Punch: From third-rate anchor to top chef

Chapter 1746

Amid the hustle and bustle of the bustling city, Li Xiao, Zhang Yuedong and Lin Yifei sat in a cozy cafe. The sunlight shone through the window onto the table, adding a bit of comfort to the discussion of the travel plan.

"I'm really fed up with this monotonous life. I work and work overtime every day. I feel like I'm being drained." Li Xiao was the first to break the silence, his eyes full of fatigue and desire. "I looked up a lot of information. Yunnan is simply a paradise on earth. It has beautiful natural scenery and unique ethnic culture. We can't go wrong if we go there!"

Zhang Yuedong gently stirred his coffee, raised the corners of his mouth, and said with a smile: "I have wanted to go there for a long time, but never had the chance. I heard that the ancient city of Dali in Yunnan is full of literary and artistic atmosphere, and there is also Erhai Lake. The scenery is intoxicating just thinking about it."

Lin Yifei slammed the table excitedly, startling everyone around him, but he was unaware and said loudly: "Great! I also want to go to Xishuangbanna to experience the tropical atmosphere, see the tropical rainforest, and taste the food there. Wow, I'm drooling just thinking about it."

The three of them hit it off and quickly began to prepare. They booked their flights and hotels, looking forward to the trip to Yunnan.

After several hours of flight, the plane slowly landed at the airport in Yunnan. When they walked out of the airport, fresh air hit them, with a hint of floral fragrance. The sun was bright but not scorching, which was completely different from the city they were in.

"Wow, the air is so comfortable!" Li Xiao took a deep breath, a satisfied smile on his face.

Zhang Yuedong also said with emotion: "Compared with where we are, this place is simply a paradise on earth."

Lin Yifei looked around impatiently and said, "Hurry, let's go to the hotel to put down our luggage, and then go out for a good walk."

They took a taxi to the hotel they booked. The hotel is located in the city center with convenient transportation. The hotel's decoration is full of Yunnan's ethnic characteristics, and the lobby is decorated with exquisite wood carvings and colorful brocade.

Li Xiao walked to the front desk and said to the waiter with a smile: "Hello, we have booked a room before, the name is Li Xiao."

The waiter responded enthusiastically: "Hello, welcome. Please wait a moment, I will help you check." After a while, the waiter handed over the room card and said: "Mr. Li, you have booked a triple room on the 8th floor. This is the room card. Our hotel has also prepared some special gifts for guests. I hope you will like them."

After receiving the room card and the gift, Li Xiao smiled and said, "Thank you, your service is really thoughtful."

The three of them came to the room, which was spacious and bright, and decorated warmly and comfortably. From the window, you can see the street scene of the city, with heavy traffic and bustling atmosphere.

Zhang Yuedong put down his luggage, walked to the window, and exclaimed: "This place is really nice. We will have a lot of fun in the coming days."

Lin Yifei couldn't wait to open the gifts and found that they were some exquisite Yunnan handicrafts. He excitedly showed them to everyone: "Look, these little things are so beautiful. It's worthy of being Yunnan. Even the gifts are so unique."

Li Xiao also came over to take a look and nodded in praise: "It's really good. This is the first surprise of our trip to Yunnan. Well, let's not dawdle any longer. Let's pack up and go out to experience the charm of Yunnan."

So, the three of them packed up simply and walked out of the hotel full of anticipation, starting their wonderful journey in Yunnan. This charming city will gradually show its unique side in their eyes.

The next morning, the sun shone through the gaps in the curtains and gently fell on the faces of the three people. Li Xiao was the first to wake up. He stretched his body and looked at Zhang Yuedong and Lin Yifei who were still sleeping. He smiled and shouted, "Lazy bugs, wake up! A beautiful day has begun! Let's go to Dianchi Lake today. I heard there are a lot of seagulls there."

Zhang Yuedong turned over and muttered, "Let me sleep a little longer. I was too excited last night and didn't sleep well."

Lin Yifei sat up all of a sudden and said energetically: "I woke up a long time ago and was waiting for you. Hurry up, don't dawdle."

At Lin Yifei's urging, Zhang Yuedong had to get up reluctantly. After washing up, the three of them went to the hotel restaurant for breakfast. The restaurant provided a variety of Yunnan specialties, including fragrant small pot rice noodles, soft and sweet bait blocks, and colorful flower cakes.

