Gasp! She's a Time Traveler Using Modern Tech to Improve Ancient Life-Chapter 542 - 541: A Boatful of Dreams Weighing Down the Starry River
The small boat moved slowly, the river lanterns gradually becoming sparse, either sinking into the water after the paper got soaked, or being scooped up by people on the shore with nets.
Lin Wanwan sat at the bow, resting her face in her hands, quietly gazing at the river’s surface, a gentle breeze bringing a touch of coolness.
The boat had sailed for an unknown amount of time, and when Lin Wanwan came back to her senses, she found the river had widened greatly, the clamor on the shore slowly fading away, leaving only the sound of oars breaking the water.
After a moment, Xiao Chong stopped rowing, suddenly pulled out a parcel from the boat, inside which there was a men’s cloak.
He stood up and took a few steps from the stern to the bow, draping the cloak over Lin Wanwan, his voice unhurried and steady, "Cousin, it’s cold at night, don’t catch a chill."
"Thank you, cousin."
Lin Wanwan did feel a bit cold and instinctively tightened the cloak around her.
Having just danced and broken a light sweat, the wind on the river made it even colder than usual, but wrapping in this fur cloak felt like being enveloped in a large quilt, extremely comfortable, and she couldn’t help but show the enjoyable expression of a kitten being stroked.
Xiao Chong didn’t return to the stern, but instead sat down next to Lin Wanwan.
Lin Wanwan was dressed in a neat nomad dress today, her hair simply styled in a cloud-like bun, slightly disheveled from dancing earlier, with a few strands of hair flying freely in the wind.
This disarray did not detract from Lin Wanwan’s beauty, but rather added a touch of feminine allure and lazy charm, with a unique flavor.
Xiao Chong calmly asked, "Cousin, how did you celebrate the Lantern Festival before?"
Lin Wanwan sighed gently, "The mountains are lonely, we didn’t celebrate the Lantern Festival."
Xiao Chong seemed unsurprised by this answer, responding blandly, "Cousin must have been very lonely when you were young."
Just can’t hold it anymore!
In modern society, there’s not much ambiance even during the Spring Festival, let alone the Lantern Festival!
Especially for Lin Wanwan and her grandparents, every festival was particularly lonely.
Her uncle was abroad all year round, and being able to make an overseas call during the New Year was already considered good; her aunt only came back to her parents’ house on the second day of the New Year.
So every New Year’s Eve dinner was just Lin Wanwan without her parents and her grandparents without their children, eating a cold and lonely reunion dinner that wasn’t actually a reunion.
"Well, I suppose." Lin Wanwan said softly, "And you, cousin, how did you used to celebrate the Lantern Festival? Chang’an must be a hundred times more lively than Mao County, right?"
Xiao Chong did not deny it and laughed, "I used to spend the Lantern Festival with some brothers either in taverns or at the Temple. Chang’an for the three days around the Lantern Festival is indeed a Buye City, very lively."
"Chang’an, I truly wish to see it someday." Lin Wanwan sighed.
Xiao Chong hinted, "There will be an opportunity."
"Hey, cousin, tell me about the Lantern Festival in Chang’an."
"Alright." Xiao Chong began to speak slowly.
A picture of the initial glory of a flourishing era slowly unfolded in Lin Wanwan’s mind.
Lin Wanwan listened in a leisurely reverie, visiting the Great Tang without seeing Chang’an was like coming for nothing.
"Cousin, I’ve heard you mention your grandmother several times, were you raised by her when you were young?"
Xiao Chong said, "Yes, I lost my mother at a young age, and my health was poor. When I was five, I nearly lost my life because I ate something wrong, so my grandmother raised me under her care after that."
Although Xiao Chong spoke plainly, Lin Wanwan heard a taste of danger in his words.
The legitimate eldest son of a prestigious family’s second branch, nearly losing his life as a child because of eating something wrong — how could that be an accident!
Though his father was still present, and there were many servants, he had to be raised by his grandparents, indicating how dire his situation was.
Yet historically, Xiao Yu was known for his upright and resolute nature, never yielding to the likes of Yang Guang, Li Yuan, and Li Shimin, often opposing the imperial will; how could he allow any shady dealings in his family?
Or perhaps men are only focused on the court and unwilling to care about household matters?
Moreover, Xiao Yu, known for his devotion to Buddhism, sent his three daughters to become nuns as a dedication to Buddha, seemingly having limited affection for his children, so it makes sense that he would be indifferent to the situation in his second son’s courtyard.
Thinking of this, Lin Wanwan couldn’t help but sigh, everyone has their difficulties.
"If only there was a zither, a night like this deserves a tune from the Ancient Zither." Lin Wanwan shifted the topic.
Xiao Chong smiled softly like sunlight breaking through clouds, "Coincidentally, I too felt it unfortunate to have the moon without a zither, so I brought one."
"Ah?" Lin Wanwan was surprised, "There’s a zither on the boat?"
Xiao Chong bent down into the cabin and indeed brought out an Ancient Zither.
This little boat has everything, really small but well-equipped! 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶
Xiao Chong took the zither, placed it casually on his lap, and as the sound of the zither rose, Lin Wanwan was completely enchanted.
This melody seemed to belong to heaven, how often could it be heard in this world?
Even if a Xinhua dictionary was placed before Lin Wanwan, she couldn’t find any words to describe the wonderfulness of the music at this moment.
This zither sound seemed to link heaven and earth, washing away the mundane, striking deep into one’s soul, moving the heart deeply.
Each note seemed to pluck at Lin Wanwan’s heart, leading her suppressed emotions to unfold infinitely on the river’s surface.
Lin Wanwan unconsciously lay down, removed her mask and placed it aside, gazing at the full moon in the sky accompanied by the zither sound.
All the past grievances in her heart surfaced one by one, and then gently resolved and dissipated, leaving only a sense of relaxation.
As the tune ended, it felt as though it had never stopped, celestial melodies still lingering in her ears.
Xiao Chong returned the zither, his face composed and serene, as if the earlier zither sound had nothing to do with him.
The bright moonlight spilled over him, dressed in pure white, around him seemed to rise a mist, making him appear indistinct.
Xiao Chong also lay down, silently.
Suddenly inspired, Lin Wanwan said, "In intoxication, unaware of the sky in water, the boat is filled with dreamy weight against the starry river."
"The boat is filled with dreamy weight against the starry river, a brilliant line, a brilliant line. Cousin, you compose poetry spontaneously, I am impressed."
"Haha, cousin, you still don’t know me! This was all my master’s work, I’m just a transporter of poetry."
"Your master is truly talented, it’s a pity not to have met them," Xiao Chong said quietly, making it hard to discern whether he truly meant it or not.
The two fell silent, feeling the world with all their being.
After a while, Xiao Chong suddenly raised his hand pointing to the stars, "Cousin, do you know what these stars represent?"
Lin Wanwan wasn’t interested in constellations, she didn’t even know what her own zodiac sign was.
But she was very interested in why Xiao Chong knew so many things, so she instead asked, "Cousin, where did you learn all this from? Why do you know so much?"
Xiao Chong realized she had no interest in the secrets of the stars and smiled nonchalantly, "Spent over twenty years idly, just learning a bit of superficial knowledge from several famous teachers, it’s no big deal."
