Wanderer of the Zerg

Chapter 57: Take a trip to snack street

In the morning, the sub-female Buma handed Xi Tian a printed flyer of tourist attractions on the planet.

“My knowledge reserve of tourist planets starts at Level 3 planets, but ever since leaving the home planet, I’ve been stuck on Level 2 planets.”

Before leaving the home planet, Xi Tian looked down on Level 2 planets, but as he traveled, they all seemed pretty good.

“So, in the future, we can go to Level 3 planets without hiring a guide?” Ellis leaned over from the side.

“Yes,” Xi Tian said with a smile, “We should eat out tonight.”

“Aren’t we buying groceries and cooking at home?” Ellis had already prepared to go shopping for groceries.

“The mentor isn’t here, and there are snack stalls around. It would be a shame not to enjoy the snack street here,” Xi Tian pointed to a spot on the flyer, “It’s just three blocks away from here.”

The night sky was like ink, dotted with twinkling stars, and a round moon hung obliquely in the sky.

After walking three blocks, the sounds suddenly became lively. A long street stretched out with crowds as far as the eye could see, adorned with colorful lights and flags. The lights obscured the starlight.

Ellis, worried that Xi Tian might not handle the noise well, grabbed his sleeve before they entered, “It’s going to be very noisy inside. Can you handle it?”

Seeing the food right in front of him, Xi Tian hadn’t thought that far.

“I can manage,” he said, pulling Ellis inside.

From afar, the street looked bustling, but it was only upon entering that the lively atmosphere truly hit them.

One snack stall after another lined the street, with shiny signs hanging above. The crowd was packed, and a cool breeze carried various food aromas.

The first scent that hit Xi Tian’s nose was a sweet and sour aroma, his favorite.

Following the smell, they arrived at a stall with a warm yellow light, where an old man sat behind a transparent glass case. He was pressing hawthorns on bamboo skewers flat, half-crushing them, then ladling boiling syrup from a nearby pot and pouring a thick layer of it over the hawthorns. The bright red treats looked very appealing. This was where the sweet and sour aroma came from.

Xi Tian, as usual, scrutinized the hygiene of the stall with a picky eye. Satisfied, his gaze shifted to the pre-made fruit skewers nearby. He glanced at the name, “Tanghulu.”

Xi Tian selected two of his favorite fruits and ordered two skewers, while Ellis paid.

Every time Ellis paid, he felt the helplessness of being a wallet.

Biting through the thick sugar coating, the juicy hawthorn balanced the sourness with the sweetness. Xi Tian ate with a broad smile.

Xi Tian hadn’t asked Ellis before, certain that Ellis wouldn’t like something so sweet, but after eating three hawthorns, he hesitated. The taste was indeed excellent.

He handed the Tanghulu to Ellis. “Try one.”

Before Ellis could shake his head, he added, “Just one bite. Try it and see if you want more.”

Xi Tian watched Ellis’s expression change from sour to frowning, to sweet and lip-biting, and finally completely relaxed.

Xi Tian smiled, but Ellis quickly snatched the remaining skewer from Xi Tian’s hand, wiping the smile off his face.

“If you want more, buy another one!”

“You have it in your hand. Why should I go back?” Ellis took a bite.

“How can you steal mine? You thief!” Xi Tian watched as his favorite fruit was devoured. He liked to save the best for last, which is why he ate the hawthorn first. Now it was gone.

“I paid for it! Why can’t I eat it?” Ellis ate quickly. With only four fruits on the skewer, he was almost halfway done.

“You stole my food! Don’t you have any virtue in respecting your male partner?”

“I don’t want virtue.”

This left Xi Tian speechless, finally bursting into laughter.

“How old are you? Can’t you have some decency?”

“If I had decency, I’d have nothing to eat.” Ellis grinned slyly and handed over the last fruit.

Xi Tian pretended to be suspicious, still smiling, “Will you pull the skewer back when I bite the fruit?”

“No,” Ellis replied promptly, blinking, “I always mean what I say.”

“Oh~” Xi Tian dragged out the sound, looking at Ellis with his head lowered, before biting into the last piece of fruit.

When they first got together, each had their own tastes and knew by heart what the other could or couldn’t eat.

The street food in this alley exceeded what they had on their mental menus. Xi Tian and Ellis were curious about everything and wanted to try it all. Walking from the east end of the street to the west, they saw many novel foods and different cooking methods, which Ellis found fascinating. Xi Tian, with his simple mindset, highly praised the hygiene but felt slightly discontented that he was already full halfway through.

They had only walked half of the way they came; the other half awaited their tasting.

While Ellis was still eager to try more, Xi Tian couldn’t eat another bite.

Thus, Xi Tian could only lament why a male’s stomach was smaller than a female’s, yet he still had to exert himself in bed.

Ellis laughed and started eating his newly acquired meatballs, having no time to comfort his partner.

When they reached the middle of the street and Xi Tian’s fullness had subsided a bit, he prepared to carefully choose the next, and last, food to try.

There was a stall that seemed no different from the others, yet it was surrounded by a crowd. A glance revealed a bright red sign overhead, the owner dressed in red, with a face reddened by the heat.

Where there are people, there’s good food!

The two exchanged a glance and quickly joined the line without a word.

Xi Tian finally had a moment to read the sign, “Crazy Barbecue – Bringing you a unique spiciness!”

“…It’s spicy. Do we still want to queue?” Xi Tian tugged at Ellis, knowing they both preferred sweet and salty, not spicy.

“Since we’re here, we might as well try it.” Ellis pretended to think deeply.

“…That’s not a very constructive suggestion.” Xi Tian noted, eyeing the price list. “Five skewers for one silver coin, with a free bottle of water. That’s a bit expensive.”

“It is, but it’s not too bad,” said Ellis, who managed their finances.

“Five skewers of sweet and five of salty?” Xi Tian suggested.

Ellis nodded.

Once they took a bite, they understood why water was included.

The sweet and salty flavors were strong, but the spiciness was overwhelming.

As soon as it hit their tongues, the spice exploded in their mouths.

Caught off guard, they immediately twisted open the water bottles and drank deeply.

These two couldn’t handle spicy food at all.

They decided not to try any more stalls. Five skewers, burning their way through two street blocks, and two bottles of water later, they were back in their room, stuffed.

“This is terrible. Never eating there again,” Xi Tian said weakly, sprawled on the bed.

“Agreed,” Ellis raised his hand in support.

“I think we’re done for the night. We won’t be able to do anything.”

“Like what?”

“Like punishing you,” Xi Tian smiled.

“If you still have the energy, feel free,” Ellis said shamelessly.

“Forget it, I’ll spare you. We drank too much water.” Xi Tian laughed weakly.