Chapter 8, the flower market is as bright as day

In addition to lanterns at the market, there were other attractions. Some vendors set up stalls selling various seasonal items, while others occupied space to perform with swords and spears, or to showcase acrobatics and fire-breathing. There were also those pushing carts with large iron pots, selling steaming hot glutinous rice balls. The candied hawthorn, a must-have food for time travelers, was being loudly advertised by vendors squeezing through the crowd. Chunying was not drawn to these snacks; she was merely there to enjoy the spectacle. However, the children who came along could not help but gather around the vendors, their eyes fixed on the food, completely ignoring their parents' calls, unwilling to budge an inch. Eventually, it was only after the adults reluctantly spent several coins to buy a few skewers of candied hawthorn that they managed to drag the children away.

Someone next to him spat, "Nonsense again! How can the things in the palace compare to those of the common people?"

A warm large hand covered her head. When Chunying looked up, she realized it was her father, Lu Yougui. The latter smiled and gently patted her head. Hearing her son babbling in another direction, she discovered he was captivated by a beautiful lamp and hurriedly squeezed over to hold him.

Upon hearing this, the man fell silent. A child nearby then asked the young man, "Brother Xiao Wu, I heard that Emperor Taizong's beauty pavilion is filled with beauties who are as ethereal as celestial beings. Is that true"

Today is the day for the family to gather and enjoy the Yuanxiao together, but modern parents seem to be uncertain about how to celebrate this occasion

The little mustached man clearly recognized her, smiled slightly, nodded, and reached out to take the lantern handed over by the vendor. Just as he was about to turn and leave, he suddenly paused, turned back, and asked: "Little girl, were you trying to guess the riddle on this lantern just now? What did you guess?"

The man noticed that the little girl in front of him was just staring at his face and not responding. Assuming she was frightened, he softened his tone even further and said, "Don't be afraid, we are not bad people. My friend is just drunk and talking nonsense, he means no harm." His tone was very gentle and friendly, yet it felt as if he was trying to comfort a child

A group of people walked for less than half an hour before arriving at the Lantern Market. Throughout the journey, Chunying observed and concluded that this "capital city" should be Beijing, as not only was the climate similar, but there were also many similarities in the streets. However, there were also considerable differences. Thinking that this might be Beijing from several hundred years ago, she no longer found it strange. Being able to travel to a place she was somewhat familiar with gave her a slight sense of reassurance

Chun Ying, with a slight pout, said: "I guess the same as you, it is also the character for 'firefly'."

Beside her stood the young man who had come before, now speaking with great satisfaction: "The weather has warmed up a bit these past few days, and the ice lanterns have decreased. Just a few days ago, there were even more varieties! This palace lantern can only be considered of inferior quality. The other day, I saw an ice beauty with my own eyes, and I fear it rivals even the statues of beauties in the Jade Beauty Pavilion built by Emperor Taizong back in the day!"

Chunying's quiet and well-behaved demeanor left the adults in admiration, with the couple from the Lu family praising her repeatedly, particularly the sister-in-law from the Lu family, Ziyu, who praised her the most. Mother Lu modestly downplayed her daughter's qualities, occasionally casting a proud glance at the other noisy children, and then turned around to buy a candied hawthorn skewer, handing it to her daughter: "Here, eat this, but be careful not to dirty your clothes"

Chunying did not realize that her words and tone were not quite in line with her current age, considering it merely a trivial episode. She quickly caught up with the group, faintly hearing the voices of the man and his friend discussing how to send their drunken companion home.

Lu Yougui was holding the little tiger and looking around. Upon seeing his daughter running over, he hurriedly said: "Where have you been just now? You worried everyone!"

That child https : / / m.hetushucom .com retreated and said: `` You haven't answered me yet, why not? ''

Xiao Wu glanced around and gave the child a pat, saying, "Say a few less words; can such matters be casually discussed?"

