Xin Zixing glanced at Lin Miaomiao's back with some confusion, then turned to look at Lu Yanhe.
"Does she have any hostility towards me?"
Lu Yanhe suddenly felt a little overwhelmed and said quickly, "I don't think so."
Lu Yanhe was really embarrassed to tell Xin Zixing what Lin Miaomiao had just said.
It's really embarrassing.
When they arrived in Baichuan, people from the Jiangzhi Cultural and Tourism Department came to pick them up.
The other party arranged a car to pick them up directly at the airport and take them to Jiangzhi.
After Lu Yanhe got in the car, he felt a little sleepy, so he put on his headphones and prepared to go to sleep.
When Xin Zixing saw Lu Yanhe closed his eyes, she lowered her voice when speaking to the people who came to pick them up.
The person who came to pick them up was a department head of Jiangzhi's cultural and tourism department. He was in his early thirties and had two pimples on his forehead.
The other party's name is He Yunlan.
Xin Zixing was chatting with others about the city of Jiangzhi all the way.
Lu Yanhe slept for a while in a daze, and woke up halfway. He didn't know how long he slept, but he heard He Yunlan talking about why he came to Jiangzhi.
He Yunlan is not a native of Jiangzhi, but his wife is from Jiangzhi. So after graduating from university, he took the exam to work as a civil servant in Jiangzhi.
Because he is a college student with a high level of education, he is highly respected in Jiangzhi.
This time, it was He Yunlan who took the lead in inviting "City Travelogue" to Jiangzhi for filming.
Lu Yanhe looked out the car window, the golden sunlight was dazzling.
He saw a vast expanse of rice fields spreading out along the roadside, and the road was now passing through mountains and fields.
This is a vast world that is hard to see in the city. The vast rice fields and the occasional houses dotted in between, under the golden sunlight, are filled with the breath of freedom and nature.
At this moment, Lu Yanhe was stunned.
Xin Zixing said: "Before we came here, we read that Jiangzhi is a very old city with a history of thousands of years. Many ancient buildings are still preserved in the city."
"Yes." He Yunlan nodded with a smile. "People in Jiangzhi are very attached to their hometown. Most people will stay in Jiangzhi, like my wife. She must return to her hometown, so I followed her here. The people here are very warm and simple. The neighborhood relationship is very close and still retains the kind of emotional connection it used to have. My parents have been here several times and they love it here too."
"How did this traditional lantern-walking activity get passed down?" Xin Zixing asked. "We searched online for information but couldn't find any."
"We are not very clear about this. This activity has been passed down from generation to generation. At this time every year, young men and women will gather together with lanterns, singing and dancing. If they like someone, they will ask to exchange lanterns with the other person. If the other person also likes you, they will agree to exchange lanterns with you." He Yunlan said.
Lu Yanhe asked in surprise, "So stepping on lanterns means changing lanterns?"
He had always understood the meaning of this activity literally, thinking it was about stepping on lanterns.
He Yunlan said: "Cai is a dialect pronunciation, and the original meaning is actually to hold a lantern, not to change, but to carry in hand."
He looked back at Lu Yanhe and laughed, "You're awake."
"Yeah." Lu Yanhe felt a little embarrassed. He fell asleep as soon as he got in the car. "Sorry, I'm a little sleepy."
"It's okay. It must be hard for you to come here." He Yunlan said.
Lu Yanhe shook his head and said, "It's okay, Brother He, you took the trouble to come and pick us up."
"It's only natural that you help promote Jiangzhi," He Yunlan said with a smile. "Although Jiangzhi is a relatively small city with a less developed economy, it has preserved many traditional festivals and activities, as well as many unique local features. We've always hoped to encourage more people to learn about Jiangzhi and visit it."
This is actually the idea of many city cultural and tourism departments - to drive local economic development by developing the tourism economy.
Lu Yanhe looked at the scenery outside and said, "It's really beautiful here."
He Yunlan said: "The scenery is really beautiful. Because this area is relatively remote and transportation is not well developed, there is no heavy industry or anything like that, and there is no pollution. Handicrafts and agriculture are the main industries here."
Lu Yanhe nodded thoughtfully.
Xin Zixing said, "If we want to go to Jiangzhi, is it convenient?"
"It's convenient. Traveling between Baichuan and Jiangzhi is very convenient." He Yunlan said, "Of course, the journey takes a bit of time, about four hours."
