Chapter 59
After the finale of "Empress Wu Zetian", the two lead actors were inundated with interviews and announcements, enjoying immense popularity for a time.
Xu Ying had a lot of free time at home, so on a whim, she suddenly decided to take Lin Zhongxu, Grandma Wang, and Grandpa Li on a spontaneous trip.
Lin Zhongxu was somewhat surprised to hear this: "A road trip?"
"Yes, we don't need to go anywhere far. We can go to the next city. Isn't the lantern street in the next city famous? We can go and have a look while you're not in school yet!"
To promote local tourism, the neighboring city government designated a specific area a few years ago for a lantern festival, which gradually evolved into a night market with stalls, but the lanterns are still displayed.
Xu Ying had never been there in person, but there were many related photos online. A quick search revealed photos full of everyday life and atmosphere.
It looks pretty good.
Xu Ying: "Do you want to go?"
Lin Zhongxu nodded: "Yes, I think about it. I don't have any problems. I'll go back and ask my grandparents."
He was a little worried that the two elderly people might not want to go.
As it turned out, he was overthinking it. Grandma Wang and Grandpa Li immediately agreed after hearing his explanation. Since retiring, the two of them had nothing to do all day, and they were very happy to go out and play with the younger generation.
"Okay, then you guys pack your bags tonight, and we'll leave tomorrow morning."
"Still packing your luggage?"
"Of course, staying overnight there will make it more relaxing to enjoy the trip. Besides, we can't just visit the night market; we can also see other attractions."
Going out to have fun is all about having a good time.
Going and returning on the same day is too rushed and unnecessary.
The group set off happily the next morning. Xu Ying checked the time before driving; it was a little after nine o'clock. By the time she arrived at the hotel she had booked in the neighboring city, it was not yet noon.
"It's quite close."
She didn't feel tired while driving.
Lin Zhongxu hummed in agreement and went around to the trunk to get his bags. They were only going out for two days, so they didn't need to bring much; two bags would be enough.
He walked over to Xu Ying, carrying his bag, and said, "I'll drive you back."
"Sure."
Xu Ying did not refuse. She was in high spirits when she came and thought she would drive herself. Since Lin Zhongxu also wanted to drive, she would let him drive on the way back.
After registering at the hotel front desk, the four of them left their backpacks in their hotel room and went to a nearby local restaurant for a meal. In Grandpa Li's words, since they were here, they should try the local farmhouse cuisine.
"The taste is still pretty good," Grandpa Li kept praising on the way back to the hotel after the meal. He just loves the taste of food cooked in a big iron pot.
Lin Zhongxu nodded casually in agreement for a few moments, then asked, "Grandma and Grandpa, should I come over and call you around four o'clock?"
The two elderly people were not very energetic and wanted to take a nap after lunch.
"Sure."
......
Upon arriving at the hotel, everyone went back to their respective rooms.
Xu Ying had only been sitting in her room for a few minutes when she received a message from Lin Zhongxu on her phone, asking if she was planning to take a nap.
After thinking for a moment, Xu Ying replied: I don't plan to.
Lin Zhongxu replied instantly: I'm not sleeping either, I'm so bored, I'll come find you.
Xu Ying: Come here.
A few minutes after the two exchanged messages, Lin Zhongxu came over with a camera and knocked on the door.
Xu Ying was pleasantly surprised: "You even brought a camera?"
No wonder his bag was so bulging.
“Yeah, I figured since we’re out having fun, I should take lots of pictures of you guys,” Lin Zhongxu said, bending down to fiddle with his camera before raising it and pointing it at Xu Ying. “I’ll take one of you first to test it out.”
Xu Ying reacted quickly, smiling at the camera. Only after the photo was taken did she relax and complain, "You were too sudden!"
“But the effect is not bad, look,” Lin Zhongxu turned the camera around to show her the picture.
She has a serene smile in the picture, and she does look quite pretty.
"It's alright. Give me the camera, I'd like to try it too."
