Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 574 The Capital

Gazi turned to Xiaowei and said, "We, we've gone to heaven!"

After flying for a while, the flight attendants began serving drinks and fast food.

Gazi whispered to Xiaowei, "Is it more expensive up here than at the airport?"

Xiao Wei said, "It's free, everything on here is free." He had consulted professionals beforehand, as Lu Su had flown before.

Gazi was stunned, his eyes gleaming.

"Flight attendant, I don't have enough, could you give me more?"

"Flight attendant, why don't you just give me that big bottle? It's not enough to drink."

The flight attendant, with an awkward yet polite smile, numbly fulfilled Ga Zi's request. Back then, airplanes were a luxury, and there weren't many passengers. There was plenty of food and drink, so aside from the inconvenience, it was all you could eat. In later years, it would be impossible to eat two fast food meals on a plane. These things were provided as standard per seat, with no extras. Drinks, however, were not a big deal.

"Speak louder, I can't hear you."

After getting off the plane, they followed the crowd down the long corridor, completely disoriented. Gazi said something to Xiaowei, but Xiaowei couldn't hear him.

Gazi hurriedly leaned close to Xiaowei's ear: "I can't hear anything, what should I do? Did I hurt myself sitting here?"

Xiao Wei shouted, "I can't hear you either." He looked back at Xiao Hong and Xiao Liu, who both looked bewildered. A man in his thirties patted Xiao Wei on the shoulder and made a gesture of pinching his nose and exhaling.

Xiao Wei was taken aback. The man smiled, pointed to his ear, and repeated himself. Xiao Wei pinched his nose, half-believing, and tried to exhale. The man pointed to his ear again and made a gesture of pushing outwards. Xiao Wei didn't understand. The man leaned closer and shouted, "Pinch your nose and exhale, push hard."

Xiao Wei tried it, and there was a hissing sound in his ears, as if something had melted away. In an instant, his hearing returned, and the noisy sounds around him seemed so familiar. The person smiled, waved, and dragged his suitcase away. Xiao Wei turned to teach Xiao Hong and Xiao Liu. As for Ga Zi, that thing was so eager that it learned on its own and recovered even faster than Xiao Wei.

Xiao Hong found it amazing and grabbed Xiao Wei, asking, "What's the logic behind this?"

Xiao Wei thought for a moment and said, "Is it because the plane is going too fast and my ears are blocked?"

Xiao Hong burst into laughter, punched Xiao Wei a few times, and the group looked around as they went outside.

Actually, the area outside the airport is not much different from the train station square. The only difference is that the area outside the airport is not as large as the train station square. Taxis, buses, all kinds of unlicensed taxis, guides, thieves, scammers, honey traps, and the most conspicuous symbol of this era: the minivan.

Xiao Wei pointed to the yellow tin box and said to Xiao Hong, "This is Tianjing Dafa, isn't it ugly?"

Xiao Hong looked at it carefully, nodded, and said, "Our family's previous car expenses were really worthwhile. This comparison shows how good your judgment was."

Xiao Wei said, "The money is different too. That car could be exchanged for so much more than this one. It's just that the color is awful. Who came up with the idea to make it so yellow?"

The driver on the other side saw Xiaowei and Xiaohong pointing at his car and got out to greet them: "Hello, where are you going?"

Xiao Hong looked at Xiao Wei, who thought for a moment and said, "Tianjing Dafa is in Tianjing. Let's wander around the city first. It's not easy to get out here. Lu said there are buses from here to the city, but he said their buses are expensive."

The driver took out a cigarette and offered it to you, smiling as he said, "Brother, there are four of you. It's cheaper to take this taxi than the bus. The bus is twenty or thirty yuan per person, but I'll give you four fifty yuan, okay? This is a properly licensed taxi, not an unlicensed one."

Xiao Wei pushed the cigarette back and asked, "Don't you have a meter? Why are you haggling?"

