Today was the Mid-Autumn Festival, and the small courtyard of the Pei family was brimming with the festive atmosphere.
Firstly, it was to celebrate the festival, and secondly, to rejoice in Pei Xia's entry into the Patrol Department.
Although it was just a minor deputy position, it was a significant event for the Pei family.
Tang Guiniang even dragged Pei Xia to their father's grave, preparing mooncakes and wine to quietly offer their tributes.
Actually, Pei Xia thought it was unnecessary, but he understood the hardships his mother had endured in raising him and his younger sister over the years.
After the Mid-Autumn Festival, he would start working in Yuhua Stockade.
For three generations back, the Pei family had been poor fishermen. Now, finally, there was someone in the public service. They couldn't make a big deal of it publicly, so his mother's act of informing their father at the grave was a way to fulfill her long-cherished wish.
During the Mid-Autumn season, the osmanthus in the courtyard was in full bloom, with its dim, light-yellow blossoms exuding a gentle and alluring fragrance.
Amidst the sweet scent of the osmanthus in the courtyard, Qi Jiao took out the mooncakes she had made early in the morning.
Pei Jin and Huier helped arrange them on plates.
After setting aside those to be given to the neighbors, the remaining mooncakes of various kinds filled the stone table in the courtyard.
There were lotus-seed paste mooncakes, five-nut mooncakes, green bean paste mooncakes, barbecued pork mooncakes, and so on. The golden crusts wrapped plump fillings, which made one's mouth water just by looking at them.
In the late afternoon, the young people in the village, represented by Qu Si and Miyi, came with wine and meat to offer their congratulations.
Pei Xia was in high spirits and laughed heartily as he drank with the men in the front yard.
Qi Jiao was busy all day. It was finally a festival, and she still wanted to enjoy the moon at night. So she went back to her room for a nap after dinner.
Hua Sanniang and Lin Niangzi were in high spirits and led a few children to go beachcombing.
The blue sea and the soft sand.
Shuangshuang felt completely at ease and ran quickly. March, who was a few years younger than her, tried hard to catch up behind, shouting for Shuangshuang to wait for her.
The cheerful laughter of the young girls rang out like silver bells on this beautiful beach.
After the time of midnight, the night was thick, and the full moon was bright.
In Yinwan, there was an old custom that on the night of the Mid-Autumn full moon, people should piously worship the moon. They would set up a large incense table and place mooncakes and fruits on it to offer sacrifices to the Moon Goddess.
Under the moon, they would place the memorial tablet of the "Moon Goddess" in the direction of the moon, light red candles high, and the whole family would worship the moon in turn, praying for blessings.
Unmarried young girls should pray devoutly in front of the incense table, for there was a saying here that "men don't worship the moon, and women don't worship the stove."
The young girls hoped that the Moon Goddess could bestow upon them full blessings, wisdom, and good luck.
Tonight, Pei Jin changed into a light green dress with a pattern of a jade rabbit holding a magical fungus, and then tidied her sideburns in front of the mirror.
After waiting for the elders to finish their worship, she gracefully walked out of the west wing, knelt on the cushion, and clasped her hands together.
Pei Jin was solely focused on making a fortune with Jiao Niang in the future. Her eyes were tightly closed, and she was extremely pious.
There was also a small basket beside her. Legend had it that on the Mid-Autumn night, Chang'e missed the mortal world very much and would scatter some treasures from the Moon Palace. Whoever picked them up would be blessed with happiness.
Although Pei Jin didn't believe in such things, she didn't miss out on any of the required rituals.
Suddenly, the sound of the wind whirled past her ears, and there was unexpectedly a sprig of osmanthus in the basket.
Pei Jin turned her head and looked directly at the person on the wall.
In the moonlight, those peach blossom eyes were all too familiar to her, shining like stars and looking so bright.
Pei Jin's heart skipped a beat, and her voice suddenly rose two tones, "Young Master Fu Qi?"
Fu Chengyi lifted his lips into a smile. What a graceful young man on the wall.
However, the charming pose of leaning against the wall didn't last long. Fu Chengyi's expression suddenly changed, "A... A Jin, quickly take the fish fork away!"
He didn't want to be pierced through... Aaaaaaa!
"Young Master! We've done our best!"
