My hotel is full of emperors throughout history.

As soon as he finished speaking, the old man's eyes widened, and the peaceful and kind demeanor he had shown during their casual conversation vanished instantly, replaced by a sharp and spirited energy that seemed to burst forth from every wrinkle on his face.

"Over in the East China Sea, there's the Diaoyu Islands issue, and then there's the nuclear wastewater—it's all causing us a lot of trouble!"

"Lately, he's been jumping around like a clown!"

He slammed his hand on the stone table with a loud "bang".

"Don't let my gray hair and less-than-straight posture fool you!"

"If the country really needs me, and war breaks out, this old man can still take up a gun! Back in the day... humph!"

The other old man playing chess next to him also stopped smiling, nodded with a serious face.

"Old Liu is right. We may be old, but we're not senile! We remember some things!"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes flashed with a shrewd light, and he asked with a smile.

"Brother...you were just talking about back then? You...fought in a war? And those days?"

Grandpa Liu slightly toned down his outward anger, but he straightened his back a bit.

"Ah, when I was young... I served in the military for a few years."

A distant and sorrowful light flashed in Grandpa Liu's cloudy eyes.

"Some things, even if we don't mention them, we can't forget them."

He waved his hand, seemingly unwilling to delve into his personal experiences, but his tone remained resolute.

In short, our good life didn't fall from the sky, and not everyone wants to see you continue to have a good life.

"If someone forgets the pain and tries to claw back, be prepared to have it chopped off!"

"A country has its own laws, and we ordinary people also have our own spirit and memory!"

"The people's spirit and memory..."

Li Shimin pondered these words repeatedly.

I felt a complex, scalding heat surging through my chest.

"Good! Well said!"

Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't help but let out a low shout, patted Li Shimin's shoulder heavily, and his eyes shone with an alarming intensity.

"Li Er, did you hear that? Beneath this idyllic life, there are daggers lurking! That's more like it! If everyone just focuses on playing chess and drinking tea, then we're truly doomed!"

Li Shimin recovered from his shock, slowly exhaled a long breath, and solemnly cupped his hands in greeting to Grandpa Liu.

"Your words are thought-provoking. I have learned a great deal."

Then, he looked at Old Zhu and raised an eyebrow.

"Li Er?"

"Who taught you to use that title?"

Old Zhu chuckled.

"You're the second oldest in your family, aren't you Li Er?"

As he spoke, he winked at Li Shimin.

Li Shimin moved his lips, as if he wanted to say something.

But after seeing those elderly people, he ultimately didn't say anything.

Damn!

We'll settle the score when we get back!

"Alright, thanks guys! Let's go explore that area again with him!"

"OK!"

The old men nodded.

So, Zhu Yuanzhang and Li Shimin walked around the area again.

Unbeknownst to them, the two had wandered to the edge of an old-style residential area.

A rich aroma, a mixture of oil, noodles, and scallions, filled their nostrils, causing their already empty stomachs to rumble.

"Li Er, are you hungry?"

Old Zhu followed the smell and looked over.

It was an open-air breakfast stall set up on a vacant lot by the roadside.

Several large pots were steaming with white vapor, and the oil in the fryer was sizzling as the golden-brown dough sticks puffed up.

A few simple folding tables were filled with diners, including busy office workers and leisurely elderly people carrying birdcages. The place was bustling with noise and full of lively atmosphere.

"A little."

The two stood a few steps away, watching the steaming soy milk, golden fried dough sticks, and thin-skinned, generously filled xiaolongbao in other people's bowls, and swallowed their saliva in unison.

They wanted to eat, but... the two of them searched their bodies thoroughly and couldn't find a single banknote or coin in circulation during this era.

As for electronic payments, they've never used them.

In the end, all I could do was stand aside and watch, getting more and more craving it.

Just as the two wanted to leave but also wanted to eat, they ended up awkwardly standing there.

But then I heard a familiar voice greeting me warmly.

"Hey! You two from earlier! Over here! Haven't eaten yet? Come on over!"

Following the sound, Old Zhu looked up and saw it was Grandpa Liu, who had a murderous look in his eyes, and several of his chess friends sitting around a table. The table was laden with soy milk, fried dough sticks, steamed buns, and tea eggs—a very lavish spread.

Grandpa Liu stood up and waved vigorously at them.

Zhu Yuanzhang and Li Shimin exchanged a glance, both somewhat surprised, but also relieved, and walked over.

"Sit down, sit down! Don't be shy!"

Another elderly man wearing glasses pulled over two plastic stools.

