"The day has finally arrived."

"Yeah."

Alvin and I looked at the busy crowd in the distance and sighed.

Large logs were set up in the shape of a tower, with dead leaves and branches used as spires on the top of the towers - they had been distributed in various open spaces in the town, and they would be lit together as soon as night fell two hours later.

There was a sudden snowstorm last night, turning the town into a blanket of snow.

"Thank you for getting so much wood. Didn't you spend a lot of effort?"

"That's natural, even a dozen of the axes were broken."

Alvin rubbed his shoulders.

It is said that in order to gather enough wood, the guards worked day and night to cut down a small piece of nearby forest...

I kicked the snow on the ground, and the bare land was exposed:

"Did winter come too early this year?"

"Well, I feel cold all of a sudden."

Alvin shrank his neck and buried half of his face in his scarf:

"When the temperature drops, everything becomes deserted."

"It's going to be lively right away, especially on the 'main street' side."

"Main Street" is the only commercial street in the town. During the bonfire party, all the shops on the street will display a dazzling array of products, which is bound to attract more than half of the people in the town.

"Let's go and have a look then."

"Well... I don't want to go to a crowded place."

"No problem, I'll clear the way for you."

"Then it's better to be respectful than to obey."

I couldn't bear to live up to Alvin's kindness, so I gave up the idea of ​​declining.

"Well, I just happened to be able to meet Marcia."

"Marcia?"

"She's working as a temporary cook at a food stall there tonight."

"Oh..."

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

I looked away with a guilty conscience, but luckily Alvin didn't notice anything was wrong.

Involuntarily, I thought of that warm and moist touch.

What is this, why do I talk to that guy...

"I'm going to help, see you later."

"Well, okay."

After watching Alvin go away, I felt my face getting hot.

Alas, if I had known better, I would not have agreed to Alvin.

......

As the bell rang at eight o'clock at night, people in the small town lit bonfires one after another on the snow.

The colors of red and white are intertwined with laughter and laughter, and the combination of fire and ice achieves a "balanced" effect. As the fire gets stronger, everyone shouts their wishes in high spirits and prays for the blessings of the gods in this way.

, and use this to encourage each other and enhance confidence in fighting the harsh winter.

"Wow..."

The first moment I stepped into the "main street", I couldn't help but sigh:

"It is indeed an annual event."

The buildings on the street are covered with all kinds of lighting equipment, and some shops even have torches beside their doors. The whole street doesn't smell of night at all, with adults and children coming and going in groups.<

/p>

Laughter, greetings, and discussions kept coming and going, no less than a bustling city in a prosperous area.

Alvin beside him was infected by this vibrant scene:

"There are so many people."

"That's right."

"We have to be careful not to get separated."

"You mean to hold hands?"

"...how is that possible?"

"I won't mind. Anyway, I just treat you as a child."

"They say you misunderstood..."

Walking through the crowd, I looked at those familiar faces and analyzed their changes one by one compared to the last bonfire meeting.

I was doing this silently in my mind while talking to Alvin word by word.

Ah, by the way, Miss Raya and Miss Polly should be there too...

"Hey! Alvin——!"

In front, Marcia, wearing an apron, waved her hands several times and held a spatula in her hand.

We approached her - she was frying noodles, and the heat caused small beads of sweat to form on her forehead.

There was a long queue at her stall.

"Business is pretty good."

Alvin praised, but Marcia didn’t hear clearly:

"What did you say? Just wait for me a little longer...I'll finish my work soon!"

"Okay."

So, we waited aside.

About half an hour later, an uncle came over in small steps, thanked her and took Marcia's place.

Marcia took off her apron, washed her hands, wiped her sweat, and walked over carelessly:

"Ah~~I'm so exhausted, so exhausted!"

"I think so...why do you suddenly do this job?"

"That's not what I thought!"

Marcia rolled her eyes at Alvin:

"Uncle Maren's daughter pestered him and asked him to play with her, so he couldn't run the stall during that period, so he asked me to do it. As for me~~ Instead of sitting idle, why not be a favor~~"

"You ended up looking like this after being exhausted?"

"Yeah! Who knew I would be so tired!"

Marcia's rough breath turned into white mist, puffing and puffing out, as if she was smoking.

"Hey...and you, why don't you say anything?"

"Well..."

I didn’t dare to look directly at Marcia, who had her hands on her hips, so I pretended to be calm and said:

"Is there anything I must say?"

"There must be!"

"Huh?"

"Even Alvin will praise me for my business skills, why can't you learn to flatter me?"

"Okay...amazing, amazing."

"Perfunctory!"

Then my arm received a heavy blow.

"Hey, it hurts. Your fist is so hard!"

"Hmph~~This is a compliment!"

My complaint made Marcia smile proudly.

"Okay... let's keep walking."
To be continued...