166: Wu Lingxiang is going back to Hanoi

For thousands of years, during Hoi An Ancient Town's time as an important port in Southeast Asia, the most numerous merchants here were Dragon Country People and Japanes.

At that time, the Champa Kingdom did not impose many restrictions on their commercial activities here.

Apart from collecting business taxes, merchants from various countries basically managed themselves.

Therefore, Japanes merchants also built Jiaopen Street in the Japanes style here.

On the Thu Bon River, there is a covered bridge with a roof, with two monkey stone sculptures on one side and two dog stone sculptures on the other.

It is generally believed that this ancient bridge was built in the Year of the Monkey and completed in the Year of the Dog.

Locals call it the Japanes Bridge, believing that this 400-year-old covered bridge was funded and built by Japanes merchants of that era.

However, many Dragon Country People held dissenting opinions regarding this statement, believing that Dragon Country People merchants built it back then.

After all, isn't the Japanes style a legacy of the prosperous Tang Dynasty? When did ours become theirs?

But the builders of this bridge are unknown, as time and war interrupted Hoi An's heritage, leading to this claim seeming to lack substantial evidence.

Therefore, Vietnamese people still call it the Japanes Bridge, hanging Japanes-style lanterns on it. Perhaps this item, also derived from Dragon Country People cultural traditions, was attributed to the Japanes to attract their investment.

In any case, there is no definitive statement now, and the Japanes naturally accepted it with a smile.

Throughout Hoi An, the Dragon Country People divided into five major residential areas.

These five areas were divided according to Dragon Country People from different regions and with different ethnic characteristics.

The five groups were the Fujian Gang, Guangdong Gang, Chaoshan Gang, Hainan Gang, and Hakka Gang.

They built the Fujian Assembly Hall, Guangzhao Assembly Hall, Chaoshan Assembly Hall, Qiongfu Assembly Hall, and Zhonghua Assembly Hall.

These five great assembly halls were the most exquisite parts of Hoi An.

Li Qinghe rode his bicycle, with Le Xuan Mai on the back, and the two leisurely strolled through these beautiful buildings, representing their homeland, built by their Dragon Country People ancestors.

Southeast Asian-style bicycle rickshaws, known as "customer-first-dies," occasionally passed by, and the tourists sitting in front excitedly took photos with their phones or cameras.

The carved beams and painted pillars were naturally exquisite, with every detail being beautiful.

The assembly halls enshrined deities such as Mazu and Guan Di, and each hall was filled with flourishing incense and swirling smoke.

"Brother He, these buildings are so special. I see that many buildings in Vietnam also imitate this style."

After following Li Qinghe to several assembly halls, Le Xuan Mai was very emotional.

"Old Vietnamese buildings used to be similar in style to Dragon Country People architecture, but ever since the French came, you guys went astray,"

Li Qinghe said jokingly while riding his bicycle.

Such matters of national sentiment cannot be delved into deeply, as it would make everyone angry.

Le Xuan Mai and He could still make up after a fight, but others might not.

However, the Vietnamese army recently went north to China for its first joint military exercise, ostensibly to combat smuggling, but the underlying sentiment clearly showed a leaning towards China.

Let's talk about romance. The sight of Li Qinghe carrying Le Xuan Mai on the streets of Hoi An was quite enviable. After all, He was handsome, and she was also very beautiful, prompting passing tourists to praise them as a good match.

Most of them were ahjummas from Korea, who always liked to comment on the men and women on the street.

However, Li Qinghe rode past quickly, so they could only express a few sentiments to their backs.

After visiting Hoi An's five great assembly halls, Li Qinghe and Le Xuan Mai also discovered a small pink church. Although not as tall and exquisite as the Pink Church in Da Nang, its small size had a unique beauty.

After several turns around this ancient town, Li Qinghe noticed that Hoi An's streets not only had many Koreans but also quite a few dark-skinned Indian tourists among the foreign visitors.

Many Indians were traveling with their families in Hoi An and seemed very comfortable there, as Vietnamese food was incredibly safe for them compared to the clean and hygienic Indian food.

As for Dragon Country People tourists, they were not absent. Li Qinghe saw two large tour groups, each probably with about a hundred people, mainly middle-aged and elderly people with underage children. Young people were rarely seen.

As for Dragon Country People tourists like Li Qinghe who came for independent travel, it's not that there weren't any, but it was a bit difficult to spot a Dragon Country People person who wasn't speaking among the streets full of Korean tourists.

During the ride, Vu Linh Huong called. She was leaving Akalin Province today and would fly from Hong Du to Yangcheng, then back to Hanoi.

Vu Linh Huong felt great after staying at Li Qinghe's home for two days. Luu Nguyet Nga also took two days off specifically to accompany her to visit the town and county for a few days.

Regardless, this place was considered a tourist area. Luu Nguyet Nga originally wanted to take Vu Linh Huong hiking, as Akalin Province had many famous mountains in its central region, such as Longshan, Wushan, Qingshan, and the Red Cradle Mountain, all boasting beautiful scenery.

However, Vu Linh Huong felt that since she had come all the way to Li Qinghe's home, she wanted to experience the life of a Dragon Country People person properly.

Every day, she followed Luu Nguyet Nga to the wet market to buy groceries, and the beautiful and generous Vu Linh Huong brought Luu Nguyet Nga a lot of pride.

When acquaintances asked, Luu Nguyet Nga would proudly tell them, "This is my future daughter-in-law, a graduate of Jingcheng University."

This drew much envy and jealousy from many acquaintances.

During Vu Linh Huong's stay, Luu Nguyet Nga also cooked various delicious meals for her, always reducing the spiciness again and again.

This made even Le Truong Xuyen, who sometimes showed off his cooking skills in the kitchen, feel like He couldn't cook anymore.

Vu Linh Huong told Li Qinghe flirtatiously over the phone that she had gained three pounds after staying at home for two days.

Li Qinghe laughed heartily and told her that He himself didn't get such treatment when He went back, and she was the first person in the Li family to enjoy such treatment.

Upon hearing this, Vu Linh Huong also felt a little proud: "Of course, you don't even know who I am."

Actually, the happiest was Nguyen Thi Mai Huong. She was originally with Vu Linh Huong to protect her safety, but these past few days, she had been enjoying good food and drinks at Li Qinghe's home.

Vu Linh Huong didn't have a big appetite, so many delicious dishes ended up in Nguyen Thi Mai Huong's stomach.

Her weight increased even faster than Vu Linh Huong's. After realizing that her pants were a bit tight around her stomach, she had to loosen a belt buckle.

Starting this morning, she had been desperately doing various exercises to burn off the accumulated fat, thoroughly showing Luu Nguyet Nga how capable Vu Linh Huong's female bodyguard was.

This made Luu Nguyet Nga both proud and worried about Nguyen Thi Mai Huong. Proud because she was her future daughter-in-law's bodyguard.

Worried about the possibility of Nguyen Thi Mai Huong severely beating Li Qinghe, given that He was still dating other girlfriends.

Perhaps He would be beaten so badly that He wouldn't be able to get out of bed for several months.

This cast a shadow of worry over Luu Nguyet Nga's heart, hoping that Li Qinghe, that rascal, would show some sense and avoid getting beaten.

Regarding Vu Linh Huong's news of returning to Hanoi, Li Qinghe also responded that He would be returning soon.

After they hung up, Le Xuan Mai wrapped her two fair and tender arms around Li Qinghe's waist.

"Brother He, will you still come to Da Nang in the future? Can your girlfriend tolerate others?"

Between her words, there was even a hint of wanting to commit for life.