Festive Atmosphere

Overnight, the entire New York was draped in green. The verdant green of the streets and alleys filled the city with a festive atmosphere, giving people the illusion that spring was approaching. But in fact, it was only St. Patrick's Day.

This festival, originating from Ireland, has now become Ireland's national day and, benefiting from the widespread presence of Irish descendants around the world, has gradually become a holiday in many countries. The United States has been celebrating it since the early 18th century. Every year on March 17th, traditional Irish colors will cover the entire city, and people will dress up in green elf costumes, wear tall green hats, wave Irish flags, and drive decorated green floats, all joining the St. Patrick's Day parade.

New York this year was no exception. People had been preparing for it a month in advance. Fifth Avenue was the parade route this year, and it was rumored that the attendance would reach a record high, surpassing 100,000 people for the first time in history, making the scene undoubtedly lively.

Renly had been eagerly anticipating this day. He had even rushed back from Australia specifically for it. So, as soon as he woke up in the morning, he couldn't wait to put on his festival attire. Though he avoided the green hat, he still wore a deep green suit and slung an Irish tricolor backpack over his shoulder. Looking at his slightly ridiculous outfit in the mirror, Renly smiled contentedly.

Such attire would be absolutely impossible in his home country. Except for cosplay at anime conventions, people tended to be biased against masquerade balls and fancy dress parties, considering them as mere attention-seeking. Even though many young people wanted to try, it would require immense courage.

However, whether it was London or New York, the atmosphere was quite festive. Renly had always actively participated, truly immersing himself in the holiday revelry - not just for a lavish feast or to exchange gifts, or to get drunk, but to truly experience the atmosphere, understand the meaning, grasp the culture, and participate in the activities of the holiday. That was the right way to celebrate a holiday. Otherwise, whether it's Valentine's Day or Christmas, it's just another scheme for businesses to empty consumers' wallets.

Compared to the elaborate costumes of Halloween, the main color of St. Patrick's Day is green, everywhere. When Renly arrived at Fifth Avenue, the whole world turned green. The booming drumlines and the bustling crowds effortlessly set Manhattan into a party rhythm.

Surveying around, Renly spotted a group of young people who looked like college students not far away, draped in green cloaks, wearing green shorts with bright yellow T-shirts underneath, and waving fluffy green hats in their hands, following the parade procession. Renly didn't hesitate at all; he quickly joined their ranks, shouting, "Where are your shamrocks?"

Shamrocks, leprechauns, and fairies - these are the indispensable elements of St. Patrick's Day.

Upon hearing Renly's words, they didn't respond verbally but turned around together, lifting their cloaks. Renly burst into laughter immediately - each of them had a large clover shape imprinted on their buttocks, although it was light yellow, if you didn't look closely, it would completely resemble flesh color, creating a hilarious illusion.

The young people all turned around in unison, smiles of satisfaction on their faces, obviously pleased with the surprise they had created. "And what about you?" they asked.

Renly also didn't speak but brought his backpack to the front. Just seeing this Irish tricolor backpack, they cheered, eyes filled with surprise. But Renly didn't stop there. He opened the backpack, took out a large mass of green that looked like seaweed, and then... he put it on his chin. It was a vivid green beard, astonishingly realistic. Not only was it dense enough to almost completely cover the lower half of Renly's face, but it was also quite long, reaching almost to his belly button. The disproportionate fairy-tale feeling it created brought a strong visual impact in an instant.

Renly had chosen to be a leprechaun.

Without the need for further words, the young people raised their right hands high, one by one, to shake hands with Renly in celebration, giving his costume full approval. Then, Renly joined the festive procession of the parade!

The massive procession remained lively throughout the morning. By noon, Renly left the newfound companions and, like an old horse familiar with the way, made his way to Pioneer Village. However, it wasn't for work. Today, Pioneer Village was also holding a party to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. They would gather for lunch, then decorate the pub together in the afternoon, preparing for the night's revelry.

