How did hiring someone to press a pig image during Chinese New Year become a top trend?

The sun gradually began to set in the west.

On the streets of Niangziguan Town, the wind was still as harsh as a whip.

Xu An carried that heavy bag of sesame cakes and chili sauce, looking like a wounded soldier who had just been withdrawn from the front lines.

The half-eaten pancake in his stomach had long been digested, and now, hunger was like a hand, desperately gripping the walls of his stomach.

"Family members..."

Xu An huddled inside his military overcoat, his breath instantly blurring the phone camera lens.

"The mission is complete, but I feel..."

"I'm almost cold too."

"We need to find a place... to prolong our lives."

In the live stream, millions of netizens watched Xu An's pitiful appearance and laughed heartlessly.

[ID Shanxi Vinegar]: Anzi! Coming to Shanxi and not eating noodles is like not having come at all!

[ID Carb Godfather]: Look for those shops with thick curtains hanging at the entrance and condensation all over the glass! That's the real deal!

[ID Social Anxiety Patient]: Let's not talk about the ones in front. Those kinds of stores are crowded. Would Anzi dare to go in?

Xu An glanced at the comments and swallowed hard.

He really didn't dare.

The streets were bustling with people, all locals speaking in loud dialects.

For someone with extreme social anxiety, this environment, filled with the aura of unfamiliar "strongmen," is like a den of dragons and tigers.

But physiological instincts overcame psychological barriers.

Xu An spotted a noodle shop that looked quite old; the signboard was blackened by cooking fumes, leaving only the words "Old Zhang" legible.

Boiling water was bubbling in a large iron pot by the door, with white steam rising from it. A burly man, shirtless and wearing a black apron, was standing by the pot.

He held a lump of dough in one hand and a piece of iron in the other.

"Swish! Swish! Swish!"

The noodles were like flying knives, one after another, jumping precisely into the boiling water.

This hand speed is something you can't achieve even after being single for thirty years. Xu An took a deep breath and mentally prepared himself for a minute.

Then, like a soldier going to blow up a bunker, he lifted the heavy cotton curtain.

"boom--"

A wave of heat, mixed with the strong smell of vinegar, hit me. Inside the room, people were making a lot of noise, playing drinking games, slurping noodles, and shouting.

It was as lively as a market, and Xu An froze at the doorway, wanting to leave.

"Young men! How many of you?!"

The burly man slicing noodles had sharp eyes; even through the gap in the curtain, he spotted Xu An trying to escape.

That shout made Xu Antian's head buzz.

"One...one person."

Xu An's voice was so soft it was like a mosquito's hum.

"Have a seat inside! There's still room!"

The burly man waved his hand, and the razor blade in his hand flashed with a cold light, startling Xu An.

Xu An steeled himself and slipped along the wall to the innermost corner.

There's a greasy little square table here, and an old man is already sitting across from it.

There was a bowl of noodles in front of the old man, and... half a bottle of Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor)?

Xu An sat down carefully, trying to curl up into a ball.

"What would you like to eat?"

A waitress came over in a hurry, holding a small notebook in her hand.

"Knife...knife-cut noodles."

Xu An said weakly.

Large bowl or small bowl? With meat or egg?

The older sister spoke extremely fast, like a machine gun.

Xu An's brain froze for a second: "Big...big bowl, add...add everything."

"Okay! One big knife! The whole set!"

The older sister yelled and turned to leave. Xu An finally breathed a sigh of relief and placed his phone next to the vinegar bottle on the table.

The camera was pointed directly at the entire hall.

"Family, I successfully placed my order."

"I think my performance just now was... pretty solid."

The live stream chat was filled with sabotage and criticism.

[ID Micro-expression Expert]: Steady my foot! Your legs were shaking like a leaf!

[ID Foodie]: Look at the next table! What are they doing?

Following the guidance of the comments, Xu An looked over and saw that each of the burly men at the next table had a large white bowl in front of them, in addition to a bowl of noodles.

No noodles were served.

The bowl contained a dark, murky liquid. One of the men picked up the bowl and gulped down a large mouthful.

A look of extreme pleasure appeared on his face.

"Ah—! That feels great!"

Xu An was stunned.

That's... cola? No, it's flat.

Traditional Chinese medicine? Who would eat or drink traditional Chinese medicine for no reason?

The old man opposite him picked up the vinegar pot on the table and poured a full cup of vinegar into his small wine cup.

Then he tilted his head back and drank it all down, without any snacks to go with it, just drinking vinegar straight away.

Xu An's eyes widened, his gaze filled with "clear stupidity".

"Sir...isn't this vinegar...sour?"

Xu An couldn't help but ask.

The old man put down his wine cup, smacked his lips, and glanced at Xu An.

"acid?"

"Why drink it if it's not sour?"

"This stuff helps with digestion, relieves fatigue, and kills germs."

As the old man spoke, he poured himself another cup and pushed it towards Xu An.

"A kid from out of town, right?"

"Want to try some?"

"This is Shanxi's 'Cola'."

Xu An stared at the dark liquid in the glass, his nose filled with the pungent, sour smell.

But he's an honest man, and he couldn't refuse the gift from his elders. Besides, there were over a million people watching the live stream, so he couldn't back down.

"Thank you... thank you, sir."

Xu An picked up the wine cup, steeled his resolve, closed his eyes, and downed it in one gulp.

"Pfft—cough cough cough cough!"

That tingling sensation rushed down my throat and straight to the top of my head, causing my senses to instantly come together.

