Joyful Motherhood in a Rural Family

Chapter 207: 205: The Topic Triggered by Buying Lanterns and Roasting Sweet Potatoes

The pair swiftly arrived at the lakeside of the Lake of Forgetfulness.

At night, the lakeside was gradually filled with more and more passersby, and countless lanterns lit up the small stalls and shops along the shore. A multitude of fire and candle lights flickered uniquely before their eyes, which was captivating.

The tourists passing by them also held various lanterns in their hands, their faces full of elation.

The children were even playing with tangerine lanterns and starfall aroma balls.

The tangerine lantern was a small handmade lantern made by poor families. It used large tangerine skins, with a small candle lit inside, and the candlelight would shine through the small holes, which was quite beautiful!

The starfall aroma ball was a toy where grapefruit skins were filled with incense, ignited, and could be played around with by the kids.

Because the incense would not go out while swirling in the air, the toys were dangling all over the lakeside, carried in the hands of a group of children who ran around. The sounds of laughter spread far and wide. It was a particularly lively scene!

Liu Sisi’s eyes were filled with envy, “It’s a pity Xuan’er and YingEr are not here, otherwise they would be so happy playing around.”

“Hehe! You don’t have to worry about them! They may have already come to the fair with Zhang Peng, we just didn’t see them.” Di Yelei said happily.

“Really?”

Liu Sisi looked surprised.

“That’s what Zhang Peng said before we left yesterday. If we didn’t return today, he’d bring the children to the temple fair tonight.”

“So you knew about the performances all along, why didn’t you take me to watch them last night?” Liu Sisi asked indignantly.

He chuckled smugly, suddenly leaning into her ear: “Didn’t I covet your softness last night… I really didn’t want to let…”

Bang!

Liu Sisi’s cheeks instantly blushed!

All flushed with embarrassment, she called him: “Rascal! What nonsensical things are you talking about? Let’s go!”

Di Yelei didn’t mind being scolded at all. They headed straight towards the closest lantern shop and started selecting appealing lanterns.

The various types of lanterns here were filled with glittering features. There were all types of patterns, with the majority being small, beautiful, and convenient for carrying.

Liu Sisi was undecided for quite a while and still couldn’t decide on which one to buy.

In the end, Di Yelei simply chose a lotus lamp for her. It was shaped like a lotus, and once the candle inside was lit, the petals would rotate with the wind, looking so alluring that Liu Sisi could hardly let go of it.

The couple also bought a carp-shaped lantern. Each of them carrying a lantern, they continued to walk towards the lake, laughing and chatting as they went along.

When they passed by an old man selling roasted sweet potatoes, Liu Sisi stopped.

Looking at the old man in front of her, she inexplicably remembered her grandfather’s back. A sense of familiarity suddenly came over her. She still remembered that when she was a little girl, her grandpa also sold roasted sweet potatoes.

“Ye Lei, didn’t you just say you were hungry? Let’s buy a sweet potato to fill our stomachs first, and we can buy anything else that looks delicious later.”

“How can just one possibly be enough for your husband to eat?”

Di Yelei grinned, understanding her thoughts. Looking at the remaining seven or eight sweet potatoes in the old man’s roasting tube, he said, “Elder Uncle, we’ll take all the remaining sweet potatoes, you can weigh them for us.”

Liu Sisi glanced at Di Yelei. She didn’t say a word, but a smile crossed her face.

“Alright then, there are still a few roasted sweet potatoes left unsold! Young man, thank you very much. Once I finish selling these, I will buy a lantern to take home to my old companion. Hopefully, this will cheer her up!”

These words made all three of them laugh!

Liu Sisi also bent over laughing, “Elder Uncle, Auntie will be absolutely thrilled when she sees the lantern!”

The old man paused mid-motion, then continued to weigh the sweet potatoes, “Her eyes have been blind for some time now, but every year at the temple fair’s fire dragon dance, she insists on coming to see it. She says, even though she can’t see, she can feel it in her heart. She can still remember the moment we first arrived at the lakeside to see the fire dragon when we were young…”

“Auntie’s heart sees clearly, even if her eyes cannot. She knows how good Uncle is to her.” Liu Sisi laughed, her eyes almost disappearing into thin slits.

“Isn’t that right! We were young lovers and now we are old companions!”

The old man efficiently finished weighing the items, “When people get old, they like to reminisce about their youth. My wife and I also used to roam the temple fair just like you young couples, happily running around the lakeside with our lanterns…”

After saying goodbye to the old man, the couple continued their walk, each of them holding and peeling a roasted sweet potato.

“Do you think, when we’re old and grey, would you treat me like Uncle treats Auntie? Will you take me to watch the fire dragon dance?”

“Silly girl! You’re my wife, of course I will treat you well! Naughty!”

Having finished a roasted sweet potato with a few large bites, Di Yelei peeled another one, “When that time comes, I will have you sell roasted sweet potatoes with me. Once we’re done selling, we can go straight to watch the lion dance and the fire dragon dance, how about that?”

Sisi felt a sweet warmth in her heart but she didn’t show it, “So you want me to sell roasted sweet potatoes with you just so I could freeze and go hungry, huh! Then these roasted sweet potatoes, you are responsible for eating them all!”

This sweet potato was not like the hybrid varieties from later generations; its taste was exceptionally sweet.

“My wife, I would never dare. But Sisi, believe me, we won’t have to rely on selling roasted sweet potatoes in the future. I will make sure you live a good life!”

Di Yelei looked at her earnestly, “As for these sweet potatoes, even if we can’t finish them tonight, I’ll use them for breakfast tomorrow. I remember when times were hard, I could only eat a single sweet potato a day to fill my stomach. Now it feels like such a distant memory.”

Di Yelei suddenly burst into laughter.

Isn’t that right? Nowadays, both of them had some savings and didn’t need to worry about food anymore.

Especially of late, their debts paid, life kept getting better. Who needed to live off of sweet potatoes anymore?

“If we can’t finish them, let’s feed them to the fish in the lake! It could be a good deed. Besides, we certainly don’t lack these few copper coins now.”

Liu Sisi playfully suggested, before biting into her sweet potato. The sweet taste made her squint.

The sound of gongs and drums resonated in the air, and then, fireworks exploded in the sky, followed by the dense sound of firecrackers, signaling the start of the fire dragon dance.

The couple’s eyes lit up!

“Let’s go! The lion dance and the fire dragon dance are starting!”

With Di Yelei’s words, he grabbed her hand and they hurriedly followed the crowd, running. They hadn’t run far when Liu Sisi couldn’t keep up with his pace.

“Wait! Ye Lei, wait, I… I can’t run anymore!”

“You silly! Come on, hold the sweet potatoes and the lantern. I’ll carry you.”

Di Yelei quickly handed the sweet potatoes and the lantern to her. Before Liu Sisi could react, he bent down and swung her onto his back. He then started running again. Soon, they had reached the area where the gongs and drums were sounding and the fireworks were exploding.

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