"I wouldn't be shy! You must have seen wrong. It's just the weather being too hot and my face is a bit sweaty. I just finished training in the Imaginary Tree, so I look a bit flushed, which is normal." Hua said, her voice tinged with playful defiance.
Wendy, however, remained unconvinced. How could she possibly believe Hua's excuse? If it was just the heat, why wasn't her face red when she arrived earlier? This was clearly a flimsy excuse, but Wendy, being the easy-going type, couldn't be bothered to call her out.
"It's okay, it's okay, my dear Hua. How about you help me cook? It's almost time for dinner, and even though it's not a festival yet, I still want to make something delicious."
Hua, ever relaxed, did not refuse. Unlike Kiana, who was banned from the kitchen, Hua was at least capable of preparing some food. Kiana, on the other hand, was limited to making cheese toast, a skill taught to her by her father. While her childhood attempts were disastrous, she had improved enough to be passable now, certainly better than the "country bumpkin" next door, who couldn't cook anything at all.
Everything she made turned into a disaster, leaving Mei speechless. It was simply unbelievable!
Meanwhile, Lu Ze had spent half the day wandering around the branch store in Liyue. He barely encountered anyone. Upon inquiring, he learned that everyone had gone to the Imaginary Tree to play.
He opened a small room and found a mirror-like portal. It led directly to the Imaginary Tree. Even from the outside, the view was a blurry pink, a testament to Elysia's overwhelming fondness for the color.
Stepping through the portal, Lu Ze found himself in the Imaginary Tree. He looked around, noticing that the entire place was festively decorated. Countless red ribbons were hung from the eaves of houses, and upside-down "Fu" characters were plastered on every doorway.
In the distance, he saw predominantly cherry blossom trees, painting the world in shades of pink. It felt like a city dominated by the color pink.
The combination of pink and red was truly a sight to behold, adding an extra layer of charm.
As he walked, Lu Ze gazed around, still not seeing a soul. After some time, he spotted a grand villa in the distance.
A wisp of smoke curled from its chimney, indicating someone was cooking. If his guess was correct, everyone must be there.
He walked towards it, step by step, until he reached the dark, imposing villa gate. The courtyard was filled with countless flowers and plants, giving it the appearance of a modern, upscale residence.
He rang the doorbell. After a short while, a person emerged. It was Vill-V. Upon seeing Lu Ze, her eyes lit up with joy, but a quick glance behind him immediately turned her happiness into disappointment.
"Long time no see, Vill-V. How have you been?"
Lu Ze realized it had indeed been a while since he last saw Vill-V. After their last picnic, she had been staying in the Imaginary Tree. He couldn't blame her, could he?
The door opened wider, revealing a not-so-spacious villa. People bustled about inside. He even saw Kalpas kneading dough, Mei chopping meat filling, and Kiana helping to fold dumplings. While Kiana's dumplings weren't aesthetically pleasing, they were at least passable.
"What is everyone doing? Why are you all so busy?"
Hearing Lu Ze's voice, everyone froze for a moment, then quickly composed themselves.
"Lu Ze, you're back just in time! We heard that Liyue's Lantern Rite is equivalent to our Divine Realm's Spring Festival, so everyone agreed to celebrate it. I remember it's the day after tomorrow, which means tomorrow is New Year's Eve. So, everyone is busy preparing food and whatnot. Make sure you come back tomorrow afternoon, or we'll be angry!"
Kiana, holding a dumpling wrapper, said with a smile, a smudge of white powder on her cheek. Indeed, the clumsy Bug-Bug was always so unreliable.
"I see, I understand. Thank you for your kindness. I'll be back on time tomorrow afternoon. We'll have a joyous time here in the Imaginary Tree. For the actual Spring Festival, we'll go out to eat. There will be fireworks that night, and I want to watch them with all of you."
Lu Ze replied softly. Having such companions was perhaps the greatest happiness.
"Alright, I understand. So, aren't you going to come and help? Oh, and Wendy and the others don't know yet. Tell them during lunch later."
Mei said, her eyes fixed on the meat filling on the board as she chopped, not looking up. She was careful not to over-chop, lest it affect the texture and flavor.
"Got it. Since it's a festival, there must be red envelopes! Look what I've prepared! A stack of red envelopes for each of you. The amounts inside vary, so let's see how much you each get!"
This immediately ignited Kiana's competitive spirit. The moment she received her red envelope, she tore it open, even dropping the dumpling wrapper she was holding.
The check inside showed a hefty 600,000. Kiana instantly became elated and declared loudly:
"I got 600,000! Anyone got more?"
As soon as she finished speaking, Mei, standing beside her, blinked in surprise. Then, she slowly replied:
"I'm sorry, Kiana... I got 800,000."
Kiana was completely stunned. What was going on? 800,000? Her eyes glazed over, her pupils turning a dull gray as she transformed into a傻虫 (shǎ chóng - foolish bug/worm).
"Kiana, I got 700,000!"
Theresa delivered another fatal blow. Her words were like a sharp knife, piercing Kiana's heart. Why did even "Silly Lisa" have more than her? Why? She hadn't done anything wicked, so how could her luck be so bad? This wasn't right, this was completely wrong!
"Lu Ze! Are you up to something?!"
"Kiana, I think I got 1,000,000..." Himeko said, a hint of uncertainty in her voice. Why the hesitation? Perhaps she was afraid of utterly crushing Kiana's spirit.
"What do you mean 'you think'? Let me see."
Theresa snatched the red envelope. The check clearly stated 1,000,000. With a look of utter pity, she gazed at Kiana. Kiana, now aware of the exact amount, let out a small huff.
"Kiana, I got 900,000..."
Ana then delivered the final blow, a "stab with a white knife followed by a red knife," not only striking at Kiana's heart but dealing a severe blow.
As the results were tallied, it became clear that everyone in the villa had received red envelopes ranging from 700,000 to 1,000,000. No one had received less than 700,000. Oh, wait, there was one exception: Kiana, with her 600,000.
She was utterly dumbfounded. What was happening? Why was she the lowest? Was this fair? Was this reasonable? It had to be Lu Ze's doing. She refused to believe her luck was this bad.