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After taking the photos, Chuyang did not rush back but instead drove everyone to a nearby food street that he had noticed on the way. Coincidentally, although Andrea Doria had signed a contract with him, it was evident that Loli was not very close to him as her Admiral; rather, she seemed to be closer to Lexington. This was not acceptable—how could the Fleet Girls not be close to their own Admiral? After all, Loli should be similar to human children, who love snacks. Therefore, Chuyang planned to take Andrea Doria to the food street to improve their rapport.
The food street was not far from the old street where the Photo Booth was located; it was just a two-hundred-meter walk west along Rong City’s main street. It resembled the Muslim Street in Xi'an, the city where Chuyang had lived in his past life—a narrow street no wider than seven or eight meters, lined with various dining establishments on both sides.
At this time, it was neither the weekend nor the peak evening hours, so there were not many tourists on the food street, but it was not deserted either. A mix of local and out-of-town visitors wandered around, sampling Rongcheng's local delicacies and various snacks from all over.
After parking the car at the entrance of the food street, Firefly's eyes lit up immediately. It seemed that Loli was not only cute but also likely a foodie. On the other hand, Andrea Doria wore a face of disdain and appeared reluctant to get out of the car. Eventually, under Lexington's gentle gaze, she unwillingly took Lexington's hand and stepped out.
"Brother Chu Yang, I want to eat candied hawthorn," Firefly exclaimed as soon as they got out of the car, even before reaching the snack street! Her attention was drawn to a candied hawthorn stall at the entrance.
It wasn't exactly a Snack Stand; it was simply a bicycle with a straw stick tied to its backseat, filled with bright red candied hawthorns on skewers.
This method of selling candied hawthorn was quite rare in Chuyang's past life. He remembered that every time he went to a temple fair in the countryside with his grandfather during his childhood, he would always drag his grandfather to buy a candied hawthorn first before enjoying the fair and watching performances.
Speaking of candied hawthorn, there is a short tale associated with it. During the Southern Song Dynasty in Shaoxi, Emperor Song Guangzong's favorite Consort Huang fell ill. She became pale and emaciated and lost her appetite. The imperial doctors used many precious medicines but saw no effect. The emperor grew increasingly worried as he watched his beloved consort grow weaker day by day. In desperation, he put up a notice seeking medical help. A wandering doctor came to the palace and diagnosed Consort Huang. He said, "As long as you boil rock candy with red fruits (i.e., hawthorn) and eat five to ten pieces before each meal, her illness will surely improve within half a month." At first, everyone was skeptical, but fortunately, this method suited the consort's taste. After following this advice, she indeed recovered as promised. The emperor was naturally overjoyed and smiled again. Later on, this method spread among the common people, who began selling it as candied hawthorn.
When Chuyang was young, a folk song describing candied hawthorn also became popular throughout the land:
"They say candied hawthorn is sour,
Yet wrapped inside is sweetness.
They say candied hawthorn is sweet,
But within that sweetness lies some sourness.
Candied hawthorn looks good on its bamboo skewer,
Symbolizing happiness and reunion.
Linking happiness and reunion together,
No worries or troubles here."
The song still lingered in the air, but the world had already changed beyond recognition. At this moment, facing such a scene, Chuyang couldn't help but feel a twinge of melancholy.
"Admiral, what's wrong?" Lexington asked with some concern. When they got off the vehicle, Chuyang seemed fine, but in an instant, his expression turned somewhat gloomy. The two Lolis didn't notice that Firefly had already dragged Andrea Doria over to the vendor selling candied hawthorns. However, Lexington, who had been by Chuyang's side, noticed the change in the Admiral's demeanor.
"It's nothing, just feeling a bit homesick." In his past life, Chuyang was not an orphan. He had a complete family, children he worked hard for all his life, ordinary yet respectable parents, and a younger brother who was two years his junior. Now that he was missing, one could only imagine how worried and sad his parents and family must be.
"Home," Lexington murmured softly, holding Chuyang's hand. "Admiral, if you're feeling homesick, I can accompany you back for a visit."
As she spoke, a hint of shyness appeared on Lexington's face; this was probably what it meant to meet the parents! She just wondered if the Admiral's parents would like her as their "daughter-in-law."
However, Lexington found it strange that whether during their time at Naval Base or after reuniting with the Admiral, he had never mentioned his family or parents. She had always thought he was an orphan, but it seemed that wasn't the case.
If this were on Earth in his past life, Chuyang would have undoubtedly taken Lexington home without hesitation. His parents would surely be overjoyed to see such a beautiful daughter-in-law; they wouldn't know how to express their happiness and pride. Unfortunately, this was a parallel Earth space where dimensional differences completely cut off any thoughts of returning home for Chuyang. Fortunately, he still had a younger brother; as their parents aged, they would have him to rely on, so he wouldn't worry too much.
"My home is far away, perhaps I will never return in this lifetime."
"Don't worry. As long as Admiral wants to go back, no matter where your home is, Lexington will accompany you because that will also be Lexington's home."
"Thank you." Pulling Lexington into an embrace and lightly kissing her forehead, Chuyang took her hand and headed toward the Snack Stand selling candied hawthorns.
Since returning was no longer an option, dwelling on those thoughts was meaningless. Thus, Chuyang quickly shook off his homesickness. For him now, living in the moment and cherishing those around him was what he should focus on.
"Brother Chu Yang, I want that one!" Firefly pointed at the topmost skewer of candied hawthorns on the straw stick and asked Chuyang to take it down for her.
There really isn't much to choose from; the candied hawthorn in this world hasn't developed to the flashy level of Chuyang's previous life. It's just the most basic kind, a skewer with several pieces of hawthorn covered in transparent sugar glaze. Each skewer is uniform in size, all looking bright red and exuding a festive vibe.
“Andrea Doria, what about you?” After taking down the candied hawthorn as requested by the firefly, Chuyang turned to Andrea Doria. Well, Andrea Doria is a name that rolls off the tongue easily, and besides, Chuyang is still very innocent; let those ghostly fathers be called something else!
“I don't want any. Andrea Doria isn't a child and doesn't like candied hawthorn.” Although she said this, Loli's eyes were fixed on the firefly happily munching on the candied hawthorn nearby.
“Are you really not going to have any?” What a shy Loli. Chuyang planned to tease Andrea Doria.
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