Punch: From third-rate anchor to top chef

Chapter 1709

The three of them also praised the performance. They felt that this Kunqu performance gave them a deeper understanding and knowledge of Suzhou's traditional culture.

After enjoying the Kunqu opera performance, the three of them strolled around the ancient town and prepared to pick some local specialties to bring back to their relatives and friends. They came to a specialty store filled with a variety of specialties, including Suzhou embroidery, Biluochun tea, silk, sandalwood fans, etc.

"These Suzhou embroidery works are so beautiful, and the embroidery work is so delicate!" Zhang Yuedong picked up a Suzhou embroidery work and admired it carefully.

Li Xiao also walked over and took a look at the Suzhou embroidery. He said, "Suzhou embroidery is a traditional handicraft of Suzhou, famous for its exquisite embroidery and unique artistic style. These Suzhou embroidery works can not only be used as decorations, but also have a high collection value."

Lin Yifei was also very interested in Suzhou embroidery. He picked out a piece of Suzhou embroidery with a Suzhou garden pattern and said, "I will take this piece of Suzhou embroidery back to give to my mother. She will definitely like it."

In addition to Suzhou embroidery, they also picked some Biluochun tea. Biluochun is one of the top ten famous teas in China. It is produced in Dongting Mountain of Taihu Lake in Suzhou. The tea leaves are curled like snails, green in color, rich in aroma, and fresh and sweet in taste.

"The aroma of this Biluochun tea is so rich. It would be great to make a cup and try it." Zhang Yuedong said after smelling the tea leaves.

Li Xiao said: "Biluochun tea not only tastes good, but also has many health benefits, such as refreshing the mind, reducing fat and weight, and anti-oxidation. It is suitable to buy some and drink it yourself or give it to friends."

They also picked some silk and sandalwood fans. Silk is one of Suzhou's traditional specialties, with soft texture, bright colors and exquisite patterns; sandalwood fans are made of sandalwood, with exquisite patterns carved on the fan surface, exuding a faint sandalwood scent, which is both practical and beautiful.

"These silk and sandalwood fans are very Suzhou-style and would be nice to take back as souvenirs," said Lin Yifei.

The three of them picked out their favorite specialties, paid for them, and left the specialty store. With their full harvest, they prepared to go to the next destination and continue their journey.

After spending a pleasant time in Suzhou, Li Xiao, Zhang Yuedong and Lin Yifei packed their bags and headed for their next destination, Yangzhou. As the car drove on the road, the scenery outside the window flashed by like a slide show, and the three people became more and more excited. They were full of curiosity about Yangzhou, a city full of historical charm, and couldn't wait to explore its charm.

After arriving in Yangzhou, they first came to the Slender West Lake. As soon as they stepped into the gate of the Slender West Lake scenic area, a picturesque scenery appeared before their eyes. The shore of the Slender West Lake is winding, like a flowing ribbon. Walking along the shore, the breeze blows on your face, bringing a hint of coolness, making people feel particularly comfortable.

"Wow, this Slender West Lake is so beautiful, even more beautiful than I imagined!" Zhang Yuedong said excitedly, with excitement shining in his eyes.

Li Xiao was also attracted by the beautiful scenery. He took a deep breath and said, "The air here is very fresh and full of the breath of nature. It really makes people intoxicated."

Lin Yifei nodded in agreement: "Yes, this Slender West Lake is indeed a landmark attraction in Yangzhou, and it really lives up to its reputation."

They walked along the lake, enjoying the beautiful scenery along the way. The lake was sparkling, and the cruise ship was moving slowly on the water. The boatwoman sat on the bow, rowing the oars and humming the melodious Yangzhou tune. The singing echoed on the lake, adding a bit of charm to the beautiful scenery. The weeping willows by the lake were swaying, and the slender willow branches hung on the water, swaying gently with the breeze, as if waving to them. The garden landscape along the shore was well-arranged, with pavilions, towers, rockery and ponds complementing each other, forming a series of exquisite paintings.

Soon, they came to Wuting Bridge. This bridge spans the surface of Slender West Lake. There are five pavilions on the bridge, with unique shapes and styles. The architectural style of Wuting Bridge combines the beauty of the south and the majesty of the north. It has both the exquisite elegance of southern garden architecture and the grandeur of northern architecture. The pavilions on the bridge have flying eaves and corners, and are magnificent and dazzling under the sunlight.

"This Five Pavilion Bridge is really spectacular. It deserves to be one of the landmark buildings of Slender West Lake," Zhang Yuedong exclaimed.

Li Xiao walked onto the bridge and looked down at the lake. He said, "Standing on this bridge, I can have a panoramic view of the beautiful scenery of Slender West Lake. It's really a pleasure."

