allonlinenovel Chapter 161 Lantern Festival
Chapter 161 Lantern Festival
At dusk, the Li family put on their most decent clothes. The women wore simple jewelry, and their dress was neither outstanding nor impolite. This was the first time in years that the Li family went to the town to watch the lanterns openly.
Everyone was very excited along the way.
Each person held a lantern in their hands, and the basket was filled with many sea lanterns.
The town is very lively today. People are dressed in their best clothes, holding lanterns, strolling leisurely on the streets of the town, full of the atmosphere of fireworks.
In the streets and alleys, the cries of hawkers can be heard one after another, all kinds of exquisite folk handicrafts and snacks can be seen everywhere, and there is a wide variety of goods.
The streets and alleys are filled with lanterns, including traditional simple paper lanterns and exquisitely shaped gauze lanterns, which are colorful and magnificent.
A stage was also built on South Street. At this time, the auditorium was already full of guests, and there were also many onlookers standing outside.
Suddenly, a deep and powerful drum beat rang out, and a fiery red lion jumped onto the center of the stage. It was agile and swift, and its big eyes were vivid and blinking, as if it could really see.
"it is good!"
There was an immediate cheer from the audience, and then another lion jumped onto the stage and fought and played with the previous lion.
At this time, a red ball was thrown into the field, and the two lions began to fight for the ball, jumping up and down, showing off their magical powers, which drew thunderous applause and cheers from the audience.
Li Erlang, Li Dalang and Li Laosan were attracted by the lively lion dance. They ran to the outskirts of the crowd and kept looking inside.
Fortunately, the stage was built high enough so that people without invitations could still see the lion dance, but the view was much worse.
Seeing so many people and fearing they might get separated, Old Man Li was about to call back Old Man Li and the others, but Old Lady Cai stopped him and said, "They are all grown-ups, let them go. We just need to take good care of Mei'er and Yu Bao'er."
Unfortunately, Li Erlang and his wife and Li Dalang and his wife did not come. Both of them have mobility problems, one had to take care of the children, and the other volunteered to stay at home to take care of her husband and Xiao Huang.
The smooth lion dance made the three brothers so excited that they wished they could dance it themselves.
"See? In the end, the lion I picked won the trophy." Li Erlang said proudly to Li Laosan.
Li Laosan was not to be outdone and retorted: "But the lion I liked finally tore down the couplet in the brocade ball. So the lion I liked is still the most important."
The two of them chattered non-stop, determined to determine who was better.
Li Dalang suddenly shouted: "Fried Yuanxiao! It's fried Yuanxiao!"
There were four or five children queuing in front of a stall, all waiting for fried Yuanxiao.
Things that they couldn't even think about in the past are now a piece of cake for the three brothers.
A few people followed the line and soon it was their turn.
"Boss, how much are Yuanxiao?"
The boss is doing good business today. He is happy to see everyone and says with a smile: "Two cents each."
It was expensive, but the aroma was so fragrant that each of us ordered six.
They were considered big customers, so the boss happily packed the food for them, two in a pack, and put it in oil paper.
The three of them ran back, "Grandpa and grandma, we bought some fried Yuanxiao, you guys try some!"
Each of Old Mrs. Cai and her friends was given a bag of fried Yuanxiao. Fried Yuanxiao are much bigger than glutinous rice balls, each one is as big as a child's fist. They are filled with sesame and sugar, sweet but not greasy, and very delicious.
Li Yuer ate one and it was really good. It had no spices and had a purely natural aroma. It was super delicious.
As everyone followed the crowd, the night fell unknowingly. When the last ray of sunlight sank into the west mountain, lanterns were lit up one after another in the town.
It feels like the lanterns are not lighting up the night sky, but another time and space.
Passersby dressed in ancient costumes, holding various lanterns, strolled in the ancient coastal town with ancient style.
The town with dim lights at this moment looks like a scene from a game, so beautiful that it seems like a dream.
At this time, the Peking Opera had begun on the stage where the lion dance had just been performed, adding a touch of fairyland atmosphere to the ancient town.
After walking across the stone bridge, passing by an old tree hung with red silk ribbons for making wishes, and passing through the cobblestone road along the street, the group arrived at the pier.
The pier, which had been deserted for the entire winter, was finally bustling with people and lights.
People rushed to offer Shanghai lanterns to Mazu, praying for her to bless them to realize their wishes.
One by one, sea lanterns carrying people's good wishes were released into the sea. Tonight the wind was light and the sea was calm. The sea lanterns entered the sea and drifted to the deep sea with the receding tide.
Although the dock is deep and it is impossible to move away from the mudflat, it still follows the same tidal rules: the water moves towards the deep sea during low tide.
The sea lanterns made by Li Yuer and his team are different from ordinary sea lanterns. They are improved by Li Yuer. They are big and resistant to wind and waves, and not easy to capsize.
"Oh no! My sea lantern flipped over!" a young man shouted, beating his chest and stamping his feet.
Immediately a vendor came forward to sell his product: "My little brother, my sea lanterns are made with great effort. If you buy from me, they will definitely not be erroneous." His hands were filled with sea lanterns of various colors.
The young man hesitated for a moment and asked, "How much is one?"
"The big one is ten cents, and the small one is six cents."
It was one cent more expensive than the ones in town, but he didn't care. It was unlucky if the sea lantern fell over, so it would be wise to buy another one.
So the young man gritted his teeth and bought another one. The vendor even kindly lent him a tinder. Sure enough, this time the young man's sea lantern successfully drifted into the deep sea.
He left with a satisfied smile, as if his wish would come true if the sea lantern could really reach the temple of Mazu.
Li Meir lit a sea lantern and prayed devoutly.
Li Erlang smiled slyly and asked, "Sister Mei'er, what wish did you make?"
"Don't tell you."
Li Erlang rolled his eyes and guessed, "Are you wishing to marry into a good family?"
Li Meir blushed and stepped on his foot lightly.
Li Erlang pretended to be in pain and shouted, "You murdered my brother!"
As a result, he was slapped on the back. Old Mrs. Cai said angrily: "You have no respect for your parents. Hurry up and light your own lamp, or you will give it to Yu Baoer to play with."
"No, no, no!" Li Erlang begged for mercy quickly. Given how much his grandmother doted on Yu Baoer, she would really do this. This was his first time releasing a sea lantern, and he had to release it with his own hands and then send it to the Goddess Mazu.
After Li Laosan finished lighting the sea lantern, he imitated Li Erlang's previous mean behavior and said, "What wish did Erlang make?"
Li Erlang did not hide it and said proudly: "Of course our business is booming this year! We made a fortune!"
"Vulgar!" Li Mei'er said in revenge: "Our business must be good, why do you need to make a wish! Guess what I wish for? I wish that grandma will find you a powerful wife and punish you every day!"
"Hey! No, Li Mei'er, are you kidding me?" Li Erlang chased after Li Mei'er and asked, "You didn't really make this wish, did you?"
Li Meir covered her mouth and laughed secretly, but did not answer Li Erlang.