From Wage Slave to Tycoon

Chapter 142: Chapter 114: Bratty Kid on the Loose, Everyone Make Way

"Whew... The winters in the Imperial Capital are seriously cold!"

Su Chen exhaled, and his warm breath instantly condensed into a puff of white mist that dissipated in the air.

Su Chen had been idly scrolling through his phone at home when he stumbled upon a video recommending food in the Imperial Capital.

For some reason... on a sudden whim, he had braved the flurries and dragged Chen Fei out the door, claiming it was to appreciate the winter scenery of the Imperial Capital.

In reality... he just wanted to try the snacks around Shichahai and taste the roast duck at Wangfujing.

After all, the Imperial Capital’s roast duck was so famous, and Su Chen was a foodie...

He’d been in the Imperial Capital for so long and hadn’t even tried its most essential dishes. If word got out, wouldn’t he lose face?

Stepping out of his courtyard house, Su Chen discovered that Shichahai had a unique charm in the winter.

After several consecutive days of cold weather, the surface of the lake at Shichahai had long since frozen over. Plenty of people were out skating on the vast sheet of ice.

"Chen Fei, do you know what those things are?" Su Chen asked, pointing to the ice where many people were sliding around on things that looked like little chairs.

Chen Fei followed Su Chen’s finger. When he got a clear look at the objects, a smile touched his lips.

"Sir, you mean those? They’re ice chairs made by the locals around Shichahai. They’re modified from ice sleds, just using old wooden stools. They cost next to nothing to make!"

Su Chen understood. ’Probably a toy the older generation came up with,’ he thought. ’Simple and cheap.’

"You know, those things actually look pretty fun. We should try them out sometime!" If Su Chen hadn’t already set his mind on getting roast duck, he definitely would have gone down for a few laps.

Su Chen had skated before back in his school days, but only roller-skating with inline skates.

But this would be his first time on actual ice, let alone sliding around on a chair.

"Tanghulu! Candied tanghulu! Delicious candied tanghulu, ten yuan a stick!" A sharp, practiced cry pulled Su Chen’s attention back.

He saw an old man carrying a straw rack studded with all kinds of tanghulu. Their bright red color looked incredibly appetizing.

A foodie like Su Chen couldn’t help but lick his lips.

Chen Fei, who was beside him, noticed the small gesture and quickly called out, "Sir, two sticks of tanghulu, please!"

"Coming!" The tanghulu vendor heard the call and scurried over. He moved so quickly you’d never guess his age, especially since he was carrying a twenty-odd-pound straw rack.

The tanghulu was a pretty good deal—ten yuan for a stick with seven or eight pieces of fruit.

The first bite was a rush of sweet and sour—the taste of childhood memories.

The two strolled along, snacking as they went. After more than half an hour, they had walked from Shichahai to the area around the Drum Tower. Along the way, Su Chen bought even more snacks, like mung bean cakes and some "rolling donkeys."

He’d never seen the "rolling donkeys" before and had assumed they were made with donkey meat. When he saw the actual snack, he realized it was just a type of pastry. A delicious one, at that.

"Sir, after eating all this, are you sure you’ll still have room for roast duck?" Chen Fei asked doubtfully, looking down at the five or six bags he was carrying.

A smug smile touched Su Chen’s lips. "Why do you think I made us walk for over half an hour? I was walking it all off to make room for the roast duck!"

Then he glanced at the bags in Chen Fei’s hands, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "And Chen Fei, you have to finish everything you’re holding. No throwing any of it away!"

Chen Fei fell silent. ’So that’s why he wouldn’t let me drive when we left,’ he thought. ’And wait, didn’t you buy all these snacks, Sir? How did they suddenly become my problem!’

"What are you spacing out for? Get in!"

Snapping out of it, Chen Fei looked up to see Su Chen already in the front passenger seat of a taxi, watching him.

"Coming!" Chen Fei quickly opened the back door and slid in.

The taxi driver seemed to pick up on their out-of-town accents and immediately grew more enthusiastic. "You two handsome fellas visiting the Imperial Capital? Where are you headed?"

His accent was pure Imperial Capital.

"Wangfujing, sir!" Su Chen replied with a smile.

"You got it! Sit tight, you two. We’re off!"

The driver was a true local, a real chatterbox. The moment the car started moving, he was off, talking a mile a minute and sharing all the best food spots and sights in the Imperial Capital with Su Chen.

He knew which place had the best lamb hot pot, whose buns were to die for, and which grand-looking restaurants were actually just tourist traps. He was practically a ready-made tour guide.

Su Chen learned that the driver owned several apartments between the Third and Fourth Ring Roads—all from demolition compensation. He drove a taxi simply because he was restless at home and loved to talk. In the end, he figured driving a taxi was the perfect solution.

It kept him busy, allowed him to chat with passengers, hear their interesting stories, and introduce tourists to the Imperial Capital’s culinary culture.

It was the best of both worlds, really.

The Drum Tower wasn’t far from Wangfujing, and they arrived in less than twenty minutes. As they got out, the driver enthusiastically handed Su Chen his business card, telling him to call directly if he needed a ride since he was almost always in the Dongcheng District.

Holding the business card, Su Chen watched the taxi drive away and said to Chen Fei with a laugh, "And they say Beijingers are all proud and standoffish. That guy was perfectly friendly!"