His eyes were squinted into slits, his mouth stretched to his ears, and his whole face was scrunched up like a steamed bun.

The live stream chat exploded instantly, with people snapping screenshots so fast their fingers left afterimages.

[ID Emoji Master]: Hahahaha! New material acquired! One bite, and my soul leaves my body!

[ID: Shanxi Son-in-Law]: Anzi, slow down! That's aged vinegar! It's stronger than liquor!

[ID Health Expert]: This expression is exactly like the first time I drank douzhi (fermented mung bean juice).

The old man, seeing Xu An's disheveled appearance, laughed so hard he revealed his two remaining front teeth.

"Drink slowly, young man."

"This vinegar is meant to be savored, just like life itself; the more you taste it, the more flavorful it becomes."

Just then.

"Here comes the complete set of greatswords—!"

The waitress placed a huge bowl, bigger than a washbasin, heavily in front of Xu An.

Xu An stared at the bowl of noodles and fell silent once again.

This is... a big bowl? This amount of noodles, in the South, would be enough for a family of three for two meals.

The thick noodles are piled up in the bowl like a white jade belt.

It's topped with a thick layer of braised pork sauce, large chunks of braised tofu, and a braised egg.

The red oil and soy sauce are incredibly fragrant.

"Eat."

The old man pointed to the garlic basket on the table, which Xu An had just used as a decoration.

"Eating noodles without garlic diminishes the flavor by half."

Xu An hesitated for a moment. He was a public figure; eating garlic...

But looking at the tables around me filled with men peeling garlic, and hearing the "crunch crunch" of their chewing, I realized...

That rugged, bold spirit that belongs to the North inexplicably infected him.

Forget about being an idol, Xu An grabbed a clove of garlic, didn't even peel it, and took a big bite, just like the old man.

Then he picked up a mouthful of noodles with his chopsticks and slurped it into his mouth.

Powerful!

Smooth and silky!

The aroma of meat, mixed with the acidity of vinegar and the spiciness of garlic, explodes in your mouth.

Xu An had never imagined that a bowl of noodles could taste so good, so good that it made him want to cry.

Just as Xu An was engrossed in his work, the curtain was lifted again.

An elderly woman wearing a yellow sanitation worker's vest came in. Her face was weathered, and her hands were red and chapped from the cold.

She didn't go inside, but stood at the door, rubbing her hands nervously.

"Mr. Zhang... Mr. Zhang."

The owner, who was slicing noodles, stopped and glanced at it.

"What's wrong, sister-in-law? Haven't you eaten yet?"

The old lady smiled somewhat embarrassedly and took a plastic bag out of her pocket.

Unfolding layer by layer, you find a handful of loose change inside, including one-yuan coins, fifty-cent coins, and even a few steel coins.

"Just give me... a bowl of clear soup noodles."

"Add more hot soup."

The old lady carefully placed the pile of loose change on the counter and counted it over and over again.

It cost exactly eight yuan; this was the cheapest noodle dish in the store.

The shopkeeper glanced at the pile of loose change, said nothing, turned around, and the razor blade in his hand flew around.

A moment later, a large bowl of noodles was ready.

The owner didn't give it to the waiter; he carried it himself and walked to a small table near the door.

Xu An secretly glanced at it. The bowl was covered with a thick layer of minced meat sauce and a large braised egg.

"Boss Zhang... I ordered the clear broth..."

The old woman became anxious and tried to stand up.

"This is clear broth!"

The boss pressed the old lady back into her seat, his voice still very loud, as if they were arguing.

"The minced meat sauce was too salty today! Nobody's eating it!"

"If you don't eat it, I'll throw it in the slop bucket!"

"Eat quickly! Don't delay my business!"

After saying that, the boss turned around and continued to shave noodles by the pot.

As he passed the counter, he casually grabbed a handful of loose change that the old lady had left there.

Without even counting, he stuffed it back into the old lady's pocket.

"Give me my change!"

"Noodles are on sale today!"

The old woman was stunned as she touched the warm coins in her pocket.

Looking at the mountain of meat piled up in the bowl.

Her eyes reddened, but she didn't say thank you. She just lowered her head and started eating heartily.

She ate very quickly, as if afraid someone would snatch it away from her, or as if she was afraid her tears would fall into the bowl.

Xu An sat in the corner, chewing half a clove of garlic.

That spicy smell seemed to hit my eyes, making them feel a little sore.

The chat room was unusually quiet at this moment.

There were no jokes, no memes, just a screen full of red hearts.

[ID: Human World Is Worth It]: This is the kind of martial arts world I want to see. No swords and shadows, just a bowl of minced meat noodles.

[ID: Shanxi Person]: This is what people from our area are like. They're not good with words, have loud voices, and bad tempers, but they're honest and kind-hearted.

[ID tearful]: That "no one will eat it if it's too salty" is the clumsiest yet warmest lie I've ever heard.

Xu An put down his chopsticks and ate the whole bowl of noodles, even finishing the soup.

He didn't bother the sanitation worker or interview the shop owner; he simply scanned the code and paid silently.

"Boss, check please."

"Twenty-five in total."

Xu An entered fifty.

Note: Add a meatball for that old lady.

He stood up, wrapped his old military overcoat tighter around himself, and spoke softly to the phone that was still broadcasting live.

"Family members."

"This vinegar..."

"It's actually quite sweet."

When I stepped out of the noodle shop, it was already completely dark. The streetlights cast long, yellow shadows.