Chapter 18: Encountering Fellow Citizens

……

"It's a wretch!"

Just when Guo Shouyun stood for a long time in front of the exhibition hall of the Tang Dynasty facsimile of "The Female History of Zhentu", his heart was fluttering, and suddenly there was a Mandarin with straight words around him.

Subconsciously turned his head, and soon a slightly thin, handsome young man with an obvious Chinese appearance appeared in his eyes.

"It's quite a wretch, but who called the Qing government weak and bullying at that time!" After thinking for a while, Guo Shouyun smiled.

"The law of the jungle is the essence of 'social Darwinism'. If China is strong and Britain is weak now, these cultural relics will be treasured in the Forbidden City at this moment!"

If this is the case, I am afraid that there will be another world war that will spread all over the world! From the day when mankind had the history of civilization to the present, the distribution of power has always been based on the victory or defeat of war! Social wealth will also be transferred along with the victory or defeat of war. Guo Shouyun said calmly.

"Alas!" After a pause, the young man sighed deeply, "It seems that I can't see the day when these cultural relics return to China!"

"In fact, these cultural relics are not all bad here, just like the dilapidated Old Summer Palace, it has always reminded all Chinese people of an unbreakable truth - 'backwardness will be beaten'!"

The young man nodded, "So, contradictions can be transformed into each other, both good and bad!"

"We must look at the problem from the perspective of the overall situation!" Guo Shouyun followed closely.

"Haha...!" The young man just laughed twice, and then suddenly realized that he was in a museum with a quiet atmosphere at this time, so he quickly closed his mouth, and then stretched out his right hand towards Guo Shouyun with a little embarrassment.

"Hello, get to know me, my name is Chen Zhen, from Beijing!"

"Chen Zhen?"

Guo Shouyun's face was a little strange.

"My old man is a fan of "Huo Yuanjia", and it just so happens that our family's surname is Chen!" Chen Zhen explained with a bitter face.

"Understood!" Guo Shouyun nodded, and after holding the other party's hand that took the initiative to stretch out, "Hello, my name is Guo Shouyun, it's a pleasure to meet you!"

"You're visiting the UK?"

"What about you?"

"I am a law student at the University of Oxford. I just graduated this year, and I am preparing to spend a few days in London before going back to serve my country!"

"Awesome, top student of Oxford!"

"Hey, what is this. The Chinese students in Oxford are all top students, and I am the scumbag among them!" Although he said this, he could still see a little color on Chen Zhen's face.

Noticing that the people around him frowned at them from time to time, Guo Shouyun realized that the two of them communicated like this, even if they deliberately lowered their voices, which was very annoying in the very quiet environment of the museum.

"I'm leaving, do you want to keep watching?"

"Let's go together!" Chen Zhen said.

Guo Shouyun nodded, and the two walked out of the museum together.

"It's already night!"

Looking at the bustling city shrouded in neon lights under the cover of night, Guo Shouyun couldn't help but sigh. When he was inside, he didn't feel the passage of time at all.

"Lao Guo, let's have dinner together in the evening, shall we?"

Chen Zhen, who felt quite close to Guo Shouyun, sent out an invitation by the way.

Unexpectedly, Guo Shouyun, who was still a familiar person next to him, nodded after a little consideration. In other words, except for Yang Lishan, who has returned to China, he has not communicated with his compatriots for a long time.

"Let's go, go over there. I'm here by car!"

Chen Zhen, who was very interested, pulled Guo Shouyun to the parking lot, opened the door of a black Mercedes-Benz and sat down.

"Is this your car?"

"Friend, I'll be back in a few days. So my one has been processed now. With that, Chen Zhen skillfully ignited the ignition, and then dialed the steering wheel to join the busy traffic in London.

"What do you want to eat? I'll be your free guide tonight. ”

"Chinese food, where can I find authentic Chinese food in London?"

Since his rebirth, Guo Shouyun has not eaten his favorite Chinese food for several months. As for the Chinese restaurants in San Francisco's Chinatown, they are basically a combination of Chinese and Western food, and have lost the original taste of Chinese food. Moreover, he was a native of Lu Province before his rebirth, and he liked to eat garlic and green onions, especially the large intestine of Lu cuisine, stewed prawns, mushu meat, and fried hairtail fish were his favorites. Others, such as spicy crayfish, Yangcheng Lake hairy crabs, scallops, etc., are even more mouth-watering.

"Hehe, you're asking the right person. I know of an authentic Chinese restaurant!"

As he spoke, Chen Zhen's car gradually left the bustling West London.

Guo Shouyun couldn't help but frown as he looked at the bungalows that were more and more low and the walls were covered with graffiti, and the number of ethnic minorities around him that had clearly begun to increase.

"What is this place?"

"East London!" seemed to see Guo Shouyun's worry, "Don't worry, although this is a slum in London, as long as we don't cause trouble, we will be safe here!"

