Chapter 16 – A Year of Peace and Prosperity

“Brother Persimmon, I’m so scared I’ll never see you again.”

Yao Yao’s lips trembled slightly, her voice quivering with a trace of fear and unease.
But she didn’t dare to cry out loud, only letting small tears drip silently, her shoulders shaking, even her breath turning ragged.

Xie Yixing hadn’t expected Yao Yao to be this frightened. A surge of heartache immediately filled his chest.

He lowered his gaze to the hot tears falling onto the back of his hand. The burning sensation made his whole body ache, as if it wasn’t tears but molten lava scorching straight into his heart.

He gently raised his hand again to wipe the tears from her face. Without saying a word, he simply pulled her into his arms. He didn’t even want to imagine what Tian-shi would’ve done to her if he hadn’t found her in time.

Yao Yao was soft-hearted and always kind to others—of course she’d suffer in silence.

Because of her single sentence, Xie Yixing’s hatred for Tian-shi deepened even more.

But in front of Yao Yao, he didn’t show a trace of his inner fury. Instead, he gently embraced her, the corners of his lips curving softly. “Let’s go watch the fireworks.”

This time, Xie Yixing was especially cautious, afraid they’d get separated by the crowd again.

As they passed a tall storefront he had stepped into earlier, Yao Yao happened to spot a bright splash of color. She tugged at Xie Yixing’s sleeve and pointed to a woman carrying a young girl on her shoulder. “Brother Persimmon, is that Sister Wei?”

Xie Yixing casually glanced over, but his peripheral vision caught the signboard behind the woman—Flower Pavilion. His tone remained calm, not a hint of emotion, “No, you’ve mistaken her for someone else.”

Yao Yao scratched her chin, unconvinced, and looked again.

She remembered that Wei Yuhui had been wearing something similar today.

It was clearly Sister Wei. Why did Brother Persimmon say she was mistaken?

Oh well—whatever Brother Persimmon said must be right. He must have a reason for it.

Yao Yao tucked away her curiosity and followed Xie Yixing happily toward the city gate.

—

At that moment, in front of the Flower Pavilion signboard—

A rough-looking woman, speaking in clumsy official dialect, haggled with the brothel madam.
“This girl’s looks are quite good. If not for her little brother being sick, we wouldn’t be selling her off—raising her for a few more years and marrying her out would bring a good dowry!”

The madam was clearly pleased with the girl’s appearance, but still acted impatient.
“Five taels, take it or leave it. I’ve got business to run and no time for chatter.”

Though it wasn’t the price the woman had hoped for, she didn’t want to leave empty-handed.
She agreed on the spot, exchanging the girl for silver.

As the woman clutched the five taels and boarded a carriage, she grumbled to the man inside,
“I knew that official lady couldn’t be trusted. Promised to bring us a good one, but I waited half the day on the road and saw no sign of her. If I hadn’t bumped into a fainted girl and picked her up, we’d have wasted this whole trip! At least the brothel gave me five taels.”

The man took the silver, showing yellowed teeth as he grinned.
“Five taels is five taels. With the capital under strict inspection lately, we can’t smuggle out girls and boys easily. Gotta sell to the traffickers now.”

—

Yao Yao arrived at the city gate just in time—one second before the fireworks began.

Because of her small stature, tall people around her easily blocked her view.

She tiptoed, craning her neck, trying her best to see the fireworks above.

Xie Yixing noticed her struggle and immediately crouched down. “Climb on my back. You’ll see better.”

Yao Yao stared at his bent back, suddenly reminded of her father and second brother.

Her father used to carry her around the courtyard, and her second brother would let her ride on his shoulders like a horse.

“Hurry up,” Xie Yixing urged gently when he saw her hesitating.

Snapping out of her thoughts, Yao Yao climbed skillfully onto his back—and her world suddenly opened up.

BOOM—

The first firework exploded in the sky, brilliant and loud. The sudden noise startled Yao Yao so much she flinched. Thankfully, Xie Yixing held her tightly, keeping her from falling.

Her eyes lit up as she looked up into the colorful night sky.

A firework burst like a crimson phoenix, trailing a flaming tail as it soared into the heavens.

With the bright, triumphant music ringing from the tower above, the fiery display seemed to come alive, dancing and frolicking in the sky.

Yao Yao couldn’t help clapping with joy.

Hearing her cheers, Xie Yixing’s mood lightened as well.

The fireworks bloomed like branches of fire—brilliant, but fleeting.

Forty-nine fireworks had been launched; now only one remained.

Marquis Chengming personally took the torch and lit the final one.

Just before it shot into the clouds, a sudden boom sounded.

As the Marquis looked up, a brilliant display burst like spring blossoms across the sky—
condensing into a row of glowing words:

“A Year of Peace and Prosperity.”

His eyes lit up.

Perfect! Just perfect!

His wife was right—fireworks could indeed save lives!

He had just figured out how to save the Yu family!

—

Below the tower—

Xie Yixing casually glanced up and saw the four glowing characters:
時和歲稔 (A Year of Peace and Prosperity).

He was clever—once he read something, he rarely forgot it.

Before he even needed to recall the meaning, the origin flashed through his mind:

From the Book of Southern Qi, praising an era of peace and abundance.
A wish for harmony across the seasons and bountiful harvests—synonymous with “a peaceful and prosperous year.”

But on his back, Yao Yao—though she was literate—didn’t recognize many characters. Her pronunciation was fuzzy too.

So what Xie Yixing heard was: “eat, drink, sleep, and play.”

He couldn’t help but chuckle.

Gently lowering her to the ground, he looked at her innocent, bewildered face and suddenly felt he needed to speed up her studies—he really had to teach this little girl more characters.

—

As soon as the fireworks ended, Xie Yixing took Yao Yao straight home.

The moment they arrived at Weirui Courtyard, Madam Wei came looking for them.

Though she wore a smile, a flicker of panic was clearly visible in her eyes.

She had thought the three children were just going out to see the fireworks, and with house servants keeping an eye on them, nothing should go wrong.

But an hour earlier, while she was resting in the courtyard, a shadow guard came with an urgent report:

Her son had publicly drawn a dagger and injured someone.

She was so shocked she nearly fainted.

Before she could even ask the full story, she demanded, “Did Yixing or Yao Yao get hurt?”

The shadow guard shook his head, expression blank, clearly unsure how to explain.

Only after confirming that her son and Yao Yao were unharmed did Madam Wei calm down and question him carefully.

Upon learning the one injured was her own sister-in-law, she couldn’t help but roll her eyes.

The old nanny beside her whispered, “Madam, this isn’t the first time the young marquis has clashed with your sister-in-law.”

Madam Wei knew that well. That woman was always scheming—someone no one wanted to deal with.

Even she didn’t want to keep close contact.

But because she was family, she couldn’t completely shut her out. Still, what she did today had crossed the line. The marquis’s household could not allow someone like her to disrupt discipline.

And so, Madam Wei—normally gentle and soft-spoken—tightened her grip on her handkerchief, her gaze firm.

“This matter—I won’t interfere. Let Yixing handle it as he sees fit.

As for the Wei family… I’ll write a letter home. Father and brother will decide how to deal with her.”