Presumptuous Request

In the end, when she saw that everyone had put down their brushes, she started to write and a pair of poems appeared on the white Kong Ming Lantern.

“I only hope that you will return once a year.”

As she wrote, her mind was filled with thoughts of Jiang Danhe. To be honest, she was thinking about him the whole day.

She was constantly thinking about what he was doing. “Was he wearing warm clothes? Did he eat anything delicious? Did he set off firecrackers? Did he have anyone to keep him company during the New Year…?”

She put down the brush and gently blew on the ink. Looking at the two lines of poetry, she sighed silently. Their temporary separation was just for the sake of their relationship in the long run.

When the ink was dry, she brought out her lantern together with everyone else.

When the group arrived at the courtyard, they took turns to release the lanterns. Some helped to light the fire, while the others held up the lanterns. With a push, the Kong Ming Lanterns ascended into the sky, propelled by the hot steam. They watched as the lanterns transported their wishes and hopes into the sky.

After some time, many lanterns had risen up into the sky. They were blinking beautifully in the night sky.

The few of them helped each other to release all the Kong Ming Lanterns. The moment when all the lanterns were ascending towards the sky, it was a breathtaking and unforgettable scene for those who had the chance to witness it.

The group raised their heads and looked at the unique scenery in the sky. It was only when the lanterns drifted far into the distance that they retracted their thoughts and rubbed their stiff necks.

At this moment, the sound of gongs and drums suddenly sounded from within the village. It was extremely lively.

Everyone looked at each other, clearly unsure about the situation. They started walking out together.

At this moment, Peach Blossom Village was really bright. Every house was brightly lit, and there were lanterns hanging outside every door.

Xiaoguo’s house was one of them.

The few of them went outside and realized that they were not the only ones who had come out. Some other families were also sticking their heads out to check out the commotion.

“Sister Xiaoguo, is there any other celebration in your village?”

Ruyi enjoyed such activities very much. Being the first to run outside, she looked towards the direction of the sound in the distance.

“I don’t know.” Xiaoguo shook her head. She really had no idea.

Before they could figure out the situation, the voices got closer and closer. There were cheers and applause. The group standing at the door became even more confused.

After discussing for a while, they were about to go forward to check things out when a large group arrived.

“Mother! Lion dance! Lion dance!!”

Zhuang Zhuang’s excited screams sounded.

When Xiaoguo and the others heard this, they let out excited cries. It turned out that there was a lion dance performance in the village.

As the lion dance team approached Xiaoguo’s house, the group realized that there was a whole village following behind the troupe. No wonder it sounded so lively.

Just as they were focused on watching the show, the old village chief came to Xiaoguo and waved at her.

Fortunately, Xiaoguo had good eyesight. She saw the old village chief among the lions and pointed at herself in confusion. “Looking for me?”

The old village chief smiled and nodded. “Yes. You!”

Xiaoguo dodged the crowd and walked towards him. At this moment, Qin Anming saw her and grabbed her. As the surroundings were noisy, they could only communicate with their eyes.

When Xiaoguo saw Qin Anming looking at her, she gestured to where the old village chief was.

Qin Anming looked over and nodded in understanding. He let go of her arm and signaled her to come back quickly with his eyes.

Xiaoguo understood and nodded at him.

She then walked towards the old village chief and they moved to a quieter place.

“Village chief, what’s the matter?”

Seeing him hesitate, Xiaoguo spoke first.

The old village chief let out a shaky breath and looked like he was harnessing all his energy to speak. “I heard that your family bought big fireworks this year, so I was wondering if…”

Towards the end, he was too embarrassed to continue.

Such freeloading behavior was really embarrassing, but the circumstances this year were quite unique. There was really no other way out.

Xiaoguo couldn’t quite get what he was saying. What was he trying to say? She didn’t quite understand. Besides, who had told him that there were big fireworks at her house?

Seeing that Xiaoguo didn’t quite understand, the old village chief went all out. Since he had already said it earlier, he wasn’t afraid to say it again.

“It’s like this. Every year, our village will organize a fireworks display for the villagers. However, the village is really facing difficulties this year, so we were wondering if we could borrow your fireworks to show everyone…”

Xiaoguo chuckled and shook her head. She was wondering what the matter was. So this was it.

When the old village chief saw her shake her head, his heart turned cold. It seems like the village is going to miss out on watching fireworks this year.

“Of course. No problem.”

To survive a desperate situation—feeling sadness before experiencing joy. This was his current mood.

Seeing his disbelief, Xiaoguo nodded in confirmation. It wasn’t a big deal. In any case, the entire village would see it once the fireworks were lit.

“I’ll release it at the stroke of midnight.”

After saying that, she got ready to go back. However, when the old village chief heard this, he immediately stopped her and shook his head quickly. “No, no, no.”

“…?”

“What? Wasn’t it customary here to celebrate the new year at midnight?”

“We have to bring the fireworks to the grain field. That’s the center of the village. If we display it at your house, the location is too remote. The fireworks might not be visible in certain parts of the village, so it won’t work.”

The old village chief was wearing a troubled expression on his face. Xiaoguo felt sorry for him. At this ripe old age, he was still working hard for the villagers. It must be hard on him. There was no reason for her to refuse him.

But she had one request.

“Tell me.” The old village chief swallowed his saliva. His heart was beating wildly. He looked at her nervously, wondering what request she would make.

“Actually, it’s nothing…” Xiaoguo looked at the lively scene not far away and chuckled. “We have to set off the big fireworks ourselves.”

“Okay! That goes without saying!”

The old village chief heaved a sigh of relief. This was not an issue. It was only right that they do it themselves. He was already feeling grateful that Xiaoguo was willing to share her fireworks with the village.

After confirming the time, Xiaoguo returned to her house and watched the lion dance for a while. When the lion dance troupe left, everyone except Xiaoguo followed the troupe. Even Zhuang Zhuang left with Qin Anming to join in the fun.

Xiaoguo was not fond of such activities, so she didn’t go with them.

She returned to the courtyard and looked at the super-large firecracker. There was actually a reason why she made that request.

From the moment Qin Anming saw the big fireworks, his heart was pining for it. He had been looking forward to the moment when he could light it himself. That was the reason why she made that request.

If Qin Anming missed out on this opportunity, he would definitely feel upset.

The lion dance took longer than expected. After Xiaoguo had finished making a fresh pot of tea, the group returned with excitement. As they walked, they couldn’t stop discussing among themselves.

Seeing how happy they were, Xiaoguo also felt happy. After they were seated, she told them what the old village chief had told her.

At the beginning, when she mentioned about lending the fireworks to the village, Qin Anming’s heart was stuck in his throat. However, when Xiaoguo said that he could light them, he immediately regained his composure. As long as he could light the fireworks himself, it was fine. If he didn’t, he would definitely feel sorry about it for the entire year.

He thanked Xiaoguo again for reserving the chance for him.

Xiaoguo laughed at him. She really didn’t understand his hobby. Was he addicted to lighting fireworks?

The bunch of them ate and drank, and had a lot of fun. They were very happy. Even though there was no Spring Festival Gala, they didn’t feel bored. Instead, it felt like they had become much closer to each other.

Staying up on new year’s eve is a symbolic act of driving away all the evil plagues and diseases. It represents wishes for an auspicious new year.

In ancient times, there were two meanings to this.

The older people stayed up during the new year to show that they cherished time. Young people stayed up so as to extend their parents’ lifespan.