As the Mid-Autumn Festival approached, the already bustling Chang’an Night Market also became bustling as the bright moon overhead became fuller day by day. Even before the Mid-Autumn Festival, at night, the streets of Chang’an were full of well-dressed men and women talking to each other in secret. When they were excited, they could even look at each other and smile.

The Jingzhao Prefecture policeman who was patrolling the streets saw this but did not show the “understanding” or “amusing” look that ordinary pedestrians would have. Instead, he stepped forward and interrupted the charming atmosphere of “wind, flowers, snow and moon” without any courtesy, waving his hand to drive the people away: “It’s not even Mid-Autumn Festival yet! What are you doing? It’s so late, why don’t you go home?”

The man and woman, whose private conversation was interrupted, froze in their faces. They looked at the group of servants in front of them with stern faces who were disturbing their interest, and they were in a bad mood.

“What are you doing? It’s almost the Mid-Autumn Festival. What does our business have to do with you?”

“You know it’s almost Mid-Autumn Festival, but you don’t really think it’s Mid-Autumn Festival! It’s so late, the streets are almost deserted, why don’t you go home quickly?” The “breaking up the couple” officer shouted, looking at the two “lovers” in front of him, “Leave your name and address, we will go to your house tomorrow to ask when you are going home!”

The two young men and women looked extremely unhappy when they heard this: their parents at home didn’t have such wide-ranging responsibilities as these policemen, so what was going on?

The quarrel broke out immediately!

Seeing the quarrel not far away, Liu Yuan and Bai Zhu, who were passing by, twitched their lips and looked at Huang Zhong, the leader of the Jingzhao Prefecture’s police team, and said, “This… although you didn’t let them stay on the street at night for their own good, this kind of thing… isn’t it too much?”

Huang Zhong bowed to Liu Yuan and Bai Zhu, then twisted his face into a serious one, sighed, opened his mouth, and hesitated to speak, but finally said: “You don’t understand, we are doing for their own good!”

As for how to do it “for their own good”, Huang Zhong refused to say. He just shook his head and said, “In short, don’t wander around the streets at night! Especially for young and pretty ladies like these. If they encounter bad guys, their lovers can’t protect them alone. If something happens…ah!”

After hearing Huang Zhong’s sigh, although he didn’t directly say what happened, Liu Yuan and Bai Zhu also vaguely guessed something. The two looked at each other, and Liu Yuan stepped forward, coughed lightly, and asked Huang Zhong: “Has anything happened to a young lady recently?”

Huang Zhong shook his head, glanced at Liu Yuan and Bai Zhu who had already guessed something, thought for a moment, and then said, “My Lord forbids us to say it, and her family also forbids us to say it. After all, if this kind of thing gets out, her family and she will not be able to hold their heads up!”

Although he kept saying “You are not allowed to say it”, from words like “the young lady’s family doesn’t allow me to say it” and “She can’t hold her head up”, it was clear that he had already said almost everything.

Looking at Huang Zhong’s serious face, Liu Yuan and Bai Zhu coughed dryly and understood: “Well said!”

Seeing that the two understood what he meant, Huang Zhong coughed and said, “We have been patrolling the streets these days, trying our best to prevent these people from wandering around outside. But on the Mid-Autumn Festival, there will be many people and the night will be off. There will be many fires and fights. If we are unable to handle it, please ask the two temple officials to bring your colleagues from the Dali Temple to help take care of it!”

When Liu Yuan and Bai Zhu heard this, they nodded and said, “Of course we should.”

Huang Zhong finally breathed a sigh of relief after seeing that he had brought the adults’ words home. When he was about to leave, he was stopped by two people behind him. Turning back, he saw Bai Zhu holding up the lantern in his hand and said to him, “Don’t forget to report the lanterns we’ve entered in the festival!”

This was also the reason the two had come to find Huang Zhong. Participating in the lantern festival required advance reporting to the Jingzhao Prefecture. After all, with the entire Dali Temple involved in making lanterns, it wouldn’t be acceptable not to bring back a beautiful lantern.

Seeing the two who were determined to win the beautiful lantern, Huang Zhong twitched his mouth and, with a hint of amusement, remarked, “Colleagues sure are enthusiastic,” but did not forget to add, “Make sure to tell your family remembers to cast their votes for your lantern. A few more wooden sticks would make it more secure!”

There were quite a lot of people participating in the Lantern Festival this time!

It was really like calling friends just for a beautiful lantern! The two of them nodded and agreed immediately after hearing this. After returning to the Dali Temple and telling everyone about it, everyone sighed. Although they cursed a few times that “Jingzhao Prefecture is insidious”, they all agreed to call their families to vote for lanterns together.

It was okay to get slapped in the face occasionally!

Grabbing a handful of táng chǎo bǎn and eating them while chatting, at this moment, Ji Caimai and a few carpenters were seen passing by the lobby door with a pile of boxes. Everyone who was eating táng chǎo bǎn was stunned when they saw it: “Ji Caimai has already made the Mid-Autumn Festival mooncake gift box?”

The carpenters were much faster than they thought! The square gift box was divided into two layers, with two lines about “Worshipping the moon” engraved on the outside, which looked quite elegant.

Ji Caimai turned the mooncake gift box around and examined it carefully. He was very satisfied. He tilted his head and asked Wen Mingtang beside him, “What do you think, Master Wen?”

Wen Mingtang nodded and said, “Not bad!”

