Chapter 23 Enemies meet on a narrow road
Yang Chang and Wu Song stopped when they heard the voice, looked at each other, and then turned around at the same time.

"Master, is there something wrong?"

"Meiji's buns are the best in Beijing. You just slandered them maliciously. Did you say that on purpose for us to hear? This is totally unreasonable!"

"Ok?"

Originally, Wu Song was the first to ask questions, but Li Lang pointed at Yang Chang and questioned him angrily, which made Yang look stunned.

But Yang Chang soon realized that the short and thin boy in front of him was a companion of the person who had just cut in line.

After taking a closer look, I found that the man was thin, with bright eyes, white teeth, and a face as white as powder. He was wearing a neat and bright blue robe made of excellent material. He must be a wealthy young man from the capital.

Seeing Yang Chang staring at him, Li Lang immediately frowned and scolded: "Why are you looking at me like that? Come on, why don't you say anything?"

"hehe."

Yang Chang sneered and retorted coldly: "If you don't want to be seen, why go out on the street? What else do you want me to say? Praise the so-called Beijing's best food? I really can't do that. Can this thing be called a bun?"

"you"

Li Lang was so angry that he saw sparks. He opened his mouth and took a few breaths of hot air. After calming down, he counterattacked in a sarcastic tone.

"Wild boars can't eat fine bran. You look like you're no match for pancakes. Why are you running to Tokyo to show off?"

Yang Chang was not angry at all. He picked up the bun in his hand and looked at Wu Song, saying meaningfully: "Brother, this thing is really not as delicious as the pancakes at home, let alone compared with the buns in Yanggu County."

"Sanlang is right, and the price is expensive."

When Wu Song started to agree, he saw the young man's companions approaching, so he hurriedly urged Yang Chang: "Let's go. Everyone has different tastes. There's no need to force it."

"it is good"

"Wait a minute."

Just as he was about to leave, he was stopped again.

This time it was another young man who spoke.

This man was dressed in white, which was whiter than snow. He was slightly shorter than his blue-dressed companion and had a childish face, but his facial features were more delicate, as if he had walked out of a painting.

His handsome appearance made Yang Chang feel ashamed of himself and he didn't have the heart to argue with him.

"Is something wrong?"

"This peasant is rude and disrespectful, so please don't ask him questions."

"It doesn't matter."

The young man in white gently waved his hand, looked at Yang Chang and asked sincerely: "I just heard you arguing, your point of view is very unique. Everyone says that Meiji Rabbit Dumplings are good, but why do you say it tastes bad? What's your reasoning?"

"There's no real reason, we've tasted better buns before, but..."

Seeing that the young man in blue was about to interrupt, Yang Chang changed the subject and held up the buns, explaining: "Not every ingredient can be used as bun fillings. For example, rabbit tripe is not easy to steam. It should be boiled first, otherwise the flavor will be lost in the middle of the process. Besides, the bun skin is too thick."

"So you really know about steamed buns? You just mentioned that Yanggu County steamed buns taste good. Can you tell me more about it?"

The young man in white had curious eyes. Yang Chang was naturally happy to advertise for Wu Dalang, so he began to praise him seriously.

"Of course, Wuji, Zishi Street, Yanggu County, has a few varieties of buns, but they are made with great care, thin skin, large fillings, and secret seasoning. When you take a bite, your mouth is filled with fragrance. I'm drooling just thinking about it now."

"Really?"

"We are strangers, why would I lie to you? If you don't believe me, you can go ask around. His family is very famous in Yanggu County, so it would be best if you can go and try it if you have the chance."

"I got it."

The young man in white nodded solemnly, and then asked: "By the way, what's your name?"

"My name is."

"Sanlang, we have to go."

"Oh, you want to eat rabbit belly buns? I just bought an extra one, I'll give it to you."

Yang Chang handed the buns out, then he and Wu Song left quickly and disappeared into the crowd.

Looking at the two people's backs as they left, the young man in white remained silent, holding the bun in his hand.

"Sir, if you don't want to eat it, just throw it away and I'll buy new ones."

"Need not."

Perhaps because of Yang Chang’s flattery, the young man in white took a bite of the rabbit belly bun and suddenly felt that it was not as delicious as before.

He handed it to the boy in blue and said, "Here's the bun for you. You don't have to queue up anymore. Let's go back."

