Interstellar Travel: Becoming a Dress-Up Game Designer

Chapter 228

Dear Qingfengyi players, the 18th Qingfengyi event, "Flowers Bloom in a Hundred Colors," has officially begun! This event will last for two months. In China, there are 56 ethnic groups, each with its own unique customs and styles. Let's explore some of their culture together in this event! Here, you can enjoy their special delicacies, acquire their beautiful clothing, and participate in their amazing activities.

The service center has more detailed announcements and maps, but this week's recommended dungeon is: you'll have more fun exploring it yourself! Let's go!

Stay tuned for the next exciting update!

Yes, this update announcement was very short, just a few words. Lin Shuying felt that a real travel adventure should maintain a sense of novelty; the less information you know, the more surprising it will be. This approach isn't suitable in real life because it requires researching various transportation guides, accommodation guides, travel routes, etc., to make the most of your limited vacation time.

However, there are no such restrictions in the game. Players can go wherever they want without worrying about accommodation or expenses, which is very convenient. Therefore, maximizing the sense of novelty will yield more benefits.

Actually, there was just too much content in the story, and she didn't want to write it anymore, hahaha.

It's fun to be a little willful sometimes.

The service center still had detailed announcements and dungeon maps, created and compiled by the staff and reviewed by Lin Shuying; they were very detailed. Lin Shuying fondly recalled her past experiences, so she came to the game during the update. She took the delivery backpack, slung it over her shoulder, and went to the shop to buy a trendy ethnic minority outfit.

For this issue, she designed two sets of costumes for each of the 56 ethnic groups. One set is a more elaborate online style, rarely worn by locals but promoted online. Examples include the Zhuang ethnic group's full head of silver moons, the Bai ethnic group's red flower hat and skirt, and the Yao ethnic group's full body of silver bell flowers. The other set is a more casual style, which is the clothing worn by locals in their daily lives.

Most ethnic groups' everyday clothing is not as beautiful as it appears in videos and advertisements; it is more about practicality for production and daily activities, and doesn't involve much ornamentation.

But it's still beautiful, covered with ethnic-style patterns, possessing a unique charm.

This time, she was wearing a white and red dress from the Maonan ethnic group, with red trim and a white base, paired with a short skirt adorned with their unique embroidery—a small circle, not covering a large area. She wore a distinctive floral conical hat, giving her a kind and approachable, girl-next-door look.

Of course, the clothing of an ethnic group varies greatly depending on the region and branch. Lin Shuying's understanding of this is not in-depth; what she replicated here is only a part of what she actively learned. Furthermore, the significant differences are not only reflected in the different branches, but also in the fabrics, colors, decorations, and craftsmanship. In ancient times, everyone made their own clothes. Wealthy families would certainly use more decorations, more expensive fabrics, more complex methods, and more intricate patterns. Ordinary families kept everything simple, prioritizing comfort.

Generally, as long as the established rules passed down within the clan were followed, such as the collar opening and method, patterns, and styles, the clothes would vary greatly, with no two people wearing the same garment. Lin Shuying believes that this self-made clothing production method in ancient times was the main reason for the numerous changes and transformations in ancient clothing, and also served as a trendsetter. This trend more realistically reflects people's aesthetic trends and the changes of the times, completely different from modern fashion trends.

The changes in clothing today are less a matter of people's aesthetic choices and more a result of capital and trend-driven factors. For example, there was a sudden surge in popularity for green designs, with 90% of the shops on the street displaying clothes in that color; or there was a sudden surge in popularity for Western-style clothing, with clothing stores seemingly changing their styles overnight.

As a designer, Lin Shuying is sometimes very curious about what kind of spell she cast in her dreams that made most of the designers in clothing companies design clothes in this style.

Of course, traffic also played a role in ancient times.

She actually did some serious research on this, even going back to her grandmother's house to observe the local clothing. Unfortunately, there wasn't much data available for her research; by then, the clothing was already being mass-produced and sold in many shops in town. To attract tourists, they added various eye-catching elements to traditional clothing, such as numerous imitation gemstones and pendants, exaggerated embroidery patterns, and all sorts of intricate tassels and ornaments. The clothes were very beautiful; wearing them would make you the most stylish person on the street. However, they were far removed from traditional ethnic clothing.

She was looking at clothes made by elderly villagers who maintained their traditional sewing habits. These clothes weren't adorned with many decorations, nor were they covered in exaggerated embroidery, nor did they have any gaudy ornaments that swayed precariously with every step. The colors were also much simpler, and some fabrics were even made of simple cotton and linen which they dyed themselves with plant-based dyes after taking them home. These clothes would fade when worn, leaving her hands covered in color after just a few touches.

Of course, if you put a lot of effort into it, the color fading won't be that serious.

It has a slightly herbal scent when you get close to it.

There's an even more amazing 80-year-old woman who weaves all the fabric herself!

At that time, the villagers around her said that she made money by making clothes. Her granddaughter opened some kind of trading account for her, and after making a set of clothes, her granddaughter would help sell them. The clothes were very expensive, costing eight or nine hundred yuan a set.

