Chapter 43: Tourism (2)

  As they walked out of the train station, it was already late afternoon. Fang Mo Nan saw Liang Zi and Han Zhi Qian waiting for them. "Huh? How did you know we were coming?"

  "Hehe... When you called home, you told your family about your itinerary, and Auntie told us. Moreover, the postmark on the letter you mailed also revealed where you were."

  "What about you?" Fang Mo Nan asked Liang Zi curiously.

  "We came to pick up goods, Skinny Monkey took the lead and left first. I heard from Zhiqian that you were coming, so I stayed behind!" Liangzi said, he wanted to say something but hesitated and didn't speak up.

  "Hey! Where's your luggage? How come you have so little." Han Zhiqian looked around at the people on the square, those who weren't carrying big bags and small bags, and even had quilts. They were fine, but they only had one small luggage bag, which was limp.

  "It's a big summer day, I just brought some spare clothes and toiletries." Fang Mo Nan waved his hand.

  "Yes! With money, you're afraid of not being able to buy it." Han Zhiqian said with a smile.

  "Let's go! This big sun is shining."

  A man walked up to the car and said, "Han Shao, we've got him." Yan Guangxing jumped out of the car and said.

  "I am Yan Guangxing, hello." He saw the people behind Han Zhikuan, old and young, and inexplicably guessed why Han Shao would personally come to pick them up with such a crowd.

  After everyone got on the car, they sped all the way. "Where are we going now?" Fang Mo Nan asked Han Zhi Qian in the car.

  "Oh! Now let's go to the newly opened White Swan Hotel." Han Zhijian said as he drove.

  "The White Swan Hotel is the first Sino-foreign joint venture hotel in China," said Fang Mian Nan. "It opened on February 6 this year, with a main building of 28 floors, 843 rooms and many restaurants." The first high-end hotel to open its doors to the public, it became a window for promoting reform and opening up, enhancing people's confidence in the country's future, and many national leaders have stayed here. And it was also one of the first five-star hotels, but Fang Mian Nan didn't say that, just thinking to himself.

  "You know this too." Liangzi asked as he sat in the passenger seat and turned around.

  "What's strange is what's reported in the newspaper," said Old Man Lin, with a look of surprise.

  All the way chatting and laughing, they soon arrived at the White Swan Hotel. After getting off the bus, Liangzi looked at the towering building, "One floor higher than the Yangcheng Hotel."

  They took the elevator directly to the 20th floor. Han Zhiqian picked up the key from the service desk and opened the door, letting everyone in.

  Yan Guangxing was puzzled in his heart, they actually lived in such a luxurious hotel, what's the origin of this, carefully looking at their clothes, behavior and demeanor, couldn't figure out where they came from!

  Yan Guangxing walked in the corridor, as a native of Yangcheng, he had mentally prepared for the behavior of guests from small towns in the north. Being intimidated by the high-end hotel, shrinking back and forth, curiously looking around. Among these people, the only ones that made him feel somewhat surprised were a little girl and an old man. He could sense from their eyes and demeanor that not only were they not intimidated by the hotel's luxury, but on the contrary, they seemed to have some disdain for the hotel's conditions, with a look of contempt.

  Han Zhiqian arranged for them to stay in a luxurious standard room, and had Liang Zi and Yan Guangxing take care of and guide Grandma and the others, while he led Fang Moxin directly upstairs to the 25th floor luxury suite.

  Yan Guangxing was even more surprised, because he found out that Han Shao not only treated the little girl extremely well, but also had a hint of trying to please her.

  Fang Mernan and they directly entered the room, luxury suite, Fang Mernan looked at the living room, dining room, bedroom, bathroom, one room two halls one toilet, designed very western simple and elegant, well-equipped, color TV, fan etc.

  Fang Mo Nan sat on the sofa, Han Zhi Qian poured two cups of tea and drank two mouthfuls. "This is much more comfortable. The hottest season of the year, running to this place is simply suffering."

  "No choice, only this time period." She shrugged her shoulders and said helplessly. For the sake of Xiaoyi and their future, she could only take advantage of this opportunity to deal with them two.

  "How does it feel after seeing the room?" Han Zhiqian asked expectantly, with a hint of pride in his eyes, waiting for some praise.

