CH 14.1

Qiao Mu followed Xu Youyou location after location to the different places they could win a lantern. But because they had wasted quite a bit of time earlier taking photos, by now all the easy games have finished and the hard games were the only ones left. If you couldn’t win one you would have to pay for a lantern. One lantern was 200 ¥ and while it was pretty, it was quite expensive. 

Xu Youyou had been jostled through the crowd as she made her way in a circle. Due to the jostling, she had begun sweating. She was surprised that she couldn’t find a game to line up for. Everyone who came to the lantern festival would of course love the liveliness. Whether you could win the game was secondary, the feeling of participation mattered more. But she wanted to line up for the shooting game which requires 91 rings with ten shots. She felt that she could win that one. 

“Do you have to play this one? Looking at the current line, it would be about an hour before it’s your turn.” Qiao Mu calculated the time of the line after his observations. 

“Forget t. It is already 10:00. By the time I get to the front, the Mid-Autumn festival would be over.” Xu Youyou said. 

Qiao Mu didn’t say anything, he had originally thought it was meaningless anyway. 

“I’ll just buy a lantern. After making my wish, we’ll go eat out front. After running around all night, I’m famished.” Xu Youyou has a resolute personality, since she could not win a lantern, she would just buy one. The ancient town was Madam Ji’s hometown after all, and in the future it would be hers. Spending a money for the ancient town could also be thought of as establishing it as her hometown. 

The two walked in a line towards the stall where they were selling lanterns. When they got in front of it, XuYouyou’s eyes accidentally swept accross and saw a Hongluo Training Center uniform. Over there seemed to be another stand and above there was a hanging lantern. An octagonal lantern that was incredibly exquisite. 

“What is that?” Xu Youyou curiously asked.

Qiao Mu silently glanced over and his dark eyes lowered. He didn’t respond. 

“That is Eighth Duan Shi’s Weiqi stall.” The lantern seller was a middle aged uncle wearing Hanfu and he explained with passion. For this year’s Mid-Autumn festivities, almost all the organizer’s workers were weakening ancient apparel. 

“I know about that. Eight Duan is a Weiqi rank.” During this time, Xu Youyou had gained a bit of understanding and knowledge about Weiqi. She knew that the duans were Weiqi’s ranking divisions. The higher the duan meant the more impressive their skills were. 

“You know about Weiqi, Miss?”

“I know a little bit about it. Oh, right. Who is Eighth Duan Shi? Is he from Hongluo Town?” Xu Youyou asked. 

“Eighth Duan Shi is our Hongluo Ancient Town’s celebrity. He is an incredible professional Weiqi player. When he was younger he even went abroad to represent the country in competitions. Every Mid-Autumn Festival, the town’s mayor would specifically save him a stall and hang the ancient town’s best flower lantern. But it is rare that someone would win and get to take it home.” The uncle had a look of pride. 

“Would tourists go there?” Now there weren’t many people who knew how to play Weiqi. And there probably weren’t a lot of tourists who would want to play Weiqi. 

“Of course, this is our ancient town’s biggest selling point.” The uncle was with pride, “There are a lot of Chinese people who enjoy Weiqi. It is just that there are few professional players and even less events like this that we are holding here at the ancient town. Because of this, every year there would be quite a bit of amateur who would come to try and solve the riddle. They would even bring their kids along to try and use this as an opportunity to become a disciple if they solve it. 

You could even become a disciple? No wonder there were so many Hongluo Training Center kids surrounding the stall that was what they were all trying to do. 

Xu Youyou thought it over for a while and suddenly turned towards Qiao Mu with a smile of flattery. 

Qiao Mu knew immediately what she meant and didn’t even wait for Xu Youyou to speak before he rejected her: “I’m not going.” 

“I haven’t even said anything.” Xu Youyou said angrily. 

Qiao Mu frowned: “I’m not going no matter what.” 

Xu Youyou looked at Qiao Mu for a bit before suddenly turning and running away. 

Qiao Mu watched Xu Youyou run towards the Weiqi stall and agilely squeezed her way in. He could not understand what she was thinking. 

She didn’t know how to play Weiqi, why did she squeeze her way in?

“Student, you know how to play Weiqi?” The uncle watched with mirth as the girl left the youth behind. 

