462 I’ve Seen This Pattern Before
Tang Si knew that she spoke wrongly, but her pride prevented her from apologizing. She stood up from the stool and followed right behind Ji Yunshu.
Mo Ruo shouted, “Let’s go and release the river lantern!” His words came out slurred as he promptly followed behind them with a pot of wine in his arms.
At the riverside, both men and women were crowded along its banks releasing lanterns. Many small lanterns were already on the water. Some were floating on their own, others were floating in clusters, and there were also some that sunk right away. The lights from the lanterns that were hung in the surrounding area shone on the serene water, flickering gently with the flow of the water. The whole scene looked surreal to Ji Yunshu. She had never been a superstitious person, but she believed in making wishes! She found two lanterns and gave one to Wei Yi.
“Shu’er, what’s your wish?”
“It’s a secret.” She held the river lantern in her hands, closed her eyes, and made a wish before she released it into the river. She gently touched the surface of the water, causing the gently rippling waves to carry the lantern further and further away.
Wei Yi also made a wish quietly before imitating Ji Yunshu. Their river lanterns floated side by side. “Shu’er, look. Our lanterns are together.”
She smiled.
“Shu’er, do you know what is my wish? I wish for…”
“Dong!” Before he finished his sentence, Wei Yi saw his lantern struck by something, causing the candle to go out, and the lantern itself to sink into the water. “My lantern!” He lamented.
“I didn’t do it on purpose.” Tang Si walked over with a few rocks in her hand.
Wei Yi promptly stood up and questioned her, “Why did you hit my lantern?”
“I said that I didn’t do it on purpose. I casually threw a rock and it unexpectedly hit your lantern.”
“That was our lantern.”
“I can buy you another one.”
Wei Yi was extremely angry and at a loss for words. Ji Yunshu held him back and comforted him, “It was just a lantern. Let it go. I’ll give you my lantern, okay?”
“Then how about you, Shu’er?”
“My biggest wish is for your wish to come true.”
“Yes!” Wei Yi was pleased and he threw all the grudges he held against Tang Si away squatting down and watching the remaining lantern from afar.
Mo Ruo, who was resting on a rock bench not far away, saw this and chuckled as he casually took another sip of wine. Tang Si threw the rock in her hand away and squatted beside Ji Yunshu. Tang Si briefly pulled Ji Yunshu’s shirt and asked, “What’s your surname?”
“Ji.”
“First name?”
“Address me however you like it.”
“Then… I’ll call you A Ji. At my place, they call me A Si. You can also call me A Si.”
“Hmm.” She gave a brief nod. Although her patience had been already been worn out by Tang Si, Ji Yunshu did not want to make a scene
Tang Si intentionally leaned over to Ji Yunshu’s side and asked curiously, “What do you work as? Why do you know so much? We Hou Liao are the most straightforward people, and we adore smart people like you.”
Ji Yunshu smiled. “This one is not smart. This one only has an extra pair of eyes compared to the others. Hence, I can see things that others can’t.”
“Really? Then tell me, what do you see on me?” Tang Si stretched out her hands and twirled in front of Ji Yunshu. The many accessories on her clothes clinked against each other. The noise wasn’t jarring but instead resembled wind chimes on a breezy day. It was a clear and peaceful sound.
However, Ji Yunshu’s gaze was fixed at the red ribbon on her waist. She pointed at the tiny skull embedded on the ribbon with her chin and asked, “What’s that?”
Hmm?
Tang Si removed the skull from her waist and played with it in her hands, “You’ll never guess what is this. This is the skull of a Hao [1. This is a fictional animal]. I found it in the mountains. Do you know what a Hao is? It’s a nocturnal animal whose bite is absolutely lethal. To hunt this Hao down, I spent almost two months in the mountains. My dad always says that I’m like a child brought up by stray ghosts because I’m afraid of nothing, but this is simply the spirit of the ladies of Hou Liao,” she spoke with the utmost pride! She threw the skull in her hand up in the air and caught it in her hands again, repeating the action several times.
Ji Yunshu shifted her gaze to look at the river lantern that was slowly floating further away. At the same time, two silhouettes were standing on the bridge, one was tall and another was short. The lights from the lanterns projected their shadows onto the rippling water, painting another beautiful scene.
Jing Rong had both his hands resting behind his back, his gaze carrying the depth of his feelings as he stared at Ji Yunshu standing at the side of the river under the bridge. She was squatting by the riverside with a smile painted on her small and delicate face. Her eyes shone like stars as she sent the river lantern off with her gaze. He was lost in every move and every smile Ji Yunshu made. He knew clearly that she was his only one in this life.
Mu Jin, who was standing beside him, was unaware of where Jing Rong was looking at. She asked, “Young Master Jing, you’re not from Anfu. Am I right?”
He nodded, “I’m only passing by.”
“Where is Young Master from?”
“The south.”
“Where are you heading to?”
“The north.” The north was thousands of miles across.
Mu Jin did not dwell on this topic but started a new one, “The Young Master just now was really smart. He could deduce the identity of the lady with merely a silver whip.”
“Absolutely. He is the smartest person I’ve ever met. Not only is he smart, but he’s also the only person I’ll sacrifice myself for in this world.” He had no intention of hiding his feelings towards Ji Yunshu at all. Joy could be seen spilling out of the corner of his lips as he spoke.
Mu Jin was taken aback! What… is their relationship?
Before she could ask her questions, some passersby on the bridge bumped into her accidentally, causing her to trip and fall towards Jing Rong. Naturally, Jing Rong caught her in his arms!
Coincidentally, Ji Yunshu raised her head and saw this scene. Her heart was filled with disappointment and sadness as if someone had stabbed her heart with a needle. She promptly moved her gaze away, feeling petty for not trusting Jing Rong completely.
After spending all this time together, she knew exactly how much Jing Rong cared for her. Hence, she shook her head discreetly and discarded her previous thoughts.
Tang Si, who was beside her, asked curiously, “What are you thinking about? You haven’t told me about your job.”
She replied briefly, “A poor scholar.”
“I don’t believe.”
“Why?”
Tang Si smirked suddenly and said, “I forgot to tell you. I’m not only gutsy, but I have quick hands too. Just now…”
Uh huh?
Ji Yunshu sensed something wrong as Tang Si slowly drew out the hand she hid behind her back. She waved a wooden pendant in front of Ji Yunshu’s face. This was the pendant Ji Yunshu’s mom had left for her. Ji Yunshu’s face turned ruthless and cold, “Return it to me.” She reached out to grab the pendant but she failed.
Tang Si stood up while she continued swinging the jade pendant. She asked, “Does this belong to you?”
“Return it to me now.”
“I can give it to you. But you’ll have to tell me where did you get this from.”
“What do you want?”
Tang Si replaced her quirky face with a solemn one as she touched the pattern engraved in the plate. Her eyes deepened as she said in a serious tone. “I’ve seen this pattern before.”
“What do you mean?”
“This…” She did not finish her sentence.
Suddenly, a sharp arrow soared past the crowd and sped in Ji Yunshu’s direction.