20 years of the Republic of China

Chapter 689: Riddles [Part ]

When this riddle came out, everyone pondered for a moment, and then began to whisper to each other.

Some guessed it was a stone tablet, some guessed it was a carving. There were many different opinions and no consensus.

The stall owner had received the reward and had long since forgotten the rules of the riddle. He just flattered and said, "How about it, young master, have you guessed it?"

Jiang Chengye was still thinking deeply. Sister Hua stood behind him. After thinking for a while, she asked tentatively, "Is it a Buddha statue?"

"Buddha statue?" The stall owner frowned and couldn't help but asked with a smile, "How can you guess that it's a Buddha statue?"

Although Sister Hua was not sure, she had her own explanation.

The Buddha sits on a lotus platform, displaying a solemn appearance. Who dares to say that this is not "the body is naturally upright"? He carves through mountains and rocks to create a 10-foot-tall golden statue. Who dares to say that this is not "the body is naturally solid"?
The stone Buddha has a mouth and cannot speak, but believers can burn incense and worship it and pray devoutly. If their sincerity leads to their wishes being fulfilled, can't it be said that their wishes have come true?
Everyone is now in the Huangsi Square, and guessing the Buddha statue is quite appropriate.

Besides, riddles are just word games, not arithmetic. There is no standard answer, and the answer is not important. It all depends on how you solve it. As long as the solution makes sense, even if you insist that the answer is a Buddha statue, will you still lose money?

The stall owner weighed the reward money in his pocket and was about to flatter the young master by saying a few witty remarks to solve the mystery, but he heard the young master suddenly speak.

"It's not a Buddha statue." Jiang Chengye shook his head to himself.

The stall owner was stunned, then asked with a smile: "Young Master, what do you think is the answer to this riddle?"

Jiang Chengye was not sure at first, but after listening to what the stall owner said just now - if he guessed correctly, he would get a prize - he had a vague idea in his mind.

Guessing riddles and winning prizes is a natural thing, and there is really no need to emphasize it again.

Thinking of this, Jiang Chengye couldn't help but look at the prize on the table, and then his eyes fixed on it, and he said, "It's an inkstone."

"what?"

The stall owner didn't hear clearly, so he quickly bent down and put his ear close to Jiang Chengye, asking him to repeat it again.

Jiang Chengye pointed at the inkstone on the table and whispered, "If there is a word, there will be a response. If there is a pen, there will be a response. The answer to the riddle is the inkstone."

"Wow!" the stall owner raised his thumb in response, then stood up and flattered Sister Hua, "Madam, don't blame me for being so serious. Your young master guessed the riddle correctly. It's true that the disciple is better than the master, and each generation is stronger than the previous one. This young master will definitely be a big man who will bring honor to the family and start a business in the future!"

Having said that, he turned around and picked up a small inkstone used by children from the table. He handed it to Jiang Chengye and praised him a few words.

Jiang Chengye took the inkstone and held it in his hand, but his eyes stayed on the table, and he was silent and depressed.

Seeing this, Jiang Ya immediately came to his brother and asked, "Brother, do you like this? If you don't like it, I'll ask him to change it for you."

Jiang Chengye thought about it, shook his head and said, "No, this is it."

"Do you really like it?" Jiang Ya confirmed again and again, and finally felt relieved until she heard her brother say "like" with her own ears.

At this time, the stall owner rubbed his hands and asked with a smile on his face: "How about it, does anyone else want to guess the lantern riddles?"

Xu Ruqing turned slightly and said with a smile: "Xiaohua, now that you are here, why don't you guess one too?"

Sister Hua responded and was indeed interested, so she looked up at the lanterns on the shelf.

While I was carefully selecting, I suddenly heard Jiang Ya shouting beside me.

Looking down, I saw that the girl seemed to have discovered something in the crowd. She jumped and waved desperately towards a place not far away, and shouted excitedly: "Third Aunt, Fourth Aunt, here, here, look here, I'm here!"

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw that it was Zhuang Shuning and Dong Niya from the outer residence who were also surrounded by several bodyguards, carrying Jiang Chengzhi to visit the Lantern Festival.

Over the years, although Hu Xiaoyan never allowed women from other houses to enter or leave the house, Zhuang Shuning had been with Jiang Lianheng for nine years and had moved to Fengtian for six years. After all, they were all members of the Jiang family. Even if they had no contact anymore, they could not be strangers. Sometimes they would inevitably meet on the street and recognize each other's appearance.

Even though there was some estrangement, they all maintained a harmonious relationship on the surface.

Hearing the noise, Zhuang Shuning was stunned for a moment. Although hesitant, he still walked over with a fake smile.

"Aunt, sister." She led Dong Niya to bow respectfully, "What a coincidence, you are here too. Fortunately, Jiang Ya has good eyesight. I didn't see you and almost walked past you."

Although Xu Ruqing smiled and nodded, his words and actions did not show as much concern as when he looked at Hu Xiaoyan.

Zhuang Shuning pursed her lips slightly, but didn't say anything. However, she couldn't help feeling strange. Jiang Ya had come to such a lively lantern festival, but why was Jiang Lianheng's wife nowhere to be seen?
Although he had doubts in his heart, he kept his mouth shut and did not dare to ask more questions.