  "Generally speaking, what I designed is definitely better than this, although it was designed by the famous designer I.M. Pei," At that time, it was already considered top-notch, but still not as good as hers in terms of experience and vision.

  "Oh!" Han Zhiqian straightened his body, raised an eyebrow in curiosity, and was willing to listen.

  "It's all right, let's not talk about it now. We'll be here for over a week, and there will be time to clarify things for you." Fang Mo Nan stood up and walked towards the bedroom.

  "Hey! You don't even wash your face in this heat." Han Zhijian said.

  "No, and it's not hot." Fang Mo Nan was cultivating to advance her level, so her body temperature would automatically adjust, making her feel neither hot nor cold. "A Gui, have you contacted him?"

  "He doesn't contact me much, he must be very busy." Han Zhiqian said.

  "This is my latest design." Fang Mo Nan handed him the design drawings and he looked at them seriously.

  "'Southern South' is simply a money-killer for men." Han Zhiqian covered his wallet with a painful face, playing with Bao. "This is simply what makes women fascinated."

  "Hehe... That's good, otherwise what would we make?" Fang Mo Nan said with a smile.

  "From here, you can overlook the cityscape of Yangcheng and the beautiful scenery of the Pearl River, which is even more beautiful at night." Yan Guangxing introduced the facilities and usage of the room to Grandma and others, pulled open the curtains and pointed outside.

  "Wow... this is great." Fang Mo Bei took off his shoes and bounced around on the bed.

  "You all wash up a bit, we'll come back later." Liang Zi, Old Master and Yan Guangxing went out to let them rest for a while.

  Yan Guangxing took Lin Lao Yezi and Qi Qiu Shi to another room, also letting them wash up. He and Liang Zi went to find Han Zhiqian.

  Han Zhiqian heard the knock on the door, put away his drawings, got up to open the door, and saw Liangzi and others coming in. "What's going on? They've all been taken care of."

  "No, we were just sitting there doing nothing, so we came up." Yan Guangxing chuckled and walked in.

  "Come on in!" Han Zhiqian turned his head and saw that Fang Mennai was no longer on the sofa, then he heard the sound of running water.

  "I've never been in a luxury suite before, it's really too luxurious." Yan Guangxing sighed and asked, "Have you seen Liangzi?"

  "It's pretty good." Liang Zisi looked down and said, "A good meal is just three meals a day, sleep is just three feet. Besides, it's just a place to sleep." Liang Zisi's words choked off Yan Guangxing. Having seen Fang Mennai's abnormal way of making money, he was no longer very interested in these things.

  "Hey! That little girl, what's the story. Let Mr. Han take care of it himself." Yan Guangxing saw Han Zhiqian leave and asked Liangzi beside him.

  "Curiosity kills the cat, you'll know when the time comes." Liang Zi said calmly, sitting on the sofa with a hint of warning. What he was considering now was how to follow Fang Mo Nan and his group, this was a task that Da Yan Jie had entrusted to him, it seemed easy to complete, but Nan Nan was not an ordinary person.

  "Hmph! Who cares, I won't look it up myself." Yan Guangxing muttered.

  "Beware of killing yourself, this is my last advice to you. Remember." Liang Zisen's voice was cold and came from hell, his eyes were sharp and stared at him tightly.

  Yan Guangxing was stared at by his suddenly cold and piercing eyes, feeling uneasy, "Got it, we can't wait for you to say anything."

  Han Zhiqian came out after finishing the phone call and saw two people sitting in a stalemate, ignoring each other. "What's wrong..."

  "Let's go now! I'm hungry." Fang Mo Nan came out of the bedroom, wearing a short-sleeved shirt and shorts with floral patterns made by his mother, which was cool and absorbent.

  "Alright, let's go! I just reserved a seat." Han Zhijian said.

  They went downstairs to pick up Grandma and others, and took them to the Chinese restaurant on the third floor. The design is rich in Lingnan traditional features, eating authentic Yangcheng cuisine in their mouths.

  "Hmm... compared to other places we've lived, it's much more delicious." Xiaoyi said, "But still not as good as our hometown dishes."

  "That's right, people's taste habits are hard to change in a short time, that's the difference." Old Man Lin said.

