I'm back in 1990

Chapter 183: My Favorite

Sunday, October 27.

Wu Duo and the male and female class monitors and vice monitors from the other three classes got up early. Wu Duo was busy waking up the other boys in his class.

The people in dormitory 222 got up with Wu Duo and packed their things early. Last night, the group went out for a late-night snack and drank a lot of beer until after 11 p.m. They chatted for half the night after they came back. Being young, they were all energetic and in great spirits, even though they only slept for two or three hours!

Last night, when Jiang Bixing delivered the cardboard box, he also brought Huang Xiaochuan a big bag of food. He left the food and walked away. Huang Xiaochuan chased after him to offer him money, but Jiang refused.

Last night, several people asked Huang Xiaochuan what the cardboard boxes were for, but Huang Xiaochuan refused to say, no matter how they tried to get information out of him.

Jiang Bixing gave them ordinary fish skin peanuts, ham sausages, melon seeds, scallion pancakes, cola, and Jianlibao (a popular Chinese soft drink). They were incredibly heavy, so Huang Xiaochuan divided them into five portions, giving each person some to carry, otherwise one person couldn't carry them all.

After getting on the bus, Huang Xiaochuan restored one of the two folded cardboard boxes to its original state and placed it in the aisle, thus turning it into a simple card table. Huang Xiaochuan then took out two decks of cards from his satchel.

"Let's play cards! One round to decide the winner. The loser has to drink three cans of Jianlibao. No one is allowed to go to the toilet before we get to Suzhou."

Only then did the students in dormitory 222 realize that the cardboard box was used for this purpose.

Soon, classmates would come to challenge them. At this time of year, taking a bus to Suzhou would take at least two hours. There was nothing to do on the bus, so they might as well play cards to kill time.

Dai Xiaoguang and Huang Xiaochuan, who were in the same car, also wanted to join. Huang Xiaochuan gave the other cardboard box to a few teachers and their families so they could get together at a table and play. The reason he asked Jiang Bixing for two cardboard boxes was because of this.

During the two-hour drive, three male students and one female student lost and each drank three cans of Jianlibao. This was mainly because Jiang Bixing had brought Huang Xiaochuan a whole case of Jianlibao the night before, along with a case of Coke. The Coke had been left in the dormitory, so this arrangement of Jianlibao helped Huang Xiaochuan and the others get rid of a significant amount of Jianlibao.

Our first stop was the Humble Administrator's Garden. After getting off the bus, the female student asked around and found out where the restroom was. She ran straight there because she really couldn't hold it in any longer! The three boys followed closely behind.

Ding Yi laughed gleefully, not forgetting to make a sarcastic remark about Huang Xiaochuan.

"You're such a wicked brat! Your idea is so underhanded. I'm going to stay away from you from now on, or I'll be the one who gets sold out and still end up counting the money for you."

The group activity was a large group of people strolling around the garden. Huang Xiaochuan, Ding Yi, Wu Duo, and a few others trailed at the back of the group, following at a leisurely pace. The Humble Administrator's Garden in autumn had a unique charm.

Many students who were seeing Suzhou gardens for the first time were amazed. They didn't realize that the owners of these gardens throughout the ages were either officials or merchants, who had power and money and spent countless resources and time to build the gardens into what they are today.

How many years has it been since the Ming Dynasty? Every tree in the garden is over a hundred years old. Is this something that can be achieved by simply copying a garden?

A famous garden is called a famous garden because it has accumulated history and time, and cannot be replaced by something new.

Huang Xiaochuan has visited many times and knows the Humble Administrator's Garden better than the tour guides do.

Ding Yi was taking pictures everywhere with his camera, which infuriated Zhang Gaolei, who was usually mild-mannered. "Damn it, wasn't this what we agreed on before we came out?" he thought. "Chapter 183: A Surprise in My Heart, Click to Unlock Now." He continued, "Help everyone take more pictures. Why are you jumping around like a monkey taking pictures of the scenery? Can't you take pictures of people too?"

Huang Xiaochuan couldn't stand seeing Ding Yi wasting the film rolls he had bought.

"Ding Gun Gun, hurry up and come back! What's so great about photographing a pond full of withered lotus leaves? Take some pictures of everyone too! It's a rare opportunity for them to come out and have fun; let's leave them with some wonderful memories."

Ding Yi reluctantly returned: "What's the rush? I'm here now!"

Huang Xiaochuan instructed him, "I don't care about the other classes, but everyone in our class must take three individual photos. Group photos are optional. If you don't have enough film, just go buy more; the service center here has plenty!"

Then he fed Ding Yi a sweet date.

"No matter how well you photograph the scenery, no one will praise you! But if you take pictures of everyone looking handsome or beautiful, everyone will remember your good qualities. When you're in your seventies or eighties and your grandchildren look through the album and ask who took these pictures, they'll immediately recall a beautiful memory: 'These were taken by a handsome classmate named Ding Yi.' Think how meaningful that is!"

These words made Ding Yi feel incredibly flattered, and the kid excitedly chased after everyone to take pictures. Zhang Gaolei gave Huang Xiaochuan a thumbs up with admiration.

Huang Xiaochuan smiled dismissively. In later generations, motivational speeches and inspirational quotes were far more powerful than this. This was nothing.

We spent the whole morning just visiting the Humble Administrator's Garden. At noon, we ate separately by class. Otherwise, if 120 people were crammed into one restaurant, that restaurant wouldn't be able to handle it!

Huang Xiaochuan, a native of Suzhou who was born and raised there, was naturally chosen as the guide to lead the more than 20 students in Economics Class 1 to find a place to eat.

"Since everyone thinks so highly of me, I'll give it a try. But I have to say this first: our classmates come from all over the country, and our eating habits and tastes are all different. But the restaurants in Suzhou are not like our school cafeteria, which can cater to everyone's dietary habits."

"Suzhou has a lot of delicious food, but it tends to be on the bland and sweet side. If you like it, I won't say anything; if you don't, just consider it an experience of the vastness and diversity of our country's cuisine!"

Ding Yi ran around taking photos for everyone, and was already starving.

"Stop talking so much nonsense! Hurry up and find a place for me to fill my stomach."

"Alright, alright, let's go. Zhu Hongxing is less than a hundred meters ahead. We're having noodles for lunch today, it's on me. Eat as much as you want. If you don't know how to choose, come find me. I'll not only treat you to noodles, but I'll also tell you which toppings are the best."

When everyone heard this, they exclaimed, "Wow, that rich guy is really something! So extravagant!"

They all shouted, "Great!"

Zhu Hongxing was suddenly flooded with over twenty young men and women, startling the restaurant's staff. One by one, they ordered noodles under the guidance of a large man. Was this man from a travel agency? Why was he always giving these young people the most expensive things? One serving of braised eel with sizzling oil, shrimp, fried fish, pork chop and braised pork for those who wanted meat, and a piece of vegetarian chicken for those who wanted vegetables—that was it!

Although the portions of Suzhou-style toppings were small, Huang Xiaochuan ordered a lot! Besides, the female classmates had relatively smaller appetites, so the two factors combined meant that everyone ate until they were stuffed and said they enjoyed the meal.

Suzhou noodles are also Huang Xiaochuan's favorite. Otherwise, why would he have brought everyone here? Actually, it's because he wanted to eat them!