The car wobbled as it drove towards the suburbs of Hudong. As the car drove on, the three people's hearts calmed down from the impact of the bustling Huxi.
On the east side of Hudong, things are not as exaggerated as on the other side of the river. Some places even look not much different from their countryside.
The Huangpu River separates two worlds. The west of Shanghai is the real Roman city, while the east of Shanghai is the poor country relative in the eyes of the Romans. Of course, for outsiders from the countryside, they are probably also country bumpkins in the eyes of the people in the east of Shanghai.
The bus finally arrived at the terminal, and it was almost 6 o'clock. Fortunately, the weather was getting warmer, otherwise it would have been pitch black at this time.
Before getting off the car, Lin Guoqing handed the driver a cigarette and asked him about the situation of Guhua Breeding Chicken Farm and the surrounding guesthouses before taking the two of them out of the car.
"Let's go. There's a guesthouse over here. It used to be a guesthouse for educated youth, but now it's open to outsiders. It doesn't matter what unit you work for, as long as you have a letter of introduction. Just follow this road east for another five or six hundred meters and you'll arrive."
The guesthouse was actually a large farmyard. Lin Guoqing presented his letter of introduction, and the staff member took a piece of paper and looked at the three of them several times before asking how they wanted to stay.
A large bunk bed costs 60 cents per person, a quadruple room costs one dollar per person, a double room costs two dollars per person, and the most luxurious single suite costs five dollars per person.
Chen Chunhua looked at the yard and couldn't understand how luxurious the luxury single suite had to be to be worth five dollars when there were only bungalows in the row behind it.
When Lin Guoqing was alone, he usually shared a dormitory, but that wasn't going to work today. He first asked Liu Ni if a four-person room would be okay. Then he and Shen Chunhua would sleep on the lower bunk, while Liu Ni would sleep on the upper bunk.
Liu Ni had no objection. It was just a one-night stand, so they would definitely try to save as much as possible. In fact, if she asked her, a large bunk bed would be fine! Even a large bunk bed would require three shengjian (stuffed dumplings)!
The staff said no.
"If it's a four-person room, men and women must be separated and cannot live together." He then glanced at Chen Chunhua and Liu Ni.
"What's the relationship between you three?"
Lin Guoqing: "This is my wife, and this is my niece."
"Did you bring your marriage certificate?"
"I brought it." Lin Guoqing said as he took out his ID from his bag. He brought all the ID he could, just in case.
"Then you two can live in one room, but your niece definitely can't live with you!" The staff member's attitude improved a little after seeing the marriage certificate, but he still frowned.
"A four-person room has four beds. You three can move in. There's one extra bed left. If someone comes, should I let a woman in or a man in?"
"There's a farm next to us, and there are a lot of people staying here! I can't give you a bed for free, can I?"
"Either you two can get a double room, and the girl can go to a quadruple room. Or you two girls can take a quadruple room, and you can take the other one."
It was so complicated that Chen Chunhua felt her head was spinning in circles, but she still grasped the most important point.
"We definitely can't leave Liuni alone. She has to follow me." Chen Chunhua turned and said to Lin Guoqing. It didn't make sense to let a 14-year-old girl stay in the same room with a stranger.
Lin Guoqing felt that when they were out, Chen Chunhua and Liu Ni should not stay in the same room with strangers.
"Then they can have a double room, and I can have a dormitory room."
"Okay," the staff confirmed the room they were going to stay in and started to do the routine registration consultation with a pen.
"Is there anyone with dangerous items like detonators and explosives?"
"No."
"Anyone with pornographic pictures or books?"
"……No."
…
"Four dollars and sixty cents a night."
Before Liu Ni could react, she had spent 10 more dumplings to pay for her accommodation tonight. She felt heartbroken, but she didn't dare to object.
When you go out, you must do whatever your uncle and aunt say. They must have their reasons for doing so, so just follow them.
The staff quickly opened the bill, found two keys, walked out of the counter and took them to the room, and introduced the environment to them.
"Eat in the big cafeteria on the left. The prices are clearly marked. It's late now, so there might not be much left."
"The one on the right is the bathhouse. It's 30 cents a visit, no tickets required, but you can't wash clothes there! You need to go to the washroom. That's where you brush your teeth and wash your face. The washroom is right next to the toilet. Oh, and the toilet is right in front of the bathhouse."
"Wash up early in the morning, otherwise you won't have breakfast by the time it's your turn."
"There's a kettle in the double room, and hot water is available at the bathroom entrance. Dormitory beds don't have a kettle, so you can borrow one at the counter if you need one."
"You can also come to the front desk if you want to make a phone call. It's five cents a time."
…
The door to the double room opened, revealing white and green walls. Inside the small room were two single beds, each covered with sheets and complete with pillows and quilts. Above the beds was a window, and opposite them were two black armchairs. In the middle sat a small black coffee table with a thermos on it.
There is a low sideboard and a tall wardrobe on the left side of the door, but other than that, there is nothing else.
"You are not allowed to move the furniture and facilities in the room, you are not allowed to live with others, and you are not allowed to drink in the room..."
While she was still rambling on about the rules of the house, Lin Guoqing stuck his head in to take a look, then nodded, "Very good, then you guys tidy up first, I'll go check on my side and come back later."
Compared to the dormitory, this was simply heaven, but he did not intend to let them go with him to visit the dormitory. Instead, he handed his bag to Chen Chunhua.
"Leave the bag here with you."
After seeing this, the staff member added, "Please keep your valuables safe. We are not responsible for any loss."
After Lin Guoqing secured his bed, he took a look around the cafeteria. Indeed, there was nothing left. The chefs and aunties inside had already started washing and scrubbing.
He came back to ask Chen Chunhua and the others if they were hungry. If they were, he would go out to see if there was anything to eat.
Chen Chunhua shook her head. Putting the price aside, a bowl of rice and four shengjian (stir-fried dumplings) was a steal. And considering it had only been over three hours, she wasn't hungry at all.
Liu Ni's mind was full of how much money she had spent today and how many shengjian she could buy. After calculating it this way, she felt full.
Lin Guoqing also thought it was okay, so he decided not to go out.
"Then go to bed early today. You've been out since early this morning and are all sweaty. You should take a shower. Don't save that money. You'll be cleaner when you talk to people tomorrow."
Chen Chunhua quickly took out Lin Guoqing's spare clothes and handed them over.
"You too. If you don't like sleeping in that bunk bed, just ask the front desk to change it. At most, you can pay a little more. Don't save that money."
"It's okay. I'm used to it. I can sleep anywhere."
"Remember to lock the door before you go to sleep."
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