The ball would begin in four days. Before then, the roast wild boar had left Milger thoroughly satisfied and eager for the many delicacies at the ball. Although they could not sit in chairs and eat at tables like the gentry, they could at least gather the leftovers with a little dignity. Only afterward would the stray dogs and cats get their turn.
Today, sunlight shone everywhere, and the breeze was pleasant. The blue sky held a hint of turquoise green, a color that brought to mind bursting buds. Feather City was much the same today. This was destined to be a grand celebration people would savor for months.
Scholars and warriors, beggars and even cats and dogs, along with many fresh-scented young girls and fragrantly mature women, all rose early today. They groomed themselves and dressed to look their best, preparing to watch this grand feast.
The ball was held at Jade Citizen Plaza in Feather City. Shaped like the eight trigrams and engraved with the yin-yang symbol and Western Xia Inscriptions, it covered ten mu, enough to accommodate nearly ten thousand people. It was, without question, the liveliest place in Feather City and the best venue for all manner of grand gatherings.
Naturally, today's Jade Citizen Plaza looked vastly different from yesterday's. Red mats covered the ground, festive banners hung high, lanterns floated overhead, and strings of crystal beads danced like sprites in the wind. There were clusters of flowers in every color and numerous tiered incense burners...
These decorations turned the venue into a paradise while secretly delighting everyone. Once the ball ended, the gentry would consider them trifles hardly worth bothering to retrieve. Naturally, the spectators would scramble to snatch them up. To the gentry, that too was an amusing spectacle not to be missed.
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