The Magnolia Beauty 28 The Lantern Festival Pt 1

"I need something to cure this ugly headache of mine! Ugh! I shouldn't have been that drunk yesterday!" He snarled. The customers gave each other a displeased look on their face, huddling around the man.

The shop keeper only grinned, "I'm sorry, but I am still taking care of this customer-"

"It doesn't matter! I'll give you more money now!" He urged, slamming more paper money on the table.
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"Stop hara.s.sing the shop keeper! You have to wait your turn, too!" Suyin placed her hands on her hips, glaring at Meng Jianhong. He turned around to look at Suyin, his eyes opening up wide with a smile lit on his face.

"My Hua, it seems like I have never seen you here before." Jianhong lit a smile on his face, grazing his mustache. "I apologize for my behavior, I just have a horrible headache and feel like I need to vomit, but nothing's coming out!"

Suyin rolled her eyes, letting out a big sigh. This absurd man was having a hangover and it seems like the world would end for him if he didn't get his medicine.

"It's okay. He's usually like that." The shopkeeper mentioned. Meng Jianhong didn't care about anyone else except Suyin, who was practically the only one who did something to him with his rude att.i.tude.

"Beautiful Hua, why don't you come with me? I'll buy you everything that you want!" The man grasped her wrist. Suyin took a step back as she pulled back her arm, resisting him.

"What the heck are you talking about?!" Suyin exclaimed, walking out of the shop. Meng Jianhong didn't stop and followed her as he ran outside too.

"My Hua, once I set my eyes on you, you are like the beautiful wind that gently breezes through the trees. Startled, but gently shaken by the presence of you." He proceeded to accompany her, with Suyin trying to bustle off to find Qin Fuhua.

He had to ruin the moment and mood, and she couldn't even find Qin Fuhua! Where the h.e.l.l was he at?!

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The shopping district was bursting with many people, walking around and buying groceries and items for their essential needs. Maybe because it was almost the day of the lantern festival that families were buying ingredients to make the usual tangyuan dessert.

Qin Fuhua tried to follow the girl down the pathway but was blocked by crowds of people walking by. He peered forward to the girl who kept walking further and further away from him, heading to the boat that would cross the river. With no other way to get to her because it was too late, Qin Fuhua had forgotten about Suyin's existence in the medical shop.

"I hope she isn't making trouble in there, like usual." He grumbled to himself, rus.h.i.+ng back to her.

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"Young miss! Come here!" An older woman called to Suyin. "Did you want to get your readings for the lantern festival to find your lover? I can tell you as long as I look at you and your partner (or friend hehe)'s palm!"

Suyin couldn't hear her well because of the crowd and came forward, as the woman caught her hand, looking at the person next to her.

Meng Jianhong's eyes lit up, with a big smile on his face. "Oh really?! Haha!" He was still following Suyin's trail. Suyin was trying to get away from him but he somehow kept finding her. Right when Meng Jianhong was going to give his hand to the woman, Qin Fuhua's arm cut in the middle between the woman and Jianhong.

"Thank you for finding her, I will be taking her now." Qin Fuhua cut between the lady and Jianhong, seizing Suyin's hands as he pulled her towards his chest. Qin Fuhua dragged Suyin away from Meng Jianhong.

"HEY! YOU'RE TAKING MY HUA!" Meng Jianhong cried out, trying to follow the two but the elder lady held his hands, smiling.

"Ehehe, I'll do it with you to look at our compatibility together if you want!" She snickered. Meng Jianhong's face began to turn sour because of his nausea from his hangover and the lady, as he ran off.

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Qin Fuhua was hauling Suyin by interlocking his hands with her, with a grimace on his face. Suyin gazed at him. Was he upset at her because she wasn't at the medical shop and he was there waiting for her? She tried to let go of him, but he gripped on harder.

"Mr. Grumpy face," Suyin mumbled.

The two marched down the shopping district to a port near the river. In this area, there was a river that separated the North and South Liaoping. It was about two miles apart and would need to be crossed by a Hongtou sampan, a little boat that people would pay to row them over to the other side of town. A bridge was in the process of being built, so this was the only way at the moment to reach to the other side.

People were coming back and forth by this transportation, something is commonly seen in the past, but not for Suyin.

"For two." Qin Fuhua handed the worker money as he nodded with a smile on his face.

The worker slipped the money carefully in his pocket and cleared their way, "Come in!" He invited the two to his boat, enough to fit about five (including himself) in his Hongyu sampan.

Qin Fuhua went to the boat first and turned to her. "Can you come in, by yourself?"

It sounded like he was challenging Suyin, who was offended by the way he spoke. "Hmph, of course, I can!" She exclaimed.

