Chapter 36: Fire Burns at Dawn
This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation.
On the enchanting evening of the Mid-Autumn Festival, the grand mansion was without the Marquis and the elderly matriarch, creating an atmosphere of relief and freedom among its inhabitants.
Madam Xu, seizing this rare opportunity for personal enjoyment, arranged for a feast to be set up in the garden pavilion. The table was generously adorned with succulent crabs, a small stove for warming wine, and an assortment of exquisite pastries. Her love for crab was well-known, yet it had been a long seventeen years since she last savored this delight. This was because the matriarch’s strong aversion to the aroma of crabs prevented such indulgences.
Lu Yuan Xiao, who usually visited his older brother’s quarters to study after school, decided to bring Chao Chao along this time for a reunion. His brother, who had been confined to a wheelchair, showed improved health and vibrancy compared to recent months. There was a noticeable improvement in his demeanor, particularly in the gradual return of his hand mobility, a development he chose to keep under wraps.
Upon noticing Chao Chao’s arrival, Lu Yan Shu, usually reserved and stoic, displayed rare tenderness. “Chao Chao is here? Come, come to your big brother,” he warmly invited.
In his brother’s embrace, Chao Chao expressed her eagerness to engage in the festival’s customary activities, particularly the release of lanterns into the night sky.
With a hint of guilt, Lu Yuan Xiao shared how their mother had imposed stricter boundaries after a secret outing he had once arranged with his sister.
Lu Yan Shu, visibly concerned, gave a serious glance that underscored the importance he placed on his sister’s safety. In a moment of inspiration, he proposed a solution, smiling warmly. “Why don’t I take you two to the lake to release flower lanterns?” Despite his wheelchair confinement, his striking looks suggested he would have been the center of attention in town under different circumstances.
Chao Chao, excited, wished for her lantern to be unique—a Guanyin Bodhisattva lantern—to stand out among the others.
After the lantern release, in a significant step in his recovery, the older brother took up brush and ink for the first time since his accident. “I may not excel at painting Buddhist figures, but for Chao Chao, I will paint a Bodhisattva on the lantern,” he declared with commitment and focus.
This heartfelt gesture deeply moved his personal servant, who shed tears at the display of perseverance and affection from the young master, revealing a side of him previously concealed.
Lu Yan Shu struggled to keep a steady hold on the brush, completing the intricate Bodhisattva painting only after nightfall. As he added the final touches, the surroundings were enveloped in darkness.
The completed painting filled Lu Chao Chao with immense joy, her excitement palpable as the bells around her plump wrists chimed melodically. “Light… light… the lantern…” she urged, her words muffled but her eagerness clear.
She looked up at her big brother with admiration. [Incredible! The Bodhisattva that big brother drew looks so compassionate, like a real Bodhisattva watching over all beings.]
Seeing his sister’s awestruck gaze, Lu Yan Shu smiled gently, touched by her reaction.
Lu Yuan Xiao lit a candle, using its flame to ignite the Bodhisattva lantern. As the lantern lit up, it seemed infused with life, glowing with serene compassion.
The chubby boy stepped back, awe-struck. His elder brother’s prowess in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting knew no bounds.
Held securely in her brother’s arms, Lu Chao Chao watched the Bodhisattva lantern rise gracefully into the night sky, joining other lanterns that floated ethereally, a bridge between the heavens and the earth. She watched in silent wonder, her little hand waving as if sending spiritual energy toward the lantern.
In an astonishing spectacle, the surrounding sky lanterns gravitated toward the Bodhisattva lantern, orbiting it in a celestial dance as if the stars themselves aligned around their divine focus.
“What’s that in the sky?” someone exclaimed, prompting a wave of heads to tilt upward in curiosity.
At this stage, the crowd, preoccupied with celebrating Lu Jing Huai’s accomplishments, diverted their attention to the miraculous scene unfolding above. The usual city clamor came to a standstill.
“It’s the Bodhisattva!”
This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation.
“A miracle from the Bodhisattva!”
“Look, the Bodhisattva is performing a miracle!”
“By the heavens, a deity has appeared. Is it here to protect us?”
The air buzzed with cheers and exclamations, while Lu Jing Huai, standing aloof on a platform, clenched his jaw, his annoyance barely concealed after losing the spotlight.
Oblivious to the commotion, the Zhongyong Marquis Mansion remained ignorant of the old matriarch spending the entire night under the lantern, praying devoutly for Lu Jing Huai to attain academic success.
Exhausted from the day’s festivities and skipping her usual nap, Chao Chao yawned. “Big Brother, I’ll take our sister back to rest. You should also sleep early,” Lu Yuan Xiao proposed, his voice reflecting newfound maturity shaped by experiences surrounding his father’s affairs.
[I want to sleep in Big Brother’s courtyard, not going home, not going home,] Chao Chao murmured, her words slurred by sleepiness, adamant about staying.
“Wait…” Lu Yan Shu, momentarily distracted by the scent of osmanthus wine, interjected, “Let Chao Chao sleep in my room.”
Lu Yuan Xiao carried his sister to the designated room, instructing two maids to keep watch before silently leaving.
That night, as the moon cast a tranquil glow over the mansion, all seemed at peace. Suddenly, the calm was shattered by thick black smoke billowing from the mansion, prompting Deng Zhi to furrow her brows in concern.
“Where is the fire?” she muttered, her senses dulled by wine. Alarm grew as her gaze fixed on the origin of the smoke.
“Milady!” Deng Zhi cried, her voice panicked. “There’s a fire, a fire! Someone come, Mingde Yard is on fire!” Her cries pierced the night, laden with fear.
Startled from her sleep, Madam Xu’s heart sank. “Yan Shu, my Yan Shu! Chao Chao!” she exclaimed, terror gripping her as she dashed toward the flames, her voice faltering in panic: “Ah! Ah!”
By this time, Mingde Yard was engulfed in smoke. “Where are Chao Chao and the eldest young master?” demanded Deng Zhi, urgency saturating her voice as she questioned the maids attending the baby girl.
Servants converged on the fire, frantically attempting to extinguish it, yet the inferno remained relentless.
A maid, her voice trembling, reported, “The young miss is inside with the eldest young master; they’re all inside!”
Overcome with despair, another maid collapsed, weeping. “I saw the third young master carry her in!”
Stricken with horror, Madam Xu nearly fell.
“Milady!” Deng Zhi cried, fear thick in her voice.
With a voice strained by desperation, Madam Xu pleaded, “My Yan Shu, my Chao Chao, I must find them. They’re still inside, my children are inside! Ah!”
“Madam, the flames have engulfed everything; entering is suicide!” Deng Zhi’s grip on Madam Xu tightened, her voice urgent and concerned.
Her cheeks streaked with tears, Madam Xu despaired. “But Yan Shu? What about Yan Shu? He’s trapped inside! And little Chao Chao, she’s barely seven months old. Can you imagine how frightened she must be? I must go to them! My baby Chao Chao! She’s still in there…”
She shook off Deng Zhi’s restraining hand and dashed toward the towering inferno, an unyielding barrier of heat and destruction.
In that moment, Madam Xu exemplified a mother’s fierce determination to rescue her children from peril, torn between hope and despair.