TTLJDFL Chapter 46

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Along the way, Li Jin bought Qin Muwen a sugar figurine, a feathered mask, and a small wooden rabbit.

Originally, the vendor hadn’t intended to sell the rabbit carving, but he recognized Li Jin.

Earlier that month, there had been heavy rain, and his youngest son had fallen ill due to the cold. Thanks to Doctor Li’s superb medical skills, his son had been saved.

The vendor had been planning to visit Xinglintang to express his gratitude. Since he happened to run into Li Jin now, he directly gifted him the wooden carving.

"It’s not worth much anyway, Doctor Li, please don’t refuse."

Li Jin had no choice but to accept it.

In his past life as a doctor, he had been used to refusing gifts from patients.

But things were different in ancient times. Treating minor illnesses didn’t require formal thanks, but if a doctor saved someone’s child or elderly family member, the family would always come to express their gratitude.

This was an unspoken rule.

Previously, when Li Jin had provided a decoction to safely deliver Shopkeeper Song’s wife, he had also received a thank-you gift.

The main street wasn’t very long. Soon, Li Jin and Qin Muwen reached the other end, where they saw a shimmering river.

The riverside was even livelier than the main street—vendors were loudly hawking their lanterns and snacks, while performers put on fire-breathing acts.

It was an exhilarating scene.

Li Jin even spotted a stage set up across the river, supported by bamboo poles and adorned with colorful lanterns. The crowd was surging toward it.

He caught snippets of conversations, saying that the girls from Piaoxiang Courtyard would be performing a dance there.

Li Jin frowned slightly.

Although he had cut ties completely with his former lover, he knew that the past two years had left scars on the young man beside him.

He didn’t want to reopen those wounds.

Since Qin Muwen was still watching the street performers and hadn’t noticed the conversation, Li Jin gently guided him away from the crowd, leading him toward a quieter part of the riverside.

Qin Muwen had only heard about the temple fair’s lanterns and snacks—he had never imagined it would be this bustling.

And this was just a small town!

If it were the capital, how grand and lively would it be?

Qin Muwen was obedient.

Although he wanted to keep watching the performances, he followed Li Jin without resistance.

As long as Li Jin was by his side, he felt that everything was fine.

Li Jin led him to a quieter spot by the river.

They were in no rush to buy a lantern—after all, the entire way was lined with lantern vendors. First, they needed to find a spot by the river where they could release the lanterns.

Just then, they came across a small stall beside a large, flat stone by the riverbank. The vendor had a variety of lanterns, all of them festive and beautifully made.

Li Jin let Qin Muwen pick one he liked. The young man was delighted, but with so many beautiful choices, he found it hard to decide.

Still, he knew that since Ah Jin had asked him to choose, he shouldn’t trouble him with such a small decision.

In the end, holding the little wooden rabbit carving in his hand, he selected a river lantern painted with a jade rabbit.

The vendor had seen newlyweds coming to release lanterns together before, but married men? That was a rare sight.

The young man with the beauty mark on his brow had a pure and sincere smile, while the refined young man standing beside him, though expressionless, kept his gaze fixed on him the whole time.

The vendor noted the man’s long robes—he looked like a scholar.

The vendor said, “We also have a lantern riddle game. If you solve three riddles correctly, you’ll win a lantern. Solve them all, and there’s a grand prize!”

Qin Muwen turned to Li Jin, his eyes sparkling with excitement.

Li Jin shook his head helplessly. He was good at memorizing books, but composing couplets, solving riddles, and writing poetry—those traditional pastimes of ancient scholars—were not his strong suit.

Though these were basic skills for scholars in this era, even young children could recite poetry and match couplets.

But Li Jin had been a modern medical student. He had studied science in high school and had never been exposed to such literary traditions.

Even so, seeing the eager look in the young man's eyes, Li Jin didn’t want to disappoint him.

Solving lantern riddles couldn’t be too hard. He had memorized so many books—if the riddles were based on literary references, he should be able to figure them out.

At that moment, another customer arrived at the stall and asked, “Are these riddles made by you?”

The vendor chuckled and waved his hand. “Not at all. A merchant oversees all the riverbank lanterns, and the riddles were provided by them. There are three spots along the river where you can solve riddles, and my stall is just one of them.

"Earlier, this place was crowded, but now that they’re setting up a stage across the river, most people have run over there.”

The customer then asked, “So if I check out the other two stalls and come back here, wouldn’t I have an advantage in solving all the riddles?”

The vendor laughed. “Nope. Each of the three locations has different riddles. If a guest solves all the riddles at any one location, they’ll win the grand prize.”

The customer took a quick glance at the riddles, frowned, and said, “These seem too difficult. I’ll try somewhere else.”

The vendor just smiled. “As you wish.”

Then he turned to Li Jin. “Would you like to give it a try?”

Li Jin replied, “I’ll give it a shot.”

He looked at the first riddle on a lantern: "Is it so, or is it not?"

No wonder the previous customer said the riddles were difficult.

Li Jin remained calm. The phrase contained no clear literary reference, so the trick must lie in wordplay.

—"Is it so, or is it not?" sounded like "Ye is not Ye" (爷非爷).

Li Jin recalled a passage from The Analects where Duke Jing of Qi asked Confucius a question about the duties of a father. With that in mind, he dipped his brush in ink and wrote three characters on the rough-edged paper:

"Father not father" (父不父).

The vendor had been relaxed at first, certain that no one in town could solve the riddles. After all, the grand prize was quite valuable.

But Li Jin’s response was not only quick—it was correct.

The vendor’s expression didn’t change, but internally, he was shocked.

He took the answer sheet and asked, “Would you like to continue?”

Li Jin nodded. “Of course.”