Lin Shuying was curious about how much it would cost to make a set, so she paid 1,700 yuan to learn how. She didn't expect it would take half a year to make a set, starting from weaving.

She asked the old woman why she didn't just buy ready-made fabric, and the old woman chuckled and said, "The fabric you see nowadays isn't warm enough; it's not as warm as the fabric I make."

She pondered this sentence for a long time, and only understood its meaning after a set of clothes was made.

The old woman dyed the yarn with plant dyes beforehand, and after finishing the fabric, she repeatedly soaked and washed it until no more color came off. Therefore, the clothes don't fade, and they smell much fainter of herbal scent, with a pleasant fragrance, almost like flowers.

Wearing it feels like every thread is wrapped in sunshine, warm and cozy.

Thinking of this, Lin Shuying couldn't help but sigh. She entered the game and went directly to that dungeon area. After walking along the winding mountain village path, she arrived at a village. Under a huge chestnut tree was a blue brick house, which was now tightly closed, but there were many weaving and sewing tools placed under the eaves at the door.

There was a pigpen on the side, where an old sow was kept. There was a layer of firewood on top, and many chickens were perched on the firewood. It was quiet, except for the croaking of frogs in the fields below the mountain, which made one's mood a little unsettled.

In the grass by the ancient well, many crickets chirped incoherently.

For some reason, Lin Shuying burst into tears.

"I've been wandering this world for six years now..."

A hometown is only for those who leave and cannot return; a place that can be returned to is called a hometown.

But no matter where one is, whether it's their hometown or their birthplace, those who travel far away always miss her, miss her, miss her. No matter how prosperous the outside world is, even if one is sitting on a mountain of gold, eating the most delicious food in the world, they still miss her.

Thinking of this, she sighed deeply, wiped the tears from her eyes, and stood silently under the chestnut tree until dawn. When the frail old woman opened the door, she always checked the things under the eaves first to see if they were intact. Only then would she slowly go back to light a fire and boil water.

As I get older, I don't like cold water.

The house has a gas stove, an induction cooker, and even a water heater, but she doesn't know how to use them. She only knows how to burn firewood, but for some reason, the fire that she could easily start when she was young now produces a lot of smoke and is difficult to light.

Back then, Lin Shuying often helped with the firewood burning, and the old man complained, "The firewood has been sitting for too long, it's damp and hard to burn. You need to prop it up a bit more and stuff it with more corn husks..."

His theoretical knowledge is extremely profound.

When this scene was recreated, Lin Shuying really couldn't help but feel emotional.

She went over and struck up a conversation, expressing her desire to learn how to sew clothes there. The old woman was delighted, but she seemed unhappy when Lin Shuying offered her money.

On the other side, the players entered the dungeon and stared blankly at the exceptionally clear starry sky.

As we all agreed, this instance is a honeymoon trip, so how can we not spend time together and enjoy some romance? We'll just find a tree in the middle of nowhere, lie down and watch the stars all night, and maybe peek at the world chat occasionally to share our thoughts.

When it comes to unified action, Qingfengyi's players are always exceptionally in sync, even among billions of people.

"Qingfengyi really knows how to design romance. The starry sky at this moment represents my mood, which can be summed up in two words: beautiful. Pictures."

In the picture, a cluster of glittering stars peeks out from among the gray-green leaves. The sky remains dark, yet the stars are exceptionally beautiful. A hand reaches towards the sky, its five claws outstretched as if trying to grasp something.

"They really know how to design something romantic. My ears are filled with the noisy chirping of insects and croaking of frogs, but it feels so peaceful. Am I going crazy from staying in the holographic capsule for too long?"

"There are so many villages in this instance! Do you think there are any events happening here? Can someone who has read the details explain?"

"No, I want to save the novelty for myself and experience it. It's no fun to talk about it, it's like giving away spoilers."

"Yeah, if you want to know, go watch it yourself. Don't spoil it."

"The official statement says that maintaining mystery will bring more surprises. Anyone who spoils the plot will be challenged to a duel!"

As dawn broke amidst various discussions, the chickens in the village began to crow as if they'd been injected with adrenaline. The first rooster's crow startled many players, who curiously rushed to see it.

When we arrived at the house with a rooster, the dog at the door barked incessantly.

The players could only watch from afar.

Soon, the host family got up, and the sounds of washing up echoed throughout the village. Players had never experienced a situation where the sounds of anyone getting up and washing could be clearly heard throughout the village. Wooden basins, iron basins, and aluminum basins clattered on the stone floor. The sound of water being poured on the embankment could be clearly heard by the people below, and those nearby would immediately call out, "You got up early this morning, come up and have breakfast!"

"No, no, I've already cooked it myself, come down and eat."

......

The players tacitly refrained from disturbing this idyllic scene, gazing in awe as the smoke from the chimneys rose and dissipated. Only then did they enter the village to interact with the NPCs and inquire about the event quests.