Guo Shouyun nodded. If you come here, you will be safe, and it is impossible to turn around and go back. Moreover, he can also see that Chen Zhen is not a liar.

As the car drove forward, some noticeable Chinese character signs appeared on the surrounding streets, both in simplified and traditional Chinese, and it was clear that this was a Chinese enclave in East London!

Seeing these familiar words, as well as the increasing number of compatriots with similar looks around him, Guo Shouyun's originally nervous heart finally let go.

"Here we are, here it is!"

Hearing the voice, Guo Shouyun looked up at the restaurant opposite, which was quite similar to the small restaurant in Huaxia Urban Village. On its slightly old, cardboard sign is written four words - 'Fahrenheit Hotel'!

Seeing that Chen Zhen had gotten out of the car, Guo Shouyun also turned on the co-pilot and walked down.

Following behind Chen Zhen, I watched him push open the false tempered glass sliding door, revealing a small dining room with a cement floor, whitewashed walls, and nine tables in the middle. Because of the age of the house, the surrounding walls and the surrounding corners have been changed by the accumulated dust. The poster of the star posted on the wall should not have been changed for a long time, not only the paper has turned yellow, but even the characters on it are unknown to Guo Shouyun. However, although the restaurant is old, it is cleaned and does not affect people's appetite.

"Old man Hua, a guest is here!"

After entering the door, Chen Zhen didn't care about the other two tables of guests who were eating, and shouted straight inside.

And with his shouting, an old man wearing a white Chinese-style cardigan gown, a white apron tied around his waist, and gray hair walked out of it.

"It's you, aren't you going back to China, why are you here again?"

The old man immediately laughed when he saw Chen Zhen.

"Wouldn't it be a pity not to taste your old craftsmanship before returning home!"

The old man smiled and shifted his gaze to Guo Shouyun, who was walking behind.

"This afterlife is your friend?"

"Well, I just met for a short time, and my name is Guo Shouyun!"

"Hello!"

Guo Shouyun smiled.

The old man smiled and nodded in return, then took a menu from the counter and handed it to Chen Zhen.

"Order whatever you want to eat, just say hello when you order it!"

After the words fell, he turned around and went to the back kitchen.

"Come, sit!"

Chen Zhen beckoned Guo Shouyun to sit down. By the way, put the menu in front of him.

"Take a look, whatever you want to eat, order whatever you want!"

Guo Shouyun was not polite. When you open it, you can see that the menu is a combination of Chinese and English, and the price is marked at the back, which is clear at a glance. And the dishes are also my favorite Shandong dishes, but there are also some types of Sichuan cuisine.

He ordered a mushu pork and kung pao chicken and transferred the menu to Chen Zhen. The latter added another braised pork, a spicy fried chicken, and after ordering two bottles of beer, he handed the list to the old man just now.

Because there are not many guests, the food is served quickly. In less than ten minutes, Guo Shouyun's mushu meat was served.

"Try it, the Chinese food here is much more authentic than the Chinese food in Westminster Chinatown. The Chinese food there is not Chinese, it is not foreign, it is as unpalatable as it is!" Chen Zhen pursed his lips and said with a disdainful expression.

Guo Shouyun smiled and did not echo the words. I picked up the chopsticks and took an egg and put it in my mouth. After a brief chew, he nodded in satisfaction.

"It's really authentic, with a domestic taste!"

"I'll just say, it's definitely right to come with me!"

As if inspired by some kind of encouragement, Chen Zhen's face was full of self-satisfaction.

"That's right, Old Chen. Listen to your accent, you're from Lu Province, right?"

Guo Shouyun was just about to nod, but suddenly remembered that now he was no longer the Lu Province native who lived in the magic capital, but Bruce Guo, a Chinese who grew up on the Guo farm in Santa Rosa, USA!

"I'm Chinese-American!"

Guo Shouyun's words carried a trace of emotion, and said slowly in a low voice.

Chen Zhen's eyes widened instantly, and he looked at him in disbelief.

"Chinese-American, deceitful, huh?"

"What's in it for me to lie to you?"

Guo Shouyun shook his head and said.

"But... But since you're Chinese, why do you still speak Mandarin so slippery? And you don't feel the slightest hint of Chinese in you?"

After examining the look on Guo Shouyun's face and finding that he didn't seem to be lying, Chen Zhen was suspicious.

"My adoptive father is a native Chinese, he taught me Mandarin from a young age, and I learned a lot about China from him. ”

"I see! Adoptive father, are you...?"

"Well, I'm an orphan!"

Guo Shouyun said in a low tone.

"I'm sorry!"

"It doesn't matter. My adoptive father treated me like my own, and my childhood was not lacking in love!" Guo Shouyun shook his head.

Chen Zhen nodded, and it just so happened that at this moment, the dishes they ordered were brought up one by one.