Jiangzhe Province, Zhuji City.
The sky was half clear and half overcast, and a light, drizzling rain was falling. It looked like it would stop soon.
After getting off the Long-distance Bus from Suhang South Station to Zhuji Bus Station, Dong Xuebin carried a large cloth bag printed with Meilianmei Supermarket and strode forward.
As he walked, he kept tugging awkwardly at the clothes clinging to his body, feeling terribly uncomfortable. Zhuji's air was damp and cold. Having grown accustomed to the dry cold of the north, Dong Xuebin naturally could not adapt to it.
After looking around the main road, he quickly found a small restaurant and went inside to take shelter from the rain. He did not care whether the shops around the bus station and train station overcharged outsiders.
"Boss, the menu." Dong Xuebin sat down at an empty table.
"Coming." A broad-waisted, heavyset middle-aged woman brought over the menu.
After casually ordering two familiar homestyle dishes, Dong Xuebin said, "Do you have any local specialty soups? Bring me one too. I need something to warm up."
Ten minutes later, all the dishes were served.
By coincidence, the Boss Lady brought him clam soup. Clams were what people in the Capital City called them, but they were actually pearl clams.
Other than a palm-sized clam, there was nothing else in the steaming soup. Curious, Dong Xuebin picked up his chopsticks and pried the clam open.
Good lord—inside were White Pearls, one after another. Dong Xuebin took a bite of the clam meat, let out an "ugh," then spat it out. It was far too tough. How was anyone supposed to eat this thing?
Seeing that, the Boss Lady chuckled from behind the counter. "People generally don't eat the clam meat. You drink the soup."
Dong Xuebin's old