Chapter 10: Ancient Town
As the plane landed, the first thing they felt was the noticeably cool and refreshing air.
It must have just rained. The ground outside the airport was soaking wet. Inside the terminal, some passengers wore thin clothes, others thick. Chen Xing had just returned from Guangdong, and the sudden drop in temperature made him uncomfortable. As soon as he got his luggage, he put on a light jacket.
Zhou Peng felt the same. Just wearing a short-sleeved shirt was a bit too cold.
Quan Jing was wearing even less than they were. At least the guys wouldn't wear shorts, but she didn't seem to feel cold at all and showed no intention of changing clothes. Cheerfully, she dragged her boyfriend toward Lijiang Ancient Town, saying it would be even more atmospheric after the rain.
Chen Xing wanted to part ways with them here.
He liked walking alone. It gave him time to think about photography and helped him avoid playing third wheel.
A couple traveling together was romantic. Having an extra person around just made things awkward. That wouldn't be good.
Chen Xing knew his place.
So as soon as they left the airport, he said, "Let's split up here. I don't want to bother you two."
"No way."
Zhou Peng replied instantly.
Chen Xing was touched. Was this the power of brotherhood? But even so, he couldn't stay. He wasn't that close to Quan Jing.
"You don't have to keep me. I want to—"
"Want what? Come on, man. You made tens of thousands and now you're just going to walk away? At least treat us to a meal."
"Uh…"
So that's what this was about…
Chen Xing didn't say what he was about to. Damn it, give me back that moment of emotion.
Quan Jing chimed in, "Yeah, yeah, you made a ton this time. And judging by how much they liked it, I bet you'll get a lot more gigs shooting menus like that. You're not going to skip out on one meal, right?"
"Of course not."
Chen Xing agreed right away.
Outside the airport, they flagged a taxi. The GPS showed it would take about thirty minutes.
The scenery along the way wasn't anything special, just trees on both sides of the road. For people like Chen Xing and Zhou Peng who were from Sichuan, the ordinary mountain forests held little charm. Probably only people from the plains would find it fascinating.
What Chen Xing really liked was the sky here.
It was already close to six when they got off the plane. The sun was setting, its blinding white light softening into a warm orange-red, painting half the sky in a beautiful gradient. It was the kind of color no photographer could resist.
Not all sunsets are the same. If you look closely, even at the same spot, each day's sunset has subtle differences.
They entered the Lijiang urban area.
Zhou Peng said, "These houses look pretty modern. And—"
He wanted to say they all looked generic, like a suburb, but held back out of respect for the driver.
The driver picked up the conversation anyway. "You're here to see the ancient town, right? You have to go into the old district. The buildings out here are just the surroundings of Lijiang. The new district isn't even over here. Lijiang is big."
No doubt about that. Lijiang was a proper city and a well-known international tourist destination.
It had been raining at the airport, but once they got into Lijiang, the rain stopped.
They got out at the entrance to the ancient town.
Chen Xing immediately pointed his camera at the sky, wanting to capture the sunset.
Looking through the viewfinder, he felt the colors were still a bit off, not quite what he saw with his naked eye.
Seeing Chen Xing start taking photos as soon as he got out, Zhou Peng laughed. "You really look like a photographer now. What, planning to go pro?"
"Something like that," Chen Xing said.
He had the talent and the skills. Why not keep going?
Judging by his recent shoot for the Guangzhou restaurant, photography had solid earning potential. At the very least, it could support him.
"Then you'd better work on getting your name out there," Zhou Peng said. "I looked it up for you. If you're not famous, you won't make much. Gigs like the one with the restaurant won't come every time."
"Honestly, I didn't get why they chose you to shoot their menu, until I saw the final results."
Zhou Peng remembered the chef who had been cooking for them the past few days. The man had looked genuinely excited when they left.
His friend really had skills.
Maybe this was what it meant to be born with a purpose. But what about his own talents?
Quan Jing had walked quite far ahead with her hands behind her back before realizing the two guys were strolling slowly behind, separated by a crowd of tourists. She almost lost them.
She quickly turned back and shouted, "Hey, walk faster!"
Chen Xing saw Zhou Peng looking a bit down and said, "What are you thinking about? Come on, let's find a hotel and eat something. Preferably spicy. Cantonese food is fine and all, but they barely use chili. No kick."
"True," Zhou Peng agreed.
They had grown up on Sichuan cuisine. Not all dishes were spicy, but the flavors were always bold.
Whether it was the aroma, the savoriness, the spice, or the numbing heat, everything was intense.
After eating Cantonese food for days, they both started feeling a bit off. What they really craved was hotpot.
Thinking of that, Zhou Peng said, "Hotpot tonight?"
"Sure!" The other two raised their hands in agreement.
There were plenty of inns in the ancient town. They picked one at random.
Of course, the conditions couldn't compare to the hotel they had stayed in before. The rooms were small, but the decor had some ethnic flair that Chen Xing found especially charming. He studied the layout for a long time before finally heading out when Zhou Peng came knocking.
The sky was getting dark.
Lijiang Ancient Town was still brightly lit. The streets were packed, even busier than earlier.
In the distance, singing drifted through the air.
It was loud, clearly a group singing together.
Chen Xing asked, "What do we do first? Eat or check out the action?"
"Eat. Let's eat quick."
He had already found a place called Laodaofang on the map. It had good reviews, with lots of recommendations from locals.
Chen Xing kind of wanted to go where all the singing was happening, but he was hungry too.
Mostly, they didn't want to end up with nowhere to eat if it got too late. Both Zhou Peng and Chen Xing had experienced being kicked out of restaurants after 10 p.m. because the staff were getting off work.
Laodaofang was close to where they were staying—just a six-minute walk.
Chen Xing assumed that since it was located in the ancient town and was so popular, it had to be a big place. Maybe not as big as the Guangzhou restaurant, but not too far off.
But he was wrong.
Zhou Peng was also stunned.
The place was tiny.
And packed. A few small tables inside, a few outside, every seat was taken. One group was eating, while two more were waiting nearby. The owner didn't seem in any rush, chatting leisurely with tourists from all over the country.
Smelling the delicious aroma wafting from the kitchen, Chen Xing swallowed.
"Maybe we should find another place?"
"Yeah…"
(End of Chapter)