Chapter 167
But the long train ride was still very tiring. When they finally arrived at the destination, Xia Qingtang and Xie Xiaoshuang's faces were full of sleepiness. Only Xie Jinxuan was still energetic.
He carried three people's luggage by himself, yet was still able to walk briskly, and he could also take care of the two of them with his quick eyes and hands.
Fortunately, Xie Jinxuan also came along. If it were just Xia Qingtang and Xie Xiaoshuang, it wouldn't be so convenient.
Xie Xiaoshuang whispered, "Qingtang, I'm really sorry for making you follow me here and suffer. Also, Comrade Xie has worked hard too. He's the one who's been running around all the way. I'm really embarrassed."
"How can this be considered hardship? I just don't have much air to breathe after staying on the train for a long time. When we get out of the station later, we will find a guesthouse to stay in, then take a good shower, change clothes, and we will be alive again." Xia Qingtang yawned, "If you have a good sleep tonight, you will be very energetic. As for Xie Jinxuan, he is full of energy. He runs around like he is doing exercise. You don't have to worry about him. Besides, we are friends, and I am also very happy that I can follow you out to see the world here."
Xie Xiaoshuang smiled and said, "Qingtang, I won't say thank you so much. In the future... I will definitely repay you."
"Okay, when you become rich, you must treat me well." Xia Qingtang also laughed.
There are actually a lot of people here. Many people who couldn't find a job after returning to the city have heard different news here, so they want to come here to take a look. If it is really as others say, then they can find a way to make a living here.
Everyone had the same thoughts and aspirations, as well as some confusion and fear. They slowly got off the train in the morning sunshine.
The three of them followed those people out of the train station and saw the bustling crowd outside and buildings that looked like a small county town.
This was originally a newly built area in the countryside. Although the train station was built a long time ago, the surrounding buildings are still mostly low.
But this place was filled with a different kind of vitality; Xia Qingtang even felt as if he had returned to the 1990s.
“Hot steamed buns! Hot steamed buns!”
"Oil cake! Oil cake!"
“Noodle wontons!”
"Mellow seeds, peanuts, and walnuts, take a look and see!"
…
Looking ahead, both sides of the road were filled with the sounds of hawking. Countless vendors had set up carts, selling all kinds of food, and you could smell all kinds of aromas.
There are two small tables next to it, where people can sit down and have a meal on the roadside at any time.
Although it was already past breakfast time, people who had just got off the train were still very tired and tempted by the hot food.
Xie Xiaoshuang whispered, "Qingtang, look, people here can sell things on the street... and even eat on the side of the road... Oh my god, I can't even imagine it..."
"Yeah, it's really different from where we are." Xia Qingtang watched all this with great interest, then said with a smile: "There are also clothes and shoes for sale over there, look over there."
After passing the snack stand, walk a little further and you will see a stall selling clothes and shoes. They spread a very wide oilcloth on the ground and then put colorful clothes on it. Then they will loudly call out to passers-by to come over and have a look.
"Yes, I heard from my colleague's wife. He said that you don't need cloth coupons here. As long as you have money, you can buy clothes." Xie Xiaoshuang looked very tired when she just got off the train, but now seeing this lively scene, she suddenly seemed to come alive, her two big eyes were sparkling.
Xia Qingtang said: "If we don't need the cloth coupons, then are the clothes coming from the other side?"
"Yes, he said they were all shipped from Hong Kong, and the styles are different from what we wear. My colleague's wife also brought back a new coat, which looks very nice, but she didn't dare to wear it out."
“But they dare to wear it here.” Xie Jinxuan said: “Most people here dress differently from us.”
"Indeed, look at the wonton seller, his pants..." Xia Qingtang said.
The wonton seller was probably under 30 years old, a spirited young man of medium height. He was tanned, and wore a common grey coat on his upper body and a pair of jeans which were only started to be worn later. Xia Qingtang remembered that her cousin liked to wear jeans very much at that time, but she was a little uncomfortable with them because they were stiff and tight, making them inconvenient to wear while working.
But now seeing that the people setting up stalls were also wearing comfortable clothes, Xia Qingtang was also tempted.
"Let's go forward, look around as we walk, and then buy something to try." Xia Qingtang said with a smile.
