Chapter 446: Chapter 290 New Year (2)
“Miss Xiao’s fiancée is reserved and not good with words; I’m afraid she might offend you,” Xiao Song said with a faint smile, yet showed no intention of stepping aside.
As long as the person wasn’t brought through the door, there could be complications. Before that happened, although Xiao Song wouldn’t hide the fact that he already had a fiancée, he also wouldn’t put her in the spotlight for everyone to comnt on. Moreover, Ming has always been a person of many controversies.
“Oh?” The person chuckled, the pitch of their voice rising at the end.
Ran Yan heard the unhurried “pat” “pat” sound, like the handle of a fan gently tapping the palm of a hand.
Soon, a series of footsteps followed.
Ran Yan peered out half a head, and saw one of them dressed in n’s clothing with wide sleeves and a sweeping robe, encircled by a crowd in the middle, with a slender figure and a jade belt tied around the waist, their neck and shoulders enwrapped by a thick, white mink fur collar. With hair half-up and cascading over the white fur, under the bright lights, they seed to shimr and twist, captivating even from just a back view.
Halfway through her descent, she suddenly stopped, swiftly unfurled her folding fan, and partially concealed her face.
Xiao Song and Ran Yan both thought she would continue downstairs but, unexpectedly, she turned her head back, the corners of her eyes lifted with a smile. She blinked, then with a toss of her dark hair, she cheerfully made her way down.
Who she was directing that at, Xiao Song or Ran Yan, was unclear.
Once inside, Xiao Song said, “That was Princess Baling.”
Ran Yan had sowhat guessed her royal identity, yet hadn’t expected it to be the seldom-seen but widely known Princess Baling. “She does appear to be quite a character.”
Xiao Song arched an eyebrow slightly but didn’t continue the conversation.
After Xiao Song’s instructions, the food was quickly served. There weren’t many dishes, but all were exquisitely prepared. Ran Yan had not eaten lunch or dinner, and only then, upon seeing the food, did she feel hungry.
Xiao Song had dined with Lady Xiao and wasn’t hungry. He rely kept Ran Yan company and moved his chopsticks a little.
After the al, they sat for a while before going out for a stroll.
The East Market was ablaze with lights, bustling and crowded with people, and exceedingly lively.
The lanterns here displayed even more variety than those seen on the road earlier, with all sorts of fascinating carousel lanterns and stalls selling small items with auspicious anings. Ran Yan was absorbed as if visiting an ancient New Year festival for the first ti, much livelier than usual. Her especially charming attire drew many glances from passersby, and even so young n followed for a while. If not for Xiao Song guarding her closely like a mother hen, bristling with deterrence, they might have approached to strike up a conversation.
During such a grand festival, everyone from noble elites to common tradespeople was outside enjoying the lantern display. Light carriages and grand canopies crowded the streets. Despite the congestion, Ran Yan felt quite at ease walking behind Xiao Song’s defensive stance, but before long, the sweat had soaked through his undershirt.
Seeing all sorts of novel trinkets she had never encountered before, Ran Yan was dazzled. Even though she usually lacked enthusiasm for shopping, in a short ti, she had already collected quite a few items. Xiao Song and his servant carried large and small bags, while Ran Yan and Wan Lu held snacks special to the area, thoroughly enjoying themselves.
“Ayan, although the East Market is nice, it’s not as interesting as the Zhuque Street. Shall we go there to have a look?” Xiao Song suggested.
Zhuque Street is a wide avenue laying before the Imperial Palace gate, reportedly accommodating tens of thousands of people. Moreover, on such major holidays, all the perforrs of the Imperial Music Bureau would co out to showcase their arts; the sounds of strings, bamboos, and singing could be heard for miles.
“Great!” Ran Yan was in high spirits, and this was her most excited mont since arriving in the Great Tang.
