bookbashuk Chapter 75 Tour
Chapter 75 Tour
Chapter 75 Tour
"The long night is almost over, dawn is breaking... I sincerely wish you well, dear girl..." Everyone's Chinese singing mingled with the driver's Russian singing, and at the end, they all reached a tacit understanding: "May we never forget the morning outside Moscow from now on!"
Half an hour later, the car arrived in the city center. Hu Yi took them on a boat tour of the Moscow River. The guests all sat in the cabin, while he stood alone at the bow, watching the boat ride on the gently rippling river. It seemed to symbolize his smooth-sailing study abroad life from now on. He couldn't help but reach out and smooth his wind-blown hair, feeling particularly content.
After disembarking, we walked to Red Square. There were many tourists there today, and everyone was in high spirits. People would occasionally break away from the group to pose for photos. Only the elderly couple who looked like township officials stayed close to the two tour guides.
Hu Yi and Sister Sun, one in front and one behind, kept repeatedly checking the number of people, afraid that someone would get lost. Fortunately, the middle-aged professor was very disciplined; if he strayed a little from the group, he would quickly catch up and keep calling on the other members of the group to keep in formation. If someone fell too far behind, the woman from Northeast China would rush over and herd them back together like ducks. With these two helpful people, the tour guide had much less to worry about.
Hu Yi led his team, stopping and starting intermittently, subtly controlling their pace. They arrived at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier just in time for the changing of the guard. The guards marched solemnly at a ninety-degree angle, a stark contrast to the nearby tourists who were excitedly taking photos.
Hu Yi glanced over and saw the middle-aged professor standing upright outside the crowd with his feet together and his hands hanging down. He stared solemnly at the eternal flame burning in the center of the five-pointed star in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and there seemed to be tears in his eyes.
He suddenly became curious, and gently moved closer to the professor with a smile: "Oh, why are you feeling sentimental?"
"It's nothing." The professor blinked hard, took a deep breath, and exclaimed, "How amazing!"
"Great?" Hu Yi looked at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, which was adorned with flowers. "You mean them?"
"Yes! Because they are nameless, they are great." The professor's voice trembled slightly. "I didn't feel this way at Lenin's Mausoleum. Compared to a few great figures who have made their mark on history, these nameless heroes gave their lives for human peace, yet remained unknown and unnoticed, making them all the more worthy of being remembered. Although this place commemorates the martyrs of the Soviet Red Army, they, like our nameless martyrs, sacrificed themselves to defend their country, so I respect them."
"Oh, really?" Hu Yi shrugged noncommittally, then glanced at his watch and said softly to everyone, "Let's go, it'll be time to eat soon."
They strolled around Red Square until noon, then Hu Yi led the group to the agreed-upon spot by the roadside to wait for the bus. The young woman who had asked Hu Yi to sing on the bus that morning suddenly said hesitantly, "Director Hu, why isn't there a public restroom along this route? I need to use the restroom; I've been holding it in for ages."
"A toilet?" Hu Yi scratched his head and looked around. "Oh, that's a bit difficult. There aren't many public toilets around here. How about—"
The professor suddenly pointed behind him and shouted, "There's a McDonald's! You can use the restroom at McDonald's!"
Hu Yi turned his head and looked around, then whispered, "Brother, that's the subway station."
"Oh? Oh! No wonder, no wonder." The professor blushed slightly. "I knew it! The font and color of the 'M' were a bit strange. I thought McDonald's in Russia was different from the ones in China."
Hu Yi smiled slightly, turned back to the young woman and said, "Why didn't you say so earlier? There really was a McDonald's near Red Square, but it's too late to go back now. The bus is coming soon, so hang in there and wait until we get to the restaurant before boarding."
The restaurant was a bit far from the city center; it was an unassuming Chinese restaurant. The restaurant wasn't large, with only a few round tables, and even though no one else was dining, the group members were still crammed together.
The lunch was extremely ordinary. Although each table had about ten plates, seemingly containing both meat and vegetables, it lacked both color, aroma, and flavor, making it almost inedible. The guests, though hungry after a morning of shopping, ate with a bitter taste, their faces full of displeasure, unable to resist grumbling. Only the elderly couple remained silent, burying their heads in their food and shoveling it into their mouths.
Hu Yi ate a few bites, then went outside to smoke. He waited until all the guests had finished eating and came out before following them into the car. Looking at the disgruntled woman from Northeast China, he smiled and asked, "Auntie, are you full?"
"I'm full! I'm full of anger too!" The older woman stiffened her neck in annoyance. "This group, good heavens, hasn't had a decent meal since they got off the plane! It's getting worse and worse!"
Hu Yi chuckled: "It's not very good. That's just how group meals are in Russia. Please bear with it."
"Come on! Don't try to fool me!" The older sister rolled her eyes at him. "People from our area have come to visit before, and they ate much better than we do."
Hu Yi guessed that it was probably because the tour prices were different, but he didn't want to say it directly, so he just smiled and said, "Today's dinner is not included in the itinerary. You can make your own arrangements and buy some local snacks to try."
"What's so special about this?! We've had the same thing for several meals these past few days, it's always the same old stuff. Either it's too oily, or the cheese flavor is too strong. Young people can accept it, but we older folks can't get used to it." The older woman turned to the elderly couple: "What do you think, Uncle and Auntie?"
The uncle smiled but didn't say anything, while the old woman nodded cautiously: "Yes, I'm not quite used to it yet."
The professor, with a straight face, continued, "Russians' eating habits are related to their climate. Although Moscow isn't located at a high latitude and should be considered a temperate continental climate, it's still quite close to the frigid zone, and winters are very cold. People have long been accustomed to high-calorie foods to combat the cold, and now it's the perfect time to 'stock up for winter'—"
"The intellectual's starting his lecture again!" The older woman grinned and laughed, waving her hand to urge Hu Yi, "Director Hu! Let's get going! Otherwise, he'll never stop nagging!"
We took a group of people to see several attractions along the way, browsed souvenir and jewelry shops, and then returned to the vicinity of Red Square to visit the Kremlin. The last stop of the day was a free day to explore Arbat Street.
Throughout the journey, everyone's conversation remained focused on the group meals of the past few days, with each person chiming in with their own heated discussion and grievances. The eldest sister was the first to suggest, "Director Hu, you're familiar with this area, how about you take us out for something nice for dinner?"