Xu Ying was eager to try, so Lin Zhongxu handed her the camera.
Xu Ying took the camera and started taking pictures of Lin Zhongxu, but her photography skills were clearly inferior to Lin Zhongxu's, and the composition of the photos she took looked very casual.
"It's all thanks to your tough and handsome appearance that this photo is still good," otherwise it would be unbearable to look at.
Xu Ying wasn't very enthusiastic about taking photos. After fiddling with the camera for a short while, she lost all interest: "Here you go."
Xu Ying handed the camera back to Lin Zhongxu and casually lay down on the bed to play with her phone. Lin Zhongxu also stopped playing and put the camera on the table. He then chose another corner of the bed to lie down and play with the camera together.
For a moment, no one spoke in the room.
Neither of them felt awkward. They were already quite familiar with each other and didn't need to exchange pleasantries or be polite at all times.
The two of them played on their phones and chatted occasionally until four o'clock before going out with Grandma Wang and Grandpa Li.
The four of them first went to the local wetland park.
The park was still two hours away from closing time, so it would be just the right amount of time for them to drive there and take a stroll.
In the park, Lin Zhongxu fulfilled his role as a photographer, snapping photos all the way. Sometimes it was people posing for pictures, and sometimes it was him taking candid shots.
Because of taking photos, the more than one-hour walk in the park felt a little too short.
"The scenic area has already announced that it's closing time, let's hurry up and leave," Lin Zhongxu said, putting away his camera and leading the other three out after taking the last picture.
Xu Ying was completely disoriented at this point.
The park was too big, and she got a little lost as she walked. Grandma Wang and Grandpa Li were in the same boat. The three of them just followed Lin Zhongxu and they couldn't go wrong.
After leaving the park, the four headed straight for the lantern street.
By now it was getting dark, and the lanterns on the walls of the streets and in front of the shops were lit up, creating a truly beautiful sight.
Xu Ying looked around the whole way. The lanterns were all different shapes and the various little animals looked extremely cute.
Lin Zhongxu glanced at his phone: "How about we go eat first, and then come out and buy some snacks afterwards?"
"Sure, no problem."
“I saw a restaurant on my phone, and it looks pretty good. How about we go there?” Lin Zhongxu said, handing his phone to the three of them to show them.
Grandma Wang and Grandpa Li waved their hands, refusing to look, and left the decision to the two young people.
Xu Ying nodded: "Let's go with this one."
It doesn't really matter what we eat; the main thing is the atmosphere of being with a group of people.
......
After finishing her meal, Xu Ying noticed that there were many more people on the street. She turned to her grandparents and said, "Let's keep an eye on each other while we walk, so we don't get lost."
There are too many people here; they might get separated in the crowd if they look away for even a moment.
Grandma Wang and Grandpa Li weren't worried at all: "Don't be afraid, it's not like we don't know how to make phone calls. Even if we get separated, we can still contact you."
Hearing her say that, Xu Ying felt much more at ease; it seemed she had been overly cautious.
The four of them walked side by side with the flow of people. Above them were rows of large red lanterns, and on both sides were various food stalls. The stalls were exquisite and clearly made in a standardized and controlled manner, with a consistent style.
There were many tourists around them dressed in ancient costumes. Xu Ying, with her sharp eyes, spotted a costume that resembled that of the Tang Dynasty. She got excited and patted Lin Zhongxu's arm to point it out to him.
"Look at those two girls over there!"
“It’s the look from ‘Empress Wu Zetian’,” Lin Zhongxu recognized them at a glance. One of them was wearing a blue Tang suit, and the other was wearing a scarlet one, both classic looks of Empress Wu Zetian in the drama.
Even the yellow peony flower that Wu Zetian wore on her head was included in the two figures, making them quite accurate.
Xu Ying was somewhat pleased.
It seems that my novel has some meaning. The people living here have gradually accepted Tang suits, and they will gradually get used to and accept them as a part of their lives.
