Luo Wushuang did not miss the flickering emotion in her sister’s eyes. Without hesitation, she pointed toward the lotus lantern slightly to the left and spoke to the nearby vendor.
“I’ll take that one!”
Seeing Luo Wushuang choose the very lantern she liked, Shangguan Liqian wasn’t surprised in the least. She knew all too well that her every movement and glance could never escape this woman’s watchful eyes.
“Which one do you like, Sister?”
Hearing the Empress’s mock-innocent inquiry, Shangguan Liqian glanced at the lantern in her hand and said calmly, “The same as yours will do.”
Having elicited the exact answer she wanted, a faint, casi-imperceptible smile played across Luo Wushuang’s lips. She continued her act, sounding entirely too insincere. “You should pick the one you actually like, Sister. You don’t have to match me.”
Shangguan Liqian remained silent. Why do we have to match? Does she really need to ask?
Sensing the Empress’s playful mood, Shangguan Liqian felt a wave of amusement. She decided to indulge her and spoke plainly, “I like this lantern too.”
“Oh? Your favorite lantern is the same as min—as mine?” Luo Wushuang let out a soft cry of surprise, then acted bashful. “Does that mean we have a heart-to-heart connection?”
Hearing her go such a long way around just to ask that question—and in such a theatrical tone, no less—Shangguan Liqian tried to hold it in. Eventually, she couldn’t help but burst into a fit of giggles.
Luo Wushuang, who had been right in the middle of her passionate performance, was suddenly interrupted by the laughter. She stomped her foot in mock indignation and cried out, “Sister!”
Suppressing her laughter, Shangguan Liqian played along. “Yes, it’s a heart-to-heart connection. We are truly a match made in heaven.”
The dissatisfaction on Luo Wushuang’s face was instantly replaced by a beaming smile. She spoke coyly, “Oh, my! Sister, don’t say such things in public. You’re making me blush…”
Luo Wushuang’s sudden bout of theatrics drew quite a few curious stares from the surrounding crowd. Noticing the growing number of onlookers, Shangguan Liqian’s lips twitched. She quickly patted the hand Wushuang had resting on her shoulder and whispered, “Let’s go back first!”
She can act crazy once we’re back at the inn; I really can’t keep up with this performance out here.
Hearing that her wife wanted to go back, Luo Wushuang immediately settled down. “No, no, we haven’t released the lanterns yet.”
After asking the vendor where people usually went to set their lanterns afloat, Luo Wushuang pushed Shangguan Liqian’s wheelchair away amidst the kind-hearted laughter of the crowd. The onlookers simply thought they were witnessing the deep affection between two sisters; none of them realized they were watching a pair of newlywed wives flirting.
Shangguan Liqian was thin-skinned, after all. Even after they had walked a considerable distance, her face remained flushed—not just from shyness, but mostly from embarrassment.
Seeing that she had teased her a bit too much and fearing Liqian might actually insist on returning to the inn, Luo Wushuang hurried to promise she would behave and not cause any more trouble.
Shangguan Liqian gave her a mock-ferocious glare but didn’t say a word. Seeing that her sister wasn’t insisting on leaving, Luo Wushuang breathed a secret sigh of relief and pushed the wheelchair back into the crowd.
They crossed a long bridge, watched street performers, and breathed in the scents of various snacks. Amidst the lively atmosphere, they finally arrived at the river the vendor had mentioned.
The riverside was already crowded. Luo Wushuang managed to push Shangguan Liqian through the throng to the water’s edge. There, they saw the river already covered in lanterns of all shapes and sizes, their light reflecting off the water as if trying to illuminate that small patch of the night sky.
Luo Wushuang borrowed a brush and paper from someone nearby. She wrote with great sincerity:
May Sister recover her health soon!
Then, imitating those around her, she pressed her palms together, closed her eyes, and muttered a prayer for a long moment before carefully placing the lotus lantern into the water. The lantern swayed gently on the shimmering surface, drifting out at a leisurely pace.
Beside her, Shangguan Liqian had also finished writing. Seeing her blow on the ink to dry it before preparing to fold the paper, Luo Wushuang hurried forward.
“Let me help you, Sister,” she said, her eyes practically glued to the paper. She was clearly dying of curiosity regarding what Shangguan Liqian had written.
A split second before Luo Wushuang could lean her head over, Shangguan Liqian folded the paper shut.
Left with nothing but a view of the back of the paper, Luo Wushuang pouted.
Shangguan Liqian pretended not to notice the protruding lower lip. She placed the lantern, now containing the secret note, into Wushuang’s hands and suppressed a smile. “Thank you for helping me set it off, Wushuang.”
Luo Wushuang turned around and walked toward the water, muttering under her breath, “It wouldn’t be nearly as much work if you let me see it.”
Shangguan Liqian hid her smile and asked, pretending she hadn’t heard, “What did you say?”
“Nothing, nothing! I said I’m going to help you release the lantern,” Luo Wushuang gave a dry laugh and squatted back down at the same spot.
Just as she was hesitating over whether to take a quick peek, she heard Shangguan Liqian’s voice urging her from behind. “Hurry up. Maybe my lantern can catch up to yours.”
Luo Wushuang gave an affirmative grunt, but her hand secretly crept toward the small slot where the paper was tucked. Just as her fingers brushed the note, she heard:
“Don’t even think about peeking!”
Caught red-handed, Luo Wushuang’s hand jerked. The lotus lantern slipped, hitting the water and immediately beginning to drift away with the current.
Coincidentally, a gust of wind blew by, pushing the lotus lantern rapidly downstream. It drew closer and closer to the first lantern she had released, which had been momentarily blocked by other lights.
As if destined, the two lanterns bumped into each other. After a slight wobble, they didn’t sink; instead, they worked together to push past the other lanterns blocking their path. The two lotus lanterns remained side-by-side, neither too far nor too close, drifting slowly toward the horizon.
Only when the shadows of the lanterns vanished from sight did the two leave the riverbank.
On the way back to the inn, Luo Wushuang kept dropping hints, trying to figure out what her sister had written. Shangguan Liqian simply smiled and stayed silent, letting the Empress scratch her head in curiosity.
Once they returned to the inn, having failed to get any answers, Luo Wushuang lunged forward like a wolf, wrapping her arms around Shangguan Liqian’s slender waist. She began to whine and wheedle.
“Sister…”
“Mm.” Shangguan Liqian rubbed the Empress’s head, giving a soft response.
Feeling the gentle pressure on her head, Luo Wushuang narrowed her eyes comfortably but continued her whining. “What did you write on the note, Sister?”
Shangguan Liqian asked with an innocent expression, “I just wrote my wish. Didn’t you write yours too?”
“Yes, I did,” Luo Wushuang nodded, then asked without any pretense, “So, what was your wish?”
Shangguan Liqian lowered her eyes and smiled. She slowly tucked a stray lock of hair behind Wushuang’s ear and asked, “Do you really want to know?”
“Yes, yes!” Luo Wushuang nodded vigorously, her eyes full of hope.
Meeting that expectant gaze, Shangguan Liqian arched an eyebrow. She leaned in close to Luo Wushuang’s ear and whispered tenderly:
“I’m not telling!”
“Sister!” Luo Wushuang sat up straight, looking at the woman in the wheelchair with a resentful expression. She realized Liqian was doing this on purpose.
This was “revenge” for her earlier loose tongue when they were buying the lanterns. She blamed herself; she had been so focused on teasing her sister that she’d forgotten just how petty her beloved could be!
