Chapter 64: The Cub Shakes Its Fur
The business of Huanqu Amusement Park has been getting worse and worse recently. The owner Tian Bushong sees it and is worried.
He knew the reason. Another amusement park suddenly emerged in the small city of Jinan and became popular locally and even nationwide. How could he not know this?
Having run an amusement park in Jinan for more than ten to twenty years, Tian Buzhong thought that this amusement park that suddenly became popular was just an Internet celebrity amusement park that spent money to buy traffic promoters on the Internet. It was just a way to make money by defrauding outsiders and its true colors would be exposed soon. Besides, how could he not know what the prototype of that amusement park was?
Twenty years ago, an old woman suddenly settled down in this area with her grandson. She bought a palm-sized plot of land and built a children's amusement park, but it soon went bankrupt. The current owner is her grandson, so how could he possibly know their family's financial situation? They were so broke, how could they have financed such high-tech ventures? Perhaps they resorted to fraudulent practices to hype up the park and then sell it for a high price.
But his arrogant idea was soon slapped in the face by reality. Can a hyped internet celebrity entertainment project really receive so many positive reviews?
It wasn't until he discovered that many locals had taken the bus specifically to visit the Fantasy Park that Tanbukaka could no longer sit still.
A popular theme park, marketed as an internet sensation, can fool uninformed outsiders, but it can't fool locals who know the park well. Xinghu District, where Fantasy Park is located, is quite far from Mudan District, where Fun Amusement Park is located; a taxi ride takes over an hour. The fact that more and more Mudan District residents are specifically driving to Xinghu District for fun proves that Fantasy Park is indeed quite successful.
Tan Buzhong watched many videos about Fantasy Park on the Internet, and the more he watched, the more restless he became.
Jinan City is so small, its consumer population is so limited, and tourists have limited time. If the Fantasy Park attracts all the local tourists, who will come to visit his fun amusement park?
After much thought, Tan Buzhong decided that he couldn't just sit there and wait for death. After all, Mudan District had replaced the old city as the city center of Jinan City several years ago. The residents here had strong spending power and enthusiasm, and his amusement park had a deeper foundation than the Fantasy Park. As long as he was willing to put in the effort, there was no reason why tourists would leave the Fun Amusement Park at their doorstep and go to the Fantasy Park so far away.
So in time for the Chinese Valentine's Day, Tanbuchu planned a series of activities and launched ticket discounts, which really attracted a large number of customers. Ticket sales were two to three thousand higher than usual, but that was all. On the Saturday and Sunday after the Chinese Valentine's Day, the Fun Amusement Park not only lost the popularity that matched the discount activities, but even dropped compared to previous holidays.
He checked and found out that Fantasy Park also launched new activities on the Chinese Valentine's Day.
"This fantasy park must be deliberately challenging me!" Tian Buzhong didn't know that he had guessed the truth by accident. Suddenly, he had a strong opponent, which made the Fun Amusement Park lose its arrogance as the only amusement park in the city. It also began to work hard to update services and launch activities to retain tourists.
But only after really starting to compete with Fantasy Paradise did Tanaka know what despair was.
Why? Why does Wonderland launch new attractions every few days?
Why? Why are the new attractions launched by Fantasy Park so tempting!
In comparison, the activities of giving out balloons and stuffed toys to children at the Fun Amusement Park are simply like fooling children.
The number of tickets sold at the amusement park is getting lower and lower day by day. Tan Buzhong checked the ticket sales of the amusement park today and found that after one morning, the number of tickets sold was not even half of the normal number. He felt even gloomier because today is Saturday!
Did he really lose? Lost to a young man in his twenties?
Tian Buzhong walked in the somewhat deserted amusement park and found that there was no one queuing for popular mechanical attractions such as the Ferris wheel, the big turntable, and the roller coaster. There was also a child holding his parents' hands next to him, and the noisy sound hurt Tian Buzhong's heart.
"I don't want to be here. This isn't the paradise my classmates talked about. I want to go to the one with the elves..."
Watching the naughty child pulling his parents out of the playground, Tan Buzhong drove away from Mudan District with a sullen face.
He wanted to go to Fantasy Park to see with his own eyes what exactly was wrong with his own amusement park.
Who knew that the traffic in Jinan City would be so congested today!
While stuck in traffic, he opened the window to get some fresh air and saw two people chatting in a car parked side by side in front of him with their windows open.
Left car: "It's been very congested lately!"
Youche: "Yeah, there are more locals traveling, and more people coming from other places. If the traffic jam continues like this, we'll have to dig a tunnel and build a subway."
Zuoche: "Hahaha, if they build a subway, then Fantasyland will definitely be the terminal!"
At this moment, the car in the lane to his left also opened its window, and a passenger said to him, "Hey, are you going to Wonderland too?"
Tanaka rolled up the car window irritably.
The traffic jam was really bad today. The journey that usually took me more than an hour to complete took me almost three hours today. By the time we arrived at Xinghu District, it was already three o'clock in the afternoon.
Tanbuchu followed the traffic forward and noticed the city government had erected a sign specifically for Fantasy Park. It was so tall and large, hanging on the roadside, that it only made him even more annoyed. His amusement park had been open for two years when the city government finally put up a sign. How long had Fantasy Park been open? Only two months?
To make matters worse, there was no parking lot at the Fantasy Park. He drove around for a long time before finding a corner to park his car. After getting off the car and going to the Fantasy Park, he still had to walk more than a thousand meters.
Tanbuchi was comparing Fantasy Park with his own amusement park all the way. He saw that the entrance of Fantasy Park was very small and it did not have the grandeur of Fun Park at all.
