MMB Chapter 40 Thirsty Ghosts and Hungry Ghosts
Chapter 40 Thirsty Ghosts and Hungry Ghosts
After viewing the paintings in the art gallery, the two of them left the gallery.
Outside there are flower beds and trees, and the air is fresher than inside. The art gallery attracts people from different places, some local and some from other places. Sometimes, experts who specialize in this field come to visit on special holidays.
Xu Liang looked outside and saw that the crowds had subsided, replaced by a period of tranquility.
He turned to look at Jiang Wan and saw that her eyelids were moving up and down, indicating that she was already sleepy. Her complexion was also dull, which might be related to the position of the sun, but it was more likely due to the lighting on her.
Of course, Xu Liang was also a little sleepy, but he didn't show it.
It's almost noon, and it'll be too late to get back to town.
Now, Jiang Wan felt like she had been wandering around the exhibition hall for a long time, her lips were dry and she was extremely thirsty.
"Brother Xu, I'm a little thirsty."
"Don't tell me, I'm thirsty too!"
"Let's see if there are any small shops selling bottled water nearby."
"Okay!"
Immediately afterwards, Jiang Wan led Xu Liang to look left and right, but all they found in the art museum were offices, corridors, and men's and women's restrooms.
Unfortunately, I couldn't find a single small shop selling general merchandise.
After searching for a while, the two found nothing.
Jiang Wan was extremely thirsty and exhausted. She thought that if she didn't hurry out, she would never find a grocery store that sold water and drinks.
"Brother Xu, let's go outside the art museum and take a look!"
"Okay!"
After saying that, the two quickly ran towards the gate, but the gate was a cross road with old-fashioned traffic lights standing beside the pedestrian crossing.
There were vehicles coming and going, but none of them could keep up with Xu Liang's obedience to traffic rules.
Jiang Wan saw a prominent department store across the street, with what appeared to be a large red commercial logo from the 1995s engraved on it.
When she saw that area, it was like seeing the hope of finding a supermarket, which meant she could find a place to buy water.
Xu Liang looked around at the houses near the art museum. They were mostly small, short, and yellow-walled houses with very narrow gaps between them.
It's so narrow that two people can't even walk towards each other. If that's not enough for a person, let alone a 28-inch bicycle from the 1980s or 90s. Pedestrians would probably have to give way when passing by.
Just then, the traffic light across the street turned green.
Xu Liang was still engrossed in observing the buildings and hadn't quite recovered from his reverie.
However, seeing that the green light had already turned on across the street, and Xu Liang was still standing there in a daze, Jiang Wan was caught off guard and said something to him.
"Brother Xu, the light has turned green, let's cross the road quickly."
Jiang Wan's words brought Xu Liang back to his senses, snapping him out of his reverie.
After crossing the road, the department store is not far away, its white outline clearly visible.
"I was just spacing out!"
He scratched his head subconsciously.
Then, seeing the green light on the other side, the two quickly crossed the road.
As Xu Liang walked along the cement road, he noticed that the road surface was getting hot from the sun.
As for how he knew this, it's because the heat from the ground could be transferred to the soles of his shoes, and the contact between the soles and his socked feet created the heat transfer.
Inside the art museum, the air is fresh due to the abundant vegetation. However, outside the art museum, the air along the nearby road is not so fresh, as it is more or less affected by the cars.
When they arrived at the department store, Xu Liang and Jiang Wan's eyes were fixed on the large and impressive building across the street, which had a red commercial logo from 1995.
In any case, it's not noticeable in rural areas and towns.
Although the off-white exterior walls are somewhat old, they still exude a sense of time and vicissitude.
A faded banner hangs on the building, bearing the words "Honest Business Practices, Customer First." These eight Chinese characters alone reveal the prestige of a business tycoon.
People were coming and going at the entrance in a steady stream, creating a lively atmosphere from afar.
Xu Liang followed behind Jiang Wan, his eyes constantly scanning the surroundings.
Upon seeing these, he compared this place with the area over at the art museum.
Xu Liang had seen the houses around the art museum before; most of them were low, yellow brick houses, some with severely peeling and mottled walls. But this area gave him a refreshing feeling.
At this moment, Jiang Wan only felt a little concerned about selling water and paid no attention to what Xu Liang was thinking.
The feeling of dry mouth and throat grew stronger, triggered by her body's instinct; her throat felt like cracked earth.
Now, even speaking is a struggle for her.
As soon as she entered, she saw the first floor of the department store, and there was a shop not far away.