With a roar from the young servant under Fu Chengyi's feet, most of Fu Chengyi's body was thrown over the wall.
If he hadn't used all his strength to grab the top of the wall, he might have fallen onto the sharp fish forks and died.
Pei Jin was also greatly frightened when she saw this situation. She quickly stepped forward and pulled out all the fish forks standing under the wall. After confirming that it was safe, she looked up at Fu Chengyi and said, "It's okay. Come down slowly."
Fu Chengyi raised his eyebrows at her, let go of the wall, and with a swoop, he landed in front of Pei Jin.
Naturally, the commotion here startled Tang Guiniang in the room.
She usually went to bed early. She sat up slightly in bed and shouted, "A Jin, what's going on? Hurry back into the house after worshiping the Moon Goddess."
Seeing the pleading look in Fu Chengyi's eyes, the words Pei Jin was about to say changed to, "Mother, I knocked over the incense burner. I'll go back into the house after I clean it up."
Tang Guiniang said nothing more. Her breathing evened out, as if she was slowly falling asleep.
Pei Jin glanced at the east wing again. The candlelight was dim, but the lamp wasn't extinguished.
Her elder brother and sister-in-law hadn't gone to bed yet. They had a good relationship and were probably whispering sweet nothings in bed.
Because Ye's little niece, Qin Jie, had been unwell for several days, Brother Ye had gone back to take care of his wife and daughter. A Li had been on night duty at the duck farm these days, keeping Uncle Ye company.
Of course, Fu Chengyi didn't climb the wall after making sure everyone in her family was asleep.
Seeing Pei Jin looking at him with a skeptical look, Fu Chengyi touched his nose and said rather embarrassedly, "I should have come on your birthday, but there was a little problem in the prefectural city, and I had to rush back to deal with it. I came here by water today, and it was already night when I reached the shore. It's impolite to disturb you at night, but I've always been thinking about you. I just wanted to see you before I left..."
So there came the stupid idea from the young servant.
He almost died before achieving his goal.
Unexpectedly, after hearing this, Pei Jin gave a sideways smile.
This smile was more charming and gentle than the spring flowers.
Fu Chengyi said in a daze, "The plum would envy, the chrysanthemum would feel ashamed. Where the painted railing stands, it crowns the Mid-Autumn."
Pei Jin gave him a sidelong glance. "What plum and chrysanthemum? Did you come here so late to see my elder brother about something?"
Pei Jin had read books, and she wasn't half-baked. Naturally, she understood what Fu Chengyi meant by his words.
The night concealed the blush on her face.
When Pei Jin asked this, Fu Chengyi suddenly felt a bit shy. He hardly dared to look into her eyes.
He took out a gilded flat box from his bosom. It was tainted with the fragrance of agarwood from his clothes and had been in his bosom for four or five days.
Fu Chengyi's voice was a bit shaky. "Here, your birthday gift... Don't dislike it." Actually, he also wanted to say that this gift had been prepared by him long ago, but he wanted to give it to her in person, so there was a delay.
Pei Jin was startled. She was a bit at a loss for words.
What did Fu Chengyi mean by this?
She tilted her head and didn't reach out to take it. "Although I'm young, I still understand the principle that it's improper for men and women to exchange gifts privately. I appreciate Young Master Fu's kindness, but you'd better take this gift back."
She pointed to the gate over there. "It's getting late. I'll see Young Master Fu out."
The implication was that he didn't need to climb the wall anymore.
Fu Chengyi had been looking forward to seeing her in Baiyun Village as soon as possible.
Who would have thought that his whole-hearted devotion hadn't even been offered yet when it was mercilessly pushed back by her.
The sadness in Fu Chengyi's eyes wasn't unnoticed by Pei Jin.
But she was smart and knew clearly that there was an insurmountable gap between her family and the Fu family.
Even though her elder brother and sister-in-law were Fu Chengyi's saviors.
There was absolutely no possibility for her and Fu Chengyi to be together.
The rich marry the rich, and the poor marry the poor.
From the magnificent fleet he led to the priceless gifts, the more Pei Jin knew about Fu Chengyi, the more she realized that they were from two different worlds.
Even if an inappropriate emotional tide had arisen, she had to quickly and firmly extinguish it.