I’m really immortal Chapter 94

At noon, Liu Chang’an and Ann Wan went together to the pedestrian street near the river in Hedong to grab some food. Although it’s a popular spot for locals, most people from other cities would rather not visit, except for the fact that the traditional street food and night market in Junsha have been developed into a so-called “Food Heaven”, attracting many locals. However, unlike tourists, they have a clearer idea of which “century-old shops” are authentic and which ones are just selling “humanistic feelings”.

The “Shui Gong Temple” signboard was sparkling, with the famous braised meat and stinky tofu as their signature dishes. However, besides serving dishes to relatives and friends who came to pay their respects, locals rarely go there.

Liu Chang’an looked at the signboard of Shui Gong Temple and said, “Didn’t you know that in 1973, Hua Luo Cheng conducted an experiment here for over a month and concluded that the best way to fry dough sticks is to have the small ones at 224 degrees Celsius, the medium ones at 155 degrees Celsius, and the large ones between 195 to 200 degrees Celsius, which would result in the biggest volume, the best taste, and the least oil consumption?”

Ann Wan didn’t like eating dough sticks; instead, she often had Da Yuan’s big buns when she was a kid. Her mom said that Da Yuan’s buns were very delicious back then, and during the Dragon Boat Festival, they even sold 170,000 buns.

“How do you remember all these uncommon facts?” Ann Wan asked.

“It’s not like everyone doesn’t know this, right? That was the era of promoting optimization techniques nationwide… being able to save materials to the maximum extent in production was like treating one yuan as ten yuan…,” Liu Chang’an said, waving his hand. “Let’s go, forget about the past, what shall we eat today?”

“Eat the big dough sticks fried at 200 degrees Celsius.” Ann Wan smiled.

Liu Chang’an also smiled, looking at Ann Wan walking in front of him, her ponytail bouncing with each step. Ah, this dear girl, her ponytail and fringe were just so lovable.

The two of them arrived at a new food court called Tai Fu Temple, due to the fact that Junsha was once the place where Jia Yi was exiled, and there was also a “Jia Mansion” nearby. Many people even believed that Jia Yi was from Junsha, or they would mix him up with the Jia Mansion in “Dream of the Red Chamber”.

Liu Chang’an was about to say something, but Ann Wan had already stuffed a piece of stinky tofu into his mouth.

“Can’t you just shut up for once?” Ann Wan said triumphantly, holding a small plate of stinky tofu. If Liu Chang’an could keep talking like this all the time, it would be great, but unfortunately, his eloquence was often wasted on casual chatter.

Not really, though. Occasionally, he would say something that would make her heart skip a beat and fill her with sweet excitement.

In the past, people often said that stinky tofu smells awful but tastes great, but nowadays, stinky tofu basically doesn’t have that “awful smell” anymore. The first shop on the left as you enter Tai Fu Temple sells stinky tofu, and Junsha’s stinky tofu is mostly black, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, served with a small bowl of sauce for five to fifteen yuan. In fact, stinky tofu is just like instant noodles – you might not eat it often, but when you do, you might feel a little sick of it after a while.

After eating the stinky tofu, they went to the second shop, a fruit stall, where Ann Wan picked out cherries, yellow peaches, dragon fruits, passionfruits, and watermelons.

The third shop was a barbecue stall, with big squid tentacles, chicken wings, lamb chops, and various fried insects, including scorpions, centipedes, and silkworms.

“You love eating that…,” Ann Wan said, half-scared, hiding behind Liu Chang’an and giggling.

Ann Wan suddenly remembered many scenes from movies and TV dramas where the girl would use the excuse “you eat that, I won’t kiss you” to stop her boyfriend from eating something weird.

The key was that she and Liu Chang’an hadn’t reached that stage yet, and Ann Wan looked at Liu Chang’an with expectation, hoping he could read her mind.

“You want to eat it? Better not,” Liu Chang’an said, waving his hand. “If it’s fresh, whether it’s grilled or fried, the taste is extremely good. But these small stalls, since not many people eat them, they have a long shelf life, so they tend to fry them until they’re almost dry, which makes them taste bitter and astringent… if you want to eat it…”

Ann Wan went to order a spicy pot instead.