"Okay, I'll ask about the location of the guesthouse when I go shopping." Xie Jinxuan said, and walked ahead.
Xia Qingtang and Xie Xiaoshuang walked behind him arm in arm. Xia Qingtang looked at the bustling snack stalls and bought a few hot buns.
These are all vegetarian fillings, some with cabbage and vermicelli, some with green vegetables and mushrooms, and some with shredded kelp. Xia Qingtang also bought two, then stood next to the stall and ate with Xie Jinxuan, Xie Xiaoshuang and others.
The buns tasted pretty good, but were slightly inferior to the ones in their compound cafeteria.
But you don’t need food coupons to buy buns here, you can buy them with just money. This is really a good place for people like Xia Qingtang who have a lot of savings.
She brought a lot of money with her this time. Not only did she bring 300 yuan for emergencies at home, she also asked her grandmother for 300 yuan. This is almost equivalent to the total salary of an ordinary worker for nearly two years. It was like she brought a huge sum of money with her.
Because she had an idea. In addition to helping Xie Xiaoshuang find a place to stay here, Xia Qingtang also wanted to give it a try. Maybe she could find business opportunities here and start doing business this year.
After all, everything is developing rapidly, and Xia Qingtang can only make preparations in advance. If she really sees a business opportunity, she can immediately come up with the money.
Xie Jinxuan chatted briefly with the stall owner and asked where the guesthouse was located.
The stall owners were a young couple who looked to be under 30 years old. The female stall owner smiled and said, "You came too late. I'm afraid there's no room in the guesthouse nearby. After the Chinese New Year, many people heard that they could make a living here, so they took the train here. The guesthouse near the train station was already full. If you still want to stay, you have to walk a few miles over there. There's a larger guesthouse over there, run by some organization. The conditions are good, but the price is a bit more expensive."
Xie Jinxuan thanked him, and Xia Qingtang asked, "Comrade, can you really make a living here? Can it be done by both men and women?"
"Of course, you just got here, so you don't know yet. There are several factories over there, such as garment factories, instrument factories, chemical factories... I can't remember them all clearly. The wages in the factories here are much higher than those in the places you come from, but it's also tiring. I heard that the factories here work in two shifts, one shift is twelve hours, and two meals are provided during working hours. They also provide dormitories, eight people in a room, with bathrooms and cafeterias, which is quite convenient. It's just tiring. I have a cousin who works in the chemical factory over there. After work, he doesn't want to do anything. He just wants to fall asleep. After waking up, he takes a shower and washes clothes, and then goes to work again." The female stall owner was a very enthusiastic and talkative person, so she told them in detail.
Xia Qingtang said: "That's really tiring. How can people bear it if it goes on like this?"
"You have to endure it even if you can't bear it. They pay you high wages. Young people should not be afraid of hardship. Haven't you had enough of the big pot meals in the past? Besides, my cousin can't find a job at home, so he can only come here to try? Looking at your appearance, I'm afraid you can't find a job after returning to the city from the countryside, right? Then you came to the right place. Either you go to work in the factory, or you do some small business like us. My husband and I can make some pasta, so we come here to sell buns and steamed buns. There are many people at the railway station at this time, so we sell here. After a while, when there are fewer people here, we will sell in the commercial street over there, where there are also many people. Whether it's selling buns and steamed buns or working in a factory, do you want to make money without getting tired? Then you can only go home and wait for some relatives at home to retire and give you a position, then you can make a living in the factory." The female stall owner said it very directly.
"What is the commercial street used for?" Xie Xiaoshuang asked.
"You've definitely never heard of it or seen it before. It's full of people selling things. All the good stuff shipped from the port city is being wholesaled there. If you're interested, you can go over and take a look. Hey, what's the relationship between you three?"
Xia Qingtang said: "This is my lover, and this is my lover's cousin."
Because Xie Xiaoshuang and Xie Jinxuan happen to have the same surname, they call each other cousins when they go out, which is more convenient.
"Oh, you are a family, so you can get together and think about starting a small business. The main thing is, give the business a try first. If the business really doesn't work out, it doesn't matter, you can just go to work in a factory and earn a salary." After the female stall owner said this, other people came to buy buns, so she went back to work.
Xia Qingtang and the others finished their buns, drank the hot water in their thermos cups, then stood up and continued walking.