  There was no rule that one could not speak while eating, and the meal was delicious. After dinner, Han Zhiqian took them to visit some famous places in the hotel.

  The design of the White Swan Hotel inherits the essence of traditional Chinese gardens and Lingnan garden designs, blending seamlessly with its elegant surroundings. The courtyard, centered around a waterfall, creates a unique Lingnan charm, exuding a sense of history and cultural connotation that is incorporated into the functional space of the building, leaving visitors in awe, truly worthy of being at the forefront of China's reform and opening-up.

  On the first day of arrival, everyone was a bit tired, after strolling for more than an hour, they returned to their rooms to rest.

  Han Zhiqian and others sent Fang Monan and his party to the room, and also opened a standard room for Liang Zi and Yan Guangxing. In the following days, they took Fang Monan and others to visit Yangcheng, while he had something to do, driving to the clothing branch factory in Yangcheng.

  Mr. Lin and Qi Qiu Shi's room.

  "Uncle Lin, what's the relationship between Han Zhiqian and our family, why is he so enthusiastic about hosting us?" Qi Qiushi asked curiously, pointing around.

  "He's a good friend of our family, but he's not around right now, so let him take care of it." Old Master Lin stood by the window, gazing out at the lights of the ten thousand homes and the quietly flowing Pearl River.

  "Uncle Lin, I think it's getting more and more impossible for me and Xiaoyan now." Qi Qiushi sat on the bed, dejectedly saying that his previous bit of confidence had been shattered. With his current salary, he couldn't even support himself, let alone a wife. Looking back at everything he had seen and heard along the way, there was no hope left.

  "You! Are you going to give up?" Old Master Lin asked, with a tone of disappointment and frustration.

  "Uncle Lin, I don't want to give up. At first, I thought you guys brought me here to have fun, and I was really happy about it. But now it seems like this is the last supper? Let me take a closer look at the reality gap between us." Qi Qiushi tried to calm down his emotions, "I don't want to give up, her name is already carved in my heart. Even if I can't be with Xiaoyan, I still wish her well." He confessed: "In the past, when I saw other colleagues being controlled by their wives, I would mock them for being incompetent. If it were me, I would definitely rebel against it. But now I understand that it's a happy smile, and now I'd rather be controlled by Xiaoyan too. But now even the opportunity is almost gone."

  "Stupid kid, how has Little Swallow been treating you these days?" Old Man Lin asked.

  "It's just that she was nice to me, I thought hope was slim, before she didn't treat me this well." Qi Qiushi said after thinking for a moment.

  "This is simply a gentle knife, cutting me with an uneasy heart."

  "You don't want to change the status quo." Old Master Lin looked at him with disdain, his words becoming more and more unpleasant.

  "Change the status quo, how to change!" Qi Qiu Shi looked at him with a bewildered expression and asked humbly.

  "Little boy, what do you think of Da Chengzi's feed factory and the Liang family's 'Home Happy' store?" Old Man Lin began to inspire him.

  "They're doing a good job, very brave and hardworking, willing to swallow their pride." He thought for a moment and said, "But what about me...", "Wait, old man, you mean I should also come out and do it. Let me think, let me think carefully."

  Mr. Lin lay on his bed, looking at him for half a day.

  "But I'm afraid! Who knows when this world will change again." Qi Qiushi thought for half a day and blurted out such a sentence.

  Mr. Lin heard this and said, "Don't worry, those chaotic times won't come again. You're now well-fed and warmly dressed, do you still want to live that kind of life?"

  "Most people's thoughts are simple: eat well, dress warmly, have money to go to school and no longer live a hard life." Qi Qiushi said resolutely.

  "Yes! I don't want to keep muddling along and falling behind the world." Old Master Lin sighed.

  "You're a technician at the provincial machinery factory!" Old Man Lin asked: "How's it going? What does your master think?"

  "Master Fu has evaluated me, saying that I'm willing to suffer, wanting to learn all kinds of skills, and not afraid of taking on too much." Qi Qiushi scratched his head in embarrassment, foolishly smiling: "Having many skills won't burden the body, I don't want to fall behind Xiao Yan by too much, I've even been secretly learning English!"

  "How's your study going?" Old Man Lin asked again.

