Cen Huai’an understood now.

The tangyuan was very delicious.

The sweet tangyuan matched Cen Huai’an’s taste perfectly.

Although Chuxia found it a bit greasy after a few pieces, Cen Huai’an could have eaten many more if Chuxia hadn’t stopped him.

Despite being delicious, tangyuan is made from glutinous rice flour and is hard to digest if eaten in excess.

The Lantern Festival wouldn’t be perfect without lanterns.

While Chuxia couldn’t make beautiful lanterns, she could make small orange lanterns.

Who hasn’t read Bing Xin’s “The Little Orange Lantern” during their school years?

After reading it, you would make a small orange lantern from the orange peel with your classmates.

Chuxia had done this before, and making a small orange lantern was quite simple.

“An An, Mommy will teach you to make a beautiful little lantern. You can take it out to play with in the evening.”

Cen Huai’an’s mind immediately filled with images of the various beautiful red lanterns he had seen, with paintings on them.

Lanterns looked especially nice at night during festivals, and some even spun around.

He looked at Chuxia with bright eyes. “Mom, what tools do we need? Do we need paper?”

“No need,” Chuxia waved her hand, took an orange from the table, and used a small knife to peel it into four segments.

She ate a large part and gave Cen Huai’an two segments.

“Is the orange sweet?”

Cen Huai’an nodded, still thinking about how to make the lantern. “Yes, it’s sweet. Mommy, when are we going to make the lantern?”

Chuxia looked at the orange peels she had eaten and said, “We’re making it now. Go get the needle and thread from the sewing kit on the table.”

Cen Huai’an looked at Chuxia, not understanding what kind of lantern she was making and why she needed needle and thread.

But An An trusted that Mom wouldn’t lie to him.

He ran to the tall table in the middle of the room and brought the needle and thread to Chuxia.

Chuxia took the orange peels, placed them with the inside facing each other, sewed them together with the needle and thread, tied a knot, then placed a candle about one centimeter long in the middle and lit it with a match.

She looked around for a suitable small stick but couldn’t find one, so she broke off a thin strip from a broom, held the little orange lantern up, and waved it in front of Cen Huai’an, raising her eyebrows with a smile. “Look, this is a lantern! A little orange lantern!”

Cen Huai’an’s eyes widened.

This was the lantern Mom taught him to make, and it looked quite interesting.

Although it was simple.

“Mom, I want to make one too.”

Chuxia handed him the needle and thread. “Be careful not to prick your fingers.”

“Okay!” Cen Huai’an, full of confidence, thought it was so easy that he wouldn’t prick himself.

Just as he thought this, he pricked himself with the needle, and a small drop of blood appeared.

It didn’t hurt much, but Cen Huai’an felt embarrassed about the tiny blood droplet.

He was about to shake it off when Chuxia started laughing, pinching his pricked finger and saying, “Weren’t you confident earlier? How did you prick yourself on the first stitch?”

“Mom!” Cen Huai’an called out awkwardly, pulling his hand back. “I just made a mistake. I won’t prick myself again.”

Chuxia laughed, shook her head, and let go of his hand.

She went to get some red medicine and applied it to the prick, saying, “Luckily, the needle isn’t thick. It’ll heal quickly.”

Cen Huai’an continued to sew the small orange lanterns. In just a few minutes, he made one just like Chuxia’s.

Making small orange lanterns became addictive.

Cen Huai’an couldn’t stop, eating oranges continuously and making seven or eight lanterns.

He even wanted more oranges, but Chuxia stopped him.

“That’s enough. Eating too many oranges can cause a heat rash. Plus, we don’t need so many lanterns. Who’s going to use them?”

Cen Huai’an thought for a moment and said, “I can give them to Hu Panden and Xiao He.”

Chuxia let him be, but she also didn’t allow him to eat too many oranges.

She helped him eat some, and he used the orange peels to make the lanterns. When he had made enough, he stopped.

The table was covered with small orange lanterns, and Cen Huai’an was eagerly waiting to show them to his friends in the evening.

At noon, when they continued eating tangyuan and dumplings, Jiang Shengnan came back and saw the table full of orange lanterns.

Her eyes widened. “What are these?”

Cen Huai’an replied, “Little orange lanterns. I made them.”

Jiang Shengnan had read Bing Xin’s “The Little Orange Lantern” and immediately recalled it.

She pointed to the lanterns and asked, “Are these the little orange lanterns from Bing Xin’s story?”

Cen Huai’an hadn’t read the story and didn’t understand what Jiang Shengnan was talking about.