When they walked to the clothing section, they saw all kinds of strange clothes. Xia Qingtang was familiar with these styles because in a few years, people on the street would be wearing them. But to Xie Jinxuan and Xie Xiaoshuang, these clothes seemed too advanced, so they both looked very surprised.
Xia Qingtang also asked about the price of a jacket. The young female stall owner quoted a price, and Xia Qingtang directly cut it by two-thirds.
The other person laughed and said, "Hey, little girl, I saw you just got off the train. I didn't expect you to be good at bargaining. If you bargain like this, I will lose money on this dress."
"Bargaining is normal. If you feel you're losing money, just don't sell it," said Xia Qingtang.
"Oh, I didn't say I won't sell it to you. I see you look so energetic. You will look good in this jacket. Come on, try it on first. If it looks good on you, we can talk about the price." The female stall owner picked up the light blue jacket and wanted Xia Qingtang to try it on.
Xia Qingtang smiled and said, "We still have to find a guesthouse. Let's put down our luggage later. Otherwise, it will be inconvenient to go there with all the dirt on our bodies."
The female stall owner waved her hands and said, "You are making fun of me. If you don't want to buy anything, leave now!"
Xie Jinxuan frowned slightly, and Xia Qingtang hurriedly pulled him forward. After they walked a short distance, Xia Qingtang smiled and said, "We are new here, so let's not cause trouble. Let's find a guesthouse to stay in first. I really want to take a shower."
Xie Xiaoshuang said: "Qingtang, that dress looks pretty good. If you like it, I'll buy it for you. Don't think it's expensive, I have money on me."
Xia Qingtang smiled: "Hey, I'm really just asking for fun. I've seen those clothes, they're all second-hand. Even if I pay the price, it's still too expensive."
Others didn't know, so how could she not know? She had heard about this from her cousin's husband's business friends before. Clothes like this were second-hand clothes brought from the port city, sold by the pound, and were not worth anything at all.
The commercial street that the female stall owner just mentioned probably sells this kind of clothes wholesale.
These people wholesale clothes and sell them at the train station. They are obviously targeting the newcomers who have just arrived. Because they don't know the tricks here, they can get a good price.
"Second-hand? What do you mean? Those clothes have been worn by other people? Selling old clothes?" Xie Xiaoshuang was a little surprised.
In her twenty-plus years of life, she had never heard of anywhere selling used clothes.
"Yes, you can tell at first glance that they are second-hand clothes shipped from there. That's why you see so many clothes and pants on their stalls, but the colors and styles are all different. There are almost no repeated styles, because these are all worn by others and then recycled." Xia Qingtang is quite knowledgeable about these things.
Xie Xiaoshuang said: "But, the clothes on her stall look quite new. Why doesn't she want such new clothes?"
"Haven't you heard from your colleague's wife? Hong Kong is different from us, that is... they live a wealthy life, so their clothes won't be patched, and they won't wear the same clothes for ten or twenty years. They pay attention to fashion and beauty, and if they don't like the clothes they bought this year next year, they can just get rid of them." Xia Qingtang said: "I heard someone say that these collected clothes may not have been bought, but may be the discarded clothes of wealthy people, and then they are picked up, cleaned and shipped here to sell for money."
"Ah... there is such a thing? I really haven't heard her husband say that... maybe her husband doesn't know much about it. Because her husband is working most of the time, he probably doesn't pay much attention to these things." Xie Xiaoshuang said: "Qingtang, who did you hear that from? This person knows a lot."
"I heard it from people in the factory. You know, there are foreigners in our factory. They have all been to Hong Kong City. Assistant Yan can talk about them when he chats with them." Xia Qingtang said with a smile.
This was not a lie, because the foreigners in their factory had indeed been to Hong Kong City and were relatively familiar with the place. However, Xia Qingtang was not sure whether they had discussed such details with Yan Jianshun.
They walked slowly forward and passed by two guesthouses. Xie Jinxuan went in and asked, and found that they were indeed full.
In this vibrant place, many brave young people come here to try their luck, so after the Chinese New Year, there is indeed a sudden increase in the number of people here.
"It seems we can only move forward." Xie Jinxuan said, "Do you two still have enough energy?"
Before Xie Xiaoshuang and Xia Qingtang could say anything, they saw a tricycle parked over there riding quickly. The guy on the tricycle called out loudly, "Comrade, are you tired from walking? Do you want to take a ride?"
