when I am old", Xue Han clearly felt that something fell on his heart.

The girl whom he couldn't see through did not lie to her sisters. Her wish was really for peace and prosperity in the world.

It was something he had never seriously thought about.

The sky suddenly brightened. Xue Han looked up and saw gorgeous fireworks blooming. They shone brightly for a moment and then disappeared. New fireworks bloomed, even more beautiful and brighter.

For a moment, the noisy riverside became quiet, and people held their breath and looked up at the magnificent scenery in the sky.

(End of this chapter)