Starting from Taohuawu, kilometers away

Chengdu East Railway Station, night falls, the lights are bright. Crowds of people surge, yet there is a strange tranquility. Passengers sit or lie down, randomly distributed in every corner of the waiting hall, their faces showing the fatigue of the journey. Some people lean on the benches, their heads tilted to one side, breathing evenly and deeply, as if they are looking for a moment of peace in sleep. Their postures are different, but they all reveal a sense of relief and relaxation.

The station broadcast occasionally sounded, and the sound echoed in the empty hall, reminding people of the passage of time. From time to time, pedestrians dragged their luggage, and the wheels rubbed on the ground, making a "squeaking" sound, breaking the silence. The hurried footsteps formed a sharp contrast with the surrounding environment.

The dim light reflected on the windows, the night outside and the bright indoors intertwined, making it hard to tell whether one was in a dream or reality. Some young travelers held their mobile phones, their eyes focused, their fingertips swiping quickly, as if they were looking for their own comfort in the virtual world. Their laughter occasionally sounded, and then quickly disappeared into the air.

Occasionally, station staff in uniform patrolled between the halls, their steps were steady, patrolling the order of the night. When someone asked them questions, they always answered patiently and then continued their pace.

As time went by, the waiting crowd began to stir, as if a train from afar was calling them. People gradually woke up, began to pack their bags, and prepared to embark on a new journey. However, some people were still immersed in their dreams, unaware of the outside world. The tranquility on their faces was the warmest scenery in this late-night train station.

Li Cheng came out of the train station and looked at the familiar scene in a trance! This was his first time back to Chengdu!
"Hey! Why are you still in a daze?"

Oda looked at Li Cheng standing in the middle of the station square without moving, put down his suitcase, ran to Li Cheng and snapped his fingers.

"Ok?"

Li Cheng was obviously stunned for a moment.

"Why are you standing here? Go take the bus!"

Xiaotian was a little puzzled. She felt that her fiancé was worried all the way. Whenever they talked about Chengdu, Li Cheng was also very conflicted, as if he had a knot in his heart.

"No, I'll take you to a few places for a midnight snack."

Xiao Tian looked at Li Cheng's departing back, turned to look at Xiao Wang, and asked, "Hasn't he been to Chengdu very often? Why does he look so familiar with this place?"

Xiao Wang shook his head. He didn't know either. In the past, Li Cheng always came to Chengdu near the airport. This was the first time he saw Li Cheng taking the initiative to lead the way.

Li Cheng looked up and saw the apartment complex that his friend's family in his previous life had bought for him. After all, this place in Chengdu, at the junction of Chenghua District and Jinjiang District, was where he had lived for two years. He was too familiar with this place, and when he saw the small park near the East Station, he felt an indescribable emotion.

"Brother! Where are we going?"

Xiao Wang was a little confused. Brother Zhang went to drive the car, and Li Cheng took them towards the unfinished building.

"I'll take you to a fly restaurant. This place is delicious and no one will recognize us."

Xiaotian and Xiaowang followed Li Cheng with puzzled expressions.

Along the way, Li Cheng kept chattering and introducing the surrounding situation to the two of them.

If Xiao Wang was not Li Cheng’s cousin, he would have felt that Li Cheng had stayed in this place for a long time. Why did it seem so familiar?

Xiaotian shook her head slightly. She just felt that this place might be where Li Cheng had played games before, otherwise it wouldn't be so familiar to him.
-
The streets of Chengdu exude a lazy atmosphere. The light bulbs on the signboard of the Fly Restaurant flicker on and off, flickering like tired workers. At the door, a few men who had just come down from the construction site, wearing safety helmets, their faces still covered with dust and fatigue from the day. They sit together, beer boxes serving as tables, and hearty laughter breaks out from time to time.

The table was covered with a layer of plastic cloth, and it was filled with oily plates. The bright red of the chili peppers and the green of the Sichuan peppercorns intertwined, and the aroma was fragrant. The chopsticks flew in the plates, picking up the taste of home and the comfort after a hard day's work. Although their faces were covered with traces of sweat and dust, they were more of a pleasure of release and an unyielding attitude towards life.

The air was filled with the smell of oil smoke and alcohol, and vehicles occasionally passed by on the road, making a slight roar. The trees on both sides of the street swayed gently in the night wind, and the mottled shadows of the trees were projected on the mottled walls, adding a bit of tranquility to this city that never sleeps.

