Chapter Eighty-Eight: The Ancient Capital — Beijing

In the afternoon and evening, Master and I packed our bags in a simple rush. We did not bring much—three sets of clothes, three pairs of pants, three pairs of shoes. The real treasure was the money in the bag. As the saying goes, with money in your pocket, you can be a lord wherever you go, right?

After we set our luggage down in the living room, we each lay down in our own rooms and fell into a deep sleep. But I had not a trace of drowsiness. Just thinking that I would be going to Beijing the next day made my heart more restless than a blaring speaker. After a long and grueling battle with sleep, I finally drifted off in a daze.

The next morning, I was roused groggily by Master knocking on the door. Because I had gone to bed late, I still did not quite want to get up, but once I thought about the day’s plans, I pulled on my clothes and went downstairs to the living room. Master was sitting on the sofa with a cup of coffee in hand. Without even turning around, he said, “There’s bread on the table. Eat it and we’ll leave. I haven’t been to Beijing in a long time. I’m a bit nostalgic.”

I went straight to the dining table, grabbed the bread and wolfed it down, then drank a glass of milk. After wiping my mouth, I walked over to Master. He turned in surprise and said, “You brat, did you swallow it whole? That was fast.”

With bread still in my mouth, I grinned. After Master finished his coffee and washed the cup, we waited a while, then slung our luggage onto our backs and officially set out from home for Beijing. This time, Master took me to the airport by plane. It was my first time flying, and I was a little excited. He had booked our tickets two days earlier. We took a taxi to the airport and still had plenty of time, so we waited there for a bit before finally boarding with our passes in hand. Nearly three hours later, we arrived at Terminal 2 in Beijing. The moment I stepped off the plane, it felt as though even the air was different.

After Master and I left the capital airport, we took a cab. As soon as he got in, he said to the driver, “To the hotel.”

The driver cheerfully replied and started the car. Along the way, he chatted with us and asked, “You two are here for tourism, right?”

Master smiled and nodded. “You could say that. I’ve been to Beijing quite a few times.”

The driver nodded and made a turn. “That’s good too. Beijing is the capital of the country, after all. Coming around more often never hurts.”

Then Master and the driver chatted back and forth. I sat beside them and did not really join in, my eyes fixed on the scenery flashing past outside.

The driver drove quite fast, but his skills were excellent. Clearly, this was how he made his living. After a short while, we got out at the hotel. Master paid the fare and glanced to the side before saying, “Kid, this place isn’t far from the Forbidden City. Go in first, settle yourself, grab a meal, and then I’ll take you out to have some fun.”

I smiled and nodded. “All right.”

We carried our luggage inside, but the moment we entered, a young security guard stopped us. He held out a hand and said, “Gentlemen, I’m sorry, but this is a top-class luxury hotel. Please pay attention to your attire.”

I froze. Master froze too. We both looked down at our clothes in unison, and there did not seem to be anything wrong with them. Then Master said to the guard, “I used to come here before. Since when did you require formal dress?”

“I’m sorry, sir, but that’s the rule here. At the very least, you need a tie.”

Master blinked. “A tie? I’m here to travel. Why would I dress so formally? Besides, I’ve made an appointment with someone inside. The time is almost up. If you insist on stopping me and I miss it, are you going to take responsibility?”

His tone was not especially harsh. After all, one matter was one matter, and I had no idea who the person he had arranged to meet was. The security guard gave an awkward smile and said, “Sir, I’m really sorry. These are the rules. I can’t help it. Please don’t make this difficult for me.”

Master looked at him and nodded. “Since that’s the case, then call your manager over. I’ll speak with him. You young people work hard out there; I won’t make things difficult for you.”

When the guard heard that Master wanted the manager called, he grew even more unwilling and said, “Sir, if you insist on summoning the manager, that still puts me in a difficult position.”

Master blinked and stared at him. “Oh? You’re going to argue with me now? Fine. I’ll make a phone call. Wait here.”

The guard smiled apologetically and said nothing, standing in front of us and refusing to let us pass. Soon, Master’s call connected. He said, “Hello? What do you mean by this? I’m already at the door, and you still didn’t come out to meet me?”

He paused, then went on, “All right, hurry up. The guard insists that I wear a suit and tie. If I don’t, he won’t let me in.”

“Mm, all right. Come quickly.”

