On May 30, 2020, it was cloudy, and the air was filled with the warmth of early summer.

It was a Saturday right after our midterm exams, and the five of us (Siyuan, Sister Ya, Xiao Sun, Leilei, and I) had all achieved good results. We decided to go out together for some fun. The goals were to relax, shoot a real vlog, and to show me and Lin Yi, two kids who grew up by the sea, around Chengdu.

That morning, I woke up early, and Chengdu was still in silence. After coding for a while, I had breakfast at eight. Around ten o'clock, I set off, wearing a white shirt and black casual pants (today's MVP was my selfie stick).

The meeting point was Jimao Restaurant — a well-known Sichuan restaurant in Chengdu. Xiao Sun arrived first, and soon he picked me up at the subway entrance.

Jimao Restaurant

As the saying goes, "No feast is complete without wine!" After reserving a private room, we went to buy milk tea. Despite being in a bustling area, there was no sign of my favorite Shuyi. After walking a few hundred meters, we finally found a decent Mixue Ice City, but to our surprise, it wasn't open yet! So we continued walking and finally came across a little-known place called Wanmotang, which was an expensive and poorly rated milk tea shop (both Siyuan and I confirmed this).

By the time we returned to the restaurant, Leilei had already arrived, and a few minutes later, Siyuan and Sister Ya joined us.

Leilei and Xiao Sun were both in clean short-sleeved shirts and cargo pants, Siyuan and I were in JK uniforms, and Sister Ya wore an elegant light green long dress.

Menu

• Mapo Tofu
• Spicy Chicken
• Glutinous Rice Cake
• Steamed Meat
• Spicy Hot Pot

This was an authentic Sichuan menu, totaling CNY 256.

During the meal, I tried taking photos from various quirky angles, while Sister Ya introduced us to her mother. Everyone was laughing and having a great time!

Since we weren't sure about the portion sizes, we ordered too much. Even though I was starving, I had to share everything equally. Siyuan said she could eat six bowls.

It felt like the leftover food could feed a whole family.

Sister Ya dropped her radish pendant in the restaurant.

Jinli

Famous for the Han and Tang dynasties, the street embraces both ancient and modern.
Celebrated for the Three Kingdoms, guests gather from all over the world.

Leilei and I rode bikes, while the other three took a taxi to Jinli. There were many people, and as long as you had a health code, you could enter.

This is an old street, and the modern renovations made me feel a bit stifled. There were Sichuan opera face-changing performances, stalls of national cultural inheritors, various trinkets, accessories, sugar paintings, calligraphy, beautiful girls, and clean, handsome guys singing in tea houses. Clearly, when historical depth meets modern civilization, it creates a unique scenery.

Ear Cleaning

This is a unique ear-cleaning experience in Chengdu!

After a long internal struggle, Xiao Sun was the first to try it. Lying on the chair, he started to feel a bit nervous. After the master skillfully worked on his ears, he quickly felt euphoric, lost in a world of comfort... After the experience, he could only say one word: "Awesome!" This completely broke Leilei's psychological defenses, and he also lay back in the chair. However, the "True Fragrance Law" is universal. "It's amazing," Leilei said, "it feels like my hearing has doubled."

The two girls and I didn't try it, thinking what if something went wrong? Their enjoyment was faithfully recorded by our phones.

Cousin's Souvenir

We had always wanted to buy a gift for our cousin, who was kept sheltered by her parents, but we couldn't find her favorite "The King's Avatar" and related merchandise. In the end, we didn't buy anything.

However, everyone lamented that if our cousin had come, we wouldn't have been able to freely joke around and chat.

Haagen-Dazs?

After wandering around, we were tired, and Sister Ya invited us to an ice drink shop.

• Rose Plum
• Lemon
• Grapefruit
• Snack Platter

After placing our order, we bought a deck of cards printed with Sichuan dialect and taught Sister Ya how to speak Sichuanese while playing "Gan Dengdeng."

I was really foolish! I was so distracted while playing cards that everyone had to leave in disappointment.

Board Games

Indeed, good wine is not afraid of deep alleys; the third-ranked board game club in Chengdu was surprisingly located in a slightly rundown building. The owner's collection of board games was as vast as a library's collection of books.

The dizzying smoke and oppressive space...

German Heart Attack

Siyuan suggested playing this first, and as expected, the class monitor's reflexes were astonishing. With sharp judgment and 15 years of being single agile hand speed, she quickly gained the upper hand.

Stacking High

(Singing) Humans use sand to build the tower of dreams...

Binjiang Road

The lights by the water gradually illuminate the path, a crescent moon hangs in the sky with three stars.

The neon lights of the tall buildings outline the bustling night sky. On the bridge, the car lights looked like shooting stars. People were enjoying the beautiful riverside night view... I hope that years later, we can still walk together.

It’s an Unintentional Joke, Right?

Memories are always beautiful because your subconscious has filtered out the unpleasant parts for you.

Epilogue

No regrets And still, I am here

We parted ways at the Xinnanmen subway station.

After ten o'clock, I got home. I was tired but very happy, extremely happy; I had never had such a fulfilling and lively day in middle school.

May all the unhappy things roll away soon.