246 “Blessing from Heavenly Official” Chapter 245

245 Lantern Riddles, Lantern Festival Night

The Lantern Festival, a good night.

It’s early spring, winter is not far behind, and the wind is still cold.Xie Lian was carrying a big bag and walked slowly on the roadside, his face slightly flushed by the wind.

The bag contained a lot of messy things that he had just collected, and he didn’t know if they were of any use.Regardless of whether it is useful or not, I will only be able to make a living from this in the future.

After a while, he passed by a stall on the street.

The stall is called “He Ji Snacks” and sells some snacks. It seems that the boss’s family of three are sitting on a small table in the back. A slender and pretty girl is walking through the table and busy. The boss calls her to stop being busy and come over to sit down. She doesn’t listen. He just says “Come here” in a voice like an oriole.There were some guests sitting in twos and threes at the other tables, but it seemed that they were just here for the young girl, just sitting there and chatting, and then went home after a while.After all, today is the Lantern Festival.

There was a small pot propped up in front of the stall, and a nest of white, round, and hot little things in the pot made him slow down.

Xie Lian said: “Yuanxiao.”

When he was a child, every Lantern Festival, the Lord and Queen of Xianle Kingdom would have a Yuanxiao meal with him.Xie Lian is a very picky eater and doesn’t like Yuanxiao. He didn’t like the delicious snacks prepared by famous chefs and served them to him in golden bowls and jade cups. He disliked them because they were too sweet and made his teeth itch.

Later, when I grew up, I went to Taicang Mountain to practice. I never came back during the Lantern Festival, and I didn’t even eat a few meals.Thinking about it now, he actually didn’t remember what Yuanxiao tasted like at all.

Xie Lian cautiously took a few glances at the stall, carefully put down the ugly big bag from his shoulder, and finally stepped in cautiously.

He took off his bamboo hat, held it in his hand and said, “Boss, please have a bowl of Yuanxiao. Do you have any here?”

The boss, who was quite old, glanced at him and didn’t reply. The slender girl smiled and said, “Yes, please come in and sit down first!” Then she got up and started getting ready.Xie Lian sat down, but saw the boss shaking his head. He felt strange. He wondered if there was something dirty on him that he didn’t like. He looked down at the sleeves of his clothes and made sure they were not dirty. After feeling a little relieved, he asked, “What’s wrong?”

He thought to himself that if the boss didn’t like him bringing the bag in, he would just put the bag outside.But the boss looked at him again, shook his head and said: “It’s miserable. It’s really miserable.”

Thanks for the pity: “Ah? What did you say?”

The boss said: “It would be too miserable for a person to eat Lantern Festival at a stall outside in the cold weather during the Lantern Festival.”

“…” Xie Lian said, “You can’t do this. Are you still doing business…”

The boss didn’t talk to him and went to get the bowl.After sitting for a while, Xie Lian felt that there were people around him looking at him.In other words, he was looking at him and the unusually obtrusive big bag next to him.

The boss’s daughter also sneaked over, squatting on the ground and poking at the bag with her fingers, as if she was curious about what was inside. Her mother called her several times before she went back.At this time, Xie Lian had not developed the invulnerable cheekiness that he would have in the future. He couldn’t help but kick the big bag under the table with his feet, trying to stuff it somewhere where others couldn’t see it.Unfortunately, this stall is small, and the tables, chairs and benches are also small, so there is no way to hide things.Xie Lian had no choice but to cough lightly and try his best to ignore the gazes of others.

You’ll get used to it.No big deal.

Suddenly, he remembered something, and quickly reached into his chest to take it out. His expression suddenly changed, and he thought to himself: “This is even worse! Not only is a person eating Lantern Festival outside in the cold weather at a stall during the Lantern Festival, but the money is not enough!!!”

Originally, he wanted to run away quickly, but at this moment, the boss came over with a big porcelain bowl, put it on the table, and said, “Five dollars.”

“…”

Xie Lian felt slightly suffocated and said: “Uh…I…”

He coughed several times, put his fist in front of his mouth, and heard the boss say: “Isn’t it?”

