The street was empty. Only a lantern hanging outside a shop gave off a weak, flickering light, barely bringing some warmth to the cold night.
Hanni was still crying, but she had moved to a corner that could somewhat block the wind. Before, the cold wind blew from all sides with no way to escape. Now, at least the wind did not blow on her back, which made it a little better.
She squatted by the shop's door, pushing herself deep into her down jacket to stay warmer. The sound of her sobbing mixed with the falling snow, and the atmosphere slowly eased a bit.
Before she could calm down, the lantern above her finally could not stand the cold wind and fell down.
Clatter—
It almost hit Hanni's head.
Hanni said, "Hey…"
She was so scared she forgot how to cry.
What was worse was what came next. Hanni wiped her tears and watched as the only light in the dark night went out right before her eyes.
Just like that, the light went out so fast, giving her no chance to save it.
The night fully covered the street. Hanni blinked her small eyes, and with her over 200-degree nearsightedness, she could see even less. It felt like monsters were dancing in the deep shadows, waiting to attack.
"Prosperity, democracy, civility, harmony, freedom, equality, justice, rule of law, patriotism, dedication, integrity, friendliness," she whispered in her mind.
In the middle of the night, the worst thing was hearing a cat's cry.
What you fear is what comes.
A sharp cat's cry rang out. Hanni's body went stiff, her hairs standing up. She jumped up and ran instinctively in one direction.
While running she shouted, "Mom, there's a ghost!"
"Brother! Help!"
"Sister Yiran! Woo woo woo!"
She ran for an unknown long time until her fear eased a bit, then slowly stopped.
Hanni put her hands on her waist and breathed hard.
She had eaten a bun earlier to regain some energy, but now after running so fast, she was completely out of strength.
Yet her sight became much clearer and more open.
Hanni looked up suddenly and froze.
A vermilion red gate!
Carved beams and painted rafters!
By the gate on both sides were lotus-shaped stone lanterns, finely carved and solemn. In the hollow centers of the lotus flowers, candles burned bright, not weakened by the biting cold wind.
Hanni pulled her collar up, hiding half her face inside the down jacket. She blinked. Although this setting and atmosphere felt strange and eerie, the candles in the lotus lanterns shone warmly. Her frozen body longed for that warmth. Driven by her survival instinct, Hanni slowly moved toward the gate.
She came to one lotus lantern and looked at the small burning flame inside. The warm yellow light shone on her soft facial features. She pressed her lips into a small smile.
Her cold trembling hand slowly reached out toward the candle, but when she felt the burning pain in her palm, she quickly pulled it back.
She looked around. There were sixteen lanterns in total here.
She took a deep breath and seemed to make a decision.
She looked at the vermilion red gate with apology, then bowed deeply sixteen times, quietly whispering,
"I'm sorry for taking your lights."
Sorry, I'm really too cold.
Hanni took out the candles one by one from the lotus lamp stand. While secretly taking the candles, she thought of the elders at home who had always taught her well. Stealing is stealing. There is no excuse.
Just thinking about the first big mistake she made in her sixteen years of following the rules made tears fill her eyes again.
She put the candles she took out into a corner of the wall sheltered from the wind. It wasn't that she didn't want to take the candles and run—after all, a thief feels guilty—but seeing how quiet it was around her, she got scared.
Hanni leaned against the wall, curling up into a ball, sniffled, and stayed still like a mushroom that suddenly appeared in an unnoticed corner.
The candles surrounded her in a circle, the bright flames gathering. Although the heat was not like a charcoal stove, on such a cold winter night, this was the warmest thing she could find.
With her safety temporarily ensured, Hanni finally calmed down and thought carefully about the scenes she saw in the story. The more she thought, the more vague the story became. Gradually, she could not remember the faces of the people, nor even their names.
She only remembered being taken home by someone, falling in love at first sight, but that person was entangled with his ex-fiancée. In the end, she stayed loyal and unchanging. In this world with many men and few women, she ended up alone for life?
Hanni: "..."
I'm really a love fool!
Impossible. Impossible.
She shook her head like a rattle.
Hanni felt that no matter how handsome that young man was, no matter how much she loved someone, if it wasn't right, she should let go. How could there be someone worth waiting for until old age alone?
The more she thought, the more her head hurt. Wrapped in the light, Hanni closed her eyes. Soft, shallow breathing gradually came out.
Vaguely, Hanni was woken by the sound of wheels. She wondered who would be coming home in the middle of the night and wanted to open her eyes to see. But her drowsy mind could not hold on.
Before falling asleep, a clear male voice came through the hood of her down jacket.
"Master, look."
A luxurious carriage stopped in front of the main gate. The person inside lifted the curtain, and his cold, deep eyes were immediately drawn to the bright light next to the door. He stared for a long time as if studying the person wrapped in the light.
In her sleep, Hanni felt like she was holding a warm water bag, very warm and comfortable. She couldn't help but press closer and nuzzle.
This sleep was very comfortable. Just two nights ago, she was sleeping on the street, and now she was in bed.
Hanni turned over sleepily and felt this dream was too real.
This bed, this quilt, this pillow.
She reached out to touch it, feeling the soft touch, so real...
Suddenly awake, Hanni sat up from the bed and looked down. Her down jacket was still on her.
Only her hair was loose, and one strand stood up straight from her shock.
Hanni looked around the room. The old-fashioned decoration, a simple dressing table by the window next to the bed, and across the bed a table with two wooden stools. The setting was simple and elegant. It looked like a guest room.
At that moment, the door was gently knocked. A hoarse but aged voice, sounding like a man in his fifties, came from outside.
"Has the young master woken up?"
Young master?
Hanni did not know if she should be glad she had not revealed her identity or sigh that her clear, pale face had been mistaken for a boy again and again.