What's your name?

"Jiang Yuyan~"

"And you?"

"My name is Kong Yuzhen. What a coincidence! We both have the character 'Yu' in our names. By the way, are you a local?"

Su Qingci shook her head, "No, I'm from Hunan."

"What a coincidence, I'm not a local either, I'm from Shanghai."

Because of the entanglement with that strange couple earlier, Kong Yuzhen followed Su Qingci out, acting like a bully.

She instantly became a big fan of Su Qingci.

Su Qingci knew that their relationship couldn't possibly be very deep given their casual acquaintance, so she wanted to quickly establish a strong friendship with Kong Yuzhen before the Kong family came looking for her.

At that time, Kong Yuzhen will have to take him back on her own initiative, which is not easy to do in a short period of time.

Her mind raced, and she made up her mind: what could be more profound than the bond between life-and-death friends who had shared troubles and hardships together?

"Judging from your clothes and demeanor, you don't seem to come from an ordinary family. What are you doing in Kyoto? Are you going to school or working?"

Hearing Su Qingci's subtle praise, Kong Yuzhen felt a surge of joy and found her even more pleasing to the eye.

“I came here with my brother. My brother is a purchasing agent who is always traveling. I just graduated and I can’t stay at home. So I kept pestering him to come with me.”

"And you?"

"Sigh~"

Su Qingci sighed, "It's a long story..."

Next, through Su Qingci's narration, the story of a girl who lost her father at an early age, whose mother remarried and lived a difficult life as a dependent since childhood, was born, and she went to the capital to find her relatives.

The film highlights the girl's tragic fate, her resilience, her kindness, and her complete lack of support, with her relatives all eyeing the compensation money her father had earned with his life.

Kong Yuzhen's eyes welled up with tears as she listened.

"Yu Yan, you are not alone. From now on, I will be your friend."

A fleeting look of joy crossed Su Qingci's face, but it quickly faded away.

"Forget it, we're just strangers who met by chance. I'm used to being alone, so don't try to fool me. I might take it seriously later."

Kong Yuzhen grasped her hand, "I, Kong Yuzhen, keep my word. I said I'd be your friend, and I will!"

Su Qingci's face showed a mixture of awkwardness and longing. "You said it, you can't go back on your word."

"Okay, let's pinky swear."

After the two established a thin friendship, Su Qingci began to let Kong Yuzhen let loose.

"Although I didn't find my uncle in the capital, I did have someone make a travel guide for Kyoto."

As she spoke, Su Qingci took out several pieces of yellow paper torn from her workbook from her handbag.

"Look, this is Kyoto University, here's a library open to the public, then there's the Toho Market, and here's the Sports Park, the Overseas Chinese Building, the National Cultural Center..."

Su Qingci's fair fingers pointed across the workbook.

"I've never been here before, here, here."

Kong Yuzhen looked up and said, "Yuyan, you're really something! I was just wondering where to go for a walk, and you even have a map. Perfect timing, we can go together and keep each other company."

"Let's go, let's take a walk while we still have time before we go find something to eat."

The two strolled around Kyoto University and then took a walk around the library before finally finding a place to eat, their bodies covered in sweat.

Kong Yuzhen pointed to the street across the street and shouted, "Yuyan, go there, see? It says 'fried dough cakes and bean juice,' as well as 'cornmeal porridge.'"

Su Qingci's eyes lit up. "Let's go, let's go! This place is close to the school. There will be a lot of people later. Let's grab a spot before they finish class."

When it was time for lunch, the two of them started looking at the menu hanging on the windowsill.

The menu for today was written in chalk: steamed buns with fried liver, fried dough sticks with soy milk, steamed buns with rice porridge, fried dough sticks with baked flatbread and fried tofu, rice balls in soup, fermented bean juice and fried dough rolls, cornbread and cornmeal porridge.

Su Qingci looked at the menu and said, "I'd like a rice ball soup and a serving of fermented bean curd rolls."

Kong Yuzhen quickly scanned the menu and called out, "I'll also have a serving of douzhi and jiaoquan, and a serving of youbing."

After settling the bill, Kong Yuzhen quickly took out her money, saying, "Don't try to take it from me, this meal is on me."

Su Qingci didn't argue with her, and said with a smile, "Okay, please."

The two found a seat and sat down. The number of customers in the hall gradually increased. Before the food was served, two men and one woman came to share a table with them.

At this time, the tables were mostly large tables, unlike the single or double tables of later generations.

The cook was quick and efficient; soon both of their things were served.

Kong Yuzhen's nostrils twitched involuntarily as she slowly moved closer to the soy milk on the table.

"Waiter, has this gone bad? It smells sour and rancid!"

Su Qingci also lowered her head and sniffed, "It looks neither green nor gray nor blue, why does it smell so strange?"

The waiter smiled and said, "You two ladies are from out of town, aren't you?"

"People from other places, not everyone can get used to drinking this. This soy milk is made from fermented soy products. It is not only nutritious, but also refreshing and aids digestion. It is a rare delicacy."

Before Su Qingci and her companion could even speak, the three people opposite them were already clamoring for one serving each.

The waiter kindly asked, "You must be from out of town too, right? Would you like to try one first?"

Yu Liang said unhappily, "What? You look down on us, don't you? Do you think I can't afford to pay?"

The waiter smiled awkwardly, "I was just worried that you guys wouldn't like the food and it would be a waste!"

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!