This was only the first riddle. Ancient riddles weren’t as tricky as modern ones, and many had set literary references.

After memorizing so many books, he finally had a chance to put that knowledge to use.

If his teacher, Mr. Song, ever heard of this, he would probably be furious.

Was the purpose of studying really just to solve lantern riddles?

The vendor smiled. “Since that’s the case, I must follow the rules and check all your answers at the end.”

Li Jin nodded calmly. “That’s only fair.”

By now, Qin Muwen had returned with his rabbit lantern, standing beside Li Jin.

He understood the basics of riddle-solving but hadn’t played much before.

As he watched Li Jin write down answers, he suddenly understood the logic behind them.

The vendor found it strange. From the young man’s expression, he seemed literate.

It was rare enough for daughters of poor families to be educated, let alone ge’er. No wonder his husband doted on him so much.

Li Jin quickly solved five riddles, and the vendor’s eye twitched. He had a bad feeling that tonight’s grand prize would go to his stall.

Li Jin wasn’t slowing down—in fact, he was getting faster.

The vendor could practically hear his heart bleeding...

But then he realized—hey, the grand prize wasn’t coming out of his pocket. It was provided by the big boss behind the riverbank lanterns.

In that case, he might as well cheer this customer on!

Li Jin's success in solving the riddles was purely coincidental. Ancient riddles often referenced classical texts, and it just so happened that he had memorized them all.

As for the remaining small tricks, they were nothing more than homophones and wordplay. As long as one had a flexible mind, solving them was quite easy.

Li Jin handed over the final answer to the stall owner and said, "I should have guessed at least three correctly, right?"

The stall owner replied, "More than that! You got all of them right!"

Li Jin was delighted. He hadn't expected to have a talent for solving lantern riddles.

The stall owner said, "Please wait a moment, sir. Since you solved all the riddles correctly, this rabbit lantern is yours as a gift.

As for the grand prize, I need to inform my boss before it can be awarded."

Li Jin stopped him and said, "There's no need for the grand prize. I only wanted to win a lantern for my wife. This is enough."

Qin Muwen wasn’t the type to take advantage either. He held the rabbit lantern in his arms, unwilling to let go.

Li Jin pinched his cheek and said, "What wish do you want to make? I'll write it down for you."

Qin Muwen whispered, "Ah Jin, can I write it myself?"

Li Jin handed him a brush soaked in ink.

Qin Muwen held the lantern, turned his back to Li Jin, and carefully wrote two lines, using his body to shield his words, hiding his little secret.

Li Jin would never stoop to peeking, but he could easily guess the shy thoughts the young man wanted to conceal.

Thinking about this, Li Jin felt a little guilty. After all, the boy was only seventeen—if this were modern times, he wouldn't even be considered an adult yet.

Once Qin Muwen finished writing, Li Jin took him to the riverbank to set the lantern afloat and make their wishes.

The flowing water carried away the bright rabbit lantern, with two lines of slightly awkward handwriting yet filled with deep affection.

They watched until the lantern disappeared from sight before turning back.

Meanwhile, at the stall, even though Li Jin had refused the grand prize and only accepted the rabbit lantern, he wasn’t the one making the final decision. The stall owner still reported the matter to the shopkeeper, who had rented out an entire section of the river.

After hearing the story, the shopkeeper laughed. "Do you know who that man is?"

The stall owner shook his head. "I don’t."

"That was Li Jin, the little miracle doctor from Xinglintang."

The shopkeeper added, "Since it's him, there's no need to force the grand prize on him—he wouldn't care for it anyway."

The stall owner was completely baffled. The grand prize was… a Mid-Autumn night with the top courtesan of Piaoxiang Courtyard, and yet the shopkeeper described it as something Li Jin 'wouldn't care for.'

Moreover, judging from the shopkeeper’s tone, it seemed he understood Li Jin’s character quite well.

The shopkeeper continued, "Although Li Jin doesn't care for it, we should still spread the word that he solved all the riddles. Otherwise, people might say I’m stingy.

As for the grand prize, there's no need to mention it."

Fortunately, only the shopkeeper, the three stall owners, and the courtesan herself knew about the grand prize, so there was no need to embarrass Piaoxiang Courtyard by spreading the news.

That night, Li Jin carried his basket on his back, held his husband's hand, and walked home under the starry sky with the other villagers.

Completely unaware of everything that had transpired.

The next morning, Mr. Song , who was always well-informed, seemed to have forgotten about yesterday’s poetry duel. He was in a good mood and praised Li Jin for his talent in solving riddles.

Mr.Song said, "If you’re good at solving riddles, you’ll be good at breaking down the structure of essays in the imperial exams too."

Li Jin thought, That’s some serious nonsense.

But since Mr. Song  wasn’t one to joke, he decided to just go along with it.

At the same time, over at Piaoxiang Courtyard, Lingmei shattered her favorite hairpin in frustration. The floor was covered with broken rouge and powder.

Her voice trembled. "Li Jin… rejected it?"

Before her maid could respond, the old matron in charge pushed the door open and walked in.

"Not only did he reject it," the matron said calmly, though her words were like knives stabbing into Lingmei's heart, "but he also said he only solved the riddles to win a lantern for his husband.

In the end, all he took was that lantern."

Author’s Note:

The answer to the riddle "Father is not a father" comes from the following quote, but due to word limits, I couldn’t include it in the main text:

Duke Jing of Qi asked Confucius about governance.

Confucius replied, "A ruler must act like a ruler, a minister like a minister, a father like a father, and a son like a son."

The Duke said, "Indeed! If the ruler fails to act as a ruler, the minister as a minister, the father as a father, and the son as a son, even if we have food, how can we eat it in peace?"

Tl Notes: 

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