Yet just as Meng Zhuqing turned around, not yet having gone in search of someone, he noticed a few steps away, Tobanya was standing in front of a rabbit lantern.
Tobanya seemed to be lost in thought, just standing there in front of the rabbit lantern, quietly watching it.
The lantern’s dim flickering light cast upon Tobanya’s stunning face, so beautiful that one couldn’t help but think she was not of this world, but a Heavenly Immortal, pure and unblemished.
Meng Zhuqing hesitated for a moment, but still walked towards Tobanya.
Tobanya didn’t notice Meng Zhuqing’s approach, as she was engrossed in the adorable rabbit lantern, reminiscing about the past. There was a time when her brothers had handmade her a rabbit lantern, and back then, beneath her parents’ tender love and her brothers’ care, she lived carefree and cheerful every single day.
"Commandery Princess?" As Meng Zhuqing approached and stood beside Tobanya, he waited for a long while. Seeing that Tobanya was still fixated on the lantern, he finally spoke up.
Yet Tobanya still gave no response, continuing to gaze at the lantern as if she was immersed in it, unable to extricate herself.
Meng Zhuqing hesitated for another moment, but went ahead and bought the rabbit lantern from the vendor.
When the lantern seller handed the rabbit lantern to Meng Zhuqing, and it was no longer in its place, Tobanya finally came back to her senses. She first smiled bitterly and then followed the seller’s hand to see who had purchased the rabbit lantern.
Seeing it was Meng Zhuqing, she was taken aback.
"Here." Meng Zhuqing handed over the lantern to Tobanya.
Tobanya stood there for a good while, first looking at Meng Zhuqing, then lowering her head to look at the rabbit lantern he handed to her. After a long silence, without saying a word, she took the lantern and held it in her hands.
Meng Zhuqing was quite nervous, afraid that Tobanya would refuse to accept it, but thankfully, Tobanya took it from him.
But the atmosphere had become somewhat delicate.
Meng Zhuqing felt somewhat uncomfortable and respectfully said, "My lord and lady are up ahead watching people release Lotus Lanterns, you should hurry over, Commandery Princess."
Tobanya glanced at the rabbit lantern in her hand again, and then, without saying anything or showing any emotion, walked in the direction of An Jing.
Meng Zhuqing breathed a small sigh of relief, no longer feeling uneasy, and followed behind Tobanya.
An Jing was busy with her four children, absorbed in her own enjoyment, and hadn’t noticed Tobanya’s absence for a moment. When Tobanya arrived by her side, and An Jing saw the rabbit lantern in her hand, she asked in surprise, "Did you just buy that?"
Tobanya didn’t say it was Meng Zhuqing who bought it, but simply nodded and replied, "Yes."
Seeing that Tobanya would lie in front of him, Meng Zhuqing felt a release of tension, yet was filled with mixed emotions.
"It’s adorable." An Jing smiled and praised the cuteness of the rabbit lantern in Tobanya’s hand, and after her praise, she asked, "Would you like to release a Lotus Lantern? I had Qin Si buy several, take one and release it."
"Thank you, Princess." Tobanya casually handed the rabbit lantern she was holding over to Meng Zhuqing and took a Lotus Lantern from the guard Qin Si, intending to set it afloat on the water.
Meng Zhuqing subconsciously took the rabbit lantern from her, and as he did, he was momentarily stunned.
"My lord, please look after Jing’er and the others. I’m going to release a Lotus Lantern now." An Jing told Xiao Changyi to keep an eye on the children, and then she crouched down beside Tobanya to release the Lotus Lanterns.
"Mother, we want to release them too." The four children clamored to participate as well.
"Wait until Mother has finished, then it’s your turn."
As soon as An Jing released her Lotus Lantern into the river, watching it drift farther away with the current, she slightly shifted aside.