HCB Chapter 222 Fireworks Alley
Chapter 222 Fireworks Alley
The group continued walking forward, with Long Chuqing and Qing Tongqing each holding a string of candied hawthorns, leisurely strolling along while enjoying them.
A patient with a worried look rushed into a pharmacy along the road: "Doctor, please take a look at me quickly. I've had this cough for many days, and it's not getting any better."
"Please sit down and let me take a look." The doctor, who had a goatee, stood up and gestured for him to sit down in the chair in front of the examination table.
Two weary men, who had come to rest their feet, sat down at a tea stall not far away.
One of the men took off his straw hat and placed it on a stool next to him, then shouted, "Hey buddy, bring us a pot of tea."
"Alright, please wait a moment, gentlemen." The waiter replied loudly after hearing the call.
A moment later, the young man carrying a copper kettle jogged around the next table and chairs to the two people's table.
He also took away the teacups used by the previous table of guests, and wiped away the tea that had accidentally spilled on the octagonal table, leaving dark brown stains.
With a sharp "smack," the storyteller inside the room suddenly slammed his gavel.
He cleared his throat: "Speaking of which! Last time we talked about that brave and fearless young general who encountered many crises on the battlefield. At the critical moment, a female knight in red appeared and successfully rescued the young general from the enemy's encirclement..."
In the cold winter, fewer people go out to work, so many villagers gather in front of the tea stall to listen to an old man telling stories.
In the cloth shop across the street, several weavers were skillfully weaving back and forth in front of the loom, holding wooden shuttles.
After being skillfully interwoven by the weaver, the silk threads of different colors begin to take shape as cloth.
Newly dyed colorful fabrics hung in the courtyard. A gentle breeze caused them to sway softly, like a group of girls in gorgeous clothes, dancing gracefully with their long sleeves waving.
"Maltose, sweet and delicious maltose!" With these shouts, an old man carrying a load on his shoulder strolled leisurely through the alley.
At the same time, he rhythmically tapped the small hammer in his hand, making a series of crisp "ding-ding-ding" sounds.
The uncle selling sugar paintings set up his stall by the wall not far away. He was scooping up a spoonful of freshly made thick sugar syrup and slowly pouring it onto the smooth stone slab.
Before long, with his skillful drawing, a sugar figurine in the shape of a butterfly appeared before our eyes.
Now look at the two little girls standing in front of his stall. They are staring wide-eyed, their faces full of amazement as the uncle slowly describes the sweet soup into the shape they want.
Look again at the old locust tree on the west side, which has lost all its leaves, where neighbors are sitting in small groups.
They either leisurely crossed their legs with their hands folded on their knees, or sat upright with their arms crossed in front of their chests.
One of the women was now talking animatedly, spitting as she shared the gossip she had heard with the others.
Meanwhile, the others munched on sunflower seeds while straining their ears to listen intently, afraid of missing any exciting moments.
Everyone chatted enthusiastically about everyday matters and shared gossip and interesting stories from the streets and alleys.
Sometimes he would burst into hearty laughter when he heard something amusing or interesting, and sometimes he would let out a few meaningful sighs.
They would occasionally glance over at the street, and the next person to pass by might become the subject of their conversation.
The sun was already setting in the west, and golden sunlight pierced through the clouds, reflecting off the wonton stall at the corner ahead.
The signboard read "(Huang Ji Wonton)" and fluttered in the wind, seemingly beckoning customers.
A string of brass bells hangs from the ceiling, making a series of crisp tinkling sounds as they sway.
A stack of blue and white porcelain bowls sits beside the stove, and the wonton shop owner can be seen busily working amidst the wisps of steam rising from the soup pot.
"There's a wonton stall up ahead," Long Chuqing said, pointing to a small stall not far away. "Are you hungry? Want to grab a bowl of wontons?"
They were getting a little hungry, and both Qing Tong and Qing Ying nodded in agreement.
Long Chuqing looked at Xiao Han and asked, "What about you? I wonder if you, a prince who has been pampered since childhood, would find the food from street stalls unappealing."
Xiao Han explained helplessly, "I've been to the battlefield, eaten thin porridge mixed with wild vegetables, and raw, cold steamed buns covered in mud. How could I not be able to eat street wontons!"
"Alright, let's go get some wontons."
"Please come in, gentlemen." Amidst the hustle and bustle, the shopkeeper caught sight of Xiao Han and his companions as they arrived and greeted them warmly.
They sat down at the square table, lifting their coats. "We have dumplings and wontons at our little shop. Please see what you would like to eat."
Since it's advertised as a wonton shop, I suppose it mainly serves wontons, right?
After discussing it, Long Chuqing and Qing Tong ordered fresh meat wontons, while Qing Ying and Xiao Han chose the three-delicacy flavor.
"Boss," Qingying called out to the boss standing in front of the stove, "two bowls of fresh pork wontons and two bowls of three-delicacy wontons."
"Alright, please wait a moment, distinguished guests..." the owner greeted warmly as he lifted the steaming pot lid.
"Have you heard? The Zhu family, who sell tofu up ahead, are getting their daughter married off!"
A woman next door took a bite of a meat dumpling, and the soup splashed onto her face. She immediately pulled out a handkerchief to wipe it off.
Then she continued, "I heard that they asked the Zhou family for thirty bolts of cloth, silver charcoal, and pigs and sheep as betrothal gifts. That's quite a boast."
The eldest sister scooped up a spoonful of soup, drank it down, secretly rolled her eyes, and continued muttering, "Tsk... They really think their daughter is the reincarnation of Xi Shi!"
The other woman paused, her spoon still in her hand, after hearing this: "So, did the Zhou family agree or not...?"
"I'm not clear on the specifics right now." The older woman smacked her lips. "When I found out, they said it hadn't been finalized yet!"
"No wonder, the Zhu family is asking for such a high dowry, the Zhou family would have to sell everything they own to make it happen. This... I'm afraid it won't work..."
At this moment, the uncle at the next table whispered to the older man at the same table, "I heard Mr. Dong, the owner of the funeral supplies shop, say that strange noises were coming from the graves in the mass burial ground in the western suburbs at night, but there was no fresh soil at the scene. It's very strange..."
The older brother chewed the wonton in his mouth and swallowed it, his expression suggesting he didn't quite believe it.
"These are all hearsay, they may not be true, I guess he made them up."
"Well, that's true. I've heard a lot of strange and unusual stories from him. I don't know which ones are true and which ones are false. I just listen to them as stories to pass the time."
At this moment, the old man sharing the table seemed to have thought of something, and he lightly tapped the rim of his bowl with his chopsticks: "If you ask me, the most bizarre thing is that strange thing that has been happening in the neighborhood recently!"
"Could it be..." the eldest brother exclaimed in a deep voice after hearing this, "...those people who have been inexplicably falling into a coma lately?"