Punch: From third-rate anchor to top chef

Chapter 1672

The next morning, the three of them arrived at the ancient city wall of Xi'an, one of the largest and best-preserved ancient city walls in China, and also a landmark building in Xi'an.

Standing at the foot of the city wall, Li Xiao looked up at the tall wall, his heart filled with awe: "This city wall is so magnificent. I can't imagine how the ancients built it."

Zhang Yuedong said with a smile: "This is the crystallization of the wisdom of the ancient working people. It has survived hundreds of years of wind and rain and is still standing. It is amazing."

Lin Yifei said excitedly: "Let's go up quickly. I heard that riding on the city wall feels great."

So they came to the entrance of the city wall, bought tickets, rented three bicycles, and began their cycling tour of the city wall.

The road on the city wall was wide enough for two cars to run side by side. They rode their bicycles slowly along the city wall, admiring the beautiful scenery inside and outside the city wall.

Inside the city wall is the ancient city of Xi'an, where blue brick and gray tile buildings are scattered around in an orderly manner, full of historical charm; outside the city wall is a modern city with tall buildings and bustling traffic, showing the prosperity and vitality of Xi'an.

Li Xiao said with emotion: "Riding on this city wall, you can feel the historical heritage of Xi'an and see its modern style. This feeling of blending the ancient and the modern is really amazing."

Zhang Yuedong also nodded in agreement: "Yes, Xi'an is a very charming city. It has both profound history and culture and vigorous development vitality."

Lin Yifei smiled and said: "Our trip was really worth it. We went to so many interesting places, tasted so many delicious foods, and felt the cultural charm of different cities."

During the ride, they stopped from time to time to take photos. Every corner of the city wall was left with their laughter.

Before they knew it, the sun had already set, and they had finished their city wall cycling tour. Although they were a little tired, their faces were filled with satisfied smiles.

"Today has been a very fulfilling day." Li Xiao stretched and said.

Zhang Yuedong also smiled and said, "Yes, tomorrow we will go to the Terracotta Warriors. I heard that it is even more stunning there. It is really exciting."

Lin Yifei said excitedly: "Great, I can't wait to see those mysterious terracotta warriors."

As the three of them talked, they walked towards the hotel, looking forward to tomorrow's journey.

After bidding farewell to Xi'an, the three took a plane to the charming Chengdu, a city famous for its delicious food and leisurely life, which filled them with expectations.

As soon as they arrived in Chengdu, they headed straight for Jinli Ancient Street. As night fell and the lights came on, Jinli Ancient Street unfolded before their eyes like a gorgeous painting. Big red lanterns were hung high, and the lanterns under the slightly blue sky emitted a warm halo, which contrasted with the afterglow of the sunset, forming a beautiful picture.

Li Xiao said excitedly: "Wow, this Jinli Ancient Street is so beautiful, it feels like I have traveled back to ancient times."

Zhang Yuedong also nodded and praised: "Yes, the atmosphere is absolutely amazing. Look at this stone archway, it looks even more majestic under the light and shadow."

Lin Yifei was busy taking photos, saying as he did so: "Such a beautiful place, I must take a few more photos as a souvenir."

They walked slowly along the ancient street, where antique buildings were scattered on both sides of the street, including teahouses, theaters, wine shops, handicraft workshops, handicraft stalls, and food shops, making it very lively. In the square in front of the ancient stage, the ancient stage with lights on gave people a sense of ancient solemnity. After passing through the ancient stage and entering the core area of ​​Jinli Ancient Street, the street became narrower, like an alley, but with more ancient street charm.

Li Xiao looked around curiously and asked, "What was this Jinli Ancient Street used for?"

Zhang Yuedong checked his phone and replied, "Legend has it that Jinli was one of the oldest and most commercial streets in the history of Western Sichuan. It was well-known throughout the country as early as the Qin and Han Dynasties and the Three Kingdoms Period. Today, Jinli is built with Sichuan folk houses from the late Ming and early Qing Dynasties as its outer shell, and Three Kingdoms culture and Chengdu folk customs as its inner core. It integrates tourism, shopping, leisure and entertainment, and is known as the 'First Street in Western Sichuan'."

Lin Yifei sighed: "I didn't expect that this small ancient street has such a profound historical heritage."

