Chapter 36: The Burning Sky for Lu Chao Chao
This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation.
On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, the Marquis was absent from the manor, and the Old Madam was nowhere to be seen.
Yet, everyone seemed relaxed.
Madam Xu even had a table set up in the pavilion, laden with plump crabs, warm wine steaming atop a small stove, and an assortment of exquisite pastries.
She loved crabs.
But the Old Madam despised their smell and had not tasted them in seventeen years.
Every day after school, Lu Yuan Xiao would visit his elder brother’s courtyard to study. This time, he carried Lu Chao Chao in his arms as he sought out his brother.
Seated in a wheelchair, Lu Yan Shu had grown visibly healthier in just two short months. His face, fuller now, hinted at the elegance he once possessed. His hands could now slowly lift on their own.
But he had told no one about his progress.
“Chao Chao is here? Come, let Elder Brother hold you,” Lu Yan Shu said warmly. He seldom smiled and often appeared indifferent, but whenever he saw Lu Chao Chao, his icy demeanor would melt.
[Chao Chao wants to release lanterns! Sky lanterns and flower lanterns! Chao Chao wants to play…]
Lu Chao Chao leaned against her brother’s chest, her face full of grievance.
Lu Yuan Xiao scratched his head. “Ever since the last time I sneaked Sister out, Mother has been watching her even more closely.”
Lu Yan Shu shot him a disapproving glance.
What if something happened to their little sister?
“Elder Brother has prepared some flower lanterns. Shall we go to the lake and release them?” he offered, his warm smile making him seem like the perfect gentleman.
His brows were picturesque, and his features refined—a striking figure. If not for the wheelchair, he would surely have the entire city’s maidens screaming.
Lu Chao Chao’s little head nodded vigorously. [Elder Brother is the best in the whole wide world! If only he could draw a Guan Yin Bodhisattva lantern for Chao Chao…]
[The sky is filled with all kinds of sky lanterns. Chao Chao wants one that’s different, a Bodhisattva lantern. That would be so much fun.]
Her thoughts swirled with excitement.
After releasing the flower lanterns, Elder Brother asked for brush, ink, paper, and inkstone.
Since his injury, he had not held a brush—this would be the first time.
“Elder Brother is best at painting images of the Buddha. Today, I shall draw a Bodhisattva for Chao Chao,” he said, taking up the brush to paint directly onto the lantern.
The young attendants, moved to tears, whispered among themselves. The Eldest Young Master had truly come back to life!
Lu Yan Shu’s hand could not hold the brush for long, and the painting of the Bodhisattva took until nightfall to complete.
By the time the coloring was finished, the sky was pitch black.
Lu Chao Chao clapped her chubby little hands, the bells on her wrists jingling incessantly.
“Light… light… lantern,” she stammered, her words barely decipherable.
Her wide-eyed gaze at her elder brother was filled with wonder.
So amazing!
The Bodhisattva painted by Elder Brother had serene and compassionate features, as though quietly observing the world. It truly resembled a divine being.
Lu Yan Shu caught the astonishment in his little sister’s heart and let slip a faint smile.
Lu Yuan Xiao lit the wick of the Bodhisattva lantern with a candle.
As the wick caught fire, it seemed as if the Bodhisattva was imbued with a soul. The lantern glowed with divine radiance, exuding an aura of compassion that felt almost tangible.
Lu Yuan Xiao instinctively took a step back, unable to meet its gaze directly.
He was overcome with the urge to kneel in reverence.
Rumors claimed that Elder Brother was skilled in all the scholarly arts, and it was true…
As long as he was present, all brilliance dimmed in comparison.
Seated on her elder brother’s lap, Lu Chao Chao looked up, her tiny mouth forming a series of astonished gasps.
The Bodhisattva lantern floated upward, joining the sea of sky lanterns.
Glowing faintly in the sky, it hovered between heaven and earth.
Lu Chao Chao blinked her large eyes and quietly formed a hand seal. A wisp of spiritual energy flowed into the lantern.
In that instant…
All the sky lanterns seemed to gravitate toward the Bodhisattva lantern, converging around it.
It was as if the stars in the heavens were crowding to worship their god.
“Look! What is that in the sky?” someone exclaimed, pointing upward in shock.
At that moment, a crowd had gathered at the high platform to admire Lu Jing Huai’s performance. They had been cheerfully flattering him when all attention suddenly shifted to the heavens.