The driver took out his lighter, lit a cigarette, and said, "Brother, I won't lie to you. Normally, a metered ride from here into the city would cost around thirty yuan, but in this area, you can find anywhere and nobody will use the meter. It's dozens of kilometers, and about half of the time you'd be driving empty. If it were in the city, you'd definitely pay according to the meter. But it's different here, really."

Xiao Hong asked, "Don't taxis just charge according to the meter?"

The driver chuckled and said, "Young lady, you don't travel often, do you? Paying by the meter depends on where you are. The airport is too far from the city. If we paid by the meter, we wouldn't make much money running back and forth, unless you find a return trip from the city. Then it'll depend on your luck. But don't worry, we Beijing men don't cheat people. No matter what kind of taxi you take, it will definitely be cheaper for the four of you than a bus."

Xiao Wei looked around and said, "Fine, I'll take your ride. It'll cost ten yuan per person, forty yuan in total."

The driver thought for a moment and said, "Okay, get in."

Xiao Wei asked, "You didn't even ask us where we were going? You're not thinking of abandoning us when we get to the edge of town, are you?"

The driver asked, "Where are you going?"

Xiao Hong said, "Tiananmen."

The driver said, "Could you be more specific? Is this your first time in Beijing? Parking is not allowed at Tiananmen Square. You need to decide whether you want to go to the Memorial Hall area or the area behind the Forbidden City, as the roads are different and quite different."

Xiao Wei checked the time and said, "Let's go to the Beijing Hotel and check in first."

Xiao Hong asked, "Is it far from Tiananmen Square?"

The driver said, "You want to stay at the Beijing Hotel? It's right next to the Forbidden City, near Wangfujing. It's for rich people."

Xiao Wei said, "Who can afford to stay here on their own? We were arranged by the government; we need to go to the Ministry of Public Security for business. Let's go, don't waste time."

Four people got on the vehicle with their luggage. It was a minivan; a sedan probably wouldn't have been able to fit them all, as four suitcases would have taken up too much space.

In the early 90s, Beijing was not much different from other parts of the country, and in some ways it was even slightly inferior. However, one thing was certain: the roads were wider, and there were more trees along the roads.

"Hey guys, what do you do?" The driver started asking as soon as the car left the airport area.

Xiao Wei said, "Police."

The driver turned and glanced at Xiaowei, who smiled and asked, "Don't you believe me?"

The driver shook his head and said, "Doesn't seem like it." He braked to let an old woman pushing a bamboo stroller pass, muttered a curse under his breath, shifted gears, and said, "Hey buddy, do you know where this is? Beijing. Do you know what I do? I'm a minivan driver. What kind of people have we driven all year round? We can usually tell the real deal with someone just by looking at them."

Xiao Wei asked, "So, what do we look like to do?"

The driver took out a cigarette, lit it with both hands off the steering wheel, rolled down the window, and said, "You guys, you look like students, right? Just started your vacation and out for fun, huh? First time out, feeling a bit lost and pretending to be a cop, hahaha. Brother, where are we? Beijing, the capital, the imperial city. No need to be so cautious. Beijing men are known for their straightforwardness."

Xiao Wei smiled, took out a cigarette, and offered one to Xiao Liu and Ga Zi. The driver glanced at the cigarette in Xiao Wei's hand and said, "Wow, the cigarettes from Northeast China are pretty good. The cigarette box looks impressive. What brand is it?"

Xiao Wei handed him a cigarette and said, "Anji Special. Why can't we be police officers?"

The driver took the cigarette, tucked it behind his ear, and chuckled, "Young men, think about it. How old are you? Local police wouldn't send officers your age to Beijing on official business. Besides, how much does a night at a Beijing hotel cost? What organization offers that kind of treatment? If you were really on official business, you'd go to the liaison office in Beijing, or just find a small guesthouse. Tell me where you want to go now, so we don't have to spend money going around in circles. I'll take you straight there."

(End of this chapter)