Zhou Xuan didn't recognize it either, but he could tell the difference between real and fake using ice. Although he had never seen what the real product looked like, he could clearly determine its molecular composition. They were all made from extremely ordinary materials.
No wonder the antique market is flooded with fakes these days; it's easy to be fooled. Zhou Xuan couldn't help but sigh inwardly. If he didn't have this ice-qi ability, and were to actually enter the antique business, no matter how much money he had, he would still lose it all!
Come to think of it, tigers, deer, bears, and the like are all nationally protected animals; killing them is illegal, and their numbers are dwindling. Yet, there are quite a few of these street vendors. Zhou Xuan has seen similar stalls and these items in almost every major city he's visited. Could it be that so many rare animals are being hunted?
Think about it, the logic is clear, but basically, people who get scammed are deceived by their own eyes; it's impossible to guard against it.
Zhou Xuan walked out from the beginning, and no matter which item he tested, he was unable to determine that any of them were genuine!
After leaving Panjiayuan, Zhou Xuan looked at the flow of people and vehicles on the street. He felt a bit of a headache, wondering when Fu Ying and Zhou Ying would return. He had considered taking a ride home, but worried they wouldn't be able to find him, and since he didn't have their phones to contact them, and hadn't told them beforehand, he decided against going back to the antique shop. He didn't really want to, as he knew he'd be stuck there.
Looking ahead, there was a snack shop about ten meters down the alley from the intersection. Then I glanced at the parking lot across the corner, and my Bugatti Veyron was quite conspicuous.
Zhou Xuan immediately decided to eat at a snack shop to kill time. From the shop, he could see the parking lot across the street. If Fu Ying and the others came back to get their car, he could see them too. Perfect, he'd try out Beijing's snacks and see what made them different from other places.
Volume 1, Chapter 120: The Lotus Buds Just Begin to Emerge
After the two sat down in the snack shop, they looked around. The shop wasn't spacious, less than a square meter. There were eight tables in two rows against the wall, and the tables were very close together, making it seem a bit cramped.
The shop was quite crowded, with about ** people inside, including only one man. Including Zhou Xuan, there were two men; the rest were all girls in their early twenties.
Judging from their attire, most of them were office workers. The girls' clothes were all different, but it was clear that they were all wearing company uniforms.
It seems the snacks at this shop must be pretty good. It was lunchtime, and these girls were probably office workers from nearby companies. Although they were all wearing uniforms, their clothes, hair, hands, and even their nails were all styled differently from others.
Shuai Xuan's ordinary appearance obviously failed to attract the attention of these girls. A young waitress came over with the order form and asked him, "Sir, what would you like to order?"
"I'm not familiar with this either, can you show me the order form?" Zhou Xuan said with a smile. Having been in Beijing for so long, he hadn't actually tried any local snacks yet.
The waitress handed him the menu. Zhou Xuan looked at it; he'd never heard of any of the snacks listed. He picked the ones with nicer names: "Hmm, I'll have a plate of cream-filled fried cakes, a plate of donkey rolls, a plate of 'aiwowo' (a type of steamed bun), a plate of ginger-flavored fried dough sticks, and a plate of sugar-coated fried dough sticks."
The female attendant paused for a moment, then asked, "Sir, how many people are with you? Are any other friends coming?"
"I'm the only one here, so what?" Zhou Xuan asked curiously. "Your store is limiting the number of customers?"
The female student quickly gave an embarrassed smile and said, "No, no, please wait a moment, it will be ready soon."
Zhou Xuan ordered another milk tea drink. Then he waited.
Although Zhou Xuan looked quite ordinary, his ordering of several snacks caught the attention of everyone in the shop. Since absorbing the energy of the large golden stone in the Yinhe Cave, Zhou Xuan's ice-based abilities had greatly increased. His senses and perception had also become far more acute than those of ordinary people.
Two girls next to him were eating snacks and whispering, "Look at this country bumpkin trying to show off. What's the point of eating snacks? He should be able to order a whole table of shark fin and bird's nest at a fancy hotel to show off."
Zhou Xuan was taken aback. It would have been better if he hadn't heard what the two girls were saying. But his hearing was exceptionally sharp, and he heard every single word. He had only wanted to try these famous Beijing snacks; he hadn't intended to show off at all!
Besides, what's the point of showing off in front of these girls?
Zhou Xuan glanced at the two girls over there. Although they were sitting, they looked very attractive. The blue uniforms accentuated their curves, and they were quite pretty. However, their eyes kept glancing at Zhou Xuan with a disdainful look.
