Brother, just how powerful is our family?

A little girl, about five or six years old, held her mother's hand and pointed to the Hanfu (traditional Han clothing) group: "Mommy, those ladies are so pretty, like princesses!"

The mother knelt down: "That's traditional Chinese clothing, called Hanfu. Would you like to wear it, baby?"

"think!"

"Then Mom will buy you a set."

Such heartwarming conversations took place throughout the station. Traditional culture, in its most natural way, permeated the lives of everyone who arrived.

At 6:30, it was already bright outside.

Qin Yao checked the time and said to the camera, "My darlings, I'm going to take you somewhere. Guess where?"

The comments section was filled with speculation:

"Want to go get breakfast?"

"Want to go see a show?"

"Go home and rest?"

Qin Yao smiled mysteriously: "Come with me."

She walked out of the station with her camera and headed towards the nearest street—the main street of the old town of Huai County.

The streets had already awakened. All the breakfast shops along the street were open for business, steaming baskets, sizzling oil pans, and the aroma of spicy soup filled the entire street.

The scene on the street stunned everyone in the live stream.

Along the entire street, long queues formed in front of almost every breakfast shop. People of all kinds—some dressed in modern clothes, some in Hanfu, some in cheongsams—mingled together, yet the scene was orderly.

The sounds of conversation, laughter, and the clinking of bowls and chopsticks intertwine to create the most vivid symphony of the morning.

"Look, everyone, this is our breakfast street in Huai County." Qin Yao pointed the camera at a spicy soup shop. "This is a place I've been eating at since I was a child. The owner, Uncle Zhao, has an exceptional skill."

She walked to the shop entrance, where Uncle Zhao was busy and sweating profusely, but his smile never stopped.

"Uncle Zhao, business is good!"

"Yaoyao's here!" Uncle Zhao looked up, his hands still busy. "Great! She's been here since we opened at four o'clock, without stopping! Look at this line!"

Indeed, the line stretched from the store all the way to the street, with at least thirty or forty people in it.

But the people in line weren't impatient; instead, they were chatting with each other.

"where do you come from?"

"Chengdu! And you?"

"I'm from Liaodong!"

"Did you all come for Yao Yao?"

"Yes! It's also for the cultural performance in Henan Province!"

Qin Yao asked a girl who was in line, "What do you think of the breakfast in Huai County?"

The girl, holding her freshly bought spicy soup and fried dough sticks, said contentedly, "Delicious! And so cheap! This big bowl of spicy soup is only three yuan, and two fried dough sticks are only one yuan! Where I'm from, they'd cost at least ten yuan!"

"I'm glad you like it," Qin Yao said with a smile. "Eat slowly, be careful it's hot."

She then walked into a hot dry noodles shop. The owners were a middle-aged couple; the husband cooked the noodles while the wife prepared the seasonings, their teamwork seamless.

"Aunt Wang, are you tired?" Qin Yao asked.

"Not tired at all! I'm so happy!" Aunt Wang's eyes narrowed into slits with a smile. "Yaoyao, guess how much noodles we prepared today?"

"How many?"

"Two hundred jin! We usually only sell twenty jin a day!" Aunt Wang whispered. "Your uncle said that at this rate, we'll have to add another hundred jin!"

Qin Yao pointed her camera at the restaurant: seven or eight small tables were full of people, some were families of three, some were groups of friends, and some were solo travelers. Everyone was engrossed in their food, with satisfied expressions on their faces.

A young man gave a thumbs-up to the camera: "This hot dry noodles is amazing! It's different from the ones in Wushi, but it has its own unique flavor! Delicious!"

Another auntie said, "These xiaolongbao are great too, thin skin and generous filling, every bite is bursting with broth. Only five yuan a basket, such a bargain!"

Qin Yao visited several more stores, and the situation was similar—business was booming, but prices remained the same; customers were satisfied, and merchants were happy.

In the live stream, the fans who hadn't had breakfast yet were incredibly envious:

"It makes me hungry!"

"This spicy soup looks delicious!"

"Hot dry noodles, my favorite!"

"The price is really cheap, what a conscientious seller!"

"The people of Huai County are so honest and straightforward!"

At 7 o'clock, Qin Yao ended her live stream of the breakfast street.

"My darlings, I'm going to change my costume, then I'll take you to the first performance—'The Qin King's Battle Song'!" she said to the camera. "The performance starts at 8:30 at the Huai County Stadium. Those who have already arrived can follow the guidebook they received. For those who haven't arrived yet, don't worry, there are three performances every day!"

After turning off the live stream, Qin Yao and her roommates got into the car to go back to the villa.

On the bus, the four girls could finally relax. Lin Xiaoxiao rubbed her cheeks, which ached from laughing, and said, "My goodness, my face is almost frozen from laughing."

Zhang Yue leaned back in her seat: "But I'm so happy! Seeing so many people like our Huai County makes all the hard work feel worthwhile."

Li Siyu said softly, "That boy from Harbin took a train for more than 20 hours just to come and see us. I suddenly realized that what we are doing is really meaningful."

Qin Yao looked out the window at the fleeting street scenes.

The number of people and vehicles on the streets was significantly higher than usual, several times greater.

Out-of-town license plates are everywhere, and tourists carrying cameras are everywhere.

Traffic police directed traffic at the intersection, while volunteers provided information services on the roadside.

Everything was busy yet orderly.

This city, the small county where she was born and raised, is undergoing an unprecedented transformation.

She was both a witness to and a participant in this transformation.

My phone vibrated; it was a message from my brother, Qin Feng: "You've worked hard. Come back and rest for a bit, change your clothes. I'll pick you up at eight to go to the show."

Qin Yao replied, "It's not hard work. Brother, did you see what's happening on the street?"

Qin Feng quickly replied: "I saw it. Huai County, he's awake."

At 8:20 a.m., Huai County Stadium.

The stadium, which can hold 8,000 people, is now completely full.

The stands were packed with people, and the open space beside the field was also full of people. A rough estimate puts it at more than 15,000 people—far exceeding the stadium's design capacity.

The scene was orderly. The audience members waited quietly, some sitting and some standing.

Many people were dressed in Hanfu (traditional Han clothing) and waved round fans, creating a wonderful sense of temporal and spatial displacement with the surrounding modern sports facilities.

Qin Yao's entry through the side door caused a small commotion.

She changed into a Tang Dynasty-style high-waisted ruqun—a scarlet upper garment paired with a royal blue printed long skirt, and a light gold half-sleeved outer garment. Her hair was styled in a high bun, adorned with gold hairpins and silk flowers, and an exquisite floral decoration was pasted between her eyebrows.

This is the costume she specially prepared for "The Qin King's Battle Song".

In the Tang Dynasty, this was one of the most formal dresses for women.

"Yaoyao is here!"

"Look, Yao Yao is wearing a Tang suit today too!"

"So beautiful! It's like she stepped right out of a mural!"

Qin Yao smiled and waved to the audience before walking to her reserved front-row seat.

She turned on the live stream again, pointing the camera at the stage.

"My darlings, I've arrived at Huai County Stadium." Her voice echoed through the live broadcast room via microphone. "As you can see, there are already many people here. There are still ten minutes until the 'Qin King's Battle Song' begins."