18: Had a somewhat sticky meal

Listening to Nguyen Thi Linh, Li Qinghe felt like he had acquired a lot of useless knowledge.

Du Fu, praised as the Saint of Poetry in China, is known as the Great Poet in Vietnam, a title equally resounding, but Li Qinghe always felt that something was not quite right.

Vietnamese students learning Tang poetry need to consult two versions of poetry translations: first, the meaning of the original text is translated, and then it is annotated in Vietnamese.

It can only be said that Vietnamese students learning Tang poetry find it much more difficult than Chinese students learning Tang poetry.

Why did they abolish the Chinese language?

After a brief chat with Nguyen Thi Linh, Li Qinghe realized that he couldn't discuss history with Vietnamese people; it was better to stick to light topics, as their perspectives were different.

In the eyes of Vietnamese people, Chinese people ruled them for 2000 years, and the largest section in the Hanoi museum is dedicated to their 2000-year history of resistance against Chinese aggression.

There's a joke online that asks why Westerners, who bullied Vietnamese people for over 100 years, are still followed by them?

The Vietnamese response is that Westerners only bullied them for a little over 100 years.

Li Qinghe understood the complex and contradictory psychology of the Vietnamese people.

The northern suzerain state suppressed them for thousands of years, only weakening for a little over 100 years in modern times, and now it seems to be rising again, restoring its Han-Tang glory.

For them, when the suzerain state is strong, it's the former little brothers next door who get beaten.

Moreover, Vietnam was indeed thoroughly beaten a few decades ago.

For Vietnamese people, Rome is just a Western term, but China genuinely ruled them for thousands of years.

Before coming to Vietnam, Li Qinghe did a lot of research online, one point of which was not to talk about history with Vietnamese people; he already knew from Nguyen Thi Linh what kind of history they were taught.

In Nguyen Thi Linh's eyes, Li Qinghe was just a kind and amiable Chinese Big Brother, and she didn't think much of it.

So, after Nguyen Thi Linh innocently told him what she learned at school, Li Qinghe just smiled and changed the subject.

"A Ling, what do you want for lunch?"

Li Qinghe looked at Nguyen Thi Linh, whose cheeks were flushed from walking quite a distance.

"Brother, don't we have a baguette? We'll be full after eating this."

Nguyen Thi Linh held up the baguette, which was serving as a prop, with a heartwarming smile.

"Brother can't get full eating just this."

"Then how about we go eat Rice Noodles?" Nguyen Thi Linh's clear eyes sparkled.

Rolled Rice Noodles are a type of Rice Noodles made by wrapping cooked blocks of Rice Noodles with beef or shrimp and other seafood, along with other ingredients and sauces, and are a common food for people in Hanoi.

Li Qinghe agreed to her suggestion; after a few months in Vietnam, Li Qinghe finally understood why Vietnamese people are generally slender.

Aside from a diet low in oil and salt, most Vietnamese people don't eat very large portions; before being strengthened by the system, Li Qinghe's single meal portion was enough for more than two Vietnamese people.

Now that his body had been strengthened by the system, his weight increased from 75KG to 95KG, and he felt he could eat even more.

So, half a baguette was enough to fill Nguyen Thi Linh, but for Li Qinghe, it was barely enough to line his stomach.

There were many cafes and restaurants around Hoan Kiem Lake.

Li Qinghe led Nguyen Thi Linh to where their motorcycle was parked, then rode away from the lakeside.

Since Nguyen Thi Linh said she wanted to eat rolled Rice Noodles, he found a relatively famous Rice Noodles shop online, and the two rode directly there for lunch.

This was a very popular Rice Noodles shop, with tables both inside and outside filled with diners.

Nguyen Thi Linh ordered the rolled Rice Noodles she had wanted to eat earlier, while Li Qinghe ordered a large bowl of beef Rice Noodles.

When it was served, Li Qinghe found that these rolled Rice Noodles were very similar to the Cheong Fun in southern China, but instead of pouring gravy over the rolled Rice Noodles, they were eaten with a dipping sauce, and the rolled Rice Noodles were also sprinkled with dried minced onions and bean sprouts.

