The fifteenth day of the First Month. Lantern Festival.
Chen Shu was helping Qingqing get dressed.
A few days earlier, he had bought Qingqing and Xiaoxiao each an outfit with traditional elements.
The one he'd bought Qingqing resembled the ceremonial shawls of the Song dynasty in his previous life. It came from a dynasty that had preceded Great Yi.
She wore an elegant, pale-colored strapless top and an ankle-length, lotus-pink pleated skirt. Chen Shu bent to tie her sash, watching a video as he worked. At last, he made a beautiful imitation ribbon knot, its ends hanging at her right side.
"Done?"
Her cool voice came from above.
"Done."
Chen Shu straightened, stepped back, and studied her.
She wasn't fully dressed yet. The light fabric only emphasized how tall and slender she was, perhaps a little too thin. Once she put on a long, front-opening robe, she looked more balanced. Then came a silk outer robe with wide sleeves, thin as cicada wings. Birds and branches were embroidered on the translucent ivory fabric. Its sleeves floated so lightly that they seemed to flutter without a breeze. All at once, she had the air of an immortal, as though she might drift away at any moment.
For a moment, Chen Shu stared, entranced.
Even a fairy descended to earth might not have compared to her.
Ning Qing glanced at him. Her face showed nothing, but deep down, she was just a tiny bit pleased with herself.
Then she picked up the shawl beside her.
It was silk like the outer robe, though the fabric was slightly thicker and less transparent, with more embroidered flowers and birds in brighter colors. She draped it over her shoulders. It gave her ethereal appearance a touch of refinement, as though she had come back down