After the children finished their preparation, they gathered outside.
"I'll allow you to leave, but you should have guards around you," Wei Hong said sternly to his children. They all wanted to come out to celebrate the Lantern Festival, and he didn't have any valid reason to disagree. After all, there were many other noble families too who were participating in the festival.
"We understand, Father."
"Good. Don't create trouble."
"Yes."
They all said that they understood, but Wei Hong was highly doubtful. Last year, his children attracted unwanted attention when they were outing. Even though there was nothing too bad, it was still a shame for him to have such rowdy children.
"Where do you want to go?" Wei Hong Zheng asked when the five of them gathered near the gate.
"I'll go to see the Lion and Dragon dance," Wei Yijun replied.
"Isn't it the same every year?" Wei Hong Zheng asked in confusion. What was the fun in seeing the same dance each year?
Wei Yijun shook his head. "There's always some additional variety added. I wonder what it is this year."
Seeing their eldest brother was already engrossed in his mind, the others chose not to bother him. They all knew that Wei Yijun liked arts, which was one of his entertainment in his busy schedule. Because of that, neither one of them made fun of him as they agreed to part ways.
"What do you want to do, First Sister?" Wei Zilin asked.
Wei Xiao Hua arched her eyebrows. She smiled lightly. "I want to see the lanterns' riddles and try my luck."
"Oh." Wei Zilin clearly didn't like the riddles that the lanterns held inside because it was too hard in her opinion. She felt that her intelligence will be insulted if she tried to answer the riddles.
"What's so fun about those riddles?" Wei Hong Zheng complained. The gate was opened, so they started walking. Wei Yijun had already departed first after bidding them farewell while the others were still in the group.
Wei Liuying looked at her second brother. "Second Brother, you can go and take a look at other places if you want."
"Hmm, good idea."
Wei Hong Zheng was only 13 years old, so naturally he was also a very curious child. He bid his farewell and several guards quickly followed him. There were only a few guards and servants left to accompany the three young ladies.
"Do you want to leave too?" Wei Xiao Hua asked politely.
"There's no need."
"Alright, let's go to the lantern's riddles area."
Wei Liuying thought about wearing a veil to cover her face, but when she saw the ladies on the street, she was hesitant. Most of them didn't even bother to cover their faces. After all, their intention when they came out was to attract some handsome and powerful young master.
'I don't really want to attract anyone.'
With that, Wei Liuying wore her veil with Xiao Qing following behind her. Wei Xiao Hua was the one who led their small group. If they excluded the servants, it would surely be a small group.
They stopped near a stall and Wei Xiao Hua bought a lantern. The servant was holding onto the lantern as Wei Xiao Hua took the piece of bamboo scroll that was inserted inside.
"In the morning, I have four legs. In the afternoon, I have 2 legs, and in the evening, I have 3 legs. What am I?" Wei Xiao Hua's lips curled up to form a smile. How easy.
Wei Zilin wore a blank look. "What is it?"
"It's really easy. It's human, right?" Wei Xiao Hua asked the woman in the stall.
The woman smiled and nodded. "Yes, Miss is really smart."
"It's nothing," Wei Xiao Hua laughed sweetly.
"Uh, how can it be human?" Wei Zilin was utterly confused. She was the best when it came to painting, poetry, and so on among the three of them. But when it came to solving riddles, she was clearly the worst. Her brain didn't seem to connect the dot at all.
"Morning signified the start of the day, which is also the beginning phrase of life. Babies use their hands as legs, so it's said that they have four legs. Afternoon signified the middle of life where adults use two legs. Evening meant it's almost the end, which signified elderly who wore staff to help them walk," Wei Liuying explained.
Wei Xiao Hua nodded. She looked at Wei Liuying with a smile. "You're not bad, Third Sister."
"You too, First Sister," Wei Liuying replied humbly.
"Would you like to try another one?" the woman asked as she listened to their conversation. It didn't seem like they were all friends.
"Sure."