My wife and I are both time travelers.

Chapter 68 Achang
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After this encounter, their journey became much easier from then on.

Those people ran into each other again later, but both sides kept their conversation to themselves, exchanging only glances without actually speaking.

This experience made Zhou Jiye realize what it means to have "heroes all over the world, as numerous as carp crossing a river."

Although he came from a later era and possessed knowledge decades ahead of this one, when he himself was living in this great era, he didn't actually have many other advantages besides that. If he hadn't been traveling with Xu Guoqing this time, but instead with Lin Ying, he really wouldn't know how to handle this situation.

As the train entered Lingnan Prefecture and was about to arrive in Guangzhou, these people disappeared from the train at some point. Xu Guoqing, who appeared calm but had been on guard the whole time, finally felt relieved.

After a two-day, two-night train journey, I arrived in Guangzhou on the afternoon of the third day. As soon as the train arrived at the station, I collected my luggage and followed the flow of people off the train. As soon as I stepped off the platform, a wave of heat hit me.

The further south they went, the hotter it got. In fact, they felt it on the train on the second day and started taking off their cotton-padded coats and sweaters.

When the car arrived in Guangzhou, the temperature was even higher. Keep in mind that it was only the end of February, right after the Lunar New Year, while in Shanghai it was only five or six degrees Celsius. You couldn't stand it without wearing thick clothes.

But in Guangzhou, the average temperature can reach 15 or 16 degrees Celsius, and sometimes it can even soar to around 27 or 28 degrees Celsius, which is exactly like early summer.

"Damn! It's so hot!"

Xu Guoqing, who had just squeezed off the train, couldn't help but curse. Zhou Jiye, who was standing next to him, was also covered in sweat. The two of them looked around on the platform with their luggage on their backs. Zhou Jiye asked, "Which way do we go?"

"Let's get off the train first. I don't know if Achang has received my letter or if he will come to pick us up. If we don't meet him at the station, let's find a place to stay first and then figure out how to get to Shenzhen."

Zhou Jiye agreed with Xu Guoqing's suggestion. After determining the direction, the two headed towards the exit, and soon they were out of the train station.

The area outside Guangzhou's train station was even more bustling than Shanghai's. Perhaps it was because of its southern location and proximity to Hong Kong that the area was more open, with vendors and touts everywhere. In addition, there were quite a few shady characters around. Before they could even find Xu Guoqing's comrade-in-arms in the crowd at the exit, several people approached them, speaking in Cantonese. One of them even reached out to grab their luggage.

"We don't need a hotel, we don't need any of that!"

Zhou Jiye couldn't understand at all, but Xu Guoqing spoke in broken Cantonese while protecting his luggage, his attitude very tough.

Even so, these people still wouldn't give up, and even tried to grab the luggage. Just as Xu Guoqing frowned and Zhou Jiye, seeing that things were not going well, secretly reached behind him, ready to pull out the rolling pin from his waist at any moment, a figure suddenly squeezed in from outside, shouting loudly as he pushed: "Get out of the way! This is my friend, damn it, you still want to come? If you keep this up, we'll fight!"

The person who suddenly appeared helped Zhou Jiye and his group out of their predicament. Seeing that a local had arrived and that the message was clear, the group dispersed dejectedly, realizing they couldn't gain anything.

"Big guy!"

"Achang!"

"Hahaha! Boss, we've finally reunited!"

"I've missed you so much, Ah Chang! It's been almost a year since we last met!"

The person who came to their rescue was none other than Xu Guoqing's comrade-in-arms. The man was of medium height. After helping them drive away those people, he cheerfully opened his arms to Xu Guoqing, and Xu Guoqing responded in the same way. The two big men embraced warmly and patted each other's backs vigorously.

After meeting, Xu Guoqing sized up Achang. The kid was dressed very fashionably, and his appearance was the same as before, not much different, except that he was a bit darker than he remembered, probably because it was too hot in Guangzhou.

"Let me introduce you. This is my brother Zhou Jiye. Jiye, and this is He Yongchang, my comrade-in-arms from Northeast China."

Wow! What a big guy!

Achang looked up in surprise at Zhou Jiye, astonished by his impressive size.

This is normal, though. Most people in Lingnan are not tall and are thin. A tall and strong man like Zhou Jiye, who is over 1.8 meters tall, would stand out from the crowd.

Although Zhou Jiye didn't understand Cantonese, he understood the "big guy" part. He was both amused and exasperated, thinking to himself that this kid's name was really amazing. He wondered what his father was thinking when he named him Yongchang, meaning "longevity and prosperity"! It was truly awesome!
"Brother Chang." Zhou Jiye greeted A-Chang while suppressing a laugh.

Achang chuckled and patted Zhou Jiye's strong arm: "Aye, right? You're the big boss's brother, which means you're my brother too. Don't worry about coming to Guangzhou, with me, Achang, protecting you, there won't be any problems."

"Thank you, Brother Chang."

"No problem, just a little water..."

Before Achang could continue his boasting, Xu Guoqing interrupted him, asking where Achang was going. "We can't just stand here and chat, can we? This place is a mixed bag; it's not a good place to stay for long."

Achang realized what was happening, slapped his forehead, and quickly beckoned Xu Guoqing and the others to follow him. The three walked a short distance in one direction from the train station, then Achang led them to a spot, pointed to a slow-moving car, and waved: "Get in!" "Is this your car?"

Xu Guoqing looked at the tortoise-shaped vehicle with surprise. The so-called tortoise-shaped vehicle was actually a three-wheeled motorcycle, similar to the later three-wheeled vehicles. This kind of thing also existed in Shanghai. It had three wheels, ran on oil, and had a metal shell on the outside. It looked like a big tortoise. It could carry people or goods. It was the earliest taxi. In the south and Southeast Asia, it was also called a tuk-tuk.