"Take a car?" Xie Xiaoshuang was stunned again.
Xia Qingtang knew that there must be a lot of people like this doing rickshaw business near the train station. She thought there were no such people here because she didn't see them just now. Unexpectedly, she saw them when she walked over here.
She smiled and said, "We want to go to a guesthouse that has rooms. Do you know where it is?"
"I know. It's over there, about three or four miles ahead. There are rooms in that big guesthouse. But if you walk there, it will be too tiring. You just got off the train and it must be tiring. Just take my car." The young man had a round face and looked very strong.
"Are you going to send us to the guesthouse?" Xie Xiaoshuang was surprised. "Why are you so nice?"
After saying this, the young man laughed first: "Comrade, you have never been out of the house. This is not good for me. I am doing business. I have to charge you for the three of you plus the luggage."
Xie Xiaoshuang blushed: "I thought... I didn't expect..."
Xia Qingtang smiled and said, "It's okay, don't mind it. You really haven't been away from home for a long time. It's really hard for you to react to something like this for the first time. You will know next time. Everything starts from not knowing to knowing."
Xia Qingtang's words were gentle and steady, and Xie Xiaoshuang stopped blushing immediately. She smiled and said, "Yes, I found out later. Then comrade, how do you take the money? Let me tell you, although I have never been far away, my cousin and sister-in-law have been to many big cities. If you cheat them, they will find out."
The young man laughed and said, "I don't cheat people. I ride my bike here every day. If I cheat people, they will come to me the next day to settle the score. What should I do?"
After they agreed on the price, the three of them got into the back of the tricycle, and then the young man started pedaling.
All three of them were quite thin, but because there were so many people, the young man didn't pedal very fast, and they could just see everything along the way.
The young man was also very enthusiastic. Occasionally, when he rode to a landmark place, he would stop for a few seconds and introduce it to them loudly.
It can be seen that although there are no decent buildings here for the time being, everything is thriving and many buildings can be seen under construction.
From this perspective, skilled workers like bricklayers and carpenters should be able to find jobs quickly.
Even if you don't know these skills, as long as you are willing to work hard, you can probably work as a laborer in a house construction site.
Xia Qingtang observed all of this slowly, and then whispered some of his thoughts to Xie Xiaoshuang.
Xie Xiaoshuang listened very carefully, her eyes full of admiration for Xia Qingtang.
"Qingtang, you are amazing. This is the first time for us all, but you know everything."
Xia Qingtang quickly said, "I'm not that great. I just heard others mention it and then I remembered it. Now that I see these, I can remember them. I'm just talking nonsense to you. Maybe many of my words are wrong."
Xie Jinxuan didn't say much during the whole process, because he was used to maintaining proper silence when Xia Qingtang's good sisters were chatting, leaving the main stage completely to them.
Moreover, he did not come here to help Xie Xiaoshuang with advice this time. His role was to protect female comrades, so being a silent bodyguard was the best thing to do.
The young man rode his bike and dropped them off at the door of the big guesthouse that the female stall owner mentioned. Upon closer inspection, they found that it was indeed a guesthouse run by a large unit. There were still some rooms left, and the environment looked much better than the previous guesthouses.
Xie Jinxuan asked for two rooms. They showed their marriage certificate and Xie Xiaoshuang's work certificate. After paying the fee, they were taken to the room by the waiter.
This guest house is not cheap, so the rooms are spacious and kept spotlessly clean.
The room has two relatively wide single beds, two wooden sofas by the window, a small round coffee table, and gauze curtains and cloth curtains hanging on the windows. It looks very clean.
There was also a large table in the room, on which was a round tray with a thermos and two white porcelain teacups.
There is no toilet in the room, but it is not far away. It is only ten meters away. There is a public bathroom at the other end, which is separate for men and women. Hot water is available for bathing from 6 to 9 every night.
If you miss the time, you can ask the waiter to help you boil a few more bottles of water, and then take a basin to the bathroom to take a bath.
All in all, it looks quite convenient.
"Then Xiaoshuang, you can live in the room at the top. We'll live in the one next to it. You'll just pass by us when you come in or out, and we'll be able to hear if anyone walks past your door." Xia Qingtang said.
