Yun Xiangxiang bumped into the program team when she was coming back from her morning workout. They asked, “You work out this early in the morning?”
“I’m used to it. Keeps me energetic for the whole day if I do my morning workout,” Yun Xiangxiang smiled. She didn’t mind the camera filming her looking sweaty.
Yun Xiangxiang and the others gathered after washing themselves up. They didn’t have their breakfast.
Yun Xiangxiang arrived first. She was the energetic young lady of the group.
Lu Jin and Hou Cang then arrived looking fresh and were all smiles.
A yawning He Xingzhou then appeared and leaned on Lu Jin’s shoulder.
Sun Qiluo was the last to arrive. She was still half-asleep.
“Great, everyone’s here. The first thing we’re going to do is some breakfast hunting. It’s right here in this old town.”
Shen Yitang announced, “There’s a lot of different food here in the old town. But only the local specialties are on the breakfast menu. Confirm with the crew if the food you found is one of the specialties here. If it is, you’ll be answering some questions. You can only eat for free if you get it right.”
“Ah?” He Xingzhou immediately sobered up. “How should I know the local specialties here?”
Not to mention the fact that the crew confiscated his phone, but even if he wanted to check, it was too late now. They only mentioned breakfast hunting being the first segment during the briefing last night. They didn’t say anything about hunting like this.
“If the food you found isn’t the local specialty after confirmation, you have to keep looking. Three strikes means no breakfast for you,” Shen Yitang announced the cruel rules.
He Xingzhou clutched his stomach, his face had a look of despair.
Sun Qiluo brightened up. When she went on an excursion with Yun Xiangxiang yesterday, she found out a lot about the local delicacies.
“Anyone know what’s special here?” He Xingzhou quickly asked the others.
“That’s breaking the rules. You can’t ask anyone for answers.” Shen Yitang warned before continuing, “Okay everyone, let’s start searching, chop chop. Let’s be done with breakfast so we can get on with the games.”
“Can we form teams?” Hou Cang asked eagerly. He knew nothing about the local food either.
“No you can’t. If someone finds and confirms it first, the ones behind them must move forward,” Shen Yitang denied him.
Hou Cang and He Xingzhou were frustrated. Lu Jin was fine with it. He came here to film before, so he knew a bit about the local food.
Yun Xiangxiang came here for the food and the scenery. She was confident about her knowledge. Sun Qiluo also knew about the food during her excursion yesterday.
The pair walked down one of the streets and immediately saw a shop selling Grilled Erkuai [1]. Sun Qiluo’s eyes lit up.
“You can have it,” Yun Xiangxiang smiled and went forward.
Grilled Erkuai was one of the local specialties. The locals claimed that it tasted great.
“I love you, Xiangxiang,” Sun Qiluo happily confirmed with the program team. They handed her a card after confirming that the food was a local specialty.
The question was: There were four great beauties during the warring states period. Who were they?
Sun Qiluo was stunned by the question. “I have to answer all four correctly before I can eat?”
“Yes.”
“I only know about my sister Madam Xi and Xi Shi!” Sun Qiluo was frustrated. The aroma of the grilling Erkuai wafted through the air.
She then guessed the names of every beauty during the warring states period she heard of and only got Xia Ji right.
After leaving the shop selling Erkuai, she came across a shop selling soy flour broth. She was also handed one question after confirming it with the program team.
The question was: Please list three poems made for Madam Xi by different poets.
It was a cinch for Yun Xiangxiang. She saw some when she read about Madam Xi.
Her answers were: “Madam Xi” by Wang Wei, “Traveling Past Madam Xi’s Temple” by Liu Changji, and “Madam Xi,” by Song Zhiwen.
“Correct. You may have your breakfast,” the program team staff followed Yun Xiangxiang inside.
“I can eat as much as I want? Can I have any other food?” Yun Xiangxiang noticed that there was a variety of food inside.
“You can.”
After getting their permission, Yun Xiangxiang ordered as much as she wanted. Of course, she had to order the soy flour broth.
“Have you guys eaten your breakfast?” Yun Xiangxiang chatted with the staff as she waited.
“No.”
“Can I treat you?”
“No, you cannot.”
“I feel sorry for you guys,” Yun Xiangxiang pitied them. But when her breakfast arrived, she enjoyed it as if nobody was around.
Yun Xiangxiang was the first to have her breakfast. Lu Jin was the second. He went to the place which sold one of the local specials: Tounao [2].
He had it once when he came here to film a few years ago. One of the most famous local specials of Heshun Town was Tounao. It tasted great too.
He also got one question after confirmation: What was the hat King Wen of Chu invented called?
Lu Jin also did his research, “The Xiezhi Crown.”
Lu Jin and Yun Xiangxiang enjoyed their breakfast. Meanwhile, Hou Cang had botched one of his chances. He had two chances left.
Sun Qiluo was stuck on the final beauty. “Does the question change if I change the food I choose?”
“This is the only question.”
Sun Qiluo widened her eyes in despair.
He Xingzhou was the unluckiest of the bunch. He saw a lot of great food, but he thought everywhere else had them too. They must not be the local specials.
And of all things, he had to bump into Yun Xiangxiang as he trudged around town. He could only gulp as he looked at her enjoying the great food.
“Can I have some if Xiangxiang wants to treat me?” He Xingzhou had an idea.
“No,” the program team refused him unhesitatingly.
He Xingzhou still walked in, “What are you having there?”
“Soy flour broth. It’s a local special,” Yun Xiangxiang answered before taking a clean spoon. “Have a taste.”
He Xingzhou quickly came forward, but he was blocked by the program team before he could have some.
“Hurry up and find something to eat. You won’t have the strength for the games later,” Yun Xiangxiang held back her laugh.
He Xingzhou left like a lonely man traversing the cold, wintry land.
Hou Cang was the third to have his breakfast. He went for Tengchong Ersi. He knew nothing else about Yunnan specialties, except for this one. The question he was given was related to the history of their film, and he knew the answer to it.
Yun Xiangxiang went back the way she came from. She bumped into a dejected Sun Qiluo who was squatting outside the Grilled Erkuai shop.
“What happened?”
“I can’t answer the question. I am starving,” Sun Qiluo looked sad.
“What is it about?” Yun Xiangxiang asked.
“The four beauties of the warring states period.
“The rules state that I only can’t give any hints about the local special, right?” Yun Xiangxiang used the flaw in the rules. “It didn’t say anything about helping someone answer their question.”
The program team was speechless.
Yeah, the rules didn’t say anything about that.
“Xi Shi, Madam Xi, Xia Ji, Qi Wenjiang,” Yun Xiangxiang answered swiftly.
“Darn you, Qi Wenjiang. You made me starve,” Sun Qiluo jumped. “Shopkeeper, give me ten pieces of Da Jiujia and some fried breadsticks at the side. I want everything from the salty ones to the sweet ones, and to the sweet-and-salty ones.”
Yun Xiangxiang was stunned.
The program group shared the same sentiments.
The shopkeeper was taken aback at her request.
Only after a while did the shopkeeper remind her softly, “You can’t finish ten of them.”
“Give her three. One salty, one sweet, one sweet and salty,” Yun Xiangxiang decided for Sun Qiluo.
Yun Xiangxiang didn’t return immediately after separating from Sun Qiluo. She wanted to look around and digest her breakfast.