Liu Chang’an also ordered a dish of braised lamb’s belly, and Ann Wan got a spicy pot with a mix of vegetarian and meat dishes. Then, they went to find a seat on the less crowded upper floor.

“Guess who I saw?” Ann Wan said excitedly after washing her hands.

“Who?”

Ann Wan hit Liu Chang’an and pointed to his right, “Bai Liu and Zhao Wuqiang are sitting right there!”

“Looks like Zhao Wuqiang’s injury has stabilized.” Liu Chang’an said with a mix of satisfaction and regret, since Zhao Wuqiang didn’t get to take the college entrance exam. It’s all about fate, indeed.

“White Liu and Zhao Wuqiang!” Ann Wan reminded Liu Chang’an to focus, keeping an eye on his expression. If he showed even a hint of jealousy, Ann Wan wouldn’t eat her lunch today.

“Liu Chang’an and Ann Wan!”

“Ugh, I’m trying to have a serious conversation with you, and you’re ruining it,” Ann Wan said, stirring the spicy pot. Since Liu Chang’an didn’t seem to be jealous, Ann Wan decided to eat first and then decide whether to use her hunger as a form of protest.

“Well, do you think they think we’re on a date?”

Ann Wan glanced around, slightly raised her chin, and let out a subtle hum. “We’re just daily acquaintances.”

“Daily dates,” Liu Chang’an said, laughing.

Ann Wan didn’t argue, as Liu Chang’an’s words made her unwilling to confront him.

But Ann Wan was still curious about what Bai Liu and Zhao Wuqiang were talking about. While eating, she sneaked glances at them, feeling that Zhao Wuqiang’s emotions were somewhat agitated, but she couldn’t quite hear their conversation.

“Zhao Wuqiang said he hopes Bai Liu will give him a chance, and he’ll work hard to catch up with her. He doesn’t mind if Bai Liu has relationships with others in college, but once he gets in, he’ll pursue her sincerely,” Liu Chang’an said to reassure Ann Wan, summarizing what Zhao Wuqiang had said. “That’s what he just said, basically a confession, explaining his secret crush on Bai Liu during high school.”

“How did you know?” Ann Wan asked, surprised.

“I could hear some of it,” Liu Chang’an said.

Ann Wan quickly sat down beside Liu Chang’an, then realized she still couldn’t hear clearly, so she let Liu Chang’an continue summarizing. She wondered why Liu Chang’an could hear it but she couldn’t.

“Bai Liu said she came to wish him good luck on his retake and told him not to be disheartened by setbacks. He should take this as a test of character, and once he gets into college, he’ll meet more beautiful girls or find someone more suitable for him. As for her, she won’t pursue romance in college, and even if Zhao Wuqiang does get in, she’ll only treat him as a friend, just like Qian Ning and Lu Yuan.”

Ann Wan bit into a cherry, listening attentively with a thoughtful expression.

Liu Chang’an thought that girls were really strange – when they listened to gossip, they were even more focused than when they listened to lectures, and they even showed a clever analytical air. High school teacher Gao Cunyi once said that when he explained questions to Miao Yingying, Miao Yingying would stare blankly like an animal in a zoo, sometimes resembling a bear, sometimes a giraffe.

Ann Wan, on the other hand, was like a beautiful swan, now looking like a leisurely, idle swan gossiping with the nearby ducks.

“I completely didn’t hear it, did you make it up?” Ann Wan finally judged, sitting back down across from Liu Chang’an. It was inconvenient to share food with him sitting next to her.

“Eat up, it’s all cold.”

Just then, Ann Wan saw Bai Liu suddenly flare up, pour water from the table on Zhao Wuqiang, and Zhao Wuqiang’s expression turned violent and uncontrolled.

“Bai Liu!” Ann Wan exclaimed, standing up.

Zhao Wuqiang and Bai Liu both froze, turning to look at Ann Wan, as well as Liu Chang’an, who was eating his spicy pot with a calm expression.

Zhao Wuqiang looked extremely surprised, let out a cold laugh, and pointed at Ann Wan and Liu Chang’an before turning to leave.

The commotion wasn’t small, and many people gathered to watch, but it quickly dispersed, leaving the atmosphere on the upper floor somewhat dull.

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