The vast East Market couldn’t be thoroughly explored in one evening, but the latter half of the night on Zhuque Street wouldn’t offer spectacular performances. Around midnight, many would choose to go ho for the New Year vigil, making the early part of the night the liveliest ti to visit—now was perfect. Though there wouldn’t be a curfew tomorrow either, Xiao Song had to attend a family banquet with his clan and certainly couldn’t get away.
The walk from East Market to Zhuque Street was short, so they held hands and strolled over like they were out for a leisurely walk. To make the journey more comfortable, Xiao Song led Ran Yan down a quaint alley.
The tranquil alley was lined with lanterns, though not in great numbers.
In the quietude, Ran Yan finally turned to look at Xiao Song. In the mingling glow of the moonlight and lamplight, his handso features caught a soft reflection. Perhaps due to the exertion he had previously sustained, his muscles were still tensed, accentuating the powerful lines of his neck, chest, and arms.
Ran Yan halted and pulled a handkerchief from her sleeve, reaching out to wipe his face for him.
Xiao Song was initially taken aback but soon his face broke into a smile, evidently enjoying the mont as she gently wiped his face and neck with the handkerchief.
Watching from behind, Wan Lu felt a surge of happiness in her heart. Seeing the couple’s mutual affection, the harmony between husband and wife, and their intimate bond, she silently wished them well, hoping they would always be like this, until their hair turned white with age.
After wiping off the sweat, neither spoke much. They simply held hands and quietly moved forward. Although the night was cold, warmth continuously flowed beside them.
As they walked on, the noise grew louder, and upon turning a corner, a wave of sounds mixed with various scents hit them.
The royal court’s lively performance was in full swing, and at every exciting mont, the roar of applause was ceaseless. The venue was large enough to accommodate many performances, and with the common folk rarely witnessing royal entertainnts, Zhuque Street was bustling several tis more than East Market.
Ran Yan was imdiately captivated by the lively atmosphere. Xiao Song ordered the guards to clear a path and led Ran Yan into the gaps they fiercely opened up.
The place was filled with foreign rchants wearing ethnic robes, with deep-set eyes and high noses, and the air resonated with exotic music. One could also hear the rchants speaking broken local language as they haggled with custors.
Wan Lu loved watching these foreigners, her eyes fixed on any handso or unusual sights without looking away.
“Ah Yan,” Xiao Song finally pulled Ran Yan aside in a relatively empty spot and whispered in her ear, “Look towards the sky.”
Ran Yan’s mind was slightly dazed, and drawn by his naturally enchanting voice, she lifted her head.
Among the noisy crowd, a soft “whoosh” could be heard. From the northeast, a bright light streaked across the sky like a teor and “boom”—it exploded in a blaze of glory. Around them, multiple sounds erged, with countless streaks of light, akin to both teors and fireflies, soaring into the heavens before blossoming into magnificent flowers, then falling montarily from the sky like a teor shower.
The crowd was stunned by the brilliant and dazzling sight, and the enormous Zhuque Street fell silent for an instant.
Ran Yan suddenly realized that the Tang Dynasty apparently didn’t have fireworks, so she couldn’t help but look towards Xiao Song, “Did you do this?”
“Mhm, it was Liu Qingsong’s idea. He said you would like it, so I spent the last couple of days trying to make it with his recipe. I didn’t expect it to actually work,” Xiao Song said with a smile.
Ran Yan kept her gaze fixed on him.
Xiao Song felt a twinge of disappointnt. Everyone on Zhuque Street was amazed, staring at the fireworks, captivated, while Ran Yan seed relatively unaffected. Yet he still managed to say with a chuckle, “Am I better looking than the fireworks?”
But in the next mont, Ran Yan turned back to him, stood on tiptoe, and quickly planted a kiss on his lips.
Ran Yan wasn’t soone who was easily moved by such gestures. If it had been in modern tis, soone setting off fireworks across the country wouldn’t have impressed her much. But these were handmade by him, and the re ntion that “she would like it” made him bury his head in his work, following the recipe to create them.
To have a husband like this, what more could she ask for? (
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