Seeing that the shop lights were still on inside, Jiang Wan quickened her pace and walked along the F1 corridor. Since there were no revolving doors at the time, and the doors were sliding doors, customers entering and leaving forgot to close them, so a draft would blow straight in from the department store doors.
As they passed by, there were shops selling candy and cookies, sewing shops repairing fabric, and hardware stores that repaired electronic watches and made keys.
However, the lobby on the first floor is spacious and bright, and the store has a large space at a glance.
In some stores, sales clerks stand behind the counter, chatting with customers from time to time. Popular songs from the 1990s are playing from the loudspeakers, creating a great atmosphere.
Jiang Wan has a sharp eye; when she arrived at the store, she spotted an old-fashioned refrigerator that sold drinks.
It's not entirely beverages; it also contains some mineral water.
"Brother Xu, come quick, there's bottled water over here!"
As soon as she entered the department store, she had a great view and immediately spotted the grocery store in the corner of the lobby, so she went there.
Jiang Wan waved excitedly to Xu Liang from the front.
The two walked over quickly. The store's shelves were stocked with soda, mineral water, and some bagged drinks, all of which were the most common beverages in the 1990s.
Jiang Wan pointed to the bottled water and said to the middle-aged woman at the counter.
"Auntie, I'd like to get two bottles of mineral water."
"Okay, that'll make it two yuan in total."
Upon hearing the price, Xu Liang recalled that in his previous life, even the cheapest bottle of Nongfu Spring water cost two yuan in any store he walked into. In this era after his rebirth, not only were resources scarce, but prices had also been reasonably reduced.
That wasn't really a price drop; it's just that prices vary from era to era.
Jiang Wan paid the money, then pulled out one bottle and gave it to Xu Liang, while handing him the other bottle.
"Brother Xu, since you invited me to the art gallery to see the exhibition, I'll treat you to some mineral water!"
He smiled slightly at Xu Liang.
Afterwards, the two unscrewed the bottle caps. Jiang Wan took a few big gulps, while Xu Liang sipped slowly.
The cool mineral water moistened their throats.
After drinking water, most of the fatigue on Jiang Wan's face disappeared. She breathed a sigh of relief, and her face finally showed signs of recovery.
The initial drowsiness dissipated after using just one bottle of mineral water.
"Finally, my thirst is quenched. I was going to faint from thirst if I didn't get a drink soon."
Xu Liang nodded with a smile. He had spent the same amount of time in the art gallery as Jiang Wan. The air in the exhibition hall wasn't very ventilated, and it had been stuffy for quite a while.
They had walked a long way and were very tired, but after drinking that sip of water, they both felt completely refreshed.
"Indeed, I was exhausted and thirsty after walking around, so this water came just in time."
"By the way, it's past midnight now, time for lunch. My motorcycle is parked at the art museum, let's grab something to eat nearby, then we need to head back to town."
Jiang Wan didn't say anything, but nodded slightly, and followed Xu Liang out.
After the two went out through the back door, they saw that the outside was bright, with people coming and going on both sides of the road, while motor vehicles were driving in the middle.
Xu Liang looked around the building before finding a sign pointing upstairs.
Why go upstairs? Because most of the good food and other goodies are on the upper floors of department stores.
Next, Xu Liang smiled and said to Jiang Wan, "I just saw that the fourth floor is a food court with several restaurants. Let's go up and take a look. We can just have some home-style dishes."
"Okay, I'll do as you say."
The two of them walked up a staircase in a passageway. In those days, buildings with elevators were quite rare.
However, unlike Xu Liang's previous life, they didn't take the elevator to clock in at the hotel, and the restaurant was located on the very middle floor of the 24th floor.
In this life, Ning Xuliang, who couldn't take the elevator, had no choice but to hold onto the stair railing and climb up floor by floor.
Jiang Wan is the same; she might not even know what an elevator looks like from childhood to adulthood.
On each floor they went up, they could hear different noises.
Upon reaching the second floor, Xu Liang looked at the signs on the wall, which read "Clothing Section," filled with beautiful clothes made of colorful fabrics. The third floor was the stationery and digital products section, with some shops displaying various pens, notebooks, cameras, and other digital items.
When they reached the fourth floor, they found the restaurant they needed to find since it was lunchtime and they were hungry.
As soon as you reach the fourth floor, a wonderful aroma wafts over you.
Xu Liang smelled them carefully, hoping that he could identify the dishes by following the aromas.
There should be fragrant stir-fried twice-cooked pork, rich and flavorful chicken and mushroom stew, and a symphony of noodle and wheat aromas. With so many aromas, one would be tempted to have a big meal when hungry.
