However, longing was one thing, but what the two of them longed for was quite different.
One longed for the delicious food within it.
The other longed for the beauty of that day.
However, there were still a day or two left before the Lantern Festival began.
The two of them could only endure it for a little longer.
"Don't be so impatient! The Lantern Festival isn't going anywhere. Just look at you, acting like a restless cub," Su Qing teased, seeing Su Yudie's state of unbearable anticipation.
"I'm not impatient, I'm not! Yudie isn't impatient at all!" Yudie nodded hurriedly, refusing to admit her eagerness.
Su Qing shook her head and said, "There are still a few days until the festival, and the streets are bound to be lively. If you're truly that anxious, just go for a stroll tomorrow. After all, what you want isn't to see the lanterns, but to eat the delicacies found at the festival."
Su Qing knew Yudie well, so she naturally understood what the girl truly desired.
Hearing Su Qing say this, Yudie couldn't help but stick out her tongue and said, "Mother still knows me best."
"If I didn't know you, who would?" Su Qing shook her head with a helpless smile.
"But Mother still doesn't know me well enough! I won't go strolling the streets early. If I eat all the good food available at the Lantern Festival ahead of time, then when the actual day comes, the fun will be much diminished."
Yudie looked at Su Qing, proudly stating her inner thoughts.
Upon hearing this, Su Qing found it somewhat amusing.
"Suit yourself~ I won't force you to go. But, can you actually hold out?"
"Mother, you should have a little more faith in me!" Yudie puffed out her cheeks and spoke with a hint of a coquettish pout.
Seeing this, Su Qing simply stared at her with a smile, saying nothing more.
Watching Yudie, Morning Glory also found it hard to stifle a laugh.
She felt that Sister Yudie definitely wouldn't be able to hold out for that long.
Even the usually quiet Jingyue couldn't help but speak up to tease Yudie.
"Hmph, I'll show you all!" Seeing that no one believed she could endure it, Yudie let out a cold snort and raised her small head high.
She looked as if she were about to give everyone a grand surprise.
Su Qing simply nodded and said, "Then I'll look forward to seeing it."
Su Qing and the others chatted happily... and time passed exceptionally quickly.
In the time that followed...
Yudie successfully lived up to everyone's expectations by failing to hold out for even half a day.
By the afternoon of the next day, the girl could no longer contain herself and dragged Su Qing along to wander the streets.
Furthermore, she bought quite a few snacks... completely forgetting her grand ambitions from the day before.
No one was surprised by this; after a few simple jokes at her expense, they let it go.
After all, they all understood this girl very well.
Days passed quickly.
In the blink of an eye, the fifteenth day of the first lunar month arrived.
This day was the Lantern Festival.
The Lantern Festival during the day was still lively, and the streets were filled with a festive atmosphere.
Su Qing sat by the inn's window, watching the people walking on the street... and couldn't help but feel a bit dazed.
"It really has been too long..." Su Qing shook her head helplessly.
It wasn't just Yudie who missed Leng Xiang and the others; she felt the same way.
She was just more stubborn.
She had said she wouldn't go back until things were settled, and she truly meant it.
However...
It was almost time.
They were already within the borders of the Kingdom of Tianzhu.
Once they saw the Jade Rabbit Spirit, they wouldn't be far from Spirit Mountain.
While Su Qing was lost in thought, Morning Glory pushed the door open and walked in.
"Godmother! Let's go for a stroll on the street," Morning Glory said with a chuckle.
Su Qing turned to glance at her and said helplessly, "There's still quite some time before the lanterns are lit! What's the rush to go out now?"
"Oh, come on, let's go! I heard that Jinping Prefecture has a custom called 'Walking Away the Hundred Illnesses.' Let's go out for a walk too!"
"'Walking Away the Hundred Illnesses' is so you don't get sick, but we won't get sick anyway."
"Godmother~ let's go! Even if it's not for the custom, let's just go for a turn together. I saw stilt walkers and lion dancers on the street... it's very interesting!"
"Fine, fine, fine, I'll go with you."
Seeing how much the girl wanted to go out, Su Qing helplessly agreed.
Her original intention was to wait until the evening lantern show to go out...
But since the girl couldn't wait any longer, going out now was the same.
The group went out together.
They wandered around the streets of Jinping Prefecture.
The marketplace today was exceptionally lively... the festive atmosphere was everywhere.