  Although he didn't know why the old man asked him irrelevant questions, he honestly said: "I learned well, and Teacher Fu praised me for this." He raised his thumb.

  "It seems that there is motivation, and then there is progress. Xiaoyan is your source of motivation." Old Man Lin said with a smile.

  "Hehe..."

  "Alright, you follow the blueprint and do a good job when you get back." Old Master Lin handed him a stack of design drawings. He had drawn some simple ones first, but didn't know if they were any good - it had been over ten years since he last drew anything by hand.

  "The electric fan, but it seems to be a ceiling fan, why is there a lamp at the bottom? It looks good." Qi Qiu Shi said. Of course, with Lin Lao Ye's family background and academic origins, the drawings are naturally not a problem, as for the finished product, it's even more perfect.

  "Alright, go home and take a closer look. Go to sleep! We still have to go out tomorrow!" Old Man Lin turned off the light and went to sleep.

  They slept soundly till dawn, and on the second day, Yan Guangxing took them to have authentic Cantonese-style morning tea after breakfast.

  A city's old brand, carrying the memory of this city, is an indispensable element of historical context. When you reach the age where you like to reminisce, childhood impressions often condense into a century-old store.

  The entrance is very small, but inside it's packed to the brim. Fang Mornan and his group had reserved a table. Ordering dishes was naturally left to Yan Guangxing, this "local snake". This place is considered by locals as a "super old brand", also the top choice for having early tea.

  Datong egg tart, pig's trotter ginger vinegar egg, thin-skinned shrimp dumplings, E'jie powder fruit, golden onion oil cake, amber walnut flower branch cake, early tea steamed bun, fragrant yam roll. The dim sum is super delicious, the shrimp dumpling skin is crystal clear and has a bit of fat, the signature egg tart has a crispy outer crust and smooth egg filling, the fresh milk red bean cake tastes like bean paste when eaten.

  Yan Guangxing emphasized that Datong crispy chicken is the signature dish. The chicken is first placed in boiling white brine water until it's just cooked, then coated with maltose powder paste and dried before being deep-fried. The fried chicken is indeed extraordinary: crispy skin, tender meat, fragrant bones, crunchy yet smooth, fresh and aromatic. Adding snow-white shrimp pieces to the dish, along with the crimson-red fried chicken, creates a visually appealing contrast of red and white that whets the appetite.

  This place has hosted national leaders, Fang Mornan came over and took a rough look, mostly elderly people, and there is also a Quyi tea house, specifically for listening to Cantonese opera, with a strong Lingnan flavor.

  Unfortunately, some of these people, such as Fang Mo Nan, can't even understand Cantonese, let alone theater, so they just have to eat dim sum after meals.

  Fang Mo Nan and his group set out from Haizhu Bridge in high spirits, accompanied by Yan Guangxing and Liang Zi. They walked along Haizhu Square, the Municipal Government, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall, all the way to the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Monument, a distance of 12 kilometers. Along the way, they listened to Old Master Lin recounting what he saw.

  After strolling through Haizhu Square, Yan Guangxing took everyone to the Nanfang Department Store. As soon as they entered, Grandma and others were shocked by the dazzling array of goods. Fang Mo'nan and Liang Zi looked normal, Liang often came here, and she didn't need to be mentioned.

  Mr. Lin simply said to them: "Nanfang Department Store is the largest department store in our country, ranking first among the top 10 department stores nationwide. The store has more than 1,000 suppliers and operates over 29,500 types of goods. The underground shopping mall of Nanfang Department Store is characterized by its exquisite, branded, specialty, and scarce products, earning it the reputation as the "South China Fine Products Mall", which is the largest underground shopping mall in the country." "Go take a look at whatever you want to see, we'll gather at the entrance in two hours."

  Mr. Lin gave an order, and the group dispersed, wandering around on their own. Liang Zi and Fang Mo Nan, Yan Guang Xing walked together. They strolled around like walking horses looking at flowers for about an hour, then went out to find a place to sit down.

  Fang Mo Nan and they went out to find a flower bed, sat down, then Liang Zi bought three ice creams, eating while watching the passersby on the road. Yan Guang Xing saw an old acquaintance, walked over and greeted him. Suddenly, he saw a young man riding a bicycle, riding very fast towards a young and fashionable woman, grabbing her bag, and pulling the woman to the ground along with it.