Dong Niya didn't care at all. When she saw the two children, she felt happy. She immediately squatted down and chatted briefly with Jiang Chengye in foreign language.

Jiang Chengzhi, however, had a bewildered look on his face. He looked up at the adults in front of him, but could not call out their names or tell their surnames. He seemed a little redundant among this group of people.

"Aunt, we are guessing lantern riddles here!" Jiang Ya pulled her aunt's hand and invited her excitedly, "Let's play together, it will be your turn soon."

Since they had already met, it was not easy to just turn around and leave. Zhuang Shuning thought about it and said, "That's fine. We were about to go back anyway, so let's finish guessing first!"

When Jiang Ya heard this, she hurriedly urged Aunt Hua, "It's your turn, choose quickly!"

Sister Hua did not hesitate any longer and immediately chose a lantern with a goose yellow color and a childish kite pattern.

As usual, the stall owner took down the lantern, picked up the riddle, and handed it to Sister Hua while reciting it aloud:

"I am leaning on the railing to invite you to leave. Suddenly the sun sets in the west. The lights are shining but you are nowhere to be seen. I am feeling depressed and lonely without a close friend - guess a word!"

It's not the stall owner's fault. Although Sister Hua has tried to learn to read and write, she had children at an early age and was distracted by everything. Her knowledge of words is always limited. When she looks at picture magazines on weekdays, she mostly looks at the pictures. When she read these two lines of poetry, she was a little at a loss for what to do with the originally simple riddle.

Zhuang Shuning had guessed it long ago, but kept silent, fearing that he would appear to be showing off.

Sister Hua pondered for a long time, and finally couldn't help bending down and asked her son: "Chengye, can you guess it?"

Jiang Chengye nodded and reminded quietly: "Remove the 'jian' from the word 'lan', remove the 'ri' from the word 'jian', remove the 'ren' from the word 'shan', and remove the 'xin' from the word 'men'. All four sentences mean 'door', so the answer to the riddle is 'door'."

"Young Master is right. This is a Chinese character puzzle, and the answer is door." The stall owner quickly echoed, "Madam, it doesn't matter if you or your mother guess the same thing. It's fine if you win. You can pick a prize?"

Sister Hua had no interest in the four treasures of the study. After careful consideration for a moment, she finally chose a fan.

Looking closely at the fan, one can see that it is a painting of "Mother and Son Playing in an Autumn Garden".

In the courtyard, the gate is open, the little naughty boy is running freely, and his mother is chasing and watching over him behind him. The whole picture is vivid and innocent.

The stall owner kept talking and said a few more auspicious words, then asked, "Come on, who's next?"

"Has my aunt made her choice?" Zhuang Shuning asked.

"I've chosen it, come on!"

Xu Ruqing was not familiar with her, so her tone was inevitably a little dull, but she was very interested in her little grandson Jiang Chengzhi. She wanted to bend down to hug him, but the child quickly hid aside.

Zhuang Shuning was afraid that her aunt might have a sudden idea and plan to take Chengzhi home for the holidays, so she hurriedly chose a lantern with a pattern of "Sky-blue Fishing Fires and Evening Songs".

The stall owner did the same as always. He took down the lantern, took out the riddle, and handed it over while chanting aloud: "Oh, this riddle is quite interesting: One point is clearly worth a thousand gold coins, but it is afraid of the cold wind at the beginning; if the host is also diligent in provoking, I dare not be attentive in front of you - guess something!"

Zhuang Shuning is different from others.

Among the several female members of the Jiang family, she was the only one who came from a wealthy family. She had studied since she was a child and had read both the old school of "Three Obediences and Four Virtues" and the new school of "Survival of the Fittest". Although she only had a general understanding and did not seek to understand it in depth, her knowledge was far superior to that of everyone else. After thinking for a moment, she gave the answer to the riddle:
"Lamp. The answer is lamp."

"Yes, madam, you are very knowledgeable!"

As usual, the stall owner complimented him a few times, then stepped aside and invited Zhuang Shuning to come forward and choose a prize.

Zhuang Shuning looked down and saw that the table was full of cheap goods, none of which she liked. However, Xu Ruqing and Sister Hua both chose silk fans. She was afraid that she would stand out, so she also picked a fan.

Looking closely at the fan, one can see that it is painted with a picture of "A Fairy Riding a Phoenix Under the Moon".

It was a clear night with a bright moon hanging high in the sky. The fairy, with a graceful figure, dressed in silk and satin, flew away on a phoenix, her clothes fluttering in the wind. She looked back frequently, as if she was happy to have ascended to heaven, but also lonely to leave the mortal world.

Zhuang Shuning had no intention of admiring it, so he took the fan and took the opportunity to hold his son in his arms and tease him.

Unexpectedly, although Jiang Chengzhi was small, he saw that everyone had a fan, so he also cried out: "I want one too, I want one too!"

"Third Aunt, can you let me choose one too?" Jiang Ya was afraid of ignoring her brother, so she said hurriedly, "Chengye and I have already chosen, let me guess one too!"

