Chapter 13 - My Most Beautiful Night

When Hei and Lei went up to the stage, what greeted them was something truly amazing: the moonlight combined with the blushing torchlight that accompanied the myriad of eyes focused on them gave a breathtaking feeling.

Even Hei was quite impressed, and a little restlessness began to form within him. Then, with a deep sigh, he managed to calm his heart.

Being the knight, he had to guide the lady during the dance. To be agitated wouldn’t help at all, especially since Lei Lei was already agitated on her own. So he had to look confident and determined for the sake of both.

They stopped in the middle of the stage with their eyes looking at those of the other. Both nodded slightly with their heads to communicate between them that they were ready to begin. Soon after, the music finally started.

Some inhabitants, skilled in the musical arts, had dusted their instruments off, and they had formed a musical band for the occasion. After all, today, it was one of the few events where they could perform in front of everyone and show off their art and ability.

He put his right hand on Lei Lei’s waist, then taking her right hand with his left hand, he stepped forward with his left foot. Lei Lei immediately followed with a step backward with her right foot.

The rehearsals done during these two weeks proved to be effective because, very soon, the nervousness in both of them faded away as the body's memory took place to guide them during the dance.

After 5 minutes, the music ended. Hei and Lei Lei stopped their dance as they gasped to catch their breath. Although it wasn’t scorching, they were sweating a lot. Nevertheless, looking into each other's eyes, they couldn't help smiling. They didn't know precisely how pleasant was their dance, but from the outbreak of applause and shouts, it seemed they had at least made a satisfactory performance.

At this point, it was time for the other couples. Moving back a bit to make room for the others, Hei and Lei Lei prepared for the second round.

Since they were no longer entirely under everyone's attention, Xing and Ye came out of the robe to rest on Hei's head.

The two of them also wanted to dance and, since they couldn't do it on stage, they would dance using the head of their big brother. Although it was small as space, it was enough for the two of them.

Thus, even the second dance ended as it began the third round, which saw the participants' parents and other important village people involved. For this round, Hei stepped aside to allow Lei Bai to dance with his daughter while he danced with Ye and Xing.

At the end of the third round, the village chief came forward to say his speech.

"Old friends, tonight I see that you are very cheerful. Today is a special day for all of us. Today we welcome the new adults who will give new life to our village. They will be the future foundations of this place. I pray that their future will be as bright and serene as this evening. I know each one of them, and I know they are good guys. They will certainly live up to their respective tasks. Well then, let's welcome them with strong applause in their new path."

Everyone, at those words, burst into loud applause and screams of joy. In addition to conferring the status of a real adult, the village chief's blessing also announced the beginning of the long-awaited banquet.

Hei, Xing, Ye, and Lei Lei sat down with the other participating couples while Lei Bai was with the village hunters group for the festival's dinner.

Due to the cheerful atmosphere and being warmed by the food’s taste, it didn't take long to make friends with the other dancers. After all, after sharing such an intense experience, they unconsciously felt more united with each other.

The dishes on the menu of this evening were many and different. It passed from dishes with vegetables and fruit to dishes with varying types of meat and fish. Since meat was expensive, it wasn’t something you could eat daily or in large quantities. But today, it was an exception since no one spared themselves during the festival’s preparations.

There were also lots of drinks, especially wine. For the new adults, this was the first time they could drink alcohol in the company of other adults. But, not everyone liked it, so there were other drinks like water, milk, cider, mead, beer, and various types of juice.

Intrigued by the taste of the dishes and drinks, the alcoholic ones, in particular, Hei and Lei Lei began to taste a little of everything as they ate. Usually, Lei Lei wouldn’t eat a lot during meals, but, perhaps because of the festival's atmosphere or because of the previous effort, today she was eating much more than her usual quantity.

Xing and Ye, sitting on Hei's legs, were also enjoying the inviting banquet. In particular, in addition to eating, Xing much enjoyed red wine while Ye preferred beer instead. To avoid that they could exaggerate with the alcohol, Hei ordered them to drink only small doses at a time and always accompanied by food.

As for Hei, he found a particular taste in a drink known as Huanqiu that resembled a yellow wine. On the other hand, Lei Lei saw that she was feeling a bit drunk after a few sips, stopped drinking alcohol, and switched to soft drinks instead.

Thus, submerged in this mood of celebration and joy, the banquet proceeded smoothly, and everyone drank and ate until they were full.

When several hours had already passed, some of the inhabitants, especially those who had drunk too much or felt tired, had begun to take their leave. Others, however, who had higher resistance, soon formed small groups to continue drinking all night. Lei Bai was obviously among the latter.

Lei Lei, seeing this, turned her head towards Hei and said to him. "Hei, what if we take a walk? So let's digest tonight’s dinner a little. Xing and Ye can come with us. "

"Yes, sure. There are no problems. Where do you want to go? "

"Follow me, and you'll find out." So, without another word, she took Hei's hand with extreme firmness, and without turning around, she proceeded to move away from the square. Hei, a little astonished, let himself be guided without resistance.

Lei Bai, who was drinking with his acquaintances, glanced towards them as they walked away. Then, taking a sip of beer, he gave a bitter smile.

‘I should stop her before she can say what she feels. After all, even if Hei is living with us now, he won't be doing it again in the future. It hurts my heart so much, thinking about how this will hurt her in the future. Yet, I can't tell her not to become attached to him; I'm not capable of it myself. I just hope he can stay with us for as long as possible so that she can keep her smile.’

Indeed, Lei Lei had decided to tell Hei what she felt. She knew that he was younger than her by several years and that probably, he wouldn’t understand the love between a man and a woman. She also knew that he didn’t love her or see her as a possible fiancée, but she wanted to tell him anyway.

