The Harvest Festival in Ceylons Town is the day after tomorrow, but the town will start bustling from the evening of the previous day. Regardless of age or gender, everyone will don festive attire, light bonfires on the square, sing and dance to pray for a bountiful harvest and good luck. Every household will be brightly lit, and the lights outside the doors and in the yards will remain on until the bonfire of the Harvest Festival is extinguished.
“In the past, when there was no electricity here, we used to light candles,” Qiao Ou said with a smile. “One year, my mother lit hundreds of them in the yard, saying our house is too big, and the gods won’t be able to see it if it’s not bright enough.”
“Come to think of it, it’s the same where we come from. We keep the lights on at night during festivals,” Kama Zuozi said with a business-like smile. The smile softened the sharpness in her eyes, revealing an aura of heroic and charismatic femininity. It was neither too discordant nor too domineering.
Qiao Ou felt that Kama Zuozi was generous, elegant, and charming. If he were still a young man in his twenties, he would surely be captivated by her.
However, he also noticed that Kama Zuozi’s thoughts were not entirely on his side. With a turn of her gaze towards the closed door of the second floor, he understood. He smiled and said, “Isa’s craftsmanship is well-known in the town. Every Harvest Festival, people ask her to help make new clothes.”
Today was not the most opportune time for him to come. After all, he couldn’t casually arrange for people to be present at the Old Duolin’s house. He just found a convenient excuse to pass by when the guests were at Old Duolin’s house, and Kama Zuozi happened to invite him in. Considering that it would be more awkward to enter and then leave immediately, he decided to chat with Kama Zuozi.
As the Harvest Festival approached, there were many temporary stalls in the town today, and Isa also went out to sell the handkerchiefs and scarves she made. Qiao Ou brought some local decorative food, and even if the mayor’s people came to inquire about the news, they would only know that Qiao Ou wanted Xu Yintang to help advertise the local specialties.
These specialties were only sold outside their home, and they also had a small workshop on the outskirts of town. However, the sales were mediocre, and they couldn’t make much money, especially when considering the labor costs. Qiao Ou had to subsidize some money.
“Mayor sir has never cared about these small businesses.” Qiao Ou tried to test the waters, and in Kama Zuozi’s meaningfully smiling response, he got the answer he wantedβalthough he wasn’t clear about what happened to make the mayor, whom these guests had never met, harbor such intense disgust, it was just as he wished.
“Well, you have to start with small businesses,” Kama Zuozi said, her gaze still drifting towards the second floor. “Even a small chicken, when everyone takes a sip of soup, becomes a two-hundred-pound pig. It doesn’t matter if only one family eats it.”
Qiao Ou nodded, “Moreover, that pig doesn’t even know where it came from.”
This was a problem that had troubled him and his father for two generationsβwhere did the mayor’s family get so much money from.Β
Kama Zuozi looked around. Isa was not there, Old Duolin was on the second floor, and there was no one around except her and Qiao Ou. She couldn’t help but recall the frustration of questioning aesthetics repeatedly last night. With a more intense smile at the corner of her lips, she was about to speak to Qiao Ou about what might be hidden underground in this town when she heard the sound of the second-floor door opening.
Immediately, she threw Qiao Ou out of her mind, stood up, and eagerly looked towards the second floor. She didn’t conceal her anxiousness and urgency, “Just change into another set of clothes. Why are you slower than women?”
Upon hearing this, Xu Yintang retorted, “It’s been done for a long time.”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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Qiao Ou was even more generous with his praise, “Such a handsome guy appearing, the girls in our town must all be lovesick!”
Xiao Qing followed Xu Yintang with a mobile phone, very considerately lowering the camera, pausing at the waist and hip position of Xu Yintang for three seconds. Instantly, the audience forgot that they were still accusing Xiao Qing of covering the lens when Xu Yintang was changing. They were now enthusiastically requesting chicken legs for Xiao Qing.
[Wife is so spicy… Wife is so spicy… ]
[Ah ah ah ah the photographer understands too much!!!! [Nosebleed] Wife is too sexy, what should I do!!!]
[Swallowing saliva… body feels hot… squirming… rolling… howling…]
[Wife… hehehe… wife…]
Xu Yintang turned his head to look at Xiao Qing, who was laughing along with the barrage, and made a questioning nasal sound, “Hmm?”
“Admiring Ceylons Town is amazing.” Xiao Qing said seriously, “The love registration numbers probably have to wait in line for several million.”
Xu Yintang smiled, shook hands with Qiao Ou, and jokingly retorted, “But it seems that someone doesn’t want to show their registration number, and that’s why no one is interested.”
The identity of that “someone” didn’t need to be pointed out; the audience understood it themselves and immediately started speculating on their own.Β
[Oh yo yo~]
[Oh yo yo yo yo yo~]
[Who is it that doesn’t even want to look at such spicy and alluring wives, staring at the cameraman in front of the camera with eyes like wolves and tigers?]
[Who~ could~ it~ be~]
Xiao Qing broke the illusion in a second, “Hey! Don’t talk about it like this!”
Kama Zuozi’s gaze was too intense, staring at him so much that his scalp tingled and goosebumps rose all over his body. He touched the backpack where Little Darling was temporarily placed, feeling relieved. He was afraid that Kama Zuozi didn’t know Little Darling was with him. He quickly spoke up, “And there’s a child here!”
This was a baby less than two months old. If the child was taught badly, he would be dealt with by the electric saw of the mother beside him!
[It’s okay! Those who understand will understand!]
[Sister’s gaze is too killer! A up! A up!]
[We, the 240-month-old children, like to watch this! gkdgkd!]
