Chapter 12 - Festival Preparations (1/2)

”Do you want to be my knight?”

A simple question but that concealed many hidden meanings.

The choice of the knight for the young village ladies was a critical decision. It was said that the person who you chose for that night had a high chance of becoming the future lady's husband.

This was because the lively and festive atmosphere of the event, combined with the beauty and charm of the night, created a unique romantic mood. And that was such a rare sight in a rural village like theirs.

But, even if this wouldn't happen, it was still a crucial moment in the life of the village women. Therefore, it was vital to at least bring a person with whom they felt comfortable.

With the anxiety that gripped her chest, Lei Lei's eyes were fixed, with trepidation and fear, on Hei, who was surprised by her invitation.

'Knight? Mom said they were a type of soldiers who fight on horseback, but I don't think this is the meaning in this case. But from how she's behaving, I think it's important to Lei Lei.'

Hei didn't understand the weight of this request very well. Children usually learned the meaning of couple and love between spouses/fiancés through the interactions of their parents. However, Hei had only Bao Bei as an example.

He knew that she had once had a partner and that he was the father of Xing and Ye, but her mother had always preferred not to mention hi, saying that it wasn't yet the right time to talk about him.

Nevertheless, he had seen some couple relationships by observing the various people in the village. He had noticed how sometimes men tried to do romantic actions for important occasions, to be forgiven or simply to say thanks to their partners for their support.

Since Lei Lei had been of great help in these years and because it was at the same time a special event, as described by Lei Bai, Hei decided to follow what he had observed from others.

”Yes, that's fine. I will be your knight for the event. ”

At those words, while Lei Lei breathed a sigh of relief and wore a radiant smile on her lips, Lei Bai burst out laughing heartily. ”Ahaha, Ahaha, well-done boy. But you better not think it's an easy event. Since you're the couple who will open the dances, everyone's attention will be on the two of you, so you can't look bad. In this regard, you know how to dance, boy?”

”How to dance?” Hei asked, puzzled.

This perplexity was normal. Bao Bei had mostly taught her children about human society in general: aspects like writing and reading were necessary, but things like singing and dancing were left out. Or rather, he had seen these things, only, it was the sounds and moves used by forest animals. He strongly doubted that the love rituals used by animals had the same meaning as human dancing or could be appropriate for the event.

Seeing himself being answered with another question, Lei Bai considered it as a no and laughed again. ”You don't know how to dance then. This isn't good. The festival is in a couple of weeks, so we have little time. Listen to me; for this purpose, you are exempt from work. You will have to spend your time learning to dance. Lei Lei will be your teacher. ”

”Dad? What?”

”Well, you and Hei are the ones that would dance together. It's more than reasonable for you to be his teacher. Or do you want me to ask one of the other girls? ”

”No! Ok, all right. I will do it. Yes, there are no problems. I can do it.” She replied while her face flushed.

This responsibility, although an honor, was also a source of anxiety. That was because she didn't want to look bad in front of everyone. Therefore, the possibility of getting familiar while she was teaching Hei was an excellent proposal.

”Well, it's decided then. But now, let's eat that I'm hungry. Without food in the stomach, you can't work. ”

Once finished eating, Lei Bai lock himself up in his workshop while leaving Lei Lei and He in the main room, which had been cleared of various furniture to make room and proceed with the dance lessons.

”Well, Let's start then … There are various types of dances, but what is used for the festival is called slow waltz. The dance consists of only three steps, so it is quite simple. The difficulty is to coordinate the steps with the music and keep the movements fluid. The idea is to build a square where the couple dances, and you should also slightly rotate as you move. So, let me show you how to do it. ”

After the brief explanation, Lei Lei proceed to show Hei how to put his feet to advance or retreat while following the imaginary square.

As they had to put their hands over each other's backs, the beginning was somewhat embarrassing for Lei Lei. She tried to calm her thoughts by sighing deeply, as she turned her attention to teaching Hei the moves.

The latter, although he was a bit clumsy at the beginning because he wasn't very familiar with the style, he soon became familiar with the steps. Fortunately, thanks to his training, he had a remarkable body flexibility and an excellent balance.

It took a couple of hours, but in the end, Hei understood how to move without looking stiff and without going out of time. Now, all he needed to do was to synchronize his movements with those of Lei Lei correctly. The young girl became happy and amazed that Hei had learned so quickly how to dance the slow waltz.

After all, the festival was only a couple of weeks away. Therefore, the sooner Hei learned the basic steps, the sooner they could practice the real thing.

When they finished their session, Lei Bai had long since finished his job and had been looking at them with a satisfied expression. Then, he cleared his throat and turned towards his daughter.

”Good, I see that things are going well. I would say that for now, it may be enough. You can practice later or in the coming days anyway. Didn't you have to the herbalist? You should better hurry up.”

”Ah, right. With the dance matter, I was just about to forget. Then I'll go. See you later then. Hei, for the lessons, we can try later when I get back, okay?” Lei Lei said as she went inside her home quickly to get her things and went out just as fast to go to the herbalist on the other side of the village.

Once she left, Lei Bai approached Hei and asked in a low voice. ”Listen, Hei, there's something I want to ask you, or rather your mother. As you can see, this event is important for the village girls, so the choice of dress is essential. Usually, it is the mother who sews the dress to her daughter, but unfortunately, my wife passed away many years ago. Even if it's just a bit, I want to make this occasion special for Lei Lei. So, I wondered if you could ask your mother if she could get me the silk with which your clothes are made. I want to give her a beautiful dress to make her happy. Obviously, I won't ask you for free. I'm willing to pay any amount your mother would say.”