They were walking in the ancient street, admiring various exquisite handicrafts and feeling the traditional culture of Chengdu. Suddenly, a melodious music sounded, and they walked towards the sound and found that a Sichuan Opera face-changing performance was being performed in a teahouse.

The three of them walked into the teahouse, found a seat, sat down, ordered a few cups of tea, and watched the performance on the stage intently. The actors were dressed in gorgeous costumes, and the facial makeup on their faces changed instantly, which made people dazzled and amazed.

Li Xiao couldn't help but applaud: "This Sichuan Opera face-changing is so magical, it changes every second!"

Zhang Yuedong also said: "Yes, this is a unique skill of Sichuan Opera. I have only seen it on TV before. It is so exciting to see it with my own eyes today."

Lin Yifei smiled and said: "In this quaint teahouse, drinking tea from a covered bowl and watching Sichuan opera face-changing, this is the real life in Chengdu."

After watching the performance, they continued to stroll in the ancient street. At this time, night had completely fallen, and Jinli Ancient Street was brightly lit, like a dream. The winding courtyards, streets and alleys echoed with the waterside, lakes, lotus ponds and stone bridges, and the water waves and lights created a unique artistic conception.

Li Xiao said with emotion: "The night view of Jinli Ancient Street is so beautiful. It feels like every place is a painting."

Zhang Yuedong nodded in agreement: "Yes, today's trip is really worthwhile. Let's go and have something delicious."

When it comes to Chengdu cuisine, hot pot is absolutely indispensable. The three of them came to a famous local hot pot restaurant, ready to taste the authentic Chengdu hot pot.

As soon as they walked into the hot pot restaurant, the rich spicy aroma hit their noses, making their mouths water. The waiter greeted them warmly, took them to their seats, and handed them the menu.

Zhang Yuedong looked at the menu and said excitedly, "Wow, there are so many dishes here, tripe, duck intestines, spicy beef, marbling beef... I want to eat every one of them."

Li Xiao also smiled and said, "Then don't be polite, open up a little. I must try this authentic Chengdu hotpot today."

Lin Yifei reminded: "But Chengdu hotpot is very spicy, let's take it easy, don't let it get too spicy."

After a while, the pot was served. The pot was full of red oil, with a layer of chili peppers and peppercorns floating on it, which made people excited.

Zhang Yuedong couldn't wait to put the tripe into the pot, and said while boiling it: "This tripe needs to be boiled up and down, so that it will be crispy and delicious." Li Xiao and Lin Yifei also followed his example and put the tripe into the pot and boiled it. Sure enough, the boiled tripe tasted crispy and refreshing, and the spicy and fresh taste spread in the mouth, making people unable to stop.

"It's so delicious!" Li Xiao said as he ate. "This Chengdu hotpot is really as good as its reputation. It's really spicy enough."

Zhang Yuedong also nodded and praised: "Yes, this is the real hot pot. Try the duck intestines, it must be good too."

As he said this, he put the duck intestines back into the pot and started to blanch them. After blanching them in the pot for a few times, the duck intestines became curled up. He quickly took them out, dipped them in the dipping sauce, and then put them in his mouth.

"Hmm~ The duck intestines are so tender, with a firm and chewy texture, so delicious!" Zhang Yuedong praised it highly.

Then, they tasted various dishes such as spicy beef, marbled beef, and thousand-layer tripe, each of which left them with an endless aftertaste. The spiciness of the hot pot made their foreheads covered with sweat, but they enjoyed the food very much and said it was very satisfying.

Li Xiao took a sip of iced Coke to ease the spicy taste in his mouth, and said, "Today's hot pot is the most enjoyable one I've ever had."

Lin Yifei also smiled and said: "Yes, the charm of Chengdu hotpot is really great. I feel like I have fallen in love with this spicy feeling."

Zhang Yuedong joked: "Then we can come to Chengdu often to eat hotpot in the future."

While eating hot pot, the three of them shared what they saw and heard today in Jinli Ancient Street, and laughter echoed in the hot pot restaurant.

After eating hot pot, they learned that a folk activity was being held in a nearby square, so they decided to join in the fun.

As soon as I arrived at the square, I was infected by the lively atmosphere. The square was crowded with people wearing colorful clothes and smiling happily. On the stage, actors were performing wonderful programs, including dragon and lion dances, Sichuan opera face-changing, acrobatic performances, etc. The audience below the stage cheered from time to time.