Kama Zuozi blinked gently, and her slightly husky voice rolled between her lips and teeth, playfully teasing and carrying a hint of indescribable charm, “You don’t seem to eat less either. Why do you look thinner than before?”
Xiao Qing, vigilant, didn’t take the bait, not falling into her linguistic trap. Instead, he turned the camera to Qiao Ou and, in a stiff yet natural manner, praised the milk-flavored cookies that Qiao Ou brought, “These are really delicious. The milk flavor is rich but not too sweet. I’ve never bought such tasty cookies outside. Isn’t that right, Sugar?”
Xu Yintang didn’t need him to call him; he was already very conscious and opened a bag to start eating while the audience was still in the midst of their discussions. These cookies, packed in paper bags, were products of the Old Duolin Family’s Bread Bakery. Xiao Qing could smell that these would definitely be delicious cookies as soon as they came out of the oven.
Biting into it, there was a crispy and crumbly texture, layer by layer. Once it entered the mouth, it disappeared like cotton candy, leaving only a lingering rich milk fragrance mixed with a slight refreshing sweetness from berries between the teeth and lips. Unconsciously, one after another was eaten, and the two large bags he bought yesterday didn’t last even two days in their hands. Translate to English.
“Hmm.” Xu Yintang quietly fed a small piece to Third Flora as well. The butterflies couldn’t taste the goodness or badness of these human foods, but when mom fed them bit by bit, even tasteless cookies became as sweet as honey.
Qiao Ou smiled and introduced that these milk-flavored cookies were a secret recipe from the bakery, passed down through generations. All the children in town grew up eating these cookies from a young age. The ingredients used were all locally produced, especially the wild berries picked from the mountains, giving a unique and fragrant taste that couldn’t be found elsewhere.
“Not only used for making cookies, but we also use it to dye clothes and as paint. If you want to participate in tomorrow night’s formal ceremony, you’ll need to use this kind of paint.”
The night before the Harvest Festival, the town was filled with a relaxed and festive atmosphere. Even though the viewers knew that this place had a dark history of exorcism and harm, they couldn’t help but be infected by the genuine and warm atmosphere, thinking that “this place isn’t that bad.”
Kama Zuozi also changed into a festive long skirt, the swaying and vibrant red skirt making her look like an extravagant fighting fish. Walking on the street, it was unclear who was more eye-catching, Xu Yintang or her.
Qiao Ou patiently accompanied them throughout the day. Through his communication, the town residents, who initially held a bit of awe and distance towards the big stars from the city, became more comfortable. He boldly invited them to join the parade for the festival.
In the chaotic and ever-changing crowd, no one could hear what Qiao Ou said to them. Judging from their expressions, it seemed that the conversation didn’t go particularly smoothly.
When they parted ways, Qiao Ou frowned, and his expression became somewhat gloomy. That night, he went to visit Father George at the church, and as he left, he became increasingly unsettled. Even when he ran into the mayor, he couldn’t maintain the same friendly and casual atmosphere, revealing a hint of disgust. He exchanged a few words with the mayor with great effort.
The mayor sensed his unusual attitude but didn’t pay too much attention. Currently, all his thoughts were on how to extricate himself from the chaos brought by those outsiders. Although Ceylons Town was remote, it still had telephone signal coverage. His contacts outside the town informed him of the impending storm and suggested that he pack up and escape as soon as possible.
Having sold “gemstones” for so many years, they had never told the buyers that those were cursed things scraped from bones. However, Xu Yintang’s live broadcast clearly showed a big skeleton adorned with gemstones. Now, those buyers who weren’t paying attention to entertainment news were slowly reacting. As public opinion fermented, Ceylons Town climbed to the headlines of the social and legal section. The anger of the buyers peeled off a layer of skin from the mayor.
The mayor had made up his mind. After presiding over tomorrow’s Harvest Festival, he would take his family and run away. However, as a local who had lived for generations in this place, he couldn’t hide his anxiety and fear before leaving. Before the town residents gathered in the square to celebrate, he secretly ran to the church, hoping that the Virgin Mary above would still bless him as usual.
Praying, he remembered Qiao Ou’s unusual behavior and shook his head, trying not to think too much about it, a faint cold smile appearing on his lips.
Wasn’t Qiao Ou always eager to compete with him for control of the town? Well, let Qiao Ou deal with the mess that followed.
Above his head, the exquisitely carved statue of the Virgin Mary silently looked down on him, with an expression of compassion and yet an indescribable coldness.
Author’s Note –
The white high-necked shirt with lamb leg sleeves and the leather waistband is really a costume I particularly like. It has a kind of tightly wrapped and yet outlines some lines that are sexy in a subtle way.Β
The sexy feeling is elegant and relaxed due to the classical design of the lamb leg sleeves, without the tightness of ordinary white shirts or formal wear…
In short, I really like it [covering my face].
I’m drawing a blank on what lamb leg sleeves could look like
This is probably a bit exaggerated for what they’re wearing, but it should be something like this
https://www.etsy.com/listing/1166641774/lamb-sleeve-pack-03-leg-of-mutton-party
I looked it up and I think it’s talking about leg of mutton sleeves, where it’s loose at top but tight around the forearm and wrist.
Oooo wait till he sees shit hit the fan lol
The male festival shirt sounds quite piratey… So perhaps that could be your next novel theme to translate?
Author really has good taste π€£
Thanks for the update π€£β€οΈ
Canβt wait to see that mayor get his a** beat. Thanks for the chapters!!
Dear Translator, there is a ‘translate to English’ left over in the scene where XYT is eating milk cookies
Traditional clothes is beautiful
Thank you for your translation πππππππππππππππππππππππππππππππππππππ
Awwwww I love the viewers have caught onto the ship ππ