That evening, Xiaohao and Xiaomin successfully returned to the hotel using the navigation on their phones, carrying several large bags on their shoulders and in their arms.
"You guys really bought a lot. Didn't you lose all the money? Weren't your cards frozen?"
Zhao Hui couldn't help but exclaim in amazement when he saw the two men's spoils.
Xiao Hao, panting heavily, said, "It's mostly Xiao Min's. Oh, you guys have no idea how terrifying a girl's shopping desire can be!"
Xiaomin laughed happily and said, "Brother Hui, you're so out of touch! With Alipay in hand, you can go anywhere without fear! Buy whatever you want!"
As she spoke, she generously displayed her spoils in front of everyone: various clothes, shoes, and bags.
Wei Changfeng laughed: "It seems our company's benefits are really quite good."
Xiaomin pouted and said, "These two bags were bought with Alipay! I couldn't afford them with my salary."
Zhao Hui and Xiao Hao both laughed, looking at the products and checking the prices.
Goodness, one bag costs nearly 20,000 RMB when converted from Euros, but it's still much cheaper than in China because it was tax-free because Xiao Hao used his passport that he didn't lose.
At this moment, Lin Xiao sent Zhao Hui an introduction about the Alpine town, and everyone gathered around to look at it, finding it increasingly appealing.
Lin Xiao said that they could also pass through Annecy, known as "the most beautiful town in France," which is close to the Franco-German border. If they have enough time, they could visit there again.
"Rent a car, let's drive there ourselves, then we can have more places to visit and be more at ease!" Xiao Hao strongly suggested.
Lin Xiao also preferred this option, because although taking the French TGV high-speed train was fast and convenient, it was not as convenient as driving if you wanted to travel to other places.
Another, more important factor is that workers in all sectors of French society frequently go on strike, sometimes with advance notice and sometimes without warning.
For example, on the day Lin Xiao and Wei Changfeng arrived in France, French railway workers were on a nationwide strike, so Wang Wei was stranded in Lyon and unable to return to Paris to pick her up. In the end, he had to share a ride with others to get back.
If they arrive in the town by train and encounter a strike on their return journey, it could delay Wei Changfeng and his group's trip back to China.
Lin Xiao explained this to Zhao Hui, and Zhao Hui agreed to rent a car and drive themselves. He reasoned that if it delayed their return trip, their boss, Wu Fei, would definitely be furious, as it would affect the rehearsals for the local TV station's Spring Festival Gala. Besides, there were three other proposals to choose from.
"Can I use my Chinese driver's license in France?" he asked, then suddenly remembered something, "Ah, even if I could, it wouldn't matter! I didn't bring my driver's license with me!"
Lin Xiao replied, "It's okay, I brought it with me, and my driver's license has been translated. Chinese driver's licenses are valid in countries like France and Germany, so there's no need to worry about that."
Her father gave her a car as a gift when she turned 19, so she has been driving for several years and can be considered an experienced driver.
Xiao Hao added, "I brought them too. I put all my documents together, and I brought them all this time. I didn't lose any of them. I'm so lucky, hahaha."
“That’s no problem. We can take turns driving. It hasn’t snowed recently, so we don’t have to worry about the road conditions.”
Everyone started to get excited. Lin Xiao asked, "Are you all sure you want to go? If so, I'll go online and look up some information about renting a car."
Everyone said they were willing, but Wei Changfeng, Xiao Hao, and Xiao Min were more excited, while Zhao Hui was more reluctant.
"Lin Xiao, take a look at how much deposit is needed to rent the car. We'll give it to you in advance, so you don't need to pay it upfront," Wei Changfeng instructed.
Lin Xiao didn't really know much about how to rent a car in France, so he thought of Wang Wei, a local.
When an inquiry was made, Wang Wei was unusually enthusiastic.
He was worried because Lin Xiao hadn't contacted him for the past two days, and he happened to be quite busy on his end.
My friend is the local tour guide for a domestic tour group in France. He was also suffering from the aftereffects of COVID-19 and couldn't lead the tour, so he asked my friend to fill in for him for two days.
When Lin Xiao mentioned that a friend needed to rent a car for a day or two, he asked if Lin Xiao knew where to rent a car reliably in Paris and what procedures were required.
Wang Wei thumped his chest on the phone, declaring with boundless confidence, "Why bother renting a car? I have three cars; let your friend drive them as he pleases!"
Lin Xiao resolutely refused; she didn't want to owe anyone too many favors.
But Wang Wei's father seemed to have overheard their conversation on the other end of the phone. He took his son's phone and said to Lin Xiao:
“Xiaoxiao, I’m Wang Handong, your father’s friend. Please don’t be shy with us. Your father has helped me a lot before. During your years in France, I told you I would take care of you like my own daughter.”
Lin Xiao thanked them repeatedly, but unable to refuse the enthusiasm of Wang Wei and his son, he had no choice but to explain the details:
Several of her friends had their passports stolen and could only travel on travel documents for the time being. They wanted to travel to other provinces but were worried about encountering trouble when buying tickets and accommodations, as well as the possibility of worker strikes. Therefore, they wanted to rent a car and drive themselves for about two days.
Wang Handong said that he has a commercial vehicle at home and a company vehicle, which are quite large and can easily seat seven or eight people.
In addition, there is a family sedan that can comfortably seat four or five people. If needed, their company driver can also take everyone out for a drive.
Wang Wei asked Lin Xiao if she was going with them. Lin Xiao said that her friends didn't speak French, so she would go with them to help with translation and such.
Wang Wei said that he had been helping his friend lead a domestic tour group for the past two days and couldn't get away, otherwise he would definitely have accompanied them.
He even asked where Lin Xiao's friend wanted to go, saying that the tour group he was currently leading was mostly made up of elderly people, and they were just traveling around Paris for the next couple of days.
If Lin Xiao's friends haven't been to Paris yet, they can join his tour group; there are plenty of empty seats on the bus.
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