From Under One Person: Sincere Journey Through the Heavens

Now, returning to my hometown and comparing the two places, the sense of loss is naturally great.

"Oh, so it's a problem of 'being dazzled by a riot of colors'."

Li Muxuan suddenly realized what was going on and started using the poem as a metaphor.

“It’s perfectly normal for ordinary people to be captivated by luxury, not everyone is as resilient as Aunt Xiuhua Bai.”

Lu Jin also felt that Li Muxuan was right.

Jiang Liu sighed.

It was precisely because he came from a later era that he clearly understood how vast the gap was between the Republic of China and those developed countries abroad.

Even with proper training, in modern warfare, those with superhuman abilities are only suited for single-person or group-based special operations involving three to five or seven to eight people.

Spiritual practice can indeed cultivate a steadfast mind, but a steadfast mind alone cannot withstand the bombing of large-scale modern weapons!

Furthermore, there are extraordinary individuals in China, as well as magicians and alchemists abroad. In the original work, there is even a foreign extraordinary individual, Isaac Taber, who can befriend the elderly Zhang Zhiwei. Zhang Zhiwei even suspected that Taber was there to cause trouble.

"Alright, you two, stop your charade."

After Jiang Liu finished speaking, he glanced at the sky and said to Ren Jiating and Ren Tingting, who were walking ahead, "Miss Ren, it's noon. How about we go have lunch and then continue shopping?"

# Chapter 80 Competition

"it is good!"

Ren Jiating is a straightforward person. In addition, her cultivation as an extraordinary person, whether internal or external, requires more energy than ordinary people, and her appetite is also greater.

Therefore, her first thought was to go to the largest inn in town, order a table full of good wine and food, and eat to her heart's content.

But Ren Tingting had a different idea and suggested, "Sister, and the three of you, come with me to eat Western food. Dad recently opened a new Western restaurant, and all the upper-class and elegant people abroad eat Western food."

"Western food? I'd like to try it."

Li Muxuan was in high spirits.

Lu Jin felt that it wouldn't hurt to occasionally indulge in something foreign. Besides, according to Brother Jiang's teachings, reversing the eight directions was a cultivation method that allowed practitioners to control the magnetic field of people. Interacting with different people and experiencing the magnetic field that different people exhibit when engaging in various life activities would greatly benefit cultivation.

For example, when the people of Goose City were in high spirits and joined Zhang Muzhi in attacking Huang Silang's watchtower, the magnetic field they displayed was quite strong, allowing him to detect them without having to concentrate too much.

However, Jiang Liu's ideas differed from both of the above.

Open a Western restaurant?

He suspected that Master Ren might be senile.

It is true that Renjia Town is more prosperous than other villages or even some small county towns, but most residents still have to make a living by carefully managing their finances, so why would they go to a Western restaurant?

Most of the other wealthy people in this town, let alone having been abroad, rarely even go to big cities. Apart from having to discuss business with Mr. Ren, they probably don't dine at Western restaurants most of the time.

When we arrived at the entrance of the Western restaurant, we happened to see Mr. Ren coming out of it, looking very worried.

"Tingting, Jiating, come and eat!"

Ren Fa immediately smiled and said to the receptionist on the right side of the door, "Quickly have the kitchen prepare food for my daughter and their friends."

"Dad, it's Western-style steak!"

Ren Tingting corrected her sweetly.

"Yes, yes, it's a Western-style steak."

Compared to Ren Jiating, Ren Fa values ​​Ren Tingting more. After all, he spent so much money to send her abroad to study so that she could learn advanced knowledge from abroad, inherit his family business, and eventually find a local son-in-law to carry on the Ren family bloodline.

This also shows that Ren Fa's thinking was actually quite open, and he did not believe that only men could manage the family business and carry on the family line.

And Ren Jiating's words—

Master Ren actually knew a thing or two about extraordinary people. Since his eldest daughter had joined the Jiyun Society, and it wasn't just an ordinary opera troupe, but an ancient magic troupe where one could learn real skills, even warlords would give extraordinary people some face.

With the two daughters supporting each other, the Ren family may not necessarily continue to grow stronger, but at least they can survive until this chaotic world passes.

"Has Dad eaten yet?"

Ren Jiating asked.

"I've already eaten, I've already eaten."

Ren Fa waved his hand, pulled her aside, and whispered, "Daughter, you should stay at home for a few more months. Your sister just returned from studying abroad. Coming from such an advanced place to our backward hometown, she's having some trouble adjusting. Spend more time with her."

I'm usually busy, Dad.

Recently, that old man Luo has been levying more taxes, and our family's income has decreased in recent years...

By the way, keep an eye on that Ren Wei.

Said Cao Cao, Cao Cao.

"Uncle-in-law".

Just then, Ren Wei led a patrol team from the street. Upon seeing Ren Fa, he immediately dismissed his men, jogged over to Ren Fa, and bowed obsequiously with a beaming smile. When he saw Ren Jiating, and then glanced at Ren Tingting, he paused for a moment, then reacted and said, "You're Jiating, right? I'm your cousin! If you ever run into trouble, just go to the county government and find your cousin. I'm the one who calls the shots there!"

"Okay, cousin."

Ren Jiating spoke politely to her cousin Ren Wei, but she didn't really remember him. Now that she had met him, she understood her father's worries.

