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Upon Shen Zi’an’s revelation, Su Zhi realized that the young lady blocking their path was indeed the person from the carriage that Shen Zi’an had helped that day. Shen Zi’an had truly saved her, making the title of benefactor fitting. Su Zhi was pleased that her husband had become a benefactor to someone else. Kindness was the most valuable thing in the world. Helping others opened up more paths for oneself, a principle that applied across lifetimes.
However, while gratitude was appreciated, she couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable with the young lady’s focus on her husband. Gratitude for a favor was one thing, but offering oneself in return was another matter entirely. Su Zhi aimed for reciprocating kindness with gratitude, but she didn’t want any complications in her peaceful and happy life. Dealing with a love rival could be the most troublesome situation. In this new life, she simply aimed to live peacefully, counting money and making steamed buns, content to be a farmer’s wife devoted to her husband, rather than getting entangled in conflicts.
Su Zhi watched as Shen Zi’an spoke briefly and then walked away with the him. She offered the young lady a smile before obediently walking alongside Shen Zi’an, feeling extremely satisfied with his demeanor. She tightened her grip on his hand as they strolled together.
The young lady stood watching Shen Zi’an and Su Zhi depart, choosing not to pursue them. She pursed her lips slightly, recognizing Shen Zi’an as a truly kind person who didn’t expect anything in return for his kindness.
“Miss, shall we go and see the lanterns over there? They have riddles on them. Why not take a look?” A maid beside her suggested, noticing her mistress gazing at the departing farmer couple, sensing a hint of disappointment in her expression, hoping to lift her spirits and distract her from any lingering unhappiness.
The young lady nodded, allowing one maid to lead the way while another offered support. After a few steps forward, she glanced back at the bustling crowd where she could no longer spot the familiar figures. She turned back and continued walking. Observing the peony lantern carried by the maid, she couldn’t help but feel it didn’t compare to the beauty of the lotus flower lantern. With a brief glance, she decided not to look back and focused on moving forward.
Su Zhi and Shen Zi’an walked slowly, each holding a lantern, choosing not to dwell on the recent encounter. Su Zhi didn’t want to imprint the image of the young lady further in Shen Zi’an’s mind, while Shen Zi’an simply didn’t find the girl significant enough to discuss. They focused on admiring the lanterns around them, feeling as though they were the only ones present despite the bustling crowd.
“Zi’an, look at those lanterns ahead with red paper strips hanging beneath them. Could those be lantern riddles?” Su Zhi observed the colorful lanterns with red paper strips hanging beneath them, immediately recognizing them as lantern riddles, sparking her interest.
Having seen lantern riddle scenes in TV shows and novels before, Su Zhi often came across depictions of lantern festival activities, including lantern riddle guessing. Participants would engage in friendly competition, with scholars and beauties frequently involved, leading to either harmonious relationships or rivalries. It always intrigued her. Now finding herself in a similar setting, she felt eager to try her hand at solving some lantern riddles and see how many she could get right.
Shen Zi’an observed Su Zhi’s enthusiastic expression and remarked, “Let’s go check out those lantern riddles. If you manage to solve one, you’ll receive a token that can be exchanged for prizes after the lantern festival. The more tokens you collect, the better the prize. However, I’m not skilled at solving riddles and might not win anything.”
Feeling a tinge of regret, Shen Zi’an realized that since marrying Su Zhi, he wanted to be the best in her eyes and provide her with everything she desired. This desire sometimes led to a sense of longing when he couldn’t fulfill certain expectations.
Su Zhi smiled at Shen Zi’an and replied, “We’re not interested in the prizes. We just want to have fun. Even if you don’t win, I don’t mind. All I want is for you to accompany me to enjoy the lantern festival.”
Seeing Su Zhi’s face glowing with a faint pink hue under the lantern light, Shen Zi’an felt his heart soften.
“Alright, let’s go enjoy the lanterns together.”
Su Zhi nodded with a smile and briskly walked ahead hand in hand with Shen Zi’an.
Along the street, the lanterns on both sides displayed riddles written on them. Many people stopped in front of the lanterns, pondering and contemplating. Occasionally, someone would successfully guess the answer, leading to cheers from the stall owners, followed by praises from the surrounding crowd. The atmosphere was lively, with those who guessed correctly either celebrating joyfully or maintaining a calm demeanor, all showcasing their happiness.
Su Zhi looked up at a lantern with a red paper strip, realizing that while she could understand each individual character, piecing them together to decipher a word proved challenging for her.
