Chapter 97 Lao Mo
Leaving the alley, Lin Yan looked back reluctantly.
"Yuan Chao, do you know why I brought you here?"
Song Yuanchao nodded slightly. Aunt Gao's family was just like Aunt Zhang's family. In Lin Yan's heart, they were no different from relatives.
Logically speaking, the place Lin Yan should take Song Yuanchao back to is her own home, but because of her mother, Lin Yan cannot take Song Yuanchao back for the time being. To be honest, she feels guilty towards Song Yuanchao, and Song Yuanchao knows this, but he has never said a word about it. Today, Lin Yan brought him to Gao Da's family to make up for this regret, and hopes that Gao Da's family, who are like family members to her, can accept Song Yuanchao .
Lin Yan was very satisfied with Song Yuanchao's performance. She was very happy to see Song Yuanchao being so warm and kind to Aunt Gao's family. At the same time, she felt a little sorry for Song Yuanchao.
As if he could see what Lin Yan was thinking, Song Yuanchao said softly: "Silly girl, if love lasts for a long time, why should we be together day and night? We still have a long time to live together, and we can take our time. As long as we are together, all problems will be solved in the end. Don't you have confidence in yourself or me?"
Song Yuanchao's words made Lin Yan feel much better, and she couldn't help but smile.
"Thank you, Yuan Chao."
"Can I make a request of you?" Song Yuanchao suddenly put on a very serious expression.
Lin Yan looked at him in confusion.
"I hope you will never say thank you to me, because you are the most important person in my heart, and doing anything for you is a matter of course, so the word thank you will not exist in our dictionary."
Lin Yan looked at Song Yuanchao and said nothing, but her bright smile told Song Yuanchao the answer.
In the afternoon, Song Yuanchao and Lin Yan were walking around Yanjing casually. They didn't have a clear purpose, they just wandered around wherever they came across.
Take a look at the streets and alleys of Yanjing, wander through the deep alleys full of history, look at the children running and playing, or the elderly playing chess and chatting in groups at the alley entrances, and you can see the atmosphere of life everywhere. Buy a string of candied haws, take a bite, and when you are tired of walking, find a step to sit side by side, look up at the flock of pigeons flying across the sky, and listen to the crisp sound of pigeon whistles echoing in your ears...
Lin Yan grew up in Gao's aunt's home. She has deep feelings for the hutongs and likes this kind of environment.
In her opinion, although her own home was in better conditions, in Lin Yan's heart, it was not a real home. Only these courtyard houses in the alleys made her feel at home.
The same was true for Song Yuanchao. The alleys in Shanghai gave him the same feeling, which he would never feel again after moving to his new home in later life.
Once upon a time, Song Yuanchao missed the life in the alley very much. He missed the old neighbors he could run into whenever he went out and who had lived with each other for two or three generations, and he missed hearing their familiar greetings and laughter.
The times are always progressing, and the development and prosperity of science and technology means that old things will soon be replaced by new things. The same is true for cities. Whether it is Yanjing or Shanghai, or other places, traditional things such as hutongs and lanes are gradually disappearing, and they are replaced by gorgeous high-rise buildings and residential areas. Modernization has brought convenience in all aspects and greatly improved people's living conditions.
Unfortunately, while things are developing in a positive direction, all the unforgettable things are also gradually disappearing. When people suddenly think of these things, miss them and try to find their traces again, they find that there are very few left.
They strolled around for an entire afternoon. When the sunset rose in the west, Song Yuanchao and Lin Yan left the alley and headed for the Moscow Restaurant, the most famous Western restaurant in nearby Yanjing.
Speaking of this place, the people of Yanjing affectionately call it "Lao Mo". Eating an authentic Western meal here represents the best and most luxurious enjoyment for the people of Yanjing, and it can be boasted about countless times.
Song Yuanchao had visited this place in his later life. Twenty years later, when he was traveling to the Imperial University of Peking, he came here alone.
And now, he came with Lin Yan, because when they were in the northwest, he had agreed with Lin Yan that she would definitely bring him here to taste it if there was a chance.