Li Xiao picked up a piece of flower cake, took a bite, and exclaimed: "This flower cake is so delicious, full of floral fragrance, it feels like eating spring into my mouth."

Zhang Yuedong also tried the small pot rice noodles and gave a thumbs up, saying: "This rice noodles is not bad, the soup is delicious, and it is different from ours."

Lin Yifei kept stuffing the bait into his mouth, mumbling: "They are all delicious, all delicious, I have to eat more so that I can have more energy to play later."

After breakfast, they took a bus to Dianchi Lake. Along the way, the scenery outside the window kept changing, and high-rise buildings were gradually replaced by lush trees and beautiful natural scenery.

When they arrived at the edge of Dianchi Lake, they were stunned by the scenery. Dianchi Lake was boundless, and the lake sparkled in the sunlight, like a huge mirror. Groups of seagulls soared over the lake, sometimes swooping down to pick up food fed by tourists, and sometimes spreading their wings and flying high, making cheerful calls.

"It's so beautiful!" Li Xiao couldn't help but exclaim, "This is the legendary Dianchi Lake, it really lives up to its reputation."

Zhang Yuedong was also shocked by the beautiful scenery. He took out his camera and kept taking pictures. He said, "Such a beautiful scenery, I must take more pictures and show them to my friends when I get back."

Lin Yifei couldn't wait to run to the lake, bought some bread, and started feeding the seagulls. While feeding, he excitedly shouted: "Come on, little seagulls, there are delicious foods here."

The seagulls seemed to understand what he said and flew towards him one after another. Some even landed directly on his hands and pecked at the bread. Lin Yifei laughed happily, with an innocent smile on his face.

Li Xiao and Zhang Yuedong also came over and joined the group feeding the seagulls. The three of them played and laughed while feeding the seagulls, and their laughter echoed along the shore of Dianchi Lake.

"Look, that seagull's feathers are so beautiful." Li Xiao said, pointing at a seagull.

Zhang Yuedong looked in the direction he pointed, nodded and said, "Yes, the white feathers and the black edges of the wings are like a beautiful dress."

Lin Yifei said mischievously: "Maybe this seagull is the princess among seagulls, look at its elegant posture." The three of them chatted and had a lot of fun. Before they knew it, it was already noon and their stomachs began to growl.

"Let's go eat something. I'm starving." Lin Yifei said, touching his stomach.

So they came to a restaurant near Dianchi Lake. The restaurant was full of tourists and very lively. They found an empty seat and sat down. The waiter enthusiastically handed them the menu.

Li Xiao took the menu, looked at it and said, "Of course you have to try the Cross-Bridge Rice Noodles when you come to Yunnan. I heard that this is Yunnan's signature delicacy."

Zhang Yuedong also agreed: "Okay, let's order a few other special dishes and try them."

Soon, the waiter brought the steaming hot cross-bridge rice noodles and other dishes. The soup of the cross-bridge rice noodles is made from large bones and old chickens, with a thick layer of chicken fat floating on it, which looks very tempting. The side dishes include raw meat slices, quail eggs, tofu skin, bean sprouts, leeks, etc., with a rich variety.

Li Xiao followed the waiter's instructions and put the raw meat slices, quail eggs, etc. into the soup first, and then put the rice noodles and other side dishes in. After a while, the rice noodles were cooked and the aroma was fragrant.

He tasted a mouthful of rice noodles and praised them highly: "It's delicious. The rice noodles are smooth and chewy, and the soup is delicious. It really lives up to its reputation."

Zhang Yuedong and Lin Yifei also tasted the food and praised the taste of the cross-bridge rice noodles. They also ordered steamed chicken, Xuanwei stir-fried pork, wild mushrooms and other dishes, and they enjoyed every dish.

After lunch, they took a short break and then went to watch the Yunnan folk performance. The performance venue was located in a spacious square, surrounded by spectators. On the stage, actors dressed in colorful ethnic costumes were performing wonderful programs.

The first was the Dai Peacock Dance, where the performers imitated the postures of peacocks and danced gracefully. Their movements were light and graceful, just like beautiful peacocks playing in the woods. Li Xiao watched intently and whispered to Zhang Yuedong and Lin Yifei, "This peacock dance is so good. It feels like they are really like peacocks."

Then came the torch dance of the Yi ethnic group. The performers held torches and jumped happily on the stage. Their faces were filled with enthusiastic smiles, and the atmosphere was very warm. Lin Yifei was also infected by this warm atmosphere. He stood up and clapped along with the rhythm.