"It would be great if we could build a train station in Jiangzhi," Lu Yanhe said. "That way it would be much more convenient for everyone to come here."
"There's a train station," Xin Zixing said. "But if we take the train from Yuming, it would take about eight or nine hours, so we decided to fly to Baichuan and change trains. This way we can spend less time on the road. After all, the distance between Yuming and Jiangzhi is half of China, which is a huge span. People who live closer can just take the train."
Lu Yanhe suddenly understood and nodded, then he suddenly noticed the camera next to him.
"Huh!" Lu Yanhe turned his head to the left in surprise. Chen Liang was sitting on his left, carrying a camera and filming him.
"Why did you start filming?" Lu Yanhe asked in surprise.
Chen Liang smiled.
Xin Zixing explained: "Let's film the whole journey and edit it later. The more footage the better. Everything along the way will be worth remembering."
"oh."
Xin Zixing continued to ask He Yunlan: "Where are you from?"
"I'm from Jiangguang, which is not far from here." He Yunlan said with a smile.
"So are you and your wife settling in Jiangzhi now? How often do you go back to Jiangguang?" Xin Zixing asked curiously.
"I usually go back to visit my parents once every two months," He Yunlan said. "In the past two years, more and more people have heard about Jiangzhi, and more and more people have come to Jiangzhi for tourism. I've been busy with a lot of things, so I don't have much time to go back. Most of the time, my parents miss Xiaohu, so they come over to stay for a few days and visit him."
"Is Xiaohu your son?"
"Yes." When He Yunlan talked about Xiaohu, a gentler smile appeared in his eyes.
"How old is he?"
"Six years old."
Lu Yanhe was stunned. Six years old? Then He Yunlan became a father at the age of 24?
-
It was already evening when we arrived in Jiangzhi.
The sun sets and dusk falls.
Lu Yanhe and his friends stayed in a newly built, five-story stand-alone inn.
Lu Yanhe's room is on the third floor.
Outside the window is a group of low houses, and further away is a bustling street.
Most of the low houses are decorated with potted plants, and almost every household has a clothesline on the roof. At this time, many clotheslines are empty, but there are still a few households that have not taken away their clothes. The clothes are dried and are being warmed by the breeze in the sunset.
This scene is very similar to a scene in anime, the kind from the 1990s, where you arrive in a small town and see the most simple scenes of life.
Lu Yanhe stood by the window and looked down at the city in surprise.
Although it is only three stories high, you can see very far.
There are not many tall buildings here, and you can see rows of streets and houses from afar.
Lu Yanhe stretched, took a photo and posted it on his social media: A new chapter of "City Travelogue", looking forward to the surprises hidden in this city!
Many people responded to him immediately, asking him where he had been.
Lu Yanhe did not reply, wanting to see if anyone could recognize him.
-
Lin Miaomiao, who was meeting with friends in Baichuan, saw the status posted by Lu Yanhe and knew that Lu Yanhe had already arrived in Jiangzhi.
Lin Miaomiao asked her friend, "Have you been to Jiangzhi?"
"I haven't been there. It's very far away. What's the matter?" asked the friend.
Lin Miaomiao said: "I saw it online, so I asked."
My friend said, "You must have seen that traditional lantern-stepping activity. Ugh, how boring! In this day and age, there's still this kind of activity. If you really like someone, just confess directly. Why make it so ambiguous by giving each other lanterns?"
Lin Miaomiao didn't know what stepping on lanterns was, and asked with confusion, "What is stepping on lanterns?"
The friend then realized that Lin Miaomiao didn’t even know what it was, so he explained it to her.
Lin Miaomiao was stunned. "If you like someone, you can give the lantern to them?"
"Hmm." My friend gave me an incredulous smile. "Do you think it's a bit tacky? I don't know why we still keep this traditional activity. It's so boring."
Lin Miaomiao smiled noncommittally, "Oh."
-
In the evening, Lu Yanhe and his group were invited by He Yunlan to have dinner at a restaurant in Jiangzhi.
The restaurant is called "Sister Jing's Private Kitchen".
The store's decoration design is not high-end, even a bit rustic. There are two fences at the door, and various vegetables are planted inside.
Lu Yanhe met He Yunlan's wife Liu Yiyi and their son Xiaohu at the hotel.
He Yunlan said: "This restaurant serves the most authentic and best-tasting Jiangzhi cuisine."
Chen Liang and Tian Baihe were both carrying cameras to film their group.
Lu Yanhe greeted Liu Yiyi and Xiaohu.