Zhuang Shuning hugged his son and laughed, "He doesn't even know the characters, how can he guess?"

"Then help him guess!" Jiang Ya said, "We all have prizes, and my little brother must have one too!"

"Yes!" Jiang Chengzhi really praised his sister, and quickly opened his arms and shouted, "I want one too, I want one too!"

I don't know whether he really understood or was pretending to understand. I just saw him pointing at the lamp stand while talking, which made everyone laugh.

Zhuang Shuning had no choice but to follow the direction of Jiang Chengzhi's finger and choose a "Azure Waves Washing Away Sand" lantern for him.

The stall owner took out the riddle and handed it over, reciting it aloud:

"A good omen, a good omen! Listen carefully, young master. The riddle is: Known before traveling in the vast ocean, bones still grow from flesh; Don't say you have no fear of thunder and lightning, the Dragon King of the Sea can also run rampant - guess an animal!"

Before he finished speaking, Xu Ruqing and Zhuang Shuning had already guessed it.

This riddle is so classic that when Xu Ruqing was a manager in a brothel in his early years, he would often hear customers reciting it.

Needless to say, Zhuang Shuning had memorized it by heart when he was a child.

"Crab. The answer is crab."

The stall owner was right, the answer to the riddle was indeed a good omen.

The crab has eight legs, and the ancients called it "hengxing jieshi", which means it can run rampant in the world of fame and fortune and have connections in all directions; because there is armor on its back, it has the good meaning of "three top places in a row", so it is also called "jieyuan", which means it is strong, intelligent, and talented.

As the festive season approaches, everyone loves to hear nice words.

When Zhuang Shuning saw the riddle his son chose, the answer was crab, a smile finally appeared in his eyes, and he gave the stall owner a piece of money as a tip.

Seeing this, the stall owner couldn't help but smile and said, "Madam, come and pick a prize for the young master?"

Zhuang Shuning wanted to choose a pen, but Jiang Chengzhi saw that everyone was holding a fan, so he shouted, "I want a fan, too! I want a fan, too!"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Ya quickly picked up a silk fan from the table, handed it over with a smile, and said, "Little brother, take it!"

Jiang Chengzhi was very happy and immediately took the fan and started playing with it.

Zhuang Shuning smiled and said, "Son, this is a fan for girls."

Jiang Chengzhi frowned in response, and carefully looked at the fan in his hand. Suddenly, he felt disgusted and threw the fan to the ground. Then he continued to make a noise: "I want a fan, a fan!"

Seeing this, the stall owner quickly picked up a folding fan from the table and said with a smile on his face: "Young Master, how about this one? This is the fan that a young master should hold!"

As he said this, he handed over the folding fan.

The fan is nine inches and five points long, with a total of sixteen ribs, which is too big for Jiang Chengzhi.

He did not despise it, but slowly unfolded the fan with both hands, which revealed a picture of "green mountains in the distance and white egrets flying".

The sky is filled with auspicious clouds, the mountains are verdant, and a group of egrets are soaring in the sky, creating a distant artistic conception.

Jiang Chengzhi felt relieved and happily played with the folding fan in his hand. However, because he was too young, it didn't look like he was waving a fan, but more like he was dancing with a sword or a stick.

As a result, all the women and children in the Jiang family guessed the riddles and received prizes, except Dongnia, who had nothing in her hands. Everyone laughed and asked her to pick a lantern as well.

Dong Niya had no idea how fun it was to guess lantern riddles, and she just asked blankly, "Can I... do it, too?"

Everyone laughed and said, "It's okay, just choose, and let us help you guess the riddles."

Dongya was confused and finally chose a "Cuckoo Crying on a Pink Azalea Branch" lantern amid the laughter of the crowd.

The stall owner took down the lantern, took out the riddle, and while handing it over, he blurted out two sentences in foreign language:

"Oh, Good! This riddle is quite simple - Fireflies illuminate the riverside - guess a word!"

Dong Niya naturally didn't understand what this meant. After discussing for a moment, everyone answered for her: "Dan, the answer is Dan!"

The stall owner had a booming business tonight and received double the tips alone. Without further ado, he immediately invited the foreign girl to come forward and choose the prizes.

Tonya walked forward and asked uncertainly, "Can I have one?"

"Goode, Goode!" the stall owner said coquettishly, "Please take whatever you like!"

Everyone thought that Dong Niya would also choose a fan, but she wandered in front of the table for a long time. Perhaps because she liked art, she finally focused her attention on the scroll beside the table, "I want this."

"Scroll?" The stall owner was startled and quickly reminded, "Ladies and gentlemen, this is an empty scroll. There is no painting on it."

Tonya frowned, not quite understanding.

Jiang Chengye simply translated it on the spot. His vocabulary was limited, so after all, he could only emphasize that it was not a painting.

Tonya didn't care. She just thought the scrolls from the Far East were very interesting. She wondered if they could be used in oil paintings, so she insisted on getting an empty scroll.

----

PS The riddles in this chapter are not original!

(End of this chapter)