38: Chapter 38 The earthy smell of the ditch is still chasing me

After dinner, the two booked two rooms at the Yunda Sheraton Hotel, dropped off their luggage, and were hailing a taxi on the side of the road.

"Brother Shiguang, why aren't we riding the bikes?"

"Our bikes are too new; I'm afraid they'll get stolen."

"They're so heavy, how could anyone steal them?"

"Do you remember how these bikes were transported here? They can be stolen the same way they were brought here."

"Oh! I see."

Soon, the two got into a taxi.

"Driver, take us to Dufu Pavilion."

Yang Shiguang took out his phone to check the time; it was just past 6 o'clock. Although there would be traffic, they had plenty of time.

"Brother Shiguang, what are we going to do?"

An Miaomiao leaned against him naturally.

"Why is this girl getting clingier and clingier?"

Yang Shiguang thought to himself.

"I'm taking you to see something nice."

The conversation between the two in the back seat was quickly interrupted by the taxi driver.

"If you can't drive fast, why the hell are you hogging the left lane?"

"Look at you, you absolute moron. What a useless piece of trash."

"Damn it, the two idiots in front are driving so slow and riding side-by-side."

"Useless, did you get dropped on your head as a baby?"

"Middle of the night, rooster crows three times. A cheap life deserves a cheap knife."

"You idiot, just crawl back into the dog hole you crawled out of."

"Wearing scrap metal on your head and chewing on rotten cabbage, yet you claim to be Dongfang Bubai."

The two were stunned listening to the driver's Star City dialect. As expected of the provincial capital; even their cursing had such flair.

"Miaomiao, I don't think I've ever heard you speak the dialect."

"Eh? I can speak it, I just don't use it very often."

Yang Shiguang thought about it and imagined the sweet little girl speaking in the dialect. Yeah, the vibe would change completely.

"Yeah, never mind. It's better if you don't."

The dialects of Jianning and Star City were basically identical; even when not cursing, they carried a rogue-like flavor.

Hearing that the driver had no intention of stopping, Yang Shiguang took out a cigarette and handed it to him.

"Forget it, forget it. We're not in a rush."

"You're a sensible guy."

The driver took the cigarette, lit it, and opened the window.

"I can turn off the AC, but for smoking, I only smoke Furong Wang."

"I gave you a Jing Baisha..."

"Damn, how can I smoke that?" You TM...

By the time they reached Dufu Pavilion, it was past 7 o'clock. Crowds had already gathered along the street and the riverbank.

At this moment, the night lights of Dufu Pavilion were fully illuminated, shimmering gold in the dusk.

"Brother Shiguang, look. We could have actually ridden the bikes. If we did it like him, they wouldn't get stolen."

Yang Shiguang followed An Miaomiao's gaze and saw a Honda CBR600F motorcycle parked on the roadside.

The front wheel wasn't just locked; it was also chained to a utility pole with a chain as thick as three fingers.

Yang Shiguang shook his head as he looked at it, and with an inscrutable expression, said to An Miaomiao, "Miaomiao, wait until we're done playing and come back to check. Then you'll understand."

The two walked side-by-side along the road, surrounded mostly by couples.

"Hubby, look at that, it's so pretty."

"Baby, hold my hand so you don't get lost."

"Mmhmm~ my feet hurt, I don't want to walk, I want a hug!"

"Bro, you smell so good~"

"Then look behind you."

Just as Yang Shiguang was trying to find the source of the strange remark, he suddenly felt a soft sensation on his left arm.

"Miaomiao, stop fooling around, it's hard to walk like this."

An Miaomiao had already hugged his arm. "Everyone else is doing it, it's fine~"

"Or is it that being mistaken for Brother Shiguang's girlfriend would be embarrassing for you?"

After saying this, she put on a pitiful expression, her peach-blossom eyes drooping slightly, glistening with moisture, effortlessly squeezing out a few little pearls of tears.

"Alright, alright, whatever you want." "Hehe~"

Having received Yang Shiguang's tacit approval, An Miaomiao's mood immediately cleared up.

Watching her look of having succeeded in her scheme, Yang Shiguang could only helplessly let her be happy.

Yeah, he was just spoiling his younger sister, not because he was too easily swayed by those pitiful big eyes. Of course, that was what he thought.

At this moment, a man holding a can of Tsingtao beer brushed past them, walking with a bizarre gait to a spot in front of them where there were quite a few people.

Yang Shiguang thought it was bad, but it was already too late to escape quickly.

The man popped open the Tsingtao, took a huge gulp, and then spread his arms like a roc spreading its wings and began to roar.

"I'm wasted! The whole world! It's all mine! Except, damn it, you aren't!"

The familiar scene of pouring beer over one's head followed by kneeling played out once again.

"Ahhhhhhh!!..." The damn cringe is still chasing me!

"Miaomiao, let's go, this is a disease, don't get infected."

Yang Shiguang hurriedly pulled a dumbfounded An Miaomiao and quickly fled the scene.

Before long, it became An Miaomiao pulling Yang Shiguang, running towards a temporary stage.

"The silhouette looks like my husband's face..."

Yang Shiguang had little interest, but An Miaomiao was watching with great fascination.

He vaguely remembered—somewhat counter-intuitively—that this good younger sister seemed to have an interest in this kind of traditional art.

And what was being performed right now was one of her favorite Huagu operas: Wujiapo.

"You really never get tired of this, how many times have you watched it?"

"That's different, there's a difference between live and on TV!" An Miaomiao pouted and retorted.

However, this temporary stage seemed rather amateurish, and An Miaomiao began to critique it: "The singing technique isn't very good, it's not even as good as me."

Yang Shiguang chuckled, looked at the stage, and teased: "Then I'll go tell them, and you can go up and sing, Miaomiao. The Princess Daizhan you play would surely be incredibly vivid."

As soon as these words were spoken, An Miaomiao stared wide-eyed at Yang Shiguang beside her. Her expression was full of shock, confusion, and grievance.

If Yang Shiguang had been looking at her, he would have surely discovered that the stars in her lively peach-blossom eyes had dimmed, their light fading until only emptiness remained.

After a moment of silence, An Miaomiao lowered her head and asked, trying to keep her tone as normal as possible: "Brother Shiguang... why do you think I would play Daizhan?"

Her voice trembled slightly, but Yang Shiguang didn't notice, still smiling as he said: "Huh? I just think your personality might be more suited to playing Daizhan."

Hearing that Yang Shiguang's response didn't seem to have any deep meaning or hidden implication, An Miaomiao's emotions slowly recovered, and the light reignited in her eyes. Pouting, she said prettily: "I don't want to play Daizhan; if I'm going to play, I only want to play the female lead!"

"Wang Baochuan? But she's quite pitiful; she waited eighteen years for her lover."

"Hmph, then I want to be Wang Baochuan!"

An Miaomiao said firmly, and continued silently in her heart: "I've already waited eight years, what's another ten years? As long as there's a result..."