The evening wind blew, fluttering sleeves like flowing water. Countless swaying candlelights, two people gaze at each other amidst the lamps.
She tiptoes, lightly rapping his head.
He laughs, “Jiang Little Full, why are you hitting me?”
“Sneaking out to play so late,” she mutters lowly, “is extremely inappropriate.”
“The last lantern festival of the year,” he explains, “I asked you out to see it together. Miss it and it’ll be gone.”
“You can ask me next year,” she says seriously. “The festival is the same every year anyway.”
“Won’t ask you next year,” he answers casually. “Didn’t I say I’m traveling at year end? I plan to leave soon.”
“Not even staying to see the first snow?” she asks softly.
“Won’t see it,” he smiles slightly. “Want to go somewhere warmer.”
She doesn’t answer. He looks up towards the distant lights. Candle flames fall into his eyes, light and shadows fluctuate, illusory and vague.
“Let’s not talk about this.”
He shakes his head with a smile. “Come on, Jiang Little Full. I’ll take you to have fun.”
He magically takes out a paper mask and claps it onto her face.
She covers her head. He smiles gently, walks behind her and bows his head to tie the mask’s two bands. His fingers are nimble, passing through her hair to tie a quick knot and neatly twist her hair into an elegant bun.
“Jiang Little Full, your hair skills are terrible,” he chuckles softly as he dons a mask himself.
“Zhu Zian, you’d best watch how you speak to Senior Sister,” she says, slightly unhappy. Suddenly he seizes her wrist and pulls her through the bustling crowd.
“Please,” he brings her before a game booth and bows to hand a bag of coins to the child tending the stand. “One dozen arrows.”
“Coming right up!” Holding the silver, the child immediately beams, leaping as he brings over a pile of headless arrows for Jiang Kui.
Zhu Zian motions for her to go ahead. “The rules here – hit one arrow, get one lantern.”
“Aren’t you playing?” She turns to him.
“Watching you is good enough,” he drawls lazily. “Our young hero must hit every shot to make my silver worthwhile.”
Soon, the two have exchanged twelve lanterns as they walk past the gloomy-faced child.
Zhu Zian glances at the girl beside him. Arms filled with lanterns, candle flames paint her cheeks red, pretty brows and eyes curved charmingly like the moon.
He silently curves his lips, taking her hand to lead her onward. “We’ll go float lanterns later. The street opera is done but there’s a more interesting stunt show, want to watch?”
“What is it?” she asks, carefully guarding the lanterns in her arms.
“Follow me.” He smiles.
One after the other, they pass through the bustling crowd into a small tavern under the West Market drum tower.
The tavern is extremely lively. A rickety stage is set up against the wall surrounded by crowds watching a stunt performance. People are packed shoulder to shoulder.
The performer is a thick-browed, big-eyed foreigner. He’s pulled a thick rope onto the stage, loudly shouting as he puts on a monkey show.
A monkey walks unsteadily on the rope while three monkeys below whisk wooden swords vigorously. A very small monkey is surrounded by people, solemnly clicking an abacus to demonstrate monkey arithmetic.
Every number the little monkey gets right, the crowd below erupts into loud applause. The sound of ceramic jars clanging is deafening, seeming to blow the ceiling off.
Zhu Zian leads Jiang Kui inside. Greeting a familiar server, he asks for a corner table and orders wine. They place the won lanterns on the table and take off their masks to sit facing each other.
As he pours wine, Zhu Zian chuckles, “Jiang Little Full, first time seeing a monkey show?”
“First time,” the girl across from him nods. “Previously during lantern festivals Brother would sneak me out to see street opera under Anfu Gate.”
She thinks then asks curiously, “How’d you know they’re performing a monkey show here?”
“Because I’m idle and useless,” he answers casually. “I like coming to lively, noisy places like this.”
He pauses then says softly, “It makes me feel…still alive.”
Before she can hear clearly he smiles again, taking out a coin to lightly bounce in his palm. Head cocked, he looks at her, “Want to try?”
“Try what?” She’s puzzled.
“Look.” He casually tosses the coin into the air.
A little monkey shoots out from the corner, energetically leaping up to catch the coin. It then scampers over to respectfully place a lychee onto their table, even bowing politely to him.
