Anyang Square

At a little past seven that evening, they drove to Anyang Square.

Anyang was the capital of Anzhou, and Anyang Square was one of its most iconic attractions.

On National Day, security, patrols, and order maintenance at Anyang Square were more meticulous and rigorous than usual.

Gu Shuoyan drove, and all five of them arrived at Anyang Square in the same car.

Traffic officers at the entrance directed incoming vehicles to the underground parking garage. The other four got out first while Gu Shuoyan went to park. After a five-minute wait, he returned.

"Come on, let's go in and look around first."

Gu Zhiyue marveled, "The performance hasn't even started, and there are already so many people. Won't it be even more crowded later?"

Luo Yunhe smiled. "Did you notice the red sensor over the entrance when we came in?"

Gu Zhiyue shook his head. "I didn't notice anything up there."

"That's an infrared sensor," Luo Yunhe said. "For every person who comes in, it adds one to the count. However many people enter, that's how many it counts. This square holds a maximum of two hundred and fifty thousand people. Once it reaches capacity, they close the entrance and stop letting people in."

"But I think it'll be hard to reach two hundred and fifty thousand. It's never been full before, and it probably won't be this time either."

"Right," Xie Zhen chimed in. "I remember the busiest year this square ever had, there were only a hundred and seventy thousand people. After all, locals come here all the time, and visitors from out of town don't all come on the same day."

Gu Zhiyue rubbed his chin and nodded. "Then I hope there won't be too many people later, or we won't be able to find a good spot to watch the performance."

His phone vibrated twice. Gu Zhiyue checked it and saw a message from Xing Yisheng.

[Happy National Day.]

Gu Zhiyue stopped walking and replied, [Thanks. Happy National Day to you too. Are you on holiday?]

Xing Yisheng replied, [Yeah, seven days off. Back to work on the eighth.]

Gu Zhiyue wrote, [So are you resting right now?]

[Yeah. Why?]

[Want to come hang out at the square? I'm here. There's a public performance tonight too.]

The "Typing..." indicator at the top stayed there for a long time before Gu Zhiyue finally received Xing Yisheng's message.

[I've gone to see the performances in previous years. They're pretty good.]

Seeing this message, Gu Zhiyue pursed his lips in disappointment. [All right, then.]

Gu Shuoyan came over and hooked an arm around Gu Zhiyue's neck. "What are you doing, little brother? Chatting again?"

Gu Zhiyue put his phone back in his pocket. "I'm done. Where are we going now? It feels so crowded here."

"They're waiting over there. We weren't paying attention for a moment, then I saw you were still standing here, so I came to get you."

Meanwhile, Xie Zhen was buying freshly squeezed juice at a mobile stall.

Xie Zhen bought three cups of grape juice, one cup of pear juice, and one cup of lime juice.

Gu Shuoyan and Gu Zhiyue came over together. Xie Zhen handed them the lime juice and a grape juice. Gu Zhiyue took a sip of lime juice and sighed in satisfaction. "Mmm, this is so nice and tart."

Gu Shuoyan wanted a taste. "Little brother, can I try some of your lime juice?"

Gu Zhiyue handed him the cup. "Go ahead."

Gu Shuoyan took a sip. The next second, his whole body shuddered, and the sourness twisted his face into a meme-worthy expression.

"Sss!" Gu Shuoyan felt his salivary glands working overtime. "How can you drink something this sour? And like it so much?"

Gu Zhiyue took a few more sips. "It's not sour. Maybe I just like tart things. Besides, they added sugar, didn't they? Thirty percent sweetness."

"What's the difference between thirty percent sweetness and none at all?"

Zhao Wanling suggested they split up and look around, then meet up by the performance area when the show was about to start.

All four raised their hands in agreement, then went their separate ways to explore whatever interested them.

Gu Zhiyue headed toward a less crowded area. There were a few antique stalls over there, and even the food was unappealing glutinous rice pastries.

Gu Zhiyue walked up to an antique stall and picked up a copper coin, examining it in his palm. It had a distinct, solid weight and felt warm to the touch, its chestnut-brown surface bearing a mellow patina.

The stallholder introduced it with a smile. "This copper coin is the real deal. Over a hundred years old. How about buying it for your collection?"

Gu Zhiyue lightly bounced the coin in his hand. "This coin looks pretty nice, but I'll pass. I'm not into these things. Better leave it for someone who likes them."

Gu Zhiyue put the coin down, turned around, and bumped into someone.