But her sister probably wouldn't even look down on something like that, right?

Ren Fa simply gave a soft "hmm" in response to his nephew before quickly walking away, clearly not wanting to engage in any pointless conversation.

"Tingting, wait for me! I'll change my clothes and be right back!"

After watching Ren Fa walk into the crowd, Ren Wei glanced at the uniform of a military captain, slapped his forehead, and immediately ran home.

"Let's go in."

Ren Tingting was clearly uninterested in Ren Wei's oily face and didn't want to wait for him. "I've been shopping all morning and I'm starving."

The staff knew that Ren Jiating and Ren Tingting were Ren Fa's daughters, so they dared not neglect them and led the group to the second floor, where they chose a private room by the window.

There were no other guests in the Western restaurant besides them, and their meal was free.

As Jiang Liu had previously guessed, it was obvious that Mr. Ren had chosen the wrong direction at this stage. After all, a Western restaurant needs to be opened in a large city with a population of over 10,000 to have a significant market. Opening one in a town with a population of less than 1,000 means it can only be considered a private restaurant.

However, judging from Ren Fa's worried expression earlier, he was clearly not extravagant enough to treat this Western restaurant located in the middle of the street as his private restaurant.

When the so-called "Western-style steak" was served, Li Muxuan looked at the piece of meat, which was only the size of his palm, and asked in confusion, "Is that all?"

Although it's meat, to be honest, this piece of steak isn't as filling as a bowl of white rice.

"This is Western food? Isn't it just stir-fried beef? It's just a whole piece of beef stir-fried." Looking at the sauce on the beef, Lu Jin suddenly realized that Brother Jiang wasn't just comforting Uncle Jiu that morning. Perhaps, in terms of food, the West really can't compare to them.

Jiang Liu also said, "Indeed, it's just a whole piece that's stir-fried."

It is foreseeable that the kitchen staff had absolutely no experience with Western cuisine and were most likely cooking Chinese food based on descriptions of Western cuisine.

But then again—

He had never eaten such a large piece of stir-fried beef before, a fusion of Chinese and Western styles.

Where are the chopsticks?

Ren Jiating asked.

"Sister, when eating Western food, you have to use a knife and fork."

Ren Tingting picked up her knife and fork, using the fork to pierce the meat with one hand and the knife to cut it with the other. Then she used the fork to pick up a piece that had been cut off, put it in her mouth, chewed slowly, and then wiped the grease from her mouth with a handkerchief, commenting, "This is how Western upper-class people eat! But this steak isn't authentic; it really tastes like stir-fried beef!"

"What a hassle!"

Li Muxuan was somewhat disgusted, but since this meal was paid for by Master Ren, he followed suit, cut off a large piece of beef, threw it into his mouth, and squeezed his cheeks bulging out.

Lu Jin's actions were similar to Ren Tingting's, which impressed her. She asked, "Little brother, have you eaten Western food before?"

"Huh? No."

Lu Jin was taken aback, then quickly shook her head, "But my family says that when you visit someone's home, you should be polite. I learned that from you, sister."

"Good boy!"

Seeing how well-behaved he was, Ren Tingting was quite pleased. But then she saw Jiang Liu ask a waiter for a pair of chopsticks and start eating his steak with them. “I’m sorry, Miss, as a magician, although I can’t compare to the Jiyun Society, I still need to keep training. Compared to knives and forks, chopsticks are better for improving finger dexterity.”

"That does make some sense."

Ren Tingting was about to get angry, but seeing Jiang Liu apologize to her and explain his reasons, she, as a refined person who had studied in the West, could not criticize him for it, otherwise it would be impolite. Moreover, Jiang Liu's reasons also fit the definition of practice makes perfect.

But she always felt that something was off—

correct!

Since meeting her, the young man had maintained a calm demeanor, unmoved by her appearance or the teasing in her words, as if nothing in the outside world could shake his mind.

Judging from her Western education, someone with such a peaceful mindset must be a proud aristocrat.

But he already knew Jiang Liu's identity:

The adopted son of a street performer.

He was just an ordinary person with no background or status. When he accompanied her shopping, he could chat with all sorts of people on the street without the slightest arrogance.

How can someone like this have such a peaceful mindset?

Thinking of this, Ren Tingting turned her attention to Lu Jin and Li Muxuan, and found that although the two were moved by her appearance and words, their personalities were far more lively than they should be at their age.

And his older sister, now following Jiang Liu's example, asked the waiter for a pair of chopsticks and a bowl of rice.

Suddenly, Ren Tingting noticed someone who didn't fit in among the five—

It's yourself!

Suddenly, she felt a bit annoyed and wanted to run away to be alone, but she felt that it was inappropriate to do so. After all, that would only prove that her elegance was fake and only superficial. The behavior of the four of them seemed to be inconsistent with Western dining etiquette, but their peaceful mindset far surpassed that of the "aristocrats" who only had superficial manners.

Seeing that Jiang Liu, Lu Jin, and Li Muxuan also ordered rice, Ren Tingting could only call out, "Give me a bowl too."

"what?"

The waiter was stunned.

He could understand that the eldest daughter and her friends didn't know anything about Western food, but why did the second daughter do the same?

"hurry up!"

"Yes Yes!"