The Lantern Festival, on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.
This kind of festival usually becomes lively only at night, so Jiang Ning and Liu Ming'an were in no hurry to go out during the day.
As evening approached, Liu Ming'an removed the hairpin from Jiang Ning's hair, loosened her cloud-like bun, and braided four or five small plaits from her temples, wrapping them around her forehead and securing them at the back of her head. He then put a veil on her, leaving only her eyes visible.
Liu Ming'an examined Jiang Ning's transformed appearance with great satisfaction. "No one will recognize you like this!"
Jiang Ning touched the veil on her face, her eyes flickering.
Soon, very soon, she would be able to appear openly in the capital city, without having to go to great lengths to hide anymore.
The capital had four districts and eight main streets. Both Liu Ming'an and Jiang Ning were unfamiliar with the area, so they leisurely left their lodgings, walking and sightseeing aimlessly as they strolled.
The sky hadn't completely darkened yet, but the shops along the street had already hung up lanterns, illuminating the streets as bright as day.
The streets were crowded with people, interspersed with various sedan chairs and carriages, creating a bustling atmosphere of people and vehicles.
Stalls emitting steam were set up along the street, with shopkeepers bustling about, never losing the smile on their faces. White, round tangyuan (glutinous rice balls) were served in bowls to customers, who would scoop one up with a spoon, blow on it to cool it down, and then pop it into their mouths with a satisfied smile.
"Ah Ning, do you want to eat some tangyuan?" Liu Ming'an asked Jiang Ning beside him, smiling at the scene.
Jiang Ning was tempted, but there were too many people around. To be safe, it was better not to remove her veil.
"Maybe later, when there are fewer people, we can come back," Jiang Ning said.
Liu Ming'an immediately understood her concern and nodded, holding her hand as they followed the flow of people in a certain direction.
They had heard earlier that there was a lantern festival on Jinse Street, which was very lively. Although they were unfamiliar with the area, following the crowd was always a safe bet.
As the couple reached Jinse Street, they heard a gruff male voice from behind: "Hey! Make way, make way please! Thank you, thank you!"
Jiang Ning turned her head at the sound. A burly man was pushing a cart full of winter plum blossoms about to bloom - red, yellow, and white ones, their fragrance wafting through the air. Clearly freshly cut from the branches, they were obviously being taken to a crowded area to sell.
People instinctively made way, clearing a path ahead. Liu Ming'an also pulled Jiang Ning two steps towards the side of the street. The man kept thanking people as he passed by with his cart.
Just then, Liu Ming'an felt someone bump into his back. The person then pushed past him, walking towards the center of the street as if no one else was around.
Liu Ming'an looked closely and saw it was an elderly woman with graying hair.
The cart was now dangerously close. The man pushing it was startled and shouted while pulling back on the handles, "Old lady, move aside! Move aside!"
Worried that the old woman might get hit, Liu Ming'an let go of Jiang Ning and stepped forward to grab the old woman's arm, pulling her back.
Because it was in a busy market, the cart wasn't moving very fast. The man managed to stop it and sighed with relief. He then looked at Liu Ming'an with some annoyance. "Young master, can't you keep an eye on your elderly relative? Jumping out onto the main road like that, nearly scared the life out of me."
Liu Ming'an knew the man had misunderstood his relationship with the old woman, but he didn't bother to explain such a trivial matter, just smiling it off.
The cart pusher, not wanting to waste time, called out "Giddyup!" and went on his way.
Liu Ming'an released his grip, but the old woman still stared blankly ahead, her eyes unmoving as if lost in another world.
The old woman was dressed in simple but neat clothes, her hair meticulously arranged. She looked to be well over seventy years old.
Standing beside her, Jiang Ning could smell a faint scent of incense from the old woman's clothes. Glancing at her casually, Jiang Ning noticed golden hairpins in her hair, exquisite jeweled earrings on her earlobes, and a high-quality jade bracelet on her bony wrist.
Jiang Ning was certain this old woman came from a wealthy or noble family, but for some reason, there was something odd about her overall appearance.
Liu Ming'an didn't have Jiang Ning's professional habits. He just saw that the old woman was very elderly and kindly advised, "Grandmother, please don't do this again. At your age, any bump or fall could be serious."
The old woman seemed not to hear, her gaze fixed on a spot, but upon closer inspection, one would notice that her eyes were unfocused, like a soulless wooden puppet.
Seeing the old woman's condition, a term involuntarily flashed through Jiang Ning's mind: Alzheimer's disease.
"Grandmother! Grandmother!" Liu Ming'an called out again, waving his hand in front of the old woman's face.
This motion caught the old woman's attention. Her eyeballs moved slightly, and she slowly turned her head to look at Liu Ming'an.
"Grandmother, you shouldn't go out alone in the future. The situation just now was too dangerous. You should bring your family members—"
Before he could finish, the old woman's dull, numb eyes suddenly lit up. She grabbed Liu Ming'an's sleeve and cried out, "Qingzhi!"
Liu Ming'an was taken aback, but the old woman, having called out this name, now had tears welling up in her eyes.
"Qingzhi, have you come back? Do you no longer blame your mother? Qingzhi, my child, I've missed you so much..."
The old woman's eyes were brimming with tears, her expression filled with immense sorrow. As she spoke, she raised her hand, as withered as an old tree branch, trembling as she tried to touch Liu Ming'an's face.
Jiang Ning was unfazed by this, knowing that memory confusion and inability to recognize people were common symptoms of dementia in the elderly. This old woman had probably mistaken Liu Ming'an for her son, though given her age, she was old enough to be Liu Ming'an's grandmother.