  Things happened extremely quickly, the woman came to her senses and stood up swiftly, running while shouting: "Robbery! Robbery!" Unfortunately, the person had already ridden far away, leading the public security over.

  "Wow... daylight robbery!" Fang Mo Nan clicked his tongue and frowned, saying: "Has the robbery here in Liangzi become so serious?"

  "Hmm! On the train, it's even worse. There are more thieves than passengers. In my carriage, one person was visited by different thieves three times in one night." Liang Zimiao said expressionlessly, if he hadn't met her, he and Skinny Monkey might have also started doing this.

  "Nan Nan, where are you guys going next?" asked Liang Zi.

  "Let's go to Beijing, it's the capital, we have to take a look." Fang Mo Nan said.

  "Alright, I'll accompany you then. Protect you on the way." Liangzi feared she would refuse and added: "Look at your group, old and young, Qiuchu is indeed a man, but he's a refined person. Not as capable as me in dealing with matters."

  "You can follow if you want to, but don't belittle others like that." Fang Mo Nan said with a smile. Suddenly she remembered something and her expression turned serious. "Liang Zi, have you been in contact with the people from before during this period of time?"

  "No, you often mention it, I stopped associating with them long ago. Who would want to take the old road if they can live a decent life?" said Liangzi.

  "What about those fat guys?" She looked at him seriously.

  "This shouldn't be, right?!" Liang Zi replied uncertainly, being ambiguous.

  "Liang Zi, get in touch with Pang Zi and Shou Hou immediately, and never associate with those people from before again. The consequences will be severe." Fang Mo Nan said seriously.

  "Uh-huh!" Liang Zi looked at the serious little face, "Got it, I'll contact you when I get back to the hotel."

  "That's good, must not forget." Fang Mo Nan reminded again.

  Yan Guangxing heard the shouting and hurried over, seeing them sitting honestly on the flower bed, he let out a sigh of relief and no longer dared to slack off.

  In the Southern Department Store, among the crowd of people shopping, Qiuzi saw a small household appliance running up to check the price, especially the electric fan and ceiling fan. The prices were not mentioned first, but the quality was very uniform and not as good-looking as the one in his hand.

  Mr. Lin watched him busily inquiring, comparing and nodding secretly, the child is teachable!

  Liang Zi returned to the hotel and called Da Yan Jie, asking him to bring Shou Hou and Pang Zi over. Half an hour later, he made another call. When the phone was answered again, Shou Hou picked it up, and Liang Zi asked if they were still in contact with their old associates.

  The thin monkey didn't respond, but the fat guy did because of his brotherly loyalty and good life. He had lent them money to help in times of need. Liangzi scolded the fat guy severely over the phone, and the fat guy promised not to contact him again.

  The next day they went to Yuexiu Park, climbed up the Wooden Pagoda Hill, and saw the Five Rams Sculpture, a poetic and picturesque work of art that serves as the city emblem of Guangzhou. Since its completion, the sculpture has been regarded as the symbol of Guangzhou.

  Fangmennan and his friends took cameras to bid on some old streets, Xiguan was built at the end of the Ming Dynasty, with thirteen industries. The typical traditional buildings such as the West Gate Mansion and the Bamboo Tube House were born here. The ancient mansion in Xiguan is a large residence built by the wealthy merchants in the past. These houses are tall and bright, with halls and gardens combined, and decorated beautifully.

  The exterior of the old mansion in Xiguan has a short-legged double door, a threshold gate in the middle, and a large gate inside, all made of high-grade hardwood. The interior decoration is very particular, with furnishings including furniture, lamps, scrolls, couplets, books, antiques, paintings, flower vases, potted plants, bird cages, dressing tables and various artworks and redwood furniture, exquisite wooden carvings, rich local characteristics of Manchu windows and sill windows and their unique layout forms, with a strong Lingnan flavor.

  The old alleys, sunlight filtering through the leaves spattered on the bluestone, a lazy atmosphere revealed in the quietness. On a summer afternoon, the green tiles and gray walls of the classical buildings, with the sedimentation of historical vicissitudes. With the urbanization process, I don't know how much can be preserved, so I hurriedly took pictures while it's still possible.