At that moment, the maid, Aunt Rong, came upstairs and knocked on the door.

“Miss, I’m going out for a bit.”

Tang You turned around, “Where to?”

“I was preparing lunch and realized we were out of soy sauce. I’m going to the supermarket up front to buy some, and I’ll be back soon.”

“Oh.” Tang You thought for a moment, then pointed to the small houses across the street, “What’s over there?”

Aunt Rong glanced over and said in a somewhat regretful tone, “This whole area was planned for villa development, three phases in total. But for some reason, the developer ran off with the money halfway through construction. So now it’s left like this—on this side of the street, it’s all wealthy people, but on the other side, you have all kinds of folks from all walks of life.”

She shook her head, adding, “It’s like two different worlds.”

She buttoned up her embroidered bag and advised Tang You, “I’ll go buy it now. If you’re bored, you can watch some TV downstairs.”

Tang You thought for a moment, then stepped forward to stop her, “Why don’t I go instead?”

Aunt Rong was taken aback, “How could that be… that’s my job.”

“I’m not doing anything anyway.” Tang You walked out without giving her a chance to object, “Don’t worry, I’ll be right back.”

Since she was busy in the kitchen, Aunt Rong really didn’t have time to spare, so she reluctantly agreed, “Well, it’s just 200 meters to the supermarket at the corner.”

“Okay.”

Aunt Rong accompanied her to the door, then suddenly raised her voice, “Oh, Miss, don’t go to the other side of the street! Before she left, Madam specifically warned me—it’s chaotic over there, with lots of bad people!”

“…”

Tang You stared wordlessly at the maid, who had followed her all the way to the street, still fretting. “Aunt Rong, don’t you have soup simmering on the stove?”

Reminded of this, Aunt Rong slapped her thigh and ran back into the house—”Oh no, it’s going to be ruined!”

Finally, there was some peace and quiet. Tang You closed her eyes and exhaled, as if trying to release the frustration in her chest.

Why did everyone want to control her? Fang Lai had left, but now there was still a nagging maid.

But at least she finally got half an hour of freedom.

Tang You crossed the street, walking along the edge while curiously observing the other side.

She wanted to know what the world outside her own was really like.

Across from the tall plane trees, the winding alleys were what the adults called a “forbidden zone.”

At the entrance of the alley was a small stone sign that read—*Huaishu Alley*.

Inside the alley was an open space where many people, young and old, were gathered, seemingly enjoying some kind of lively marketplace.

Tang You stood at the entrance for a few minutes, unable to suppress her curiosity. She made up her mind and walked deeper into the “forbidden zone.”

The alley was full of old houses, with worn brick walls and rubble. The homes were all packed closely together, as if they had witnessed the city’s history. Under a thick, old locust tree, elders were gathered to play chess and chat, children were running around and playing, and there were various street vendors selling snacks.

Tang You bought a stick of sugar candy and took a taste—it was so sweet it made her teeth ache.

If Fang Lai were here, she would never have allowed her to buy something from a street vendor.

Tang You felt a bit exhilarated, as if she had accidentally stumbled into a fresh new world hidden in plain sight, and she didn’t want to leave.

With the candy in her mouth, she watched two old men play chess for a while, and then played spinning tops with a few little kids.

There might not have been the bustling traffic or bright neon lights here, but there was a rich sense of tradition and community.

Forbidden zone? Where are all these bad people?

Tang You felt as if this place was a paradise; everyone seemed so kind and friendly, showing no signs of rejecting her, an outsider.

After playing for a while, Tang You remembered why she had come out in the first place and noticed a small shop within the alley. She walked over to it.

The shop’s storefront was small, and the inside was cluttered with various goods. Tang You spotted soy sauce on the nearest shelf.

However, there was no one in the shop.

She looked around and noticed a man leaning against the freezer at the shop’s entrance, his back to her.

The man held a cigarette between his fingers, his gaze seemingly fixed on the children playing nearby.

He was tall, leaning against the freezer with a lazy posture.

Tang You assumed he must be the shop owner and cleared her throat, “Excuse me.”

The man didn’t respond.

She raised her voice, “Hello?”

The figure by the freezer finally moved.

The man turned his head and looked at her uncertainly, “You talking to me?”

Tang You was caught off guard by his gaze and paused for a second.

Her heart suddenly skipped a beat, as if something had hit her out of nowhere.