A Maid's Survival Story in a Noble Family Mansion? Rich Landlords Are More Appealing.

A slight smile played on her lips; she already had a guess in her mind. The riddle, seemingly describing a location, was actually a word-splitting method.

As Chen Wanxing was pondering the question, a young scholar next to her suddenly clapped his hands excitedly: "Ah, that's it, it's the character '一'!" With that, he tore off his cotton belt and hurriedly squeezed towards the registration desk.

Upon hearing this, Chen Wanxing pondered for a moment and immediately felt enlightened. The riddle was not simply a wordplay, but rather a combination of meaning and reference. All four lines pointed to the stroke and the Chinese character "一" (one), which was indeed ingenious.

She secretly admired the riddle's ingenuity and the scholar's quick wit, but there were still many riddles in the first row, and plenty of opportunities ahead. She moved to look at the cotton ribbon under another revolving lantern:

"Looking at it from the left, it's power; looking at it from the right, it's right; looking at it from the front, power and right are connected."

This seems more straightforward; the left side looks like "power," and the right side looks like "opposition," and the two are connected...

Her mind raced as she tried to combine the two characters: "权" (quan) was "木" (mu) plus "又" (you), and "对" (duì) was "又" (you) plus "寸" (cun), both sharing the "又" (you) radical.

If we take "又" as the center, adding "木" on the left makes "权" and adding "寸" on the right makes "对". But how can it be said to be "two connected"?

She pondered for a moment, then suddenly wondered if it was the traditional or variant form of the character "权" (quan). Or perhaps it was a specific way of writing it? Or maybe the riddle didn't mean the characters were exactly the same, but rather that they "looked like" each other?

As Chen Wanxing pondered, someone nearby whispered, "...Perhaps it's the character '双' (shuang)? The left side looks like part of '权' (quan), and the right side looks like part of '对' (duì), and '双' is connected?"

Upon hearing the word "double," Chen Wanxing had a sudden thought. The word "double" consisted of two "again" characters side by side, and this interpretation seemed to make sense.

She decided to stop hesitating and chose the character "双" (shuang). The fun of riddles lies in flashes of inspiration, not necessarily in absolute certainty.

"Han Feng, wait here for a moment, I'll be right back." She instructed Han Feng, then, thinking of the answer she had prepared in her mind, she stepped forward, took off the cotton sash, and walked towards the registration desk.

There were already three or four people queuing at the table. She quietly joined the queue, her gaze sweeping over the brilliant lights and bustling crowd in front of the building. Listening to the people around her discussing the evening's activities at Jufulou, she felt an even greater anticipation for participating in this Lantern Festival.

When it was Chen Wanxing's turn, she gave her answer to the riddle "paired and connected" to the accountant wearing a melon-shaped hat and sporting a goatee: "Is it the character '双' (double)?"

The accountant looked up at her, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes, then nodded, picked up his pen to write it down in the book, and then took a red stamp to leave a mark on the cotton strip, his voice flat but clear:

"Young lady, you have a clever idea. Just take this cotton strip with the mark and go straight in. You can use this spot to dine in the lobby."

Chen Wanxing took the stamped cotton ribbon, thanked it, but instead of happily taking the slip of paper into the restaurant like some others, he stood still, his gaze passing over the crowd of people in front of him and looking deeper into the riddle passage.

The lanterns in the second row are noticeably more complex, exquisite, and beautiful than those in the first row. Some are covered with glass, while others are painted with silk gauze. Under the lanterns, apricot-yellow ribbons sway gently in the wind, and the riddles on them seem to exude a more alluring and challenging atmosphere.

The third row of lamps at the innermost layer is even more dazzling, with various shapes and designs. Some are even made into the shape of small pavilions and towers, with bright candlelight inside, like a miniature fairyland. The ribbons hanging below are reflected by the candlelight, and they appear to shimmer from a distance.

Although she didn't intend to eat on the second or third floor, in fact, she felt that the lobby on the first floor might be more lively and festive. However, she developed a strong curiosity and desire to explore the riddles in the last two rows.

Since we're already here, the fun of riddles isn't entirely in the reward itself, but in the exhilarating moment of inspiration when solving the puzzle.

"Miss, shall we go in?" Han Feng asked in a low voice as he saw her stop.

"No rush," Chen Wanxing shook her head, her eyes sparkling in the lamplight. "I want to see the riddles at the end. Come with me."

She carefully put away the cotton ribbon, and with Han Feng by her side, slowly walked into the winding passage separated by lanterns.

The passageway was cleverly designed; although narrow, the crowd flowed in an orderly manner. Most of them, like her, were curiously observing, while others were deep in thought, trying to solve the riddles in the second row in hopes of going further.

The first row of riddles had the most people, and the further in you went, the fewer people there were, and the more focused the atmosphere became.

Soon, she stood under the first lantern in the second row. It was a hexagonal palace lantern, each side painted with a different flower, and a yellow ribbon beneath it bore the inscription:

"A young man's hair turns white, but an old man's hair turns black; when things happen, he may go bald and wear a headscarf in idleness. Don't consider these trivial matters insignificant; they can manage all affairs and stabilize the world."

Chen Wanxing read the riddle twice with great concentration. The answer was to guess an item. The corners of her lips unconsciously curved up. The riddle was personified and had a touch of self-deprecating humor.

"White hair in youth, black hair in old age"—this thing is white when young, but turns darker with prolonged use?

"When in use, the head is bald; when not in use, it wears a headscarf." The head is "bald" when in use, which means that the tip or main body may be exposed. When not in use, it is "covered" with a cap or cover for protection.

"Capable of managing all affairs and stabilizing the universe," does this mean that although this object is small, its function is crucial?

Almost instantly, an answer popped into my mind: a calligraphy brush.

The riddle was both apt and elegant, personifying the writing implements and adding a touch of self-comparison to the scholar's own words. Chen Wanxing thought to himself, "Well done!"

She thought for a moment, noted down the answer, stepped forward to remove the ribbon from under the lamp, and moved on to the next riddle. It was a dynamic lamp shaped like a carp leaping over the dragon gate, with an ingenious mechanism; the carp's tail seemed to be swaying slightly. The riddle on the ribbon was:

"From afar it looks like a pavilion, but up close it has no windows or railings; water flows straight down from above, and people walk below."

Chen Wanxing nodded gently, finding the riddles both simple and ingenious. She guessed two correctly in a row, and her mood became increasingly pleasant, as if she were engaged in a silent intellectual game, communicating with the riddle setter from afar.

She continued reading with great interest, the third, the fourth... The riddles in the second row were indeed more ingenious than those in the first row, involving objects, daily necessities, and even some simple allusions, requiring more flexible association and observation of life.

Chen Wanxing walked along the winding light array passage, stopping and starting, sometimes frowning in deep thought, sometimes smiling in sudden realization, immersed in the fun of this small puzzle. She even guessed most of the answers, completely forgetting the surrounding noise and the passage of time.

Before we knew it, we had arrived at the boundary between the second and third rows.

The crowd was thinner here. The third row was further ahead, where there were mostly well-dressed, composed scholars or older gentry, discussing in hushed tones the riddles in the poems, which were more splendid and had more profound meanings, with solemn expressions.

After looking around, she admired the ingenuity of the owner of Jufulou even more.

The fact that riddle-solving can be combined with restaurant management in such an elegant and interesting way explains why the Lantern Festival is becoming more and more popular every year. It has even inspired shops all over the city to hang lanterns, making the Lantern Festival night scene in Ruyang County a well-known feature even in the prefectural city.

Judging from the discussions around me, there were indeed many people from nearby counties or Runing Prefecture who had come because of its reputation.