"Sorry... Xing Yisheng?!" Gu Zhiyue looked up and saw a familiar face, his expression instantly filling with surprise and delight. "What are you doing here? Weren't you not coming?"

Xing Yisheng chuckled. "I never said I wasn't coming."

"But didn't you say you'd been here several times? I thought you didn't like coming."

"I wasn't planning to, but when you said you were here, I thought I'd come try my luck and see if I could run into you."

They walked side by side. Hearing that, Gu Zhiyue smiled, showing his white teeth. "Then you're pretty lucky, finding me among all these people."

"I think so too," Xing Yisheng agreed. "Where are Auntie Zhao and the others? Why are you here alone?"

"We split up to look around. We're meeting by the performance area later."

Xing Yisheng glanced toward the performance area. "It's packed over there. Watching the show won't be much of an experience. I'll take you somewhere to watch it later."

Gu Zhiyue nodded eagerly. "Sure!"

At eight, the warm-up performances began, with folk songs, acrobatics, and more.

Zhao Wanling and the others sat on seats in the audience, their expressions calm, without any joy at watching the show.

Gu Shuoyan clicked his tongue. "I wanted to experience blending in with the crowd, but it doesn't feel all that great."

Zhao Wanling sighed. "Let's just book a spot at Yan Yin Tower to watch, as usual. It's not very comfortable sitting here."

Luo Yunhe nodded in agreement. "The bass from the speakers is too heavy. I'm afraid I won't be able to take it. Let's go to Yan Yin Tower."

Xie Zhen asked with concern, "How are you feeling now? Do you need your medicine? Did you bring it?"

"I feel fine. I brought it, but I don't need to take it."

Gu Shuoyan took out his phone and sent Gu Zhiyue a message. "I'll tell little brother to meet us at Yan Yin Tower."

Zhao Wanling waved a hand. "Let's go."

In fact, Gu Zhiyue had already gone to Yan Yin Tower with Xing Yisheng. Xing Yisheng had even booked a private room with the best view, offering the best vantage point for the performances in the square as well as a chance to admire the surrounding night scenery.

Gu Zhiyue praised his choice. "This is a really great spot. Not only can we see the stage perfectly, we can even hear everything. Is this room expensive? I see they serve tea and snacks and things too."

Xing Yisheng calmly lifted his tea and took a small sip. "They charge by the hour. It's not expensive." It was only two thousand yuan an hour.

Gu Zhiyue took a bite of apricot blossom cake and frowned. "So sweet. You can have it."

Xing Yisheng called a server over and ordered a plate of tart pastries, along with a serving of passion fruit juice.

"I didn't notice the pastries were sweet and not to your taste. Sorry."

"What's there to apologize for? I should be sorry for making you spend more money."

Xing Yisheng chuckled. "Didn't you say we count as friends now? Keeping such a strict tally when we're out together is treating me like an outsider."

Gu Zhiyue picked up his phone from the table to check his messages, and only then saw the location and message Gu Shuoyan had sent him.

Gu Zhiyue opened the map location Gu Shuoyan had shared. "So this place is called Yan Yin Tower. My third brother and the others are here too. Should we invite them over?"

Xing Yisheng nodded. "Sure. More people will make it livelier."

Gu Zhiyue sent Gu Shuoyan the room number and told them to come over.

Gu Shuoyan replied, [We wanted to book that room too, but the server told us someone had already reserved it. I didn't expect it to be you. Finally willing to spend some money?]

Puzzled, Gu Zhiyue wrote, [Isn't this room inexpensive? Hurry over, third brother. It'll be livelier here with you all.]

They canceled the room they had just booked and went to the one Gu Zhiyue had specified. As soon as the four of them opened the door, they saw Xing Yisheng there along with Gu Zhiyue.

"Why are you here too, Yisheng?" Zhao Wanling asked. Gu Zhiyue answered, "Xing Yisheng brought me here."

Understanding dawned on Gu Shuoyan. "So that's it. I was wondering why you were suddenly willing to spend money."

Gu Zhiyue looked puzzled. "Is this room very expensive?"

"Not expensive," Xing Yisheng replied calmly.

Luo Yunhe smiled. "Actually, given your current finances, it really isn't expensive. It's about the same as ten or twenty yuan."

Gu Zhiyue understood. "Oh, two or three hundred, then. That really isn't too expensive given my current finances."

Xie Zhen's cheeks puffed out as he held back his laughter. "Zhiyue, you're still unfamiliar with the prices at Yan Yin Tower."