Chapter 13 - My Most Beautiful Night (1/2)

When Hei and Lei went up to the stage, what greeted them was something truly amazing: the moonlight combined with the blushing torchlight that accompanied the myriad of eyes focused on them gave a breathtaking feeling.

Even Hei was quite impressed, and a little restlessness began to form within him. With a deep sigh, he managed to calm his heart.

Being the knight, he had to guide the lady during the dance. To be agitated wouldn't help at all, especially since Lei Lei was already agitated on her own. He had to look confident and determined for the sake of both.

They stopped in the middle of the stage with their eyes looking at those of the other. Both nodded slightly with their heads to communicate between them that they were ready to begin. Soon after, the music finally started.

Some inhabitants, skilled in the musical arts, had dusted their instrument off, and they had formed a musical band for the occasion. After all, today, it was one of the few events where they could perform in front of everyone and show off their art and ability.

He put his right hand on Lei Lei's waist, then taking her right hand with his left hand, he stepped forward with his left foot. Lei Lei immediately followed with a step backward with her right foot.

The rehearsals done during these two weeks proved to be effective because, very soon, the nervousness in both of them faded away as the body's memory took place to guide them during the dance.

After 5 minutes, the music ended. Hei and Lei Lei stopped their dance as they gasped to catch their breath. Although it wasn't particularly hot, they were sweating a lot. Looking into each other's eyes, they couldn't help smiling. They didn't know precisely how pleasant was their dance, but from the outbreak of applause and shouts, it seemed they had at least made a satisfactory performance.

At this point, it was time for the other couples. Moving back a bit to make room for the others, Hei and Lei Lei prepared for the second round.

Since they were no longer entirely under everyone's attention, Xing and Ye came out of the robe to rest on Hei's head.

The two of them also wanted to dance and, since they couldn't do it on stage, they would dance using the head of their big brother. Although it was small as space, it was enough for the two of them.

Thus, even the second dance ended as it began the third round, which saw the participants' parents and other important people of the village involved. For this round, Hei stepped aside to allow Lei Bai to dance with his daughter while he danced with Ye and Xing.

At the end of the third round, the village chief came forward to say his speech.

”Old friends, tonight I see that you are very cheerful. Today is a special day for all of us. Today we welcome the new adults who will give new life to our village. They will be the future foundations of this place. I pray that their future will be as bright and serene as this evening. I know each one of them, and I know they are good guys, they will certainly live up to their respective tasks. Well then, let's welcome them with a strong applause in their new path.”

Everyone, at those words, burst into loud applause and screams of joy. In addition to conferring the status of a real adult, the village chief's blessing also announced the beginning of the long-awaited banquet.

For the festival's dinner, Hei, Xing, Ye, and Lei Lei sat down with the other participating couples while Lei Bai was with the village hunters group.

Due to the cheerful atmosphere and being warmed by the food's taste, it didn't take long to make friends with the other dancers. After all, after sharing such an intense experience, they unconsciously felt more united between each other.

The dishes on the menu of this evening were many and different. It passed from dishes with vegetables and fruit to dishes with varying types of meat and fish. Since meat was expensive, it wasn't something you could eat daily or in large quantities. But today, it was an exception since no one spared themselves during the festival's preparations.

There were also lots of drinks, especially wine. For the new adults, this was the first time they could drink alcohol in the company of other adults. But, not everyone liked it, so there were other drinks like water, milk, cider, mead, beer and various types of juice.

Intrigued by the taste of the dishes and drinks, the alcoholic ones, in particular, Hei and Lei Lei began to taste a little of everything as they ate. Usually, Lei Lei wouldn't eat a lot during meals, but, perhaps because of the atmosphere of the festival or because of the previous effort, today she was eating much more compared to her usual quantity.

Xing and Ye, sitting on Hei's legs, were also enjoying the inviting banquet. In particular, in addition to eating, Xing much enjoyed red wine while Ye preferred beer instead. To avoid that they could exaggerate with the alcohol, Hei ordered them to drink only small doses at a time, and always accompanied by food.

As for Hei, he found particular taste in a drink known as Huanqiu that resembled a yellow wine. Lei Lei, on the other hand, seeing that she was feeling a bit drunk after a few sips, stopped drinking alcohol, and switched to soft drinks instead.

Thus, submerged in this mood of celebration and joy, the banquet proceeded smoothly, and everyone drank and ate until they were full.

When several hours had already passed, some of the inhabitants, especially those who had drunk too much or felt tired, had begun to take their leave. Others, however, who had higher resistance, soon formed small groups to continue drinking all night. Lei Bai was obviously among the latter.

Lei Lei, seeing this, turned her head towards Hei and said to him. ”Hei, what if we take a walk? So let's digest tonight's dinner a little. Xing and Ye can come with us. ”

”Yes, sure. There are no problems. Where do you want to go? ”