“Shu red brocade!” the girl exclaims in surprise. “The monkey can deliver lychee too?”
Shu red brocade is a type of lychee named for its red brocade-like color. During the Lantern Festival, wealthy families like to toss lychees from their pavilions for people below to scramble for. The scattered red lychees represent an auspicious sign for the new year.
“One broken silver coin for one lychee,” Zhu Zian smiles. “It’s expensive but they’re selling the monkey show.”
“However,” he whispers as if afraid the monkey will overhear, “some of the dumb ones can’t count well. If you throw quickly it’ll get dizzy and give you extra.”
He places a small pouch of coins on the table and turns to Jiang Kui. “Want to try?”
“Mm!” She reaches for the pouch without hesitation and throws at the monkey.
One time two little monkeys crash into each other in a silly scramble. Dazed, they stand back up and bow clumsily, making her burst into giggles.
Zhu Zian sits across from her, leaning his elbow on the table as he watches her amusedly. Lantern light spills from above, glowing warmly on each strand of her hair.
His gaze shifts slightly before lowering again. Head bowed, he drinks some wine and smiles slowly to himself.
“Like it, Jiang Little Full?” he asks.
“I do!” She’s thrown enough coins and turns back curiously. “Where do the monkeys come from?”
“Legend says they’re from the southwestern forests, traveled here by carriage.”
He improvises, “Rumor is that monkeys there are smarter, understanding human speech and able to sing and dance.”
“Really?” Her eyes widen.
“Truly.” He looks utterly serious.
Then he chuckles, “Of course it’s fake. Jiang Little Full, you’re so gullible.”
“You made it sound true!” She’s annoyed. “Lying with a straight face as always.”
He lazily rests both hands behind his head and thinks, bowing his head. “Can’t say for sure it’s fake. When I go southwest in the future, I’ll check if monkeys there really can dance.”
“Lying again.” She’s unhappy all of a sudden.
“Don’t be upset.” He shakes his head with a smile, peeling a lychee to offer her. “Have one?”
She bites it lightly from his hand. The sour-sweet fruit is tart on her tongue. Cradling his chin, he watches her with a faint smile.
The clamor seems to fade into the distance. In this moment his world holds only this girl, firelight glowing on her skin like beautiful mutton-fat jade, bright and dazzling.
On the other side of the tavern, a group is huddled together gambling.
One side shouts urgently: “Big, big, big, big – ”
The other side even more urgently: “Small, small, small!”
Dice clatter deafeningly before spilling out. The crowd squeezes in to look and cries out, “The banker wins again!”
“How does he always win?”
“What kind of luck is this?”
The banker is a little old man gleefully collecting his winnings. He’s followed by several little monkeys darting around the gambling table.
The two in the corner watch curiously for a while. Jiang Kui turns to Zhu Zian. “You saw it too right?”
Zhu Zian nods. “Mm.”
“He’s cheating,” says Jiang Kui.
Coincidentally the tavern falls silent and her words ring out clearly.
Everyone turns to look at once.
Zhu Zian sighs, clapping the mask back onto Jiang Kui’s face. “They have bad eyesight but good hearing.”
“Who’s cheating?” The banker slams the table standing up, shouting loudly at them.
The angry girl stands, pointing her finger. “You! Using monkeys to cheat and denying it?”
The crowd looks back and forth, suddenly realizing – the old man’s monkeys can see the dice’s outcome from a certain angle, secretly signaling the results to him. Thus the banker never loses.
“Little girl!” The banker bristles, beard shaking in rage. “Sabotaging my business, I’ll catch you for a beating!”
“I’d like to see you try!” Jiang Kui slaps the table, getting to her feet.
The banker waves his thugs. Glowering fiercely they grab their weapons, swarming towards the corner looking ready to brawl. Smashed wood and ceramic shards soon fly everywhere.
Zhu Zian tries diffusing the tension only to get shoved a table leg while the girl next to him swiftly takes down the attackers.
He chuckles softly, sounding helpless. “The Crown Prince brawling, led astray by you.”
Twirling the makeshift weapon he stands up too.
Jianghu folk break into fights easily so the tavern owner is used to it. Here tables and chairs fly while he quickly tallies damaged furniture behind the counter. Servers report numbers as patrons will have to pay for everything broken after the fight.
“Boss Su!” someone shouts amidst the chaos.
