Aunt Li's full name was Li Lihua. She was an extremely enthusiastic person.
In the end, Hua Qingqing couldn't resist her enthusiasm and had to go with her.
She wasn't afraid that Aunt Li was a human trafficker. From their last visit to the antique street, it was clear that Aunt Li was a generous person. It was just that her judgment on antiques was rather poor. She was very gullible. If a vendor was a bit more eloquent and flattered her a little, she might get carried away and buy out the whole stall.
The two of them walked through the small alleys, and the aroma of the food became stronger and stronger.
Hua Qingqing sniffed and swallowed. It smelled so good. It smelled like braised pork.
The real delicious food was indeed hidden in the alleys, and one had to be led by a local from the capital. Otherwise, an ordinary person would never find it. For those not used to this place, at first glance, it was like a maze.
There were a few hooligans standing in the alley, leaning against the wall, eating and smoking. They didn't look like good people. Hua Qingqing wasn't scared. Instead, she curiously stared at them for a couple of seconds. Aunt Li probably was afraid that she would be frightened, so she deliberately walked on the outside and let Hua Qingqing walk closer to the wall.
Hua Qingqing was slightly touched by this considerate gesture.
Then, she saw Aunt Li take a few quick steps towards the hooligans. She raised her hand and slapped the most fierce - looking one.
Hua Qingqing was so startled by Aunt Li's bold action that she hiccupped.
She quickly walked over, thinking that if something happened later, she must drag Aunt Li away.
As she got closer, she heard the crew - cut hooligan rub his head and speak with a strong capital accent.
Hua Qingqing almost got confused by the accent.
"Sis, why did you hit me?"
Aunt Li put her hands on her hips. "That's exactly why I'm hitting you! What are you doing here? Instead of working properly, you're just smoking. See if I don't beat you when we get back!"
The crew - cut guy looked aggrieved. His fierce look disappeared instantly, and he even looked a bit funny.
"You weren't there when I was working. I finally got a break, and you come and hit me. Isn't that unfair..."
Hua Qingqing nodded silently.
It was indeed unfair.
But Aunt Li didn't care. She raised her hand and slapped him again. The crew - cut guy quickly ran inside. Two of his followers shrank their necks and scurried in, afraid of being noticed.
After dealing with her younger brother, Aunt Li turned around and gave Hua Qingqing a kind smile. "Come in, come in. It's our own place. Don't be polite to me!"
Our own place?
Hua Qingqing looked up at the plaque on the door. It was a bit old but still vaguely showed its former grandeur. There were three characters on it: Chuan Tang Xiang.
She then looked at the surrounding environment... Our own place?
She followed Aunt Li inside. They walked around a few tables and entered a small room.
"Qingqing, do you have any food you don't eat?"
Hua Qingqing shook her head.
Since she had come to this era, there was nothing she was picky about. At Old Yu's place, people would fight over a piece of fatty meat. Hua Qingqing felt that her finicky eating habits were gone. When she was hungry, a single peanut was a good snack.
"Then I'll just order a few dishes for you."
Hua Qingqing was about to nod when she remembered something. She shouted to Aunt Li, "I can just eat something simple."
Aunt Li waved her hand. Hua Qingqing didn't know if she heard or not.
Hua Qingqing sat there for a while and then took out a book from her schoolbag to read.
After reading a few pages, there was some movement at the door.
She looked up and saw the crew - cut guy they met outside walking in with a pot of tea. He casually put it on the table and then sat down across from her as if they were old friends.
It was obvious that he had something to say. Did he want to fight?
Hua Qingqing didn't say a word. Her eyes scanned around, trying to find a handy weapon.
"I heard from my sister that you helped her twice on the antique street. Come on, what's your conspiracy this time? You scammers are really daring. I've already said that my brother - in - law is from the police station, but you just don't believe it. This time, you even came to our doorstep to deceive people."
"If you don't explain clearly this time, I'll take you directly to the police station. You can explain it to the police."
What the hell?
If there weren't any cameras around and this was the 1980s, she would definitely think that he was filming a movie or that he was some kind of real - life NPC, and she had to say the right lines to pass the level.
After a few thoughts in her mind.
Hua Qingqing replied with concern, "If you're sick, you should go and get treated."
The crew - cut guy was stunned.
Wait, was he just scolded?
No way, this scammer was so daring!
She even dared to scold him!
"You're really asking for trouble. You won't shed a tear until you see your coffin!"
"Why should I drink? Why should I shed tears? Before doing something, one should first use their brain to think about whether it's reasonable. If you can't figure it out, then look for the reason in yourself. What's your biggest characteristic? Isn't it stupidity?"
The crew - cut guy was confused. It took him a while to realize that she was scolding him for being stupid!
This scammer was too much!
She seemed to be quite good at this. She even had a prop, holding a shabby book and pretending to be a cultured person?
He hated people who could read the most!
Just as he was thinking about how to fight back, a woman's voice came from behind. The crew - cut guy was immediately scared and stood up.
"Li Xing, what are you doing? Standing here like a door god!"
"Go and serve the dishes. All day long, you just stand there stupidly!"
Li Xing looked aggrieved. "Sis! I've told you many times. Don't call me that name in public. It's so embarrassing. How can I hold my head up in front of my followers in the future!"
Aunt Li put down the tray in her hand and slapped him.
"You talk about dignity. Who gave you that confidence? Don't you have a head that can't even recognize a few characters?"
"..."
Aunt Li was too lazy to talk to him. She waved her hand, signaling her younger brother to leave. But Li Xing didn't want to. He still had to stay and keep an eye on this female scammer!
"Qingqing, eat more. These are all my specialties."
Li Lihua looked confident. With her cooking skills, usually, when someone invited her to give cooking lessons, she would still think about whether to go or not.
Hua Qingqing blinked her eyes and gave Aunt Li a thumbs - up.
Aunt Li was an interesting and easy - to - talk - to person. Most of the questions she asked were about antiques. Hua Qingqing didn't know much either. She had specially found someone to learn antique appraisal before, but she wasn't a professional. She could only say whatever came to her mind.
Towards the end of the meal, Aunt Li said a bit shyly, "I've taken a fancy to something recently. I'm not sure about it myself, and I don't trust the people on the street. If they collude with the vendors, I'll be completely cheated. But I trust you. When are you free? Let's go and take a look together. Don't worry. I understand the market. I'll give you a commission for the deal."
"It's okay, but I'm not available for the next few days. I'm going to help a friend sell something. It'll take a few days... I have to go back to Nan County on the 20th. If you're free on the 18th, we can go and have a look together?"
"But you don't need to give me a commission. If it's convenient, could you cook me another meal before I go home?"
Li Xing, who had been sitting in the back scratching the wall, sneered.
"My sister is a descendant of a royal chef. To have her cook a meal for you is much more valuable than money!"
A descendant of a royal chef?
An idea suddenly popped into Hua Qingqing's mind.
Then, if I've eaten the food cooked by a descendant of a royal chef, isn't that the same as what an emperor eats?!