Ghost Festival (continued)

"Grandpa, your cooking is amazing! This is the best candied hawthorn I've ever tasted. Is there a secret to it?"

The old man was delighted to hear this, and seeing the pretty young girl beside him enjoying her food, he smiled and said, "The key is that the sugar must be cooked properly, and the crucial point in cooking sugar is controlling the heat. If it's undercooked, the sugar will foam, and the gourds dipped in it will be a paste-like consistency with a dull appearance; if it's overcooked, the sugar will be too dark and have a slightly bitter taste, which is unpalatable. Moreover, sugar must be cooked in a copper pot, preferably a purple copper pot, to ensure that the sugar has a clear and uncloudy color."

Wan Ziling said with great interest, "I didn't realize there were so many intricacies involved in making sugar!"

Seeing the two young people's interest, the old man began to explain, "Don't underestimate this candied hawthorn; making it requires skill. Especially when dipping it in sugar, you have to be quick. If you're too slow, the sugar will cool down and solidify. If you coat it too thickly, it will affect the texture. You need to coat it with a thin, even layer of sugar for it to taste good."

Si Ming nodded and said, "I've learned a lot. There's definitely a method to every profession."

As people get older, they especially enjoy chatting with others. Unfortunately, it's currently a festive season with people coming and going, and the old man can't just stop doing business. He chatted with two people, and in just a short while, two more customers came to buy candied hawthorns.

"Sir, we won't keep you from your business any longer, we'll be going now."

"Haha, I won't keep you two any longer. Remember to have fun."

The old man smiled and waved, then shouldered the straw and left, disappearing into the crowd in the blink of an eye.

"I've really missed out on a lot of interesting things in my life..."

Wan Ziling watched the old man's disappearing figure and murmured blankly.

You can start enriching your life now.

Si Ming swallowed back the words of comfort that would have been most fitting for this moment, because it was too late.

Many things, once missed, offer no second chance. You can't simply laugh it off with "starting a new life," because life isn't a game; there's no save/load function.

"Let's go, there are still many interesting programs waiting for us. We missed them before, we can't miss them again now."

But there is still the present. Even if we cannot create a new future, we can at least choose to seize the present. Even if it is destined to end, we should face it with a smile.

Si Ming was about to urge Wan Ziling to catch up when he found her frozen in place, motionless, her expression as if she had suffered a great shock.

No way, I said something so inspiring! Even if I wasn't moved, there's no need to be discouraged. Am I just allergic to motivational platitudes?

"What's wrong?"

"There's only one candied hawthorn left..."

Wan Ziling stared intently at the candied hawthorn in her hand. Of the five hawthorns on the string, the first one and the three below it were gone, leaving only the second one hanging there all alone.

"I only ate one..." Her tone was filled with grievance.

Si Ming was both amused and exasperated. He turned his gaze, which seemed to say "You're the culprit," to the red necklace on Wan Ziling's chest, but she showed no reaction and clearly had no intention of confessing.

Speaking of which, ever since she acquired the Blood Spirit Body, her personality has become much more lively; I've never seen her play such pranks before.

"Sigh, you can have mine."

"I can't accept this."

While declining, Wan Ziling accepted the candied hawthorn skewer that Si Ming handed her without hesitation; there were three candied hawthorns still hanging on the skewer.

After a moment's thought, Wan Ziling handed her string of pearls to Si Ming: "Here, take mine. Let's exchange."

Si Ming didn't stand on ceremony and reasoned, "That means you got four, which is the most among us."

Wan Ziling did the math and realized it was true; her mood immediately improved.

Although he had long known the saying that "girls need to be coaxed," he was still surprised that this girl was so easy to coax and that Si Ming could win her over with just four candied hawthorns. Recalling the scene when they first met and argued so fiercely that they almost came to blows, he couldn't believe that the person was the same person.

Adhering to the principle of doing a good deed to the end, Si Ming simply hummed a song to liven things up. "They say candied hawthorns are sour, but inside the sourness lies sweetness; they say candied hawthorns are sweet, but inside the sweetness lies a hint of sourness. Candied hawthorns are pretty, strung on bamboo sticks, symbolizing happiness and reunion, stringing happiness and reunion together, so that there is no sorrow or trouble..."

"Is this a song from your hometown?"

I guess so.

"It sounds so nice. I never thought that candied hawthorns could have such a meaning... It strings happiness and reunion together, so that there is no sorrow or trouble..." Wan Ziling stared blankly at the bare wooden stick.

Si Ming tried asking, "Do you want to see your family?" He remembered that she was initially against it.

"... No, the dead shouldn't disturb the lives of the living. They've already accepted the reality of my death, why make them suffer the grief of losing a family member again? As long as they can live in peace, I'll be content."

Si Ming put himself in their shoes and thought that if he had the chance to see his deceased relatives again, he would definitely choose to meet them, even knowing that they would be separated again. He believed that the joy of reunion was more meaningful than the sorrow of separation.

However, this was ultimately just his personal opinion; he couldn't make decisions for others. Indeed, there are some people in the world who insist that "it's better not to meet than to meet," and their lives have already established a new order, so there's no need to stir up any more waves.

Unwilling to waste any more time on this topic, Si Ming looked around and noticed that a pagoda not far away was covered with lanterns, and a group of tourists dressed as scholars were examining the lanterns. Most of them were accompanied by female companions, and they occasionally exclaimed in surprise.

"Looks like it's going to be a riddle-guessing game. Hey, that's a regular thing, let's go join in the fun."

Si Ming led Wan Ziling down to the foot of the pagoda and found that it was indeed a riddle-guessing game, and even a prize-winning one.

A fat, big-eared monk greeted us with a smile, "Esteemed benefactor, would you like to enter this riddle tower and test your literary talent? It only costs ten coins per person. If you guess a riddle correctly, you can take the tassel of the corresponding lantern. After leaving the tower, you can exchange the tassel for a gift."

Si Ming laughed and said, "Master, you've got a real knack for making money."

"Excellent, excellent! A gentleman loves wealth, but he acquires it in a proper way."

This kind of prize redemption method, similar to a garden party, is very common in later generations, but it was the first time Si Ming had ever seen it here. Ten coins was not much, but the gifts prepared were not anything valuable either. Besides, no one would come to guess riddles alone, as that would be too awkward. Usually, people come in groups, and they often act together, which is much less efficient than acting separately.

Of course, everyone is just there for the fun and celebration; nobody is really after the gifts.

Si Ming took out twenty coins and, together with Wan Ziling, carried a lantern inside. There was a small candle inside the lantern, which served as a time limit. Once the candle burned out, they had to come out of the tower. If you were shameless enough, you could stay inside even after the candle burned out, and no one would do anything to you. In the end, this measure was designed to keep out honest people, not scoundrels.

But generally no one would do that. After all, those who come to guess the riddles are all self-proclaimed scholars who wouldn't be stingy with ten coins. Face is more important than that. This is why Si Ming praised the monk for his business acumen; he accurately targeted his customers.

Almost all the riddles on the first floor have been solved. Basically, all the lanterns no longer have their long tassels, leaving only a large hole. Looking inside, the lanterns are bright red and pink.