"What the heck! You don't trust me? Do I look like one of those creeps who gropes people?"
Listening to Ah Qing's translation and seeing the little fox's suspicious look as it licked water, Momo immediately became displeased and said, "When I kick people, they still have to thank me and call me master!"
"I was kindly trying to help you remove the ticks, and yet this is what you think of me."
"Huh?"
The little fox was startled upon hearing this, scanned Momo's face, displayed a contemplative expression, and then a black line appeared on its cheek.
Thanks, but I don't buy it.
"By the way, about that basket case, why hasn't Momo's boyfriend caught up with us yet?" Lingren, after inwardly marveling "stockings, long legs," suddenly thought of something.
According to usual practice, Momo's boyfriend, Ah Jie, should have followed to Northern closely, right?
How come it's almost the end of the day and there's still no sign of him?
"Ah Biao, you mean? He's gone to Africa for recovery and probably won't be back for the next three to five months. At least, not until he builds up what's called masculinity."
Momo shrugged and explained why Mo Shengjie hadn't come to Northern.
Mo Shengjie definitely wanted to come.
But the issue is...
He's in Africa now and can't come back.
"In Africa? Why Africa?" Ah Qing slowly typed a question mark. "I think you mentioned Ah Jie's hometown is in Yulin, right? Shouldn't he go home to recuperate? Why is he in Africa?"
"Uh... it's hard to explain." Momo pondered and said, "But he really is in Africa now, probably playing hide-and-seek with big cats..."
Talking about Mo Shengjie's family history, it's actually not complicated, but it might involve some illegal stuff, so Momo didn't want to delve into it.
The global connections of the Mazu in Xia Dong are famously widespread.
But there are also Mazu Temples in Liangguang, and their global connections are even more audacious, dispatching whole villages of cargo ships.
Mo Shengjie's grandfather and father went to Africa with guns and cannons in the early nineties, mining gold. From the early nineties to 2010, the male villagers carved out over 3,000 gold mines across the Tropical Continent, then quietly returned to start real estate and interior design businesses.
As the saying goes, if you don't possess something, you desire it.
Neither grandpa nor dad had much education, so as the only male in the family, Mo Shengjie was nurtured with cultural exposure from a young age, developing a gentle and artistic temperament.
But after a car accident in Sichuan and Chongqing nearly cost him his life, past family tensions exploded, prompting his father to send Mo Shengjie to Africa for physical training.
"Ah..."
Thinking of Ah Biao's circumstances made Mo Yiqing sigh.
The country Ah Biao went to is infamous for having no water but plenty of steroids, targeting European women and Englishmen for their business ventures.
Hopefully, Ah Biao's behind... will remain intact.
"What are you all talking about?"
Tang You emerged from a room where she had taken the Medicine Spring Mountain Lord to drink water from a bathtub, and looked at everyone, puzzled by their shocked expressions.
"Momo's boyfriend is pretty weak physically, so his father sent him to an African tribe to participate in a real-life version of Battle Royale..." Ah Qing explained to Tang You with a face full of amazement.
"If he's slow, he'll get speared..."
"...Okay, stop, I don't want to dream tonight about floating and sinking in the African seas."
Clearly, the mention of 'spear' broke a fragile nerve in Tang You's mind.
Tang You hurried over to the little fox, clasped her hands in prayer, pinched the fox's little paw, and muttered incomprehensible words.
"Let's get ready to go! Before we head to the Zama Banquet, we need two things."
"One is a flashlight, but we can substitute it with a phone, and the other is sunglasses."
After performing rites around the Third Grandfather Fox to dispel certain untraceable superstitious misfortunes, Tang You reminded everyone of the essentials for attending the Zama Banquet.
Regarding the "Zama Banquet."
Tang You didn't know how to describe it, but it's largely for amusement, mainly to watch performances.
Like shamans circling electronic bonfires, throat singing, wrestling before the bonfire parties, and free drinks.
Tang You didn't have a great impression of the Zama Banquet, mainly due to the awkwardness of the entire process.
During the shaman's ritual, the whole venue is dark, with only a single light on the stage and an electronic bonfire.
Seriously, we're eating here! What if the pork belly ends up in our nostrils?
And when it was the turn of the strong men in Northern armor to sing throat songs and perform on stage, the ceiling had a strobe light ball, turning the banquet hall into what felt like a nightclub dance floor, dazzling to the eyes.
Dude! Are you deliberately trying to ruin my meal?
If there were other options, Tang You would choose them, but there's no choice; traditional Northern attire, shaman performances, and traditional theatrical performances are only at the Zama Banquet.
But, whatever. Just treat it as joining in the fun, though... it could be much better, but they pinched pennies, tarnishing the banquet's reputation.
Tang You sighed inwardly, bought sunglasses at the souvenir shop in the scenic area, and led the group toward a newly erected giant Mongolian tent.
After checking the tickets and entering.
Tang You was stunned, and turned to the receptionist at the entrance, slowly typing a question mark: "Where did your nine-for-nine-free shipping light ball go?"
"And the old electronic bonfire? The lantern bonfire with those tentacle-like flames inside?"
The entire banquet hall was arranged in a circular step-like distribution with an open stage in the center.
Overhead, the lighting varied in brightness, with particularly bright lights over the stage, while the light over the tiered seating was warm yellow, not very intense but bright enough to see the items on the tables clearly.
"Uh..."
Hearing Tang You's sharp questioning, the receptionist at the entrance forced a sheepish grin: "Ahahaha... those were from two years ago. Back then, our Spring Mountain Grassland Night program was quite retro, with nostalgia."
"Now... tourists prefer no main lights and HiFi immersive audiovisual experiences, so naturally, we try our best to meet customer demands and enhance our service..."
"...I'm from Chengdong, Tangjia Town. Don't I know the character of your boss? We're from the same town," Tang You said, her face lined with black marks.
"Things have improved, tourism is flourishing, and high complaint rates in Spring Mountain Grassland forced the district head to personally handle the boss, giving him a lesson, resulting in two business suspension orders for rectification."
Upon hearing Tang You mention his hometown's name, the receptionist at the entrance furtively scanned the surrounding area before revealing why services improved.
Previously, tourism wasn't expected to attract repeat visitors, so the mentality was to milk each visit for what it's worth.
But things are different now; information is readily accessible online, including complaint hotlines.
Complaints are about volume; high numbers will prompt inspections.
Moreover, with the changing environment, Northern is eager to develop tourism. Mining, coal, and oil extraction are still pillars, but their role five or ten years down the line is uncertain.
Some situational changes and online policy documents show that industrial layouts must be pre-planned.
The boss of Spring Mountain Grassland was disciplined by the district chief due to high complaint numbers, hindering Botou's economic development.
Tang You: "........"
Well, no wonder, just dealt with directly!
No wonder Spring Mountain Grassland feels a bit off this year.
Turns out, service quality has improved!