Chapter 923: Spring Festival Garden Party

The Spring Festival gala continued until late night, only stopping when dawn was about to come; basically everyone had taken a turn, whether it was a talent performance or other plays and such.

Everyone's purpose was simple: to show their best side to their commander, then take a photo with him. As a keepsake, it was permanently stored in their Jia Zhuang Kong Jian.

No matter where one ends up later, if they miss him, just taking out the photo to look at will make them feel that their commander is right beside them, and that is an eternal memory.

After the gala ended, everyone celebrated on the spot for a long time, only gradually dispersing when dawn arrived.

When Qin Ge woke up, it was already afternoon. Having just finished washing up, he received an invitation from the shipgirls. Last night was merely the opening of the Spring Festival, while today marks the official start of the Spring Festival garden party.

"Commander, would you like a string of takoyaki? It's very delicious."

"Commander, would you like a basket of just‑steamed buns? They have cod filling."

"……"

Not long after arriving at the garden party scene, Qin Ge was surrounded.

The vendors at the garden party were also played by shipgirls; seeing their commander arrive, they naturally wanted him to sample their cooking. However, it seemed the crowd that gathered was a bit too much, to the point of blocking the entire road.

Qin Ge couldn't help but smile wryly, raising his hand and saying to the crowd, "Since you're holding this Spring Festival garden party here, you should also consider others' feelings; just because I've come doesn't mean you should all swarm me alone—everyone else is here to enjoy themselves, so you should pay attention to others as well."

So I'll sample each of your stalls one by one later, but before that, could everyone please keep the order of the Spring Festival garden party?

"Good!"

Hearing their commander say that, the crowd realized their behavior might have caused him slight inconvenience, so they quickly dispersed in response and returned to their own stalls.

With the road cleared, the Spring Festival garden party also regained order, letting Qin Ge breathe a sigh of relief. Turning his head, he saw Guanghui chuckling nearby and said, "It's too enthusiastic; I feel the scene is getting a bit out of control."

"Hehe, this is also how everyone shows their fondness for the commander," Guanghui laughed.

"I know that, but besides me, the Gangqu also has others who came to the Spring Festival garden party with anticipation, so I can't let my presence ruin their experience just because I'm here," Qin Ge said with a wry smile.

"What the lord said is also true—Miaogao is in charge of order here; I'll let her know later and it'll be fine," Tiancheng said with a smile.

Qin Ge chuckled and said, "If that's the case, let's go take a look first. To be honest, last night we didn't have many chances to look this way, but now everything feels novel."

"Since that's the case, why don't I take the commander forward? If you have any questions later, you can ask me anytime, because we're the ones who set all this up," Guanghui said with a smile.

"Mm, that would be great." Qin Ge nodded and followed Guanghui's steps forward.

Whenever they stopped by a conspicuous shop or artwork, Guanghui and the few people beside Tiancheng would introduce Qin Ge to the origins of these things.

Including whether they were built by the Gangqu's shipgirls, which faction they came from, what they signified, and similar matters.

Of course, they would occasionally pause before a small stall, laughing as they took a bite or two of snacks from the shipgirl vendor; the whole process could be described as very relaxed.

"You probably know this, Commander?" a few people walked over to a rabbit woven from fresh flowers, and Guanghui smiled at Qin Ge and said.

Qin Ge smiled and said, "Is it because this year is the Year of the Rabbit?"

"That's right, Commander." Guanghui nodded, then smiled and asked Qin Ge, "Commander, I'm actually curious about the origin of the Chinese zodiac—how it came to be and what they represent."

Qin Ge smiled and said, "Regarding that, I do know a bit: in my former world, the origin of the zodiac basically cannot be inferred, but it's said that the hypothesis of the twelve zodiac animals existed since the pre‑Qin era, though back then they weren't matched with the twelve Earthly Branches."

By the end of the Western Han dynasty, the twelve zodiac signs were all fixed and corresponded with the twelve Earthly Branches.

Among the most widespread hypotheses is the totem theory, which says that ancient peoples, out of reverence for animals, used animal images as tribal totems; the animals in the zodiac are basically the original tribal totems—for example, Donghuang often speaks of the descendants of the dragon, where the dragon itself is a kind of tribal totem.

However, as for why the specific order is arranged this way, many stories have circulated before, but they are merely tales, with no definitive explanation.

However, interestingly, it's not only Donghuang that has zodiac legends; the contemporary ancient Greek civilization also had the legend of the twelve zodiac signs, showing that the number twelve and the worship of animals originate deep in the human soul.

No matter where one is, whether there is communication or not, people will unconsciously carry out the corresponding worship.

"Hehe, the lord is quite knowledgeable about this," Tiancheng laughed.

"Well, this is also because I used to read books when bored; they mentioned these things, so those interested remember them more deeply. Chatting like this we can say a bit, but if we really had to explain in detail, I'd feel a bit ashamed," Qin Ge said with a smile.

"What the commander said is fine enough; after all, Donghuang's history is extremely long, and there are also some lost parts in its transmission, so it's impossible to fully understand the ancients' thoughts in every detail."

"More importantly, we juniors, while showing respect, continue our research to truly grasp the ancients' ideas and then expand our own line of thought." Zhenhai said.

"Haha, I can't compare to the height of those sages; all I want now is to develop our Gangqu well, win our war, and when peace comes to the four seas, I'll just roam the world with you all," Qin Ge said with a laugh.

"Hehe, I feel the same way," several shipgirls said, smiling together.

"Let's keep going forward to see more," Qin Ge said.

"Mm."

And in such a harmonious and leisurely atmosphere, the Spring Festival time passed little by little.

Every day Qin Ge would go around once with his marriage ship or some other shipgirls; although by the end he already knew everything inside the Spring Festival garden party, each person's feeling was different, so he never got bored.

Only after the Lantern Festival passed did the festive atmosphere gradually fade, and the entire Gangqu returned to normal.