They went into the food area and looked around.
Actually, this food court isn't very large, with seven or eight small restaurants standing side by side, mostly serving local home-style dishes. However, there are also some restaurants run by people from other parts of Sichuan and Chongqing who come here to do business, showcasing their hometown's specialty cuisine.
They glanced at the shops side by side; the tables and chairs were simple wooden ones, and the hygiene was about the same.
There were still diners sitting and eating in the restaurant.
Xu Liang looked at the diners and randomly picked one of their restaurants, which was several times larger than his small eatery.
Moreover, most of the diners in these shops are nearby office workers or passersby who are tired from shopping.
The place was bustling with activity, and Xu Liang was instantly filled with the warmth of everyday life.
The two walked around and chose the restaurant that was the most popular and smelled the best.
As soon as they entered the store, the waiter warmly followed them over.
"Welcome, both of you. Please check off what you'd like to eat on the menu. Once you're done, just let me know and I'll hand it over to the front desk. It's very convenient!"
After Xu Liang entered the store, he found a seat by the window and sat down. Jiang Wan followed him and sat down next to him.
Each table displays the restaurant's menu, featuring affordable and delicious dishes, all of which are Sichuan and Chongqing specialties.
Twice-cooked pork, Mapo tofu, shredded pork with garlic sauce, sliced beef and tripe in chili sauce, boiled fish, Sichuan-style shredded beef...
Xu Liang glanced at the menu and felt that the dishes were uninteresting, since he would have to make them sooner or later anyway, so looking at them was pointless.
So he handed it to Jiang Wan, letting the little hungry Russian order food.
After taking the menu, Jiang Wan skillfully ordered two dishes and a soup: shredded pork with garlic sauce, braised pork, and a vegetable and tofu soup.
These are all home-style dishes that go well with rice; they're delicious and affordable.
But this was only what Jiang Wan had selected; he watched as Xu Liang kept looking at the items she had selected.
Jiang Wan thought that it wasn't a good thing for Xu Liang to hand over all the decision-making power to him. There were some things that she should let him take a look at.
Then, Jiang Wan turned to Xu Liang and said to him, "Brother Xu, would you like to eat anything else?" Jiang Wan handed him the menu.
Xu Liang shook his head.
"No need, this is enough. It's just the right amount for the two of us, no more and no less, so we won't waste any food."
After ordering, the two sat at the table and chatted.
You can see the street below through the window.
The road downstairs is always bustling with traffic. Old-fashioned bicycles slowly drive by on both sides of the road, and occasionally old-fashioned buses and some gasoline-powered cars slowly drive by.
The sunlight from the west shone through the glass of the window into the shop, eventually landing on the table.
Xu Liang moved closer to the window and felt warm and cozy. However, some sunlight also shone on Jiang Wan, and the fatigue from visiting the art museum gradually dissipated.
Not long after, the waiter brought the dishes over.
The shredded pork with garlic sauce has a bright color and looks delicious with its sweet and sour flavor.
The lean parts of twice-cooked pork are golden brown, while the fatty parts are amber in color.
Fresh green vegetable and tofu soup, the broth is so clear you can see the bottom; it's definitely a light and refreshing dish.
The sight of three dishes placed together on the table greatly increases one's appetite.
Unexpectedly, the two of them were already quite hungry.
Jiang Wan was both thirsty and hungry, and Xu Liang was corrupted by her and forced into a corner.
They picked up their chopsticks and started eating, chatting as they ate.
Xu Liang then shared with Jiang Wan the interesting things that happened at the small restaurant.
"Jiang Wan, let me tell you, my little restaurant was so crowded last time that we didn't have enough tables and chairs, so I went to the town to buy some desserts. You should call Zhou Yan, it's his dessert shop."
"I went to borrow something, and after I came back and he left, guess what the diners said!"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Wan was filled with curiosity.
She asked, "What did you say?"
"They said the sugar at his dessert shop is so sweet that they want to go home to their mothers and they'll soon develop diabetes."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Wan covered her mouth and giggled secretly.
Then, Jiang Wan shared with Xu Liang some interesting stories about students in their class during their school days.
"Brother Xu, let me tell you a story. Last time I mentioned that there was a boy in my class who wrote me a love letter. I happened to be in a really bad mood and forgot to bring toilet paper when I went to the bathroom. I found that the boy's love letter in my pocket, so I just used it to wipe my butt without thinking about anything else."
"Hahahahaha!"
Xu Liang was also smiling beside him.
They chatted and laughed, and the atmosphere was very harmonious.
But soon, things changed!