"Hello sister-in-law, hello Xiaohu."
Liu Yiyi looked at Lu Yanhe with sparkling eyes and said, "You are even more handsome in person than in the photo."
"Thank you, thank you." Lu Yanhe shook his hand embarrassedly.
Liu Yiyi looked back at He Yunlan and said, "Hubby, please take everyone in first. I've already ordered the dishes, but the wine hasn't been delivered yet. I'll go check."
He Yunlan nodded.
Lu Yanhe was a little surprised and thought, are we going to drink again tonight?
He Yunlan invited everyone in, took Xiaohu by the hand, and said, "The wine is the osmanthus wine brewed by my father-in-law. If you want to drink, you can try it. If not, we have prepared some drinks."
It's not a public office tonight.
He Yunlan served as their local host and invited them to dinner.
From the beginning, the filming was filming.
Lu Yanhe consciously took on the role of a guest and provided more reaction materials.
As he walked into the restaurant, he looked around and said in surprise, "Business here is very good."
Almost every table was occupied and it was packed.
In fact, when they came in, there were two cameras filming next to them, which was also very eye-catching. Many people looked at them curiously, as if wondering what they were doing.
He Yunlan said: "We locals love to eat here. This restaurant has been open for many years. My wife and I have been eating here since we were young."
Lu Yanhe opened his eyes wide in surprise, "This store has been open for so many years?"
"right."
At this moment, Xiaohu suddenly turned around and said to everyone in a baby voice, "It opened before I was born!"
Everyone was stunned.
Lu Yanhe was the first to laugh, "It's indeed been a long time."
The hotel reserved a private room for them.
After they went in and sat down, Tian Baihe continued filming, while Chen Liang began to set up the fixed camera position with the help of Xu Chao.
How to sit also became a problem.
He Yunlan invited Xin Zixing and Lu Yanhe to sit at the top, and Lu Yanhe immediately made way and asked them to sit.
Under the camera, Lu Yanhe's hiding from the seat of honor was particularly obvious.
He said, "I am only nineteen years old. How can I sit in the seat?"
He turned around and picked up Xiaohu, "Xiaohu, let's sit together, the two youngest ones."
Xiaohu stared at Lu Yanhe with a puzzled look on his face, an expression that said, "You and I are not the same age."
Finally, Xin Zixing was invited to the seat of honor, with He Yunlan beside her, and Lu Yanhe and Xiaohu sitting together.
Chen Liang asked Tian Baihe to eat first and would come to pick him up after Tian Baihe finished eating.
Xin Zixing's assistant Xiao Mei arrived late at this time.
"Sorry, I was delayed on the road." Xiao Mei walked in carrying a big bag.
Xin Zixing introduced Xiao Mei and He Yunlan.
"Xiao Mei is my assistant. She came here earlier and has been helping us scout locations and design routes today." Xin Zixing explained with a smile.
He Yunlan then understood why the little girl did not join the main group.
He said, "Thank you for your hard work. Please take a seat. The food will be served soon."
Lu Yanhe greeted Xiao Mei and got to know her.
Xiao Mei is very outgoing and enthusiastic. She said, "Wow, you're really handsome!"
Lu Yanhe smiled and said, "Not as handsome as Brother He."
He Yunlan did look good, but it was obvious that he didn't take care of himself and never styled his hair. His skin was a little dark and rough, but because of this, he had a real handsomeness and his eyes were bright.
What Lu Yanhe didn't expect was that He Yunlan was actually a little thin-skinned, and his ears turned red.
He shook his head and said no.
Xiao Hu said seriously, "My dad is really handsome. My mom said that he was the most handsome boy in his school when he was in college."
He Yunlan stopped his son helplessly, "Don't talk nonsense."
Xiaohu: "I didn't say that. Mom said it was very hard to chase Dad back then."
Everyone in the audience looked at each other for two seconds, and then burst into laughter at the same time.
He Yunlan's whole face turned red.
Just at this time, Liu Yiyi came in.
She held two jars of wine and saw everyone laughing with great joy. He Yunlan's face was as red as a monkey's butt. He didn't understand why. She put the wine on the table and said in a somewhat bold tone: "What are you talking about that makes you so happy?"
Lu Yanhe smiled and said, "Sister-in-law, you should just ask Brother He directly."
Liu Yiyi looked at He Yunlan.
He Yunlan walked up to Liu Yiyi, kissed her on the cheek, and said, "It's okay, we're just joking. Sit down."
