The May weather was perfect—not too cold, not too hot. The sun shone brilliantly as countless flowers vied for attention, their blossoms painting the air with a sweet fragrance. It was a magic that seemed to brush away everyone’s worries and bitterness, offering a temporary reprieve from the complexities of life.
This was the first officially organized event everyone had attended. An entire stadium was used, every square inch of it put to good use. It was either filled with rows of beautiful, neat flowers, or featured ingenious floral arrangements shaped into auspicious words and animals. And then there were the food stalls, entertainment, and performances.
From the moment they saw the floral slogan outside the stadium spelling out a message of national peace and prosperity, it was as if their world had instantly transformed from monochrome to a dazzling kaleidoscope of life, brightness, and joy!
They had originally thought that Shengshi Street already had a great concentration of famous regional dishes. They figured if the event just copied that, it would be pretty good; they could pick one or two things and eat their fill.
But as they walked through the venue, they realized how little they knew.
From grilled lamb skewers, toothpick-sized fried meat, and roasted pig’s trotters to rice-stuffed chicken wings, quick-fried tripe, fried potatoes, stinky tofu, teppanyaki squid, egg-waffle ice cream, thousand-layer cake, green rice balls, fruit tea, double-skin milk pudding, and more—the dazzling array of options refreshed their understanding of what "food" could be, taking it to a whole new level!
The only things not available were the things they couldn’t even imagine.
Moreover, the snacks weren’t expensive. A family could afford to buy a portion of something for everyone to share. They wandered from one end of the festival to the other until their stomachs were bulging, feeling a satisfaction they had never known before.
One person even sighed in awe, "Getting to taste so many delicious things at once... I feel like I’ve lived a full life!"
Across from the food street were various games of chance like ring toss, pitch-pot, darts, and a shooting gallery—the kind of entertainment no one in Xiahua could resist.
The starting price, which had been fifty yuan per try just yesterday, was now only fifty cents!
Of course, the prizes had been swapped out for more affordable, practical items, and all the tricky metal stands beneath them had been removed, increasing people’s chances of winning...
They had also added plenty of attractions for children, like a clean, disinfected sandpit, a "toy world," bounce houses, a maze woven from rope and wood, an instrument workshop, a fishing game, and more. It was a paradise for kids.
People of all ages spent the entire day eating, playing, and watching performances. It was deeply satisfying for both body and soul. Everyone felt as relaxed and refreshed as if they had just stepped out of a sauna.
As people were leaving, they kept telling the guards to pass a message to the organizers: they had to hold events like this more often.
The organizers were thrilled to hear it. Their goal was, after all, to host events that benefited the public and brought them joy.

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