There is heaven above and Suzhou and Hangzhou below.
Narrow and winding cobblestone paths fill every alley. Mottled wooden doors and rusty door knockers all have their own stories.
The soft Wu dialect beside her ears made Jiang Cha, a northerner, feel embarrassed to speak loudly. Soft and mellow, not at all impatient, she spoke with a calmness.
"Let's go eat first, then go to Lingering Garden and Dongfeng Park. It would be great if I brought a camera to such beautiful places."
"Where is Dongfeng Park?"
She knew about the Humble Administrator's Garden and the Lion Garden, so there was no need to travel all the way to see a park. The Summer Palace and Beihai Park right next to her home were very beautiful; the snow-capped mountains, watchtowers, cable bridges, and tunnels at Taoranting were very fun, as they simulated climbing snow-capped mountains and crossing grasslands.
"Dongfeng Park is the Humble Administrator's Garden. During the Republic of China era, planes bombed it, and much of it collapsed. It was repaired after the founding of the People's Republic of China. Construction took place from 1952 to 1959, but it was later closed as part of the campaign to destroy the "Four Olds." It's now called Dongfeng Park."
The famous Humble Administrator's Garden was renamed Dongfeng, but it's not a courier service and its previous name is not as nice.
I found a roadside state-owned restaurant and had a bowl of noodles with toppings. Suzhou-style noodles are characterized by freshly fried toppings, a chewy texture, and the noodles are rolled up in the bowl, a dish known as crucian carp back.
There are many kinds of toppings, such as pork liver and kidney, braised meat, pork ribs, stir-fried eel, scallion oil, and butter. These all look incredibly delicious.
What surprised them was that a bowl of "Guoqiao" noodles was sprinkled with a layer of white sugar. It is said that this is the traditional Suzhou way of eating. The so-called "Guoqiao" is toppings that are not suitable for adding to noodles, such as pork ribs, fried fish, braised duck, etc., which are served separately on a plate.
A bowl of fragrant noodles, the soup is delicious, but a little sweet. The two outsiders couldn't understand why the people in Suzhou have such an incredible taste.
"Brother, this steak is sprinkled with sugar, it's sweet."
After saying that, he took a bite and revealed the sugar residue at the bottom of the plate. He wanted to have a few bites of pickles while drinking ginger tea.
"Hurry up and eat. Let me show you mine. The braised meat is also sweet."
This was even scarier. The two of them finished eating it quickly because it was so sweet that they didn’t want to talk.
"You two are from outside the city, right? If you're not used to the taste, talk to the noodles next time and it will be better if you remove the sugar."
The two strangers looked at each other, then burst out laughing. Just now they were scratching at the sugar like idiots, trying to shake some off, but who knew there was such a thing as sugar-removing stuff?
"Brother Ning, was the braised meat delicious?"
"Aside from being a little sweet, it's quite delicious. When I came out, I heard from the elderly that chefs these days are using less and less sugar. The noodles don't taste good anymore because they lack flavor."
Hearing this gave Jiang Cha goosebumps. The Suzhou natives' soft, Wu dialect... is it because they eat too much sweets that their food is so soft and sticky? How do they manage to eat so much sugar and still be so slim?
They walked around Liuyuan Garden and Dongfeng Park very quickly. To be honest, the historical relics preserved at that time were not as impressive as the bricks and tiles seen when strolling on the street.
The two of them walked down the street, watching the small bridges and flowing water, the mottled white walls and black tiles, and the stacked small houses.
"Jiang Cha, have you thought about what you want to do in the future? You're always running around, or are you planning to join the army? You've been through so much, and none of them weren't extremely dangerous. Have you ever seriously considered changing jobs or just becoming a communications soldier?"
Jiang Cha looked at Ning Ge in confusion. He wasn't the type to interfere with others too much, and he even asked questions proactively. He suddenly made this suggestion. Was he hoping she would change her career or...
"Why do you ask this? I don't know how many people envy my job! How could you push me to change my career? It's not like I get hurt every time. Don't be so nervous this time. I'm very capable!"
Looking at Brother Ning, who was so much taller than her, it was rare that he didn't refute her. She felt that this outing was not right. Everyone knew they were busy, and there was still a chance to go out and play, and now they were urging her to change her career.
"Are you hiding something from me? Otherwise, you wouldn't have brought me out when you were so busy. And about changing jobs, tell me what's going on, man, don't be so hesitant."
"Come with me, this is not the place to talk."
I followed him back to the park and found a secluded spot where we could talk.
"Your information was leaked by an insider, and the source hasn't been found yet. You've ensnared enemy spies several times, and your head is already incredibly valuable.
Lao Dong and I don't trust the people here. We've been working together to arrest them from several different locations. I don't know which team has the problem. I called you out today to test the waters and see if we can catch a big fish.
I was thinking of hiding something from you, but you guessed it after just a few words. Are you afraid? This time, you're the target. But don't worry, I'll be by your side to protect you and make sure no one can hurt you.
"Oh, I wonder how much the reward is. Am I really a rich lady? If you had told me earlier, I would have cooperated well. We can do it as high-profile as possible."
She thought she would run into a male chauvinist who would dictate her life. But who would have thought he was worried about her? If she hadn't come out, she probably wouldn't have run into him again.
"Should I praise your generosity or say you're heartless? We're so anxious we're on fire, and you're calling me a rich lady? You're worth a thousand pounds, okay?"
The two of them opened up, huddling together to discuss what to do next. Brother Ning handed them a gun, and they quickly loaded it. With their guns already in hand, the situation seemed dire, and they had completely lost all interest in playing around.
"Brother Ning, I just wanted to work hard, have fun, and enjoy life without any pressure. How did it become like this? Life is getting more and more exciting. I wonder what my parents were like back then. It should have been more exciting than this, right?"
"I don't know if it's stimulating or not, but I have heard of your parents. Your father was famous for his loyalty in the army, and no one was very well off back then.
Everyone who has a problem goes to him. He's generous and resourceful, and you take after your father in that respect. Your mother is a military doctor, and she's said to be very capable, saving many lives.
I've heard this from others. Genetics are a strange thing. Your mother was known as a sharp knife, but how come you're known as a slashing knife? You two have different knives, but they have similar names.
Jiang Cha thought, wasn't this an accident? The presence of her as an anomaly had caused a change in their family's genes.
"How do you know my parents? Their ages don't even match."
He was serving in the army in Sichuan Province, so there was no way he was in the same unit with Jiang's father and mother. He was curious about how Brother Ning knew about it.
"My mother knows her. She performed surgery on her on the battlefield. My mother is usually quite respectable, but she was reckless on the battlefield. If it weren't for your mother, she wouldn't have been able to lift her arm. After all, your family is our benefactor. What should we do now?"
"Then think carefully. In ancient times, if you were to meet your savior, if you were pretty, you would be willing to marry him/her. If you were not pretty, you would be forced to work like a slave in the next life. Given our relationship, why don't you treat me to a crab meal when you get back?"
She had been longing for the crabs, hoping that someone would be kind enough to give her a taste.
"I definitely can't do that with a crab. So, I'll have to work like a slave in my next life to repay my kindness. I hope you can understand, after all..."
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