Bai Junjun and Li Wenli were both participating in such a grand event for the first time, letting Ah Fu and Ah Gui arrange everything for them.
After all, they didn’t understand anything and just focused on enjoying the eating and drinking.
And so, the parade began.
It started with the lion and dragon dance teams holding the fort, followed by Kirin, stilt-walking, the Eight Immortals, even the Zhurong Clan and other folk performance teams making their appearances one after another.
Everyone found these lively folk performances very interesting.
Especially when Zhurong made his entrance, the performer was clad in a red robe, wearing a fanged mask and carrying a wine gourd in his hand, staggering not quite like Zhurong but more like Ji Gong.
The wine pots in their hands were not just props; nearly every few steps, they would take a sip and then spray it towards the sky; with a wave of their hand, a ball of flame would burst forth.
Every time a flame lit up the sky, the crowd could not help but cheer.
Bai Junjun watched with delight, "These folk artisans are really impressive!"
"..." Li Wenli covered his nose helplessly, finding the strong smell of firewater left by the Zhurong crowd irritating, "It’s just a Trick Spell."
The fire-breathing tricks of the folk artisans, leveraging flammable spirits, were no secret to modern times.
"You could join them too," Bai Junjun teased.
Li Wenli was speechless and just wanted to cover the young lady’s mouth.
He certainly did not want to.
The Trick Spell of the folk artisans was naturally not enough to deceive Bai Junjun and Li Wenli, but for ordinary people, especially little youngsters like Xiao Yu, it was incredibly magical.
This was someone who could breathe fire!
Xiao Yu had never imagined there were other people like him in the world! However, in Xiao Yu’s eyes, controlling fire was far cooler than controlling water.
Realizing he had found a kindred spirit, Xiao Yu excitedly hugged Li Wenli’s leg, "Brother Fox, look, they are just like us!"
Li Wenli patted Xiao Yu on the head, "Just watch the excitement, don’t take it seriously."
"..." Xiao Yu, unable to find resonance, felt nearly suffocated, who could understand his feelings, woowoo.
As the spectacular juggling team moved past, the floral float of the Hundred Flowers Fairy was next.
Speaking of the Hundred Flowers Fairy, only exceptionally beautiful girls could undertake this role. Although they were not as exceptional as the Flower Goddess in being one in a thousand, being chosen was still a great honor.
In the past, the Hundred Flowers Fairy was selected only among the nobility, but now the Second Prince had changed the rules. Regardless of poverty or wealth, any eligible unmarried girl could participate in the selection, and the criteria were solely based on individual talent, not background.
So this year, many Hundred Flowers Fairies were daughters from ordinary families, hence when their floats appeared, the crowd occasionally erupted into cheers and screams.
"The one playing the Pear Blossom Fairy is my daughter."
"Ah, the Begonia Fairy is the cousin’s sister of the nephew from next door to my mother’s house."
"Oh, our little cousin, the Daffodil Fairy, looks so lovely!"
And so, the already enthusiastic populace throwing bouquets became even more excited, never stopping their gestures of throwing flowers.
It was then that Bai Junjun realized that their fresh flowers were not just a single bunch; some carried baskets, others held sacks, all brimming with bouquets.
Bai Junjun was impressed by the warm enthusiasm of the crowd, having never seen such cooperative spectators.
The flower floats, one after another, all had a square frame structure; the first layer was wrapped in cloth, but you could see frames set on wheels with people inside, who were pushing the floats.