Chapter 301: Preparing for the Competition

It was the day of the Lusheng Festival.

Mou Lili specially put on the local ethnic attire.

When she came out, she saw that Ling Feng had also dressed up as a local young man.

Ling Feng looked Mou Lili up and down a few times, then suddenly laughed.

"You've got the look," Ling Feng said.

Mou Lili smiled: "Don't you have the look too? You really look more and more like a local young man now."

She asked again: "How are we going?"

Ling Feng pointed below, where Big Gold Chain and the others were still waiting for them at the entrance of the guesthouse on their motorcycles.

Mou Lili did not like those people, and she said: "I am not riding their motorcycles."

"I'll drive one myself in a moment and take you there."

"You know how to drive this kind of motorcycle?" Mou Lili asked.

"Who are you looking down on?" Ling Feng asked.

But the facts proved that Ling Feng really did not know how to drive.

This was an old-fashioned 125 motorcycle, which required stepping on a clutch and such.

Ling Feng stepped on it several times, but the vehicle still would not start.

Big Gold Chain could not bear to watch anymore: "Big Brother, why don't I drive."

Mou Lili, who was behind, said: "No need, I'll do it."

Ling Feng looked at Mou Lili in confusion: "You can drive?"

"Who are you looking down on?"

Mou Lili and Ling Feng swapped positions, and with her driving, the clutch engaged as soon as she stepped on it; then, with a twist of the throttle, the motorcycle rumbled and sped off.

Big Gold Chain and the others were also stunned, and one of the thugs said: "She's got the air of a boss's wife!"

Another one said: "They are wearing our clothes, looking like a couple's outfit."

Ling Feng took the opportunity to wrap his arms tightly around Mou Lili's waist.

Mou Lili did not mind him; let him hold her, it was not as if he hadn't held her before.

The Lusheng Festival is a festival representing the harvest, usually held in September or October.

When they arrived, they saw that it was already packed with people; men, women, young, and old were standing on the newly harvested rice fields, holding hands and dancing together around a giant lusheng.

"Let's go, let's join in," Ling Feng said, pulling Mou Lili's hand.

Mou Lili then went down with him.

This dance did not require much technical skill; you just walk three steps, hop one step, and turn around, and there were people in front singing local folk songs.

Only today did Mou Lili see young local men and women in this place; they had all been working outside and had only returned today, talking about life outside, work, home, and their children while they danced.

The Lusheng Festival also had many local snacks, which were first used for offerings before they could be eaten.

Mou Lili also took two pieces of ciba to eat, and after finishing, Ling Feng said to her: "Let's go, let's go to a higher place to watch."

The higher place was the very top of the terraced fields.

From that position, one could see the entire Lusheng Festival activity.

Mou Lili walked upward with Ling Feng.

Passing by the terraced fields, she saw some places with pools of water containing very small fish.

Ling Feng said: "I know about this; these are fish fry specifically bred by the villagers. Once they get bigger, they are put into the paddy fields. These fish can help eat the weeds, and when the harvest comes, they can catch the fish together."

Mou Lili indeed saw some large fish swimming in some of the paddy fields.

When they reached the high ground, she found a clean patch of grass to sit down on and looked down at what was below.

From this position, one could see the magnificent scene of the entire Lusheng Festival: men, women, young, and old blowing the lusheng and dancing, with the towering mountains, the well-arranged terraced fields, and the rising mist as a backdrop.

Inspiration and melodies suddenly appeared in Mou Lili's mind.

After returning from the Lusheng Festival, Mou Lili had inspiration immediately.

Then she buried herself in her room and would not come out.

Sometimes, inspiration is fleeting; if you do not grasp it, it loses its flavor afterward.

Ling Feng wanted to take her out for a late-night snack in the evening, but she shooed him away.

Helpless, he had to pack some food for her, hoping she could eat it if she got hungry.

But Mou Lili spent the whole night revising and editing, and by the time she finally finished writing, it was already past 5:00 AM.

That late-night snack could no longer be eaten.

When a creator is in the middle of creating, their brain remains in a state of excitement; even if they lie down, they cannot sleep, as the day's melody keeps circling in their mind.

Mou Lili had written the song and did not want to sleep either; after finishing her class that day, she pulled the children over to rehearse.

The children sang the beginning, and then she sang.

The local children all liked to sing; they had been singing and listening to folk songs since they were small, and under that influence, none of them lacked singing ability.

After practicing for more than ten days, the day to go to the provincial capital arrived.

It was only at this moment that Mou Lili suddenly remembered she had not yet communicated with the children's parents about going to the provincial capital.

She still did not know if their parents would be willing to let her take the children.

She had no choice but to go door-to-door for home visits.

Nini's grandfather felt there was no problem; all these days, the grandfather had often heard Nini say how good this teacher was, and since going to the provincial capital meant food and lodging were covered and the child could broaden her horizons, why shouldn't she go?

Qiqi and Fenfen's parents also had no objections and even asked if they should make some ciba for them to eat on the road when they went.

It was just that Qiangzi's parents were a bit uneasy, worried that Qiangzi would be abducted by someone after going to the city.

Mou Lili tried to persuade them every which way and even had Jin Shu come out to vouch for them, and only then did Qiangzi's parents agree to let Qiangzi go.

Xiaozhu's parents had no issues either; they had never been to the provincial capital in their entire lives, and they hadn't expected Xiaozhu to get there first.

That day, Ling Feng and Mou Lili set off with a group of children.

They chartered a minibus, and when boarding, Mou Lili fastened the seatbelt for every child to ensure their safety.

The children were extremely excited, chattering away as they looked out the windows.

The minibus drove out of the mountains and onto the expressway.

There were also many mountains along the expressway, so the children couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed, thinking that they had mountains at home and were just looking at mountains after coming out, as if the provincial capital wasn't anything fun either.

However, when the minibus exited the expressway and arrived in the city center, the children couldn't help but get excited as they looked at the high-rise buildings in the city.

Mou Lili and Ling Feng were sitting in the back row, and they couldn't help but laugh when they saw the children's expressions.

Ling Feng had booked a hotel near the competition venue; it was a large suite so that every child could sleep in their own bed.

They were all incredibly excited as they looked at the toilet, the big television, and the various drinks in the refrigerator inside the room.

Seeing the children so happy, Mou Lili simply said, "Let's go, Teacher will take you all to eat KFC."

Nini said excitedly, "I've seen KFC on TV; it's chicken legs sandwiched inside bread, and there are also french fries."

Qiqi said, "I've also seen it on TV, but I've never eaten it."

Fenfen said, "My older brother took me to eat Dicos in the county seat; I wonder if it tastes the same."

Mou Lili laughed and said, "It's about the same, you'll know once we go. But since we are here to sing, we have to protect our throats, so we can't eat too much. After eating KFC, we will go have dessert."

"Okay!" the children said happily.

The group put away their luggage and then headed off in a grand procession to the nearby KFC.

Mou Lili did not dare to relax and kept a constant watch on their safety.

Eating KFC, the children were all extremely excited.

Seeing these children holding their burgers and munching away with faces full of satisfaction, Ling Feng couldn't help but sigh in his heart.

It was just a burger, after all.

Who says that life isn't about finding happiness in contentment?

After strolling around the streets, Mou Lili took them to the competition venue to familiarize themselves with the site first.

Since the competition was about to start, there were people setting up the venue there.

Seeing Mou Lili bring a group of children, a staff member asked, "Are you here to participate in the competition too?"

"That's right," said Mou Lili.

"And are these little friends participating too?"

"Yes, they are."

"Then you have to go to the registration desk to register in advance. By the way, do the children have their ID cards?"