Right when she stepped into the boat though, it swaggered side to side, causing her to lose balance and nearly fall in the water. With Qin Fuhua's agile reaction, he caught her in midst of the commotion, with Suyin tumbling on top of him.

"So much for doing it by yourself." He taunted, letting her go as she sat next to him.

"I just had a misstep, that's all!" Suyin was annoyed at Qin Fuhua because he was constantly doubting her.

The worker began rowing, as they headed to the other side of town.

"...Why weren't you at the medical shop earlier?" Qin Fuhua questioned. Suyin crossed her arms with the thought of the walrus (Meng Jianhong) following her.

"That walrus wouldn't stop following me." She replied straightforwardly. "If that guy wasn't vexing me, I would've been perfectly fine."

Qin Fuhua was facing the front of the boat but slightly turned his head to Suyin. "Remember, we are still newlyweds. If he or anyone does something to you that you don't like, just tell me."

Suyin's eyes grew bigger. She didn't want to stare at him because she could feel his eyes gazing to her.

It was near impossible that he was genuine about that since he was putting up a show to everyone here. Suyin felt better at that notion, yet somehow, a small hint in her heart shrank deep down. She lit a small smile back at him, agreeing.

"Yes, I didn't forget, Zhangfu." Her tone gradually getting smaller than before.

Qin Fuhua took one more glimpse of her before he looked ahead, staring at the other side of the city crowded with shops and boats.

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Qin Fuhua and Suyin walked next to each other, exploring around a new area that Suyin didn't know existed. The pair reached further north, arriving at the heart of the city. In the middle of the place was a beautiful garden with a pond filled with koi fishes. Lanterns were placed on every store and kart while the trees had little rectangular wooden ornament hung with people's surname on it.

"Make a wish before we start our lantern festival so your wishes can come true!" A young man cried to the people. Crowds of people could be seen hanging their surname in the wooden ornament on the large plum blossom trees and people huddled together to buy a lantern.

"Wow, to be able to see this in person is amazing" Suyin clasped her hands together in excitement.

"You act as if you haven't attended a lantern festival." Qin Fuhua said, detached about the people as the two proceeded to walk up north.

"I...haven't! Back at home, I was always stuck home. They would never let me out on my own because that would ruin their reputation that their daughter likes going out." Suyin replied, upset that the Prince of Qin believed as if the world revolved around him and he was always correct.

Qin Fuhua noticed that the further they got away from the shopping district, the fewer people there were around them.

"Where are we going?" Suyin asked, unsure of what Qin Fuhua's intentions were for bringing her there.

"I'm trying to find someone with a burned scar on her arm." Qin Fuhua finally let Suyin in on the plan. There was nothing to hide from her and because of how fast the girl had disappeared earlier, he would need her help.

"Hm... would it have to do with the key that the s.h.i.+ Zhang mentioned?"

Qin Fuhua only nodded. "It is the only way for us to find the key. No one knows about the location at the moment, but this is the first step in retrieving it." Qin Fuhua entered in one of the inns, walking up to the counter.

"Welcome!" The innkeeper greeted Qin Fuhua and Suyin.

"One room please." Qin Fuhua ordered as the shop keeper nodded.

"O-One?!" Suyin was m.u.f.fled by Qin Fuhua, who held her close to him.

"Right this way!"

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The room was a s.p.a.cious room that had a bed, a table, three chairs around the table, and a little balcony that could see the people below them.

Throughout the whole day, Qin Fuhua was observing from the outside with his seat as he sipped on his tea to see who was pa.s.sing by, but couldn't find the girl with the burned scar anymore. The only distinctive characteristic that he could remember from noticing her was her unusual black swan hairpin that was bound at the side of her long hair.

Suyin, on the other hand, decided it was a perfect time for her to study the blue book that Wansun had given her in the room. There was some information that she wanted to read, but never had the time and chance to because she was constantly either busy with the Princess or tasks around the manor back at Qin Fuhua's home.

It was about night time when Suyin had remembered about the paper lantern back at his manor.

"Oh no!" Suyin hopped out of her chair, putting both her hands on her head. Qin Fuhua rose and moved to the room, troubled that something happened.

"My lantern! It's back at home"

Suyin was crying deep down inside. She really wanted to attend the lantern festival the next day, but how was she going to celebrate it if she doesn't have a lantern?

Qin Fuhua let out a big sigh of relief that nothing happened to her and that it wasn't a big deal. If Suyin would have known that they weren't going back home, she could have brought her lantern with her.

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After taking a bath, Suyin walked into the room with Qin Fuhua sitting on the bed.

"Um..."

Qin Fuhua looked at her, undisturbed at her confused expression.

"We are not an actual couple, you know." Suyin finished her sentence.

