372: Central Avenue

The group paired the stir-fried dishes that came out first with some ice-cold beer. With different cuisines and flavors, they were eating quite contentedly.

After some time, a young man wearing a Landlord Hat came in, opened the pot lid, stirred the food inside, and then left with the lid.

As the steam rose, a thick aroma of meat instantly filled the room.

"It smells so good!" "It's way too fragrant!"

"Bosses, the goose is ready. Please enjoy your meal!"

After saying that, the man in the Landlord Hat walked out with the lid.

"Come, come, sister, brother-in-law, Xiao Qi, Bai Xue. Try our Great Northeast's Iron Pot Stewed Goose."

Zhang Li invited them to hurry and taste the goose. She stood up, picked up a ladle, and served a bowl of goose meat to everyone.

"Thank you, Auntie. It smells wonderful!"

Bai Xue narrowed her eyes and began to gnaw on the goose meat.

The fragrance of the lard rendered from the pork belly neutralized the gamey taste of the goose, and with the addition of some seasonings, it further brought out the goose's unique aroma.

The various vegetables added to the pot were soaked in the broth and rich with oil, making them incredibly delicious.

Yang Qi also stopped talking, gave a thumbs up, and kept his head down, eating silently!

While they were feasting and halfway through their meal, a man and a woman dressed gaudily with heavy makeup walked in.

They were the two Errenzhuan performers who had been performing in the lobby when the group first entered.

"May you all strike it rich, bosses. Would you like to hear a song?"

As a local, Wang Xudong seemed to encounter this situation often, so he nodded and said:

"Then give our friends from the south something festive. Let's have 'Xiao Bainian'!"

"Alright! Everyone, enjoy! Here we go."

"The first month of the lunar year is the New Year!"

"The first day of the first month!"

"Every family gathers together!"

"The young ones give New Year greetings to the elders!"

"Regardless of whether they are male or female!"

"Ai-yo-yo-yo-yo-yo-ai-yo-yo-ya!"

"Everyone puts on their new clothes!"

"Ai-yo-yo-yo-yo!"

...The two sang while twisting their bodies and spinning handkerchiefs. Those two bright red handkerchiefs were spun like flowers in their hands, occasionally being tossed over the heads of the diners.

However, the handkerchiefs seemed alive, circling above everyone's heads before returning to their hands.

"Boomerang!"

"Bravo!" "Nice!"

Although Yang Qi and the others had seen Errenzhuan talent performances on TV, the immersive feeling of being face-to-face like this was completely different.

The two Errenzhuan performers gave a vivid performance, drawing applause and cheers from Yang Qi and the others!

"Thank you for the tip, Boss. I wish you great fortune and good luck..."

The male performer took the hundred yuan Wang Xudong handed him and said a series of blessings.

"It seems quite interesting; they did a great job!"

Yang Qi's Father was also beaming with joy, clapping repeatedly. He didn't know if it was vulgar or not; the most important thing was that it made him happy.

As the Errenzhuan performers moved to the next private room, everyone continued eating.

"Xiao Qi, you really have a great appetite!"

"Stop your nonsense. If you don't know how to talk, then don't. Being able to eat is a blessing!"

Zhang Li interrupted Wang Xudong, who was in the middle of his sentiment.

"I just wanted to say that it's great to be young! Don't misunderstand me, Xiao Qi!"

Wang Xudong explained.

"It's fine, Uncle. I know."

Yang Qi waved his hand and said.

After eating and drinking their fill, the group first went to Zhang Li's home, where two rooms had already been prepared for them.

Zhang Li's home was a townhouse near the outskirts of the city. The interior decoration style was completely different from Yang Qi's home, having a European style. Compared to the pure Chinese style of the Sea View Villa, one could only say they each had their own charm.

"This afternoon, we'll go have some fun at Central Street. Tonight, I'll invite a few friends to join us and get some Northeast specialties."

Zhang Li said after arranging the rooms for Yang Qi and the others.

"Alright, we'll follow your arrangements for these few days. We're at your disposal!"

Zheng Jin and the others replied with smiles. After dropping off their luggage, everyone drove to the famous Central Street.

Central Street is 1,450 meters long and 21.34 meters wide, with the stone-paved road being 10.8 meters wide.

Its sidewalk area is 12,741 square meters, with a total area of 18,547 square meters. It is a microcosm of Harbin and China's first pedestrian street, known as the 'First Street in Asia.'

Central Street starts from the Songhua River Flood Control Memorial Tower in the north and ends at Jingwei Street in the south. It has 71 European and pseudo-European buildings, including 13 municipal-level protected buildings in various European styles such as Renaissance, Baroque, Eclecticism, and Modernism.

Main attractions include the Flood Control Victory Memorial Tower, Modern Hotel, the Site of the Harbin First-Class Post Office, the Education Bookstore, the Site of the International Savings Society, the Site of the Jewish National Bank, etc. Nearby is the famous Saint Sophia Cathedral.

In addition, Central Street also hosts tourist and cultural activities such as the Western Food Festival and Old Street Music Plaza. Furthermore, several films have been shot and scouted here.

Central Street is also the longest in Asia and the earliest pedestrian street in China. It is Harbin's city calling card and became a national AAAA-level tourist attraction in 2012.

In November 2023, Central Street was recognized as one of the third batch of 'National Demonstration Pedestrian Streets.'

Central Street has successively won titles such as 'National Model Street for No Fakes in a Hundred Cities and Ten Thousand Stores,' 'China Human Settlements Environment Example Award,' and 'China Historical and Cultural Famous Street.'

During the three-day New Year holiday in 2024, Central Street had a passenger flow of 1.98 million people, with an average of over 660,000 tourists per day.

In December 2025, the Central Street scenic area upgraded measures such as anti-slip and heating. The new heaters placed along the street in 2025 were also activated.

"Luckily we avoided the peak holiday tourist season, otherwise we wouldn't be able to see anything."

Bai Xue looked at the crowds of tourists on the street and stuck out her tongue.

It must be said that Harbin's tourism industry has done really well in recent years. In 2023, the phrase 'Erbin Welcomes You!' was once extremely popular on the internet, setting off a boom in ice and snow tourism!

Various 'southern little potatoes' came here to see the different scenery, and countless hilarious videos were circulated.

"Friends from the south, do you want to go to the Ice and Snow World? Free shuttle, no charge, seriously."

"You guys are tall and sturdy, you don't look like southern little potatoes at all! Holy crap, listening to your accent, you're actually Northern Frozen Pears! Get out, get out! I don't pick up locals!"

"Hello! Where are you from? Say 'Harbin welcomes you' so I can hear if you're a Southern Little Potato."

"Give it a rest. You have a thick local accent, yet you're pretending to be a Southern Little Potato."

...Yang Qi couldn't help but recall the videos circulating online at that time and laughed involuntarily.

He didn't know if the service no longer existed or if it was because their group was so tall and sturdy that no one thought they were Southerners.

In any case, they had been playing for so long today, and no locals had come up to strike up a conversation.