Chapter 324: Journey South Part 2: Homesickness
The next morning, after breakfast, we crossed the Friendship Bridge and arrived in Mong Cai.
When we arrived in Mong Cai, there was a car waiting for us. This was rented by Hongzhi as our special car for our trip in Vietnam. The driver helped us load our luggage into the trunk.
The driver, who knew a few simple Chinese words, gave me a thumbs-up and said, "Good for the neutral zone." Hongzhi told me that the driver complimented me on my good looks.
I laughed and said, "I thought he said 'neutral.'"
Hongzhi told us, "Arriving in Mong Cai is like not being abroad. Either the shops are run by Chinese, or the owners speak Chinese. This driver came from Hanoi, so his Chinese is not very good."
Mr. Chen lamented that Mong Cai had changed so much that he couldn't find any trace of the past. Secretary Ma and Ning Jing then realized that Mr. Chen had been there before.
However, whether it is the knowledgeable Mr. Chen or the very smart Secretary Ma, once they set foot on the land of a foreign country, they immediately become ordinary people.
As for Ning Jing, she is more of a companion.
Everything is about this "foreign business" - the translator and liaison officer Hongzhi has the final say.
Hongzhi indeed possesses all the good qualities of a senior tour guide and middleman - he constantly gives suggestions to the host, Mr. Chen, and it is Mr. Chen who makes the final decision between several suggestions.
His advice was: Mong Cai isn't much to see, and the businesses there are mostly small businesses. Mong Cai has a population of only 100,000, which is equivalent to a small county town in China.
So, we spent half a day in Mong Cai, had lunch and headed to Hanoi.
Mr. Chen said decisively: "Okay, let's do it this way."
To me, this statement does not sound like the confident statement made in China, but rather a pretense of entrepreneurial spirit.
Led by Hongzhi, the group walked along the street. Ning Jing was curious and kept looking around. She said, "It really feels like I haven't been abroad. There are Chinese signs everywhere."
Although I've never been abroad, I've already read up on several Southeast Asian countries. I suspect I wouldn't lose to Hongzhi in a discussion about their history, culture, and geography.
I waved and whispered to Ning Jing, "Speak less. If you say too much, others will know our true identity."
Ningjing understood and gave me a grateful look, but the strong fragrance on her body was a little overwhelming. Women all like to wear perfume, but she...
Three children came up, all of them looked to be in their teens. They set their eyes on Ning Jing, surrounded her from front and back, and said, "Jade, cheap, very cheap."
They surrounded Ning Jing instead of anyone else. Ning Jing dodged left and right as they surrounded her from front and back. They kept trying to sell her the jade bracelet on her hand: "Eighty, eighty."
Mr. Chen laughed and said, "Even children know that business with beautiful women is easy to do."
I didn't try to save Ning Jing. I just smiled as I watched her shaking her head and waving her hands in embarrassment. Like a cute little deer, she broke through the encirclement of three boys.
Hongzhi yelled a few words in Vietnamese at the three children, and they ran away.
Hongzhi said, "Don't underestimate them because they are so smart when it comes to business. They know beautiful women love beauty, so if they pester one, they will definitely sell one to you. They call them sister and sister so sweetly."
I laughed and said, "Ningjing, you're too stingy. You should know that a small contribution from you is equivalent to their daily wages. You should have some Chinese manners."
Ningjing glanced at me.
Secretary Ma asked Hongzhi, "How much are each of those circles worth?"
Hongzhi said: "They said 80, but it's actually 10 yuan each."
Mr. Chen said: "Glass products."
Hongzhi clapped his hands and said, "The boss is very knowledgeable."
Everyone asked whether the jade was real or fake.
Hongzhi said: "It's hard to say specifically, but generally speaking, don't buy it."
Ning Jing asked: "What if it's a regular big store, how do you bargain?"
Hongzhi said: "Cut the price in half first. If the other party agrees, cut it in half again. Then bargain on this basis."
Ning Jing rotated her fingers: "For example, he offers 1,000, cut it in half to 500, and then cut it in half again to 250. Can we bargain on this basis?"
Secretary Ma said, "We will definitely not do 250, we will do 248."
Hongzhi said: "I usually don't buy anything. I just look at it. As for other handicrafts, I can buy some small ones, but the big ones are inconvenient to carry."
Everyone chatted and laughed along the way, and occasionally turned into the shops on the street to take a look.
Although the store has many Chinese products, it also has a very exotic feel. Listening to many tourists speaking Chinese to the store staff and translators, you will forget that you are abroad.
We browsed for the entire morning but didn't buy anything because some of the items were Chinese and some were poorly made, which we didn't like.
Everyone was just curious, and since the Vietnamese currency was so worthless, they exchanged their RMB for some Vietnamese currency on the street. Suddenly, everyone became "rich" with hundreds of thousands or even millions of yuan in their pockets. This money was used to buy some fruit occasionally or have a late-night snack at a stall.
Although the RMB is widely accepted, people are still curious about using Vietnamese currency.
It was almost time for lunch, and Hongzhi asked everyone to choose whether to have Vietnamese or Chinese food.
At this point, he added, "But the Vietnamese food here always has a bit of Chinese flavor."
Mr. Chen said, "Let's have Chinese food. I want to see how Chinese food has changed here."
So, Hongzhi took us to a place called "Homesickness Qianyun Pavilion."
When we arrived at the restaurant, everyone praised the restaurant's culturally inspired name. It's true that the Vietnamese cater to the Chinese's preferences—"Thousands of miles of longing, thousands of miles of sorrow, a message from an old friend arrives in the morning."
A beautiful piece of nostalgia is about to be staged.
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