Chunying is somewhat curious about which Emperor Taizong this is. Could someone elaborate on the era name, temple name, and other details

Chunying did not follow them around; there were many people here, and not far away were her parents and a group of family members, so she felt no fear. She quietly gazed at a carp lantern, finding it very similar to the one she had bought at the Cultural Park last year. Moreover, she remembered that her mother's maiden name seemed to be "Hongli" now. Why not... take this lantern back?

The child asked again: "Why did Emperor Taizong use ice sculptures? Once the sun comes out, they all melt away. If it were me, I would definitely use white jade, as that would last forever. My mother has a white jade hairpin, which she says has been passed down from my maternal grandfather's family for at least one or two hundred years! It hasn't been chipped at all."

Upon thinking of this, she felt a surge of joy in her heart and was about to speak to the vendor when she heard a voice behind her say, "Give me that carp lantern; I have guessed it, it is the character for firefly."

They went to a large lantern stall, where the owner had erected a big canopy with bamboo poles, hanging over a hundred lanterns, almost all of them unique. Each lantern had a riddle attached; anyone who could solve the riddle would receive the lantern for free. However, if one could not guess the answer and still wanted the lantern, they would have to pay ten times the price to purchase it. Because the lanterns at this stall were more exquisite and beautiful than others, countless people crowded around, hoping to win one or two lanterns to take home.

As I walked along the way, I had already seen quite a few lanterns, but they were merely scattered decorations hung by passersby or roadside residents. Upon entering the lantern market, however, it was an entirely different scene, truly a dazzling display of fiery lights and colorful decorations. Chunying felt her eyes filled with light—red, yellow, green, blue—along with countless patterns that left one in awe.

The other children were intimidated by him and obediently went to look at other lanterns. Chunying wanted to ask who Emperor Taizong was, but she was not familiar with Xiao Wu. After hesitating for quite a while, she was about to speak when she heard him shout, "There are riddles to guess over there!" With a loud call, he gathered a large group of children, who surged forward, and she had no choice but to follow.

Chun Ying gazed at the red fruit in her hand, feeling somewhat speechless. She looked around, took a bite, and found it to be sweet and sour, which was acceptable, but the sugar was too sticky, and the flesh was a bit astringent. Turning her head, she saw the Ma brothers, Ma Xiao Dong and Ma Xiao Xi, from the same courtyard, staring at her with eager expressions. She bit off the head of one fruit and tossed it to the Ma brothers, watching them joyfully divide it among themselves.

Lu Yougui carefully examined his daughter and, seeing that she was fine, signaled her to come quickly: "Let's go, everyone is waiting for you."

Chun Ying smiled and said, "There are too many people, and I got momentarily separated. Haven't I caught up with you now?"

A look of surprise flashed across the man's face, just as he heard his friend calling him from inside the building, mixed with the drunken ramblings of others. He could only clasp his hands again and hurriedly return to the building

Little Wu hesitated for a moment, then said with a frown: "How would I know why? Can we possibly understand the thoughts of Emperor Taizong? Do you still want to see the lanterns or not?"

I am not talking nonsense!" The young man retorted, "The young master knows as well that the craftsman who carved this ice beauty is a descendant of Master Wei, the 'Number One Craftsman Under Heaven' personally bestowed by Emperor Taizong back in the day! This skill is indeed passed down through generations!

Unfortunately, Xiao Wu Ge could not hear her inner thoughts and merely smiled, saying: "Do you think the beauties in the Yuren Pavilion are real? Fool, they are all ice beauties from www.hetushu.com. That is why they melt as soon as spring arrives. Others say those beauties are fairies who have returned to heaven, but the young master said they are ice sculptures, carved to represent the twelve imperial concubines of Emperor Taizong, which is why outsiders cannot see them. Master Wei's craftsmanship is remarkable; he even carves each hair strand with clarity!" Others say those beauties are fairies who have returned to heaven, but the young master said they are ice sculptures, carved to represent the twelve imperial concubines of Emperor Taizong, which is why outsiders cannot see them. Master Wei's craftsmanship is remarkable; he even carves each hair strand with clarity!

