The drums of noon rolled across the city like distant thunder. The Festival of Alliance had swelled to its heartbeat—the moment when every street emptied toward the Jade River to see the famed Riverside Show.
Laughter, hawkers' cries, and the smell of roasted chestnuts tangled in the air. Color poured through the crowd in waves—silks, ribbons, parasols—until the whole riverbank looked alive.
"Come on!" Lian An's younger sister, Lian Hua, tugged at her sleeve. "They've started calling people—if we're late, we won't see anything!"
Their cousin Lian Ruo sighed, pretending reluctance while trying to hide his own curiosity. "You sound like you're storming a fortress."
"That's right," Lian An said, laughing as she let herself be dragged. "Forward charge!"
