Lu Fang!

Upon hearing this name, Chen Mo was slightly dazed for a moment.

Because this name... he had seen it in a dream while sleeping in Huaxi yesterday!

Oh no, it was after using the clue character's memory card that he saw it, which means... Chen Mo turned his head to look in the direction Granny pointed. That street was somewhat similar to the one in the memory card, but also not quite.

"Well, after a dozen years or so, there's bound to be some changes."

After thanking her, Chen Mo got up and walked in that direction.

In his memory, Lu Fang's business was incredibly good. Boss Lu would come to the shop every morning, and the amount of ingredients was fixed. Boss Lu didn't even need to hire anyone for serving, cash handling, or cleaning.

The diners had to clean their tables, carry their food from the kitchen, and throw money into a cash box at the counter on their own.

If such a small shop didn't have many years of accumulated reputation, it would be impossible to operate like this. Coming here to complete the Seeking Flavor mission, even Chen Mo felt: could this be fate?

Accidentally arriving at Lu Yingqiu's hometown!

Continuing down the cobblestone street, passing by a teahouse.

Compared to the teahouses in Guangdong, this teahouse seemed like a joke from the outside, but the glow of the setting sun gave it a feeling of having traveled back to the 1980s.

This was just an ordinary wooden house, without even a door.

Inside, a few somewhat worn-out chairs were thrown together casually, with a wooden tray on each side to hold a teapot.

Opposite these chairs was a table covered with a red cloth, behind which stood a gentleman telling stories.

"Speaking of Mao Shiba, thinking Chen Jinnan was killed by Wei Xiaobao, he was furious on the spot!"

The gentleman was recounting a passage from The Deer and the Cauldron. Chen Mo didn't go in but squatted at the door, cracking peanuts and listening for a while. People inside drank tea and listened to the stories, sometimes bursting into laughter, sometimes showing serious expressions.

This was truly the tranquility of time...

Chen Mo squatted at the door, feeling reluctant to move.

This ancient town, judging by its geographical location, felt isolated from the world. There were no young people in the town, lacking a kind of vitality.

But because of this, walking around, the whole place had a carefree and unhurried air.

They were in no hurry.

No hurry to live, no hurry to fight, even less hurry to be busy.

As if everything was so natural, going home when it got dark, cooking and eating, sitting on the street at dawn, doing small trades, fishing, and farming.

"To know what happens next, tune in next time!"

The storyteller slapped the table with his board, and the audience applauded heartily, praising loudly. Chen Mo stood up, brushed the dust off his pants, and continued inside.

Walking a bit further, there was another shop with its door open.

According to Granny, today, being an odd-numbered day, was not a market day, so most shops were closed.

This shop, with its door open, had the sound of metal clanging coming from inside, and Chen Mo stood outside looking in.

"Wow!"

An old man, muscular despite his age, was bare-chested with an apron, holding a red-hot piece of iron with tongs in his left hand and hammering it with a hammer in his right.

"Are there still blacksmiths in this day and age?"

Feeling intrigued, Chen Mo glanced at the Black Blade in his hand, "Should I forge it? The golden dragon on the hilt seems a bit flashy."

[...Suggestion: Don't.]

Alright, Chen Mo put away the Black Blade and continued walking.

The plaque he saw in his memory appeared before him, looking no different from other shops, just that, over time, Lu Fang's wooden door seemed more worn out than in his memory.

Lu Fang was not open at this time.

The old master in the blacksmith shop finished forging a piece of iron, wiped the sweat from his body, and came out to enjoy the breeze with a tea canister in hand.

Seeing a young man squatting a little further down, he kindly approached to remind him, "Tomorrow is market day; they won't open today."

"Oh?" Chen Mo looked up and took out some peanuts from his pocket, "Here, Uncle, have some peanuts."

The old man wasn't shy, taking Chen Mo's peanuts and tossing one into his mouth, "But you better come early tomorrow, there'll be something to see here."

"Oh? What do you mean?"

The blacksmith uncle sat down on the step in front of his house, "Tomorrow, Lu the Second... oh, the second son of this shop is coming back. They say he's going to take down the plaque of the eldest brother!"

"Hiss!" Chen Mo took a deep breath, "Is that really happening?"

In memory, Lu the Second ran off to Yu City more than ten years ago for development. Even though the domestic catering industry has been declining in recent years, it was thriving a few years ago!

Especially since Yu City caught the wave of being an internet-famous city, attracting countless tourists every year. Lu the Second's business should be doing very well, so why come back to take down the eldest brother's plaque?

"No idea, we don't know what's going on. Anyway, Lu the Second came back with a group of people a few days ago, claiming some experts from the province would be here tomorrow to take down the sign!"

Oh boy!

No matter how much Chen Mo thought about it, he couldn't figure out the reason behind all this.

Only to hear the blacksmith uncle lamenting, "This shop has been in Boss Lu's family for three generations. Taking down the sign would be such a pity."

Chen Mo knew that to understand the reason, he would either need to see Memory Card II or question the people involved.

Evidently, both methods were currently impossible, so he decided to attend to other matters first.

"By the way, Uncle, do you know whose peanuts are the best in Hanyang Town?"

The blacksmith uncle burned his cigarette down to the butt, smoothly pulled out another, and lit it with the butt.

Taking a big drag, he finally spoke slowly, "All of them are good. Our Hanyang peanuts are especially good."

The answer was as expected.

As a somewhat renowned ancient town in recent years, even during market days in Hanyang, some tourists would come, so it was not surprising that the locals would say this.

Chen Mo further inquired, "Do you know where I can buy chickens in town? I want to buy one to take back and cook."

"Haha, that I do know!" The blacksmith uncle pointed to the plaque above them, "The chickens from Boss Lu's place are the best! But it's not easy to get there—you have to climb the mountain. There's a small poultry farm up there; they have free-range chickens that are delicious if you can get your hands on one."

Chen Mo took note of this and then asked, "So what happens on market days? Is it like a big fair?"

"You can say that. Basically, all the shops that should open are open, and some outsiders come to set up stalls in town. Everyone buys and sells; it's great."

Chen Mo got it this time.

This setup is essentially a traditional market day: locals open shops to sell their goods, and outsiders bring their items to set up stalls. If bargaining fails, it might end in bartering.

"So..." Chen Mo lowered his voice, "Can I set up a stall?"

"Sure!"

"Are there any rules about spots?"

"Just these streets; it's first come, first served!"

"Got it!"

Chen Mo stood up, dusted off his pants, and handed all his peanuts to the blacksmith uncle.

"Where are you headed, young man?"

"Going to buy stuff and set up a stall!"

"Can you find Boss Lu's place?"

Chen Mo stopped, and in his memory, he followed Boss Lu along a mountain path to the shop.

"Yes, I can!"

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