The commoners wore clean, neat cotton clothes, and their smiling faces were flushed rosy by the lamplight.
This was something they wouldn't have dared to dream of a year ago.
Back then, most ordinary families shared a single, ragged winter coat that barely covered them, stitched and patched over and over again.
The family members took turns wearing it, whoever went out being the one to put it on.
Now, every household had surplus grain, and everyone had new cotton clothes to wear. As long as they were willing to work hard, they could live a comfortable life and be treated with dignity.
Since the establishment of workshops like the embroidery workshop and the printing workshop, women discovered that they could support themselves with their own two hands, with some even earning higher wages than men.
Furthermore, Xindu City had become a force of its own, where the believers revered the Divine Lady above all else. Next in authority among the believers were Shen Yu and Pei Wanning.
With a successful female role model like Pei Wanning, how could the women of Xindu City suppress their desire to follow in her footsteps?
Especially after learning that positions in the Governor's estate were awarded based on merit rather than gender, their long-brewing aspirations could no longer be contained.
As women secured positions through their own knowledge and showcased their talents, they stood taller and prouder than ever.
At this moment, they walked down the street in small groups, arm in arm, carrying beautiful festive lanterns with confidence and grace.
They chatted and laughed, completely free and unconstrained.
Half-grown children ran all over the streets, clutching candied hawthorns or dough figurines, their little faces flushed red.
A little girl with her hair tied in small buns rode on her father's shoulders, holding up a small lantern and clapping excitedly.
Yun Shu stood outside the bustling crowd, quietly observing everything taking place at the lantern festival.
Her expression remained calm, but a trace of subtle warmth softened her eyes.
It was like the last thin sheet of winter ice silently melting under the warm spring sun.
Shen Yu suddenly stepped forward.
He stopped three paces away from the Divine Lady, holding an exquisitely crafted glass lotus lantern with both hands.
Each petal was delicately shaded from the outside in, with edges of near-transparent icy white that transitioned into a soft pink, deepening into a rich carmine at the center.
The warm golden candlelight shone through the heart of the flower, illuminating the petals with a brilliant, shimmering luster of breathtaking beauty.
After a moment of hesitation, he said softly, “Divine Lady, this lantern is an offering to you from the people of Xindu.”
As he spoke, he couldn't help but wonder nervously.
“Will the Divine Lady like it?”
Yun Shu looked down at the glass lotus lantern, the flame reflecting in her clear, dark eyes.
“Who made this?”
It was not surprising that glass had appeared in Xindu City.
After all, she was the one who had extracted the recipe from Luo Daoqing's mind and bestowed it upon them as a blessing.
She just hadn't expected someone to successfully blow glass in such a short period of time.
And to make it look so incredibly beautiful.
Even in the industrially advanced modern era, this glass lotus lantern would be considered a masterpiece of craftsmanship.
Shen Yu lowered his eyelashes slightly. “Replying to the Divine Lady, I made it myself. My skills are lacking, so I hope you will not find it laughable.”
No matter how exquisite a mortal object was, it would always appear incredibly crude and clumsy before a heavenly deity.
Yet, this was already the finest thing a mortal could offer.
After a long moment.
The Divine Lady finally reached out.
Her fingertips, pale and jade-like, emerged from her sleeve and gently touched the handle of the glass lotus lantern.
She took the lantern from Shen Yu's hands, and it hung steadily beneath her palm. The candle flame inside flickered slightly, casting a warm, rosy glow over her face.
Shen Yu's breath caught.
Immediately after, he felt as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders. He relaxed, and the corners of his mouth curled upward uncontrollably.
“It is very beautiful,” she said.
Hearing this, Shen Yu was overjoyed.
He tried his best to suppress his excitement, keeping his voice calm as he explained, “Divine Lady, in truth, I am not the only one who made a lantern. The people revere you, and everyone wanted to offer their creations to you. The lantern I made only had a bit more ingenuity compared to those of the other citizens, which is why it had the privilege of being presented to you.”
As soon as rumors spread that the Divine Lady would be invited to attend the lantern festival, the citizens of Xindu City had spontaneously begun making lanterns.
Within a few days, beautiful lanterns of all shapes and sizes began piling up on the desks in the Governor's estate.
Soon, there were more and more lanterns.
While these lanterns represented the heartfelt sincerity of the people, they couldn't possibly present all of them to the Divine Lady at once.
Therefore, they resorted to a method they frequently used.
Voting.
They left the lanterns anonymous and let the citizens vote on the most beautiful one. The one with the most votes would be the final offering placed on the altar of the Divine Lady Temple.
Yes, placed on the altar—because no one actually expected the Divine Lady to be interested in a mortal lantern festival.
“You have all been very thoughtful.”
Holding the glass lotus lantern, the Divine Lady turned and walked slowly deeper into the festival.
The hem of her light blue skirt swayed gently in the lamplight, and the lotus lantern bobbed slightly by her side.
Light and shadow rippled around her, merging her into the lights of the mortal world, yet keeping her somehow separate from it.
Shen Yu slowly straightened up. Watching her receding figure, a warm emotion welled up deep in his eyes.
He dared not harbor any improper thoughts toward the Divine Lady.
Just receiving a single glance from her was already a great honor.
Shortly after.
The two of them followed the Divine Lady onto a stone bridge.
Below the bridge, the river flowed gently.
The surface of the water was covered with floating river lanterns.
Lotus-shaped lanterns, their wicks lit, drifted slowly down the current like a scattering of stars.
The riverbanks were crowded with citizens releasing lanterns, clasping their hands in prayer and making wishes as the candlelight illuminated their smiling faces.
Standing on the bridge, the Divine Lady gazed at the floating lanterns carrying the hopes and desires of mortals, remaining silent for a long time.
The invisible System sneaked a peek at the wishes written on a few of the lanterns, then returned to report to Yun Shu, “Host, the wishes on those lanterns aren't for peace or wealth.”
“They are wishing for you to be forever happy and free of worries.”
“Host, these paper people are so naive. Even though you're just pretending to be a goddess, you're doing such a good job that you might as well be the real deal. How could a god have any worries?”
Having received the answer, Yun Shu maintained her enigmatic posture, as if she had gleaned some profound realization from this sparkling mortal world.
“They are actually praying for Me to be forever happy and free of worries?”
Behind her, Shen Yu and Pei Wanning exchanged a look, both seeing the awe in each other's eyes.
This was not the first time they had witnessed the Divine Lady's ability to foresee things, but they still couldn't help but marvel in their hearts. Truly, nothing could be hidden from her.
“Mortals are indeed interesting,” she chuckled softly.
Pei Wanning took a half-step forward and said softly, “A mortal's life is but a few decades. To the Divine Lady, we are like mayflies. It is the greatest fortune of mortals to be found interesting by you.”
Yun Shu said nothing more.
She calculated the time and gave the System a look, signaling it to begin executing the plan.
The System gave her an OK sign and vanished.
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