She recalled last year's Lantern Festival, when she took her parents to the Cultural Park to see the lanterns. At that time, there was also a fireworks display, and the scene was even more lively than it is now. She bought a flower lantern to carry and enjoyed many snacks, such as Xinjiang grilled lamb skewers, Tianjin fried dough, Sachima, and ginger crispy fritters. She remembered that her mother also bought a skewer of candied hawthorn, saying she wanted to relive her childhood memories, but only ate one before handing it to her, as the sugar was too hard and sweet, while the fruit was too sour. However, thinking back today, she felt that skewer was much tastier than the one she had today.

Little Wu, accompanied by a large group of children, naturally wandered around joyfully. He was the young master's servant in the household and could recognize a few characters on ordinary days. At this moment, eager to show off, he read out the riddles from the lanterns one by one. The children, unable to guess them, merely made random guesses, yet they admired and envied Little Wu's talent even more, which made him feel quite pleased with himself. However, when someone asked him which one he had guessed, he skillfully changed the subject.

"It’s an ice lantern! Over there is an ice lantern!" The loud shouts of those around brought Chunying back to her senses. She felt a chill at the corner of her eye and, upon touching it, discovered it was wet. She was crying at a moment when everyone else was filled with joy and laughter, which was indeed too conspicuous. She quickly wiped her tears with her sleeve, feigning curiosity, and blended in with a few companions of similar age as they moved towards the street corner

Everyone is watching the lights and enjoying the festivities, chatting and laughing joyfully, yet Chunying stands in place, feeling somewhat lonely for reasons unknown

Act on your thoughts. She looked at the riddle on the lantern with great enthusiasm; the riddle was very simple, consisting of only one character: "flower." Many people guessed and guessed but could not figure it out. Seeing that other lanterns were more intricate, they shifted their gaze. However, Chunying vaguely remembered that in "Dream of the Red Chamber," it seemed to mention that the character "flower" can be broken down into "grass" and "transformation," referring to the character "firefly."

Chun Ying woke up and smiled, saying: "It's alright, I'm fine. You go take care of your friend."

Chun Ying was greatly disheartened. When he turned around to see who had guessed correctly, he noticed a pair of familiar little mustaches. The two of them looked at each other, both taken aback.

At first, she was quite surprised, wondering how the ancients could create such things, until she realized that those mechanisms were actually simple manual operations, at which point she suddenly understood

Little Huzi smiled: "I don't believe that; how could you have guessed it?"

Chun Ying, feeling indignant, said: "Why can't I guess it? Aren't fireflies just transformed from grass?"

Little Huzi was taken aback, gazing thoughtfully at Chunying

It was not until the large ice sculpture lantern, shimmering with a soft white light, appeared before her eyes that she truly understood what she had just heard. Ice lanterns actually existed in the Ming Dynasty? She vaguely recalled reading in a novel about traveling to the Qing Dynasty, where it mentioned the female protagonist making ice lanterns, which sparked a wave of popularity. Huh? Could it be that the book was mistaken?

The lanterns here are mostly made from fine bamboo strips, covered with colorful paper or thin gauze, showcasing exquisite craftsmanship. Some even feature intricate patterns on their surfaces, and what is even more remarkable is the variety of mechanisms incorporated within them. The revolving lanterns are considered simple; some have wings like bees or butterflies, others have crabs that move their pincers, tigers and qilins that shake their heads and tails, and golden boys and jade girls that bow with their hands raised, along with the Three Star Deities of Fortune, Prosperity, and Longevity nodding with broad smiles. In modern times, Chunying has also seen many lanterns for the Lantern Festival that integrate the latest technology, yet she remains captivated by them.