My wife and I are both time travelers.

Chapter 75 West Palace
Lin Ying smiled and nodded, chatted with Lao Wen for a few minutes, and then asked, "Brother Wen, I want to ask you something."

"Just ask me whatever it is. We're all family, no need to be so polite," Old Wen said heartily.

Lin Ying asked, "I've been wandering around outside these past few days, trying to find a suitable place to set up my stall."

"Setting up a stall? Didn't you say you weren't going to sell tea eggs anymore? Why are you suddenly planning to continue?" Old Wen asked, somewhat surprised.

"No, it's to prepare for their trip to Lingnan." Lin Ying immediately told Lao Wen her idea and explained that if Zhou Jiye and the others brought back some things, the next step would be to find a way to sell them.

However, she had wandered around to several places over the past few days, but none of them were quite suitable. Lin Ying was not very familiar with the current situation in Shanghai. Although she was from Shanghai, she was more familiar with Shanghai decades later than it is now. On the way back, Lin Ying had already thought about it. If she continued to search around like a headless fly, it would not only be a waste of time but also a matter of luck. It would be better to ask Lao Wen, who was a local.

Old Wen then realized what Lin Ying had thought of and nodded, saying that Lin Ying was very thoughtful; he hadn't even remembered it if she hadn't mentioned it.

What were Zhou Jiye and Xu Guoqing doing in Lingnan? Weren't they just going there to see if there were any Hong Kong goods, and maybe bring some back to resell?

Since that's the case, once they bring the goods back, the next step is to figure out how to sell them. But these things are completely different from what he sold eels and eel shreds, or what Zhou Jiye sold old hens, or what Lin Ying sold tea eggs. They can't just be sold by setting up a stall at the market or in front of the movie theater.

Although Lao Wen is older than Lin Ying and the others, he's not even thirty yet. Decades from now, he'll still be a young man. He naturally has the same ideas as the younger generation; there's a trick to selling these trendy goods.

“Tell me your specific requirements first,” Lao Wen asked Lin Ying.

Lin Ying didn't hide anything from him and told Lao Wen her idea directly. After listening to Lin Ying's words, Lao Wen pondered for a while and suddenly his eyes lit up. He had an idea!

"I know a place that would definitely be suitable!"

"where?"

Have you ever heard of the West Palace?

"Nishimiya?"

Lin Ying was stunned; she really didn't know.

Old Wen laughed: "Xigong is the Workers' Cultural Palace in the western part of Shanghai, or Xigong for short. It's a very lively place, and it's a gathering place for young people. If you can set up a stall in Xigong, there will definitely be no problem!"

"Really?"

"Of course it's true!" Old Wen said firmly. Seeing that Lin Ying was still doubtful, he thought for a moment and said directly, "Okay, I'll take you there to see it now. Nothing beats seeing it in person. You'll know when we get there."

Lin Ying was somewhat tempted, but hesitated when her gaze fell on Lao Wen's stall. Lao Wen was still setting up his stall. Should she go with him now?
"Why set up a stall? Didn't you see I was so bored I was almost falling asleep when you came here? There's still some left that we can sell tomorrow if we don't finish today. Besides, this isn't just your business, it's mine too! Have you forgotten that we agreed to do it together when they come back? Wait here for me a bit, I'll pack up and leave in a bit."

Old Wen left with those words and hurriedly ran to pack up his stall. After a short while, he finished packing up, hauled the buckets back to their storage place, took off his wet rubber apron, washed his hands, put on his coat, pushed his bicycle over, and returned to Lin Ying, beckoning her to follow him.

Lin Ying quickly agreed, got on her bike, and followed Lao Wen out of the market. They left the market, turned left, then turned right at the next intersection, and continued walking towards Jing'an Temple.

After passing Jing'an Temple, they continued along two roads. Lao Wen led Lin Ying to turn right ahead and rode along this road for about ten minutes. After crossing a bridge, they saw the huge sign of the West District Cultural Palace on their left not far from the bridge.

Pushing their bicycles across the road, they went straight to the entrance of the Cultural Palace. Lao Wen called to Lin Ying, and together they pushed the bicycles to the parking area near the sidewalk.

After locking the car, paying two cents for parking, and getting a parking ticket, Lao Wen led Lin Ying into the Cultural Palace. As they walked, he talked about the history of the Cultural Palace and recounted how he used to come here often when he was dating his wife. However, after getting married and having children, he was busy running his stall and business, so he came much less often.

This was Lin Ying's first time in this place. She had never been here before and had never even heard of the West Palace.

This is normal, firstly because the area gradually declined for some reasons, and secondly because the facilities and entertainment in Xigong were outdated, so young people born in the 90s and 00s rarely come here to play anymore.

