Chapter 460: Lost
Chengde’s Sunset Army District is well-known throughout the Chengde area. It’s a special neighborhood allocated by the government for military families to reside in.
The neighborhood consists of eighteen buildings, complete with greenery and various sports equipment, boasting an elegant environment. Most of the residents are families of officers at company level or above from the local stationed troops.
In the past few years, due to the loosening of policies, a battalion commander’s relative used some connections to carve out two eight-story buildings in the Sunset District, with one apartment each on the north and south sides of the floor plan, available for visiting families with children.
The family apartment in Room 302 of Building 9 that Zeng Xuerou got her hands on has an approximate usable area of 110 square meters. It contains three bedrooms, one living room, one kitchen, and one bathroom, equipped with a TV, a dial-up desktop computer, air conditioning, hot water shower, and all the basic kitchen utensils.
"I want the master bedroom facing east. My dad did my fortune telling and said my lucky direction is the east. ’The purple qi comes from the east, and fortunes roll in.’ I have a premonition that as long as I stay in this room, this trip will definitely bring good fortune," Zhang Yiyi said, bursting into the apartment like a little mouse, swooping into the sunlit, largest master bedroom.
"Suit yourself, just having a bed to sleep on is good enough for me," Xiao Xian looked around and noticed Xuerou’s surprised expression at the exquisite decorations in the house, feeling even more certain that this trip to Chengde was not as simple as just a vacation, as Xuerou verbally claimed.
The three of them brought simple luggage, which they quickly put away in the closet. Checking the time, it was just midday. They had left early in the morning, and Grandma Zeng wasn’t even up yet; they had just munched on a few biscuits with mineral water and were now dizzy with hunger.
Earlier, when they registered for the apartment, Zeng Xuerou had also inquired clearly that there was a restaurant on the first floor of the apartment. After the three of them went downstairs to have a meal, they brought up the scam incident that happened in the morning.
"I tell you, the security guard of the district must be in cahoots with that tricycle driver, bumping into such an incident as soon as we arrived, talk about bad luck," Zhang Yiyi was quite satisfied with the meals in the apartment, eagerly looking forward to visiting the Summer Villa soon.
True to its reputation as a famous summer resort, even the areas outside of the tourist spots in Chengde were lush with greenery, stone bridges, and flowing water, with temperatures at least seven or eight degrees lower than in Beijing. Even wearing a light jacket here would not feel too cold.
"I heard that at some scenic spots, the local stationed troops are considered the local tyrants, taking first place. The locals are the minor tyrants, taking second place. Tourists from other places can only sadly take the last place. Thinking back on our earlier actions, I fear that the security guard and that driver might hold a grudge against us. In the next few days, we should head out during the peak tourist times and immediately return as soon as it gets dark." Xuerou had traveled a lot and had ample experience. Thinking it over, she considered losing two hundred bucks nothing; it wasn’t worth getting those scammers’ attention.
"Yeah, better safe than sorry. We just need to be careful. Xuerou, did we really just come here for a summer holiday?" Although Beijing is hot, at least it’s their own home, with all conveniences for living. Moreover, for someone like Xiao Xian with her constitution, the environment is the same wherever she goes.
"Let’s first visit the Chengde Summer Villa and talk about the serious matters in a few days," Zeng Xuerou actually didn’t know why they came to the Chengde Summer Villa.
Mei Nian only mentioned that if the timing is right, they might encounter what they’re looking for upon arrival. If they purposefully searched for it, they might not find it. It seemed that she wanted Xiao Xian and the others to meet someone.
Since Xuerou wasn’t clear, Xiao Xian didn’t ask further. On the way here, Little White Jiao had already explained what happened last night at Yanqing Farm.
Zhuo Feng and Feng Xing were alright; a very powerful hornet came to the farm. Little White Jiao could roughly sense that it was a hornet with Spiritual Power that would fiercely attack anyone who trespassed into the farm as enemies.
Xiao Xian had doubts as well, wondering if such a dangerous hornet would cause trouble if it stayed in the farm.
"That won’t happen. Animals are more sensitive than humans. The couple, Zhuo Feng and Feng Xing, live permanently on the farm and have acquired its scent. To the hornet, that counts as family," Little White Jiao deeply understood. Only because the Vincetoxicum fern in the garbage space carried the Spiritual Energy of the sugarcane seedling was it spared from being consumed by the garbage space.