Translator: Larbre Studio Editor: Larbre Studio
At the crack of dawn, Lou Zhisheng and Qi Fang arrived at the Heaven’s Shade Hotel in a minivan, where they met up with the rest of the tour group.
Over the past two days, Lou Cheng had taken time off from training to show his parents around Xiapei Lake. He also brought them to a few shopping malls to buy weather-appropriate clothing.
At first, the old couple opposed the idea, insisting it was a waste of money. However, the clothes they brought were a little too warm, thanks to Lou Cheng’s deliberate silence on the Huacheng climate. In the end, they reluctantly accepted the proposal. Qi Fang became absorbed in the buying momentum and began trying out clothes on her own. Delighted, Lou Cheng watched them from the side, occasionally consulting Yan Zheke on which ones looked nice and which looked weird.
As the saying goes, “Fine feathers make fine birds.” Lou Zhisheng and Qi Fang, resplendent in their new clothes, walked with a gait brisker than usual.
When they entered the hotel lobby, they were nearly dazzled by the flashy, luxurious furnishings. A lanky man with a phone in his hand greeted them with a warm smile.
“Are you Uncle Lou and Auntie Qi? I’m Chen Zunxian, your tour guide. We’ve spoken on the phone.”
“Yes, yes. Nice to meet you. We aren’t late, are we?” said Lou Zhisheng in a close-to-native Xing Province dialect of Chinese, something he picked up during the days of traveling for work.
“Don’t worry, it’s still early,” said Chen Zunxian as he led them to the resting area in the lobby. He gestured at a buxom, medium-height girl with thick brows and big lips. “This is my partner, Qin Ran. We’ll be in charge of the ten VIP’s schedule.”
Two tour guides for ten tourists? This is too high-class! Qi Fang kept her astonishment to herself.
In recent years, the quality of life had been constantly improving, and people were taking trips more often. Though she hadn’t ever been on one, she was instilled with basic travel knowledge during idle chats with family and friends.
Of course, what she didn’t know was this arrangement was only made out of consideration that they might feel awkward if there was only one tour guide for them both. Otherwise, Yan Zheke would have opted for private services.
“Alright, seems like everyone’s here,” said Qin Ran in a pleasant voice, clapping her hands together. “Our first stop is a restaurant in Huacheng, where we’ll enjoy a dim sum brunch. This is a great chance to experience the way of life of Guangnan people. Now that we’re here, we shouldn’t let any opportunity slip by.”
As the gripping commentary went on, the group passed streets and alleys on the tour bus. Soon, they arrived at the Huacheng restaurant, where they occupied every seat around the round table.
“These people are really into this, huh...” Qi Fang whispered to Lou Zhisheng after glancing at the boisterous hall.
“I’m surprised you don’t already know, given how many TV dramas you watch,” teased Lou Zhisheng, amused.
His memory told him that his wife had adored TVB dramas from the time Lou Cheng was born until he reached Grade 4.
“You can’t believe everything in dramas!” argued Qi Fang with a glare.
That was when bamboo steamers were brought to the table. The aroma from the assortment of dim sum permeated the air.
Due to the presence of strangers, Qi Fang wasn’t as unrestrained as she normally was and only took the ones that passed her as the lazy susan whirled.
An old man sitting beside them overheard their conversation. He lifted his cup of tea, sipped, and smiled.
“Are you from Xing Province?”
His hair was nearly white, but he was sprightly and his clothes were classy.
“Yes,” Lou Zhisheng nodded.
Qi Fang was a little self-conscious in such conversations because she didn’t know standard Chinese, so she listened without speaking.
“Did your children register you for the tour?” asked the man smiling, adding a braised chicken foot in abalone sauce to his plate.
Lou Zhisheng gobbled the prawn dumpling in his mouth. “Yes, he signed us up online. We aren’t good with these sort of things.”
“If I’m not wrong, you aren’t staying in the hotel?” Judging from his conversational disposition, it was apparent that he was a businessman.
“My son lives in Huacheng, so we stay at his place night and come over here in the day. He doesn’t have much free time and doesn’t want us to feel bored staying at home, so he signed us up for this tour to do some sightseeing,” said Lou Zhisheng.
The man chuckled. “It’s the same for us. Kids signed us up, saying that we’ve worked all our lives and now it’s their turn. Told us to forget about work, enjoy life, and experience new things while we’re still healthy.”
He pointed to a fat woman in her fifties with expensive clothes and accessories beside him.
“Don’t bore the poor darlings with your rambling,” the woman smiled decorously.
Their conversation went on for a while. At the end of breakfast, they knew each other better. Chen Zunxian ran up and down, tending to the needs of the tourists and doing his best to make their lives comfortable.
“Our next stop is one of the eight wonders of Huacheng.” Seeing that everyone was done resting, Qin Ran quickly stood, giving commentary as she organized the group.
After a day’s journey, the group returned to Heaven’s Shade Hotel looking tired. The tour guides gave a briefing on the second day schedule in the lobby.
“Old Lou, are you heading back to your son’s home?” The old man called Shao Ankang was still in good spirits. Unlike the other tourists that had gone back to their rooms to rest, he stayed at the lobby with his wife, chatting idly with Lou Zhisheng, Qi Fang, and the two tour guides.
“Yes, he sent a driver over to fetch us.” Qi Fang’s phone rang right as soon as he finished his sentence.
She answered it, mhm-ed twice, then looked at the others sitting opposite and smiled.
“Car’s here, we’ll be off now,” she said, deliberately modifying her Xing Province dialect to make it sound more like standard Chinese.
“Alright. See you tomorrow, Uncle Lou, Auntie Qi,” Guide Chen stood and saw them off to the entrance.
The Shao couple and Qin Ran remained at their spots, waving their goodbyes. Their eyes followed the Lou couple’s silhouette to the revolving glass door.
A silver-gray minivan rolled to a stop outside. Shao Ankang’s eyes widened.
“A military license plate!”
Not to mention it was a special military license plate with a tiny serial number.
As he finished his sentence, the car door opened, from which came a young lady in professional office wear. She assisted Lou Zhisheng and Qi Fang into the van reverently.
Before the car door closed, the Lou couple turned and waved to the three people gazing from inside the lobby.
Shao Ankang and the others raised their arms stiffly in response.
The door slowly closed, and the silver-gray minivan was on its way again. Soon, it vanished from their sight.
“Old Lou seems to be from an important family...” mused Shao Ankang after a long time.
They looked like they had humble roots, but I guess you can’t judge a book by its cover after all.
...
The eight-day Huacheng tour ended in the blink of an eye. Lou Zhisheng and Qi Fang stayed for a couple more days but fled back to Xiushan after getting bored out of their minds. Lou Cheng began counting down the days before the arrival of his girl’s winter break.
Just as he had mastered every Physical Invulnerability chapter of the Ice and Fire Sect, he received a message from the military:
“Lin Que has gone missing in the war-torn zones!”