Chapter 1287 (1/2)
Dong Dong! Dong Dong!
”Wait a minute! It's coming!” the innkeeper raised his head from the counter and rubbed his bleary eyes.
He fumbled on the table, found his glasses and put them on. Then he stood up, walked slowly out from behind the counter, curled his mouth and complained, ”it's so late that someone wants to stay in the store.”
The innkeeper went to the door, reached out and unscrewed the door lock, opened a gap in the door, and looked out with full vigilance.
Outside the door stood a tall and thin old woman. She was about 50 or 60 years old, dressed simply, wrapped in a windproof scarf on her head, and carried an old suitcase in her hand. It looked like she had come from a far away place.
”Boss, open the door quickly.” the woman outside the door impatiently urged, ”it's raining. I don't have an umbrella.”
”It's raining? Ouch, I really didn't notice.” the boss saw that the other party was an old woman and quietly put down his guard. He tore open the padlock and put the other party into the house.
”This kind of ghost weather is cold and wet.” the old woman complained angrily. She squeezed into the house through the crack of the door and dusted the drops of water on her clothes.
The innkeeper looked at the woman in front of him and asked, ”outsiders?”
”Yes.”
”It's such a weather in Lingang. It has to rain every early spring. When the rain is over, the weather will be warm.” the hotel owner walked around the counter and said with a smile, ”stay in the hotel.”
”Well, find me a clean room and stay for one night.”
”The rooms here are very clean. It's inconvenient for you to go upstairs because you're old. You need a room on the first floor.”
”Do you think I'm old?” the old woman was a little unhappy and glared at the hotel owner. ”The second floor, I want the second floor. The first floor is wet and damp. Ghosts live in this weather.”
”Ha ha, ha ha, OK, I'll open you a room on the second floor. It's always a good thing.” the hotel owner smiled and nodded, and then said, ”bring me your ID card to register.”
The old woman said, ”I'm a foreigner.”
”Ah? Foreigners? Where did you come from?”
”Southeast Asia,” replied the old woman, ”but my hometown is Chinese, and our grandparents are all a family.”
”Oh, from Southeast Asia, there are a lot of Chinese immigrants there. I often have tourists from other countries to spend the night in my small place.” the innkeeper looked at the woman in front of him carefully and nodded his head gently, ”which country are you from? Malaysia or Cambodia? Or...”
”Malay.”
”OK, then give me your passport. The room rate is 180 a night.”
The old woman took her suitcase to the counter, took off her gloves, took out her wallet from her arms, took out her passport and banknotes and handed them over.
The innkeeper took the money and asked, ”what are you doing in Mingtai? Traveling or visiting relatives?”
”A friend is in trouble. Let me help.”
”Oh, that's a visit to friends.” the innkeeper Bi filled out the registration form in front of his passport and handed it to the old woman. ”Sign in the lower right corner.”
The woman put down her suitcase, took the signing pen from the hotel owner and signed her name on the registration form: ”OK.”
The boss took the registration form back and compared it carefully: ”fan Huilan, well, no problem.”
The old woman shouted angrily, ”the investigation is strict enough.”
”Where is this? You only stay for one night, right? If you stay here for more than 24 hours, I have to report to the police station under my jurisdiction. Recently, the situation in Southeast Asia has been tense, and the port has been very strict with outsiders.”
”Yes, it's not peaceful recently. Several routes have been blocked by government forces. It's not easy to go abroad.”
”Hey, hey, it's still safe near the port. Since director Zhong took office twice, even the crime rate has hit a new low.”
”Don't show off. If my grandparents hadn't fled, they wouldn't have immigrated. It's hard to leave their hometown after all.”
”Isn't it? It's hard to leave your hometown.” the hotel owner handed back the door card and passport. ”Take your documents and door card, Room 203, go up the stairs and turn left.”
”Well.” the old woman took things in her hand and glanced at the telephone on the counter. ”Boss, can I borrow the phone?”
The innkeeper asked, ”isn't it an international call?”
”No, I'll call Mingtai's friend and ask him to send someone to pick me up tomorrow.”
”Yes, you can use it.” the innkeeper grinned with embarrassment. ”If it's an international call, I'll have to charge you for the phone.”
”Look at your stingy appearance.”
”Small business.”