RBCT Chapter 247: The Mountain Road with Eight Bends
Chapter 247: The Mountain Road with Eight Bends
In early July, Huang Xiaochuan reached an agreement with Tongda Architectural Design Institute. They would arrange for an architect and a structural designer to accompany Huang Xiaochuan to Sichuan Province for on-site inspection. Of course, Huang Xiaochuan paid for it, and he paid quite a bit. As the saying goes, "Even an emperor doesn't starve his soldiers." If you want them to do a good job, you have to pay them well.
Yu Wei agreed to go with Huang Xiaochuan, but he didn't know the real purpose of the trip to the west. Huang Xiaochuan told him that they were going to Sichuan Province to conduct social research and take the opportunity to travel around. Huang Xiaochuan would cover all the food, drinks and entertainment.
Only after this did Yu Wei agree to travel with Huang Xiaochuan.
Of course, this trip to Sichuan Province wouldn't be complete without Ding Yi, that big spender; we're counting on him to chip in a bit more!
Upon learning that Huang Xiaochuan and Yu Wei were going on a long trip, Yu Xiang and Tang Yuan prepared their luggage at home.
Tang Yuan asked, dissatisfied, "Brother-in-law, I don't have anything planned for summer vacation, why aren't you taking me?"
How could Huang Xiaochuan tell Tang Yuan the real purpose of his trip to Sichuan Province in front of Yu Wei? If Yu Wei knew the truth, he definitely wouldn't go with Huang Xiaochuan, and then Huang Xiaochuan would have been fooled for nothing.
"Most of the places I'm going to this time are in the mountains, so it might be inconvenient to bring you women along. Besides, what's so good about climbing mountains? You'll regret it later if your legs get too thick. Look at those women in the mountains, how thick their legs are."
Upon hearing that hiking would make one's legs thicker, Tang Yuan immediately gave up the idea of going along. Huang Xiaochuan secretly smiled to himself, knowing that this trick worked.
While Yu Xiang was packing Huang Xiaochuan's luggage, she noticed the camera and dozens of rolls of film and asked, "Why are you bringing so much film?"
"Oh! I heard the scenery in the mountains is beautiful. I plan to take some pictures and show them to you when I get back."
"Then bring more food! There won't be anywhere to buy it in the mountains." Yu Xiang looked at the luggage and found that Huang Xiaochuan hadn't brought much food.
Huang Xiaochuan waved his hand dismissively: "No need to bring much food. We can replenish our supplies in Chengdu after we get off the plane. After all, it's the provincial capital, so buying things won't be a problem."
Yu Wei agreed with Huang Xiaochuan's idea: "Exactly! Isn't it tiring to carry all those bags from Shanghai? If you have money, you won't have to worry about not being able to buy food!"
Huang Xiaochuan glanced at Yu Wei. Once they're in the mountains, it really won't be something money can buy. Just don't cry and beg for mercy then.
In early July, during the plum rain season in Shanghai, a Boeing 757 carrying Huang Xiaochuan and his entourage took off for Chengdu amidst a light drizzle.
As the plane climbed to cruising altitude, sunlight streamed into the cabin. The group hadn't seen the sun for over a week, and seeing it felt like seeing a loved one.
There were seven people on this trip. In addition to the two from Tongda Design Institute, Huang Xiaochuan also brought Zhou Wei and Li Huan, as well as Yu Wei and Ding Yi.
After learning that Yu Wei was Huang Xiaochuan's childhood friend and brother-in-law, Ding Yi was very enthusiastic towards him. After exchanging ideas, the two found they had a lot in common and immediately became like buddies, chatting and joking around all the way.
As planned, after the plane landed in Chengdu, the group checked into a five-star hotel. After settling in, Huang Xiaochuan and Zhou Wei asked the hotel receptionist to help them rent two Toyota SUVs, and they agreed to depart from the hotel at eight o'clock the day after tomorrow.
The next day, Huang Xiaochuan inquired about the location of the largest shopping mall in Chengdu and went there to purchase some equipment needed for his mountain adventure. These items weren't available in Shanghai, and there was no real need for them, but they were readily available in Chengdu. As the saying goes, "The road to Shu is harder than ascending to heaven."
