Reborn as Zhao Ruilong of Handong, I will defy fate.

The sun sets in the west, and night falls.

The van slowly drove to Linshui Ancient Street in Jingzhou.

Zhang Xiaoxue had just gotten out of the car with Zhao Ruilong.

I was deeply shocked by what I saw.

One can see rows of ancient buildings, scattered in a well-organized manner, on both sides of the ancient street.

Bathed in warm yellow light, it appears exceptionally antique.

The streets were already teeming with tourists, bustling with activity.

"Candied hawthorn! Candied hawthorn on a stick!"

"Roasted sweet potatoes, fresh roasted sweet potatoes!"

Vendors hawked their wares along the street, their calls echoing long and drawn out.

"How's it going? Isn't it lively here?"

Zhao Ruilong asked with a smile.

Zhang Xiaoxue nodded.

"It's quite lively, but the streets and buildings were only renovated in the last two years, right?"

"That's right, it was upgraded and renovated before the Spring Festival last year."

Zhao Ruilong gestured for Zhang Xiaoxue to enter the ancient street.

As they walked slowly forward, they introduced the history and features of the ancient street.

After walking only a few steps, Zhang Xiaoxue suddenly stopped.

Why are there solid yellow lines on the road?

"The area between the two solid lines is for tourists to stroll around, and it also serves as a fire lane."

Zhao Ruilong pointed to a small stall set up outside a business.

"In addition, businesses along the street can set up their stalls anywhere as long as they do not cross this solid yellow line."

Zhang Xiaoxue looked around.

"Don't you require businesses along the street to use the same colors for their storefronts and billboards?"

Zhao Ruilong chuckled to himself.

"Why force it? If we make them all the same template, it will look too rigid. Besides, every business is different and needs personalized decoration and layout."

"Moreover, to make the market economy as active as possible, we can't interfere too much. Otherwise, if we have to regulate even advertising signs, how can businesses survive?"

Zhang Xiaoxue nodded slightly.

“That makes sense. I think some of the tourist attractions in Linjiang are over-regulated.”

"In the pursuit of so-called neatness, beauty, and attractiveness, businesses have become too constrained, resulting in a complete lack of uniqueness."

As they spoke, the two continued walking forward.

We strolled around, sampling local snacks along the way.

Gradually, Zhang Xiaoxue realized why Zhao Ruilong wasn't arranging dinner.

If you eat dinner before strolling through the ancient street, how can you possibly have the appetite for all the delicious snacks?

Another golden-brown, crispy duck fat sesame seed cake with a soft and delicious meat filling was devoured.

Faced with the dragon-patterned crab roe soup dumplings offered by Zhao Ruilong, Zhang Xiaoxue decisively shook her head.

"I can't eat anymore, I really can't eat anymore."

"Let's try another one! This crab roe soup dumpling has a thin skin and a generous filling. You can taste a lot of soup in one bite, which is very satisfying!"

Zhao Ruilong explained patiently.

Zhang Xiaoxue glared and pouted.

Are you trying to feed me like a pig?

"How could that be? If one crab roe soup dumpling could make you as fat as a pig, that would be terrible!"

Zhao Ruilong opened the food packaging bag and almost fed the soup dumpling to Zhang Xiaoxue's mouth.

"Eat up! You can't get fat in one bite!"

Zhao Ruilong's intimate gesture made Zhang Xiaoxue's heart race instantly.

On this bustling ancient street, I'm feeding myself soup dumplings...

To passersby, this was just a typical day for a young couple, nothing strange about it.

However, Zhang Xiaoxue knew very well that she and Zhao Ruilong had only known each other for a day at most.

In just one day, it escalated to him feeding himself in the street...

For a while.

Zhang Xiaoxue was somewhat dazed.

I don't know what Zhao Ruilong means.

I simply wanted to convince myself to try a crab roe soup dumpling.

Or are they trying to strengthen their relationship through affectionate gestures?

Hey, don't just stand there!

"Give me some face, there are so many people on the street, are you really going to let me hold this up like this forever?"

Looking at Zhao Ruilong's pitiful, pleading expression.

Zhang Xiaoxue parted her red lips slightly and took a bite.

After chewing it a couple of times, I found it tasted really good.

"How's it going? Does it taste good?"

"Yeah, it's quite delicious."

"If it's delicious, eat the whole thing!"

"But we agreed to only try one bite."

"What should we do with the rest? Throwing it away is a waste of food. Do you expect me to eat it?"

"No no no!"

Zhang Xiaoxue had no right to share a steamed bun with Zhao Ruilong.

After eating the remaining buns, her face turned as red as an apple.

Having lived for so many years, this is the first time I've been fed by a man in public.

The delicious steamed buns were no match for the panic in my heart.

My cheeks were burning hot, as if they were on fire.

"Is it delicious? Would you like another one?"

Zhao Ruilong asked with a grin.

"I'm not eating anymore, I'm going to burst if I eat any more!"

As she spoke, Zhang Xiaoxue avoided Zhao Ruilong's gaze and turned her head to look elsewhere.

Are there any public restrooms here?

"Yes, there is a public restroom in the small garden in front of the street."