He blinked and asked, “Who is Bing Xin?”

Chuxia said, “She’s a very famous writer who wrote many well-known articles. You’re still young and haven’t read them yet.”

She then looked up at Jiang Shengnan, smiling and nodding. “Mom, these are the little orange lanterns from that story.”

Jiang Shengnan immediately smiled and said, “You’re quite enthusiastic. They look great!”

She gave Cen Huai’an a thumbs up.

Cen Huai’an became interested in the story of “The Little Orange Lantern” and looked up at Chuxia, hugging her arm. “Mom, can you tell me the story of ‘The Little Orange Lantern’?”

Chuxia had read the story before and had a rough memory of it, but she was afraid of getting details wrong.

She rubbed Cen Huai’an’s head and said, “Wait a moment. I’ll ask Grandma if she has that story in her books, and we can read it together.”

“Yes, it’s the one Zhengnian bought before,” Jiang Shengnan said as she found the book and flipped to the relevant article for Chuxia.

Chuxia and Cen Huai’an sat on the sofa, with Chuxia holding Cen Huai’an and reading aloud.

Whenever Cen Huai’an came across words he didn’t recognize, Chuxia would teach him.

The article wasn’t long, and they read it slowly.

By the time Jiang Shengnan finished preparing dinner, they had completed it.

After reading the story, Cen Huai’an fell into a deep silence.

Chuxia could sense his suppressed emotions and discomfort.

She stroked his head and asked, “An’an, what are you thinking about?”

Chuxia waited for a while before Cen Huai’an mumbled, “Mom, I was like that little girl before.”

With Dad not at home, Mom’s health wasn’t good, and we didn’t have enough to eat.

But the little girl could take care of her mom herself.

Her mom loved her, but her mom’s greatest loves were her grandmother and uncle.

Chuxia realized that Cen Huai’an was reflecting on his past.

The little girl in the story “The Little Orange Lantern” had her father go missing during a revolutionary mission, and her mother was seriously ill in bed.

She bravely cared for her mother and remained optimistic.

Many people read this story and draw strength from it, believing that light will eventually come.

But Cen Huai’an, being so young, couldn’t grasp the deeper meaning of the story.

He could only see what the story was about.

Chuxia hugged Cen Huai’an and gently said, “The past is behind us now. Look, Mom’s health is getting better, and Dad, Grandpa, and Grandma all love you so much. Those days are gone.”

She didn’t know how to comfort Cen Huai’an; she felt her words were inadequate at this moment.

She knew that past wounds would always leave scars, and these scars would only fade slowly but would always be there.

Cen Huai’an hugged Chuxia for a while, finally feeling that his current mom was warm and loved him, and his emotions slowly began to improve.

Jiang Shengnan came out from the kitchen with a bowl and cheerfully said, “Dumpling soup is ready! Chuxia, An’an, come and eat!”

Cen Huai’an quickly released Chuxia and got up from her arms.

He didn’t want Grandma to know he was so vulnerable after reading the story.

Jiang Shengnan looked at the two of them with a hint of confusion, sensing something was off but unable to pinpoint it.

“Just in time; I’m hungry. Mom, you’ve cooked right on time.”

Chuxia stood up and walked to the dining table.

Jiang Shengnan immediately redirected her attention, pushing a bowl towards Chuxia. “I know you love dumplings more, so this bowl is for you. An’an, the bowl with more soup balls is yours!”

“Thank you, Mom!” Chuxia said.

“Thank you, Grandma,” Cen Huai’an said, his earlier discomfort no longer visible on his face.

As the sun set, Cen Huai’an stood by the window, waiting for the sun to disappear completely so he could take his little orange lantern outside to play.

Chuxia sat on the sofa, watching his small figure almost blend into the window, and couldn’t help but say, “An’an! You have to wait until after dinner before you can go out.”

“Mom, can’t we eat earlier?” Cen Huai’an asked, turning his head.

Chuxia replied, “We need to wait for Grandpa and Grandma to come back and eat together.”

Cen Huai’an fell silent.

When Cen Father returned in the evening, he brought a beautiful round red lantern for Cen Huai’an, specially bought by Xiao Liu for him.

“An’an, do you like it?”

“I do!” Cen Huai’an said, holding the red lantern in one hand and his little orange lantern in the other, looking very happy.

After finally having dinner and waiting for it to get dark, the sound of fireworks began outside.

Chuxia took Cen Huai’an out to watch.

Jiang Shengnan and Cen Father also came out.

The four of them looked up at the completely dark night sky, where a full moon hung brightly.