"Okay, thank you." Xie Xiaoshuang put down her luggage bag in the room at the end.
The waiter said, "I've checked the rooms. I'll go get you some water. We also serve lunch at the guesthouse. It's right at the entrance. There are noodles, dumplings, and various stir-fries. If you want to eat, you can go there."
"Okay, thank you comrade." Xia Qingtang thanked him and put their luggage bags in the room.
"There is no water for bathing at this time. How about I get some more hot water and give you a bath?" Xie Jinxuan asked in a low voice.
Xia Qingtang smiled and said, "No, since there is a public bathroom at night, you can wash your hair when you come back in the evening. I'll go over there and wash my face with cold water now, and it will be very comfortable."
It was still very cold at home, but here the weather was like spring, not cold at all, so they took off their cotton coats on the train and put them in their bags.
Xia Qingtang called Xie Xiaoshuang, and the two of them went to the women's restroom to wash their faces with cold water. Both of them felt much more sober.
Xie Xiaoshuang said: "Qingtang, what do you think... should I go to work in a factory, or start a small business on my own?"
"Don't be anxious. We just got here and only heard a few words from the stall owner. There's no need to make a decision so quickly. We're going to stay here for several days. Don't panic. Let's ask more people, look more, and understand everything before making a decision." Xia Qingtang said.
Xie Xiaoshuang suppressed her excitement and whispered, "Okay, I'll listen to you. I'm just a little excited... When I heard that the factory here needs a lot of people, I really can't wait... I finally don't have to go back and can escape from that place... Qingtang, there's something I haven't told you. In fact, my parents asked my sister to find me several times, and they all asked me for money..."
"You're not going to give them money?"
"I didn't give it to them, but I did have some conflicts with them. Fortunately, I have a good relationship with the factory and compound guards, so they helped me keep an eye on me, and my parents didn't find me and beat me up... I thought, I can't go back to that place. No matter what, I have to stay here."
"Then stay. There are many opportunities here. You will definitely find a job and stay."
"Yeah, I thought so too! Anyway, I'm very happy." Xie Xiaoshuang finally laughed.
"Yeah, I'm happy for you too." Xia Qingtang hugged her and said, "Okay, let's go eat first, and then look around."
Because he wanted to get along well with the waiters at the guesthouse, Xia Qingtang chose to eat stir-fried dishes in the cafeteria.
Almost all the people here are from other places. The chef is used to putting a lot of chili peppers in the dishes. Stir-fried meat dishes are particularly expensive, but stir-fried vegetarian dishes are not that expensive. They ordered a dish of shredded potatoes with green peppers, a dish of stir-fried lettuce with black fungus, and three bowls of rice.
Both dishes were cooked very spicy, and the stir-fried lettuce with black fungus was full of red oil, but this dish really tasted very good with rice. After the meal, the three of them drank a lot of water.
After they finished eating, they walked out and met the waiter again. The waiter saw that their mouths were all red, so he smiled and said, "Comrades, how do our stir-fried dishes taste?"
"It's very spicy, but also very delicious." Xia Qingtang said: "From your accent, comrade, you and the chef just now are from the same place, right?"
"Yes, we all came from XX city. The one who cooks is my uncle. He came here with this unit to open up new land. After arriving here, life was very hard at the beginning, but it's okay now. It happened that the guesthouse here was short of someone, and I couldn't find a job after returning to the city from the countryside, so my uncle called me here." The waitress was a young girl with an apple face. Her cheeks were rosy and she looked very cute.
Xia Qingtang smiled and said, "That's great. In fact, we heard that we can find work here, so we came to take a look. However, we don't have any relatives here, so we can only explore on our own."
"It's okay. Many people here have made it on their own, but as long as you're not afraid of hard work, you'll be able to find a job. The factories here are short of people, but some are strict about recruiting, requiring a diploma. Some are recruited from one place and brought here as a group, and don't want individual workers." said the waiter.
Xie Xiaoshuang immediately said, "Don't want casual workers? Then wouldn't it be difficult to work in a factory?"
"If you really want to work in a factory, you have to go to each factory and ask for the address. You can ask once you find the place. However, you came a little late. The factory started recruiting a few days ago."
"Too late? But it's not even the fifteenth day of the first lunar month yet." Xie Xiaoshuang was even more surprised.