"Mhm." He answered, not moving a single inch on the bed. "I'm going to bed." Qin Fuhua p.r.o.nounced, blowing out the candle near the bed.

"Fine." Of course, what can Suyin do to the Prince of Qin? He's going to have to sleep on the bed because of his spoiled self in the palace.

She stole most of the pillows and a layer of the blanket on Qin Fuhua's bed before he could lay on the bed and smoothed it out on the floor.

"Goodnight!" She grumbled, covering herself with the blanket.

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Time flew by and Suyin had fallen in a deep sleep. Qin Fuhua was already awake in the middle of the night because he had planned to write a letter to Weizhe to have him investigate where the location of the 100-year-old Hong Teng would be inhabited.

Carefully and cautiously, he leaned down to carry Suyin (princess style) and gently laid her down on the bed. He laid the pillows back on the bed and covered her with the blanket.

Qin Fuhua lit the candle with a fire steel and began grinding up ink to write his letter to Weizhe.

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Morning came by, Suyin was already awake but didn't see Qin Fuhua anywhere in the room. Suyin swiftly spun a bun with her hairpin and fastened it. It wasn't as elegant as the maid's work the day before, but it was simple enough to look clean and proper. She decided to go out for a walk, hoping to at least spot Qin Fuhua somewhere.

"Heading out?" The innkeeper inquired from Suyin, as she nodded with a smile. "Your husband was out way early in the morning. I asked if he wanted breakfast but he kindly denied and left." The innkeeper said.

"Ah. Well, thank you for letting me know." Suyin strolled out around the north shopping district.

Although it wasn't as busy as the south side, it was still a good amount of people because it was where they would hold the lantern festival. Suyin had arrived at the plum blossom trees where they placed their names on a small wooden board and hung it on the trees to request for their wishes.

"That reminds me!" She bustled in line with the people, waiting for her turn.

"For just 1 yuan, come and make a wis.h.!.+" The vendor screamed out, calling people in. It was finally Suyin's turn and she handed the vendor the money, with a smile on her face as she delivered the wooden board to Suyin.

"All you need to do is go over there to write down your surname and make a wish as you hang it on the plum blossom." The vendor explained, "By tonight when you celebrate us with the lanterns, we will all soar through the skies and make our dreams come true!"

Delighted, she went to the side where people wrote their surnames on the board and attached it on the tree. Suyin held the brush on her hand but paused. If she were to put her own surname, "Han" on the board, she didn't want to make it a big deal.

Of course, there are many people not related to her with the same surname as her, but she didn't want to cause any trouble if there were people seeking for her.

Suyin decided to write down a different surname and walked to the plum blossom tree, going up on a wooden ladder and climbed on the tree to put it in the highest spot that she could find.

"Are you sure you want to climb that far?" One of a pa.s.serby asked Suyin, who fearlessly nodded.

"My wish needs to come true and I want this to be placed where it can see everything here!" Suyin found a place at the edge of the tree at the highest point. She stretched out her arm to barely reach to the edge of the branch, hanging it there.

Suyin knew that it wouldn't be possible to take off the name from there unless you were willing to climb, but most of these people wouldn't be able to reach it. She grinned as she sat on the big plum blossom branch. She could see the view from above and view the horizon of the city from where she sat.

It was time for Suyin to get down from the tree before she really gets in trouble and not have her wish come true. Suyin climbed down the tree, to the ladder, and leaped down, brus.h.i.+ng her hands and gawked proudly at her little name tag that was high and away from the others that all bundled up.

"Hm, what are you staring at?" A voice called to Suyin, as he came closer to Suyin.

She looked at the person and lit a small, fake smile.

"Ah, Feng Junli!" She patted him on the shoulders, still disturbed by the fact that he looked exactly as Minsheng. "What are you doing here?"

"I heard a young, beautiful lady was climbing on the tree and I grew curious. Surprisingly enough, it turns out to be you." He chuckled.

Suyin had noticed that he was wearing his layer of clothes but in a different color this time. His face was still covered around his head as if he's going to go walk in a dessert. Suyin wanted to ask why he wore layers of clothes in the beaming sun, but it was an inappropriate time for her to ask.

"Anyway, are you coming to the lantern festival tonight?"

Suyin shook her head, "I don't think so... I do want to attend but I might not have time to go..."

"No time? I already got you a lantern, so you have to go!" Junli chuckled. "Come on, I'll see you here tonight?"

Suyin could only give him a short laugh, "I'll see if I can make it."

Although this person wasn't Minsheng, he still resembled like the person that she had a crush on for years.

During the times that she had struggled in her medical school, Minsheng was always there to help her cope with her stress and problems. He was always a shoulder for Suyin to lean on, so she couldn't reject his offer but couldn't say no either. Her heart was still shaken up from what had happened with Minsheng.

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