Xie Xihai’s eyes were filled with anticipation as they finally arrived at the lantern festival. Approaching dusk, lanterns adorned the streets—some lit, others waiting to be ignited. From the upper floor of the inn, the whole street sparkled with lights.
The sun hung low in the sky, casting a reddish glow. In the distance, the sounds of lion and dragon dances, along with drumming and gonging, echoed through the air—the lantern festival was about to begin.
Xie Xihai took out a set of peculiar and exotic clothing he hadn’t worn in a long time and attempted to put it on. Sheng Lin came up from downstairs, pushed open the door, and saw Xie Xihai tangled in a pile of fabric, looking troubled.
“Sheng Hero, quickly help this young master figure out how to wear this attire. I need to get ready quickly to see the lanterns!” Seeing Sheng Lin approaching, Xie Xihai sought his assistance.
Walking over, Sheng Lin observed in the dimly lit room. Xie Xihai’s upper body was bare, and he was kneeling on the bed, trying to arrange layers of clothing on his arm. Sheng Lin caught his hand, stepped closer, and said emotionlessly, “Let me see.”
“Sure,” Xie Xihai released his hand, instructing Sheng Lin, “The gray one should be the innermost layer. I need to wear it quickly to see the lanterns.”
Sheng Lin approached, helping him pull up the straps that had fallen around his waist. He then slid the thin gray silk over Xie Xihai’s arm. Xie Xihai looked sideways for a long time and exclaimed, “Ah, finally got it right!”
Recalling the appearance of this outfit in his memory, Sheng Lin and Xie Xihai worked together for a while before everything was neatly arranged. The drumming and gonging sounds outside were getting closer. Xie Xihai grabbed Sheng Lin’s arm, jumped off the bed, and happily said, “Let’s go see the lanterns!”
Mozhou’s lantern festival was a grand event in the vicinity, attracting people from neighboring areas to come and watch. The wide Mozhou Road was crowded with people of all ages, and Xie Xihai started by walking close to Sheng Lin. Later, he linked arms with him, and finally, worried about getting separated, he grabbed Sheng Lin’s hand, squeezing through the crowd together.
Sheng Lin’s hand was warm, much rougher than the delicate hands of a young master like Xie Xihai, who rarely saw the sun. After holding it for a long time, Xie Xihai felt that Sheng Lin’s hand had become even warmer. He looked at Sheng Lin, who didn’t seem to be sweating.
They walked west for a long time, away from the parade of dragon and lion dances, and the crowd began to thin out. At least they could now take longer strides and clearly see the beautiful lanterns on both sides of the road.
This part of the route featured lanterns in various shapes, some resembling animals, while others depicted floral designs.
A few empty spaces had vendors setting up stalls, selling lanterns they were carrying. Xie Xihai stopped at a small shop and scrutinized the lanterns.
“Do you want one?” Sheng Lin asked, showing no indication of denying the purchase.
Xie Xihai extended two fingers, requesting lanterns. “I want two.”
“Choose then,” Sheng Lin gestured with his chin.
Xie Xihai almost thought Sheng Lin was possessed by a ghost. Otherwise, how could he be so unexpectedly kind to him? Could there be some ulterior motive? Even if there were, it would be a later concern. Right now, Xie Xihai was only focused on picking lanterns.
The small vendor recommended several lanterns with Mozhou characteristics to Xie Xihai. In the end, he chose two ordinary lanterns, both with orange-red paper shells, and the candlelight inside shone through. Holding one in each hand, as the lanterns swayed with the night breeze, the two fuzzy warm lights inside flickered, creating a warm and adorable sight.
In his eagerness to see the lanterns, Xie Xihai had walked hastily, causing his headgear to become crooked. After walking for some time, his head shook, and the already loose headgear was about to fall off.
Sheng Lin reached out and removed Xie Xihai’s headgear. Xie Xihai’s black hair cascaded down, making his face appear even more pointed and petite.
“What are you doing?” With a few strands of hair covering his eyes, Xie Xihai complained to Sheng Lin. He leaned towards Sheng Lin and closed his eyes, saying, “Quickly, help this young master fix his hair.”
Sheng Lin reached out, tucking those few loose strands behind Xie Xihai’s ear. Holding the lit lantern, Xie Xihai ran ahead again, humming an unknown mountain song. Even the fluttering of his eyelashes seemed joyful, without a trace of sorrow.
Xie Xihai liked to be in the midst of a lively atmosphere. He was naturally lively himself, never stopping his mouth, and had many little quirks. When walking, his steps were light and brisk, frequently looking back at Sheng Lin, calling out, “Hero Sheng, walk faster!”
