Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
As Yuan Zhou had his own congee for lunch, he was now feeling much better. The stomach that ache slightly did not feel as bad anymore. Therefore, he did not have to shut his eyes and rest in the car. Rather, he was enjoying the scenery outside.
Xiao Xing was still turning his head to look at Yuan Zhou occasionally. He was not planning to give up, intending to convince Yuan Zhou.
“Mr. Yuan, Master Chef Yuan, look, you are so good at cooking. Why do you need to bother with the unauthentic Beijing Roasted Duck?” Xiao Xing said.
“It’s still a good idea to give Thailand’s Beijing Roasted Duck a try,” Yuan Zhou said.
“But your stomach is feeling unwell, right? The roasted duck would be too greasy for the current you. You haven’t eaten any meat during lunch,” Xiao Xing recalled that Yuan Zhou had not eaten any of the Sour and Spicy Chicken Shreds during lunch.
“Um. That was a dish I prepared just for you,” Yuan Zhou said as he tossed Xiao Xing a glance.
“Cough, cough. That is spicy food. A sick person should not eat too much of it anyway. That’s what my girlfriend used to say,” Xiao Xing said, feeling somewhat awkward.
“Um,” Yuan Zhou nodded and did not say anything else.
“So, should we eat the roasted duck next time?” Xiao Xing probed cautiously, his face filled with hope.
“I’m flying back tomorrow,” Yuan Zhou replied.
“Ah? It has been five days already? So fast?” Xiao Xing was in disbelief.
“Yes,” Yuan Zhou nodded, joy apparent on his face.
Yuan Zhou was naturally happy that he could return home. He suddenly recalled the man and woman he encountered when eating the other day.
“I wonder if they have already returned,” Yuan Zhou wondered.
“Sigh,” Xiao Xing sighed with a look of defeat on his face. He then focused on driving.
Because of the distance, they arrived at around 3:40 pm, just in time for the train.
“Here, this is the place. They will lower that railing later to block traffic as the train is coming soon. Look, they are starting to clear their stuff,” Xiao Xing introduced.
“Um,” Yuan Zhou observed seriously.
This was a street that wasn’t exactly spacious. As the width of a railway was fixed and the two sides of the railway were small stores, many of the stalls had already encroached upon the railway.
As the train was going to pass by soon, everyone started to put their stuff away in a calm and unhurried manner. They weren’t rushing but moved in an agile manner.
Most of the vendors only needed to pull their stalls backward. As for the stores, their doors remained open while the people stood in the stores waiting for the train to pass.
Sharp at four, the train slowly approached.
A humming sound rang in the air.
“The train is here. You can get a clear look at it now,” Xiao Xing said.
“Yeah, I see it,” Yuan Zhou nodded.
This train was unlike the streamlined trains Yuan Zhou was used to in China. When the train passed, the air pressure and vibration were sufficient to shake the stairs there and leave a humming sound in a person’s ears.
The train moved slowly, looking identical to the green trains that used to run on the Chinese railway system.
“It’s not fast,” Yuan Zhou said.
“Yeah, there’s nothing special about its speed,” Xiao Xing nodded.
“Do you want to go in and take a stroll?” Xiao Xing asked when he saw the railing being lifted.
“Um.” Yuan Zhou nodded his head.
When Xiao Xing saw that Yuan Zhou was nodding, he parked his car at a spacious spot and brought Yuan Zhou to the Railway Market.
Not much stuff was being sold here. After trying some local fruits, Yuan Zhou stopped buying anything.
Xiao Xing who was hoping that Yuan Zhou would buy some food ingredients was extremely disappointed. However, he kept his mouth shut.
No matter what, Xiao Xing was extremely professional in his job.
“Let’s go,” Yuan Zhou stopped when they reached the groceries section of the market.
“Ok. Let’s go to Chinatown now,” Xiao Xing said.
“Um, let’s go,” Yuan Zhou nodded.
“Let’s head off,” Xiao Xing started leading the way out of the Railway Market.
“The sunshine is really strong,” Yuan Zhou said as he raised his head.
“In truth, it’s rainy season in Thailand currently. The current temperature is quite low compared to the normal temperature,” Xiao Xing said with a smile.
“I don’t mind the temperature, but the sunshine is too strong,” Yuan Zhou said.
“True, the sunshine is quite strong in Thailand,” Xiao Xing agreed with a nod.
They chatted as they headed to the car. Then, they set off to Chinatown.
“Chinatown is a must-go location whenever I went abroad,” Yuan Zhou was looking forward to the Chinatown.
When he was young, he loved watching movies. Chinatown was a term that he was familiar with through the movies, yet at the same time, this term seemed so unfamiliar as well. Therefore, it was understandable that Yuan Zhou was looking forward to seeing a real-life Chinatown.
While on their way to Chinatown, there was some congestion. Therefore, it was already 6:30 pm by the time they reached. It was already dinner time.
“Welcome to the Chinatown,” Xiao Xing said after he took a turn into a wide street.
“It’s really crowded here,” Yuan Zhou said as he looked at the pedestrians.
“It’s busy here this time of the day,” Xiao Xing nodded.
“Stop the car outside. I doubt you can get your car in there,” Yuan Zhou suggested.
“Sure. I’ll turn around,” Xiao Xing nodded and turned the car around before parking it somewhere.
“Let’s go,” Xiao Xing said after parking the car.
“Um.” Yuan Zhou nodded his head.
As the car was parked at the intersection into the street, they were only a turn away from Chinatown after getting off the car.
The Chinese characters that filled the boards of Chinatown gave Yuan Zhou a pleasant feeling. These were all kinds of traditional Chinese characters, giving Yuan Zhou a feeling of China in the eighties.
“The buildings look traditional,” Yuan Zhou said as he studied his surroundings.
“Yeah. Chinatown in Thailand used to be a place of congregation for the Chinese people of Thailand once upon a time. I think most of the Chinese in Thailand originated from Chaoshan,” Xiao Xing introduced.
Yuan Zhou focused his attention on the explanation.
“The restaurant we are going to is located at the intersection of the street. It’s not too far away. Do you want to take a stroll around or do you want to go straight into the restaurant?” Xiao Xing asked.
“Let’s stroll around,” Yuan Zhou said, somewhat astonished when he saw the numerous jewelry stores along the street.
“Ok,” Xiao Xing nodded.
“There are so many jewelry stores here,” Yuan Zhou remarked.
There were indeed a lot of jewelry stores around. Nearly one out of five stores would be a jewelry store. This was quite shocking.
“I think a lot of people come here for the express purpose of buying gold,” Xiao Xing said.
“I can see that,” Yuan Zhou said when he saw an entire tour group entering a jewelry store.
“The snacks here are quite good as well. Do you want to give them a try,” Xiao Xing asked as he pointed at a Mango with Glutinous Rice stall.
“Sure,” Yuan Zhou nodded and bought two sets of the snack.
“Thank you,” Xiao Xing said as he took one of them.
“You’re welcome,” Yuan Zhou said and started eating.
Yuan Zhou strolled while eating, meticulously tasting the food as usual.
“Master Chef Yuan is so serious,” Xiao Xing lamented.