This scene happened so naturally.
Lu Yanhe looked at them in amazement.
Everyone took their seats.
Liu Yiyi poured wine for everyone.
Several photographers shook their heads and said they didn't want to drink anymore because they still wanted to take pictures.
Lu Yanhe thought to himself, I came here to discover the city of Jiangzhi, how could I not drink? He picked up the cup with both hands, put it down, and said, "Sister-in-law, I can't drink much, just pour me a glass."
Liu Yiyi nodded and said, "Yan He, are you an adult?"
"Nineteen."
"Oh, so you started studying a year later than usual?" Liu Yiyi asked.
"Ah?" Lu Yanhe was stunned.
He Yunlan immediately said, "No, they usually start school a year later in the north than in the south. Here, most high school seniors are not even 18 years old. Many of them haven't even turned 18 yet after taking the college entrance exam."
"So that's how it is." Lu Yanhe understood. "Brother He, you're from Jiangguang. So you weren't even eighteen when you went to college?"
"It was full when I went to college," He Yunlan said. "I was one of the youngest in my class at the time."
"Did you go to university in the north?" Xin Zixiong asked curiously.
"Yes." He Yunlan nodded.
Liu Yiyi said, "He is a top student at Zhenhua."
"Wow!" Xiao Mei heard this with a look of admiration, "Then Director He is Lu Yanhe's senior."
Lu Yanhe also looked at He Yunlan in surprise: "Why didn't Brother He tell me before?"
He Yunlan smiled embarrassedly.
Liu Yiyi said: "He is always embarrassed to mention that he is from Zhenhua."
"If I get admitted to Zhenhua, I will let everyone know that I am a student of Zhenhua," said Xiao Mei.
Lu Yanhe asked, "Sister-in-law, are you also from Zhenhua?"
"I'm not. My grades are not as good as his. I graduated from Yuming University of Science and Technology." Liu Yiyi said.
"Yuming University of Science and Technology is also very good." Xiao Mei said, "They are both key universities."
Xin Zixing nodded and said with a smile, "So you all lived in Yuming before."
"Yeah." Liu Yiyi said, "When we decided to come back, many people didn't understand."
Xin Zixing asked, "However, when I first heard that you two graduated from Yuming University, I would also be curious why you didn't stay in Yuming."
He Yunlan said: "On the one hand, we are not from the north, and on the other hand, neither of us likes living in a big city. We feel that the pressure is too great. So, after discussing it, we decided to return to Jiangzhi."
"He was just trying to accommodate me," Liu Yiyi said. "If he hadn't come back with me, he'd have easily earned a million a year if he'd stayed in Yuming, studying computer science."
Xiao Mei held her face with one hand and said, "I'm so envious. I also want a boyfriend like this."
She looked at Liu Yiyi and asked, "Sister Yiyi, how did you deal with Director He? I think I need to learn from him."
Xiao Mei's words made everyone laugh and cry.
Liu Yiyi also laughed.
"Then this is my unique secret, I can't tell you."
At the dinner table, everyone met for the first time, and Lu Yanhe was worried that they would be a little restrained. However, what Lu Yanhe did not expect was that there was Xiao Mei, a typical social cow, who completely livened up the atmosphere at the dinner table.
He Yunlan and Liu Yiyi are also very good at communicating with everyone. They talked about their love story and the story of their life in Jiangzhi.
Lu Yanhe didn't say much and just kept listening.
Lu Yanhe was very envious of the relationship between He Yunlan and Liu Yiyi - there was a kind of intimacy between them that came from open love.
After dinner, Xin Zixing said, "Then we'll go back to the inn for the meeting. Director He, thank you for your hospitality."
He Yunlan nodded and said, "If you have any questions in the next two days, feel free to contact me."
They did not participate in the specific filming process.
This is also Xin Zixiong's request.
They decided to walk back directly, take a walk to digest the food, and see the night view of the city with their own eyes.
He Yunlan put his arm around Liu Yiyi's waist, held Xiaohu's hand with his other hand, and watched them leave.
Chen Liang photographed this scene.
Although Xin Zixiong did not explain, Chen Liang intuitively felt that this young couple would become the focus of this episode.
Cities and people are always closely connected. No city's story can be separated from its people.
Lu Yanhe also looked back at them. Seeing that they were still watching them leave, Lu Yanhe waved to them and said, "Bye, you should go back and rest early too!"
