bestfiction Chapter 278: Lanterns
Chapter 278: Lanterns
Chapter 278: Lantern Festival
Ji Meiqing breathed a sigh of relief and said, "I knew we wouldn't sleepwalk. But why did you stay up so late and get up so early today? Looking at the dishes, you made them, didn't you? Where's Grandma Liu?"
Not wanting her to worry, Lu Yu said, "I went to bed early last night. I went to the outhouse in the middle of the night and happened to see you, so I just carried you back. But don't worry, I carried Xiaofei back on my back. As for Grandma Liu, she didn't go back for the New Year. There have been a lot of things going on at home recently, so she went back early this morning. I gave her two days off. I still have to go to the restaurant and the peach orchard later. That's why I got up a little early and made breakfast for you."
Fearing that continuing the conversation would reveal that he hadn't rested well, Lu Yu said, "Alright, I think it's about time. I should go. Take good care of yourselves at home and don't fall asleep on the roof again." After saying that, he left.
Ji Meiqing, her cheeks puffed out as she ate, said to Zhang Xiaofei, who was eating earnestly beside her, "Why is Brother Lu in such a hurry? Never mind. This is delicious, try it."
After Lu Yu came out, he realized that he seemed to have forgotten to tell them about the little incident of seeing a strange young man last night. But then he thought, forget it if you forget, it's not too late to tell them when you have time.
Three days passed quickly, and Lu Yu finally finished taking care of his business matters. Ji Meiqing and Zhang Xiaofei dressed up early and went straight to Yuanyang Tower to find Lu Yu. Lu Yu was checking the safety of the restaurant when he saw them arrive. He sat down at a table with them and said, "Why didn't you wait for me at home? I'm not going back until tonight for the Lantern Festival. It's still early."
Zhang Xiaofei said, "Brother Lu, this is what Xiaoqing and I are thinking. We'll come out first and not go back. The guards at home are quite persistent; not a single one is missing. I've put all my bets on the Lantern Festival. If I can achieve my goal, that would be great. If not, after thinking about it for so many days, I've realized that if it doesn't work out, it might just be fate. I'll go talk to my father."
"I'm afraid this was Mei Qing's idea," Lu Yu said, seeing right through her.
Zhang Xiaofei smiled sheepishly and said, "You two really are a couple, I can tell that."
Ji Meiqing was eating fruit next to me, trying to convince herself, but I couldn't hear anything she was saying.
night.
The lights were bright, and Ji Meiqing and Zhang Xiaofei squeezed into the crowd to guess lantern riddles. Unfortunately, the two were too smart and answered them all correctly, winning many prizes. In order to give the boss a way out, they decided to release the lanterns first.
Ji Meiqing and her group arrived at the river where lanterns were released in the capital. Ji Meiqing and Zhang Xiaofei watched as the lanterns floated downstream. Ji Meiqing stared calmly at the lanterns and said, "These carry people's hopes, dreams, and wishes. But in reality, they are just beautiful fantasies."
Lu Yu returned with the lanterns he had just bought and overheard this conversation. He said, "Don't be so pessimistic. What a beautiful day, what a beautiful scene! Look at these lanterns, how beautiful they are! Even if it's just a beautiful fantasy, it's worth it. Here, take one of each of us, and let's put our own fantasies into practice."
Zhang Xiaofei suddenly had an idea. She asked for a pen from a lantern stall and ran to a spot some distance away from Ji Meiqing and Lu Yu. She said she wanted to write her wish down so they wouldn't peek. Lu Yu, thinking about being alone with Ji Meiqing, thought it would be great, so he pulled Ji Meiqing and said, "Let's not go over there. Let's give her some space."
Unexpectedly, they suddenly heard someone calling for help. The two hurriedly turned to look in that direction. Ji Meiqing asked worriedly, "Isn't that the direction Xiaofei ran in? The voice sounds so similar. I hope nothing has happened to her."
Lu Yu comforted her, "It's alright, we'll go check it out quickly." Lu Yu pulled Ji Meiqing along and ran over. Sure enough, Zhang Xiaofei had fallen into the river. Just as Lu Yu was about to jump in to save her, a figure flew over and pulled Zhang Xiaofei out of the water. Zhang Xiaofei was coughing and had swallowed a lot of river water. Ji Meiqing ran over and patted her back, worriedly saying, "I told you not to run so far, it would be difficult to save you if something happened. What happened? How could you fall into the river like that?"
After Zhang Xiaofei calmed down a bit, she said, "I just wanted to put the lantern out, but unexpectedly, there were suddenly more people here, and I accidentally slipped and fell. By the way, thank you for saving me, young master."
"You're welcome, young lady."
Hearing the voice, Lu Yu looked at him with some surprise and said, "It's you?" Ji Meiqing and Zhang Xiaofei said in unison, "You know him?"
Lu Yu then recounted what had happened the previous night. Ji Meiqing then carefully examined the person in front of her and said, "Huh? You look so familiar. You seem to be that young master who used to get drunk at my restaurant a few days ago."
Zhang Xiaofei blushed and whispered, "Xiaoqing, it's not just a guess, it's him."
The young master said, "My name is Qiu Ze. To be honest, I did go out drinking frequently a few days ago because of some things."
Ji Meiqing felt this was a good opportunity to help Xiaofei, so she said, "Since you saved Xiaofei, let's not chat here anymore. It's not far from Yuanyang Tower. My treat, let's go chat together." Qiu Ze looked at Zhang Xiaofei and said, "Okay."
When the group saw Yuanyang Tower, Lu Yu was in charge of ordering food. Zhang Xiaofei was already too shy to speak. Seeing this, Ji Meiqing asked, "Young Master Qiu, why did you get drunk a few days ago? And why did you go out for a walk so late because you couldn't sleep? You don't have to answer if you don't want to."
Roy Chiu smiled and said, "There's nothing inconvenient about it. My dad is forcing me to marry a girl I've never met before, but I've always longed for a relationship based on mutual affection, so I'm just drinking to drown my sorrows."
Ji Meiqing sighed, "Yes, mutual love is a relationship that everyone longs for. My Xiaofei was forced by her father to marry a man she had never met before."
Ji Meiqing could tell that Qiu Ze also had feelings for Zhang Xiaofei, which was why she suggested going to a restaurant for dinner. Qiu Ze said regretfully, "Not listening is unfilial, but listening will make you regret it for the rest of your life. I know that we men can marry many wives, but I think that's too unfair to girls."
Ji Meiqing mentally gave him points; not bad, at least he had sound values. She then inquired, "So, do you have a girl you like right now?"
Before Qiu Ze could answer, Ji Meiqing interrupted him, "Wait a minute, I'm going to the kitchen. You guys chat for a bit." Then she left the three of them and went to the kitchen herself. "They say people speak the truth when they're drunk, so I'll play matchmaker." Then she came back with the strongest liquor.