"Hello." They shook hands in turn and introduced themselves once more.
"So, Miss Emma Swei, Miss Sibigail, how did you come to be here? Could you tell us what this sedan chair means?" Zeng Mu asked.
The two women exchanged a glance, then looked at them in disbelief. Their eyes said it all: they had never imagined there were people who did not even know about the Love God’s Sedan.
Emma Swei explained anyway. "This is the Love God’s Sedan, a sedan chair of blessings upon which Love Goddess Natiyavida of the Holy Temple descends during the Flower Festival every year. Any couple who enters it receives the Love God’s Blessing and will live happily together forever. No matter how far apart they may be, they can transcend time and space to share a lifetime of happiness."
"That's the foundation of the Flower Festival, and the reason so many couples have gathered outside, cheering excitedly at this flower sedan. They're asking for blessings and a chance to come aboard," Sibigail said in her crisp, brisk voice.
After hearing their explanation, the two nodded, and Ma Linya asked, "Then why did you bring us in? Was this the Love God's instruction?" As she spoke, she surveyed the interior again, as though searching for some invisible presence.
"Well, how does that saying go? Meeting is fate. Love is much the same. Sometimes it arrives without warning, and it all depends on what the people involved decide to do. If you approach someone and strike up a conversation, you can get to know them. If you shrink back, then no matter how handsome or beautiful you are, others are unlikely to approach you on their own. Love is something you have to find for yourself, not something you can get simply by waiting."