I Tied Up the Travel Check-In System - Chapter 14

The entire wetland park was lush and green, offering a beautiful setting. The three of them quickly reached the riverbank.

“Little girl, we won’t accompany you there. We’ll take some photos of the plants here for now.”

“Okay.”

After saying goodbye to the elderly woman and uncle, Tang Siqi walked along the narrow embankment toward the distant lighthouse.

The lighthouse, initially a tiny speck, grew increasingly visible as she approached. As she got closer, Tang Siqi realized that the lower half of the tower was gray, with a white center, and the top was painted a striking red.

It looked like a Little Red Riding Hood, a beautiful sight.

Tang Siqi took a few photos and sent them to Doumi.

Doumi: [Amazing.jpg! I didn’t expect you to be so proactive and actually go there.]

Yiqi: [Very nice.]

Doumi: [[Link] Take a look at this! It’s an introduction to the Wusongkou Lighthouse. You’ll understand why I recommend it.]

Tang Siqi clicked on the link and was filled with awe.

It turns out that as early as the Ming Dynasty, a hill with a beacon fire was built here, becoming China’s first navigational lighthouse.

Zheng He also sailed here during his voyages to the West.

This lighthouse, however, was originally built a century ago and renovated in 1988, resulting in its present appearance.

It’s incredible how this tiny lighthouse holds such a treasure trove of China’s maritime history. It’s truly remarkable!

She took many detailed photos of the lighthouse, preparing them for future backgrounds.

Before leaving, Tang Siqi tried to check in on the app.

[Congratulations, host, you have successfully checked in at the “Wusongkou Lighthouse” and have achieved an A-level rating. The system rewards you with 24 hours of health, 100 gold coins, a total wealth of 577 gold coins, and 73 hours of remaining health.]

It’s an A-level indeed!

This place Doumi recommended is really great!

If only I could find another A-level attraction, I could check in at random places later!

But… it’s already past five in the afternoon, so what else can I visit?

Tang Siqi walked back along the embankment, checking out various attractions in Baoshan District on her phone.

Admittedly, the district still had quite a few interesting places, like Gucun Park, Zhaobao Mountain, and Steel Sculpture Park.

It was just late today, and the distance between these places meant she hadn’t decided where to go next until she left the wetland park.

Ultimately, she decided to head back to Huangpu District.

The bus had been smooth sailing on her way here, but on her way back, the bus was constantly stopping and starting, eventually becoming completely jammed.

Tang Siqi had walked nearly 20,000 steps that day and was exhausted and hungry, so she got off the bus and looked for something good to eat.

Just off the bus, she found a tangyuan (glutinous rice dumpling) shop. These days, there aren’t many dedicated tangyuan shops in Shanghai, and this one, while a bit dated, was incredibly popular.

Even the more luxuriously decorated shops around were doing better, so Tang Siqi walked in curiously.

Upon entering, she saw the words “Baoshan Tangyuan” written on the wall.

Tang Siqi curiously asked the young man in front of her in line, “What’s so special about these Baoshan glutinous rice balls?”

The young man glanced back at her. “From out of town, huh?”

Tang Siqi nodded, “Yes.”

“Of course you have to try the Baoshan glutinous rice balls when you come to Baoshan. They’re famous. I tell you, it’s only a little less crowded here on weekdays. Come visit during Chinese New Year or other holidays.

You’d be doing a disservice to this time-honored brand if you didn’t queue for three hours.”

“Wow, so impressive?” Tang Siqi chatted with someone as she peered into the transparent workroom inside. She could see the women busy at work, their movements incredibly efficient. Some wrapped glutinous rice balls went straight into the pot, while others were packed into boxes.

“Do you also sell them packaged here?” Tang Siqi asked curiously.

“Of course. It’s so hard to queue here, so many people buy raw glutinous rice balls and freeze them at home, then cook them when they’re ready.”

As she finished speaking, the woman in charge of packaging handed five boxes of glutinous rice balls to a middle-aged woman.

Tang Siqi: “…”

No wonder the line wasn’t too long here, but it moved slower than at other places. It turned out these people were buying a lot.

But what could they do? They were already in line, and looking for something else wasn’t practical.

“The most classic flavor here is, of course, the sesame one. You have to try it. And don’t miss the meat dumplings. Haha, I came here just for the meat dumplings. My mom likes the ones with jujube paste, and my dad likes the ones with shepherd’s purse, so I had to pack both.”

Tang Siqi: “!!!

There are dumplings with fresh meat, which she hadn’t tried, but she had heard of them.

But jujube paste and shepherd’s purse flavors?

She had never heard of them.

When it was finally Tang Siqi’s turn, she stood in front of the cashier, torn between so many options… what filling to get?

Black sesame was the safest bet, but she had finally made it in line, so it would be a shame not to try other flavors.”

The cashier suggested, “We’ve been promoting our intangible cultural heritage this week, and we’re offering a combo. Two bowls of tangyuan—one sweet, one savory—include all the flavors we have in the shop. Would you like to try it, young lady?”

This option perfectly solved Tang Siqi’s dilemma.

