The three of them hid from the rain in the corridor outside the hotel for half an hour, but there seemed to be no sign of the storm stopping.
The sky was still dark, and with the arrival of the storm, nightfall had come early.
“Auntie, I’m afraid we won’t be able to go back tonight.”
Jiang Xiaobai looked at the time and said, “The last bus has already left.”
Qin Xianglian said anxiously, “What should we do then?”
Jiang Xiaobai said, “There’s nothing we can do.
How about we stay in the town overnight and go back first thing tomorrow morning?”
“Yes, yes!” Moron was so excited at the prospect of staying in the capital for the night that he started dancing around and shaking Qin Xianglian’s arm.
“Mom, let’s stay in town for the night.”
Qin Xianglian was very reluctant to stay in town for the night.
She had pigs and chickens to feed at home, and although they wouldn’t starve to death if they missed a feeding, she still wanted to go back.
But Jiang Xiaobai was right; there was no way they could go back.
The last bus had left.
After some struggle, Qin Xianglian finally agreed to stay in town for the night.
“Alright then, we’ll head back first thing in the morning.”
Jiang Xiaobai smiled and said, “That’s more like it.
Auntie, I’ll go book the rooms at the front desk first.
When the rain eases up a bit, we’ll go out and find a place to eat.”
“I’ll go with you.”
Qin Xianglian followed Jiang Xiaobai to the front desk.
Jiang Xiaobai asked, “Do you have any rooms left?
I need two.”
The middle-aged woman at the front desk was watching TV and cracking sunflower seeds, and she didn’t even look up when she heard Jiang Xiaobai’s voice.
“There’s only one room left.”
“How are we supposed to sleep in just one room?” Qin Xianglian frowned.
Jiang Xiaobai said, “Ma’am, are you sure there aren’t any more rooms?
Don’t hide them; I have money!”
The middle-aged woman looked up impatiently and said, “There’s only one left.
If you want it, take it.
If not, soon there won’t be even this one.”
Jiang Xiaobai looked at Qin Xianglian, waiting for her to make a decision.
The rain outside was still going, and if they left to find another place to stay, they might not be able to find a room and would get soaked to the bone.
As they hesitated, a couple walked in and headed straight to the front desk.
“Ma’am, we’ll take the room!”
Jiang Xiaobai made a quick decision.
If they didn’t book the room now, it would soon be gone.
“It’s a hundred for the room; give me two hundred as a deposit.
The extra hundred will be refunded when you check out.”
While the middle-aged woman was handling the check-in, the couple had already reached the front desk.
When they were told there were no rooms left, they had no choice but to head back out into the storm.
Seeing the lightning and hearing the thunder outside, Qin Xianglian felt very fortunate that Jiang Xiaobai had booked the last room.
Otherwise, they would be out there in the storm too.
After checking in, the three of them took the key card and went upstairs.
When they opened the door, Qin Xianglian breathed a sigh of relief.
“Luckily, there are two beds here.
Xiaobai, you sleep in one bed, and Xiao Lang and I will sleep in the other.”
Jiang Xiaobai laughed and said, “Auntie, I never said I wanted to share a bed with you.”
“What if there had been just one bed?” Qin Xianglian joked in a good mood.
“Then we’d all squeeze in together,” Jiang Xiaobai joked.
“Get out of here!
If there were only one bed, you’d sleep on the floor,” Qin Xianglian said.
“Why me?
Why not have your little moron sleep on the floor?
Don’t forget, I’m the one paying for the room,” Jiang Xiaobai said.
“You’re strong.
Who else would sleep on the floor if not you?” Qin Xianglian retorted.
Moron saw the big TV in the room and somehow managed to turn it on.
He squatted in front of it, happily watching cartoons.
Jiang Xiaobai went to the bathroom and came back out.
“Auntie, have you ever used a bathtub?”
Qin Xianglian looked puzzled and said, “No, we don’t have such luxuries in the countryside.”
Jiang Xiaobai said, “There’s a bathtub here with unlimited hot water.
You can have a good soak tonight.”
Qin Xianglian’s face flushed, and she didn’t say anything more.
The rain didn’t stop until after seven in the evening.
Moron had already been complaining of hunger.
As soon as the rain stopped, the three of them left the hotel to find food.
“Auntie, what do you want to eat?
It’s my treat.
You can have whatever you want,” Jiang Xiaobai said, pounding his chest with a proud expression.
Qin Xianglian smiled and said, “Xiaobai, you worked hard for your money.
Spend it wisely and save some for building a house.”
“Why build a house?” Jiang Xiaobai asked.
Qin Xianglian said, “You need a house to get married, right?
Who would marry you if you don’t have a house?
You might have some money now, but money spends quickly.
Building a house costs money; decorating costs money; even the bride price costs money.
Don’t think that twenty or so thousand is enough.”
“Wow, getting married costs that much money?
Forget it, I won’t get married,” Jiang Xiaobai said.
Qin Xianglian chuckled and said, “What nonsense!
How can you not get married and stay single your whole life?
It would be so lonely.”
“Auntie, do you feel lonely?” Jiang Xiaobai suddenly asked.
Qin Xianglian seemed to realize that Jiang Xiaobai was looking at her.
She turned her head away, sighed softly, but didn’t answer his question.
Jiang Xiaobai persisted, “Auntie, it’s hard for you to raise Moron on your own.
Have you ever thought about finding a stepfather for him to help out?”
“Xiaobai, drop it.” Qin Xianglian’s face turned somber, clearly unwilling to discuss this topic.
“Xiaobai, can we eat here?”
Moron spotted a restaurant with a statue of an old man with a white beard outside and pointed at it.
Jiang Xiaobai laughed and said, “Oh, that’s KFC, a place where they eat hamburgers.”
“Xiaobai, have you eaten there before?” Qin Xianglian asked.
“Of course!”
Jiang Xiaobai puffed out his chest and walked in the lead, entering KFC.
Perhaps because of the heavy rain, KFC wasn’t as busy as usual.
The staff were chatting in groups.
“Waiter, we’re ready to order!”
Jiang Xiaobai walked in, sat down, and slapped the table, shouting loudly.
“Country bumpkin.”
There were some murmurs nearby, and even the staff covered their mouths and laughed.
Jiang Xiaobai quickly realized he had made a fool of himself but remained calm and composed, sitting still and watching how others placed their orders.
“Xiaobai, should we go somewhere else?
They’re laughing at us,” Qin Xianglian whispered.