As expected, lunch at the Li mansion was peerlessly luxurious and tasteful. Every dish served was cooked to perfection; what was supposed to be crispy was crispy, what was supposed to be salty was just right.
For some reason, although the dishes had been prepared even before they had arrived, many of Qiu Yunru's favorite foods were among them: marinated pork, sugared peaches, beef stew...
Qiu Yunru dug in, enjoying himself thoroughly. He had to say that he smiled more than he had in a while.
Li Mei was there as well, since she ate in that dining hall with only her handmaid every day. She was overjoyed to see him and Li Chenyuan. Qiu Yunru couldn't help but pity her. This poor girl must be so lonely, without a parent, sibling, or cousin in sight day in and day out!
"Qiu-gege!" She pulled at his sleeve for half the meal, jumping up and down in her seat. "Qiu-gege, how is cultivation? Isn't the beef stew good? We don't have it all the time, but Yuan-ge said--"
Li Chenyuan coughed violently into his wine.
Li Mei, having almost as big a mouth as Pan Fa, was unphased and jumped to another topic:
"Qiu-gege! Did you know? This year, they're judging the dragon lantern floats in a competition! The best one wins an opportunity to paint a mural for the Emperor!"
It was that very competition that Qiu Yunru and Li Chenyuan went to go and see a little later. After the many courses of lunch had been completed and their bellies were full, Qiu Yunru bade goodbye to Li Mei and promised to come and visit her a little more.
"I'm sure your gege misses you, too. Don't you know, he works so hard day and night on Li Hua mountain, training to become strong!"
Li Mei's eyes grew wide as saucers. She raised a fist, waving it around. "I want to become a cultivator too! Qiu-gege, when can I join?"
"Haha...Well, you should wait a little. Maybe when you're thirteen or so...."
________
The dragon lantern float-parade took place at sunset. Qiu Yunru and Li Chenyuan found a spot by the riverside that wasn't too crowded. They sat down beneath a pearl bloom tree, chewing on rice dumplings as they watched as the floats drifted by one by one.
Each was more opulent and intricate than the last.
There was a float that captured the divine essence of the lord dragon, painted with gold and teal and glowing a soft white from within. Mist rose around the float, and the wood of the float sparkled with gold leaf. What divine craft! The artist must have hands blessed by Heaven!
There was a float depicting a red dragon violently devouring a white mountain goat, steam spewing from its nostrils. It made many people gasp in shock and horror, but was undeniably expertly-crafted, and once one looked, you couldn't look away. What sharp handiwork! What a...creative mind!
There was a float that captured the beauty of a female river dragon. Within a river made of hundreds of blue lanterns swaying about, a white dragon twisted, accented with silver and blinking cyan eyes. Her legs even moved, seeming to wade through the water gracefully. What genius puppeteering! What an eye for beauty!
There were many, many lantern floats that drifted on by, and Qiu Yunru couldn't help but sigh in awe every once in a while.
Even though he had been a medical student in his past life, he had always had a passion for hand-crafted art. If he could have chosen anything to do in his life without pressures, he might have chosen to be a sculptor, or a jewelry blacksmith. Although, he was afraid of being burnt by fires, so that might not be possible. But it was still a pleasant dream to consider!
Li Chenyuan's eyes blinked in the darkness, sticking to Qiu Yunru's face like a fruit fly to honey.
Seeing the sparkle in Qiu Yunru's eyes, he finished his rice dumpling and said casually:
"So...which one is your favorite?"
"Hmmm..." Qiu Yunru thought. "I haven't seen all of them yet, so I can't say. But so far, I thought the river dragon float was the most beautiful. None of the other floats have used so much puppeteering, and seeing the dragon blink made it feel alive. It's really something..." He gazed down at the river, and the soft yellow light of the lanterns gleamed in his eyes. "Li-shidi, what about you?"
"I also liked the river one."
His answer was quick--almost awkwardly so.
"Oh? What a coincidence! What did you like about it?"
"Uh...the blinking."
Qiu Yunru couldn't help but think that it sounded like Li Chenyuan hadn't even been paying attention to that float at all. However, he didn't want to embarrass him, so he didn't press on.
After all the floats had gone by, there was some deliberation by the judges, and one stepped up to read the results while the many artisans and commoners gathered nearby to hear whether they had won anything.
"In the first year of Jin He City's Dragon Float Competition, the winner is...the artisans of Divine--"
The artisans who had crafted the Divine Lord Dragon float had already begun to celebrate, cheering together. However, the judge had a strange look on his face.
It was the kind of look someone might get if they had just walked into a kitchen and forgotten what they were looking for. Blankly, he blinked, then looked at the paper again.
"My apologies. The winner is...the artisans of Blue River Dragon!"
The artisans of the Divine Lord Dragon abruptly went silent with both horror and outrage. However, no one dared argue openly or start shouting. These judges were officials from the royal capital, here to determine who should be able to create a mural for His Majesty the Emperor. It would be unsightly, and only make things worse for themselves to cause a scene!
So, the crew who had created the Blue River Dragon was awarded their gold and their invitation to create artwork for the Emperor himself.
After that, the crowds began to disperse a little. Though there was a little more to the festival, the largest events were over, and many people had been out and about since the morning to see the boat racing, so many people felt it was time to go home and rest their feet.
As he stood and brushed himself off, Qiu Yunru couldn't help but feel that something was a little strange.
When that judge had begun reading the results, he had felt a very odd sensation in the air. He couldn't explain the feeling, except for the fact that it gave him a slight headache and a ringing in his ears. He couldn't help but feel that he'd felt this exact sensation before. However, it wasn't too bad, so he decided to let it go for now and not think about it too much.
"It's difficult when a judge reads the wrong winner," He remarked, helping Li Chenyuan to his feet.
Li Chenyuan hummed. "Humans often make mistakes. Is Qiu-ge happy that the Blue River Dragon won?"
"Oh? I suppose so. It doesn't matter so much to me who wins or loses, just that I got to see these things in person. I don't like being competitive, so I don't hope for one person to win or lose; otherwise, I might be disappointed."
For some reason, Li Chenyuan looked a little disappointed as they headed down to the river for a few last activities.