As for the beef in Li Qinghe's beef Rice Noodles, it was quite generous, with large chunks of beef soaking in clear beef bone broth, accompanied by vibrant green mint leaves.

Because he had made a request in advance, the owner also brought him a small plate of bird's eye chilies soaked in soy sauce.

According to Vietnamese custom, he would usually add some fish sauce and lime juice.

But Li Qinghe hadn't gotten used to that taste in several months, so he didn't add any.

"Brother, try these rolled Rice Noodles."

To Li Qinghe's surprise, the first piece of rolled Rice Noodles Nguyen Thi Linh picked up was not put into her own mouth, but dipped in sauce and placed in his bowl.

In that moment, Li Qinghe felt that this girl was truly thoughtful, and he could feel her genuine closeness.

It seemed that in unfamiliar Hanoi, Li Qinghe had become Nguyen Thi Linh's economic and spiritual support.

Looking at the beautiful girl, who was eating her rolled Rice Noodles with her head down and her ears flushed.

Li Qinghe happily put the piece of rolled Rice Noodles into his mouth; the dipping sauce was salty, and the rolled Rice Noodles also contained a few slices of beef, which were quite tender.

"A Ling, you try this beef too."

Li Qinghe reciprocated by picking up a large piece of beef and placing it in Nguyen Thi Linh's bowl.

"Thank you, Brother."

Nguyen Thi Linh thanked him with a smile on her lips.

Although people came and went in the Rice Noodles shop, the small corner where Li Qinghe and Nguyen Thi Linh sat seemed to become an independent little world.

The meal was a bit intimate; Nguyen Thi Linh had a small appetite, and after eating a few pieces of rolled Rice Noodles, she blushingly dipped the rest in sauce and fed them to Li Qinghe.

Li Qinghe was powerless to resist this kind of feeding.

Just imagine which man could resist a young and beautiful woman gently feeding him.

So Li Qinghe calmly enjoyed this enviable treatment.

After this meal, the two seemed to have re-established the relationship they had had the previous two days.

Li Qinghe directly took Nguyen Thi Linh's small hand, intending to go for a stroll, and Nguyen Thi Linh had no intention of refusing.

Less than a hundred meters from the Rice Noodles shop was a bustling commercial street.

This area was already within the famous Thirty-Six Ancient Streets of Hanoi, and the street before them was one of these ancient streets.

These dozens of streets clustered various shops in Hanoi, categorized by type.

"A Ling, give me your phone." Li Qinghe held Nguyen Thi Linh's fair small hand with one hand, while the other reached out to her.

"Huh? Brother, my phone is in your backpack."

Nguyen Thi Linh was puzzled by Li Qinghe's request, because she was wearing a relatively fitted short dress today, which had no pockets, so she had to put her phone in Li Qinghe's backpack.

After taking out Nguyen Thi Linh's second-hand phone, he saw that the screen was already full of cracks.

Li Qinghe planned to buy Nguyen Thi Linh a new phone; although the girl didn't seem to mind using an old second-hand phone, after working for two months, she would more or less know what was popular outside.

She saw Li Qinghe, holding her hand, walk towards a rather large telecommunications store, and she quickly tugged on his hand, pulling her body backward.

"Brother, I don't want to buy a phone." In her urgency, Nguyen Thi Linh's small face turned red.

She had already received ten million in wages from Li Qinghe, and she felt embarrassed to accept another phone, but inwardly she was deeply touched; this Chinese Brother was too considerate.

Although there were no official flagship stores for Apple products in Vietnam, in the streets and alleys of Vietnam, especially among young people, most used Apple phones and Korean 'exploding' phones.

Because most telecommunication stores in Vietnam sold Apple products, there were both authorized Apple stores and unauthorized ones.

"A Ling, be good. When we film videos in the future, sometimes we'll capture scenes of you using your phone. If the fans see you still using such an old phone, they'll laugh at you. How about this, today we buy two phones, one for you and one for me."

Li Qinghe smiled as he looked at Nguyen Thi Linh, who was pulling on his arm in a 'pulling a radish' pose, and gently persuaded her.