“What? Yes.” Qiao Mu hesitantly nodded his head. 

“Then why don’t you go? Your young girlfriend is mad.”

“She is my classmate, not my…you know.” Qiao Mu explained in a hurry. 

“Makes sense. If this is how you are, you will not succeed in pursuing her.” The uncle pitifully shook his head. The young lady was pretty and this young student was dumb. “She already left with anger, why do you chase after him? Don’t you know how to coax her?” 

Qiao Mu awkwardly stood in the same place, wanting to leave, but also afraid that Xu Youyou would come back and not be able to find him.

“Shopkeeper, I’ll take a lantern please.” After hesitating for a moment, Qiao Mu decided to buy a lantern from the shopkeeper. 

“ You came to your senses? That means you can still salvage the situation.” The uncle’s face was full of gratification. 

“……” Qiao Mu. 

The uncle handed a lantern to Qiao Mu: “On the side there is paper and pens, you can write down your wish and take it to the wishing tree. Over there, there will be people who can help you hang it.” 

“Thank you.” Qiao Mu held the lantern and was hesitating where or not to go over and call to Xu Youyou when Xu Youyou suddenly came out from the crowd of people and rushed towards him in a sprint. 

“Ai, you fought a lantern?” Xu Youyou was surprised to see a lantern in Qiao Mu’s hand. 

“You can go hang it.” Qiao Mu said awkwardly. 

He definitely wasn’t coaxing Xu Youyou and didn’t feel like he was in the wrong for rejecting Xu Youyou earlier, he only felt that because they were deskmates, their relationship shouldn’t be strained. 

“I don’t want this one.” Xu Youyou rejected. 

Qiao Mu’s gaze darkened, the awkwardness receded and embarrassment began to grow. 

“You can keep this lantern for your own wish. I want that octagonal lantern. Help me figure out this life and death question.” Xu Youyou raised her phone and showed a picture of the chess board that she saw earlier in crowd to Qiao Mu. 

It was too late for Qiao Mu to hide, the chess board was already in front of his eyes. Instinctively, the gears in his brain began turning. 

About ten seconds later, Qiao Mu finally came to his senses and pushed Xu Youyou’s hand away. With a sad tone he said: “I already said I’m not going.” 

“I didn’t say you had to go. You solve it, I’ll go. As long as you tell me where to place it, that will work. Don’t you use all your study periods to secretly study Weiqi anyway?” Xu Youyou said. 

Qiao Mu was sildent and didn’t reject the argument. 

“Hurry, this questions has a 20 minute time limit. When I got there five minutes had already passed. There are still 15 minutes, wait no, now it is 13 minutes before they switch questions.” Xu Youyou clasped her hands together and said cutely: “Please, please. It is just this question. If you can’t solve it, I’ll just go buy myself a lantern.” 

Qiao Mu still felt a bit conflicted.  

“Ai, I specifically came to accompany you to the lantern festival, can’t you help me this once?”

“You specifically came? Clearly I was……” Qiao Mu was stupefied like he suddenly thought of something and suddenly went quiet.

Xu Youyou saw that Qiao Mu really didn’t seem willing and didn’t want to force him but just as she was about to let it go, Qiao Mu suddenly stuck his hand out: “Give it to me.” 

Xu Youyou’s eyes brightened. She immediately unlocked her phone and passed it over right as an announcement said: “There are still 12 minutes left.” 

Qiao Mu didn’t say anything and just lowered his head looking at the life and death question as he thought. After five or six minutes Qiao Mu raised his hand to open the picture’s editing feature. After writing for a bit, he handed the phone back to Xu Youyou. 

Xu Youyou received it and took a look. She discovered that the photo she had taken had an extra three pieces, the color and steps were marked out. 

“Wait for me, I’m going to win the lantern.” Xu Youyou didn’t waste a second. She excitedly turned around and ran into towards the stall. Like a nimble fish, she agilely made her way through. 

She hadn’t even tried it. How would she know that I definitely got it correct? Qiao Mu thought it over and could not help but smile slightly.

After a while, a sound of surprise erupted from around the Weiqi stall. And a couple minutes later, a girl carrying an octagonal palace lantern walked out through the group of people. The girl walked towards him, eagerly waving her hand and her body was moving up and down in excitement. Even her hair seemed jumping for joy and delight.