April 20th — the annual Easter celebration arrived as scheduled.
Before dawn, Kevin Hughes, owner of the "Hughes Convenience Store" on the main street of Farewell Town, already heard a commotion coming from the street corner. At first, he didn't pay much attention, assuming it was government workers and volunteers setting up decorations for the festival.
Glancing at the clock, it was just past five o'clock when Kevin got out of bed. His wife, half asleep, blinked her eyes and mumbled, "Honey, why are you up so early?"
Kevin kissed her cheek affectionately and smiled, "Silly girl, I have to hide chocolates inside the Easter eggs by the kids' beds before they wake up."
Dressed quietly, Kevin tiptoed into the small bedroom. Looking at his two sleeping children, his face filled with contentment and happiness. "True angels sent from above — I thank the Lord for blessing Vivian and me with them."
Once ready, Kevin opened the convenience store door, and the street noise instantly grew louder. Stepping outside, he was stunned.
What had once been a quiet, lonely street was now bustling with activity. The entire intersection above was nearly packed with colorful egg-shaped balloons! Each balloon was about twenty centimeters in radius, floating gently in the wind like a sea of vibrant Easter eggs.
Nearby, a young man unfamiliar to Kevin was adjusting a sound system — the source of the noise. Several volunteers were pumping air into balloons with pumps, stuffing something mysterious inside each balloon before inflating it.
Kevin watched curiously, when suddenly someone called out, "Kevin, sorry to bother you."
Turning, he saw the legendary figure of Farewell Town — Creeper, the lawyer. Kevin quickly smiled, "Mr. Creeper, you're too kind. I was just curious what this event was about."
Creeper chuckled and introduced the young man: "This is Eddie, grandson of old Eddie. Hey Eddie, this is Kevin — our town's basketball star."
Eddie, the one tuning the audio, was nearly six foot three, about thirty years old, broad-shouldered and muscular, with especially long legs that revealed his athletic genes.
"You're Eddie? Buddy, I heard you're from mysterious China! Welcome, welcome! But I'm really curious — what exactly are you guys up to?" Kevin asked with a grin.
Eddie briefly introduced the event, "It's a traditional Chinese activity called 'Smashing Golden Eggs.' The details, though... that's a secret."
Kevin laughed heartily and stepped forward to help him adjust the sound system.
Time passed, and the sky brightened. More people filled the streets. The warm morning sun swept away the lingering cold of the northern night.
Shops along the street opened, displaying all kinds of chocolate eggs and candies on their most prominent shelves. The windows glittered with colorful treats.
Eddie, experiencing Easter for the first time, entered Kevin's convenience store.
Kevin warmly brewed him a cup of coffee and introduced the candies for sale: "We have two kinds of 'Fangdan' candies here. The smaller ones are about an inch long — chocolate wrapped soft dough — just ten cents each. The other kind is the 'empty egg,' about the size of a duck egg, hollow inside with just a chocolate shell. You crack it open to eat the chocolate chips inside."
After learning a bit, Eddie bought a bunch of Fangdan and chocolate eggs, then handed them out to the kids clustered around the balloons. Their joyful smiles lit up the street corner.
The morning was relatively quiet. After lunch, as the weather warmed, the Easter parade began.
Farewell Town was small, but the parade was solemn and grand. Fifty or sixty people dressed in long robes, carrying crosses, walked barefoot down the street. Every time they passed a house, onlookers cheered loudly.
Creeper explained to Eddie, "They're all playing historical Christian figures, singing hymns to celebrate Jesus' resurrection."
The parade circled the town's main street and ended at an old church on the east side. Creeper said, "Next, the faithful will get baptized, change into new robes, and celebrate new life. Then they'll clean their homes — kinda like your New Year."
Eddie smiled, "Yeah, it really is similar."
Side by side, they walked through streets strewn with lily petals, mostly fragrant lilies of the valley, filling the air with a strong, sweet scent, turning the whole street into a garden.
As they neared the church, the crowd thickened. Suddenly, a young man in his twenties approached Eddie and handed him a bright red egg.
Eddie thought it was a gift and took it. Creeper quickly leaned in and whispered, "That's a love egg, buddy. You sure you want to accept it?"
Eddie almost broke into a sweat. He was Chinese — a true man — and his family was strict about not marrying outsiders. So he promptly handed the egg back.
The young man left disappointed, and Creeper grinned, "That was a handsome guy. Look at the way he was staring at you."
Eddie helplessly turned away, "Sorry, brother, I'm Chinese. No messing around."
The church covered over two thousand square feet, with a pointed roof topped by a cross. The wooden structure was unique but old, with faded and damaged stained glass windows patched with colored paper, and peeling biblical murals inside.
Entering the church, Creeper's expression turned serious as he led Eddie to line up for baptism.
Standing beneath a statue of Jesus, Eddie folded his hands and closed his eyes in earnest prayer: "Great Jesus, please bless my 'Heart of the Ocean' power never to fade, and bless me to earn my first hundred million soon. I promise I'll come back to restore your golden statue — no, I mean renovate the church."
The pastor smiled quietly at Eddie's sincere pose, though if he knew Eddie's true thoughts, he might've smashed the baptismal font over his head.
After the baptism, the Easter festivities officially kicked off. Eddie and Creeper returned to the intersection, where a stage had been set up, its backdrop painted with a complex, intricate character.