Fireworks bloomed in the night sky like colorful flowers, dazzling and beautiful.

Cen Huai’an stared with wide eyes, and even after the first round of fireworks ended, he still looked unsatisfied.

Aside from the occasional sound of fireworks, the family compound was also filled with the sounds of children playing and firecrackers.

Cen Huai’an had already gone inside to get his little orange lantern, leaving the red lantern at home for now.

He walked outside and said, “Mom, I’m going to find Hu Panding and Xiao He!”

Chuxia waved her hand casually and, adjusting her clothes, went inside to continue working on a couple of problems.

Jiang Shengnan and Cen Father also went back inside, but they both went to the study.

It was so cold outside, and Chuxia didn’t want to go out.

She wondered how Cen Huai’an, such a small child, could be so fearless of the cold.

But children do have a lot of energy.

Listening to the sounds of fireworks outside, Chuxia immersed herself in her problems, finding great satisfaction in solving each math problem.

Meanwhile, Cen Huai’an, with his lantern, had gathered with Hu Panding and the others.

Hu Panding and Xiao He each had the same kind of red lantern that Cen Father bought, just with different patterns.

They were large and round, with red tassels hanging from the bottom.

At night, the lanterns emitted a fiery red glow, showcasing the patterns on them.

The children thought the lanterns looked great, each proudly showing off their lanterns and describing the patterns on them.

Each lantern had a different design: Hu Panding’s had a plump red carp, Xiao He’s had a big lotus flower, and the lantern Cen Huai’an had was decorated with a golden-red dragon soaring.

Seeing Cen Huai’an’s small lantern, Hu Panding and the others couldn’t help but laugh, “An’an, your lantern is so small!”

“Yeah, why didn’t you get a big one, like ours?”

“Will a small lantern even light the way?”

Though their laughter wasn’t meant to be unkind, Cen Huai’an felt uncomfortable.

He pointed at his little orange lantern, pursed his lips, and said, “You don’t understand. This isn’t an ordinary lantern; it’s the little orange lantern from the story by Bing Xin!”

Hu Panding and Xiao He stared with wide eyes, curiosity evident, “What little orange lantern from Bing Xin’s story?”

Cen Huai’an recounted the story from “The Little Orange Lantern,” saying he felt a connection to the little girl in the story because of their similar experiences.

He told the story with a lot of emotion.

After hearing the story, Hu Panding felt a bit down, “I also often don’t see my dad for a long time.”

Xiao He lowered his head silently, “Me too.”

Other children joined in, sharing that their dads were often away on missions, and they also spent many days without seeing them.

The mood of the group dropped, and they lost interest in showing off their lanterns.

But Cen Huai’an, holding his little orange lantern, said, “Do you want a little orange lantern?”

To him, the little orange lantern had a special meaning.

It was the warmest part of the story and made him feel less afraid of the past.

“Yes!” Hu Panding was the first to say, “The little orange lantern is better than mine.”

He couldn’t explain why, but he just felt the little orange lantern was special, unlike his lantern, which could be bought anywhere.

Xiao He said, “I want one too.”

Other children also wanted one, and Cen Huai’an took them back to his home.

Seeing the row of little orange lanterns on the table in front of the sofa, Hu Panding and the others were thrilled.

“Wow! So many little orange lanterns!”

“The little orange lanterns from Bing Xin’s story!”

“They look so nice!”

Cen Huai’an raised his chin slightly and said, “These are all made by me and given to you.”

The children were even more delighted, rushing to grab the little orange lanterns.

Even though each lantern was essentially the same, some were just a bit bigger or smaller.

The children thought their chosen lanterns were the best and even fought over one, nearly breaking it.

In the end, everyone took a little orange lantern to show off in the family compound.

When they saw other children, they would say, “Look! This is the little orange lantern from Bing Xin’s story!”

The other children didn’t understand, but after hearing Cen Huai’an and the others tell the story, they started envying them and wanted a little orange lantern too.

When they heard Hu Panding and others brag about, “Our little orange lanterns were given by An’an, and he’s amazing!”

Other children immediately looked at Cen Huai’an and asked, “An’an, do you still have little orange lanterns at home?”

Cen Huai’an shook his head honestly, “No.”

The children, increasingly dissatisfied with their own lanterns, ran home to ask their parents if they knew how to make a little orange lantern.

Some parents knew and made lanterns for their children.

Some didn’t know and were irritated, waving their hands, “What little orange lantern? I don’t know!”

Others, eager to please their children, went asking around and finally learned how to make the little orange