After the noodles arrived, the four of them ate so much they couldn't lift their heads. Liu Zi and Aunt Zhang also had to take care of the two children who were eating slurping their food from time to time.
The shopkeeper saw that the noodles were for the children, so he cut them into very thin and wide slices and paid attention to the cooking time. The two children could eat them without any worries about indigestion.
Aunt Zhang finished her bowl of noodles and said contentedly, "The broth is really well-made, and the noodles are chewy and springy. They clearly put a lot of effort into it."
"Try this sesame seed cake; it tastes best when it's fresh out of the oven."
The golden-brown baked flatbreads, each only the size of a chess piece, are a specialty of this shop.
"Oh my, these sesame seed cakes look so good! I've really learned a lot from coming out here." Aunt Zhang happily picked up a sesame seed cake and took a bite.
"It tastes good, you should all try it." Aunt Zhang excitedly picked out two pieces of meat from the minced meat and put them into the two children's bowls.
"Please eat it yourself, there's still so much left on the table!" Liu Zi told Aunt Zhang not to be polite.
In short, the family of four ate until they were stuffed before heading home. Of course, they didn't forget to bring back some food for Liu's parents: two servings of spicy soup, chess-piece-shaped sesame cakes, and roujiamo (Chinese hamburger).
When they arrived at the hotel, Liu Daqiang was already awake, rubbing his head and drinking honey water.
Of course, there was also no shortage of nagging from Liu's mother, Xu Mei.
"Alright, enough about him, come and eat first!" Liu Zi put the takeout food she brought back on the table.
Mr. and Mrs. Liu spent quite a long time in Anshi back then, and they felt especially nostalgic eating this now.
“The spicy soup in Anshi tastes different from the one in Henan Province. Every time I finish drinking, I miss the old flavor of Anshi. We can’t get this in Beijing.” Liu Daqiang said while eating, which made his mother complain that he was nagging.
“Zizi, yesterday your Uncle Xu and Uncle Wang both said that we should go back to the military region’s guesthouse. It’s too expensive here. Let’s pack our things and go stay there for a couple of days!” Liu Daqiang suddenly said.
Liu Zi thought about it. Although they now have bodyguards protecting them when they go out, they still need to be more careful with two children. The military guesthouse is undoubtedly the best choice.
“Okay, let’s pack our things in a bit and put our luggage in the car first. We’re going out to play today, so let’s go straight back to the military guesthouse tonight!” Liu Zi came up with a solution that would satisfy both sides.
"Well, that's settled then. It's all your fault for drinking so much and delaying our departure." Liu's mother glanced at the man beside her.
Liu Daqiang coughed awkwardly twice and didn't say anything more.
Liu Zi had a lot of belongings, and they were quite varied, so she had to move them twice beforehand to get them all downstairs.
"Mommy, are we going home?" Kiki's little face was full of disappointment.
"No, we haven't even played in Anshi yet! We're just changing our accommodations. Grandpa's friend asked us to stay somewhere else." No matter how busy Liu Zi was, she didn't forget about her child's question.
"Is it better over there?" Qiqi asked curiously.
Liu Zi thought for a moment and said, "Although the decoration is not as good as here, it is clean and hygienic, and most importantly, the safety level is higher. Mom doesn't need to worry about your and your sister's safety."
Human traffickers wouldn't abduct children from military guesthouses.
"That's fine too, as long as we don't go home," Qiqi said, sounding like a little adult.
"I haven't had enough fun yet!"
Liu Zi burst out laughing.
"You little rascal, go back and pack your things. If you leave them behind, they won't be easy to find."
Upon hearing Liu Zi's words, Qiqi was horrified and turned to run back.
She brought a lot of her favorite clothes and toys with her, so she can't lose them.
Everyone was very happy to come out and have fun, but Anshi's tourism industry was far less developed than in later generations. Apart from famous attractions such as the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, the Bell Tower, and the Terracotta Army, most other places were dilapidated and in ruins.
Adults can appreciate the rise and fall of history, but the two children don't quite understand it.
Lingzi and Qiqi were initially very interested, but they gradually lost interest later on.
"Our accommodation tonight isn't far from Anshi's food street. We'll go there this evening and buy you some local delicacies." That area used to be a local farmers' market, but it gradually transformed into a specialty food street.
"Great!"
The two children immediately perked up.
Liu Zi also took the opportunity to talk to the two children about Anshi's food culture.
For example, the tomatoes, eggplants, and potatoes that we often eat all come from foreign lands. Anshi was the starting point of the ancient Silk Road.
Long, long ago, merchants used this route through Gansu and Xinjiang provinces to reach Central Asia and West Asia, and some even connected with the Mediterranean countries.
This Silk Road not only facilitated the flow of goods, but also promoted the exchange of culture, religion and technology.
Especially during the Tang Dynasty, the Silk Road experienced unprecedented prosperity, and trade and cultural exchanges between the East and the West reached their peak.
"Wow, that's amazing!" Qiqi exclaimed.
"Do people still travel the Silk Road now?" Lingzi was also curious.
Seeing her daughter's interest, Liu Zi continued her explanation, and gradually, other curious people gathered around.
"With the advent of the Age of Exploration and the development of Europe, the importance of the Silk Road gradually diminished..."
"Mom, what a pity!" Suzuko said regretfully.
“When one path declines, another will surely rise; that’s always been the case!” Liu Zi rubbed her daughter’s head.
"Mom, you know so much!" Qiqi exclaimed admiringly.
"Mom learned it from books too. If you read more books in the future, you will definitely be even better than Mom," Liu Zi encouraged the two little ones.
As the sun began to set, Liu Zi and the others returned to the guesthouse. Liu Daqiang made a phone call, and all the rooms were booked.
The bed here is much firmer, and Liu Daqiang feels that this is more comfortable.
After saying hello to the front desk, Liu Zi and her friends went out to find something to eat. They had promised the children they would visit the food street, but they didn't know if it was as bustling as it was in later years.
It was still different from what she had imagined. The food streets that had become large-scale in later generations were pedestrian streets, with shops on both sides selling food.
However, most of the stalls on both sides now are pushed out by tricycles, but fortunately there is a wide variety of goods.
Liu Daqiang and his two children immediately noticed the Xinshi barbecue skewers. The children had long bamboo skewers with fragrant roasted lamb on them, which looked very appetizing.
In addition, there is the steamed rice cake that Liu's mother and Zhang's aunt like. The perfect blend of sweet dates and red bean filling makes it taste exceptionally tempting.
Of course, some people also set up small tables and stools by the roadside to make it convenient for everyone to eat.
Most of these come with soup, such as sour soup dumplings, oil-splashed noodles, sesame paste cold noodles, and mutton stew with bread...
People were curious and bought some of the stone cakes, crystal cakes, and beef cakes they had never tried before.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