As you approach the magnificent building, you will see an old revolving wooden door at the entrance of the restaurant. This wooden door has been replaced with a metal door in later generations. Although the new metal door looks more gorgeous and imposing, in Song Yuanchao's eyes, the current heavy revolving wooden door makes people feel its historical accumulation more.
After entering the restaurant, I was surprised to find that there were not many people dining at Lao Mo, or even very few. After asking the waiter, I learned that Lao Mo was renovated into an exhibition hall restaurant a few years ago, and the original Russian western food was cancelled, and it was replaced by Chinese food such as egg fried rice and rice with toppings, so it was impossible for them to enjoy a western meal today.
Lin Yan hadn't been here for a long time. This was her first time here since she returned to Yanjing. Of course, she didn't know the changes here. The waiters who used to wear Western clothes were now dressed like those in state-owned restaurants. There were no more exquisite tableware and clean white napkins neatly placed on the checkered tablecloth on the dining table.
When they saw the price tags for things like fried rice, various types of rice with toppings, and egg drop soup, Lin Yan and Song Yuanchao couldn't help but look at each other and laughed at the same time.
"How about we go somewhere else?" Lin Yan suggested somewhat embarrassedly.
"No need. Actually, I think it's not bad to eat Chinese food here. Maybe in a few years when Lao Mo resumes normal operations, our experience can be considered quite unique. After all, not everyone can eat authentic Chinese food in such a luxurious Western restaurant." Song Yuanchao said this with a smile. Lin Yan tilted her head and thought about it, then burst out laughing. Song Yuanchao's reason seemed to sound good, so she nodded in agreement immediately.
After asking Lin Yan, Song Yuanchao ordered two servings of beef rice and a bowl of seaweed egg drop soup.
After a while, the food came up. Although this place has changed to serving Chinese food, the service is still much better than that of ordinary state-owned restaurants. At least you don’t have to carry the food and tableware yourself, the waiters will help bring them to you.
Looking at the rice in front of him, and then at the bowl of seaweed and egg soup, Song Yuanchao took two small bowls and filled them with soup for Lin Yan and himself respectively, then picked up a bottle of Arctic Ocean and said to Lin Yan with a smile: "Come on! Let's... Cheers !"
Seeing Song Yuanchao's serious expression, Lin Yan couldn't help but covered her mouth and laughed, saying that Song Yuanchao looked ridiculous. How could he toast with a drink?
"Yan Zi, let me tell you a secret." At this time, Song Yuanchao lowered his voice and said to Lin Yan.
Lin Yan tilted her head and looked at Song Yuanchao in confusion, as if wondering what secret he had to share with her.
"Look, the place where we are sitting is a western restaurant, right? Look at the exquisite decorations around here, and then look up at the beautiful sky above, and the things in front of us. Just imagine this drink as the best red wine, and this rice as steak, and this... this..." Song Yuanchao pointed at the seaweed egg soup and two plates of pickles in front of him: "You can also imagine it as borscht, mashed potatoes and dessert after the meal, and chopsticks are knives and forks. In this way, everything is so beautiful. Things are not important. What is important is who you are with and this special sense of ritual. Come on, close your eyes and feel it yourself. Do you find some feelings?"
Lin Yan suppressed her laughter and closed her eyes under Song Yuanchao's gaze, trying to imagine what Song Yuanchao said. Needless to say, this connection really gave her the feeling that Song Yuanchao had described.
"Come on! Let's toast." Song Yuanchao raised the bottle in his hand again and looked at Lin Yan with a smile.
This time, Lin Yan openly picked up the drink in front of her and clinked it with Song Yuanchao solemnly, then put it to her lips and took a sip.
After taking a sip, the sweet orange flavor was completely different from the taste of red wine, which made Lin Yan unable to hold back and laugh out loud again. She laughed very happily and felt that everything was so interesting. She had known Song Yuanchao for so long, but this was the first time she found Song Yuanchao so humorous and interesting.