As expected of the carpenter recommended by the nitpicking Lin Shaoqing, his craftsmanship was really good!

Seeing that the employer was “satisfied”, several carpenters breathed a sigh of relief. With Lin Fei, the picky “employer” in front of them, Ji Caimai, Wen Mingtang, and others were simply too “easy to talk to”.

However, due to Lin Shaoqing’s “pickiness”, their craftsmanship was forced to improve a lot. In recent days, they have received many orders for mooncake gift boxes due to their outstanding craftsmanship. In addition to the Dali Temple public kitchen, there were also many orders from restaurants and literary houses. There were all kinds of gift boxes. But without exception, these gift boxes must be engraved with two lines of “singing to the moon”. Among so many poems, the most beautiful ones were the two lines engraved by the Dali Temple public kitchen.

“‘The bright moon rises over the sea, and we share this moment even though we are miles apart.’”¹

Even the always picky Lin Fei praised these two lines of poetry, and then asked Wen Mingtang: “Who wrote this?”

Wen Mingtang pointed to the name in the lower right corner and said, “A famous hermit named Zhang Jiuling.”²

Lin Fei nodded, glanced at her, and said, “You are good at cooking, but your poetry is only at the level of ‘Three or Two Kittens’. You really can’t write such a poem.”

Wen Mingtang: “…”

Was this a compliment on her cooking skills or a mockery of her poetry-writing ability?

After Lin Fei finished speaking, he looked at the pile of mooncake molds with various patterns next to Wen Mingtang: there was a set of round molds with patterns of plum, orchid, bamboo, and chrysanthemum; there was a set of molds printed with legendary stories such as Chang’e flying to the moon,Chang’e, the Moon Goddess, consumed an elixir of immortality and ascended to the moon, where she resides forever. Her story symbolizes beauty and sacrifice, as she left her mortal husband, Hou Yi, behind. Kuafu chasing the sun,Kuafu, a giant from ancient Chinese mythology, pursued the sun to quench his thirst and bring relief to his people. Despite his tireless chase and determination, he succumbed to exhaustion, embodying the themes of perseverance and sacrifice. Jingwei filling the sea[Tooltip text] and Nuwa repairing the sky;Nuwa, a goddess, mended the fractured sky with colorful stones, restoring order to the world after a catastrophic disaster. Her act of repairing the heavens symbolizes creation, healing, and the protection of the natural order. and the last set was molds with strange shapes such as peanuts, persimmons, jade ruyi, and gourds.

Seeing Lin Fei’s gaze settle on the last set of molds, Wen Mingtang began to explain without him asking, “This set carries symbolic meanings:‘Miao Bi Sheng Hua’This metaphor refers to the idea of creating something beautiful or valuable from skillful effort. Peanuts are associated with this metaphor due to the play on words, as “花生” (Huāshēng) sounds like “花生” (flower born). The phrase implies that great creativity or skill can produce wonderful results, just as a talented brush can create beautiful art. ( ‘a wonderful brush creates flowers,’ referring to peanuts), ‘Hao Shi Fa Sheng’This metaphor uses the phrase “好柿发生” (Hao Shi Fa Sheng) to imply that good things come from favorable conditions. The phrase is a play on words where “发生” (grow) suggests that, just as good persimmons grow well, positive outcomes or success will naturally emerge from favorable circumstances. ( ‘good persimmons grow,’ referring to persimmons), ‘Wan Shi Ru Yi’The term “万事如意” (Wan Shi Ru Yi) means that everything will go according to one’s wishes or desires. The jade Ruyi, a traditional Chinese symbol of power and good fortune, represents the fulfillment of wishes and the realization of one’s desires, symbolizing good fortune and success in all endeavors. ( ‘everything goes as wished,’ referring to jade Ruyi), and ‘Fu Lu’[Tooltip text] (‘fortune and prosperity,’ referring to gourds).”

Lin Fei: “…This is a good idea!”

Wen Mingtang said “Hmm”, and when she was about to start drafting the contents of the gift box, she heard Lin Fei say, “There will be a lantern festival in Jingzhao Prefecture on the Mid-Autumn Festival, and our Dali Temple will also participate. Did you know that?”

(End of this chapter)

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Footnote

1. The line “海上生明月，天涯共此时” (The bright moon rises over the sea, and we share this moment even though we are miles apart) is from Zhang Jiuling’s poem “望月怀远” (Wang Yue Huai Yuan), which translates to “Gazing at the Moon and Thinking of Distant Ones.” This poem reflects on the themes of separation and longing, using the imagery of the moon to express feelings of distance and shared experience despite physical separation. Here is the full poem: Gazing at the Moon and Thinking of Distant Ones
   • The bright moon rises over the sea,
   • And we share this moment even though we are miles apart.
   • Just as the moon shines over the vast expanse,
   • It brings us together despite our separation.
   • The tide rises high and falls low,
   • As it follows the moon’s path in its flow.
   • So let us take solace in this lunar light,
   • As it connects us through the endless night.
2. Zhang Jiuling (张九龄) was an esteemed poet and government official in ancient China during the Tang Dynasty. He is known for his classical Chinese poetry, particularly for its elegance and emotional depth. His work often reflects themes of nature, friendship, and the passage of time, and he was highly regarded for his literary contributions. The lines of poetry “海上生明月，天涯共此时” (The bright moon rises over the sea, and we share this moment even though we are miles apart) are attributed to Zhang Jiuling and exemplify his ability to evoke a sense of shared experience and longing through poetic imagery.