Chapter 100: The Peasant Girl’s Splendid Manor
Chapter 100: Abducted (Part 1)
The eaves, trees, and wooden frames on both sides of the street were adorned with various lanterns - some shaped like animals, some like flowers, and others depicting landscapes. Each one looked exquisite, dazzling the onlookers.
Young girls gathered together to admire the lanterns, pointing out unique ones and discussing them in hushed tones. Along the Quanshui River, many people squatted on the wharf to release river lanterns. Lotus-shaped river lanterns dotted the calm water, shining amidst the lanterns on both banks, creating a poetic scene.
Watching these scenes, a faint smile appeared on Mo Yan's face. Immersed in such a profoundly ancient setting, she couldn't help but realize that she had truly become a "person of ancient times" as described in her past life's books.
"Sister, look! That rabbit lantern is so cute!" Xin'er exclaimed excitedly, tugging at Mo Yan's arm.
Mo Yan snapped out of her thoughts and followed her gaze. Not far away, hanging high on a wooden frame, was a lifelike rabbit lantern with a chubby body, red eyes, and long ears, indeed adorable.
"Do you like it? Then, sister will buy it for you!" Xin'er's eyes lit up, nodding vigorously. "Yes, I like it, I like it very much."
Zhen'er also couldn't resist the temptation, shaking Mo Yan's right hand eagerly. "Big sister, Zhen'er likes that yellow tiger lantern. Can you buy it for me too?"
Mo Yan smiled and agreed, then turned to Li Yan, who was walking beside her. "Liyue, do you fancy any of these lanterns?"
Li Yan, who had been looking around, suddenly realized and shook her head quickly. "Sister Yan, I don't have any preferences. Just looking at them is enough for me."
Seeing that she wasn't fixated on any lantern in particular, Mo Yan believed her and pulled her siblings to the stall. Pointing at the two lanterns, she asked the shopkeeper, "How much for these two lanterns?"
The middle-aged shopkeeper, who had a very auspicious appearance, smiled and said, "Miss, these lanterns are not for sale. However, each lantern has a riddle on it. As long as you can guess the riddle by paying ten wen, you can take the lantern home."
Ten wen for one riddle? Mo Yan thought for a moment and didn't find it expensive, considering the condition of guessing the riddle correctly.
She took out twenty wen from her purse and asked the shopkeeper to take down the riddles for both lanterns.
"'Chitu'?" Mo Yan read the rabbit lantern's riddle first, then smiled. "This one's simple. It's the word 'gallop.'"
"You guessed it so quickly! Miss is indeed clever!" The shopkeeper praised profusely and quickly took down the rabbit lantern.
Mo Yan smiled and handed it to Xin'er, who happily took it and held onto the lantern pole, looking around with joy.
"Big sister, quick, guess the tiger lantern's riddle." Seeing this, Zhen'er couldn't wait any longer, afraid that the lantern he liked would be guessed by someone else first.
Mo Yan patted his head, then opened the riddle on the yellow tiger lantern. "'Seven fairies married, leaving one,' forming an idiom?"
This one was a bit tricky.
Several idioms immediately flashed through Mo Yan's mind, but none seemed to match.
Seeing the siblings guessing the riddles, Mo Qingze, who was following behind, also became interested. Seeing his eldest daughter still pondering, he took the lantern riddle and glanced at it with a smile but didn't say anything.
Zhen'er, seeing that his sister didn't guess it immediately as before, became anxious. But not knowing himself, he had to turn to his father for help. "Dad, do you know what idiom it is?"
Mo Qingze didn't directly answer but instead asked his son, "What are the 'seven fairies'? How many are left after one is married?"
Zhen'er immediately answered, "The seven fairies are heavenly immortals, and six are left after one is married!"
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