Entering the pub, Renly could see that four tables had been pushed together to form one long table. On top of it were eight freshly baked pizzas, their aroma wafting through the air. Alongside were cheese powder, beer, ketchup, mayonnaise, and other condiments. At the end of the table were two large bowls of salad, evidently considering the preferences of the female staff.

Neil, dressed as a leprechaun, had his headband antennae shaking vigorously as he danced, giving off a comical vibe. Others around were chatting in twos and threes, the atmosphere relaxed and carefree.

Renly greeted a few acquaintances and then walked over to Stanley, who was sitting nearby. "So, how was the parade today? Neil was telling stories about the parade, saying there was a streaker running wild on the streets?" Stanley asked with a chuckle.

Renly lightly laughed, "Is that all he saw? Then, if he saw two sexy leprechauns doing something inappropriate in public, would he faint?" The teasing made Stanley burst into laughter.

Renly placed his backpack on the table, and Stanley admired, "Impressive! Did you make it yourself?"

"Of course not, it was made by Nia in room 201." Nia was a middle-aged African American woman living in Renly's building, warm-hearted and straightforward. "Here, this is for you, a happy St. Patrick's Day!" Renly took out a beautiful green card from his backpack and handed it to Stanley.

"Are you Irish? I thought you were English?" Stanley took the card, showing a surprised expression. Generally, there's no custom of giving gifts on St. Patrick's Day, so Stanley was joking about Renly being Irish.

Renly shrugged, mischievously saying, "I don't think of this as a Valentine's Day gift, but if you say it's a Christmas gift, I'll accept."

Stanley couldn't help but grin, then opened the card. Inside was a Polaroid photo, clearly showing the gate of Pioneer Village. Stanley recognized it at a glance. "Oh, thank you!" He examined the photo closely, "You captured this entrance beautifully. Wait, are you sure this was taken here?"

Renly knew that Stanley mistakenly thought the photo was the gift. He pointed to the photo, "Are you sure everything inside is consistent?"

Stanley paused, then took out his reading glasses from his pocket and put them on. After a careful examination, he quickly noticed the anomaly in the window. But he didn't quite understand

. He took off his glasses and looked at Renly again, "What does this mean?"

Renly gave a helpless smile, "Do you want me to reveal the mystery? Then there won't be any surprises. I thought the meaning of a gift lies in the process of discovery."

Stanley didn't immediately speak, but pondered seriously. Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck him, and his eyes lit up. "So, you...you mean you uploaded the song 'Cleopatra'?" Even before Renly could confirm, a smile started to spread across Stanley's face, brimming with genuine excitement and madness, as transparent and genuine as crystal.

"Yes," Renly affirmed. "It took some time, but now it's available for purchase on major online music stores."

The speed of the song's release was much faster than Renly had imagined. After waking up that day, Renly registered the copyright at the U.S. National Library. Three days later, the song's copyright was confirmed as original, and then it took another three days for the song to be available for legitimate download on major online music platforms like iTunes and Amazon, priced at ninety-nine cents.

The entire process was indeed very convenient, with almost no tedious procedures. From start to finish, it took less than a week to complete smoothly. Renly didn't need to pay any fees to the music copyright office because they would directly deduct their share from the single's earnings according to industry standards, achieving profits.

More importantly, if Renly had signed with a large company as an independent musician, his earnings would likely have been even lower. Not only because he lacked a big-name producer behind him, but also because he didn't have a strong enough agent to negotiate for him. In short, it would often be below the industry average.

But through the music copyright office, Renly's contract was directly at the industry average for new singers. Although not much, it was still something. No negotiations, no bargaining, all done in one step.

Stanley's eyes sparkled with excitement, but he didn't know what to say. He lowered his head, delicately rubbing the Polaroid photo with his fingertips, as if scrutinizing his most precious possession.

For Renly, it was just a gift, nothing special. But he could feel that it meant a lot to Stanley, which made Renly smile too. He knew he had chosen the right gift.

"I hope you don't mind me using the facade of the bar for the cover. You better not start thinking about taking royalties from me," Renly joked, breaking the brief silence. Stanley burst into a big smile, his hearty laughter sounding full of vitality.