Starting from a thatched cottage, the farmer embarked on the road to wealth through imperial examina

"Waiter, what day is today? Why is it so busy outside?"

Seeing that there was only one waiter in the inn, who was also watching the lively crowd outside the inn's door, Ye Changyan stepped forward to ask.

When the waiter saw that the group of people who had checked in last night had all come downstairs, he introduced them to Ye Changyan enthusiastically.

"Today we are holding the Harvest Festival, also known as the Harvest Dance. This is the most grand celebration of the year in Youshui City. It is a grand event to celebrate the harvest, wish for good weather in the coming year, and thank and worship the God of Grains. Dear guests, don't miss it."

Seeing the waiter's excited face, Ye Changyan thanked him and asked the waiter to serve some breakfast.

Many helpers in the inn went to participate in the Harvest Festival. The waiter brought some hot buns and porridge from the stove to Ye Changyan and others, then ran to the door of the inn with an excited look on his face to watch the fun.

"Teacher, it's rare to encounter such a grand celebration. I don't know what the characteristics of the sacrificial celebrations in this Miao land are. Let's go and take a look."

Ye Changyan held a bun in one hand and a bowl of porridge in the other. He looked around and asked Mr. Cai expectantly.

When Mr. Cai put a bun into his mouth, he saw Ye Changyan looking at him expectantly.

"You young people can just go and join in the fun. I won't go. We will rest in Youshui City for a day today. Later I will go to Youshui Wharf to inquire about renting a boat. After all, this is the land of the Miao people, and we really shouldn't stay for too long."

Ye Changyan smiled and nodded, and the corners of Liang Jingcheng's mouth also curled up slightly.

Liang Jingcheng originally wanted Lu Tingfeng to stay and look after the teacher, but was rejected by Mr. Cai, so the three of them walked out of the inn.

I could only hear the sound of gongs and drums gradually fading away, but at the end of the street corner not far away I could still see the tail of a busy team. From time to time, people would rush out from various alleys and join the team.

Ye Changyan and his companions caught up with the team without deliberately speeding up their pace. The team was too large and moved slowly.

The group followed the rhythm of gongs and drums and the pace of the large army, moving towards the north of the city.

Ye Changyan and Liang Jingcheng looked around from time to time, finding this lively scene very novel. Although Lu Tingfeng had a calm expression on his face, his eyes kept looking around.

The crowd came to a wide river. The water was clear and the flow was not fast. This river was the Youshui River, which was formed by several small rivers originating from the depths of the Manmiao area. They merged a few miles south of Youshui City, flowed north through Youshui City, passed through several counties, and finally flowed into the territory of Dasheng.

Not long after walking along the Youshui River and turning a corner, Ye Changyan and Liang Jingcheng were both shocked. What came into view was a patchwork of low hills, with towering stilt houses standing among the mountains.

This is the famous City Lord's Mansion on the banks of Youshui River. In front of the City Lord's Mansion is an open square paved with small gravel. In the center of the square is a large circle paved with red stones. Along the central circle outward, there are eight rings paved with gravel of different colors.

The square is surrounded by a circle of buildings, which together with the City Lord's Palace encompass the entire square.

There are nine stone pillars erected on the big circle in the center of the square, with exquisite carvings and paintings on them. There is a high platform in the center of the stone pillars, which is the altar used for sacrifices and prayers in Youshui City.

Ye Changyan and others followed the crowd and lined up in an orderly manner outside the circle, constantly looking towards the center of the square. At this moment, a trumpeter on the high platform in the center of the square raised the horn in his hand.

“Woo-woo-woo—”

There was a deep and powerful sound of a bull horn coming from the front, followed by a strong and powerful drum beat, and then there was a warm cheer from the parade crowd.

“Ohhhh—ohhhh—”

Ye Changyan and Liang Jingcheng were also infected by the crowd and cheered along with them.

Amid the cheers, a burly man in gorgeous clothes, surrounded by a team of attendants, walked onto the platform. He raised his hands high and pressed his palms down towards the crowd in the square, signaling everyone to be quiet. Then he slowly turned his body and signaled to the people at different angles of the square.

Following the signal from the burly man, the originally noisy crowd gradually quieted down.

Ye Changyan heard people talking not far away and learned that the burly man on the platform was the lord of Youshui City.

Seeing that the crowd had quieted down, the city lord nodded slightly and then spoke.

"Thank you, God of Grains, for blessing Youshui with good weather and good harvests, and protecting the safety of our citizens. Today, we are holding a harvest sacrifice meeting to worship the God of Grains, and pray for Youshui City to have good weather and good harvests in the coming year. I also pray for the people of Youshui to have enough food and clothing, and to be healthy and well!"

“Ohhhh—ohhhh—”

The people in the square cheered enthusiastically. After a burst of cheers, the city lord shouted loudly.

"Please welcome the High Priest!"

As soon as the city lord finished his call, the people in the square followed suit and shouted, "Please welcome the high priest!"

I saw a hunchbacked old man, wearing a bull horn crown inlaid with five animal totems, a red robe inlaid with black stripes, a flag in his left hand, a sword in his right hand, an bull horn horn hanging around his waist, and cloud shoes on his feet, walking out from under the archway in front of the city lord's mansion.

Behind the high priest followed four sturdy young men with dark skin. They wore white short coats that revealed their dark and strong arms, blue wide-leg shorts and embroidered shoes, and held bamboo sticks with red silk wrapped around both ends and green silk in the middle.

"Boom boom boom——"

The sound of a deep drum rang out, followed by the sound of a clear gong. The gongs and drums started playing, and the harvest dance officially began.

All that was heard was a loud and vigorous singing from the high priest, followed by a vigorous step, and the four young men who followed him sang along, taking the same steps and then started dancing.

The people in the square sang along with the high priest, and those standing next to the archway began to dance in an orderly manner behind the four young men.

The people who had not yet joined the dance team began to hum along and move rhythmically.

The team started from the archway in front of the City Lord's Mansion and moved forward along a circle paved with different stones, like a winding dragon. They played in the water while moving forward, accompanied by the sound of gongs and drums and cheerful songs.

Ye Changyan felt that the tune was both relaxing and cheerful. Although he could not understand what the crowd was humming, it did not stop him from humming along. In his previous life, he had passed the Level 6 English test and had also taken Persian and Japanese as electives, but that did not stop him from liking Spanish songs full of Latin style.

Hearing Ye Changyan humming along, Liang Jingcheng beside him was also infected by the joy of the celebration and began to hum along.