Chapter 164: Happy Cooperation
“Wan Ning, have you ever been to the morning market?” Hu Yu Ying asked.
On the way out of school, she had already told Li Qing Xue about wanting to explore Kyoto’s morning market.
Li Qing Xue had never been to a market before—her only experience was through Hu Yu Ying’s phone video, which she viewed like a curious tourist.
She’s usually pretty cheerful about lively places because her personality is a bit eccentric; she loves the bustling energy.
Lin Wan Ning nodded: “Back when my family was still in the countryside, we used to go to the morning market all the time. But since moving into the city, I haven’t gone much.”
“Shall we check out Kyoto’s morning market later?” Hu Yu Ying suggested.
Honestly, she was also curious about what Kyoto’s morning market looked like—maybe she could even continue her part-time hustle there. Who knew?
Everyone agreed with the plan.
Li Qing Xue looked at the Dragon Brother beside her: “Take us to the market.”
“Beg me,” Li Qing Xue grinned. Her smile was really pretty and cheerful, but since she was still a little annoyed with Dragon Brother, she stuck out her little pout. That mischievous expression made it hard not to tease her.
“Ugh, make me beg? Fine, I’ll just pinch you!”
She lightly pinched his waist: “Don’t run. Watch me pinch you again!”
Watching Li Qing Xue and Dragon Brother joking around, Hu Yu Ying and Lin Wan Ning couldn’t help but smile.
“You really have good chemistry,” Lin Wan Ning said sincerely, watching the playful scene.
At least when Dragon Brother was with her, that kind of fun had never shown up before.
Hu Yu Ying nodded softly: “Yeah, Brother Long is really a nice guy.”
She then looked at Lin Wan Ning: “Let’s go quickly too.”
In just a few words, Lin Wan Ning could sense that this Hu Yu Ying girl was genuinely gentle—especially when she was talking about Dragon Brother, that feeling was especially clear.
She cast a deep look at Dragon Brother, a faint smile appearing on her delicate face, and quickened her pace to follow.
Kyoto’s morning subway was packed—lucky to have Dragon Brother around.
Soon, the four of them followed the crowd out of the station and headed toward the nearby market.
Kyoto’s market wasn’t like the one in Bay City.
Bay City’s market was just a single street lined with a bunch of vendors; easy to get lost in the crowd.
Kyoto’s market wasn’t called a ‘market’—it was called a ‘shijang’ (market).
Here, you had sections for vegetables, fruits, seafood, meat—everything was neatly divided.
There were stalls for breakfast foods, clothes, and much more.
Compared to the outside steel-and-concrete chaos, this place buzzed with a lively atmosphere.
Dragon Brother casually grabbed some breakfast for the three of them.
Then they started wandering around, satisfying Li Qing Xue’s desire for a big shopping spree.
“It’s crowded here, take it slow,” Dragon Brother called from behind.
“It’s okay, Brother Long, we won’t get lost,” Hu Yu Ying said. When she arrived, it seemed like she remembered the time she and Dragon Brother set up a stall together at a market, her face brightening with happiness.
People’s moods are easily influenced; in this noisy, lively environment, Li Qing Xue and Lin Wan Ning held hands and strolled around leisurely.
At that moment, Dragon Brother silently sighed—he was worried about too many people and kids getting kidnapped.
Especially just now, when he looked up and they’d vanished—poof! Like magic.
Li Qing Xue and Lin Wan Ning saw plenty of interesting things, and honestly, even Lin Wan Ning wanted to buy something.
But under Hu Yu Ying’s soft “cricket” nudge, they looked at each other and decided to give up for now.
They did, however, ask some nearby vendors about the market’s usual hours—generally open, but bigger markets on Monday and Sunday.
They agreed to come back together then for shopping.
After a quick round, Li Qing Xue’s curiosity was mostly satisfied.
It’s not so much that the market was interesting—it was the people around her that made it fun.
Kyoto—an ancient city bursting with vitality.
Especially the Haidian District, which is the cultural and educational heart of Kyoto. There are tons of museums, libraries, and even the famous Yihe Yuan.
After leaving the market, the four took the subway here again.
They say seeing is believing; no comparison to just hearing about it.
This large landscape garden was built using the style of Jiangnan gardens, with Kunming Lake and Wan Shou Mountain as its centerpiece.
Beautiful architecture, expansive lakes, rich history and culture—things you simply can’t see in Bay City.
The long pavilion pathways, so serene, seemed to witness the changing times, each brick telling a story from the past. Walking through, you felt like traveling through a time tunnel.
Yihe Yuan was huge. Hu Yu Ying had twisted her ankle last night and, after walking so much today, was feeling a little unwell. She sat down on a long corridor to rest.
The architecture here made full use of landscape techniques—every view was a feast for the eyes, quite stunning.
“Are you tired?” Dragon Brother saw Hu Yu Ying sit and asked softly. “Does your foot hurt again?”
Hu Yu Ying shook her head: “No, just tired. Sitting down for a bit.”
Just then, her head was lightly tapped: “Brother Long~” She looked at him with a distressed expression.
Seeing her moist eyes and that pitiful look, Dragon Brother chuckled: “You know you’re a terrible liar, right?”
“Really?”
“Yep. When you lie, your ears turn red,” he teased.
Hu Yu Ying smiled without responding—she didn’t really need to explain. She knew she reddened not because she was lying, but because she was happy to see Brother Long showing concern.
“Brother Long, shall we take a boat ride?” Li Qing Xue gazed dreamily at the distant lake, imagining enjoying boat rides.
She then glanced at Hu Yu Ying sitting beside her, and asked with concern: “Yu Ying, does your foot hurt?”
Then she looked at Dragon Brother: “You don’t know, right? Last night she twisted her ankle.”
It was her first time in Kyoto and her first outing here. Hu Yu Ying didn’t want to ruin the fun for everyone, so she looked at Dragon Brother with a pleading gaze, saying softly: “No, I’m just a little tired.”
Seeing Hu Yu Ying’s earnest look, Dragon Brother didn’t press further; he knew her well enough—she hated to cause trouble for everyone because of her own issues.
“Why don’t you guys go first? I’ll rest a bit longer,” he offered.
No way. Leaving Hu Yu Ying alone here? Impossible. Even though Hu Yu Ying was now eighteen and an adult, Dragon Brother simply couldn’t just leave her.
Back in Bay City, he wouldn’t even let her walk home alone at night. How could he do that here in a strange city?
Seeing their hesitation, Lin Wan Ning softly said, “We’ve walked so far, I want to rest too. I’ll stay with Hu Yu Ying.”