Lin Yifei also came to the bridge, took out his camera, and took a few photos of the beautiful scenery of Wuting Bridge and Slender West Lake. He said, "I want to record all these beautiful scenery and savor them after I go back."

After leaving Wuting Bridge, they continued along the lakeside and came to Twenty-Four Bridge. Twenty-Four Bridge is a single-arch bridge, 24 meters long and 2.4 meters wide, with 24 railings and 24 steps, all of which are related to the number "twenty-four". The bridge has a beautiful shape and smooth lines, and it looks particularly simple and elegant against the backdrop of green trees.

"The name of the Twenty-Four Bridges is very poetic, and reminds people of Du Mu's line 'On a moonlit night under the Twenty-Four Bridges, where does the beautiful girl teach to play the flute?'" said Li Xiao.

Zhang Yuedong smiled and said: "Yes, it feels like standing on this bridge, I can feel the romantic sentiments of ancient literati."

Lin Yifei also said with emotion: "This bridge not only has a beautiful name, but also has beautiful scenery. It is really intoxicating."

They strolled along the Slender West Lake for a long time, admiring the beautiful scenery of the lake and mountains and feeling the beauty of nature. Every scene made them linger, and they took out their cameras to take pictures, wanting to freeze these beautiful moments forever.

After leaving Slender West Lake, the three of them came to Ge Garden. Ge Garden is a private garden with a long history, famous for its unique rockery in four seasons. When you enter Ge Garden, the first thing that comes into view is a verdant bamboo forest. The bamboos are towering into the sky and densely arranged together, forming a green barrier. When the breeze blows, the bamboo leaves rustle, as if playing a beautiful piece of music.

"Wow, there are so many bamboos here. It feels like walking into a world of bamboo." Zhang Yuedong exclaimed.

Li Xiao smiled and said: "The name of Geyuan comes from bamboo. The shape of bamboo leaves resembles the Chinese character 'ge', so it was named Geyuan."

Lin Yifei walked through the bamboo forest, feeling the fresh air brought by the bamboo. He said: "Walking in this bamboo forest really makes people feel relaxed and happy, as if all the troubles are thrown away."

They continued walking forward and came to Spring Mountain. Located at the entrance of Geyuan, Spring Mountain features stalagmites and bamboo as its main landscape, symbolizing the vitality of spring. The stalagmites break out of the bamboo forest, like bamboo shoots after rain, full of vitality.

"The scenery of this spring mountain really has the breath of spring, and makes people feel the magic of nature." Zhang Yuedong said.

Li Xiao observed the stalagmites carefully and said, "These stalagmites have different shapes, some look like swords, some look like pagodas, which is really interesting." Lin Yifei also nodded in agreement, "Yes, these stalagmites and bamboos match each other to form a beautiful picture of spring scenery."

After leaving Spring Mountain, they came to Summer Mountain. Summer Mountain is dominated by blue-gray Taihu stones, and the stacked stones look like clouds and mist, creating an atmosphere of summer mountains and forests. The unevenness, thinness, transparency, leakiness and wrinkles of Taihu stones make the landscape of Summer Mountain more unique. From a distance, it looks smooth and graceful, like clouds and strange peaks; from a close distance, it looks exquisite and translucent, like peaks and caves.

"The stones in Xiashan are so unique. They feel like a natural ink painting." Zhang Yuedong couldn't help but admire.

Li Xiao walked through the summer mountains, feeling the coolness of the summer forests, and said: "In this summer mountain, it seems that I can really feel the breath of summer, it is very cool."

Lin Yifei also said: "The shapes of these Taihu stones are so ingenious that one cannot help but admire the wisdom of the ancients."

Then, they came to Qiushan. Qiushan is a yellow stone rockery located in the northeast corner of Geyuan Garden, made of rough yellow stones. A square pavilion is built on the top of the mountain. Ancient cypresses stretch out obliquely in the mountain gap, leaning against the rugged rocks. There are three steps on the mountain. One turns twice and then returns to the original place. One can go two turns and return when it encounters a cliff. Only the middle path can go deep into the peaks or down to the secluded room in the belly of the mountain. The setting sun shines obliquely, and the whole Qiushan is golden. In addition, the vegetation is maple trees, which adds a lot of autumn colors.

"The autumn mountain scenery is really spectacular and has an autumn charm," said Zhang Yuedong.

Li Xiao climbed to the top of the mountain and looked down at the entire Qiushan Mountain. He said, "Standing on the top of this mountain, you can see the whole picture of Qiushan Mountain. It is really beautiful."

Lin Yifei was also admiring the scenery of the autumn mountains and said, "The scenery of autumn is indeed unique. This autumn mountain is really intoxicating."