"Ah? You used to like it very much. Don't listen to that guy's nonsense." "Is Yanggu County far away?"

"It seems"

"Yanggu County is in Yunzhou, about five or six hundred miles away from Tokyo."

The young man in blue couldn't answer, so the guards around him supplemented his answer.

The young man in white smiled bitterly when he heard this, thinking to himself that he couldn't leave Tokyo, as he wouldn't be able to eat five or six hundred miles away. Then he walked northward towards home in a sullen manner.

On the other side, Yang Changsui and Wu Song had walked far away.

"Brother, did I say something wrong just now? I just suddenly wanted to help you promote."

"Yanggu County is so far away, your publicity will be in vain."

Wu Song shook his head and reminded him, "The young man in white was accompanied by a group of guards. He must be a noble in the capital. You had a conflict with the guards. Wouldn't it be troublesome if you revealed your identity?"

"Hehe, I didn't need to do that. I was planning to give a fake name."

Seeing Yang Chang holding the bun and smiling, Wu Song recalled his experience of living in Chai Jin's farm. He then swallowed half of the bun and said seriously, "We brothers are from poor backgrounds. We try not to associate with these nobles. We can't get along with them."

"I'm not planning on marrying up to a rich man. By the way, brother, how much is the eel bun?"

"Fifteen dollars."

"It seems that the two families are similar. The prices in Tokyo are really high. Isn't the eldest sister-in-law asking to move? Why not come to Tokyo to sell buns? With his skills, he will definitely make a lot of money."

"hiss"

Wu Song took a deep breath, secretly praised Yang Chang for his quick mind, and then responded: "In terms of taste, brother's buns are indeed excellent, maybe it is really a way, but Tokyo is under the feet of the emperor and every inch of land is worth gold, I am afraid it will not be easy."

“You can really give it a try.”

Hearing Yang Chang's constant encouragement, Wu Song had no choice but to nod in affirmation.

"Brother, you listen to Saburo's advice. When you get back, you can talk to him about it. However, there are many varieties of buns in Tokyo, so he should add new flavors."

"It's enough to have a few specialties. I think it's pointless for the bun shops in Beijing to rack their brains to come up with something new. In fact, it's better to pursue quality than to pursue novelty and quantity."

Looking at the chicken buns that had been bitten open, Yang Chang thought that the buns had not been allowed time to settle, and that they just stuffed meat into the dough without considering whether the taste would match.

It is difficult to remove the fishy smell from internal organs such as stomach and lungs, and there were not enough seasonings in the Song Dynasty to neutralize it.

Fortunately, the ingredients at this time are all natural and pollution-free, and the selling point is the freshness of the ingredients.

Thinking of this, Yang Changming knew that the taste was not very good, but he still put it into his mouth in big gulps, which made Wu Song look surprised.

"Remember that if you don't work, you won't have this kind of appetite, but why today?"

"Brother forgot?"

Yang Chang raised his right hand and gestured while saying, "I just moved around a bit, and the grappling techniques you taught me really work."

"I didn't see it just now."

Wu Song smiled and nodded, then his face turned serious: "Those guards have glowing foreheads. If they really fight, it's hard to predict who will win. It's only because Sanlang is born with supernatural power that outsiders can't capture him. You have to practice hard in the future!"

"understood"

Yang Chang agreed timidly like a student.

A few days after the Lantern Festival, the sun is bright in the sky every day.

The people in the capital were still celebrating the New Year. Yang Chang took Wu Song for a stroll every day, planning to have a good time in the capital of the Northern Song Dynasty.

It has to be said that compared to Yanggu County which only has a few streets, this capital of the Northern Song Dynasty is a behemoth.

There are people everywhere and scenery everywhere.

In the ancient Tokyo Bianliang, Yang Chang saw the real "Along the River During the Qingming Festival", which was just a place in the southeast corner of the city.

The two of them traveled for a few days and prepared to return after the 20th day of the first lunar month.

Before leaving, Yang Chang suggested buying some gifts for his brother and sister-in-law, so he and Wu Song came to the bustling Madao Street.

Wu Song bought a hat for Wu Da, while Yang Chang went to a rouge shop.

But as soon as he entered the door, he met his 'enemy'.

"It's you?"

"I never thought that a coarse country boy like you would buy rouge for your lover?"

(End of this chapter)