"Let's go then, I need to use the restroom."

As Zhang Xiaoxue walked, she looked down and rummaged through her bag.

"What are you looking for?"

Zhao Ruilong asked curiously.

"Give me your change!"

Zhang Xiaoxue took out two one-cent coins.

"Do you want to go? I have some change here."

Zhao Ruilong laughed in surprise, "I was planning to go to the toilet, but once you're in Handong, there's no need to spend money to use the toilet."

"Starting from January 1st this year, all public toilets in our Handong Province have been free of charge and open to everyone."

"Moreover, in order to make it easier for citizens to use the toilet and to keep the city clean and tidy, we have built many free public toilets in various cities."

"..."

Zhang Xiaoxue was a little confused.

Isn't it standard practice to pay to use public restrooms?

In Linjiang Province, public toilets near train stations, bus stations, and commercial streets have been charging two cents per person per use for many years, which is why Zhang Xiaoxue has developed the habit of always carrying change when she goes out.

But now...

Zhao Ruilong actually said that you can use the toilet for free in Handong Province.

This is absolutely outrageous!

Driven by curiosity.

Zhang Xiaoxue arrived at the public restroom.

I was deeply impressed at first glance.

The toilet next to it, which is planted with a lot of moso bamboo, is actually in the shape of an ancient building.

In addition to separate men's and women's restrooms, there are also mother and baby rooms, family restrooms, and restrooms for people with disabilities.

To make it easier for wheelchair users and tourists traveling alone, a gentle ramp has been built and equipped with guardrails.

"My goodness!"

"Is this...is this still the public restroom I remember?"

In Zhang Xiaoxue's memory, only airport toilets had a nice environment and good facilities.

In other places, public restrooms are basically separated by gender, and you can smell a foul odor from afar; they are far from clean and tidy.

Inside the toilet, along the tunnel, low pits were built with bricks and stones, and at one end of the tunnel, there was a water tank that could be flushed automatically.

If the flushing frequency is not high enough, and there are a lot of people using the toilet, a large amount of filth will accumulate in the toilet and not be flushed away in time...

The scene, the smell...

It's not just nauseating, it's also incredibly refreshing.

However, upon entering the public toilets of this ancient street...

I didn't see any signs indicating that there was a fee, nor did I see anyone standing at the entrance with a basket on a small stool to collect money.

It is not only spacious and bright, clean and tidy, but also free of any pungent odors.

Upon entering the women's restroom, one sees rows of enclosed cubicles with doors.

If someone is using the door, a red light will illuminate, and the doorknob will display a message indicating "occupied".

Zhang Xiaoxue pushed open a toilet door with a green light on.

What comes into view is a squat toilet, a flush tank, and a wastepaper basket.

There are handrails on the side walls of the squat toilet, and hooks above them.

Looked carefully.

Apart from signs reminding people to flush after using the toilet, there were no other small advertisements or flyers.

Imagine this in Linjiang Province.

Going to the toilet not only means enduring the disgusting and pungent smell, but also seeing all sorts of small advertisements for fake certificates, medicine sales, and part-time jobs.

A moment later, Zhang Xiaoxue went to the sink.

Many people are washing their hands, looking in the mirror, and then using hand dryers to dry their hands.

Of course, many tourists from other places who were using the restroom for the first time were full of mixed feelings.

obviously.

It's such a high-class toilet, and it's free! That's really surprising.

So when Zhang Xiaoxue saw Zhao Ruilong outside, she immediately asked:

"Such a nice free public toilet must be exclusive to the old street; there aren't any other places like it, right?"

In Zhang Xiaoxue's view.

It's quite reasonable to invest heavily in building and meticulously maintaining such a free public toilet in order to enhance the visitor experience.

However, Zhao Ruilong shook his head slightly.

"Many of the public toilets we renovate and build, although they may not be comparable to this one in terms of scale and quality, are basically the same."

"If you don't believe me, just take a taxi to any place in the city after you leave the old street. Within 500 meters of getting off the taxi, there will definitely be a clean and tidy public toilet!"

Zhang Xiaoxue frowned.

"Really? How much did it cost to build and renovate so many public toilets?"

"And it doesn't charge a penny, but it consumes a lot of water and electricity every day, and there are people cleaning it. That must cost a lot of money, right?"

Zhao Ruilong smiled faintly.

"Although it costs a lot of money, what is this compared to making things more convenient for the public and making the city more civilized and hygienic?"

"Especially in our Handong Province, we need to vigorously develop high-end manufacturing and continuously attract high-quality talents, so we naturally need to put a lot of effort into many details."

"Moreover, as cities become cleaner and more hygienic, more tourists will come to visit. Their spending on food, accommodation, shopping, and travel will boost consumption and indirectly increase tax revenue, right?"

At this point, Zhao Ruilong pointed to the endless stream of tourists coming and going.

"Think about it, thousands of tourists come here every day to eat, drink and shop. The vendors make money and can afford to pay for shop rent, stall fees and sanitation fees. Even if another large public toilet like this is built, they can afford it."

Zhang Xiaoxue nodded repeatedly.

