Interstellar Travel: Becoming a Dress-Up Game Designer

Chapter 192

The sound of handsome, strong men sweating profusely, their powerful work songs filling the tea workshop, drowning out the crackling of the fire and the clatter of the tea-frying pans.

The cutscene ends here, and the Jade Pool opens.

For a moment, the players forgot to move forward, their minds filled with the sounds of the shouts and folk songs that had just stopped.

They had never seen anything like this before. Those who were slow to react were still immersed in the lively scene, while those who reacted quickly were excitedly waving their arms and legs.

There are only two places where interstellar personnel congregate: the military and the school. In daily life, only banquets and family gatherings see more than two people together; otherwise, it's rare. Everyone is usually alone, engrossed in holographic pods and combat games, occasionally venturing into the holographic world. Working together, even singing together, is a bit absurd.

"Wow, what kind of song is that? Why did I learn it after just one listen?"

"I was so excited watching it! They were so passionate, so hardworking, and so heartwarming!"

An indescribable life force and passion for life are palpable, and the people in the picture live their lives in a way that is almost unheard of by interstellar people.

"This is just like the storyline of the lantern and decoration scene, which makes me so happy and brings tears to my eyes."

"Ahhh, I actually learned the songs in there! I just can't remember the lyrics, but I can sing them in my own words!"

Players with strong practical skills immediately sang a few lines. Although their voices were loud, they were a bit small and inconspicuous in the noisy crowd of players. Those around them heard this and were eager to try, humming along quietly. After humming a couple of lines, they suddenly became bolder and joined in singing loudly.

Each one sings its own song, a chorus of duck calls, quack quack quack!

Lin Shuying covered her ears and quietly returned to her home. It was too noisy; her ears were ringing. All she heard were strange, unpleasant folk songs, which, though not very pleasant to listen to, were full of sincerity.

This is very similar to what Lin Shuying heard when she was a child. Back then, many uncles and aunts sang very well, while others were tone-deaf. But no one looked down on anyone else; they just shouted out their own voices.

One characteristic of folk songs is that they are not picky about voice; anyone can sing a few lines, especially the folk songs of southern China, which can be sung about anything in daily life. Fiery, shy, reserved, bold—there's nothing they wouldn't dare to sing, only things they can't imagine.

Thinking of this, Lin Shuying smiled. It turned out that her memories contained so many wonderful treasures. She was truly overjoyed.

After their initial excitement subsided, the players, their faces flushed, headed towards Yaochi to see what surprises the event held. Their main concern was whether they would be among the top-ranked players; they always strived to be on the leaderboard, as the rewards for being at the bottom were truly enticing.

This event did not begin with the unveiling of the brand name; instead, a tea ceremony was presented.

In the center of the antique-style Xiaoyiju, the golden nanmu wood Eight Immortals tea table is dazzling. On it is displayed the best jade and blue tea set of this event, along with luxurious mahogany chairs.

An elderly man with a white beard and goat's head sat at the head of the tea table, brewing tea with elegant, graceful, and methodical movements. The rinsing water was poured away quietly, and the tea flowed like mist into the openwork tea tray, making a pleasant, gurgling sound.

The tea was then poured into the cup, and the smooth, silky, and clear black tea created a swirling motion in the jade cup. It then calmed down, its color exceptionally beautiful.

Players were not only delighted by the newly appeared sheep head, but also amazed by its mysterious tea-brewing technique.

"Is this player really making tea? I feel like I'm seeing art dancing between their fingers."

"What an elegant movement!"

The player with the sheep's head pushed a cup of tea he had just brewed to the other side and said in a deep, kind voice, "Please enjoy your tea, esteemed guest."

He poured out two cups of tea, pushing the first one towards the guest opposite him. As he pushed it, the black tea swayed gently, its texture as smooth and delicate as clouds.

Then, an adorable and elegant Ragdoll cat head appeared on the opposite seat—a designer's exclusive cat head!

Players excitedly shouted, "Designers! Come out! Designers, come out!"

Unfortunately, the cutscenes were filmed in advance, so the designers couldn't hear them. The players' throats hurt from shouting, and they eventually stopped, their voices hoarse.

I've started to contemplate the art of tea ceremony; this player's art of brewing tea is truly exquisite.

During the event, players saw many tea ceremony performances in the teahouse, some of which were performed by NPCs. There were tea plays, tea dances, tea ceremonies, and many other types.