After Master hung up, I looked at him. As soon as he arrived in Beijing, his Chongqing accent had turned into a Beijing one in a single breath. That change nearly made me laugh, but I held it in. The guard looked at us, clearly troubled, and said to Master, “Sir, I never said you had to wear a suit. I only said you needed at least a tie.”

Just then, a married couple walked up behind us. Master glanced at them and saw that their clothes were equally casual, with no tie, just as the guard had demanded.

“Hey, hey, he isn’t wearing a tie either. Why can he go in?”

The guard glanced at the couple and said, “They’re distinguished guests. It’s different. Sir, if you—”

Before he could finish, Master cut him off. “Enough, enough, enough. I’m not going to argue with you anymore. I’ll wait for my friend to arrive, and he can talk to you. All right?”

He simply walked off to the side and squatted down. The guard was just about to step forward to block him when I heard footsteps and a voice from behind us. “Bocing, you’re already here and didn’t even call ahead. I thought you were still at the airport.”

I turned around. The moment Master saw him, he stood up at once and brushed down his clothes. “Let’s talk about the rest later. Help me handle this first.”

He pointed at the guard. Then the newcomer said to the guard, “Xiao Liu, go take care of your work. You don’t need to worry about this.”

The guard froze. “Manager Cao? Why are you here? This gentleman’s attire does not meet the requirements. I was only doing my job according to the rules.”

Manager Cao shot him a look, and the guard immediately fell silent. Only then did he leave in defeat. Master let out a long sigh. “Cao Wen, your word still carries weight. No matter how I explained it just now, he refused to budge.”

Manager Cao blinked, then said with a smile, “Bocing, listen to yourself. If you’re willing, who would dare block your way, right?”

Master smiled and patted his arm. “It’s been so long, and you’re still as understanding as ever.”

Manager Cao smiled back, then looked at me. “And this is?”

“Oh, this is my disciple, Lin Xuan. Kid, this is the man in charge here, Cao Wen.” Master turned to me and explained.

Only then did Cao Wen understand. He nodded and said, “So this is the disciple you mentioned. Looks good. If you can stay by Bocing’s side, then you must have something going for you. Keep it up.”

I gave an awkward smile and nodded. Then Master said, “Manager Cao, why are you just standing here with us and not inviting us in?”

Cao Wen froze, then let out a long “Ah” and said, “Oh, right, right, right. Look at my memory. Come on, come on. The room and the dining arrangements are all ready. I guarantee you’ll be satisfied.”

Master smiled and nodded. Then we followed Cao Wen up in the elevator to the most luxurious room.

The moment I stepped inside, I was stunned. From the outside, it had looked rather small to me, but once I was in the room, it felt absurdly spacious. There were all kinds of carved decorations, two very wide beds, and carpets spread across the floor. The rest was more or less what I had imagined, but the style alone made the whole place seem instantly more upscale.

Cao Wen helped us set down our luggage, drew back the curtains, and asked, “Well? Not bad, right?”

Master nodded and walked up to the full-glass window. “This room is many times better than the one I stayed in last time. Not bad. Kid, what do you think?”

I was wandering around, occasionally picking up a vase on the table to look at it, and did not hear what Master said. Master and Cao Wen exchanged a glance and smiled. Then Master pointed at me and said quietly, “This brat has never been to Beijing before. He’s curious about everything.”

Cao Wen nodded, showing he understood. He then handed the room card to Master and said, “You’ve been on the plane for so long. You must be tired. I specially prepared the dishes you like. I hope your taste hasn’t changed.”

Master caught the meaning in Cao Wen’s words and tested it cautiously. “You mean Tan family cuisine?”

Cao Wen smiled and nodded, and Master clapped his hands at once. “That’s perfect. That’s exactly what I like.”

“Haha, good, then that’s good.” Cao Wen laughed.

“Then trouble you to have them send it directly to the room. I’ve been running around outside every day these past few days, and I don’t want to move anymore. You understand.”

Master said this, and Cao Wen answered yes. After exchanging a few more words, he turned and left. Once the door was closed, Master came up behind me. At that moment, I was standing in front of a carved ornament, looking left and right at it. Then I felt someone pat me on the back of the head. I turned around in confusion and saw Master behind me.

“You brat, don’t make such a country bumpkin face. If even this can fascinate you, what are you going to do when you get to the Forbidden City?”

I scratched the back of my head and gave an awkward smile, then flopped straight onto the bed. The bed was soft enough, but it was still not as comfortable as the one in my home in Chongqing. Still, that was fine. We were here to travel, after all. Haha!