Xie Lian was about to stand up and get out when he saw a big porcelain bowl “bang” placed on the table in front of him.

He was stunned for a moment, then heard the boss say: “Forget it, seeing how miserable you are, I’ll give you a bowl. I have to close the stall after eating, so go back quickly. Today is the Lantern Festival, so we need to have a reunion!”

“…”

Xie Lian sat back again. Although he was saying in his heart that he actually had no place to go back after eating this bowl of Lantern Festival, he still whispered: “Thank you.”

The boss put down the bowl and went back.He brought the remaining Yuanxiao from the small pot in front of the stall to the small table.The little girl tilted her head and bit her spoon and said, “When will my brother come back? I want to wait for him to come back before eating.”

The boss also said: “It’s too late. It’s outrageous to come back so late during the Lantern Festival!”

The woman said: “It’s hard work for him. He came back soon. Don’t scold him later. Miao’er, Miao’er, don’t be busy anymore. I always ask you to come over to help. I’m really sorry. Come over and eat together.”

The young girl said: “I’m not busy!” Finally she cleared a table and went over to sit down and share the Lantern Festival with them.

The four of them seemed to be waiting for another family member to come back to reunite, talking and laughing.Xie Lian looked at them, picked up his bowl, scooped one of the spoons into his mouth, and took a sip of the sweet soup.

But I still don’t know what it feels like.

•

“Brother, brother?”

Xie Lian came back to his senses, and Hua Cheng was staring at him from the side.The red clothes made Huacheng’s eyebrows brighter and brighter, and the lights gave his face, which was so fair and lifeless, a layer of soft color.Xie Lian was slightly stunned and said: “What?”

Huacheng said: “Brother, are you tired? Still can’t walk?”

Xie Lian nodded casually and Huacheng said: “I’m sorry. I went too far last night.”

After a while, Xie Lian realized what he meant, and quickly waved his hands: “…What are you talking about? It’s not such a thing at all! It doesn’t matter at all!”

Huacheng raised an eyebrow and said: “Really? If that doesn’t matter at all, it means that I didn’t go too far yesterday? So I can…?”

“…”

Xie Lian suddenly remembered that this place was still on the street of a ghost market. He woke up and took a look. Sure enough, at some point, there were a lot of crooked melons and cracked jujubes in all directions. They had long ears and straight ears, and short ears stretched out their necks. Almost all of them opened their eyes as big as bells and stared at them. They were so shocked that they didn’t know what to say.Finally, he said: “Sanlang!”

Huacheng smiled slightly and said with his hands behind his back: “Okay, okay. It’s my fault, I won’t talk about it anymore.”

Xie Lian had long since withdrawn his gaze from the Lantern Festival monster stall on the street.Both sides of the ghost market street are hung with red lanterns, and the lanterns are full of riddles. The ghosts shout: “Guess the lantern riddles! Guess the lantern riddles! If you guess, you will get a prize! If you guess, you will get a prize!!!”

Huacheng said to Xie Lian: “Brother, do you want to try it? There is a prize.”

Xie Lian walked up and said, “Try?”

All the ghosts got excited and pushed each other: “Hush! Hush! The great uncle is going to guess the lantern riddles! The great uncle is going to guess the lantern riddles!!!”

“…” This overwhelming crowd was shouting as if he was going to dance. Xie Lian couldn’t laugh or cry. He was about to pick one, but immediately a tentacle stretched out from nowhere and offered a lantern diligently, saying: “Please! Please!”

To Xie Lian, everything is the same.So he took the light and took a look.The riddle consists of four words: “Find the white head.”

Xie Lian didn’t even think about it and said: “‘Me’.”

Huacheng clapped his hands and praised: “Brother, you are awesome.” The ghosts also applauded thunderously with him, crying and howling, and there were also dark unknown objects turning somersaults in the air and cheering, which was too exaggerated.Xie Lian was ashamed and said: “Actually, this… is really simple.”