There were also the Overlord Whip Dance of the Bai Nationality and the Drum Dance of the Hani Nationality. Each show displayed the unique culture and customs of each ethnic group in Yunnan. The three of them were fascinated by the show and burst into applause and cheers from time to time.

After watching the folk performance, they came to a nearby specialty store to buy some flower cakes and other specialties to bring back to their family and friends. The specialty store was filled with a variety of specialties, including flower cakes, Pu'er tea, Xuanwei ham, ethnic handicrafts, etc.

Li Xiao picked up a box of flower cakes, looked at the production date and ingredient list carefully, and said, "This flower cake looks good. Buy a few boxes and bring them back for my parents to try."

Zhang Yuedong also picked some Pu'er tea. He said: "My dad likes to drink tea. I'll bring him some Pu'er tea from Yunnan. He will definitely like it."

Lin Yifei lingered in the ethnic handicraft area. He picked out an exquisite wood carving and several colorful sachets and said, "These little gadgets are so beautiful. I will take them back and give them to my friends. They will definitely like them."

The three of them spent a long time choosing in the specialty store and finally bought all the specialty products they wanted. They left the specialty store with large and small bags of specialty products, feeling satisfied.

Today's visit to Dianchi Lake in Kunming gave them a preliminary understanding and knowledge of Yunnan's beautiful scenery, food and culture, and made them look forward to the rest of the journey even more. They wondered what kind of surprises were waiting for them at the next stop.

After the trip to Kunming, the three of them set off for Dali with great anticipation. They chose to take the train because they could enjoy the scenery along the way and feel the leisure of traveling. The train started slowly, and the scenery outside the window kept switching like a slide show, gradually transitioning from the bustling city to the quiet countryside, and then to the rolling mountains. Every scene made them intoxicated.

"Look, that field is so beautiful and green, just like a huge piece of jade." Lin Yifei said excitedly, pointing outside the window.

Zhang Yuedong also nodded in agreement: "Yes, you can't see such scenery in the city. It makes me feel particularly happy."

Li Xiao leaned back in his seat and said with a smile, "Dali is a great place. I heard that the scenery of Erhai Lake is even more beautiful. We must have a good time this time."

After several hours of driving, the train finally arrived in Dali. As soon as they got off the train, they felt the unique atmosphere of Dali. The breeze blew on their faces, with a hint of floral fragrance, as if welcoming their arrival.

They took a taxi to the B&B they booked near Erhai Lake. The B&B is a Bai-style building with blue tiles, white walls, flying eaves and brackets, full of ancient charm. The yard is full of various flowers, colorful and gorgeous, making people feel like they are in a beautiful garden.

After Li Xiao checked in and got the room card, he said to everyone, "Our room is on the second floor. The view is great. We can see Erhai Lake."

The three of them came to the room, put down their luggage, and then went to the balcony. As expected, the Erhai Lake in front of them was endless, and the lake was shining with golden light under the sunlight. In the distance, the Cangshan Mountain was rolling, and the top of the mountain was covered with a thin layer of snow, which set off the Erhai Lake and formed a picturesque scenery.

"It's so beautiful! This is the legendary Erhai Lake, it's even more beautiful than I imagined." Lin Yifei couldn't help but exclaim.

Zhang Yuedong also took out his camera and kept taking pictures, saying, "I want to take pictures of all these beautiful views and enjoy them slowly later."

Li Xiao closed his eyes, took a deep breath, felt the fresh air and the peaceful atmosphere, and said, "Here, time seems to have slowed down, making people feel particularly relaxed."

After a short rest, they decided to go for a tour around Erhai Lake. They rented an electric car and drove slowly along the road along the shore of Erhai Lake. Along the way, the breeze gently brushed their faces, bringing the scent of Erhai Lake and the fragrance of the surrounding flowers and plants. The sun shone on the lake, sparkling, and occasionally a few seagulls flew over the water, making crisp calls.

"Look, there's a celebrity check-in spot over there, and many people are taking pictures there." Lin Yifei said, pointing ahead.

The three of them arrived at the check-in point and saw a white trestle bridge that stretched out to Erhai Lake. The trestle bridge was full of tourists taking photos. There was a large white photo frame on the trestle bridge, which framed the beautiful scenery of Erhai Lake and Cangshan Mountain, like a natural painting.