On the Shangsi Festival, people headed out of the city gates. Some families drove their own cars and followed the signs that Xi Chun had marked in advance. Others thought it was more cost-effective to take a car and arrived at the parking area early.
"Wow, there are so many people! I thought it would just be our family." The people who came to ride in the oxcart were also surprised by the large number of people. Several oxcarts were full, and they had to wait for the next one.
“Exactly, we also thought there wouldn’t be many people. We’ve been staying near the county town year after year, and we’re tired of it. We heard that Taoyuan Village not only has peach blossoms all over the mountains, but also games. You get a gift after playing them, so we’re going there for the gifts.”
The waiting people started chatting with each other, and before long, they saw a mule cart slowly approaching from the front.
"Dear guests, please board the carriages in the order of your queue. There will be more oxcarts coming later, so please be patient. Once you pay your fee, the carriages will depart when they are full." The man who came was Uncle Zhang. Xi Chun had heard that there were too many people and not enough oxcarts, so he had Uncle Zhang drive his own mule cart over.
"I came first, my family came first." Some people rushed to catch up, but fortunately Xichun had anticipated this situation and had arranged for two villagers to maintain order so that everyone could board the bus in order.
Mule carts are faster than oxcarts, so the group of people quickly arrived at the entrance of Peach Blossom Village. Surprisingly, there were quite a few peach trees at the entrance, and from there, they could already see the peach blossoms on the distant mountains.
"I never imagined that the peach blossoms covering the mountain would look like this. They are indeed beautiful. I wonder if there is any food in this village. Although we have prepared some, it is all dry food, which is difficult to eat."
"Don't worry, everyone. Once you walk in from here, you'll see many places selling food, and the prices are all reasonable. You can choose whatever you like." After introducing the village, Uncle Zhang, who was driving the cart, let everyone get off the cart. He was going to turn back and pick up more guests.
Neat houses and peach trees came into view, and people were already admiring the scenery on the opposite mountain. Instead of eating, everyone took a stroll around.
"Everyone, you can come here to pick up a map. In this peach grove, follow the map's instructions. Anyone who finds the designated item can go to the prize-giving area ahead to collect a gift. Anyone who wants to play, just come and join us."
"Really, buddy? Do I need to pay for this?"
"Each map costs only one coin. Once you find something, you can use the map to claim your prize. There are a maximum of twenty prizes on the map. If someone else finds something before you can claim it."
"Sure, how about we ten people buy one set?"
"Of course, you can get the map by simply putting one coin in here."
Seeing that some people had already started searching in the bamboo forest, they quickly threw in a coin. It was only a coin, which was cheap. If they actually found something, that would be a great benefit.
"Wow, I found it, I found it, but what is drawn on it?" Someone found a note, but he didn't immediately recognize the drawing on it.
"It looks somewhat like cloth, but I don't know how big it is. Do you want to keep looking, or just claim the prize? I heard that the map is taken back after people claim it."
"Then I'll keep looking."
While people were enthusiastically searching for treasure maps on one side, another group of people were gathered around a place where they could win a delicious roasted vegetable dish by playing all sorts of strange games.
"Haha, that guy missed, is it my turn now?" It turns out they were playing Cuju (ancient Chinese football). Anyone who could kick the ball into the bucket five times would get a free skewer of meat, and anyone who could kick it into the bucket three times would get a skewer of grilled vegetables.
"Wow, I won again! It didn't look that hard."
"Not difficult? If you're so capable, go up and try it yourself. I just tried several times, and I didn't succeed."
"Come on, come on, there's a ring toss game over there. I heard that if you ring a certain object, you can get that object. There are also rattles for kids, bamboo tubes, and wooden basins inside."
"There are such good things? I have to go and see them. I haven't had enough fun yet, I want to keep playing."
"Quickly, quick! There are people over there reciting poems and composing couplets. Let's take our children to admire the literary talent of those scholars."
"There are so many games to play! I'm too busy to keep up. Are there more tomorrow? I want to come back and play again tomorrow."
"There's something tomorrow, I heard it lasts for three days, hurry, let's go see what else is on the menu."
Everyone followed suit, running here and jumping there, having a great time. When they got tired, they sat down and ate some local country food, which was quite fun.
Today, Fu Changfeng is in charge of organizing the literary gathering for literati to compose poems and has invited the teachers from the academy to be judges. Originally, they considered themselves too proud to come, but upon hearing that they were coming, the parents who sent their children to school might consider the teachers' abilities, and the academy and private school could recruit more students, so they all came.
"Today is both the Shangsi Festival and the time when the peach blossoms in Taoyuan Village are in bloom. So let's have everyone write a poem on the theme of peach blossoms, and let the people here judge the top three."
Scholars naturally vied to be the first to show off their abilities, so they all began to ponder.
Xichun and the village chief are checking on the situation at each stage, and if any disputes arise, they can quickly go over and mediate.
"It was a tiring day, but it's been a long time since our village has had so many people. I think the villagers have made quite a bit of money just from selling things."
"Yes, the sponsors also brought their own products to sell here, and some people are buying them. I've seen quite a few people carrying large and small bags." Xi Chun was also very happy.
In the afternoon, as the day's activities drew to a close, Xichun asked the village chief and the teachers from various private schools and academies to announce the day's rankings. Since the rankings were for each category separately, the village chief read out the names and advertisements of each sponsor over and over again.
Fortunately, the sponsors were generous this time, providing enough money, so the gifts given out were also quite generous. Some people received a roast chicken, some received a whole bolt of cloth, and others received books. It can be said that everyone had a good time.
By the time everyone had been driven back, Xichun was almost exhausted.
"We've had a great haul today. I see all the shopkeepers who donated money are all beaming with joy, and they even said they'll add more prizes tomorrow. That's really unexpected."
"That's right. Thanks to everyone's concerted efforts, we were able to make this event a success. Let's all work hard again tomorrow. We will share the money we earn with everyone. If there is any surplus, we can save it for next year's expenses."
"Wow, this is amazing! I never imagined games could be made so creative. I've really seen something new."
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