EBE Chapter 20 Lantern Festival
Chapter 20 Lantern Festival
In ancient times, the first month of the lunar calendar was a time for people to rest after a year of hard work.
In ancient times, night was called "xiao", so the night of the fifteenth day of the first lunar month is also called "Yuanxiao".
In each dynasty, the curfew would be lifted in the cities or towns, and a grand lantern festival would be held for three consecutive days.
These were all organized by wealthy people who joined together to perform songs, dances, various acrobatics, magic tricks, and other musical and dance performances.
As dusk falls, ordinary people from all around gather in the town to release lanterns and solve riddles.
Various small stalls, such as those selling candied hawthorn berries, pet masks, and so on.
In Sujia Village, on the afternoon of the fifteenth, every household finished their meal early and prepared to go to town for fun.
Xiaoyue and the other children had been longing for this for a long time, so naturally they wouldn't miss this rare opportunity.
She came looking for Xiaoya with a group of people.
"Little girl, little girl, let's go to the city to see the lanterns!"
"Okay, wait for me." Yun Dan prepared the money bag, intending to give them five taels of silver to spend as they pleased tonight.
Auntie also helped Yundan prepare a lot of pastries and tea so she could eat them on the road.
The eldest cousin led his younger siblings out, and the adults led dozens of children toward the town.
Half of the respondents were between 15 and 20 years old.
Along the way, we met more and more people, all of whom were celebrating the annual festival, and the children were the happiest.
Upon arriving at the entrance of Fengdang Town, empty flatbed carts were parked on both sides of the road.
During the festival, vehicles from outside the town are not allowed to enter the town; the government will arrange for personnel to guard the vehicles.
As you enter the town, you'll see all sorts of toys, lanterns, and street vendors.
The various shouts and calls were quite amusing. Xiaoyue and her group of children strolled leisurely through the streets, their eyes glued to anything delicious or fun they saw.
The streets were bustling with activity, with people brewing tea, drinking, and playing drinking games.
Some porters were playing cards together, and some curious people gathered around to watch.
As we walked along, we saw all sorts of snacks, including flower cakes, sweet cakes, and various pastries. The children, who had never tried them before, stared intently at the shapes of the pastries.
Yun Dan followed behind a group of little kids, not because she was worried they would get lost, but because she wanted to pay for them.
Seeing that they were all staring at her without saying a word, Yun Dan said helplessly:
"If you like it, buy it; I'll pay for it."
"Little Sister, can we really buy it? Do you have the money?" a little pudding asked Yun Dan.
"Yes, your little sister is rich. You can eat whatever you want tonight."
Upon hearing Yun Dan say that, Little Pudding became energetic and picked up her favorite item.
After paying, Yun Dan smiled and patted Little Pudding's head.
Seeing this, the other children also began to choose what they liked.
In no time, Yun Dan was surrounded by excited children. They held all sorts of snacks and trinkets in their hands, their faces beaming with satisfied smiles.
"Thank you, Sister Xiaoya!"
"Little Ya is the best!" the children exclaimed, expressing their gratitude in a cacophony of voices.
Yun Dan looked at them with a smile, her heart filled with warmth.
At that moment, she noticed a child staring intently at a delicate lantern, but not asking for it.
Yun Dan walked to his side and asked softly, "What's wrong? Do you like this lantern?"
The child nodded, a little embarrassed, and said, "But Sister Xiaoya has already bought us so many things..."
Yun Dan smiled, picked up the lantern and handed it to him: "Take it if you like it, as long as you're happy." The child took the lantern and jumped up with joy.
The streets and alleys are bustling with activity, lanterns illuminate a dazzling array of goods, and tourists throng the streets.
A full moon hung in the sky, and the streets were brightly lit and decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations.
The whole street was filled with the joy of a wedding.
Men and women, young and old, middle-aged women all came out to admire the moon, watch the lanterns, listen to songs, and watch acrobatics.
Some old shops hang all sorts of lanterns in front of them, with riddles on them, attracting people to admire the lanterns and guess the riddles. Those who guess correctly get a free lantern, and some even give a reward.
Xiaoyue carried a rabbit lantern, and Xiaoman held a dog lantern; they were all different styles, and each person rarely carried the same one.
Yun Dan also selected several boxes of fine tea and bought various shapes of pastries for her family.
Of course, you have to eat glutinous rice balls on the Lantern Festival, and the glutinous rice ball shops are packed with people.
Yun Dan said, "Let's go eat Yuanxiao (sweet rice balls), one bowl each, and Sister Xiao Ya will pay for it."
A group of kids rushed in, shouting: "Brother Er, we want to eat tangyuan!"
The older ones addressed Yun Dan:
"Little girl, do you have enough money with you tonight? Don't be unable to pay the bill later."
"That's enough, that's enough. I already said, you can buy whatever you want and play whatever you want tonight. Eat and drink whatever you want. After tonight, it won't be the same anymore."
"You're so generous, girl. This isn't just a matter of a few taels of silver."
Several adults followed them in, each carrying a bowl of round glutinous rice balls.
Yuanxiao are made of glutinous rice. They are round and fluffy, like little snowballs, and crystal clear.
It's filled with fragrant lard and various floral flavors; the filling oozes out with every bite.
The little slug ate too quickly and cried out, "Ouch!" It got burned and covered its mouth with both hands.
He would rather get burned than spit it out, which amused everyone.
Night deepened, and the children grew tired of playing.
The adults led everyone on the way home. Although they were tired, everyone's heart was filled with joy and happiness.
Although everyone was tired, they still laughed and joked on their way home.
"Sister Xiaoyue, I'm so full tonight."
"You're so greedy."
"Who told those things to be so delicious? Little Sister must have spent a lot of money tonight."
"Won't her mom scold her when she gets home? I should have known better than to eat that."
"Ha, so you do know you're spending your little sister's money."
The other friends who heard their conversation also laughed.
Yun Dan looked at the ancient sky, a pristine environment, and thought how beautiful it was.
This kind of scenery could only be seen here in ancient times. Compared to modern cities, let alone seeing stars, even the full moon isn't this bright and round.
A group of people followed the bright moonlight and entered Sujia Village.
Some of the smaller ones are carried on the backs of adults and fall asleep.
Tonight is probably the most fun these kids will have all year.
The four siblings entered the house and saw that no one in the family was asleep yet, and the elders were all waiting for the children to return.
Lin Jiang placed the bag on the table and took out all sorts of food from it.
"Grandpa, Grandma, Dad, Mom, Uncle, Aunt. These pastries are for you to eat."
"And these things I bought, I also took out various decorations from the bag and distributed them to Grandma, Aunt, and Yundan's mother." Yundan also took out various things for her family.
"Grandpa, this is the best tea I've bought for you."
"And my uncle and father."
The grandparents couldn't stop smiling when they saw how filial their grandchildren were.
The Spring Festival has come to an end, and now it's time for everyone to get back to the daily routines of the new year.