Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 103 Features

Xiao Wei and Xia Maosheng went inside. The two women glanced at them and then continued knitting and talking.

The two walked to the counter, and Xia Maosheng asked, "Do you have any standard rooms available?"

Two women looked over, and one of them asked, "Do you have a letter of introduction?"

Xia Maosheng reached into his inner pocket and said, "Yes, I'm from the Beipiao Municipal Government, here on business."

The woman pursed her lips and said, "If you have one, just show it. It doesn't matter where it is. It's all about connections. Does the government send two little kids like you to do something? What's the matter?" She put down her sweater, stood up, rummaged through the counter, and took out a registration form.

Xia Maosheng pulled out a letter of introduction and handed it over, saying, "You know what, I really am here on business. Besides, we're not young anymore, we're in our twenties. What? You guys still look down on us?"

The woman took the letter of introduction, glanced at it, wrote something on the registration form, and said, "Pay up. I don't care what you're doing here. You're not old, but you're still quite energetic." The woman sitting over there laughed and said, "These days, all the young people in their twenties are up and running. Our generation is about done, we're getting old. Look at the people coming out to do business these days, there are more and more people in their twenties."

After paying a 20 yuan deposit, we received slippers, a washbasin, and a thermos. The two of us took the key and went upstairs. The room was on the second floor, although the illegal building was only two stories high.

Xiao Wei carried the things while Xia Maosheng unlocked the door. Inside, there were two 1.5-meter wooden beds, and opposite them was an old-fashioned desk with a television on it. Next to the television was a flange plate with two teacups on it. That was all the facilities in the room. To use the toilet, you had to go to the other end of the corridor to the public restroom.

However, the heating in this room is quite strong, making it very warm.

Xia Maosheng said, "You stay near the radiator, I'll sleep here."

Xiao Wei hummed in agreement, put down the basin, slippers, and thermos he was carrying, walked over, and lay down on the bed, humming contentedly a few times. This was the life! Xia Maosheng also lay down on the bed, stretched comfortably, and hummed in agreement.

Then there is no more then.

The two of them fell asleep and slept until 6:30 the next morning.

I woke up from hunger.

The two opened their eyes at the same time, glanced at each other, and realized that neither of them had taken off their clothes or covered themselves with blankets. They had been lying there sleeping for about ten hours.

After getting up and washing up, the two of them sat on the bed and started talking.

Xia Maosheng patted the white pillow and blanket and said, "Want to sleep a little longer?"

Xiao Wei leaned against the blanket, lit a cigarette, and said, "You can still sleep?"

Xia Maosheng said, "I can't sleep, but it's a bit early, and there's not much to eat outside. I'm starving."

Looking out the still dark window, Xiao Wei said, "I'm hungry too. I slept so well, I'll feel even better after eating something. Ugh, it's really not easy to go out." He stretched.

Xia Maosheng got up, walked to the window, looked outside, and said, "It's almost dawn. We can see quite far now. It's dark outside because the lights are on inside. Why don't we go out for a walk? Maybe we'll find something to eat."

Xiao Wei looked out the window and said, "Okay, let's go. I'm really hungry. I should have bought some bread yesterday."

In this day and age, bread and sausages were still considered genuinely good things.

The two of them got up, locked the door, and went downstairs.

The person on duty downstairs was already up, sitting by the stove warming himself and smoking. Seeing the two of them come down, he asked, "Up so early? Going out?"

Xia Maosheng said, "I'm hungry, I woke up hungry. Do you have anything to eat here, sir?"

The old man stood up to get his keys and said, "Go to the back and see if there's anything in the alley behind. People live there and go to work; they get up early. There's nothing on the main street right now; it's not even dawn yet. In the dead of winter, who wouldn't want to stay home a little longer?"

The old man opened the door with a clatter, and the two of them stepped outside. As soon as they stepped out, a gust of cold wind hit them, and they both shivered involuntarily.

Although it wasn't fully light yet, things were already visible. The two followed the old man's directions and walked towards the residential building behind the building. After a few steps, their faces became numb from the wind; it was too strong.

As they walked, Xiaowei asked, "What good food do you have around here?"

Xia Maosheng was walking backwards with his back to the front. Many people in Northeast China walk like this in winter. He said, "Chaoyang, millet, Chaoyang millet is the most famous, and dates too, those dates are so sweet, really."

Xiao Wei sighed and said, "I'm talking about now, breakfast."

Xia Maosheng said "Oh," thought for a moment, and said, "Millet porridge, duck eggs, fried dough sticks with tofu pudding, fried dough sticks with soy sauce, dried shrimp wontons. Hey, let me tell you, there's a place near the bus station that makes incredibly delicious dried shrimp wontons."

Xiao Wei said, "Can you forget about your wontons? Did you grow up soaking in wonton bowls in your past life? I said they're special, especially delicious ones."

Xia Maosheng thought for a moment and said, "Guogua, Wantuo, and mutton offal soup. Let me tell you, the mutton offal soup in Kazuo is really good. Just pick a steamed bun, take a sip of the mutton soup, and the taste is just amazing."

Xiao Wei said, "That's it? Is that all? What's 'ge suo'? What's 'wan tuo'?"

Xia Maosheng said, "Does dried tofu count? And persimmons too, the persimmons from my hometown are famous. Hehe, so delicious. Ge guo is made from mung bean flour, I don't know how to make it. Wan tuo is made from buckwheat flour, it's good to eat in summer, but a bit cold in winter. Oh right, tofu pudding, let me tell you, the tofu pudding from Lingyuan is really famous."

Xiao Wei said, "This place isn't small, but why don't you have many things to eat?"

Xia Maosheng said, "You mean special features? We eat pretty much the same things, what can be considered special? What do you have in your area? Special features."

Xiao Wei thought for a moment and said, "No. What could we have in our small mountain town? But we do have things like dried tofu and mutton soup, you know, what? Ge suo? Wantuo? No, I've never heard of it."

After passing the government area, there are residential buildings behind it, and sure enough, there are breakfast options, quite a few, four or five in a row.

The two of them went from stall to stall, looking at the flatbread and tofu pudding. It seemed like everyone in Northeast China ate flatbread and tofu pudding for breakfast. Lamb offal soup—sure enough, there was a place that made that, but Xiaowei thought it was a bit strange to eat that so early in the morning. Fried dough sticks and soy milk, millet porridge, meat buns, and wontons.

Millet porridge, meat buns, and wontons are all from the same place, which is perfect. Xia Maosheng ate his Qian Gu wontons, while Xiao Wei ordered millet porridge and meat buns.

Millet porridge is a good thing; it replenishes qi and blood, strengthens yang energy, and dispels cold. In Northeast China, women are not allowed to eat anything during their postpartum period except millet porridge with boiled eggs. There is a reason for this, which shows how good millet is.

A large bowl of hot, sticky millet porridge, with boiled eggs soaking in it, and several large meat buns on the side. Xia Maosheng sipped his wontons and laughed, saying, "You're doing this like you're in postpartum confinement. Aren't you afraid of getting a nosebleed from all that nourishing?"

Xiao Wei rolled his eyes and took a bite of the steaming hot meat bun. It was filled with sauerkraut and pork. These days, meat is good; anything with a little meat on it is delicious.