Finally, they came to Dongshan. Dongshan is located in the southeast courtyard. Xuanshi (snow stone) with pure white color and round body is stacked against the wall. The Xuanshi rockery contains quartz, which shines brightly when facing the light and shines brightly when facing away from the light. Four rows of round holes are opened on the south wall, and the effect of the whistling north wind produced by the air flow changes in the narrow alley and high walls is used to create the atmosphere of winter wind and snow. When the snow stone mountain was built, a group of large and small snow lions were deliberately piled up, some jumping, some lying, some sitting, and some standing.

"The scenery of this winter mountain really has a winter feel, making people feel as if they are in a world of ice and snow," said Zhang Yuedong.

Li Xiao felt the cold breath of the winter mountain and said, "These snow rocks really look like accumulated snow, and coupled with the sound of the whistling north wind, it is really too realistic."

Lin Yifei also said: "The design of this Dongshan is so ingenious that one cannot help but admire the imagination of the ancients."

They shuttled through the four-season rockery in Geyuan, feeling the scenery of different seasons and marveling at the wisdom and creativity of the ancients. The four-season rockery in Geyuan is not only a landscape, but also a cultural heritage and embodiment, which gave them a deeper understanding and recognition of traditional Chinese garden art.

After a morning of shopping, the three of them were a little hungry, so they decided to try some Yangzhou delicacies. They came to a famous local teahouse, ready to experience Yangzhou's morning tea culture. When they walked into the teahouse, it was full of people and very lively. The waiter greeted them warmly, arranged seats for them, and handed them the menu.

"Wow, the variety of morning tea in Yangzhou is so rich!" Zhang Yuedong couldn't help but exclaimed as he looked at the menu.

Li Xiao also nodded and said, "Yes, I heard that Yangzhou's morning tea is very famous. I must try it today."

Lin Yifei couldn't wait to say, "Hurry up and order some food. I'm almost starving."

They ordered Yangzhou fried rice, three-piece steamed buns, thousand-layer oil cakes, jade siu mai and other specialties of Yangzhou, and also ordered a pot of fragrant green tea. Soon, the dishes were served one after another. The first one served was Yangzhou fried rice, which is made of rice, eggs, shrimps, ham, green beans and other main ingredients, and is carefully fried. The rice grains are distinct, the color is golden, and the aroma is fragrant.

"This Yangzhou fried rice looks very appetizing. Let me try it first." Zhang Yuedong said, then picked up the spoon, scooped a big mouthful of fried rice and put it into his mouth.

"Well, this fried rice tastes really good. The rice is fried just right, and the combination of various ingredients is also reasonable. It has a rich texture and delicious taste." Zhang Yuedong praised it while eating.

Li Xiao and Lin Yifei also began to taste the Yangzhou fried rice, and they were both impressed by the delicious fried rice.

"This Yangzhou fried rice really lives up to its reputation, it's really delicious!" said Lin Yifei.

Then, the waiter brought the three-diced steamed buns. Three-diced steamed buns are one of the traditional delicacies in Yangzhou. They are made with diced chicken, diced meat and diced bamboo shoots as the main fillings, and are seasoned with shrimp juice and chicken soup. The buns have a thin skin and large fillings, and the soup is rich. You can feel full of happiness with every bite.

"The filling of these buns is really rich. They are tender and juicy and taste great," said Zhang Yuedong.

Li Xiao took a bite of the bun and said, "The skin of this bun is very thin and tough, and the filling is also very delicious. It really makes people linger on the taste."

Lin Yifei also praised the Sanding buns: "This Sanding bun is indeed a special delicacy of Yangzhou. It is really delicious. I want to eat another one."

In addition to Yangzhou fried rice and three-diced steamed buns, they also tasted thousand-layer oil cakes and jade siu mai. The thousand-layer oil cakes have distinct layers and are sweet and smooth in the mouth. Each layer is as thin as a cicada's wing but closely connected. One bite can make you feel the sweetness of the oil cakes and the aroma of pork fat melting in your mouth; the jade siu mai is filled with finely chopped shepherd's purse, the skin is transparent and thin as a cicada's wing, and the shape is like green jade. After steaming, the siu mai is crystal clear, sweet and fragrant. Every bite can make you feel the deliciousness of the shepherd's purse and the flexibility of the skin.

“The thousand-layer oil cake and jade siu mai are so delicious. Each one has its own unique flavor,” said Zhang Yuedong.

Li Xiao picked up a piece of thousand-layer oil cake, took a bite, and said, "This thousand-layer oil cake tastes soft and sweet. It's really delicious."

Lin Yifei also tasted a jade siu mai and said: "This jade siu mai has a very fresh taste and is very refreshing to eat."

The three of them tasted the food while enjoying the leisurely atmosphere of Yangzhou morning tea. In this lively teahouse, they experienced the unique food culture of Yangzhou and felt the charm of this city.