Journey 1995:Non-Stop

Chapter 170 Foreign Tourists
That evening, all the guests at the hotel ate the fish that Yan Hui had brought back in the cafeteria.

Since Yan Hui brought the fish back, the proprietress specially reserved a whole one for him and stewed it in a large pot. It was more than enough for Yan Hui and Lao Guo to eat together.

"Are you going back to Fengtian or Southern Fujian for the Lunar New Year this year?" Yan Hui asked casually while eating.

Most of the hotel's guests were timber merchants, and Yan Hui and Lao Guo hardly ever talked about timber parameters in the restaurant.

"Go back to Fengtian. I won't stay for more than a few days. They can't do without me here." Old Guo is now completely locked in here. "Sigh, I really don't want to be alone."

Guo's father couldn't possibly entrust the large timber business to anyone else.

"Fengtian is fine. I can take the train from here, sleep for a bit, and arrive by noon the next day. It's not tiring." Yan Hui took out his phone and checked the time. "Today is November 29th. I think the Lunar New Year is January 27th. There are still two months left. I'll stabilize the orders in the near future. Wang Hongjun should be able to help me ship for a while. I won't be able to stay for long when I go back for the Lunar New Year. At most, half a month."

"Half a month?" Old Guo was delighted to hear that. "That means you can come back to keep me company sooner! I'm so bored by myself."

"I have to go back to Jianye for another week, about 20 days in total. I feel bad troubling Wang Hongjun all the time," Yan Hui said with a smile. "Without me, you can go have some fun."

"Do you think this is Ice City?" Old Guo shook his head.

After winter sets in, skiing and ice skating are quite fun, and other activities include ice fishing like today. In Tangwanghe, indoor activities mainly consist of bathing and playing cards; doing anything alone is really boring.

Everyone says that people from Northeast China are warm and hospitable, but mainly... it's really hard to be alone in this place!
After dinner, the two went to Yan Hui's room. It was Saturday, and Yan Hui had spent an extra 15 yuan to move to a bigger room so they could watch TV.

The two bought some peanuts and melon seeds. It was snowing heavily outside, so they stayed inside, brewing tea, eating melon seeds, and watching TV.

Last month, Heilongjiang TV went satellite, and its logo was changed to a red dragon seal. Today happens to be Saturday, and Yan Hui and Lao Guo's favorite program is "Happy Arena" every Saturday.

Happy Arena started airing last year and has become very popular this year. Many people gather together to watch it on Saturday nights. It is one of the earliest variety shows in China, and many celebrities such as Alec Su, Fei Xiang, Wang Feng, and JJ Lin have participated in it.

In Tangwanghe, Yan Hui and Lao Guo were already "financially free" because the cost of living was so low that there was nowhere to spend money. Outside, a light snow was falling. The two of them brewed tea, ate melon seeds, and watched variety shows; the two 18-year-olds found everything sweet.

In the evening, after watching TV, Lao Guo went back to his room. Yan Hui played with his bracelet for a while before lying down and falling into a deep sleep.

The next morning, the innkeeper's family went out to shovel snow, and several other early risers also went out to help. They quickly cleared the yard. Yan Hui, who had been watching TV late, woke up late and didn't go out to shovel snow. He looked out the window, realized he didn't need help, and went to wash his hair.

He has a habit of washing his hair almost every morning. Boys of this age usually care a lot about their hairstyle, and Yan Hui is no exception.

The water was cold, so Yan Hui used an electric kettle to boil a thermos of water, washed his hair, and went downstairs to eat.

Upon arriving at the restaurant, Yan Hui spotted two foreigners.

Although Tangwanghe is close to the border and there are people doing cross-border business, foreigners are rarely seen here. After all, foreigners in this era generally only go to big cities.

These two foreigners didn't seem to be Russians. They looked blond and blue-eyed, so they were probably from the United States or Western Europe, but Yan Hui didn't know exactly where they were from.

"Boss, there are foreigners here today? That's impressive!" Yan Hui said directly, as he was very familiar with the boss.

"They're supposed to be going to see the strange rocks in the forest, but I can't understand a word they're saying. They just point at the map and it's giving me a headache." The shopkeeper shook his head helplessly. "By the way, does Mr. Yan speak English?"

"English? My English level is about the same as my Japanese level." "Mr. Yan can also speak Japanese?" The boss was very surprised.

"I don't speak Japanese," Yan Hui laughed.

"Haha, Mr. Yan is really joking."

The two were chatting about eggs when Lao Guo came downstairs and hurriedly asked, "What are you talking about that's so funny?"

"I asked Mr. Yan how good his English was, and he said it was on par with his Japanese. I asked him what his Japanese was, and he said he didn't know it! Hahaha!" the boss repeated.

There were seven or eight people eating in the restaurant, and they all burst into laughter.

Two foreigners were also having breakfast. They frowned slightly. Both were young men and mistakenly thought that others were laughing at them, but they didn't know what to say.

"Just kidding, but I remember you know a little English, Lao Yan, right?" Lao Guo asked after laughing.

"I call that knowing? Bird is bird, bed is bed, go is go, come back is come back, I forgot." Yan Hui thought for a long time but still couldn't remember. His English level was taught to him by Su Jin.

"Mr. Yan really speaks English! Impressive!" the boss quickly praised.

With Yan Hui's talent, he'd definitely be considered a literary giant in this hotel!

Putting everything else aside, at least five or six people at this inn have asked Yan Hui to write things for them. The innkeeper and his wife have both helped Yan Hui mail letters. You can tell from the envelopes that Yan Hui's handwriting is good. Sometimes other people can see it too. Over time, this kind of thing is inevitable. After all, some people are illiterate, and others write crookedly, making it difficult for them to reply to even a simple letter.

"Why are they going to see the strange rocks in the forest at this time? Can they even see them when the snow covers them?" Yan Hui asked curiously. He had been there once in July, and they were indeed quite beautiful.

"You're really wrong, this place does look like winter!" The owner was quite proud of the local tourist attraction.

"Old Guo, shall we go take a look after we finish eating?" Yan Hui looked at Old Guo.

"Okay, did you install snow chains on your motorcycle?"

"Of course there is."

"Excuse me, hello," a foreigner said, looking at Yan Hui, "You want...Lin Hai Qi Shi."

"Yes, yes," Yan Hui nodded, "Shall we go together?"

"Together?" The foreigner thought for a moment, looked at Yan Hui, and felt that Yan Hui didn't seem like a bad person. "Okay, let's go."

Yan Hui had never dealt with foreigners before, but he wasn't afraid. After a few simple gestures and exchanges, they decided to set off together.

The two foreigners also had a motorcycle, and they were carrying a map with many things drawn on it. Yan Hui looked at their atlas and was completely stunned.

These two look to be in their mid-twenties, yet they've been to so many places!
(End of this chapter)