Chapter Sixty-Nine: Admiring the Lanterns

Lin Miaomiao spent a night resting in Luocheng, and by the evening of the next day, she was walking down the bustling street in Li Yanhua’s arms. Because a few years ago she had nearly been abducted by human traffickers, Li Yanhua was always vigilant and cautious whenever they were out among crowds. Lin Miaomiao seemed to sense the tight, protective embrace Li Yanhua held her in.

She patted Li Yanhua’s shoulder, her eyes alight with joy as she gazed at the lanterns. Never before had she seen such a grand display. In her life back in the modern world, all lamps she’d known were made of plastic or glass, in all shapes and sizes, but never had she encountered paper lanterns. Some of them even spun gently in the breeze, mesmerizing her completely. Li Yanhua’s heart softened at the sight, so he carried her over to a small vendor and bought her a rabbit lantern.

Holding the rabbit lantern in her hand, still in Li Yanhua’s embrace, Lin Miaomiao’s eyes sparkled as she spotted a vendor selling candied hawthorn. She turned to Li Yanhua and said, “Li Yan, I want some candied hawthorn.”

Hearing her, Li Yanhua found the stall and ordered, “One stick of candied hawthorn, please.” The vendor glanced curiously at Li Yanhua, who was carrying Lin Miaomiao with one arm, but when he noted their finely made clothes, he quickly suppressed his curiosity.

Delightedly, Lin Miaomiao took the candied hawthorn, while Li Yanhua, one arm around her, carried her lantern in his free hand. She took a bite, savoring the sweet and tangy flavor, then held the stick up to Li Yanhua’s lips. “Li Er, have a taste.”

A graceful smile tugged at Li Yanhua’s lips as he heard her call him “Li Er”—a title only those close to him would use in these parts, where people often addressed each other by their family rank or given name.

He took a bite, finding the treat delicious. “Are you happy?” he asked.

Lin Miaomiao nodded eagerly. Li Yanhua said softly, “I’m always busier in the winter and don’t have much time to take you out like this. During the New Year, if you come to see the lanterns, there will be even more kinds on display.”

Though his voice was cool and clear, it cut through the noisy street easily, and Lin Miaomiao felt a gentle warmth bloom in her chest.

She hugged Li Yanhua and said, “Actually, I don’t care much about lanterns. All I want is to see you safe and sound every New Year.”

Her words were soft and sweet, and Li Yanhua’s heart melted at her innocence.

He sighed and promised, “Alright, every New Year you’ll see me safe and well.”

Lin Miaomiao nodded earnestly. “Then let’s pinky promise. Once we make a promise, we can’t break it. Whoever does is a little puppy.”

Amused, Li Yanhua nodded and hooked his little finger with hers. They made their pinky promise.

“Pinky promise—hang it high, a hundred years without change, whoever breaks it is a little puppy!”

Lin Miaomiao’s clear, youthful voice rang in Li Yanhua’s ears, and he truly relished the feeling of being cared for. He had always thought he was used to loneliness, used to bearing everything alone, never realizing how much he longed for someone to care for him, to think of his feelings.

Hand in hand, they wandered through Luocheng’s streets and alleys. Beside the lanterns, Lin Miaomiao discovered vendors selling all manner of snacks. Whenever she showed interest in something, Li Yanhua would buy it for her. Soon, she saw a stall selling masks and was suddenly taken with the idea of owning one.

Li Yanhua bought two exquisitely crafted masks and handed one to her. Overjoyed, Lin Miaomiao put it on. The two of them, masked and hand in hand, walked onto the bridge over the river, unaware that their masks were actually a matching pair for lovers.

After buying a lantern, Lin Miaomiao wrote her wish upon it and set it afloat on the river. "My greatest hope is for everyone to be safe and sound."

Their lantern drifted into the center of the river, joining a constellation of others. Lin Miaomiao watched until her own lantern was lost among the glowing lights.

Seeing how much she enjoyed it, Li Yanhua offered indulgently, “If you haven’t had enough, we can buy another lantern.”

Lin Miaomiao shook her head. “No, a wish can only be made once. If I write it again, maybe it won’t come true.”

Li Yanhua felt a pang of tenderness for her. “Don’t worry, I can make your wishes come true myself.”

Lin Miaomiao laughed, “No, wishes you grant are yours. The ones granted by Heaven are Heaven’s.”

Li Yanhua smiled affectionately at her childish logic, and together they walked off the bridge, still hand in hand.

As they descended, Lin Miaomiao noticed an old woman with a fortune-telling stall. Drawn by curiosity, she approached. The old woman looked up at her and said, “Young lady, you are here to save the world. You must always keep a kind heart, or someone like you will meet an early end.”

Startled, Lin Miaomiao stopped. “Granny, what do you mean?”

The old woman gazed at her as if peering into the depths of her soul. Lin Miaomiao stood transfixed, tilting her head in confusion. The old woman placed a hand over Lin Miaomiao’s and said quietly, “You’re here because summer did not wish to see you die young, isn’t that so?”

She let go, and Lin Miaomiao’s eyes fell, lost in thought.

Li Yanhua frowned and was about to withdraw Lin Miaomiao’s hand when the old woman glanced at him. “Young man, too many have died by your hand. Your fate is not an easy one.”

She looked at Lin Miaomiao again and continued, “But Heaven pities you, and has sent you a lucky star, a pure and kind soul. You must treat her well.”

Lin Miaomiao smiled and replied, “Granny, life and death are fate; so is the course of one’s life. Sometimes prophecies can help people, but sometimes destiny is unyielding.”

She added, “Don’t you think so? Destiny may be hard to defy, but sometimes people can overcome fate.”

Her voice was crisp and firm, and hearing her, Li Yanhua couldn’t help but smile.

In the end, he left a silver coin on the old woman’s stall and took Lin Miaomiao away.

Watching their departing figures, the old woman’s lips curled into a melancholy smile as she looked at the silver and murmured, “Perhaps. Perhaps people can indeed defy the heavens.”

Neither Lin Miaomiao nor Li Yanhua took the old woman’s words to heart. Lin Miaomiao knew this world was full of extraordinary people and strange happenings. Some might even see through her origins, that she was not of this era—but what of it?

Life was strange like that. Before crossing over, Lin Miaomiao had only wanted to open her own dessert shop. But after arriving here, that dream had never come to pass. She was never one with grand ambitions, but by chance, she now owned four factories.

The silver she had earned was enough to guarantee a lifetime of comfort, but what did that really mean? In truth, nothing at all. People changed with time. When she first arrived, hunted and on the run with Li Yanhua, her only wish was to survive.

Later, her greatest hope became amassing enough silver to ensure a carefree life. She realized suddenly that she alone was responsible for her own living—no parents to give her pocket money or worry about her future.

She remembered the first fifty yuan she earned from a part-time job—how happy and excited she’d been. When she successfully started her first factory and earned her first silver, she felt that same joy.

But as the factories multiplied, her happiness faded. Now, all she wished for was the safety of her friends, and above all, for Li Yanhua, who guarded the border, to remain unharmed.

She had never witnessed death, nor seen the battlefield. Li Yanhua seldom took her to the barracks—his way of protecting her.