Deep within the huge mountain basin, there lay a vast square, paved with stone slabs and complemented by a man-made pond.
A series of colonnades surrounded the square, interconnected and accessible from all directions.
Quite a few people were strolling in the colonnades, gazing at the heavy rain outside.
On either side of the square, large sheds had emerged, shielding from the rain yet obstructing the view.
Through the cracks of those sheds, one could faintly see large patches of vegetables and other crops thriving inside.
At the end of this square stood a towering bamboo house.
The bamboo house leaned against the mountain, reaching nearly ten meters high, with a massive sign hanging overhead.
"Yangshan Shopping Center!"
Li Xiangyang took a deep breath, his face full of shock.
Yang Youweiâs eyes widened, as if he had returned to the time before the great flood.
Zhang Rongrong clenched her fists, watching the men and women, young and old, coming in and out of the bamboo house, her eyes full of excitement and joy.
Yang Wei gaped, mumbling, "There really is a mall! Itâs real!"
Yang Mei smiled and said, "Dad, this is the Yangshan Shopping Center that Liang Yuan and his team built. Thereâs plenty of food and drinks inside; letâs go get you some new clothes."
She pulled the astonished Yang Youwei and walked towards the shopping center.
Old Yang called out to Li Xiangyang and his group, "Xiangyang, why are you still standing there? Hurry up and follow us! Itâs just noon, Uncle Lin will take you to taste the delicacies on the first floor, haha."
He excitedly rubbed his hands and swallowed his saliva, clearly nostalgic for the food on the first floor of Yangshan Shopping Center.
The group headed to the shopping center, Yang Mei smiled, "Uncle Lin, you take my dad and them to eat something first. Iâll go upstairs and get some membership cards."
"Iâll cover the points for the food, and Iâll swipe the card later."
Old Yang laughed heartily and said, "Then I wonât be polite today, Iâm going to eat to my heartâs content, after all, Xiaoyang Mei, you are not short of points, haha."
Yang Mei chuckled, saying, "Eat as much as you like, Dad, tell Uncle Lin what you want to eat. Iâll settle the points later."
Yang Youwei opened his mouth, not knowing what to say, as he was overwhelmed by the Yangshan Shelter.
After enduring the flood disaster and living as a savage for half a year, returning to the Yangshan Shelter felt like a mistaken return to modern civilization.
Old Yang pulled Yang Youwei and said, "Youwei, stop standing there, letâs go, Iâll take you inside to have a look."
Under Old Yangâs lead, Li Xiangyang and his group walked in like savages entering a city, looking around.
They passed through the entrance on the first floor of the bamboo house, entering the interior of the first-floor food area.
Immediately, the various fragrant and spicy smells of food hit them.
These scents crazily stimulated Yang Youwei and others to salivate.
Yang Wei looked up, his eyes widened, pointing excitedly at a shop at the entrance, "Buns! There are buns here! Xiangyang, Sister Rong, there are steaming buns here!"
Old Yang looked up and saw the sign for "Old Huâs Bun Shop," which was opened by Hu Weiminâs wife, Liu Xiuxian. In two daysâ time, they not only accumulated enough points to rent the shop but were also officially open for business.
Old Yang hurried over and called out to Liu Xiuxian inside, "Xiaoliu, are you guys open now?"
Liu Xiuxian saw Old Yang, her face breaking into a smile, "Yes, Yang old man, what do you want to eat? Iâll get you some buns, free of charge."
Old Yang laughed and said, "What fillings do you have?"
"The red meat buns contain bamboo rat meat, plum blossom pig meat, the white meat buns have fish meat, crab meat, shrimp meat, and vegetable buns include bracken, spinach, ..." Liu Xiuxian quickly listed several types, Old Yang hurriedly said, "Give me one of each, how many points per bun?"
"How can I charge you points?" Liu Xiuxian knew Old Yang and Yang Mei were relatives, intending to offer them for free.
Old Yang laughed and shook his head, "Xiaoliu, donât do that, favor is one thing, but we canât break Mr. Liangâs rules."
"I understand rules and boundaries; otherwise, some people might abuse it, come here to eat free and take things, youâre indulging them."
"If problems arise later and Mr. Liang punishes us, I will be in trouble too, quickly tell me how many points, I wonât short you any."
Liu Xiuxian, puzzled but seeing him ask for many buns, felt reluctant to give them free, awkwardly said, "One bun, one point."
Old Yang laughed, took out his membership card, and swiped it on her machine.
With a beep, ten points were deducted.
Holding the buns, he called out to Yang Youwei and his group, "Come, come, try these buns, I havenât eaten their buns for a while, theyâre delicious."
Yang Youwei and his group took the buns, swallowing their saliva.
Li Xiangyang wanted to be polite, but looking around saw Yang Wei and Zhang Rongrong already devouring the buns.
Zhang Rongrong took a bite, the steaming white dough releasing a rich flour aroma in her mouth.
Then the meaty fragrance spread, with plum blossom pig meat minced into meat paste, seasoned and blended with white dough, transforming into a flavor that was simply irresistible under the enzymatic action in the mouth.