Chapter 30 – Lantern Festival (Part 1)

Xia Yujiao quietly put away the nearly finished bright red wedding gown. She looked dispirited and listless. The old couple had tried to comfort her twice, but she only said she was tired and wanted to be alone in peace and quiet.

Having no better solution, the old couple pinned their hopes on taking their daughter to town for the Lantern Festival, hoping the colorful lanterns might lift her spirits.

Their moods were low, and the other branches of the family were careful not to provoke them.

The first household was counting the days until the fifteenth of the first lunar month would pass so they could return to their home in town.

Madam Sun, the second wife, was already making plans—once the Lantern Festival was over, she would start arranging a match for Second Brother.

Branches three, four, and five were also growing weary of the gloomy atmosphere. With little to do recently, everyone was simply hoping the Lantern Festival would bring some cheer and liveliness.

During the Lantern Festival, the Xia family not only made their own tangyuan (glutinous rice balls) but also handcrafted their own lanterns.

On the day of the festival, everyone would head into town to enjoy the lantern market and festivities.

With food and fun to look forward to, the children had been thinking about nothing else for days!

As the adults and children eagerly awaited the celebration, the festival drew closer day by day.

On the morning of the fifteenth, Madam Zhou brought out two large bamboo baskets. Taking advantage of the fine sunshine, she had Madam Liu wash them thoroughly and leave them to dry in the courtyard.

Madam Liu wasn’t too happy—there were so many daughters-in-law, yet Mother Zhou always seemed to call on her for chores.

But she didn’t dare complain. No matter how resentful she was inside, she didn’t let it show on her face.

Madam Zhou pulled out a faded old coin pouch from her clothes and counted out twenty copper coins one by one. She called for Second Brother:

“Second Brother, take the millet and glutinous rice from the house to the Su family’s mill by Sweetwater Well and have them ground into fine flour. Make sure they sift it three times—not once less!”

Second Brother accepted the coins, counted them, nodded, then rolled up his trouser legs and went to the storage room. He took out two cloth sacks, grabbed a carrying pole, and headed out with the load.

Madam Sun watched this unfold and felt stifled with frustration.

The families were already split, so why was the old woman still bossing her son around like a servant?

And Second Brother was such a fool!

There was a mule in the stable—if he pitied the ox so much, why not use the mule instead?

She was so angry her face twisted with rage, but since it was the Lantern Festival, no matter how upset she was, she dared not provoke Madam Zhou. Besides, with Second Brother already gone, who could she take it out on?

Madam Zhou either didn’t notice Sun’s expression or simply didn’t care. She waved to call over Fifth Brother:

“Little Five, go to Auntie Wu’s general store at the village entrance and buy some green and red candied strips. If they don’t have any in stock, get some candied dates instead.”

Fifth Brother nodded but didn’t move. He just stood there staring at the old lady.

Madam Zhou blinked, then suddenly realized what he meant and chuckled, “Oh you clever boy!”

Laughing, she pulled out thirty more copper coins from the same old pouch, counted them twice, and handed them to Fifth Brother. “If the total’s a bit more than this, tell Auntie Wu to take a little off.”

Fifth Brother accepted the coins with both hands and strode off confidently, holding them tightly.

Madam Zhou watched him walk out the courtyard gate. Only after his figure completely disappeared did she start working.

This time she didn’t boss anyone around. Instead, she got busy herself—roasting black and white sesame seeds in a small pan. The rich, nutty aroma wafted through the air, making everyone’s mouths water.

Daohua and the other children were also assigned a task—cracking pine nuts and shelling sunflower seeds.

Zao Hua’s little fingers were soft and weak. She struggled to shell even one seed, and after a long effort, she hadn’t managed to open any.

But once Daohua cracked them open, Zao Hua was very quick to pop them into her mouth.

Daohua grinned, not stopping her, not even slightly.

In fact, she separated her shelled seeds into two piles—giving the smaller pile to Zao Hua and stuffing the larger one into Ling Hua’s mouth.

Fifth Brother’s wife, Madam Cheng, happened to see Zao Hua stuffing a handful of shelled seeds into her mouth and couldn’t help but laugh.

But after a few chuckles, she quickly straightened her face and scolded:

“That’s enough, girls. Go out and play! With how much you’re eating, you’re probably consuming more than you’re helping!”

Madam Zhou had just noticed the situation and was about to raise her voice—but when she heard this, she gave Madam Cheng a side-eye:

“It’s the holiday—what are you yelling for?”

Still, she didn’t let the children eat freely. If they ate too much, they might not have enough ingredients for the real preparations.

She turned to the kids with a gentle smile:

“Each of you grab one more handful, then go play.”

Lan Hua grinned sweetly and cheerfully replied, “Okay!” She stretched out both hands and grabbed a big double handful of sunflower seeds.

Ju Hua timidly followed her sister’s lead and took a small handful. Her hands were small and slow, so she only took a few seeds and didn’t dare take more.

Daohua cheerfully grabbed pine nuts in one hand and sunflower seeds in the other. She called out to Ling Hua and Zao Hua, who hadn’t dared grab anything yet, urging them to hurry up.

Ling Hua saw Daohua’s smiling face and grew bolder—she grabbed a handful with each hand.

Zao Hua was still too busy eating to grab anything, but when she saw Ling Hua run off after Daohua, she panicked and stumbled to catch up.

The group of children giggled as they ran off to find Old Master Xia.

He was in high spirits, teaching his grandsons how to split bamboo and carve thin strips, carefully assembling the frame of a lantern.

Old Master Xia’s large hands were broad and calloused, covered in thick skin, cracks, and scars from years of labor—hands of a working man.

Yet these hands, despite their rough appearance, were surprisingly nimble.

In less than the time it takes to burn one incense stick, he had already completed the frame of a six-sided lantern. He mixed flour paste and glued the red paper—purchased days earlier—onto the frame.

By the time the paper dried, the sky had already darkened.

Old Master Xia lit a stick of incense, then used it to light a candle. He dripped a bit of wax into the hollow center of the lantern and firmly fixed the candle inside.

The flickering candlelight shone through the red paper, casting a soft, warm glow that lit up everyone’s faces and hands in a rosy haze.

Delighted, Old Master Xia brought a ladder, climbed up, and hung the finished lantern on the pole in the courtyard.

A breeze came through. The lantern swayed gently, the candle flickered, but it remained steady—neither toppling nor going out.

Old Master Xia beamed. “It’s done!”

The children clapped and cheered, jumping up and down with excitement.

Xia Daohua suddenly noticed that Fifth Brother had somehow snuck into their group unnoticed.

(End of Chapter)