The young man tosses a money pouch over the counter at the owner. “Please put it on my tab!”
As the bag lands the owner catches it. Looking up, the youth is already whisking the girl away, somehow having grabbed the paper lanterns off the table too.
A huge group follows them out like a whirlwind.
“Why drag me away?” Jiang Kui runs yet protests loudly, “Never lost a fight before!”
“Please, young hero,” Zhu Zian grins. “More would be beyond what I can pay for.”
“Don’t call me young hero!” she retorts.
“Hero, this is the second time being chased thanks to you,” he sighs. “Nearly run dead each time. Hoping there won’t be a third.”
The two soon arrive at the riverside where some boats are docked. Their pursuers rapidly approach like an elongated dragon behind them.
Zhu Zian reluctantly weighs his last pouch of coins before respectfully handing it to a boatman. “Sir, hurriedly rent a boat, got some chasers.”
“What kind of trouble?” The boatman eyes them warily. “Nothing big or I want no part.”
Zhu Zian chuckles. “No trouble. Boats paid for.”
The boatman slides over a small boat. Zhu Zian snags the punting pole and deftly pushes off towards the river center.
Jiang Kui lightly leaps up, landing nimbly in the boat. Tearing off her mask she turns back to grin arrogantly at the fuming men onshore. “No one’s caught me yet!”
Before she can react, someone spins her swiftly around. A pole is shoved into her hands as the laughing voice whispers into her ear, “Caught you. Your turn to punt.”
So she has no choice but to punt the unsteady boat onward. He sits against the side and pants softly, face pale.
“Tired?” She glances down at him worriedly.
“A bit.” Eyes closed, he says, “Rest some.”
She punts them to the middle of the river and sets the pole aside to sit by him. He turns towards her with an exhausted smile.
“Having fun, Jiang Little Full?”
“Very fun,” she nods vigorously.
“Good to hear.” His smile lingers. “I like seeing you happy.”
“What about you?”
“Extremely happy too.”
“That’s good,” she nods in satisfaction.
He chuckles weakly then shuts his eyes, leaning against the boat. “I’ll rest a little…fighting really took it out of me…”
She scoots nearer, whispering, “Lean on me, don’t fall into the water.”
He hesitates. “I won’t – ”
“I’m worried you will,” she interrupts firmly.
“…Alright.” He leans lightly against her, pulling his hood over his face as he soon dozes off.
She watches him for a while. Quietly she leans over to wrap his cloak tighter around him.
“Let’s head back,” she says under her breath. “It’ll be time soon.”
“Mm.” He yawns. “I’m off to East Wing Lane.”
The girl begins punting towards shore again.
Zhu Zian wakes amidst the rocking. He gazes into the distance at the myriad lit lanterns like a river of stars fallen on the rippling water.
“Awake?” the girl beside him asks gently.
“I wasn’t sleeping,” he says solemnly. “Just resting.”
She snorts but doesn’t retort, placing a lantern into his hands. “Shall we float lanterns together?”
He holds the lantern with both hands and softly sets it onto the water. A dot of light bobs away towards the vast, flowing sea of lanterns.
Noticing his distant look she suddenly asks, “What do you wish when floating lanterns?”
Head bowed, he considers briefly. “Won’t tell you.”
“Then I won’t tell you my wish either,” she huffs.
Shoulder to shoulder they float lantern after lantern on the river. Shards of moonlight shimmer sporadically amidst the flickering glow flowing like a dreamy illusion.
The two shadows on the little boat nestle closely together as the breeze comes and goes, music faintly drifting along the lantern light.
Zhu Zian grows sleepy again. The girl beside him watches then silently leans closer to wrap his cloak tighter around him once more.
“Let’s go back quickly,” she murmurs again. “It’ll be time.”
“Alright,” another yawn. “I’m off to East Wing Lane.”
As the girl begins punting to shore, Zhu Zian’s gaze sharpens on something in the distance.
Farther down the bank are rows of shallow barges. Officers stand guard among stacks of goods while porters run back and forth loading the barges. Once filled, the barges punt towards awaiting ships anchored mid-river – official government grain ships making their way to the Yellow River.
Zhu Zian turns back to meet Jiang Kui’s eyes. “The cargo’s suspicious,” he says quietly.
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