Secondly, in 2008, Xigong announced its demolition. Soon after this news broke, many businesses in Xigong moved out. By the time the relocation officially took place in 2016, Xigong had long lost its former prosperity, and many young people probably hadn't even heard of it. Entering and looking around, Lin Ying was quite surprised. She had never imagined it would be so lively. No wonder other places were called cultural centers, while this place was called a cultural palace; it was indeed different.

The main entrance alone was packed with people, with a constant flow of people coming and going. Once inside the arched gate, it was even more lively, as the place was surprisingly large, far exceeding Lin Ying's expectations.

The entire West Palace is centered around a three-story main building with a reinforced concrete frame structure, with south and north lawns, flower beds, and tree-lined avenues in front.

Behind the main building are a football field, basketball court, swimming pool, and various outdoor recreational facilities. To the south are an art training building and a guesthouse, and to the north is an artificial lake of over 10,000 square meters, suitable for boating and fishing. The lake features large and small islands, and is surrounded by attractions such as stone boats, waterside pavilions, and artificial hills.

In the northwest part of the main building, there are also restaurants, tea rooms and exhibition halls.

The ground floor of the main building houses a small theater, a cinema, an exhibition hall, and a swimming pool; the second floor contains a lecture hall, a gymnasium, and a library with nearly 100,000 books; and the third floor contains activity rooms and offices…

This place is much larger than a regular park, and it's a complex that combines gardens, culture, attractions, entertainment, and dining. No wonder it's so lively.

People come here to watch movies, participate in various activities, stroll along the lakeside in romantic settings, or sit on the lawn to chat. On the other side of the West Palace is the Children's Palace, where many parents bring their children to participate in its activities. Of course, many more young people gather there to chat and laugh.

"How is it?" Old Wen asked Lin Ying, who was somewhat dumbfounded, with a cheerful smile.

Lin Ying was shocked by what she saw. She never expected that there was such a place in downtown Shanghai. Wasn't this the perfect place she had been searching for all these days?
"This place is really nice, but Brother Wen, wouldn't it be... if we set up a stall here?"

Lin Ying looked around but didn't see any stalls inside. Apart from the stalls outside the main gate that sold tea eggs like she had before, as well as other stalls that made dough figurines, sugar figurines, and even cotton candy, there were no private stalls inside the West Palace.

"I'm not sure about that either." Old Wen thought for a moment and said, "But Aqing knows a lot of people and has a lot of connections. When he comes back, we can ask him if he can pull some strings. I think even if he's not inside, he can just set up a stall at the entrance. Anyway, there's a lot of foot traffic, mostly young people. What do you think?"

Lin Ying thought for a moment and nodded. Old Wen was right. With such a large flow of people, mostly young people, setting up a stall at the entrance would be fine. Of course, it would be even better if the stall could be placed inside, but that would have to wait until Zhou Jiye and the others returned. They would have to ask Xu Guoqing if he had any connections.

"Come on, since we're already here, let me show you around so you can get familiar with the place," Old Wen said to Lin Ying, leading her toward the main building ahead.

As they walked, he expertly explained the layout of the West Palace and the locations of various tourist attractions.

Upon arriving at the main building, Lao Wen first took Lin Ying to see the small theater and the cinema, and then to the cultural exhibition room, which was the liveliest place in the West Palace. Especially since a play was being rehearsed in the small theater today, there were quite a few people visiting and watching the play, making it just as lively as the cinema next door.

There's also a swimming pool on the first floor, but since it's not summer now, it's been converted into a roller skating rink, where many young people are playing.

After wandering around for a while, they went up the stairs to the second floor. The second floor was just as impressive as the first floor, especially the gymnasium, which had more than a dozen ping-pong tables. It was the height of ping-pong's popularity, and many young people were playing with great enthusiasm. Many people were watching and applauding from time to time.

After leaving the gymnasium, walk along the corridor to the other side, where it is much quieter. This is the West Palace Library.

The library was very quiet, but it was also quite crowded. Through the glass windows, you could see many young people immersed in books, hunched over their desks, intently flipping through the borrowed books.

A little further on, there's a staircase leading to the third floor. Going up the stairs, you'll reach the activity room and office area. There are noticeably fewer people here, but people still hurry past you from time to time.

Go down the stairs on the other side and you'll arrive directly at the northwest section of the first floor, where the restaurant and teahouse are located. Since it's not mealtime, the restaurant is currently closed, but the teahouse next door is bustling with activity. Many people are sitting inside drinking tea, cracking melon seeds, and listening to two people performing on the small stage in front.

Standing at the door, Lin Ying could faintly hear the Shanghai accent. After listening for a few sentences, she immediately realized that these two must be comedians performing a comedy on stage.

Intrigued, Lin Ying went into the tea room and stood to the side, listening with great interest to half of the comedy.

These two comedians were quite skilled, performing on stage with remarkable realism, frequently eliciting bursts of laughter from the audience. Even Lin Ying was overjoyed, as she had never imagined that comedy could be so entertaining; it was a traditional performance she had never seen before.

(End of this chapter)