Chapter 640: 640: Troubles Arise During Zhongyuan Festival (Part 7)

“What’s going on? What does this letter say?”

Curiously, the ancestor watched the old madam unwrap the paper strip.

The great-great-grandma didn’t answer. Upon finishing, she was so shocked that she suddenly stood up, her hands trembling as they held the paper strip.

“What’s the matter, old woman?”

The ancestor was also curious.

The old lady, no longer able to care about talking with him, pushed him aside, and then loudly ordered the servants.

“Hurry up! What are you doing dawdling? At any cost, we must stop those clan members coming from Macheng County! Quickly!”

“Yes, Old Madam!”

“What… What is going on?”

The old man was confused!

“We were wrong! We were all wrong!”

The old lady almost collapsed in her chair, beating her chest and stamping her feet full of regret!

“Old man! We pushed away the wealth that was within our grasp! We were wrong! We were all wrong!”

Let’s leave how regretful everyone was at the moment for now.

On the other hand, Liu Sisi and the others were riding in carriages, rushing back home overnight.

Having missed the place to stay, the group took shelter at a small farmhouse. However, doing so caused them to miss the pursuing troops sent by the Di family.

This farmhouse was a genuine small courtyard, with just a fence enclosing it, plus four rooms.

Everyone spent the night outside in the courtyard, all sitting on the temporary stools borrowed from the elderly farmer, chatting idly about everything under the sun and passing the boring time.

Although the summer nights were hot, it started to cool down at midnight, especially in a farmhouse in the hilly area. Mosquitoes buzzed in their ears, and one bite would cause a large bump.

Adults could endure it, but children obviously couldn’t.

So Liu Sisi and Di Yelei discussed it, and finally decided that the children and married women would sleep in the carriages, plugging the gaps in the curtains to have a rest inside.

One carriage was assigned to the nanny and the three children, one to Ms. Zhao alone, and another shared by YingEr and Xuan’er, as Ying’er was only six years old, not yet at the age when boys and girls had to sleep separately at seven years old.

As for the last carriage, Liu Sisi surveyed everyone and called Xiao Feng and Ms. Xin: “There’s one more carriage available, so rest inside. As long as you block the gaps well, there will be no mosquitoes, and it will be much more comfortable.”

The rest were all men, so they could sleep on the ground without any worries.

Xiao Feng didn’t move: “I can forge iron. I don’t need any special care.”

Meanwhile, Ms. Xin next to her burst into laughter: “Xiao Feng, I saw you sneaking tangerines the other day. With a belly like that, are you pregnant? If it was just you, it wouldn’t be a big deal if you were tired, but if you hurt the child in your belly, then… ”

Her words were cut off, but everyone’s eyes were focused on Xiao Feng’s belly.

“This, it… it shouldn’t be possible, right?”

Xiao Feng looked incredulously and joyfully at her own belly.

Recently, her appetite has grown and she craves sleep, especially when eating sour and spicy food, she feels extremely comfortable.

Is this what pregnancy feels like?

She has been married to Di Cheng for several months now, and although she has always hoped to get pregnant as soon as possible, she understands that it cannot be rushed.

At this moment, after being reminded by Ms. Xin, she feels a mix of joy, surprise, and worry. What if she isn’t pregnant and this is just a false hope?

Di Cheng, sitting next to her, is so excited that he is talking nonsense.

“Feng’er, are you pregnant? Do we have a child? That’s great, that’s great! Quick, don’t sit here, go lie down in the carriage right away. They all say that it’s important to rest well during the first few months of pregnancy.”

As he speaks, he carefully helps Xiao Feng into the carriage.

“We haven’t confirmed it yet.” Xiao Feng’s voice is low, but filled with joy!

Then, the murmurs of the couple’s intimate conversation can be heard.

What a rare piece of good news!

Elderly Mr. Di is truly happy and can’t help but bow to the sky: “This is the first child of the younger generation. Thank you, Heavens, for giving our Di family an heir! May the Heavens bless us!”

This good news brings great joy to everyone. They all sit together, chatting happily.

Liu Sisi quietly leans against the edge of the carriage, lying on the limited space of the seat. The space in the carriage is limited; she, Xiao Feng, and Ms. Xin rest inside. With Xiao Feng now pregnant, she sleeps in the middle, with clean blankets spread out so she can lie flat. Liu Sisi and Ms. Xin each sleep curled up on either side, the seats not quite long enough for proper rest.

But that wasn’t the reason Liu Sisi couldn’t sleep; she had given Xiao Feng a lot of advice on how to take care of herself during pregnancy. Before she could finish speaking, Xiao Feng had already fallen asleep, leaving Liu Sisi lying there with wide eyes, unsure when she would finally drift off.

Before dawn, everyone thanked the farmers’ family again, gave them some silver, and then hurried back home.

By midday, they had returned to Macheng County.

In the city, all the shops were closed, with offerings of fruits and food, as well as incense, candles, and paper money, indispensably placed at the entrance.

The wind blew, and various types of paper money fluttered all over the streets, chilling and awe-inspiring.

As soon as everyone got home, they hurriedly ate dinner and didn’t have time to rest. Elderly Mr. Di even took a bowl of rice and incense, candle paper money, and went to the crossroads to worship the wandering spirits of the dead. After that, they all took their prepared lanterns and went to the riverside of the moat.

There are similarities between Lantern Festival and Ghost Festival lanterns, but there are also many differences.

People believe that the Lantern Festival is a festival for the living, so lanterns need to be hung, while the Ghost Festival is a festival for the dead, so lanterns need to be sent into the rivers. The reason is that the water is dark, and the souls of the dead are trapped beneath it.

It is said that lanterns can guide the unjustly dead to the Bridge of Oblivion, thus preventing these spirits from wandering the mortal world.

Di Xuan tightly held Di Ying’s hand, gradually separated from the others, and quickly arrived at the riverside of the moat.

The lotus-shaped lanterns floating in the moat were densely packed, each placed on a small wooden board. The boards hold up the lanterns, gradually floating downstream with the waves.

As more and more lotus lanterns gathered on the surface of the water, they gradually formed a large-patterened collection, the flickering light of the lanterns illuminating the river. It was a truly spectacular sight from afar.

“Brother, brother, slow down, Ying’er can’t keep up with you!”

Di Xuan’s strides were too big, Ying’er couldn’t catch up.

“You should not trust everyone so openly. She is not as good as you think! Do you understand?”