Chapter 134:
Extra 1
Lantern Riddles on Yuanxiao Night
’TIS THE FESTIVE Shangyuan holiday, a joyous night.
Although spring had begun, the brisk winds of winter hadn’t yet departed. Xie Lian trudged along the roadside hauling a large sack on his back, his face slightly flushed from the gales.
The sack held a huge assortment of things he’d just collected. He didn’t know whether any of it was useful, but regardless, this was all he could count on to make a living going forward.
Not long after, he came upon a stall on the side of the street.
The stall was called “He Family Snacks,” and it sold simple fare. A family of three was sitting around a small table further inside, likely the owner of the establishment with his wife and child. There was another woman bustling about the tables, slender in figure and lovely in looks. The owner called out to her to stop working and come sit with them inside, but she wouldn’t listen; she simply trilled “Coming,” with a voice like a yellow warbler’s. A few scattered customers sat at the other tables, and it seemed they’d come specifically for this young woman. There was casual conversation here and there, but before long, they all went home. After all, today was the Shangyuan Festival.
Ah, it’s Yuanxiao,3 Xie Lian remarked inwardly.
When he was little, the king and queen of Xianle ate yuanxiao with him every Shangyuan. Young Xie Lian had been a very picky eater—he didn’t like yuanxiao, and still didn’t like it even when the imperial chef served him the best of the best ladled into the finest bowls. It was too sweet, and the stickiness made his teeth itch. He’d refuse every type of filling on offer, gulp all the balls down in a couple of swallows, and be done with it.
When he was a little older, he ran off on his own to cultivate on Mount Taicang. Sometimes he’d go home when Yuanxiao rolled around, sometimes he wouldn’t. He hadn’t had yuanxiao that many times overall. When he thought about it now, he was surprised to discover he no longer remembered what it tasted like.
Xie Lian stopped next to the stall and glanced at it cautiously, then cautiously lowered the big, ugly sack on his shoulder to the ground. Finally, he cautiously entered.
He removed his bamboo hat and held it in his hands as he voiced his request. “Boss, one bowl of yuanxiao, please, if you have any?”
The owner, a rather old man, glanced at him. Before he could answer, the young woman beckoned him to sit.
“Yes, sir,” she responded with a smile. “Come in and have a seat!”
She immediately went to work. Xie Lian sat down, but he was puzzled when he saw the owner shake his head. He wondered if he was dirty and had thus incurred the man’s displeasure, so he immediately checked his sleeves; he only relaxed a little when he was certain they were clean.
“Is something the matter?” Xie Lian asked.
If the owner didn’t like his bag inside the stall, he would take it outside. But the owner took another look at him and shook his head.
“Tragic. Real tragic.”
“Huh? What is?” Xie Lian asked.
“You’re eating yuanxiao at some street stall outside in the cold on this perfectly good Yuanxiao evening. How tragic is that?”
Xie Lian was rendered speechless for a moment. “…Don’t say that. Do you want my business or not…?”
The owner didn’t respond; he turned away to retrieve the bowl and end the conversation with Xie Lian.
After sitting there for a bit, Xie Lian sensed someone was eyeing him. Or rather, eyeing him and his abnormally gigantic bag.
The owner’s daughter had snuck over and was now crouching on the ground and poking at the bag. She seemed very curious about what was stuffed inside, and it took several calls from her mother before she went back inside. This was a time before Xie Lian had developed his impenetrably thick skin, so he couldn’t help but give his giant bag a kick in the hope of stuffing it under the table where no one could see. Unfortunately, this was a small stall, and the tables and benches were similarly tiny. Nothing could be hidden. Left with no other choice, Xie Lian cleared his throat quietly a few times and did his best to ignore the eyes of others.
He would get used to it eventually. It was no big deal.
Suddenly, a thought struck him. He hurriedly reached into his breast pocket, and his face changed. Now it’s an even worse tragedy! he thought. Not only am I eating yuanxiao all alone in the cold at a street stall—I don’t have enough money!
He planned to make a quick getaway then and there, but of course the owner just had to come over with a large porcelain bowl before he could.
“Five pennies,” the owner said as he set the bowl in front of him.
“…” Xie Lian was at a loss for words. “Uh…I…”
He cleared his throat a few times, his fist pressed against his mouth.
“Do you not have the money?” the owner asked. Still stricken, Xie Lian couldn’t reply, but the owner simply said, “Forget it. I’ll give it to you for free, considering how tragic you look. I’ll be packing up once you’re done, so hurry home. Today is Yuanxiao, the day for family reunions!”
“…”
Xie Lian sat back down. He didn’t have anywhere or anyone to return to after finishing this bowl of yuanxiao, but he didn’t voice that aloud. He simply mumbled a soft “Thank you.”
The owner left as soon as he set down the bowl. He served up the remaining yuanxiao in the small pot at the front of the stall to a different table.
The little girl was biting on her spoon with her head tilted. “When is gege coming home? I wanna wait until he’s back before digging in.”
“He’s so late,” the owner chimed in. “Coming home so late on Yuanxiao; how outrageous!”
“He’s working hard. He’ll be home soon,” the old woman chided. “Don’t scold him when he comes back. Miao-er! Miao-er, stop working. I feel awful always needing you to help out. Come here, and let’s eat together.”
“Not at all!” the young woman replied. She cleaned the last table before sitting down with them to share yuanxiao.
They seemed to be waiting for another member of the family to join them, and the four of them chatted and laughed all the while. Xie Lian watched them, then picked up his own bowl. He delivered one yuanxiao to his mouth and sipped a mouthful of the sweet soup.
He still couldn’t tell what it tasted like.