“Okay, I’ll have the combo! And pack me two uncooked ones.”

“Okay, that’s 135 yuan.”

Tang Siqi paid, feeling a little distressed.

It was indeed a bit pricey, and she felt a little bad.

But Luo Junbao loved tangyuan, so packing it for him and letting Xu Qianning try it too made her wait in line worthwhile.

After paying, the two bowls of tangyuan were quickly served.

Tang Siqi was starving.

She tried the sweet tangyuan first.

The first bite was the peanut-filled one, and she was convinced at the first bite. It was really worth the price!

The peanut filling was incredibly fragrant, and the thin, soft skin flowed out onto her spoon.

Tang Siqi quickly devoured the entire thing.

Ah…

really good!

Then she randomly tried another sweet treat.

This time it was the traditional black sesame glutinous rice balls. What impressed her was that the sweetness was adjusted, making them rich but not overly sweet, leaving a lasting aftertaste. It truly was a classic flavor!

Tang Siqi rarely ate glutinous rice balls at a restaurant. She usually bought some frozen glutinous rice balls from the supermarket during the Lantern Festival and cooked them.

It had to be said that the glutinous rice balls from this restaurant were much better than the frozen ones.

The head was larger than the frozen ones, but the skin was still thin and soft.

Afterward, Tang Siqi tried three more salty tangyuan.

The first one was meat-flavored, and while it was her first time tasting meat-flavored, it wasn’t hard to accept.

The second bite was shepherd’s purse-flavored, and it was surprisingly delicious!

Compared to the meat-flavored ones, the shepherd’s purse was less greasy and had a unique, vegetable-like umami flavor that was quite surprising.

What surprised her most was that the third salty tangyuan was shrimp-flavored!

This completely blew away Tang Siqi’s concept of tangyuan. How could anything be stuffed into a tangyuan?

With these ingredients in mind, she found chestnut, purple sweet potato, and even fruit fillings no longer a surprise.

After finishing two bowls of tangyuan, Tang Siqi burped, feeling full and satisfied as she was about to leave with her two boxes of tangyuan, when she suddenly remembered that this tangyuan shop was a well-established establishment and a famous Baoshan delicacy. Could she check in there?

Intent on giving it a try, she opened her app to check in.

[Congratulations to the host! You have successfully checked in at “Baoshan Tangyuan” and received an A-level rating. The system rewards you with 24 hours of health, 100 gold coins, a total wealth of 677 gold coins, and remaining health: 94 hours.]

Wow, an A-level! Another A-level rating!

Tang Siqi was overjoyed. She hadn’t expected that a tangyuan shop she’d just checked in at because she was hungry would earn her 100 gold coins!

She no longer considered their tangyuan expensive.

It was delicious, and it earned her an A-level check-in—it was truly a blessing in disguise!

Now, with only 23 gold coins left to reach 700, she only needed to check in at two more C-level places to successfully secure the tablet.

Tang Siqi figured that if she had managed a C-level check-in at the Bund yesterday, Nanjing Road, which was also rated C, should be just as good.

She would have to pass Nanjing Road on her way home anyway, so she might as well get off there.

Tang Siqi arrived at Nanjing Road, which was still bustling with traffic and unusually lively. Sure enough, the system had also rated it C-level.

Tang Siqi was just looking for another spot to check in when she suddenly remembered an interesting spot near Nanjing Road. She’d seen it in numerous films and TV series, and had passed it many times on the bus, but never gotten off.

It was the Waibaidu Bridge.

Even if many people haven’t been there, they’ve certainly seen it in movies and TV series.

Tang Siqi’s first impression of it was the scene in “Romance in the Rain” where Yiping sings and jumps off the bridge.

Of course, she later learned that the scene wasn’t actually filmed on the Waibaidu Bridge in Shanghai, but on a replica of the original, built at the filming location.

Built a century ago and still in use today, it’s located right next to the Bund and is a major Shanghai attraction.

It was already night, and the bridge was illuminated. There were pedestrian walkways on both sides, making it very convenient for tourists to access the bridge.

Tang Siqi walked onto the bridge, feeling the gentle breeze, which was very comfortable.

There were even newlyweds in wedding dresses and suits taking wedding photos on the bridge, with many onlookers watching.

A couple walked past Tang Siqi, and the girl asked, “Why do you think this place is called Waibaidu Bridge? How did this bridge get its name?”

The boy said, “You don’t know that. There were many bridges on the Suzhou River in the past. Many bridges charged tolls to cross, but this bridge is the only one that is free, so it is called Baidu Bridge.”

The girl looked skeptical and said, “Are you making it up?”

“It’s true, and it’s very vivid, Baidu.”

“I always feel like you are lying to me, are you making it up?”

“Oh, it’s true, baby, how could I lie to you.”

Tang Siqi couldn’t help laughing as she listened to this interesting conversation behind them.

She walked around the bridge and took out her phone to check in.

[Congratulations to the host, you have successfully checked in at the “Waibaidu Bridge”, rated B, the system rewards you with 10 hours of life value, 50 gold coins, a total wealth of 747 gold coins, and remaining life value: 108 hours.]