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Chapter 693: Wandering Through the Ancient Cultural Street
Chapter 693: Wandering Through the Ancient Cultural Street
Chapter 693: Wandering Through the Ancient Cultural Street
Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
Zhou Chao softly uttered as he gazed at the towering archway at the entrance of Ancient Cultural Street, “Gushang Art Garden!”
“Brother Chao, why is this archway named like this?” Jiang Li asked with a puzzled expression, looking at Zhou Chao.
“Gushang Art Garden indicated that it was the cultural birthplace of Tianjin. Art Garden could also refer to the distinctive shops on that street, most of which had retained an ancient, cultural, and artistic flavor.”
Jiang Li nodded thoughtfully.
After lingering at the archway for a moment, Zhou Chao and the others walked towards the inside.
“Brother Chao, sugar figurines, they have sugar figurines!” Just a few steps away, Jiang Li excitedly grabbed Zhou Chao’s hand and exclaimed.
Hearing Jiang Li’s words, Zhou Chao was also a bit surprised. He didn’t expect to find old craftsmen selling sugar figurines in this ancient cultural plaza!
Looking at the stall not far away, a man in his forties or fifties was drawing sugar figurines with his head bowed, surrounded by seven or eight young people, several of whom were recording with their phones.
“Let’s go, let’s revisit our childhood memories!” Zhou Chao held Jiang Li’s hand and walked towards the stall.
After waiting in line for about ten minutes, it was finally Zhou Chao’s turn.
“Boss, can you draw anything on this sugar figurine?”
The boss gently shook his head and pointed to an object nearby, saying, “Ten yuan, I’ll draw whatever you land on!”
Zhou Chao looked at the object the boss was pointing to, which was a pattern of the twelve Chinese zodiac animals with a movable pointer. It seemed that luck would determine the outcome!
“I want a dragon!” Jiang Li looked at Zhou Chao with pleading eyes.
Hearing this, Zhou Chao seemed to be transported back to his childhood, recalling how he used to hope to land on a dragon every time, but always ended up with a chicken or a dog!
“It depends on your luck. Give it a try, who knows, you might land on it!” Zhou Chao affectionately patted Jiang Li’s head.
“Okay!” Jiang Li, full of anticipation for this game, gently moved the pointer.
The host quickly started spinning it, and Zhou Chao and the others stared at it intently. Soon, the pointer slowed down.
In the end, it stopped on the monkey under everyone’s gaze.
“Ah, it’s a monkey!” Jiang Li pouted, a hint of disappointment in her eyes.
“Monkeys are great! I happen to be born in the Year of the Monkey!” Zhou Chao smiled.
At this point, the boss also inquired whether they wanted to spend money to spin again. Zhou Chao gently shook his head, and the boss quickly started drawing.
The boss’s craftsmanship was excellent. In a moment, a monkey appeared on the table.
“Ten yuan, please!” The boss handed the drawn monkey to Jiang Li.
After receiving it, Jiang Li examined it for a moment and then took out her phone to take a picture!
“Brother Chao, why don’t you guys try it too?”
Zhou Chao gently shook his head, “No, thanks. I’m not very fond of eating things that are too sweet.”
As for Lin Wu, he also shook his head tactfully. After all, it would be a bit embarrassing for a rough guy like him to eat a sugar figurine and might invite ridicule.
After leaving the sugar figurine stall, Zhou Chao and the others continued their stroll. They visited the Jade Emperor Pavilion, knocked on the wishing bell, and went to the Mudman Zhang Art Gallery to appreciate the art of mud sculptures, taking the opportunity to learn something new.
Unfortunately, except for Zhou Chao, Jiang Li and Lin Wu ended up with a misshapen mud figurine, which greatly disappointed Jiang Li. She pulled Zhou Chao away from the Mudman Zhang Art Gallery.
“Northern Antique Distribution Center? Brother Chao, is this similar to Panjiayuan in Beijing, selling fake goods?” Jiang Li muttered softly.
“It shouldn’t be!” Zhou Chao said uncertainly. After all, the memory of the Ultraman transformation device in the bronze series at Panjiayuan still lingered fresh in his mind!
“Boss, let’s go in and take a look. We might find a treasure!” Lin Wu knew Zhou Chao was quite skilled in this regard; otherwise, he wouldn’t have found those major treasures before.
The three of them didn’t hesitate and walked into the antique market. They saw all kinds of antiques lined up along the road.
Various porcelain, pottery, bronze, and jewelry were displayed at the entrances of various shops. Many bosses spoke authentic Tianjin dialect, giving people a sense of intimacy.
“Boss, don’t you think it’s a bit of a waste for them to not use their skills in storytelling instead of yelling like this?” Lin Wu joked as he looked at the antique bosses chatting with tourists.
“You’re right. Tianjin people naturally have a few artistic cells. Maybe that’s why it’s known as the hometown of traditional Chinese opera, and everyone here is a master of opera!”
The antique trading market wasn’t very large, but after about half an hour of browsing, Zhou Chao and the others had roughly finished exploring. During this time, Zhou Chao bought a bracelet for 50 yuan.
“Brother Chao, did we just strike gold?” Jiang Li exclaimed excitedly, looking at the bracelet Zhou Chao was playing with.
“Consider it a small windfall. This bracelet is quite old and made of huanghuali wood. It’s worth around tens of thousands!” Zhou Chao smiled faintly.
“Wow!” Jiang Li waved her small fist in excitement. Although she wasn’t short on money, the feeling of finding a treasure was indeed nice!
Lin Wu, on the other hand, looked at the bracelet in Zhou Chao’s hand with sparkling eyes, almost saying, “Boss, if you don’t want it, just give it to me!”
Zhou Chao noticed Lin Wu’s subtle movements, turned the bracelet a few times in his hand, and smiled, “What? You want it?”