Zhou Xuan smiled faintly, naturally having no interest in arguing with these girls. Why should he care about his pride? What did it matter whether they looked down on him or not? He had Fu Ying, that was enough. Although these girls seemed arrogant, compared to Fu Ying, they weren't even as good as one of her little fingers.
Taking a sip of his milk tea, Zhou Xuan heard the girl who had been laughing at him say again, "What did that girl in the store do? Ah Zhen, can you guess? She swiped her card and bought over 300,000 yuan worth of jewelry without even blinking. And she's so pretty, I think she's a waitress."
Ah Zhen chuckled, "Although I'm jealous, I really envy her. Look at her skin, she's hardly wearing any makeup. Her complexion is so much better than ours. She's beautiful and rich, how can I not envy her? Even if I were her, I would have the right to be her. These days, especially rich men, which one of them doesn't have three or four women on their side?"
Zhou Xuan shook his head. Women, they're just naturally gossipy!
At this point, the waitresses brought out the snacks, which filled most of the table.
Zhou Xuan was dumbfounded. He had ordered one dish of each item, and each dish contained several portions. Four or five dishes were placed on the table. Judging from this, it would be enough for three or four people.
But since we've already ordered it, we might as well go for it; it's not expensive anyway. It's good to try everything.
Of the snacks I ordered, the cream-filled fried cake and the donkey roll looked the best. Their golden-yellow appearance and aroma were incredibly tempting.
Zhou Xuan picked up a "cream-fried cake" with his chopsticks, took a small bite, and found it crispy yet not mushy, sweet but not cloying, with the flavors of vanilla powder and eggs—very delicious. After eating the cream-fried cake, he tried the donkey roll, which looked like a layered meat and egg roll. Layer upon layer, its appearance really did resemble a donkey rolling in yellow mud.
However, upon tasting it, Zhou Xuan immediately realized that it was completely different from pork floss egg rolls. It was sweet, fragrant, sticky, and had a strong soybean powder flavor.
This tastes familiar; it reminds Zhou Xuan of his childhood. His mother often stir-fried soybeans for them, then ground them into powder using a small mill. This powder tasted especially delicious, and Zhou Xuan and his two siblings all loved it.
The outer layer of egg rolls is usually made of pork floss. Dry pork floss tastes quite good, but when it's stuck to the cake, it becomes moist. Soggy pork floss doesn't taste good at all; the flavor is significantly diminished.
The yellow powder on the outside of this donkey roll looks like meat floss, but you know it's not once you taste it. City people might not know what it is, but Zhou Xuan has eaten it a lot; it's just soybean powder, fragrant and sweet.
Then they ate Aiwowo, which looked like little snowballs, about the size of an egg, made of glutinous rice, pressed into a thin skin, and filled with fillings. Zhou Xuan bit into one half and saw some sesame seeds and melon seeds in the filling. After tasting it, he guessed it also contained peach kernels, hawthorn cake, almonds, green plums, and so on.
After trying these dishes, Zhou Xuan found them quite delicious. The fame of traditional local snacks was certainly well-deserved. While eating, he kept an eye on the parking lot across the street. Sure enough, he spotted Fu Ying and Zhou Ying carrying several bags, looking around the parking lot.
Needless to say, Zhou Xuan could guess that they had gone to the store and came to the parking lot because they couldn't find him.
Zhou Xuan quickly put down his chopsticks and waved to the waitress, saying, "Miss, the bill is due!"
The female clerk hurried over, took the bill, and calculated it. She said, "Hello sir, the total is forty-eight dollars."
He glanced at the snacks on the counter. More than half were still left, and several items were completely untouched. He asked, "Sir, would you like to take them to go?"
"Oh, thank you, but I'm in a hurry, never mind." Zhou Xuan reached into his pocket. What he found there stunned him!
I didn't bring my wallet. I didn't have a single penny on me. Then I remembered that I had changed my clothes this morning. I hadn't even taken my wallet out.
Zhou Xuan said somewhat awkwardly, "Sorry, I forgot to bring my wallet. Wait a moment. I'll call a friend to come and pay."
"Ji, he really is... a country bumpkin dressed like a rich man. I told you so."
Zhou Xuan heard the two girls who had just spoken about him whispering again, and suddenly all the other guests turned their attention to him.
At this point, the two women raised their voices. Many people in the shop heard them.