Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 576 Beijing Hotel

Although Beijing was still dilapidated in the early 90s, it had already begun to take shape. Modernization had begun in the city center, and the main roads were very wide, especially Chang'an Avenue, which was straight and wide, exuding a sense of majesty.

When the car arrived at the Beijing Hotel, the four of them got out with their luggage. Xiao Wei paid the fare, and the driver leaned out the window and said, "Make sure to call me for the chartered car. I'll give you a discount, only two hundred a day, okay, buddy?"

Xiao Wei said, "Okay, I'll definitely hire you if I need a car." Under the driver's reluctant gaze, the four of them dragged their suitcases along the sidewalk into the hotel.

Passing through the revolving doors and entering the exotic lobby, the four of them were overwhelmed by the hotel's opulent decorations and service style, which was completely different from that of the present day. Ga Zi started sweating again.

Historically, when the Beijing Hotel was run by foreigners, its staff wore traditional Chinese robes. After being taken over by the Japanese, the rooms and staff adopted a Japanese style of service. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, it was completely Westernized. In the 90s, Westernization represented a high-end lifestyle.

"Please show your work ID or a letter of introduction," the staff member at the counter said with a smile.

Xiao Wei and Xiao Liu took out their work IDs and handed them over. Xiao Wei asked, "Can't they stay here since they don't have jobs?"

The staff member glanced at Xiaowei and Xiaoliu's work IDs and began registration, smiling as they said, "It's alright, both of you have them. How many rooms do you want? What kind?"

Xiao Wei looked up at the sign and said, "Let's open the two best rooms." The staff looked up at Xiao Wei and asked, "The best? Two rooms?" Xiao Wei nodded.

The staff member, looking down to check the rooms, said, "There are signs everywhere indicating that guests in the domestic area are prohibited from entering the foreign guest area. Please be sure to pay attention. Do you need to use the phone in your room?"

Xiao Wei asked, "How do I say it?"

The staff member said, "If you want to use it, I can activate it for you here. You'll need to deposit 200 yuan here. Domestic calls are charged separately."

Xiao Wei thought for a moment and said, "Let's go. By the way, if I want to buy a foreign car, can you help me make some connections?"

The staff member looked up and asked, "What kind of car do you want to buy?"

Xiao Wei said, "That Ferrari, the one in the newspaper."

The staff member said, "Let me ask, I can't give you a specific answer right now." They wrote out a form and said, "Deposit is 2,000, including breakfast. Lunch, afternoon tea, and dinner are extra. Telephone deposit is 200, totaling 2,200. Be careful when smoking or drinking in the room; if the carpet burns, you'll have to pay for it."

Xiao Liu and Ga Zi were completely in a daze at the moment. Xiao Hong's eyes kept flying towards the notice board, but she wouldn't object to what Xiao Wei had arranged. She also knew it wasn't a good time to say anything, so she just endured it.

There were no suites in this era. The best rooms were roughly equivalent to a deluxe room in a modern hotel, just bigger, nearly sixty square meters, with a reception area. One night's stay cost the equivalent of a month's salary for a senior worker, which was quite frightening for that time. However, the biggest difference from hotels in China at that time was that they had king-size beds—a Simmons mattress, a European-style wrought iron bed.

After paying, I took the receipt, dragged my luggage, and took the elevator upstairs. The good rooms were on the sixth floor, and the seventh floor was the banquet hall.

They called the floor attendant to open the door, and the four of them went inside. Xiao Hong then exclaimed, "My goodness, this is way too expensive!"

Gazi nodded repeatedly, and Xiao Liu looked around and said, "I've learned a lot. This trip was definitely worthwhile. I'll have plenty to brag about when I get back."

Xiao Wei put his suitcase aside, sat down on the sofa, and said, "Since we're on a trip, we should definitely see the sights. Lu said this is the best place in Beijing, so I wanted to come and see for myself and learn something. Besides, this is where state banquets are held, so let's see how their food is made and try some."

In this day and age, this kind of actually very ordinary room is considered incredibly luxurious by people. No adjective is too much to describe it at this time, considering that most hotels and guesthouses in China still have white walls, mud floors, and wooden plank beds. Ninety percent of ordinary people have never even seen a Simmons mattress.

The soft carpet felt unsettling underfoot, so Ga Zi could barely walk, and he was very worried about getting the carpet dirty.

Xiao Wei said, "Why are you so nervous? Come sit down, just be careful not to drop your cigarette butt on the ground."

Gazi slowly walked to the sofa and sat down, letting out a heavy breath before asking, "Aren't you nervous? This place feels like it's shaking when you walk on it."

Xiao Wei laughed and said, "What? It's still land, it's all for people to use."

Xiao Hong said, "It's so expensive! Why does it cost so much for just one night?"

Xiao Wei said, "As for the class, this is the best hotel in Beijing, and it ranks among the top in the country. Most of the guests here are foreigners. This price is expensive for us, but it may be cheap for foreigners. You can't really say what class is."

Gazi said, "Can't we find a cheap place to stay? I feel uneasy staying here."

Xiao Wei laughed and scolded, "Look at you, so pathetic. What are we going out for? Just to see, learn, and experience things."

Xiao Liu asked, "You also want to run a big hotel like that?"

Xiao Wei said, "I'll definitely have to do this in the future, so let's learn first. You two go back to your room and tidy up your things, rest for a while, and then we'll go out for a walk."

Gazi and Xiao Liu dragged their suitcases out and returned to their room. Xiao Hong jumped up and flopped onto the bed, saying, "This bed is so soft." Back then, Simmons mattresses didn't have any firmness requirements; they were all soft, really soft. You'd sink right into them as soon as you got on. Anyone who wasn't used to sleeping on one would have to struggle for a while to get up.

Xiao Wei went to the bathroom and asked Xiao Hong, "Are you hungry? Do you want to lie down for a while?"

Xiao Hong, hiding on the bed, said, "I'm lying here right now. What should we eat? Roast duck? Noodles with soybean paste? Those are the only two things I know in Beijing."

Xiao Wei said, "There's Tan Family Cuisine here. Director Lu suggested I try it. It's what used to be called official cuisine. There's also Western food, but I've never seen it before and don't know anything about it."

Xiao Hong rolled her eyes and thought for a long time before saying, "I don't know either. I want to eat roast duck, and I want to eat Western food. I want to eat all the delicious food."

Xiao Wei laughed and said, "Eat whatever you want. The roast duck isn't here, so let's have Tan Family Cuisine today, and then try some Western food. We'll go eat duck again tomorrow."

Xiaohong said, "I want to go to Tiananmen Square, I want to see the Monument to the People's Heroes, and I want to see the Hall of Supreme Harmony. They say the Forbidden City's ground is paved with gold bricks, is that true?"

Xiao Wei said, "How would I know? I've never lived there before."

Xiao Hong threw a pillow at me: "Shameless!"

Xiao Wei lowered his voice and said mysteriously, "You can take a shower in this toilet."...

(End of this chapter)