The group then spent a day exploring Chengdu, visiting Du Fu Thatched Cottage and Wuhou Temple, going to a teahouse, and having hot pot for dinner.
Yu Wei was very satisfied with the day.
However, starting from the third day, Yu Wei felt that something was wrong.
They started from Chengdu and headed west. Except for a flat section right outside Chengdu, the rest of the road was mountainous. At first, Yu Wei, who had always lived in the plains, was quite excited to see the mountains, as was Ding Yi. But after they took a long and winding mountain road, the two of them not only threw up their breakfast, but also their bile.
This road is nothing like the roads in Shanghai or Jiangnan. It's full of potholes and dilapidated. People sitting in the car are bounced up and down with the car, and every now and then you can hear Ding Yi and Yu Wei gagging.
Huang Xiaochuan also suffered along the way. If he didn't open the window, he would be suffocated by the fumes from those two vehicles. If he opened the window, it would be unbearably hot. Fortunately, as the altitude increased, the temperature gradually decreased, and the comfort level improved a lot. However, the road was even worse, and he didn't know how many times his head hit the roof of the off-road vehicle.
After a bumpy ride until evening, the group arrived at a small county town. The driver seemed to have been there before and, as Huang Xiaochuan requested, took them to the county guesthouse.
After the group got out of the car, Huang Xiaochuan saw that apart from Zhou Wei, Li Huan, and himself, who were all fine, the two designers, Ding Yi, and Yu Wei were completely limp.
The four of them collapsed onto the bed and couldn't get up. As soon as Huang Xiaochuan asked them if they wanted to eat something, the four of them immediately started vomiting violently as a conditioned reflex.
Huang Xiaochuan looked at it and thought, "What's the point of eating like this?!"
So they took Zhou Wei and Li Huan out to find a small restaurant and ate something simple. When they got back to the guesthouse that night, they fell asleep as soon as they got into bed. The conditions here were nothing compared to those in Chengdu. Compared to the five-star hotel they stayed in yesterday, it was like heaven and earth. Huang Xiaochuan and the others were staying in a four-person room. Huang Xiaochuan, Ding Yi, and Yu Wei shared a room. Fortunately, Yu Wei and Ding Yi were already feeling terrible, so they didn't have the mind to complain about the accommodation.
After a night's rest, the group gradually recovered.
I didn't eat again last night, so this morning I wolfed down my food like a starving ghost.
Huang Xiaochuan then quietly reminded him, "Eat less, you'll have to ride the hand-operated tractor later."
The two designers were alright, after all, they were around thirty years old and had probably suffered when they were young, so they were already mentally prepared for what Huang Xiaochuan said.
Yu Wei and Ding Yi looked at Huang Xiaochuan in horror, their faces turning green.
Ding Yi asked, "Where are we going next? Aren't we already in the mountains?"
When Yu Wei heard that he would have to ride a tractor, he looked terrified. He never wanted to experience what happened yesterday again.
Huang Xiaochuan counted on his fingers and told them, "Now we're in the county, and next we'll go to the countryside, and then there are villages. Right now we have tractors to ride in, but next we'll have donkey carts, and when there are no roads, we'll have to walk."
Yu Weiding looked around and thought, "This place is a county town, for crying out loud?"
It's just one street, and it's built deep in the mountains. It's not even as good as a town in my area.
Yu Wei refused: "I'm not going, I'm going back."
Huang Xiaochuan shrugged: "We can't go back. I've already sent the SUV back; they'll come pick us up before we return. I advise you to grit your teeth and hang in there. That's how it is when you're traveling; just bear with it for a few days."
"Then I'll wait for you here. I'm not leaving anyway." Yu Wei simply stayed put.
Unfortunately, once he got here, he had no choice. Huang Xiaochuan planned to have Zhou Wei and Li Huan throw Yu Wei directly onto the tractor after it arrived, so that crying and begging wouldn't help.
Wherever they went, they attracted curious stares from the crowd, mainly because their attire was completely different from the locals, and each of Huang Xiaochuan and his companions was carrying a large bag.
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