An Encounter with a Fellow Countryman

Piltover doesn't have any simple restaurants; even the most basic ones are quite expensive. So Vi took us to Zaun. 6̶9̶s̶h̶u̶x̶.̶c̶o̶m̶

Descending the cliffside ladder, we returned to this chaotic place. Aside from a few areas that reeked of chemicals and a fishy stench, many areas were quite nice, such as the restaurant we visited.

Before I even entered, I could smell the aroma of rice. Although the land in Zaun is barren and heavily polluted, the port provides access to some very good food.

The owner told me that the rice here comes from Shurima, which is just across the sea. It's plump and sweet, and you can eat several big bowls of it even without any other dishes!

Wei didn't stand on ceremony and ordered only one dish, along with three large bowls of rice, with refills available if needed!

Before we could say anything, the boss started joking. He was a middle-aged man with a full beard and his apron was covered in grease stains.

"How did you get so poor, Wei? You used to eat and drink lavishly when you were single, how can you be so stingy when you treat others now!"

"It's different now, boss! Hurry up and bring the food. I came all the way from Piltover just to eat your food, I'm starving!"

"You're clearly poor, yet you claim you came all this way on purpose? You've become dishonest!"

"Hahaha... Okay, you guessed it." It seems Wei and the boss have a very good relationship, and Wei used to patronize his business.

I had intended to pay for more dishes, but I held back in the end. Since Wei wanted to treat, I decided to go along with it.

I didn't see what dish Wei ordered, but when the owner brought it over, I was a little surprised. It looked a lot like shredded pork with garlic sauce.

Wow, that's incredible! I never knew the dishes in Zaun were so elaborate.

When I first met Gragas in Freljord, the dishes he cooked also felt familiar to me. It seems that people's research on food has nothing to do with the level of development.

After the owner brought us rice, he served two more dishes. Wei was surprised. "I only ordered one dish, boss! I can't afford to pay for more!"

"You can't be so stingy when treating people, I'm embarrassed for you! Consider these two dishes on my behalf."

"Thank you, boss! I'll definitely pay you back when I have the money!"

The owner was very straightforward, but my attention was always on the dishes, because the two new dishes that were served were boiled sliced pork and twice-cooked cured pork.

What's the point of these three Sichuan dishes?

He even brought several pairs of chopsticks!

Seeing that none of us touched the utensils, the owner laughed, "Don't you know how to use our utensils? These are a specialty here. Come on, let me teach you. This is called chopsticks..."

The boss was explaining and demonstrating to us, and I started to panic.

Since arriving in Runeterra, I've never seen dishes like this, let alone chopsticks. Could it be... he's also from another world?

"Boss, what's your name?"

"My Li Yuanbao, and I'm from Ionia. You're from Ionia too, so we're fellow countrymen! What's your name?"

Ionia does resemble my birth country somewhat, both in people's appearance and names, but otherwise there are no similarities, especially chopsticks—I've never seen anyone use them!

"His name is Yasuo, and mine is Riven," Riven said quickly when I didn't answer.

"What's wrong, Yasuo? You don't seem right," Vi said, staring at me.

"Uh, it's nothing, it's just that these tableware pieces feel a bit strange."

"Haha, that's true. Nobody uses these kinds of tableware except here. I've lived here since I was a child, so I'm used to it. Just bear with it, the food is really delicious!"

I know it's really delicious, but who can answer the question in my heart?

With the delicious food, Wei and I each ate two large bowls of rice, Riven ate three bowls, still a little reluctant to leave. "This is so great! I've never eaten such delicious food before!"

"Right? I knew you guys would like it!" Wei was very satisfied with her choice.

We arrived in the afternoon, so the restaurant wasn't crowded. By the time we finished eating, we were the last table to finish.

Wei exchanged a few pleasantries with the boss and was about to leave when I came up with a good idea. "Are you in a hurry to go back, Wei?"

"No rush, what's wrong? Do you want to eat here again tonight?"

→

"Eating out once is not as good as eating out often. I want to learn cooking skills from the boss."

"You're really something, wanting to learn to cook. Why don't you ask the boss if they charge tuition?"

Li Yuanbao chuckled and said, "Many people want to learn my skills, but they all give up in the end. Cooking isn't like martial arts; are you sure you want to learn?"

Please do not hesitate to offer your guidance.

"Okay, let's make this clear in advance: I won't be responsible for the guests coming to eat later. If you're talented, you should be able to learn how to cook one dish."

"Thanks."

Wei and Riven weren't interested in cooking, so they went out for a stroll. Li Yuanbao and I went to the kitchen, and he asked me:

Which dish would you like to learn?

"Fish-fragrant shredded pork, please."

"Hehe, not bad, you've remembered all the names."

After Li Yuanbao finished speaking, he began preparing the materials. At that moment, I dipped my hand in water and wrote a few Chinese characters next to him, which were his name.

"Boss, do you recognize these characters?"

Li Yuanbao saw it at a glance, and in his surprise, he dropped the cleaver. If I hadn't been quick-witted, his foot would probably have been in trouble.

"You, you are..."

"We are indeed from the same hometown, from the same country."

When fellow villagers meet, their eyes well up with tears.

After his initial surprise, Li Yuanbao's eyes filled with tears. He placed his hands on my shoulders and exclaimed, "What a fellow villager!"

We stopped preparing the ingredients and learning how to cook; we just sat down and started chatting...

Li Yuanbao and I both come from Earth, and we belong to the same country— Huaxia. However, he comes from eastern Sichuan, while I come from northern China.

To my surprise, we don't belong to the same era, but are separated by more than a century.

He traveled to the late 19th century during a time of war and chaos, while I arrived in the early 21st century.

I don't know what the timeline looks like, but in any case, he has only been here for a little over thirty years, not much different from the world before, and we are fortunate enough to come together.

Another thing that surprised me was that Gragas, like us, also came from Earth!

He started as a European coalition invader and explorer, but later became fascinated with Huaxia culture, especially winemaking, and thus stayed in Li Yuanbao's hometown.

Later, the two fell into a ravine in an accident and woke up here.

After Li Yuanbao transmigrated, nothing changed. He learned the local language and writing little by little through his own efforts, and then ran this small restaurant with his skills.

Although it was difficult at first, life became relatively stable and peaceful after adapting, at least more comfortable than in that turbulent era.

Gragas was different. He was an explorer by nature, and after arriving here, he immediately mastered the language and script of Runeterra. At the same time, he discovered that he possessed magic, which made him extremely excited!

So he left Zaun and began wandering. He only came back once in all these years. Li Yuanbao was very gratified to learn from me that he was alive and well.

Just then, some people came in to eat, and Li Yuanbao, feigning illness, put up a sign saying he was taking a break. Afterwards, we exchanged some information.

I know almost everything he knows, since it's all history. But he can't understand what I'm talking about. If I were to explain it, I could talk for days and nights about the tremendous changes that have taken place over the past hundred years.

When I asked him if he wanted to go back, he shook his head. On the one hand, he was unsure what era it would be in if he went back, and on the other hand, life here was very comfortable.

These words also made me realize something. I often fantasize about returning to my original world, but even if I did go back, what if it were a different era?

If we went back to before the 21st century, we might be able to adapt using our historical knowledge. But what if it's a hundred years from now?

Or what about hundreds of years from now? How will they survive?

The uncertainty has increased a bit more; it seems I need to think about things more comprehensively from now on.