Xu Ying's attention was momentarily distracted when she saw the two girls in Tang suits.
Seeing this, Lin Zhongxu grabbed her arm and led her forward. By the time Xu Ying came to her senses, they had already walked quite a distance.
"It smells so good!"
Xu Ying sighed, the aroma of delicious food filling her nostrils. Her stomach was full, but she felt a little restless.
"Do you want to eat it? If so, I'll go buy it."
Xu Ying hesitated for a moment, wanting to eat but unable to finish it.
Lin Zhongxu seemed to see through her hesitation: "If we buy it, we can eat it together. It will be gone in about two bites each."
"Then let's go buy it."
Lin Zhongxu pulled Xu Ying along, and Xu Ying pulled Grandma Wang and the others along, and they all stood together in front of the food stall.
While waiting for the stall owner to prepare the food, Xu Ying had a sudden inspiration and wondered why she didn't write a food-themed novel.
Food-themed novels are considered a classic genre in online literature, but in Yu Kingdom, she hasn't seen anyone write this type of story yet.
If no one else can write it, then she will.
Xu Ying's mind raced, and she decided on the setting of the food novel in almost a second: interstellar, it had to be interstellar.
She has already written two novels set in ancient times, so it's time to change things up and write something different. Interstellar food novels are quite good, with a light and humorous writing style, completely different from her previous two books.
Hmm... then let's set her protagonist as a chef. Since she's a chef, it's easy to explain why she's so good at cooking after traveling to interstellar space.
Lost in thought, Xu Ying was startled when the stall owner handed her the item. She took it instinctively and then snapped out of her reverie.
Lin Zhongxu had already noticed that something was wrong with her: "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
Xu Ying shook her head: "It's nothing."
She was simply struck by a sudden burst of inspiration, her mind racing while her body seemed a little sluggish.
Xu Ying was not a procrastinator. Since she already had the inspiration to write, she turned on her computer and started writing the outline of her interstellar food novel as soon as she got home the next afternoon.
In interstellar food novels, the protagonist must start with a huge debt.
The protagonist must also unexpectedly save a kitten. This kitten is no ordinary kitten. In fact, this kitten is the spiritual entity of an Imperial Marshal who was seriously injured and went missing in an interstellar war.
The protagonist healed the marshal with delicious food, and the marshal gradually fell in love with the protagonist in the process. And that's how love happens!
As Xu Ying wrote, she started to laugh.
To be honest, these tactics are a bit too old-fashioned for her, but nobody in the world has ever seen them before. Tactics have always been popular, and the fact that these tactics have endured for so long demonstrates the huge market potential.
Xu Ying wrote over a thousand words, and only after finishing did she realize that she seemed to have forgotten to set how the protagonist should promote food.
Simple.
Let's do a live stream!
In this interstellar age, with planets merging, the protagonist opening a shop would have too limited a reach. So why not just livestream his cooking and become a major internet celebrity across the entire galaxy?
As for the title, "Interstellar Food Live Stream"... no, no, that's too ordinary. How about "After Live Streaming My Cooking, I Became an Interstellar Internet Celebrity"?
The name sounded fun, and Xu Ying immediately decided on it.
Just as Xu Ying was still brainstorming ideas for her new article, Lin Zhongxu came to knock on the door. He had been carefully selecting photos for a long time that afternoon and wanted to bring them over to show Xu Ying to see if she was satisfied.
When he entered, he saw Xu Ying sitting in front of the computer, wearing glasses and looking very serious. He was a little surprised: "You...are you writing a novel?"
"right."
"Have you found an inspiration?"
So fast? Didn't you say you hadn't decided what to write before you went out to play?
Xu Ying shrugged, a smile playing at the corners of her eyes, and said, "There's nothing we can do about it; that's just how naturally gifted players are."
Lin Zhongxu opened his eyes wide and couldn't help but laugh along with her. The longer he spent with Sister Xiaoying, the more he could feel the narrow-mindedness in her bones.
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