Ah Chang, beaming with pride, tossed his hair and said, "How about it, boss? Not bad, right?"

"You've upgraded from a slingshot to a cannon! You're getting cocky now, aren't you?" Xu Guoqing joked. "Looks like you're doing pretty well. What are you doing now? A boss?"

"I wouldn't call myself a boss, I'm just trying to make a living." A-Chang patted his tortoise-like car, then told them to get in quickly. He sat in the driver's seat, inserted and turned the key, started the engine, and skillfully twisted the accelerator. The car sputtered and sputtered, carrying them southeast.

After driving for about half an hour, Achang led them to a residential area and stopped behind an arcade building.

"We're here, come with me!" Achang parked the car and called them over.

Arcade buildings are a distinctive feature of Guangzhou. The front facing the street can serve as a storefront, while the back and upper floors are ordinary residential buildings. Achang's home is on the third floor of this building.

He led them up to the third floor, and when they arrived at a door, he took out his key and opened the door. Achang went inside first, then pointed to the room and said with a smile, "This is my home. It's not big, but it can fit three people. If you don't mind, you can stay here."

Do you live alone?

"Yes, my dad and mom live in the old house, and it's more convenient here because it's close to the city."

"That's great. Staying here saves me money on accommodation, so I won't stand on ceremony."

Xu Guoqing looked around. The house was about the same size as his home. It was clean and tidy. There was a large bed that could sleep two people, and a wooden bench that could also be used for sleeping. In addition, the weather in Guangzhou was hot, so there was no need for a thick quilt at night. It would be nice to stay here for a few days. Besides, he and his brother Achang had a very good relationship and had not seen each other for a year. It was perfect to stay together.

Seeing Xu Guoqing readily agree, Achang was even happier. Pointing to the bed, he said they would sleep on it that night, while he could sleep on the bench. Xu Guoqing quickly said that this was inappropriate, as Achang was the host, and it was unacceptable to let the host sleep on the bench. But Achang insisted on this arrangement, even bringing up Zhou Jiye's height, saying that he was short and the bench was just right for him, but they couldn't let the big Zhou Jiye sleep on the bench, could they? There wouldn't be enough room!

Moreover, they are guests, and he is the host. There is only the saying "when in Rome, do as the Romans do," not the other way around. Seeing that Achang was so determined, Xu Guoqing had no choice but to agree. At this time, Zhou Jiye also had a very good impression of Achang. No wonder Xu Guoqing couldn't forget his comrade-in-arms. Although they had only just met, such a friend was indeed loyal and worth befriending.

After putting their luggage away, A-Chang boiled water to make tea, invited them to sit down, drink tea, and chat, and even took out cigarettes from his pocket and offered them around.

"What kind of cigarettes are these?" Xu Guoqing couldn't help but ask as he took the cigarette pack that Achang pulled out, its casing gleaming with gold.

“Good friend, foreign cigarettes, from Hong Kong, haven’t tried them before?” A-Chang said with a smile, then took out a lighter from his pocket, opened the cap with his finger with a clang, lit it with a flick of his thumb, and lit it for Xu Guoqing and Zhou Jiye.

"This lighter is nice. Is it from Hong Kong too?"

"Plop, it's from Hong Kong, it's yours." Ah Chang smiled and casually slapped the lighter into Xu Guoqing's hand, speaking very generously.

"This thing must be expensive, right? Just play with it for now, wouldn't you feel bad giving it to me?" Xu Guoqing asked, half-seriously and half-jokingly.

"Hey boss, you think this is the real deal?" Rolling his eyes, Ah Chang put his feet up on the coffee table and said self-deprecatingly, "I can't afford the real thing. These are all smuggled goods from Hong Kong, they're not worth much."

"Very cheap?" Xu Guoqing asked, fiddling with the lighter.

“A genuine DuPont or Dunhill costs at least 500 yuan, and some good ones can cost several thousand or even tens of thousands. My counterfeit only sells for 15 yuan. The price is even lower if you buy directly. What do you think?” A-Chang said casually. As soon as he said this, both Xu Guoqing and Zhou Jiye’s eyes lit up instantly. What were they doing in Lingnan? Weren’t they here to scout things out? They didn’t expect A-Chang to give them such a surprise as soon as they met.

"Is the difference that big?" Xu Guoqing pressed.

"Those things from those small factories are basically just for show; they can't compare to the real thing at all. How much more expensive can they be?"

"I've heard that we can get a lot of Hong Kong goods here in Lingnan. Could you tell us more about that?" Xu Guoqing asked earnestly.

Achang frowned slightly, turned to look at Xu Guoqing and Zhou Jiye, and asked in confusion, "Why are you asking this, boss? Could it be that you're planning to do something like this?"

"Hehe, I have that idea." Xu Guoqing took a puff of Liangyou cigarette. It tasted good and was quite pleasant to smoke. He had no intention of hiding anything from Achang. He had originally planned to come to Guangzhou to ask him about this matter. Besides, they were both from out of town, so Achang naturally knew more about local news than they did.

"Boss, we're all brothers here. Tell me in detail what your plans are for coming here this time. You know what kind of person I, A-Chang, am. I'll definitely help if I can!"

"Great!" Xu Guoqing was very happy and immediately started talking to Achang, telling him in detail about their plans to come to Lingnan, and asking him if he had any connections in the area and if he could get his hands on goods from Hong Kong. If so, he would help them out.

(End of this chapter)