All the noise and excitement of the bustling city seemed to pause, as if the world had been placed on mute.
“It’s a Bodhisattva!”
“It’s the Bodhisattva revealing its divine presence!”
“Look! The Bodhisattva has manifested!” The crowd erupted in cries, falling to their knees in a frenzy, knocking their foreheads against the ground repeatedly.
“Heavens! A divine spirit has appeared! Has it come to bless and protect us?” Jubilant exclamations filled the air. Meanwhile, Lu Jing Huai stood awkwardly on the high platform, his lips pressed tightly together, barely concealing the storm of anger roiling in his eyes.
The entire city was bowing to the Bodhisattva.
Yet Lu Chao Chao remained oblivious to the immense commotion her released Bodhisattva Lantern had caused. She was equally unaware that the Old Madam of the Marquis Zhongyong’s Manor had knelt under the lantern’s glow for an entire night, praying fervently for Lu Jing Huai to achieve the Triple Crown of Excellence.
Yawning, Lu Chao Chao’s expression was drowsy. The manor had been bustling with activity all day, leaving her no time for a midday nap.
“Elder Brother, I’m taking Little Sister back to sleep. You should rest early too,” Lu Yuan Xiao said, his heart aching as he carried his sister. Ever since learning of their father’s kept mistress, he had matured considerably—though stealing his sister away didn’t count!
[Sleep in Elder Brother’s courtyard. Not going home, not going home,] Chao Chao murmured dreamily.
“No… fat,” she added faintly.
Lu Yan Shu, lost in thought as he gazed at a bottle of osmanthus wine, spoke up, “Let Chao Chao rest in my room.”
Nodding, Lu Yuan Xiao carried his sister inside, leaving two maids to guard the door before slipping away quietly.
…
The night was silent, and under the moonlight, everything seemed serene. Suddenly, dense black smoke began to rise within the manor. The pungent smell made Deng Zhi wrinkle her nose instinctively.
“Where’s the fire?” she muttered. Still slightly drunk from an indulgent evening, Madam Xu had yet to sober up.
Lifting her gaze towards the smoke’s source, Deng Zhi’s pupils constricted sharply as she realized the severity of the situation.
“Madam!” Deng Zhi’s voice turned shrill.
“Fire! There’s a fire! Someone, come quickly! The Bright Virtue Courtyard is on fire!” Her cries tore through the night as she trembled uncontrollably.
Madam Xu woke with a start, shivering in fright. “Yan Shu! My Yan Shu! Chao Chao!” she cried out, her face draining of all color as she stumbled toward the burning courtyard.
The icy chill in Madam Xu’s heart felt like falling into a bottomless abyss. Her terror robbed her of speech, leaving only incoherent cries of “Ah! Ah!” as she rushed forward like a madwoman.
At the entrance to the Bright Virtue Courtyard, thick smoke billowed outward.
“Where’s Chao Chao? Where’s the Eldest Young Master?” Deng Zhi demanded.
Servants and maids arrived from all directions, hastily fetching water to douse the flames, but the roaring inferno remained unrelenting.
The maids stationed at the door shivered violently.
“The Young Miss is inside the Eldest Young Master’s room—they’re both inside!” one maid wailed, kneeling on the ground in tears. “I saw the Third Young Master carry her in with my own eyes!”
Madam Xu’s body swayed, nearly collapsing.
“Madam!” Deng Zhi exclaimed in alarm.
Madam Xu’s throat felt parched, her voice cracking as she crawled forward, sobbing. “My Yan Shu, my Chao Chao, I need to find them. No! They’re still in there! My children are still inside! Ah!”
“Madam, the fire is too intense. You can’t go in!” Deng Zhi pleaded, clinging tightly to Madam Xu.
Madam Xu wept bitterly, her cries tearing at the hearts of all who heard. “What about Yan Shu? Yan Shu hasn’t come out yet!”
“Chao Chao is only seven months old. She’ll be so scared. Let me go! My Chao Chao! My Chao Chao is still in there…”
Overwhelmed by grief, Madam Xu struggled against Deng Zhi’s hold, desperate to rush into the flames. The raging fire consumed everything in sight, a sea of crimson devastation. Her children! Madam Xu’s cries turned into an agonized wail, her despair echoing through the blazing night.