As the sky engulfed in darkness over the lake, Lu Tian knew then that even with the moon playing a part to light the way, it was still not enough.
He calmly reaches under his seat and takes out a battery-operated lantern that had been put there before they arrived. He switches it on and hands it on the hook at the front of the wooden boat.
Turning back to face his wife, he stretches his arms out to her and places both his palms over the back of her hands as she held onto the item she had found.
He looks down at the item and a trace of unexplainable emotion stirred in his eyes.
"They say the root of a Lotus grows in the most stained waters in the world, but despite the water being tainted, it can conquer all and produce the most beautiful flower."
Thanks to the light from the lantern, Yue Ling could make out the details of what was in her hand.
It was indeed a lotus flower made from paper. However, it wasn't made for decoration as the center where the petals open, she could see a small candle.
She was mesmerized by how beautiful the lotus lantern as it could be mistaken for a real one. She stares at it for another second before the space between her brows creases into three lines.
"Tian, are you planning to light this lantern?"
She looks up at him, but with the light illuminating from behind him, she could not see his expression. However, he nods his head and reaches inside the pocket of his coat for a lighter.
"Wait."
Yue Ling stops him when she saw the lighter. She tightens her grip on the paper lotus lantern. She did so in a way that was also slight so that she would not crush it.
"There's no festival around this time, so why would you want to light this pretty flower?"
A soft chuckle sounds from Lu Tian and he looks down at the paper lotus flower again.
"It's not for a festival."
He tilts his head back and looks up at the clear night sky that glistened with stars for a long minute then down to the lake in the direction the sun had set.
"It's for our child."
He sighs an exceedingly small smile that held pain and guilt. His eyes slowly close as he inhales a deep breath and once, he opened his eyes again, he looks at his wife.
"With this lantern, let us hope that it will help guide our child to a better place."
Yue Ling listens to his reason and her eyes turned moist the more she heard. Others say that Lu Tian is a coldblooded man with no heart, but how can a man with no heart be able to think this way?
If he didn't have a heart, he would have brushed the loss of their child aside and forget about it like it never happened.
Seeing her eyes glisten with tears in the night, Lu Tian felt a sharp tightness in his chest. He held her cheek with one hand and leans closer to kiss her.
He didn't kiss her for long and gently pulls away. However, only enough so that his forehead can still touch her own and he whispers in a slightly hoarse voice.
"Like a lotus flower that can grow into a perfect flower despite the corrupted water it lives in, we can overcome the pain of our loss with the future."
Yue Ling slowly closes her eyes and inhales a deep breath to steady herself. She lightly nods her head to his words and looks down at the paper lotus lantern.
"As this is not goodbye forever."
Her words fell in almost whisper. She thought back to her dream and she trembles a smile.
Their child guided her back to Lu Tian, so if this lantern will light the way for their child, she is willing to light it. Even if she has to light a thousand, she is willing to do so.
Lu Tian places a kiss on her forehead and moves back from her. He places the tip of the lighter on the candle and with one flick of the lighter, the glow of the fire brightens for a brief second as it transfers onto the candle's wick.
He stares at the now illuminated lantern and he faintly whispers.
"Because we will meet again."
His words were as if he was finishing his wife's sentence. Together, they held the lotus lantern over the wooden boat.
Carefully placing it in the water, the light flowing of the water slowly carries its way in the direction the sun had disappeared.
Yue Ling stares at the departing lotus lantern and her lower lip every so lightly trembles. She furrows her brows to keep her tears from escaping and force a faint, yet trembling smile.
"If love truly has no bounds, then I pray that in the next life, you will be our child again."
Just as her words fell, from the corners of her eyes, she could see other small lights slowly float from different directions around the lake.
At first, she thought these lights were fireflies that have come out for the night. However, noticing that they all were floating in the same direction as their lantern, she finally turned her head to see.
To her surprise, these lights were brighter. She looks in every direction to find where these glowing lights were coming from, but she quickly covers her trembling lip with one hand.
They weren't just any glowing lights, but also paper lotus lanterns. Some were of the same size as the one she and Lu Tian had, while others were twice the size.
It was as if whoever had lit these lanterns were also helping to guide their child on the right path.
Everything that entered her eyes was like a fairytale come to life.
She looks back at the man who had not said a word since they place the lantern in the water.
"Oh Tian, look—"
Before she could finish her words, she was taken back by another surprise. Her eyes slightly widen, and she didn't know what to think anymore.
Lu Tian was no longer sitting down on the boat seat but had gotten down on one knee in front of her. His eyes stare deeply into hers and he faintly smiles.
"Yue Ling."
