Free Web NovelChapter 158: Chapter 126: Old Street’s Magpie Bridge
The violent acceleration pinned Shen Yuan and Li Zhi to their seats in the back.
The acceleration on this electric car was absurdly insane.
"Slow the hell down!"
"What’s there to be afraid of?"
His Eldest Female Cousin spoke with an air of indifference. "Your cousin here has ten years of driving experience. What are you so afraid of?"
"You’re only twenty-eight, for Christ’s sake!"
"Is that a problem? I got my license when I was eighteen."
Shen Yuan’s mouth twitched. ’Damn, I really can’t argue with that.’
’It really is ten years of driving experience!’
But as for how many of those years she’d actually spent driving, it was better not to ask.
Still, his Eldest Female Cousin’s driving skills were solid, and she got them smoothly to the outskirts of the Old Street.
"Let’s stop here. It’s a pain to park over there, and we have to walk in anyway." freewebnoveℓ.com
Yang Yishui parked the car in an empty lot.
After the three of them got out of the car, the first thing Shen Yuan saw was the iconic old tree at the entrance to the Old Street.
Compared to how it used to be, the old tree was clearly being treated much better now.
This part of the Old Street hadn’t been renovated much, and Shen Yuan could still spot traces of how it used to be.
The shops lining the street were still the same, with all their familiar signs.
"Tsk, this place hasn’t changed a bit."
Yang Yishui gazed at the Old Street before them, her eyes filled with a hint of nostalgia.
Compared to Shen Yuan, it was only natural that Yang Yishui had more memories of the Old Street.
"Getting all misty-eyed over the good old days already?"
Yang Yishui shot Shen Yuan a glare. "Get lost! Say one more word and I’ll make you walk to Grandma’s."
Shen Yuan gave a sheepish grin and quickly changed the subject.
"Let’s go, let’s go! Breakfast time! I’m starving! And today, all breakfast expenses will be covered by the one and only Young Master Shen!"
"Tch, how stingy."
As she spoke, his Eldest Female Cousin took off toward the Old Street with her long strides.
"So lame," Li Zhi chimed in with a curse of her own as she walked past Shen Yuan on his other side.
Watching the two women walk away, Shen Yuan’s lips curled into a smirk.
To put it simply, a niangao ci was just a steamed rice flour dough kneaded into two flat rice cakes, which were then used to sandwich a filling.
Back in Jiyang, there was a time when people would come to the villages to make fresh rice cakes. Though they were scalding to the touch right out of the steamer, their aroma was heavenly.
Billowing white steam carried the rich, fragrant scent of rice straight to your nose.
This was also why the niangao ci were so delicious.
They had to be made from freshly steamed and kneaded rice flour to taste good; once they cooled, the flavor was completely different.
The niangao ci stand in the Old Street offered two types of filling: one with shredded radish and pork, and another with cabbage and pork.
Both fillings were wrapped in a thin scallion pancake and kept warm on a grill.
When they arrived, the stand hadn’t sold out of niangao ci yet.
All three of them ordered the shredded radish and pork filling; the cabbage and pork version always felt like it was missing something.
The process was simple: the vendor would tear two palm-sized pieces from a large dough of rice cake, place the filling in the middle, and press them together. That was it.
Shen Yuan asked for a triple portion of filling, while Li Zhi and Yang Yishui only got a double.
Shen Yuan got his niangao ci and eagerly took a big bite.
The soft, chewy rice cake sandwiched the savory filling, its texture complemented by the crispness of the shredded radish.
’This hits the spot.’
"Let’s go for a walk," Yang Yishui suggested.
Shen Yuan and Li Zhi nodded in agreement.
And so, the three of them began to wander through the Old Street, breakfast in hand.
The Old Street was probably the town’s first "commercial street." It used to be home to convenience stores, pool halls, photo studios, internet cafes, and barber shops.
Along the main road, there was also a row of clothing stores, pharmacies, and stationery shops.
Shen Yuan strolled leisurely down the street, enjoying the quiet morning and the warmth of the sun.
Suddenly, he noticed Yang Yishui had stopped in front of a shop not far ahead, as if something had caught her eye.
"What is it?" Shen Yuan asked curiously.
The morning light fell on Yang Yishui’s face. She smiled faintly and pointed at the shop. "There’s a small staircase inside that leads right up to the second floor. It’s an arcade up there. That guy Shen Ming brought me here to play games once."
"Oh?" Shen Yuan’s interest was piqued. "How come he never brought me?"
Yang Yishui chuckled and explained, "He was the one who took you to the internet cafe, wasn’t he? And he got a beating from our eldest uncle for it."
Hearing this, Shen Yuan burst out laughing.
Recalling the incident, he found it both funny and nostalgic.
It was probably a universal rule: a younger brother’s first trip to an internet cafe was always led by his older brother.
Shen Ming was Shen Yuan’s paternal cousin, the eldest of their generation.
Growing up, the family’s consensus on Shen Ming was that for an older brother, he set a terrible example.
He was the one who took their Eldest Female Cousin to an arcade for the first time, and he was also the one who took Shen Yuan to an internet cafe for the first time.
Shen Yuan had only been in fourth grade at the time, which made it all the more ridiculous.
"Speaking of which, what’s that dumbass Shen Ming been up to lately?" Shen Yuan asked casually.
Yang Yishui thought for a moment before replying, "Not sure. Probably busy with wedding preparations."
"He’s finally getting married?" Shen Yuan’s eyes widened in surprise.
Yang Yishui nodded, a hint of envy in her expression. "Yeah. From high school sweethearts to marriage. A whole ten years."
As she spoke, Yang Yishui’s gaze fell meaningfully first on Shen Yuan, and then on Li Zhi.
Li Zhi blinked, pretending not to have noticed Yang Yishui’s gaze, and continued to eat her breakfast as if nothing had happened.
Shen Yuan, for his part, didn’t continue the conversation either.
Seeing their reactions, Yang Yishui chuckled. "Come on. Let’s walk around the Old Street a little longer, then we should head to Grandma’s."
Shen Yuan nodded, and they continued their walk along the Old Street’s pavement.
Looking at the changes all around him, Shen Yuan could still see, as if in his mind’s eye, the Old Street of his memories.