Although Su Zhi had memorized some beautiful poems due to her embroidery studies in the past, she had never focused on riddles. The riddles she had encountered in her childhood were straightforward and easy to guess. However, these riddles with poetic language and ancient phrases presented a new challenge, making it difficult for her to figure out the answers.
Su Zhi realized that the scenarios from reincarnation novels where the female leads effortlessly solved difficult lantern riddles, winning prizes and admiration from the crowd, were unlikely to happen to her. She had Shen Zi’an by her side and had never entertained the idea of attracting multiple handsome suitors. She acknowledged that novels were indeed fictional, and reincarnated protagonists were not all-powerful.
Deciding to forgo attempting the challenging lantern riddles since she couldn’t solve them, Su Zhi opted to enjoy the vibrant and colorful lantern displays instead, finding more joy in that.
As they walked, they greeted familiar villagers along the way, who then went their separate ways to enjoy the festival, without encountering anyone from the Shen family.
Noticing that Su Zhi seemed a bit tired and thinking of finding a place for her to rest, Shen Zi’an heard a commotion ahead.
Upon hearing a woman’s voice in the midst of the argument, sounding like Shen Zhu, they exchanged a glance and ultimately decided to move forward and investigate the source of the commotion.
Pushing through the crowd, Su Zhi and Shen Zi’an saw Shen Zhu in the midst of the commotion. Shen Zhu wore a purple cloak, her usually gentle face now displaying a touch of fierceness, adding a hint of splendor. Adorned with a golden hairpin embedded with pearls and silver earrings, she appeared more like a city girl than a village maiden.
Standing beside Shen Zhu was a young man in white satin, with a fairly handsome appearance. He was engaged in a heated discussion with a few men opposite them, his face showing restrained anger, seemingly maintaining his composure while also avoiding escalating the situation.
The men opposite them were rough-looking, dressed in modest attire, but their demeanor and gestures indicated they were troublemakers.
Observing the scene, Su Zhi scanned the area but couldn’t spot anyone from the Shen family or their village. Seeing Shen Zhu alone raised questions. Why was she, a young girl, here by herself? Had she become separated from her companions? Su Zhi speculated that this might be the case, as it seemed risky to leave a delicate young lady like Shen Zhu unaccompanied in such a bustling place, considering the potential dangers she could face.
Finding herself faced with troublemakers, Su Zhi pondered whether the young man beside Shen Zhu was someone she knew or a stranger who had intervened in the situation. She couldn’t help but feel curious, but her priority was Shen Zi’an’s safety. Seeing Shen Zhu alone and blocked by the troublemakers, Shen Zi’an felt compelled to help her. Su Zhi noticed that the troublemakers appeared strong, wondering if they were armed. If they lacked weapons, Shen Zi’an could handle them.
Shen Zi’an asked Su Zhi to stay back, not wanting her to get involved. He was concerned that if the troublemakers saw them together, it might escalate the situation, potentially endangering Su Zhi.
Su Zhi cautioned Shen Zi’an to be careful and then obediently positioned herself behind a group of people, keeping herself hidden. She didn’t want to cause any trouble for Shen Zi’an at that moment and chose to observe quietly.
As Shen Zi’an approached, Shen Zhu’s face lit up with surprise upon seeing him. She walked over to his side, but Su Zhi couldn’t help noticing a hint of disappointment in Shen Zhu’s eyes as she glanced at the young man. Su Zhi found it amusing, realizing that Shen Zhu might be thinking Shen Zi’an had arrived at an inconvenient time. After all, with a gallant hero on the scene, she probably felt her brother was somewhat unnecessary.
Su Zhi stood amidst the crowd, watching Shen Zi’an conversing with the troublemakers. Sensing the crowd becoming increasingly congested, her petite frame was easily pushed and jostled. Gradually, she found herself displaced from her original spot, being pushed outward by the crowd. Although she could still see Shen Zi’an, she began to feel uncomfortable with the tightness and thought of moving to a less crowded area.
Slowly making her way towards a less congested section, suddenly the crowd erupted into chaos. Su Zhi found herself being swept backward by the surging crowd, feeling as though she might be knocked down if she didn’t move.
“Fire! Fire!”
The cry rang out, causing further panic in the crowd. Su Zhi’s heart raced as she wondered where the fire was. Looking up, she saw thick smoke billowing towards them. Before she could identify the source of the fire, she was pushed forward by the crowd.
Realizing that she needed to go with the flow of the crowd to avoid being knocked down and trampled in the chaotic situation, Su Zhi had to navigate carefully to ensure her safety.