"Yes! As long as there are enough tourists, what do a little operating cost matter?"

"Moreover, a large number of vendors and service staff made money, bought cars and houses to improve their lives, which also boosted the economic development of Jingzhou."

As they spoke, a team of auxiliary police officers, armed with shields, batons, riot forks, and other equipment, and dressed in uniform, slowly approached from a distance, led by two patrol officers.

They were all tall and imposing, and their presence made people feel very safe.

"Tsk tsk, you Handong people really pay attention to details!"

"In addition to setting up surveillance cameras on the streets, there are also armed patrols."

"Tourists can come here to eat, drink, and play without worrying about being robbed or pickpocketed."

Zhao Ruilong laughed and said, "If it weren't safe, how could tourists dare to come and have fun?"

"Come on, I'll take you to the ancient bridge. The scenery there is even better, and there's an open-air stage next to it with performances every night."

Zhang Xiaoxue was extremely surprised.

"There are even shows that are free to watch?"

"Of course, otherwise, if an old street is basically just a place for eating and drinking and selling all kinds of small commodities, without any special features, how can it continue to attract tourists?"

Before his time travel, Zhao Ruilong had visited many so-called 'ancient towns and streets'.

My biggest impression is that all the 'ancient towns and streets' across the country have made the commercial atmosphere too heavy, with all kinds of small shops clustered together.

So after traveling through time, Zhao Ruilong put forward many suggestions, including making tourist attractions focus more on the travel experience rather than on consumption and shopping.

We absolutely cannot make it so that locals don't want to visit, and tourists come once and never want to come back.

As you walk towards the ancient bridge, the number of tourists increases.

When you get near the open-air stage, it's packed with people.

Zhang Xiaoxue looked around and saw that the area was packed with tourists.

"My goodness! This is just a regular weekend, not a holiday, and there are already so many people."

"If it's a long holiday like May Day or National Day, wouldn't even more people be unable to walk?"

Zhang Xiaoxue was secretly sighing.

Hearing music and cheers coming from the direction of the stage, I stood on tiptoe and craned my neck, but I couldn't see what was being performed.

"Come on, I'll take you to see the show!"

Zhao Ruilong took Zhang Xiaoxue's hand and led her through the crowd.

The sudden hand-holding left Zhang Xiaoxue's mind blank.

When she got near the stage, she could see the performances, but she had no interest in appreciating them at all.

Why are you looking at me? Come on, watch the show!

"I'm wondering if you often use this trick to hold a girl's hand?"

"what?"

Zhao Ruilong suddenly came to his senses and quickly let go of her hand.

"I'm sorry, I was afraid you'd get lost. I've never brought a girl here before to watch the fun."

"Really? You've never brought your girlfriend here before?"

Zhang Xiaoxue asked incredulously.

"No, we're both too busy with work and only see each other once in a long while, so we've never actually come here."

Zhao Ruilong answered truthfully.

"Seriously? You two are dating and you've never come here for a trip? How did you even manage to win her over?"

Zhang Xiaoxue asked with great interest and curiosity.

Compared to his performances on stage, she was more curious about Zhao Ruilong's love life and marriage.

Zhao Ruilong glanced sideways.

"Would you believe me if I said I didn't pursue her?"

"What do you mean? Does that mean she pursued you?"

Zhang Xiaoxue frowned slightly, her eyes full of curiosity.

"I guess so. She was being pestered by someone, so she asked me to act out a scene. I never expected that the scene would turn into a real one that very night."

Zhao Ruilong never intended to pursue Zhang Xiaoxue.

He treated her as a friend, so he didn't hide anything from her.

"Wow, your girlfriend is really outgoing!"

"She's straightforward and outspoken. I'll introduce her to you when I have the chance, and you'll see once you get to know her—she's a total tomboy!"

"A tomboy... If she knew that you took me shopping and eating snacks, and even held my hand, wouldn't she be furious and have a huge fight with you?"

"Not at all. She knows I have other women but doesn't mind. Her only requirement for me is that when I'm with her, I only have her in my heart."

Zhang Xiaoxue's beautiful eyes widened in surprise.

"No way? She doesn't mind that you have other women?"

Zhao Ruilong smiled nonchalantly, "If she minded, she wouldn't be able to be with me. I've already told her clearly that I'm not a good man."

Zhang Xiaoxue frowned.

So you're actually a womanizer?

"You clearly have a girlfriend, but you also have many mistresses?"

Zhao Ruilong frowned and asked, "What? From what you're saying, it's as if I shouldn't be surrounded by beautiful women?"

Zhang Xiaoxue's heart sank.

With her exceptional intelligence, she certainly knew about Zhao Ruilong's background and strength.

Even if he were ugly, countless beautiful women would still throw themselves at him.

Therefore, the ideal man is a wealthy, powerful, and capable young man who is also quite handsome and devoted to only one woman...

That's way too difficult.

Is there any perfect man in the world?

Moreover, it is only natural for a man to be young and vigorous, and Zhao Ruilong is at the age of youthful exuberance and passion.

"what happened to you?"

"Knowing I'm not a good man, why do you look so disappointed?"