Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 59 Strolling through the Night Market

An Saijun paused for a moment, put down his book, sat up, and said, "He doesn't live here anymore. He went to his cousin's place. He comes to listen to a lecture during the day. What's wrong?"

Xiao Wei said, "Oh, it's nothing. I was just a little impulsive last night. I was even thinking of treating you guys to dinner. If you can't come, then forget it."

An Saijun smiled and said, "It's alright. He didn't quite do anything right last night either. He's used to shouting and is a bit older than you guys, so he probably felt embarrassed. It's okay, you don't need to worry about it."

Xiao Wei said, "Aren't you from the same hometown? Why aren't you together?"

An Saijun said, "His family is from the lighthouse. I'm from Liaohua. We met here, and there's nothing much going on. We just drank together a couple of times. I don't know anyone over there. What's the point? It's not as comfortable as here."

Xia Maosheng said, "Come on down, let's go to the night market together later, wanna come?"

An Saijun asked, "Night market? Is it far?"

Xia Maosheng said, "It's right here on Taiyuan Street. You can turn your head and look over there. Across the intersection on your right, that's Taiyuan South Street. Didn't you go out for a stroll?"

The kid sleeping near the entrance, named Qi Guangjun, said, "The night market isn't here. You have to walk a bit further ahead to the intersection. From there, you have to cross a pedestrian bridge."

Xia Maosheng looked at him and asked, "Is it far?"

Qi Guangjun shook his head and said, "It's not far. Just walk about 100 meters from this intersection, down to the Zhongxing Building. I've been there twice."

Xiao Wei asked him, "You always go shopping, what do you buy?"

Qi Guangjun moved further in, sat against the wall, wrapped the blanket around himself, and said, "What's there to buy? I didn't buy anything. They're not honest over there. As soon as they hear someone's from out of town, they raise the price immediately. And there are people who try to scam you. They won't let you leave if you take something and don't buy it; a whole group of people will surround you. I just wanted to wander around and look around. I didn't even dare to take out any money. I heard there are a lot of thieves over there too."

Xiao Wei asked, "Where are you from? How do you know so much?"

Qi Guangjun said, "My family is from Kaiyuan, which is quite close to here. I'm practically half a Fengtian native, but it's no use, my accent is a bit different from here. A friend of mine got ripped off at the night market. He tried out a lighter a few times, but ended up having to buy it. They charged him 200 yuan for a lighter."

"You guys are going to the night market? I'm going too." The guy lying in the middle of the lower bunk sat up and answered. He had a neatly parted haircut, dark skin, thick eyebrows and big eyes. He looked a bit like Premier Zhou Enlai when he was young. He was from Xiaotuozi in Xinmin and his name was Luo Qinghe.

Xinmin is a city under the jurisdiction of Fengtian, so even though they are native Fengtian people, it doesn't work out here.

Luo Qinghe got off the bed, put on his shoes, and said while tying his shoelaces, "I want to buy some clothes, but I'm a little afraid to go alone. It's good that we can all go together."

Xiao Wei laughed and said, "Anyone else want to go? Let's all go together."

The place names and house styles in Liaodong are different from most other places. Centered on Fengtian City, the houses are all called "tun" (屯), such as Huanggutun, Chenxiangtun, and Wuxiangtun. The houses are arched with square walls, and are wide and tall.

Further out, you'll find place names like "tuozi" and "wopeng," where the houses are still large and tall, but the roofs have become flat.

Further out, you reach the sea. Heading west, you'll find a place called "dian" (店), and heading east, a place called "bao" (堡). Interspersed among these are some villages and camps. The houses have become pointed-roofed, the more common type of brick and tile houses, though originally they were all thatched huts. This is a direct reflection of class divisions in feudal society. "Tun" (屯) belonged to the government; "tuozi wopeng" (坨子窝棚) were government-owned land; "dian" (店) were government-run transportation and goods distribution centers; "bao" (堡) belonged to the gentry; "zhai" (寨) were the original inhabitants; "yingzi" (营子) were militia headquarters; and "wei" (卫) were state military camps, unrelated to the local population.

……

At eight o'clock, Sister Jin changed her clothes and came up with Li Na to call people. The group went downstairs to Taiyuan Street Night Market.

The night market is located on the pedestrian street in the middle section of Taiyuan Street, from Beiermalu to Zhonghualu.

Taiyuan Street became famous as a commercial street in Fengtian and even throughout the country because of its origins. This West Fourth Street, which was first built in 1892, was a commercial street from the beginning. In 1905, during the Russo-Japanese War, the Japanese defeated the Russians and occupied Fengtian. They then carried out reconstruction and planning of Fengtian. In 1910, West Fourth Street was transformed into Kasugacho, becoming the most famous commercial district in Northeast Asia at that time.

After liberation, the street was renamed Taiyuan Street, but its nature remained unchanged. It was one of the largest commercial streets in the country at the time, and its prosperity was the highest among commercial districts in the country, once overshadowing the charm of Nanjing Road in Shanghai.

After crossing the New World pedestrian bridge, you'll reach the intersection of the pedestrian street, which is also the beginning of the night market. You can see the dense crowds from afar, with stalls back-to-back in the middle of the road, and shoppers passing by on both sides of the street.

Although this area was bustling at the moment, it didn't have the feeling of a city that never sleeps like in later times. The stalls under the streetlights all had light bulbs lit up, making their small area bright so that pedestrians could see clearly.

There are food stalls selling meat skewers in the alleys on both sides of the road. If you get tired, you can go there to eat something, warm up, and rest your legs.

The first stall after you get off the overpass sells electronic products such as lighters, mini recorders (the predecessor of the Walkman), and cassette tapes.

Xiao Wei turned to look at Qi Guangjun, who pursed his lips and nodded.

Xiao Wei whispered, "Is it because you asked someone to smash it up but you're too embarrassed to say it?" Qi Guangjun glanced at Xiao Wei and nodded slightly.

Xiao Wei patted Qi Guangjun on the shoulder and said, "It's okay, everyone runs into trouble sometimes. Spending a little money is better than getting beaten up."

Qi Guangjun glanced at the stall owner and said, "They hit me, they slapped me. Several people are blocking my way, I can't run away."

While Xiao Wei was talking to Qi Guangjun, Xia Maosheng suddenly shouted, "Wang Zhilong, Wang Zhilong, over here, what are you doing?"

Turning his head, Xia Maosheng saw Wang Zhilong, dressed in a thin suit jacket, walking towards him with his face tilted back. As he approached, Xia Maosheng reached out and pinched Wang Zhilong's clothes, asking, "Aren't you cold? What are you doing there?"

Wang Zhilong raised his hand to smooth his standing hair, thought for a moment, and said in a deep voice, "I'm observing. I'm observing why this place is doing so well. So many people come here to buy things late at night; they must be making a lot of money."

Xia Maosheng turned his head to look at the bustling crowd at the night market and asked, "What did you see?"

Wang Zhilong took a breath, his gaze deep and distant, and slowly said, "I can see that, because things here are cheaper than elsewhere."

There was silence for more than a minute, and then everyone went about their business, no one wanting to talk to Wang Zhilong.

Wang Zhilong stared at the distant lights, his eyes glazed over, and said with a knowing look, "Really, I'm not lying to you. If you stock up on some goods and sell them even cheaper than them, you'll definitely make a fortune, no doubt about it."