Although the daytime wasn't as bustling as the nighttime lantern show, it wasn't without its charms.
Jinping Prefecture was not small and had more than one marketplace, so there were many places to explore.
There was no shortage of things to enjoy.
Time passed quickly.
As Su Qing and the others wandered, the sky began to dim.
As the light faded...
People who hadn't been out for the daytime festivities flocked to the streets, making the already lively marketplace even more bustling and crowded.
At the same time, the lanterns were lit one after another as darkness fell.
They made the streets exceptionally bright.
It was as if it were still daytime.
Su Qing and the others walked along the street, buying things from street vendors while admiring the various lanterns at the festival.
It had to be said that the lanterns at this festival were quite intricate...
They came in all sorts of shapes and sizes.
Every design was beautiful.
It truly was a world of ten thousand lights upon the terraces, a realm of mist and clouds stretching for miles.
"Godmother... look there!" While they were admiring the lanterns, Morning Glory pointed into the distance as if she had discovered something extraordinary.
Su Qing followed the direction of her finger.
There stood three golden lamps.
Those golden lamps were as large as water vats, carved with exquisite pavilions... they were luxurious and beautiful.
Not only that...
Once these golden lamps were lit, they emitted a strange, wonderful fragrance.
It smelled exceptionally pleasant.
"Those? Those must be the golden lamps they use to make offerings to the 'Buddhas'," Su Qing said calmly.
Earlier, when Su Qing had the waiter tell Morning Glory and Yudie about the interesting things regarding the Lantern Festival...
The waiter had mentioned many things.
Naturally, that included the matter of these golden lamps.
"They're so huge! I originally thought the waiter was exaggerating," Morning Glory nodded, clicking her tongue in wonder as she looked at the golden lamps.
"It is indeed a spectacle..."
"It's just a bit of a waste of manpower and resources! For such large golden lamps, that lamp oil must be very expensive too," Morning Glory sighed.
"That may be true, but they've been sacrificing this way for who knows how many years. So, it's not our place to interfere..." Su Qing shook her head, looking at the golden lamps with a flat expression.
She naturally knew the inside story of the golden lamps...
She just couldn't be bothered to care.
Her reason for staying here this time...
Was simply to participate in the lantern festival.
Seeing Su Qing say this, Morning Glory nodded and obediently stopped talking about it.
She simply followed Su Qing as they continued their tour.
The crowd was a chaotic mess of excitement.
There were people dancing, dressing as ghosts, riding elephants, performing operas...
There was truly more than the eye could take in.
That night, Su Qing and the others had a wonderful time.
Although they couldn't return to the Changbai Mountains to reunite with everyone for this festival, having companions by her side still made it feel like a proper holiday.
Once they had seen enough of the lanterns...
Feeling satisfied, they prepared to return and rest.
Just as they were about to leave.
A sudden gust of yin wind blew past.
It caused the three golden lamps to extinguish one after another...
In just an instant, the lamp oil within them vanished.
Su Qing felt the yin wind and turned her head to look at the distant golden lamps...
Then she chuckled softly, choosing not to interfere.
As long as these fellows didn't harm the people of Jinping Prefecture, she wouldn't say anything.
"Godmother?"
"It's nothing... I suppose the 'Buddhas' worshipped by Jinping Prefecture have collected the lamp oil?"
"Is that so? Are they really Bodhisattvas?"
"Not necessarily."
"Are we not going to do anything?"
"No need to interfere."
"Alright! Then let's head back."
"Mm, let's go!"
Chatting and laughing, the group left the bustling marketplace and returned to the inn.
Back at the inn.
Morning Glory let out a yawn, bid Su Qing goodnight, and went to her room to rest, while Jingyue silently returned to her own guest room.
As for the clingy Yudie, she followed Su Qing back to her room.
However, just as Su Qing and Yudie stepped into the room, they found someone else already there.
"Lady Chang'e?" Su Qing looked at the visitor, slightly surprised, and asked, "Why are you here?"
It was fortunate that Morning Glory had her own room and had gone to sleep first.
Otherwise, if she saw the woman before them, she would likely turn into a curious little chatterbox again.
"Auntie Chang'e, why are you here?" Yudie was tireless; seeing Chang'e, she was quite excited and went up with a smile, intending to give her a hug.
However, just as she was about to approach, she was pulled back by Su Qing.