Suddenly, a hot pot smell rose as the waiters came and went, and the spicy aroma instantly filled the air. The workers put down their wine glasses and gathered around the hot pot, watching the boiling red oil bubbling, and the aroma of chili and spices made people salivate. They used chopsticks to pick up the ingredients that had just been put into the pot, waiting for them to be cooked, and the air was filled with anticipation and satisfaction.

This is an ordinary fly-fly restaurant, but it carries the laughter and sweat of these ordinary workers. In this small space, they find a sense of belonging and use a hot dinner to recharge for tomorrow's hard work. The streets of Chengdu at night have become more humane because of such fly-fly restaurants.

Xiaotian saw that the place Li Cheng brought them to was very down-to-earth, and no one around knew them, so she felt very relaxed.

"Hello, what would you like to eat?"

Li Cheng heard the voice, looked up and saw a familiar face, smiled and said: "Sister, stir-fried pork intestines, Kung Pao chicken, spicy chicken, and vinegar-fried cabbage."

"OK, wait."

The boss looked at Li Cheng's familiarity and was a little confused. Is he a regular customer? No, she couldn't have forgotten him because he was so handsome.

Xiaotian took the tea handed over by Li Cheng and asked curiously: "Are four dishes enough?"

Li Cheng slowly stood up and revealed a mysterious smile.

"?"

Xiao Wang, Brother Zhang, and Xiao Tian were all confused. What was going on? Why did he get up and walk to the top of the building?

Li Cheng came to the snack bar, looked at the boss and said, "Boss, one serving of Piaoxiang wontons."

“Eat in or take away?”

"I'm eating at the restaurant in front, just send it over for me."

"okay."

When Li Cheng returned, he saw the familiar Mao Roast Duck restaurant, which was still as packed as ever.

Xiaotian saw Li Cheng coming back and asked, "Where have you been?"

"Oh, I ordered a wonton."

"Oh~"

Xiao Wang looked at Li Cheng and asked, "Brother, I haven't heard that you've been here before!"

"Oh, I used to eat here when I was playing games. It's been a long time, but I didn't expect they are still open."

"Ok."

"I said so."

Everyone dispelled their doubts when they heard Li Cheng's excuse. If they didn't know Li Cheng so well, they wouldn't believe that Li Cheng could find this place without navigation.

Li Cheng shook his head slightly. He had eaten at this place too many times. Not only was it cheap and delicious, but most importantly, the boss was very nice.

"Wow! Li Cheng!"

"Really? Li Cheng!"

Just as Li Cheng and a few others were chatting, two female voices interrupted the conversation.

"Hello."

Li Cheng saw the two beauties and greeted them with a smile.

Oda blinked when he saw two modified cars. This place was not remote, but it was too incredible to see modified cars here.

"Wow! I just went downstairs for a midnight snack and saw you! We two are your fans!"

"Yes, yes, yes. I didn't expect to see you downstairs at home."

The two female fans of the modified car were a little excited. Li Cheng looked at the two people wearing heavy makeup and knew without a doubt that they were going to work. After all, this place is very close to Jiuyan Bridge and Lan Kwai Fong! It only takes half an hour to ride a bicycle to Chunxi Road. Why half an hour? Because in his previous life, he really rode a bicycle from Chunxi Road to go home! Not only did he not go on Metro Line 2 during the evening rush hour after get off work, but he had to wait in line after 100 people to take a taxi!
"It's so late, are you two going out?"

Li Cheng had overheard some clues in his previous life, but now he asked directly.

"Yes, yes, our friends asked us to go for a drink."

"Go play at PH."

At this time, Xiaotian thought of the blogger that Li Cheng once followed, and asked curiously, "Is it the bar of Lao Bai?"

"Yes! That's it."

"Wow! Oda, you're here too!"

Another fan didn't dare to recognize him at first, but recognized him as soon as he heard Oda look up and speak.

"I'm so lucky to see you two today. I was just checking Weibo and saw that you were engaged. I didn't expect to see you two when I came down."

A girl who had slightly modified her clothes asked cautiously, "Can I take a photo with the two of you?"

"Ok, Ok."

"no problem."

Li Cheng and Xiao Tian stood up and let the two stand in the middle. They stood on each side, sandwiching the fans in the middle, and asked Xiao Wang to help take pictures.

"I wish you two get married soon!"

"Bye! Good luck in the competition, Cheng Cheng!"

As soon as the two fans left, the lady boss who served the food asked curiously, "Are you two celebrities?"

Li Cheng quickly waved his hands and said, "No, no, just an ordinary person."

"Yes, ordinary people."