When the tech tycoon spoke to Lin Shuying, he remarked, "In my past life, when people talked about tea ceremony, most said it originated in Japan, that only the Japanese tea ceremony was the most authentic and disciplined. When I first encountered it, I also firmly believed this; they've maintained it so well, elevating tea ceremony to a national etiquette, creating a very solemn atmosphere. I assumed the purest tea ceremony was in Japan. Only after further understanding did I realize they'd only learned a shallow part of our Chinese tea ceremony, a branch of aristocratic tea ceremony. It's specifically used to display status; only wealthy, leisurely, and bored people would torture themselves like that." Later, he added... Their understanding led to a somewhat innovative variation. In fact, after studying the Chinese tea ceremony and truly understanding its essential principles, one will discover that the Chinese tea ceremony is the true tea ceremony. The so-called "way" must be all-encompassing, connecting the heavens and the underworld, permeating all aspects of human life. It is certainly not something exclusive to the nobility or a certain elite class or family, but belongs to the vast majority of people and ordinary citizens. Leisurely tea ceremonies, often served in a covered bowl, occasionally accompanied by tea performances, are used to reflect on life—this is the true tea ceremony. It embodies etiquette yet avoids rigid adherence to rules or stagnation.

Lin Shuying, who was unfamiliar with tea ceremony, said somewhat sadly, "Everything from other people is always better, even if it's just scraps that someone else stole from their own home. It always feels more noble."

Actually, it's a problem stemming from inadequate publicity, the Confucian culture of China, and the ideological issues that arose after various hardships. People are generally insecure, always feeling inadequate and that others are better than them. In Confucian terms, this translates to humility, concealing one's abilities, appearing foolish despite great wisdom, and hiding one's hidden talents. But people are strange; there's always a balance of intelligence and naivety. The naive ones simply believe whatever others say, like seeing gold ore in their possession mistaken for yellow quartz and genuinely believing it to be yellow quartz.

I won't even go into the propaganda; the list goes on and on. Things like "poisonous scoundrels," "artistic scoundrels," and "literary figures"...

Thinking of this, Lin Shuying smiled and said, "At least I won't let that happen again!"

In her past life, she was also someone who diligently protected Chinese treasures, actively supporting bloggers and business owners who promoted ancient costumes and made traditional Chinese clothing, providing them with clothes at the lowest possible cost, and occasionally even giving them away for free. She intends to continue this effort in this life, even though many people say she's foolish—why should a short person like her worry about things that are for tall people?

Lin Shuying used to be very quiet, but she agrees with what a friend said:

"If we all remain silent and think these things have nothing to do with us, we'll only know what poverty feels like when our houses are emptied. Look at how others are envious and working hard to get their hands on things, don't you understand? If you don't support it, please remain silent, don't become an enemy by opposing it."

Many people really think that it's no big deal if other countries apply for intangible cultural heritage status for things like the Dragon Boat Festival and tea ceremony, and that it will have no impact on their lives.

Does it have no impact?

If it belongs to you, when others mention it, the honor is yours, the sense of belonging is yours, and you feel proud!

These treasures are not meant to belong to the higher echelons or to the macrocosm, nor do they belong to us personally. These things belong to every Chinese person, because they were created together. Countless ancestors and forefathers have entrusted their spirit, thoughts, hopes, and blessings to them, accumulating them generation after generation.

How can one not feel a sense of belonging, exclusivity, and possessiveness?

If they don't even acknowledge what they have to offer, what else can they possibly have?

Occasionally, avoid isolating yourself from the larger group and absolutizing stratification. Don't simply categorize people into upper, lower, and middle classes, and then simplistically divide all social resources, finances, and cultural aspects based on these hierarchical distinctions. Everything macro-level belongs to the upper class, everything micro-level and low-profit belongs to the lower class, and resources and valuables in the middle belong to the middle class.

Cultural treasures and spiritual civilization transcend class distinctions; they belong to everyone who belongs to that civilization. As long as you feel a sense of belonging, you can find pride, a sense of belonging, and enjoy honor within it. When the people who created a culture all identify with it, that culture becomes infinitely powerful, becoming the strongest soft power behind them!

Don't underestimate this kind of strength; it's in no way inferior to raw power.

.........

Lin Shuying could never understand those people's thinking, and she wasn't very good at debating. She could only keep trying to influence as many people as possible...

In the scene, the two picked up the tea, smelled its aroma, and then drank it.

The video ends here.

Next came the leaderboard reveal. Surprisingly, the top spot on this event's costume leaderboard belonged to a player who created their own outfit: a light green Hanfu robe, one set for men and one for women.

After taking the stage, the designer said somewhat sheepishly, "This outfit is inspired by the Tea Fairy. Thank you all for your support. I've released the design copyright and obtained Qingfengyi's permission to let everyone use it for free. Commercial use is not permitted."

She was invited by Lin Qiaoqiao twice, but she refused to work at Qingfengyi because she really liked the game and hoped to become a designer within the game.

The women's hair accessory is a light green camellia silk flower; it's simply impossible to make this kind of velvet flower or other material hair accessory in the game. There's also a pair of tassel combs with glass camellias on them. Glass is a gemstone material, and she painstakingly ground other purchased gemstone materials into the shape of camellias using a grinding technique, taking two whole days. Each camellia has five petals, and these combs have four camellias.

In the game, her hands were all scraped and bleeding, and it hurt a lot after activating all five senses. Even though her guardian spirit had already healed them, it still hurt a bit.

She shared her creation process, and many players were moved to tears by her unwavering determination.