As the liveliness slowly dissipated, and the moon rose over the willows, pedestrians started heading back. One of Xie Xihai’s lanterns had extinguished. He handed the extinguished one to Sheng Lin and continued wandering with the intact lantern. Sheng Lin neither deducted a small flower from Xie Xihai nor mentioned that it was getting late and time to return to the inn. Instead, he accompanied Xie Xihai along the moat.
After walking for a while, Xie Xihai suddenly turned to Sheng Lin and said, “Today feels like New Year’s.”
“During New Year’s, it’s usually like this. The entire royal residence gathers on a round platform to eat and watch plays,” Xie Xihai reminisced. “Father likes to listen to plays about kings and their kingdoms. My mother and I would fall asleep halfway through the play. After the performance, my mother and I would return to our courtyard. That’s when we truly began celebrating New Year’s.”
Xie Xihai and Shang Ling lived in a large compound north of Prince Ning’s residence. During the approaching New Year, Shang Ling would send people to decorate the compound beautifully. After watching half of the play, they would return and prepare a feast together with Xie Xihai and a few trusted maids.
The servants in the compound doted on Xie Xihai and pampered him. Xie Xihai, having grown accustomed to being attended to, had the delicateness of a young master but none of the temperamental airs. He liked the atmosphere of celebrating New Year’s as they did in the compound, surrounded by familiar people, pampered and comfortable, spending the rest of his life in such a carefree manner.
However, Xie Xihai’s life was too short. He was about to complete it very soon.
Xie Xihai no longer waited for Sheng Lin to respond and continued talking by himself. As long as Sheng Lin listened without interrupting, Xie Xihai could talk for a long time by himself. This time, however, when he remembered the New Year, he fell silent for a moment before continuing, “Hero Sheng, when you escort me to the capital, will you take this route back to Mozhou?”
Sheng Lin looked at him, and Xie Xihai couldn’t understand the expression on Sheng Lin’s face. So, he stubbornly asked Sheng Lin again, “Will you go or not?”
“What’s the matter? Speak up,” Sheng Lin tapped Xie Xihai’s head before asking.
Xie Xihai took it as Sheng Lin saying “go.” Thinking that Sheng Lin was just pretending to be cool, he wondered why Sheng Lin couldn’t answer such simple questions properly.
Unfortunately, he still had a favor to ask of Sheng Lin, so he couldn’t say something too harsh. Xie Xihai paused for a moment before softly requesting Sheng Lin, “If you pass through Mozhou, could you buy a lantern for my mother? I’ve inquired, and there’s a shop behind the inn that sells lanterns all year round. It’s called Chen’s Lantern Shop. Please buy one similar to this lantern for me.”
He held up the lantern in his hand for Sheng Lin to see. The candlelight gently shone through the orange-red paper lantern shell, creating a warm and adorable atmosphere. Xie Xihai’s eyes were large and bright, and his nose was slightly upturned, with a cute and playful curve.
Xie Xihai’s lips were slightly parted, and if Sheng Lin didn’t agree, he could still say a hundred more sentences to persuade him.
Xie Xihai was like the first glimpse of peach blossoms in the spring breeze of March—he was the earliest and the best.
“Alright, Sheng Lin?” Xie Xihai put down the lantern and sat on a stone by the moat. “I’ve said I really like her, and I want to give her this lantern.”
He waited and waited, but Sheng Lin didn’t respond. Feeling bored, Xie Xihai stood up and started walking back. Tired along the way and still far from the inn, he leaned against Sheng Lin, hanging on him as they walked. The lantern in his hand had also extinguished. He threw both lanterns away, shamelessly asking Sheng Lin to carry him.
Unexpectedly, Sheng Lin really lifted him up, deducting the two small flowers Xie Xihai had added without permission.
Nestled in Sheng Lin’s arms, Xie Xihai thought about how he and Sheng Lin were old acquaintances, and there was still some emotion between them. He wondered if Xie Xilin got tired, would he ask Sheng Lin to carry him? He pictured Xie Xilin asking Sheng Lin to carry him, and suddenly, anger surged within him. Xie Xilin was already in his twenties; asking Sheng Lin to carry him was simply shameless.
Sheng Lin carried Xie Xihai back to the inn. He placed Xie Xihai back on the bed. Xie Xihai struggled to take off his clothes but couldn’t manage. Sheng Lin helped him undress, and it took both of them quite a while to completely strip Xie Xihai.
Xie Xihai changed into more revealing attire, climbed into bed, rolled around a few times, and soon fell asleep.
