Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 590 City God Temple

Xiao Wei scratched his head and said, "I only vaguely remember the direction, but I don't know the specific way."

Xiao Hong tugged at Xiao Wei and said, "Just walk anywhere, as long as you're going in the right direction."

The group walked to the right along the road, not knowing where the road led, just wandering aimlessly. After walking for a while, Xiao Liu pointed to their left and asked, "Isn't that the park over there?"

The streetlights only illuminated a small area. The four of them strained to see where Xiao Liu was pointing, and it seemed to be a grove of trees. After walking a while longer, the road forked again. The three of them looked at Xiao Wei, who said, "If that was a park, we should turn left now and go towards the front of the park."

The four of them turned into the left intersection. For some reason, the streetlights in this area were spaced far apart, and there were no people or cars on the road. This area was not a residential area.

After walking another hundred meters or so, Xiao Liu said, "That's right, we should be on the right track. Look at that area ahead." Across the street, several dozen meters away, was a brightly lit area with many people moving around. The four of them quickened their pace and walked over.

It turned out to be the right thing to do. After walking another hundred meters or so, the lights came on, and a lively scene unfolded before my eyes.

The City God Temple was closed at the moment. The temple was not large, and there was a small pond in front of it. Beside the pond stood a three-story ancient-style building, surrounded by a semi-circle of ancient-style bungalows. Inside, people were bustling about, and the noise drifted in on the wind. The aroma of food filled the air.

After walking around, I found that the narrow alleyway formed by the flat houses was full of antique and calligraphy and painting crafts for sale. There were also traditional long robes, but I didn't know what occasions you could wear them. They were all made of silk and didn't look high-end, but the prices were really expensive.

The upstairs area is full of food, but mostly various kinds of buns and pastries. A crab roe bun costs eight yuan, and a shrimp crystal bun costs twelve yuan. Moreover, it was already closing time, and the sales staff seemed reluctant to deal with customers, displaying a lazy attitude.

Xiao Liu sighed and said, "I only realized how poor I was when I got to Shanghai. My monthly salary can only afford two full meals."

Xiao Hong said, "You don't realize how insignificant your official position is until you've been to Beijing, and you don't know how little money you have until you've been to Shanghai. What are you lamenting about?"

Xiao Liu said, "I was wondering how much money the locals in Shanghai make and how they live."

Xiao Wei looked around and said, "I guess even locals don't come here. You're from Northeast China and you've never been here before, but you know this place must be a scenic spot. Scenic spots are expensive everywhere, they're basically for out-of-towners."

Xiao Hong said, "Why do scenic spots have to be expensive? Can't we just do business properly?"

Xiao Wei said, "Our Shuidong is the same, all the same. They're all outsiders, so we just take them down as they come. Besides, business is bound to be good in places like this, and there are a lot of people watching. You have to pull strings and find connections to get in. All those greasing palms will drive up the costs. How can we make money if we don't sell at high prices? How much does it cost to open a steamed bun shop like this in our neighborhood? A few thousand yuan. But here? You'd think they could even open one without a hundred thousand."

Xiao Liu nodded and said, "That's right, the additional costs are too high. The government and management departments at all levels are all looking to take a bite out of it. As for how much the goods will sell for, whether people can afford them, and whether the business owners can make money, what does that have to do with them? They won't even lose money."

The four of them picked out the best-looking buns and bought some, each holding a few as they walked and ate. They were expensive, but the taste was pretty good, at least not too sweet. Except for the char siu bun in Gazi's hand.

People in Shanghai love to eat steamed buns and dumplings, especially pan-fried buns or potstickers. There are many shops selling char siu bao, siu mai, xiaolongbao, braised pork buns, wontons, pan-fried buns, potstickers, and pan-fried dumplings in Shanghai, and they all do good business, but none of them are actually traditional local snacks.

Char siu is a Cantonese dish, siu mai originated in Hui Muslim restaurants in Beijing, wontons are also a Beijing snack, braised pork buns are a Sichuan snack, and pan-fried buns and potstickers are Shandong specialties. But the snack most familiar to Shanghainese is xiaolongbao (soup dumplings). This snack, originating in Kaifeng, southern Henan, traveled to Jiangnan during the Southern Song Dynasty and flourished here. Because it has been passed down for a long time, let's consider it a local flavor.

There's a Nanxiang Steamed Bun shop near the City God Temple that specializes in xiaolongbao (soup dumplings). It's a famous Shanghai delicacy with long queues of customers every day.

In fact, more than half of China's famous local snacks originated in southern Henan and Shandong. Some also originated in Beijing.

The City God Temple in 90 had not been expanded yet, and the place was not big. The group of us ate and strolled around and quickly finished. None of us were interested in the "antiques" or anything like that, so after discussing it, we decided to take a taxi back to the hotel to rest.

The next day, after having breakfast at the hotel, the four of them went out shopping again.

The purpose of this trip was to broaden my horizons, so naturally I wanted to travel, see, and hear as much as possible.

Huaihai Road, North Sichuan Road, and Nanjing Road are known as the three major commercial streets of Shanghai. Even in the 90s, they were already quite prosperous. Huaihai Road catered to the high-end market, boasting a plethora of brand-name stores. North Sichuan Road, on the other hand, catered to the general public, with many small shops and general merchandise catering to ordinary consumers. Nanjing Road, needless to say, was specifically designed for out-of-town visitors.

It has to be said that in the early 90s, when it came to fashion, you really had to look to Shanghai. Beijing was still looking rather unfashionable, Guangdong was adopting a mixed style of Hong Kong influence, while Shanghai already had a brand awareness and a holistic approach to dressing. From hairstyles and clothing to perfumes and glasses, everything was about coordination.

Don't underestimate the importance of matching outfits. It may seem like a trivial matter, but in the 90s, wearing a suit with a cap and heels was very common.

Xiao Hong would always look at the women on the street with amazement, and Xiao Wei was also observing carefully, walking around and looking at things. His aesthetic sense and horizons were gradually improving, and he was developing a clear concept of fashion. At that time, the word "fashion" didn't exist yet.

"I remember there's a famous Avenue Joffre in Shanghai, right? I remember back in the old days, everyone talked about Avenue Joffre, Avenue Joffre, and it seems like a lot of historical figures lived there. Oh, and there's also Avenue Joffre face cream." Xiao Hong asked Xiao Wei, looking at the shops along the road.

Xiao Wei turned to look at Xiao Liu, who smiled and said, "This is it, this is the original Avenue Joffre. This road was originally built by the French, and Joffre was a very famous French general. Later, after liberation, this road was renamed Huaihai Road to commemorate the Huaihai Campaign."

Xiao Hong turned to Xiao Wei and asked, "How come you didn't know? Everyone else does."

Xiao Wei said, "You're a college student, how am I supposed to know if you don't know? I've never been here before. You'll find out later, won't you?" Xiao Hong pouted, a little unhappy.

Since they were already there, they couldn't leave empty-handed. Chen Hui, Xia Maosheng, Chen Xiao, Geng Hui, and of course Xiao Hong all got their own sets. Even Gazi and Xiao Liu each got a set. Xiao Wei also changed his clothes from head to toe.

After returning to the hotel, washing up, and changing clothes, the four of them looked completely different.

(End of this chapter)