Chang'e looked at Su Qing with a face full of smiles and said:
"No particular reason. I just thought since today is the fifteenth of the first month, I wanted to find someone to gather with! Originally, I planned to find Yuer... but unfortunately, Yuer has a mission right now, so meeting her is a hassle."
"So you came to find me?"
"Yes~ after all, you're easier to find," Chang'e said giggling. "Hey, you really made me wait a long time! If I had known you ran off to see the lantern festival, I would have gone with you."
"Is that so... that's a pity then."
"It's no big deal, just a lantern festival. There will be plenty more to see in the future."
"By the way, is it alright for you, Lady Chang'e? Can you finish your work?"
"I can't finish it, I can't! I'll just wait to be scolded by the Jade Emperor later. It's not like it hasn't happened before... it's not like he can actually punish me," Chang'e said with an air of slacking off.
Seeing this, Su Qing gave a helpless smile and said, "Lady Chang'e, you really are something, always so fond of being lazy."
"Being lazy is only human!" Chang'e said with a grin. "Besides, I don't slack off that often."
Su Qing curled her lip, not believing for a second that Chang'e didn't slack off often.
"Alright, I brought wine. Let's drink and talk."
"Lady Chang'e, your behavior while intoxicated is terrible! I don't want any strange noises coming from this room later, causing people to misunderstand."
"What's there to be afraid of! Let them misunderstand. It's not like I'm the one losing face. Besides, my drinking etiquette has always been very good, okay?"
"I'm not in a position to judge... Yudie, what do you think?"
Yudie: "...???"
"Mother, I won't disturb you two. I'll take my leave now! You and Auntie Chang'e chat!" To avoid the two of them talking about her later, Yudie decisively retreated.
Su Qing smiled helplessly, having no choice but to let her go.
With her gone, Su Qing naturally had to drink with Chang'e first.
Although Chang'e's behavior while drunk was abysmal, drinking and chatting with her was indeed an interesting affair.
The two of them talked and drank...
Suddenly, Chang'e brought up the matter of Yuer.
"If my calculations are correct... you should be going to the Kingdom of Tianzhu to see Yuer later, right?"
Su Qing nodded slightly, not hiding it, and said, "Yes! It's not too far from the capital of the Kingdom of Tianzhu. It shouldn't be long before I can see Yuer."
"Then how about I ask a favor of you?"
Su Qing found it a bit strange but nodded and asked, "Lady Chang'e, what favor do you want to ask of me?"
"Actually, it's nothing much... I just hope you can help me deliver some of Yuer's things to her when the time comes! Also, one more thing: when the pilgrim arrives in the Kingdom of Tianzhu in the future, could you help Yuer out?" Chang'e leaned on her hand, her eyes already becoming a bit hazy.
Hearing this, Su Qing didn't find it particularly difficult and simply nodded, saying, "That shouldn't be a problem. But why don't you go yourself?"
Setting aside the later matter...
Just delivering some things to Yuer... Chang'e could surely do that herself, couldn't she?
Chang'e curled her lip and said, "You know Yuer's personality... if I go personally, she'll probably think I'm overwhelmed with work at the Moon Palace and want to come back to keep helping me! It's her rare vacation; let her have her fun! I'm not some heartless boss!"
Su Qing looked at Chang'e with some surprise, and after a long silence, she said, "But with all the work you're leaving behind... when Yuer goes back, won't there still be a mountain of chores waiting for her?"
"That's a separate matter!" Chang'e said, gnashing her teeth. "In any case, just do me this favor."
"I understand. Since it's a favor for Lady Chang'e, I will certainly help." Su Qing nodded, not refusing the request.
After all, for Su Qing, this was just a minor matter.
After agreeing to Lady Chang'e's request...
Su Qing and Chang'e drank calmly, just as they had in the Moon Palace, while Su Qing listened to Chang'e's constant chattering.
Chang'e talked a lot, especially after she had been drinking.
Su Qing didn't know how much nonsense she listened to...
But she stayed by her side and kept her company.
This continued until the next morning.
After Chang'e passed out from the alcohol.
Su Qing used her Somersault Cloud to carry the drunkard back to the Moon Palace...
It was fortunate that Su Qing's Somersault Cloud was fast enough.
Otherwise, there would have been more trouble to deal with.
However, if Su Qing's guess was correct...
When Chang'e woke up, she would inevitably face another scolding from the Star Lord.
Rate on N.U.
