Just as foreign Buddhism had changed so much after entering the Central Plains that even Shakyamuni would not have recognized it.
When Western holidays reached Nanjiang, they could leave plenty of foreigners dumbfounded too.
People in Nanjiang actually managed to mix Christmas Eve with Halloween. Walking down the street, you could actually see people dressed as Batman and Superman, along with all sorts of bizarre masks. Children ran everywhere, grabbing you and shouting, "Trick or treat!"
Or perhaps it had nothing to do with the people of Nanjiang, and the elementary school beside this residential complex was simply holding an event for fun?
In any case, Chu Ge, formerly a shut-in, had never seen anything like it.
A little girl dressed as Sailor Moon grabbed Qiu Wuji and demanded candy. Qiu Wuji actually fished a few White Rabbit candies out of her pocket and smilingly tucked them into the little girl's hands.
That kindly old-granny look kept drawing sidelong glances from Chu Ge. He could not even muster a comment.
Ever since she had worn that thick down jacket on the boat, looking round and adorable, Qiu Wuji had started deliberately dressing that way whenever she went out. A plump little bear bundled around a rosy little face, she looked like a child herself, offering the lofty justification, "We shouldn't stand out too much. We should dress like everyone else."
Chu Ge had been forced to play along and dress like a round ball too.
Actually, this made them different from everyone else... Nanjiang's winters were hardly that cold. Even other people wearing down jackets did not bundle themselves up in so many layers that they turned round and puffy. Still, with their bear-shaped hoods on, they fit quite nicely into the current atmosphere of everyone cosplaying.
An old granny?