After that day, it was rare to see Susu. Like the other prostitutes in the building, she sleeps with her clients at night and during the day. Even when it was said a few weeks ago that we would go to see the lanterns together on the Midyear Festival, Su Su hurriedly found Yang Ruoning before the shop opened in the evening of the day before the Midyear Festival, saying that she was sorry that she couldn't go tomorrow.

Yang Ruoning heard that she had been heavily paid by the son of a certain official for a whole month, so she understood that Su Su must not be able to pull away.

So on the afternoon of the Midyear Festival, Yang Ruoning changed into the long skirt left by Su Su and prepared to go out alone. The skirt is the color of cranberries, which is very bright, but Su Su said that it is a branch red, which is the most popular color in the capital recently. She held her hair up high and fixed it with a wooden chopstick, and then she walked alone to a lively place outside the city with a stack of drawn missing objects.

She heard Su Su say that the royal garden "Jinchi Garden" in the western suburbs will be especially open to the people every year during the Midyear Festival. There were a lot of people there, so naturally she had to try her luck.

Although it is past the height of summer, the weather is still hot, but this does not affect people's mood to visit the park. Whether it was the dignitaries dressed in splendid silk or the working commoners in simple cloth clothes, they did not want to miss this rare opportunity to visit the royal private garden, and they came one after another, crowding this garden to the brim.

Yang Ruoning took the missing notice, shuttled through the crowd, and asked one by one. Xu felt that this woman was acting strangely, probably some kind of crazy woman, and most people were disdainful of Yang Ruoning's things.

Yang Ruoning walked through the garden, but she didn't gain anything at all. Even the guards in the peach grove behind the garden who are said to be in front of the royal temple asked. Of course, she didn't ask anything, just was rudely pushed out by the guard.

By the time she walked back into the city, it was already dark. Rows of lanterns of different shapes were newly hung in the streets and alleys of the city, and the excitement of the city began.

Yang Ruoning bought some snacks and strolled through the streets while eating, browsing the lanterns on the streets. Her gaze was drawn to a large lantern with colorful drawings on all sides. She stopped and looked up at the painting on the lantern. These paintings seem to be about the sad love story of a man and a woman who could not stay together in life and turned into a butterfly after death.

Why do some people always like to turn tragedy into a family carnival? There is no afterlife in this world, everyone is just carbon-based lifeforms.

Yang Ruoning smiled bitterly, and when she turned her head to leave, she saw a man in white standing a few meters away. The lantern shed a warm light that illuminated the man's delicate face. The corners of his mouth curled gently, and he strode towards her.

Yang Ruoning swore that in just a few seconds, the world really stood still, everything on the earth disappeared, and only the man walked towards her with a smile. There was silence between heaven and earth, and only the sound of her own rapid heartbeat could be heard.

He approached, so close that Yang Ruoning raised his head, and he could see the starry summer night sky in his eyes.

"It's a coincidence that I met you here," he said.

"Yes, are you here to enjoy the lanterns alone?"

"Separated from friends. Such a coincidence is fate, I don't know if you mind going back to Fanlou with the next one? ”

“OK。”

He walked very slowly with her steps, and the two walked side by side on the riverbank, even if there was no dialogue, but the atmosphere was not awkward.

A small candle floated on the river, Yang Ruoning asked, "What is this?" ”

"It's a river lamp in honor of the dead," he replied.

Further onto the bridge, I saw the stall selling river lanterns. Yang Ruoning stopped, she bought one with a copper plate. The enthusiastic vendor also gave her pen and ink, saying that the girl could write down what she wanted to say on paper, and the river lantern would bring those words to the deceased in the distance.

Yang Ruoning held the brush and thought about it. She first wrote the word "yes or no" crookedly on the paper, but she couldn't remember how to write the "up" for a while. At this time, Luo Yuan, who was standing on the side, handed over a piece of paper with the word "Qi" written on it. "Thank you," Yang Ruoning said embarrassedly. She took it and wrote it down on paper.

Yang Ruoning gently put down the river lantern and watched the river slowly flow downstream with it.

"Who are you memorializing?" Luo Yuan asked.

"A little boy." Yang Ruoning said.

"Why do you say you're sorry?"

"Because I let him down." Yang Ruo watched the lamp fade away, and finally merged into a group of river lamps in the distance. "Do the dead really receive a note from the lantern?"

"I think so." His tone was affirmative.

"Then surely he won't forgive me, right?" Yang Ruoning muttered to herself.

"Why do you say that?"

"I promised him what I promised, but I didn't do it. I thought...... I didn't know I had been that long. When I returned, I was told he was dead. ”

"Someone else told you? Didn't the girl make sure for herself? ”

Yang Ruoning sighed, "I don't know, the little master has no reason to lie...... But if he's really alive...... I don't know, but I think his life might be better off without me. ”

"Why do you say that?"

"As far as I am concerned, I may only bring him misfortune, only unrealistic illusions. What he needs is ......" Yang Ruoning looked at the young couple with the little boy on the side to put the river lantern, "What he needs is this ordinary life." ”

"So you wish you'd never met him?"

"You know, it's hard enough for ordinary people to just want to live an ordinary life, and I'm just ...... General Luo is not an extraordinary person, so naturally he will not understand. ”

When Luo Yuan and Yang Ruoning returned to Fanlou that night, it was already late at night. Although there are no more people on the street, the night in the fireworks alley of Fanlou seems to be in full swing.

Luo Yuan suddenly stopped her when she turned to leave.

"Ruo Ning... In the following proposal, can you think again? You can pay as much as you want. ”

Yang Ruoning was stunned, she wanted to refuse again, but when she saw the expectation in his eyes, she suddenly felt a little soft-hearted.

"Okay, I'll think about replying to you," she said with a smile.