The tentacle sent a second light and said: “Please! Please!”

Xie Lian took the light. This time, the mystery was “Spring Festival Day.”

Without even thinking about it, Xie Lian gave the answer and said: “‘husband’.”

Huacheng raised his hand to touch his palm again, and said with thanks: “No need, this is also very simple.”

Huacheng smiled and said: “Really? But, I really think my brother is awesome.”

Xie Lian said: “Where is it? If you solve the riddle on the lantern yourself and I solve it, that would be awesome…”

At this time, the tentacle sent a third light and sang: “Please! Please!”

Xie Lian looked at the results and frowned slightly.People around said: “Wow! It’s going to be difficult this time!”

Xie Lian nodded.Sure enough, the answer to the mystery this time cannot be understood at a glance: “Bashfully lowering your head to show your love.”

However, it’s not too difficult.After a while, Xie Lian said: “‘Mian’ means mimosa, take the grass part; bow your head, take the head of the word “low”; “express qingxin”, take the center part of the word “qing”. The three parts together are…’flower’. The answer is flower.”

After saying that, he covered his ears.Sure enough, as soon as he revealed the answer to the riddle, demons began to dance around him again, boasting without any bottom line, and it was extremely exaggerated and nauseating.Huacheng looked at him with a smile and said: “Brother, this time, it is really amazing.”

The tentacle held the lamp and quietly reached over again. Xie Lian also smiled and said: “There is something even more powerful. This time, I can guess the answer to the riddle without looking at the riddle. Believe it or not.”

Huacheng opened his eyes wide and said, “Oh, really, my brother actually has this unique skill?”

Xie Lian took the light and said: “Of course, I guess the answer this time is ‘city’. The city of Huacheng, right?”

He held up the lamp and took a look, and sure enough, “the south will be set in a fight.”Xie Lian said: “When the war broke out, it turned into ‘Tu’; ‘Ge’ was retained; ‘Nanfang Ding’ took the southern part of the word ‘Fang’, and it was located in the center of ‘Tu’ and ‘Ge’, and it was called ‘city’. This should be the most difficult mystery to solve, but it’s a pity…”

Unfortunately, he guessed the pattern first.What are the four answers connected together?

When the ghosts were discovered, they no longer dared to cheer. Instead, they coughed and looked at the sky.Huacheng’s eyes slowly swept over, and all the ghosts were scared out of their wits. Some got into the lamp, and some got into the ground. They all held their heads and said: “City Lord, calm down!!! It was not my idea!!!” “It was not me either!” “Shit! You obviously agree the loudest!!!”

Huacheng said quietly: “Get out.”

In an instant, all the people and ghosts on this street disappeared like wind and clouds, and not many people were left.Xie Lian hung the lamp back on the shelf and smiled: “Go back.”

The two walked side by side towards the Thousand Deng Temple.On the way, Huacheng said seriously: “Brother, don’t look at me like that. I really didn’t ask them to do this.”

Xie Lian smiled and said: “I know. If you say it, you will definitely not set up a mystery like this.”

Huacheng said: “Oh? Then brother, how do you think I will set up a mystery?”

Xie Lian said without warning: “Of course, ‘my husband Sanlang’…”

At this point, he realized that “trouble comes from the mouth” and quickly stopped talking.However, it was already too late.Huacheng laughed and said: “Brother, I was fooled! Beautiful!”

“…cunning, cunning…”

Just at this time, the two returned to Qiandeng Temple.Upon entering the main hall, Xie Lian discovered that there was a table of things placed on the jade platform.He was startled and went up to take a look. They were actually two bowls of Yuanxiao.

He turned around and Huacheng also walked up and said, “This is what my brother saw on the road just now.”

Xie Lian nodded.

Huacheng said: “Sit down and eat together, brother.”

“…”

Xie Lian didn’t sit down, but suddenly ran into his arms, buried his face in his chest, hugged Hua Cheng, and didn’t let go.

Huacheng also hugged him backhand.

After who knows how many years, he finally remembered what the Lantern Festival felt like.