"How can the factories here be the same as the ones back home? They won't let you wait until the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, so we didn't go home for the New Year and spent it here because there are always people staying in the guesthouse." The waiter said, "But you don't have to worry. If you go to the factory and ask and can't find a job, you can find one on the street. For men, go to the place where the houses are being built, there will definitely be a shortage of people! For women, if you two are so pretty, if you buy clothes and sell them at the train station, you can make a lot of money. It's just that it's more difficult. I've seen them basically work rain or shine, guarding their stalls at dawn and not going home until dark."
Xie Xiaoshuang nodded as she listened. She said, "If you work in a factory, you have dormitories to live in. If you set up a stall yourself, where will you live?"
The guesthouse is too expensive. It’s okay to stay there for a few days, but it’s definitely not affordable to live there permanently.
The waiter said, "People here are renting houses. Go over there and you'll find the local residents. They all have old houses they built themselves, so there's enough space. Since there are more people here, they've built a lot of houses in their homes. Although they're all shacks, at least they're habitable, and they're not expensive, so they're the best for you."
"So that's how it is. I've never heard of renting a house. I was a little panicked just now. As long as I can find a place to live..." Xie Xiaoshuang breathed a sigh of relief.
She asked some more questions and the enthusiastic waitress told her everything.
Afterwards, they asked about the location of the commercial street and went out with their bags and thermoses.
It is called a commercial street, but in fact it is just a group of bungalows where people gather, but it is indeed filled with all kinds of things you can think of.
In addition to second-hand clothes, there are also fully packaged new clothes here. Xia Qingtang went over to ask and was told that these clothes were all produced by local new clothing factories.
The clothes there are mainly sold to the port city, but some people can find ways to transport the clothes out and also wholesale them here.
"Then who are you going to sell these clothes to?" Xie Xiaoshuang asked.
The shop owner smiled and said, "Who should I sell to? Everyone wants to buy. Department stores in XX City and XXX City have come here to buy goods. Our clothes are very novel in style and will sell well wherever we sell them."
Xia Qingtang's heart moved, and she went over to carefully look at the clothing samples on display. Indeed, the quality was good and the styles were novel, but not too novel.
Like the long-sleeved dresses hung by the store owner, the colors are particularly bold, but the styles should not be too abrupt if worn walking on the streets of the provincial capital.
They spent a long time in this clothing store and only left after Xia Qingtang had looked at every sample.
Afterwards, they visited other shops here, such as those selling second-hand radios, second-hand watches, second-hand clocks and other household items, even second-hand electric fans.
But the best-selling items here are actually second-hand watches. These watches are also bought back from other people. They are all foreign brands and have a certain degree of wear and tear, but they can all be used normally.
Some people would take the train here to purchase goods, and then bring back a lot of second-hand watches to sell. As long as they were not discovered, they could make a lot of money from this trip.
Xia Qingtang had heard of these things before. For example, long-distance truck or lorry drivers would use their connections to bring back some goods to sell. As long as they did it secretly, no one would find out.
What's more, today, no one cares about these things anymore, so there is really no risk in selling this second-hand watch. It's just that most ordinary people don't dare to take this step easily.
Conservative people still make up the majority, just like in the previous life, even though the cotton mill was not doing well at that time, some young people in the factory still did not dare to go out and do something. Everyone wanted to be trapped in that half-dead factory and hold a so-called iron rice bowl.
Unfortunately, after a few years, almost all the iron rice bowls were gone, and when layoffs came, those who were afraid to leave were forced to go out to work.
The three of them spent a long time here, until they had looked at all the wholesale stores before heading towards the guesthouse.
They passed a wonton shop on the way, so they went in and each ordered a bowl of vegetarian wontons, and added an egg, and ate it for dinner.
Xie Xiaoshuang was a little distressed because she didn't know what to do next.
Xia Qingtang said, "I said the same thing. Don't panic. We'll go with you to those factories tomorrow to ask about recruitment. I think it's definitely not safe for a woman like you to do business here alone. It's more reassuring to work and live in a dormitory. But the working hours in the factories here are so long, which is also a big problem."
Xie Xiaoshuang said: "I am not afraid of hard work. As long as I can stay here... I am willing to do anything."