"We had a really good chat this morning, it's fate that we met! This meal is on us!"

The old man with glasses shouted out to the shop.

"Boss, two more bowls of sweet soy milk, two fried dough sticks, and a basket of xiaolongbao!"

"Okay!"

"This... I can't accept this."

Li Shimin was somewhat embarrassed.

"What's there to be embarrassed about! How much does a breakfast cost?"

Grandpa Liu waved his hand dismissively, completely unconcerned.

"Judging by your demeanor, you two brothers aren't ordinary people, but at this breakfast stall, you're just neighbors! Sit down and eat while it's hot!"

Zhu Yuanzhang, being of humble origins, was not concerned with formalities. Upon seeing this, he no longer hesitated, sat down abruptly, and laughed heartily.

"Brother, you're so generous! Well then... I won't stand on ceremony!"

He copied what others did, picked up a freshly fried, piping hot youtiao (Chinese fried dough stick), and took a big bite.

The crispy outer layer and fluffy, chewy interior, with its alkaline and oily aroma, instantly won over his taste buds.

"Mmm! Delicious! Refreshing!"

He gave a vague compliment and then took a large gulp of warm, sweet soy milk.

Li Shimin also picked up a small steamed bun, carefully bit through the thin skin, and the hot and delicious soup flowed into his mouth, making his eyes light up slightly.

The elderly men ate while chatting casually with them.

"Sigh! Young people these days! They're really having a tough time!"

"My grandson has to get up at six o'clock every morning and doesn't get out of school until ten o'clock at night, and then he doesn't go to sleep until the early hours of the morning!"

Li Shimin was somewhat surprised when he heard this.

Are young people these days all so driven?

Upon hearing this, the old man immediately perked up and clapped his hands.

"Tell me, if this continues, won't the child's health be ruined by the lawsuit?"

"They have classes from Monday to Saturday, and can only rest on Sunday, but their homeroom teacher still makes them return to school early to study."

"Leaving aside how your studies are going, haven't you ruined your health?"

"What's the point of studying if you're not healthy?"

"Hey! Back in our day! Physical health and academic performance were just as important!"

The old man sighed.

"But I don't know why it turned out this way."

"There are still too many people."

Another old man answered.

"There are now a full 1.4 billion people!!!"

"What if you don't work this hard and someone surpasses you?"

"1.4 billion?"

Li Shimin almost bit his tongue.

This number... is somewhat frightening!

He and Lao Zhu exchanged a glance, and Lao Zhu shook his head at him.

The two of them sat quietly to the side and ate.

The conversation ranged from news from all over the country to children's jobs, and then to where vegetable prices had recently gone up.

Zhu Yuanzhang would occasionally chime in with a question.

After finishing the last bite, Li Shimin once again expressed his gratitude solemnly.

"Thank you for your hospitality, gentlemen. This breakfast was delicious and unforgettable."

Grandpa Liu wiped his mouth with a tissue, waved his hand, and laughed.

"No need to thank me! It's just breakfast. If you guys come here often, we might bump into each other again."

"I'll play a couple of games then! I'll show you this old man's chess skills!"

"Come on! If I hadn't been careless last time, would you have been able to beat me?"

An old man standing nearby said indignantly.

Grandpa Liu smiled.

"Hey! Just tell me if I won or not!"

"Come back tomorrow if you dare!"

"Bring it on! Who's afraid of you!"

Zhu Yuanzhang and Li Shimin exchanged another glance as they watched this scene.

The two then stood up and bid farewell to the generous and magnanimous elderly people.

Leaving the bustling breakfast stall, Zhu Yuanzhang patted his round belly and sighed.

"Inviting strangers to dinner without batting an eye... That's quite the attitude, that's quite the lifestyle."

"Li Er, what do you think they're after by inviting us to dinner?"

Li Shimin pondered for a moment, then spoke slowly.

"Perhaps... I don't want anything at all."

"It was just something I did on a whim, but it's precisely because of that that I feel how fortunate those people of later generations are!"

"This is truly like living like a god!"

Old Zhu also looked quite emotional.

After a moment, he seemed to have made up his mind.

"I've made up my mind. Once our son is old enough to take on important responsibilities, we'll bring our girlfriends here to retire!"

Li Shimin was taken aback when he heard this, but after thinking about it carefully, he was actually somewhat tempted.

Life here is definitely much more comfortable than back home!

"But before that..."

Old Zhu changed the subject, his gaze sharpening.

"We need to go back and ask them what that little life has done to us!!!"

Li Shimin's gaze also sharpened.

"That's exactly what I wanted to know too!"