Overall, this standard green full-body SPA process didn’t stand out much. Zhou Wang’s assessment was that it wasn’t as good as B Bro’s Jade Palace.
However, this supposedly ethnic minority girl looked petite, but she was quite strong and her technique was above standard.
The best part of the experience was actually during the foot bath. The young girl was very meticulous, using several different potions that Zhou Wang couldn’t recognize, stimulating meridians and acupoints all over. Zhou Wang hummed contentedly at certain moments.
After 120 minutes of the full-body SPA, Zhou Wang finally calmed down and conveniently tipped the masseuse 100 before returning to his room and drifting into the dreamland wrapped in the soft bed.
...
The next morning, Zhou Wang was woken up by Miao Ying’s call.
Struggling awake from his slumber, Zhou Wang checked the time and found it was just past six, which left him a bit surprised.
Answering the phone, he heard Miao Ying was already at the courtyard gate. Zhou Wang threw on his robe and went out into the yard to open the gate.
In the slightly bright sky, Miao Ying stood at the gate in a black tracksuit. Her expression was curious, with slightly pale lips tightly pressed, seemingly containing some excitement and glee but still restrained.
"What’s up?" Zhou Wang asked in confusion.
"Mr. Zhou, look over there..."
Miao Ying raised her hand, pointing in a direction.
Zhou Wang followed her gesture and was stunned for a moment.
Holy crap!
This is beautiful...
It was the legendary Golden Mountain Sunrise!
Zhou Wang watched for a moment, then quickly took out his phone to capture the moment.
The view from this courtyard was also excellent, making it feel like any random shot could make a stunning picture.
Beside him, Miao Ying also took out her phone to record a video. Noticing the gleam in her eyes, Zhou Wang finally understood why she had called to wake him up.
"Thanks, if you hadn’t woken me up, I might have missed such a beautiful scene..."
Zhou Wang knew this kind of sight was rare and required the right weather conditions at the right time to witness.
"Yeah, I thought you might like it too, so..." Miao Ying explained softly.
Zhou Wang glanced at her face bathed in the morning light, finding at this moment much less of her usual aloofness, with eyes finally revealing some joy and exuberance belonging to a girl of her age.
Thinking of her background and experiences, Zhou Wang felt a bit emotional, so he smiled and said, "Why don’t you join us later? You haven’t been to Li City either. Consider today a paid holiday for you."
Miao Ying was slightly startled, glanced at Zhou Wang again, and then nodded, "Okay."
...
At nine-thirty in the morning, feeling inexplicably elevated after the Golden Mountain Sunrise experience, Zhou Wang was no longer as mundane. He sat in a Mercedes G-Class, following a white Wrangler towards the outskirts of Li City.
Miao Ying drove while Su Yajing snuggled next to Zhou Wang, with Shen Yutong in the passenger seat. In the Wrangler ahead was their guide, Wu Lei.
Li City had plenty of attractions, but Yulong Snow Mountain, due to the season, wasn’t suitable to visit in August. So their first stop was Lashi Lake, located 15 kilometers outside the city.
Lashi Lake offered a popular activity... horseback riding.
Needless to say, Shen Yutong hadn’t ridden before, and although the local Su Yajing had done it previously, she seemed quite thrilled about it.
As for Zhou Wang, he’d never ridden this kind of horse before, so he was naturally enthusiastic.
Having expressed their interest, Wu Lei led them straight to the destination.
Lashi Lake was part of a town under Li City’s jurisdiction, famous for its horse ranches. Most tourists trying horseback riding in Li City would come to these ranches and also explore the ancient Tea Horse Road.
But Wu Lei took Zhou Wang and the others to a place called "Tideline Equestrian Club."
The difference was simple: price.
At an ordinary ranch, riding a horse might cost around 100 to 200 per person. They would take you for a round up the mountain and back, snap a few photos, and finish in an hour or so.
If one was daring enough, one could opt to gallop a section on flat ground after descending the mountain, enjoying approximately 200 meters of fast-riding.
Professional equestrian clubs were much more expensive, starting at 800 to 900 per person, allowing a half-day of riding with professional coaching and significantly more freedom.
At Tideline Equestrian Club, according to Wu Lei, it was one of the top-ranked in Li City, with a half-day per person priced at 2500.
However, since this club was also a partner of their Xinghui Travel, the internal rate was 1800 for a half-day.
Of course, Zhou Wang wouldn’t mind this, still maintaining that pesky feeling... it’s damn cheap!
After all, riding horses in some places would be much more expensive.
Entering the ranch, under the guidance of professional coaches, they first adapted a bit in the internal field.
Zhou Wang didn’t know much about horses, but the specially bred ones at the ranch were quite tall, much more imposing than those he’d seen as a child in the countryside.
"Do you have Akhal-Teke horses?" As a complete novice, Zhou Wang jokingly asked.
The coach’s answer surprised him, as he thought it was only a legendary horse breed in literature, yet it actually existed in reality, not from Huaxia, but from a country called Turkmenistan...
At that moment, Zhou Wang felt he had failed his geography teacher, having no idea where this place called Turkmenistan was...
Once they’d grasped the basic posture and horse-riding techniques, they led their horses to the spacious outdoor track.
Initially, Zhou Wang felt a bit nervous, but after riding solo for a while, he gradually began to feel liberated.
It was easier than he imagined.
But a large part of the reason was these horses were extremely well tamed, gentle, and very easy to control.
In addition, Zhou Wang’s core muscles were still quite developed, with excellent balance. Before long, even the self-proclaimed experienced Su Yajing started feeling envious.
After all, horseback riding was more fun at higher speeds...
With the summer wind blowing and surrounded by endless green fields, mountains in the distance, and lakes faintly visible, Zhou Wang felt as if there should have been an ancient BGM playing...
"Let the red dust be our companion and live freely..."
After looping the predetermined track once, Su Yajing, who had taken many handsome photos of Zhou Wang, came up giggling.
"Bro, you’re really a riding prodigy, the coach praised you several times..."
"Yeah, I also feel like I have some talent in ’riding and archery.’ Maybe I should check if there’s a mistake with my ethnicity."
Zhou Wang chuckled in response.
"So... Bro, could you take Tongtong for a ride?"
Su Yajing suggested at this time.
Hmm?
Zhou Wang was momentarily stunned, finally noticing that even though they had reached the outdoor track, Shen Yutong still hadn’t mounted her horse, while even Miao Ying had already returned from a lap.
"Tongtong is a bit timid, and she doesn’t want the coach’s help, but since we’re here, she can’t just watch. So, how about you take her for a ride?"
"Oh, no need, I enjoy watching you all ride..."
Shen Yutong quickly waved her hands.
But to Zhou Wang, that eager little glint in her eyes already betrayed her, much like when he was a kid eagerly eying the red envelope held by relatives—
On the surface, she was refusing, but her eyes couldn’t hide the longing.
She seemed to be silently telling Zhou Wang...
Come ride me... oops, I meant come take me riding!