Zhang Yuedong said excitedly: "This folk activity is so lively, it feels more lively than the Chinese New Year."

Li Xiao also nodded in agreement: "Yes, this is the real folk culture. Let's go and see what else is interesting."

They walked around the square and saw many interesting folk games, such as Cuju, pitching pots, guessing lantern riddles, etc. They couldn't help but participate in them and experience the entertainment methods of the ancients.

At the Cuju field, Li Xiao and Zhang Yuedong were divided into two teams and played Cuju with other tourists. They ran, passed the ball, and shot the ball. Although their skills were not very good, they had a lot of fun.

Lin Yifei stood by as a cheerleader, cheering for them: "Come on, Li Xiao, Zhang Yuedong, shoot!"

After the game, although their team lost, everyone had a great time. Li Xiao wiped the sweat off his face and said with a smile: "This Cuju is really interesting. I didn't expect that the ancient people's sports were so interesting."

Zhang Yuedong also panted and said, "Yes, we had so much fun today. Let's go play pot-tossing again."

They came to the pitching site, and the staff explained the rules and techniques of pitching. The three picked up the arrows, aimed at the mouth of the pot, and threw them hard. Although they were not very accurate at the beginning, after several attempts, they gradually mastered the skills and hit the target more and more times.

Lin Yifei said excitedly: "I hit it, I hit it! This pitching pot is quite challenging."

Li Xiao and Zhang Yuedong were also happy for him: "Not bad, Lin Yifei, keep it up!"

After playing pot-throwing, they went to guess lantern riddles. Under the colorful lanterns were hanging pieces of paper filled with riddles. They gathered in groups of three or five, either stopping to ponder or having heated discussions. These riddles were full of literary charm and life interest, allowing them to exercise their thinking ability in the process of solving them, and to feel more deeply the breadth and depth of traditional culture.

Li Xiao looked at a lantern riddle and thought for a while. Suddenly, an idea came to his mind: "I know. The answer to this lantern riddle is 'flower'."

Zhang Yuedong and Lin Yifei looked at the riddle and thought it made sense: "Yes, it's 'flower'. Li Xiao, you are amazing!"

After they guessed a few riddles correctly, they won some small prizes. Although the prizes were not expensive, they felt very happy.

After playing in the square for a long time, they left with satisfaction. Back at the hotel, although they were a little tired, they felt particularly relaxed. They lay on the bed, recalling the experience of the day and looking forward to tomorrow's journey.

After the trip to Chengdu, the three of them set off on their return journey. Sitting on the return flight, Li Xiao looked at the blue sky and white clouds outside the window, feeling a lot of emotion in his heart.

"This trip is really unforgettable." Li Xiao broke the silence, "I went to so many places, saw so many beautiful scenery, tasted various foods, and experienced different cultures."

Zhang Yuedong also nodded in agreement: "Yes, I feel that my horizons have been broadened a lot along the way. Every city has its own unique charm. The historical heritage of Beijing, the ancient capital style of Xi'an, and the leisurely and comfortable life of Chengdu are all unforgettable."

Lin Yifei said with a smile: "I also met a lot of interesting people and heard many interesting stories. These will become precious treasures in our lives."

Recalling the moments in each city, their faces were filled with happy smiles. The red walls and yellow tiles of the Forbidden City, the magnificence of the Terracotta Warriors, and the bustling Jinli Ancient Street, these scenes emerged in their minds one by one like a movie.

"This trip has also given me new inspiration for writing," Li Xiao said excitedly. "I can't wait to write all these experiences into my novel."

Zhang Yuedong joked: "Then you have to write it well and make our travel experience more exciting. Maybe it can become a bestseller!"

Everyone was amused. In the laughter, they also felt a little reluctant to leave. This trip not only allowed them to appreciate the beautiful mountains and rivers of the motherland, but also deepened their friendship.

"I really hope we can have another chance to travel together in the future," Lin Yifei said with emotion.

Li Xiao and Zhang Yuedong nodded: "Of course we will! The world is so big, there are still many places waiting for us to explore."

As the plane slowly landed, their trip came to a successful conclusion. But they knew that this wonderful memory would remain in their hearts forever and become the most precious treasure in their lives. In the future, there are more wonderful things waiting for them, and the next trip may be in the near future.