After hearing what Li Cheng said, Xiaotian continued speaking.

The proprietress nodded. She felt that the two did not look like ordinary people. She knew that there were many internet celebrities living in the community behind them. The two looked like either internet celebrities or stars. But she also felt that they did not look like internet celebrities because their faces were very small and the girls were very thin. There were no signs of surgery on their faces, and they were obviously original.

Xiao Tian lowered his head and whispered to Li Cheng beside him, "Why does this place feel different from what I imagined? Although there are many ordinary people, there are also many handsome men and beautiful women."

"Yes, this is an apartment. Across the street is a newly completed high-end residential complex. As far as I know, many internet celebrities live here."

Li Cheng knew this place too well. There might not be any big internet celebrities living in the apartment behind them, but there were too many small internet celebrities. In particular, there was a tattoo shop with Harley-Davidson Gs parked at the door. He was deeply impressed.

"But I have to say it, this place is really quiet, and it has a strong sense of life. I feel this place is very comfortable."

Xiao Wang said as he served rice to everyone.

"Chengdu is a very peaceful place. After all, there is a saying that goes, 'You must go to Sichuan when you are young, and you must leave Sichuan when you are old!'"

Li Cheng picked up the stir-fried pork intestines. It still had the familiar taste and was just as delicious as ever.

"Hey, you know this sentence!"

Xiaotian was a little shocked when he heard Li Cheng say this. Li Cheng actually knew this sentence. He asked again, "Do you know what this sentence means?"

Xiao Wang and Brother Zhang also looked at Li Cheng curiously.

Li Cheng smiled slightly and said, "Actually, there are two interpretations of this sentence. The first one is that it describes the difficulty of the road to Shu. If you go there as a child, you may not be able to see your parents to their old age. If you leave when you are old, you may die in a foreign land. Later, it evolved into the explanation that Chengdu is too comfortable."

"The second is: this land of abundance is a land of gentleness, with good food, good drinks, beautiful mountains and rivers, and beautiful women everywhere. Young people should have the world in their minds. If they go to Sichuan at an early age, those with weak wills will inevitably linger and forget to return. In this way, their lives will be dull and it will be difficult to achieve great things. As for "not leaving Sichuan when old", this is a leisure place suitable for living and residence, and it is common sense that the elderly do not want to leave!"

These were told to him by his college classmates in his previous life. He didn’t believe it at first, but as time went by, he could feel that he really didn’t want to work hard in Chengdu and was really just living off his parents!
"Okay you!"

Xiaotian was really shocked that Li Cheng knew all this.

"It's OK. You guys should try it. It's really delicious."

Li Cheng immediately signaled to several people to try it.

"Yes, Not Bad!"

Xiao Wang had eaten Sichuan cuisine before, but this was the first time he had eaten such homely food.

“Really, authentic Sichuan cuisine!”

As soon as Oda took a bite of the Kung Pao Chicken, he knew that the owner of this restaurant was no ordinary person.

Brother Zhang also quickly gave a thumbs up.

"Of course I can't lie to you. How could the place I picked be wrong?"

Li Cheng asked while eating, "Do you want to eat barbecue? There is a Hegang skewers here, and there is also a barbecue that you can grill yourself."

"No, no, it's enough to finish these. I'll wait until you finish the competition."

Oda waved her hands quickly, she didn't want to eat anymore and had to control herself.

"No, brother. If you want to eat, tell me the address. I'll go buy it after I'm settled."

Xiao Wang quickly shook his head. He felt that if they went to a barbecue restaurant, they would definitely be discovered. Unlike here, where there were ordinary people, few people would be able to recognize them.

"Is the house cleaned?"

Li Bingbing also prepared a house for Li Cheng.

"Aunt has hired someone to clean it. She told me before that we could just go there directly."

Xiao Wang remembered what Li Bingbing had told him in Chongqing, that the house had already been cleaned and he could just move in there without going through so much trouble.

Everyone ate very quickly, after all, they had just finished eating not long ago. Mainly because Li Cheng was hungry, he was the one who cleaned up the dishes on the table.

After Li Cheng paid the bill, it was still as cheap as ever.

Just as they were about to get in the car, Xiaotian noticed that there were many beautiful girls standing at the entrance of the community, and there were many young people eating supper and chatting in front of a Xinjiang barbecue restaurant.

Xiao Wang also clearly saw many girls wearing heavy makeup at the entrance of the community. Considering the geographical location and the words of the two fans just now, he shook his head slightly. No wonder there are so many beauties here. (End of this chapter)