Half a month later, the Shangyuan Festival in Shouchun started.
Everything was fresh and new so early in the new year. A bright moon hung in the sky, and the first night of the spring markets bustled with activity. The flower lanterns formed an ocean, and together with the fireworks, they lit up the night with silver flowers and flaming trees.
“Let’s go!” Sun Ce called, rushing around excitedly. “Let’s go wander the lantern markets!”
Thinking about their plans to escape certain doom this very night tied Zhou Yu’s stomach in knots. Yet Sun Ce seemed completely unaffected. Zhou Yu wanted to throttle him.
“I’m not going anymore,” Zhou Yu said. “You take Sun Quan to walk around for a bit. Come back soon.”
“What are you afraid of?” Sun Ce asked. “Zilong will be following us tonight. Are you worried something will happen that we can’t deal with? If one comes, we’ll kill one; if two come, we’ll kill a pair. Let’s go.”
Zhou Yu had no response, so he could only rise and follow Sun Ce out.
When they passed through the corridor, they saw Yuan Shao, Yuan Shu, Zhen Mi, Yang Hong, and the rest heading toward them. They were going to the garden to admire the lights, and the two sides exchanged a few distant pleasantries. Yuan Shu chuckled, telling Zhou Yu and Sun Ce to freely enjoy themselves. Yang Hong shot him a secret glance, and Zhou Yu nodded almost imperceptibly; everything was arranged as he ordered.
They left the general’s residence behind. This was the first time Sun Ce was able to stroll through the streets after arriving in Shouchun, and he linked hands with Zhou Yu, the two leading Sun Quan through the market. Zhou Yu had previously arranged for the men Yuan Shu gave him to wait for him outside the city. Earlier, Zhao Yun had taken Cao Pi out wandering, and Zhou Yu didn’t know where they were.
Sun Quan did not know about their plan, and he smiled as he asked where Cao Pi had run off to. In the market, Zhou Yu bought him a pinwheel that kept whirling, while he and Sun Ce took turns carrying him piggyback to prevent being separated by the crowd. That night, the market was filled with young couples, men and women decked out in bright robes, and when they saw Zhou Yu and Sun Ce carrying a young child who looked carved from jade, none of them could resist letting their gazes linger on them a little longer. Their ensemble was pretty amusing.
“I want to eat that,” Sun Quan said. “What’s that?”
“Stop eating so much,” Sun Ce said. “You won’t be able to run around soon.”
“Let me eat!” Sun Quan demanded.
“What did Cao Cao’s son teach you…” Sun Ce’s amusement didn’t mask his exasperation. “You even dare to talk back now?”
“Buy some for him, please, buy some for him,” Zhou Yu pleaded.
Zhou Yu was terrified of young children crying or fighting, because the situation could completely devolve in moments. He was afraid that Sun Quan would turn upset, and if he began to fuss right in the middle of the market, it could be devastating. Sun Ce had no choice when it came to Zhou Yu, so he pulled out some money and handed it over.
“Go, go quickly,” Sun Ce said.
Zhou Yu bought two sticky rice cakes, handing one to Sun Quan while starting to eat the other. The rice cake was pleasantly warm, formed from glutinous rice sprinkled with crushed peanuts.
“Why don’t I get one?” Sun Ce asked.
“Didn’t you say you weren’t going to eat?” Sun Quan responded.
“That’s right,” Zhou Yu teased. “Didn’t you say you weren’t going to eat?”
To prevent Sun Ce exploding from anger, Zhou Yu, chuckling, handed over his own half-eaten rice cake. Sun Ce swallowed it down while Sun Quan squeezed into the mass of people, calling, “Cao Pi! Cao Pi!”
The other boy was riding on Zhao Yun’s shoulders, the two of them standing before the stage, watching a wooden puppet play. Sun Quan clambered over Sun Ce, and so he quickly lifted his brother onto his shoulders as they squeezed through the crowd.
When Zhao Yun sent Zhou Yu a glance, Zhou Yu nodded slightly. Everything was ready.
“Are all your belongings packed?” Zhou Yu asked.
“We’re not bringing anything,” Zhao Yun said quietly. “Madame Yuan prepared some travel expenses for Cao Pi.”
On stage, the wooden puppets were performing “The Legend of the Seven Magpies,” which told the story of a forbidden romance between a cowherd and a weaver. Cao Pi watched fixedly, his eyes a little red.
Zhou Yu teased him, “You haven’t really fallen in love with a great beauty, have you?”
“Nonsense,” Cao Pi said. “When I return in a few years, I’ll find her, to be my wife.”
Zhao Yun couldn’t stop laughing, almost sending Cao Pi tumbling down from his shoulders. The three of them watched the play for a while before Sun Quan realized Cao Pi seemed hurt, and he grabbed his hand.
“Have you…told Zhen-jie?”
“Yup,” Cao Pi replied. “I said I would come back.”