"It's enough that you have this determination. Well, let's go back to the guesthouse, take a shower and wash our hair, then have a good rest for the night, and continue tomorrow morning." Xia Qingtang said with a smile.
The three people returned to the guesthouse and this time they met many people who also lived there. Some of them were quite enthusiastic and greeted and talked to them immediately when they saw them. Some people looked rather indifferent and immediately turned away when they saw them.
It is normal to encounter any situation when you are out, so Xia Qingtang didn't think there was anything strange. After they talked to the enthusiastic people, they went to take a shower separately.
"Although the price of this guesthouse is not cheap, the bathroom is still very comfortable, and the hot water is really plenty." After walking out of the bathroom, Xie Xiaoshuang let out a long sigh, and looked very comfortable.
Xia Qingtang's face was also flushed. She wiped her hair with a dry towel and said, "Yes, after washing my body, I finally feel alive again."
After sitting on the train for such a long time, everyone was actually covered in dust and dirt. Now that they have washed themselves clean, even the fatigue has disappeared.
Xie Jinxuan came over: "Qingtang, give me your clothes, I'll go wash them."
"Okay, here you go." Xia Qingtang handed the basin in his hand to him, and then accompanied Xie Xiaoshuang to the sink over there to wash clothes together.
After washing the clothes and almost drying their hair, the guests went to the laundry area to hang up their long clothes, and took their underwear back to the room and hung it up.
Xia Qingtang warned: "Xiao Shuang, you must close the doors and windows at night. Although this guesthouse is owned by the company, there are so many people living here, and we don't know if there are any bad people, so you must be careful."
"Okay." Xie Xiaoshuang pulled her over and walked into her room, then whispered, "I'll give you the money and put it in your room. It's safer this way."
"Okay, I'll keep it for you." Xia Qingtang took the money she brought, then watched her close the doors and windows before returning to the room.
Because she was indeed very tired, Xia Qingtang fell asleep quickly.
Xia Qingtang was sleeping soundly when he suddenly heard Xie Jinxuan's voice. He opened the door and shouted outside, "Who is it?"
There was a sound of very light footsteps outside, and it was obvious that someone was running away.
Xia Qingtang woke up with a start: "What's wrong?"
"I heard someone coming from that end, and then walking towards Xiao Xie's door. That was the last room she was in, who would walk there? So I shouted." Xie Jinxuan said: "It seems that he was scared away."
"Should we call the police?" Xia Qingtang asked in a low voice.
"We didn't see the person clearly, let alone catch him, so it's no use calling the police. But I have to go out and tell the people at the guesthouse that their people should patrol more often tonight." After saying that, Xie Jinxuan turned on the light and sat up.
Xia Qingtang said: "I'll go with you. I just need to go to the bathroom."
"Okay, let's go together."
They both put on their coats, took their keys and went out, only to find that the light next door was also on.
"Xiao Shuang? Are you awake?" Xia Qingtang called softly outside the door.
The door opened quickly, and Xie Xiaoshuang whispered in her coat, "I just heard Comrade Xie's voice... It seems someone is at my door?"
"Yes, we are planning to tell the people at the guesthouse to do more patrols." Xia Qingtang said, "Do you want to come with us? And go to the restroom?"
"Okay, let's go together." Xie Xiaoshuang also came out with the key.
It was already late at night, but there were still a few rooms with lights on.
They went to the toilet first, and then went to find the waiter in front together.
In the evening, the waiter was replaced by a middle-aged man who took a nap and yawned while sitting at the counter.
Xie Jinxuan went over to wake him up and told him what had just happened.
The middle-aged man took a sip of water and came back to his senses. He said, "There's nothing we can do about it. Places like ours are full of people from all over the place, as you know. We can't do anything. Besides, you scared that guy away, so it's okay. Forget it, go back to sleep."
"Comrade, no matter what, this is your guesthouse. On a night like this, you should patrol once an hour, and the bad guys won't dare to do anything." Xie Jinxuan said seriously.
He has been pampered since childhood and has a noble air. He has a stern face when he speaks, which is a bit scary.
The middle-aged man could only stand up and say, "Okay, okay, I'll go on patrol... But if I fall asleep in the back, I can't take care of it. You still have to be careful. This place is not comparable to your hometown. If you still stay here with the same idea as before, it will definitely not work..."
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