Lei Lei, despite her sweet and unselfish nature, wasn’t a naive girl. She also knew there was a chance that Hei would go away from here, and what she was going to do now might be useless. However, she didn't want to regret it in the future, just because she had been afraid to say what she felt. Regardless of the result, she would reveal her most intimate feelings.

Lei Lei led her to the fields where the crops were. Then, she took a small hidden path until they came to a small clearing filled with flowers with a shade that ranged from light blue to dark blue. The flowers belonged to the same species, and their petals' shape was identical: five petals that took the form of a star with delicately curved edges. In the center, there was a touch of bright yellow deriving from the pollen contained.

Once arrived, Lei Lei let go of Hei's hand, and she lowered herself with her back towards Hei to caress one of the flowers. The sight of this young and fragile girl immersed in a field of flowers and illuminated by the light of the moon was breathtaking. Especially her hair that moved slightly behind her neck was giving a feeling of delicate beauty.

Hei was stunned once again when he witnessed this. Even Ye and Xing were watching this view speechless. Whether it was due to the alcohol in their body or to the so evocative atmosphere, Lei Lei looked even more beautiful than before.

"Do you know what these flowers are called, Hei?" She said in a light tone that was so clear in the silence of the night. Then, without waiting for him to answer, she continued.

"They are called Myosotis; that is their official name. They are poisonous flowers that are used as medicinal ingredients. They also have another name among ordinary people: forget-me-nots.

It is said that this name derives from a legend from a distant country. Two young lovers were walking along a river; fascinated by the flowers on the course of the water, the young man bent down to pick them up to make his beloved happy but slipped falling into the water. Then he was overwhelmed by the current that was too strong. Before he was swallowed, he shouted to his beloved ‘forget-me-not.’ Thus, they became particularly famous among couples of lovers. It is said that if the couple wears the forget-me-not flowers like a garland, they won’t be forgotten by their loved ones.

Hei, since I met you, my life has changed. I lost my mother a long time ago, and a part of my father also died with her. Seeing him so destroyed by the pain, I was afraid. Afraid of losing him too, and being alone in the world. So I decided to replace the void left by my mother, helping as much as I could my father. But in this way, I erased my childhood and the joys that come from it. I was sad, but I did my best not to show it.

However, one day, you arrived and changed my world. I will never forget the first time I saw you and the emotions I felt when I saw you a second time a year later. Over time, you, Xing, and Ye have become part of my life and have brought the light inside my father and me. "

Hei and his sisters were silently listening to what Lei Lei was saying. He could perceive the intensity of the emotions hidden in her words. Only, he wondered what Lei Lei really wanted to say for saying all these things.

"Then tonight, it was a succession of strong emotions. Ever since I can remember, I've never felt more alive than now. This is the best night of my life. This is why I decided to reveal my feelings.

You are unique, Hei, not only because you have talent in so many things. It is your personality that makes you unique. How you behave, how you do things, how you treat people, plants, animals. I have never seen a person as pure as you. I'm sure you are destined for so many things in your life, and this is nothing else than a starting point for you. Just a short chapter in your great life, but even so, I want it to be a chapter you won't forget. A chapter that will accompany you forever until the end. That's why I started cultivating these flowers. "

At that point, Lei Lei stood up and turned to look Hei straight towards his eyes. In her hands, there was a dark blue forget-me-not flower that she put in Hei's hands.

"Therefore, forget-me-not."

Then she brought her face close to Hei's and kissed him on the lips. Although it was chilly outside, the contact between the lips warmed Hei's body while something similar to an electric discharge ran through his body. After that, his senses went numb as he stared blankly at Lei Lei, who had stepped back a few steps. However, there was still a sweet taste on his lips that reminded him that what had happened wasn’t a dream.

Confused, he remained silent, not knowing what to say. Ye and Xing also observed dumbstruck that scene, clearly not expecting such a development. Luckily Lei Lei spoke first, interrupting that silence and saving Hei from that awkward feeling.

"It's okay. It's something I decided on my own. It is my selfish action without taking into consideration your feelings, but just mine. You don't have to give me an answer at all. I love you. You are the first man I love in that sense. But I also know we aren’t destined to be together. I just wanted to say what I felt for not having to regret in the future. There is no need for you to change your attitude towards me. I only want you to promise me that you'll never forget me or the time you spent here. Can you promise it to me?"

With difficulty, trying to regain his salivation as his throat had dried up, Hei took a deep breath and prepared to answer. But before he could do it, he was interrupted by Lei Lei, who said with an alarmed voice.

"Look! There is a great quantity of smoke coming out of the village. It’s strange. Even if they had lit fires, how could the clouds of smoke be so large? No, it's impossible. Something is wrong, I don't know why, but I have a bad feeling. Hei, please, let's go back to the village."

Hei, who was still groggy from before, came to himself at these words. Then he turned to look towards the direction of the village that was emitting large amounts of smoke. At one point, large flames could be seen expanding further into the village area.

'Fire? But the inhabitants wouldn’t be so careless to cause such a dangerous fire...’

"Lei, all right. We will return to the village, but it will still take a lot of time at your speed even if we run. So, hold on to my back and hold on tight. I'll run as fast as I can. Okay?"

Usually, Lei Lei would feel embarrassed to be carried away in that way, especially by Hei, and she would, therefore, categorically refuse. However, it wasn’t the time to think about such things, and with a nod of her head, she clung to Hei's back.

To let her put her hands to hold on around Hei's neck, Ye moved towards her big brother's head along with Xing. Then after they were in position, Hei, started running as fast as he could go.