After buying the ticket and entering, I looked at the guide map near the entrance for a while and found that this park only has 50 acres of land!
"This is too small, not even a quarter of the size of my amusement park back home!" Tan Buzhong was secretly delighted. He had thought that the fantasy park tour projects circulating on the Internet were only the most distinctive and popular ones. Only when he got here did he realize that there were only those few!
How many tourists can such a small place accommodate in a day?
I don't feel happy when I don't work in the field.
Seeing a gray-haired old man smiling at the guide sign, the tour guide walked over and said, "Hello, old man. I see this is your first time here. I suggest you go first..."
The tour guide was scolded before she could finish her words.
Tanaka shouted, "I'm only forty years old!"
The tour guide took a look at the white hair on his temples and the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes, and said with a very friendly smile: "So that's how it is. Sorry, I'm a little nearsighted and didn't look carefully just now."
Tanbuchu has been running the amusement park for so many years, he doesn't need anyone to tell him how to visit.
He stepped out, but was surprised to find that there were long queues for every attraction here. The long queues in the abandoned park even extended outside the park. He walked past these people and even heard them excitedly shouting that they were lucky enough to get tickets for the attraction today!
Tanbukaka was shocked. Tickets to the amusement park actually had to be... snatched?
If there weren't a few familiar faces among them, Tanaka would even suspect that these people were shills hired by Paradise.
Fearing that these people would recognize him, Tian Buzhong half covered his face and hurried away.
He went to the viewing corridor, where there was no line, but was frightened by a monster that suddenly appeared, so frightened that he fell to his knees and fled in dismay amid the laughter of the surrounding tourists. He went to the Purple Lake and discovered that the pink and purple lake and sky were real! They were not filters. He went to the Dwarf Restaurant and tried the limited-edition stew that cost 100 yuan a small bowl. Besides being indescribably delicious, a warm feeling flowed into his stomach.
Tan Buzhong had many health problems due to overwork in his early years, including stomach problems for many years. He always had to endure the discomfort while eating. Now, this small bowl of stew finally made him feel the warmth and happiness of eating.
As a result, he finally willingly admitted that he had lost. All his years of hard work were washed away on the beach by the next wave.
"Old man, why are you crying? Is there something wrong with our restaurant?"
A soft voice suddenly sounded, and Tian Buzhong realized that his face was covered with water. He raised his head. Although he had seen it before, he was still shocked to see a furry face speaking human language again.
He rubbed his face and said, "Nothing, my eyes are stung."
In fact, he hadn't ordered any spicy food at all. Before he could realize how lame this excuse was, the dwarf waiter in front of him once again diverted his attention, "Old man, would you like to go to the hot springs later?"
Tanaka nodded. He hadn't yet finished exploring all of Fantasyland, so of course he wanted to check out the hot springs, too.
The dwarf waiter said, "My child works at the bath center, but he's a bit clumsy and hasn't made any sales yet. If you go there, could you please order him? He's number 213."
Tanaka agreed.
He paid 500 yuan to enter the hot springs and booked room 213 at the bathing center. He expected a staff member in a leather jacket, but when he arrived, he saw a cat that barely reached his knees! No, that wasn't right; cats don't have tails that short, and their ears didn't look like that either.
No. 213, with gray fur and four black paws, was obviously very excited. It kept jumping around Tianbuzhong. After arriving at the bathroom, it jumped up high again, then bumped with its round butt to turn on the hot water. Then it jumped onto the pedal and pedaled hard several times. When it reached a similar height, it put on a bath towel and started to work.
Tan Buzhong had never kept a cat, but he mistook this little thing for a cat. Seeing it crawl under the water, he quickly turned off the hot water.
The little thing raised its head and looked at him curiously, "Woo yo woo yo..." It called out twice, and suddenly lowered its head, with a vivid expression of loss in its eyes.
——It’s a bit stupid and hasn’t produced any results so far.
Tanaka suddenly remembered what the waiter said, and looking at the little thing in front of him, he knew in his heart that his own amusement park could never compare to the Fantasy Park.
If Fantasy Park's technology was just a little better than his, then Tian Buzhong would still have the drive to catch up and be jealous, but Fantasy Park's technology was so realistic that it had left him far behind. Tian Buzhong no longer had the slightest desire to compare, and was left with only a slight regret.
It would be great if he were twenty years younger, but although he is not old now, he no longer has the good health to go out and explore the world.
Thinking of this, Tanaka felt a surge of sympathy for the "little animal" before him. He tentatively rubbed it and was surprised to find its fur was incredibly smooth and soft, warm and thick to the touch. He couldn't help but wonder, even with holographic technology, could it really achieve this? Could the director have captured some small animal specifically to train it?
But then I thought, if small animals can be trained, what about those monsters in the viewing corridor? Are they real things?
The doubts in his heart were soothed, and Tanaka said, "You are covered with hair. It must be difficult to dry it after it gets wet!" He has never raised a cat, but these furry little creatures should all be the same!
After understanding his words, the lost cub in front of him became excited again. It called out a few times, jumped to the switch and turned on the hot water. Before Tian Buzhong could stop it, it walked back and forth in the water twice with its four furry little paws, taking brisk steps and holding its head high.
The water rushed through it, but it flowed away like an umbrella, leaving only tiny water droplets stuck on the soft fur. The cub raised its head and shook it hard in front of Tian Buzhong, and the water droplets splashed everywhere. It was a clean and refreshed cub again.
We, the dwarf elves, are born with extraordinary powers. We are not affected by water or dust. We are a strange race that lives in clean caves underground!
"Wow!" The cub curved its eyes and proudly called out to the guest in front of it who looked down on it.
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