However, for some reason, the name the old woman called out seemed familiar to Jiang Ning, as if she had heard it somewhere before.
Liu Ming'an took half a step back, avoiding the old woman's hand, and said with a gentle smile, "Grandmother, you've mistaken me for someone else."
"Qingzhi, do you still refuse to forgive me? Mother was wrong, I've regretted it for so many years. I shouldn't have said those things to you back then..."
"Grandmother!" A man's voice called out from across the street, followed by the sound of rapid footsteps approaching.
Jiang Ning turned to look and saw a man of about thirty years old, his expression anxious, with several servants in gray clothes following behind him.
"Oh? Isn't that Lord Lou?" A nearby vendor selling lanterns looked over upon hearing the commotion and exclaimed with a hint of surprise in his voice.
"Which Lord Lou?" The mask seller in the neighboring stall also looked up, but his view was blocked by the lanterns.
"Who else could it be? It's Lord Lou Lianyu, son of Grand Preceptor Lou, the Deputy Chief of the Ministry of Justice."
"Oh, I see. It's Lord Lou. What's he doing here?"
...
Jiang Ning, being closer, clearly heard the vendors' conversation. She looked at Lou Lianyu again, who had already approached with four or five servants.
"Grandmother, let's go home," Lou Lianyu said to the old woman.
Perhaps due to his hurried arrival, Lou Lianyu's voice was a bit unsteady, and he was slightly out of breath. Despite the cold weather, there was a thin layer of sweat on his forehead, and his servants were in a similar state.
But the old woman paid no attention, her eyes fixed on Liu Ming'an, repeatedly calling out "Qingzhi."
Liu Ming'an, realizing that the old woman's family had arrived, tried to free his sleeve from her grip, but she held on tightly. Left with no choice, he addressed the man who had called out "Grandmother": "Sir, the elderly lady has mistaken me for someone else."
Lou Lianyu had initially been focused solely on his grandmother's safety, with no attention to spare for others. Hearing Liu Ming'an speak, he finally turned his gaze to the person his grandmother had mistaken.
It was common for elderly people to mistake others, especially if they were tall, well-spoken, and appeared scholarly - they would often be reminded of that person, even if they looked nothing alike.
However, this time Lou Lianyu was caught off guard. When he clearly saw Liu Ming'an's face, he too was stunned. The blurred image in his memory seemed to overlap with the young man before him.
Liu Ming'an noticed the man's gaze and asked, puzzled, "Sir, is something wrong?"
Lou Lianyu snapped back to reality, realizing it was impolite to stare so intently. He quickly cupped his hands and said, "I apologize for my rudeness."
Liu Ming'an smiled and replied, "It's no matter," then heard Lou Lianyu continue, "My grandmother is advanced in years and sometimes has trouble remembering things and recognizing people. I hope the young master won't take offense."
Lou Lianyu hesitated for a moment before expressing his thoughts: "However, you do look remarkably similar to someone I once knew. Even I felt a bit dazed when I first saw you."
"Objects can be identical, and people can look alike. It's normal," Liu Ming'an replied nonchalantly.
Lou Lianyu nodded. Too much time had passed, and he had only been a child then. His memories were no longer clear, but these two people gave him such a similar feeling that he momentarily experienced the illusion of seeing an old acquaintance.
Realizing this, Lou Lianyu stopped focusing on Liu Ming'an and stepped forward to support the old woman, gently coaxing her, "Grandmother, let's go home. Everyone is worried about you..."
The old woman was unmoved by Lou Lianyu's words, only clutching Liu Ming'an's sleeve with tears streaming down her face.
Lou Lianyu patiently tried to persuade her, speaking softly and using various tactics. Finally, he tricked the old woman by saying he would go buy the sugar-filled pastries that Qingzhi loved. Only then did she reluctantly let go.
"Qingzhi, don't leave. Stay right here. Mother will go buy you sugar-filled pastries. Please don't go anywhere!"
The old woman kept looking back as she walked, her eyes seeking approval from Liu Ming'an.
Liu Ming'an nodded and said in a gentle voice to the old woman, "I won't leave."
Only then did the old woman allow Lou Lianyu to support her as they walked away.
After a few steps, Lou Lianyu looked back in Liu Ming'an's direction, his eyes full of gratitude. He mouthed silently, "Thank you!"
After the group had gone far, Liu Ming'an sighed and took Jiang Ning's hand again, heading towards the lantern festival.
"Ning, I don't know why, but seeing that old woman made me feel somewhat upset," Liu Ming'an said, his voice much lower.
"It's because you have a kind heart," Jiang Ning replied.
Liu Ming'an smiled. Perhaps that was indeed the reason. It was difficult not to be moved by a frail elderly person weeping before him, seeing through him to remember her own son.
After walking a couple more steps, Liu Ming'an casually mentioned, "It's quite a coincidence, though. My father's name was also 'Qingzhi.' Maybe I really do have a connection with this old woman."
In that instant, Jiang Ning remembered where she had heard the name "Qingzhi" before.
On the tombstone at the foot of the mountain in Lotus Flower Village, it said "In memory of father Liu Qingzhi." She had seen it three times but had only glanced at it briefly each time.
However, she wasn't sure which characters made up the "Qingzhi" the old woman spoke of. It could have been "clear," "light," "beloved," "lean"... or perhaps "govern," "aspire," "wisdom"...
Moreover, that person should have had the surname "Lou" and been from the capital.
Everything seemed to be just a coincidence, and Jiang Ning didn't want to dwell on matters unrelated to them.
Ahead lay the bustling lantern festival with its sea of people. This brief interlude was soon forgotten by the couple.