Chapter 101: Peace and Freedom

Zhang Lisheng thought he could stay in the cabin to cultivate while killing time on the boat after all of his friends left. Unfortunately, he did not get what he wished for, whereby Xiong Zhuangming clung onto him before he could even get back to his cabin. This man who seemed experienced when he was young and would look rich when he went older whose features looked pretty much like his father had been talking to him. He did not leave Zhang Lisheng alone ever since he began talking at the side of the boat until night.

Zhang Lisheng was told that the owner of this boat was called Xiong Mulin. He came from Jiangsu Province, considered an intellectual family’s descendant. The family history was recorded since the Ming dynasty and Qing dynasty. There were a couple of qualified recommenders and many scholars came out of their family. His grandfather taught at Yenching University during the Republic of China and became a high school teacher after that.

According to such family history, Xiong Mulin should be a scholar or a teacher when he grew up. Unfortunately, he encountered the unprecedented Cultural Revolution when he was young. The values Xiong Mulin were taught in the past including to show kindness, being humble like a gentleman and gentle like a piece of jade were crushed overnight. To protect his father and grandfather who turned from a respectable teacher to a useless old man from being killed by the gung-ho Red Guards, he had to form a team of young men who came from the same background as he did and involve himself into the heat of the revolution. Ten years passed by, when the catastrophe that shocked China ended, the man who was once young but an adult by then had his fate set. He could never go back to being who he used to be.

“My dad opened a small private business after that. At first, he was selling electronic watches, then he exported leather shoes. After that, he became a contractor at a toothpaste factory and traded steel material with the Russians. His business was getting bigger, he opened a furniture factory after that. He then became the first one in China to do logging in the Amazon jungle to make furniture. He’s pretty smart if you think about it, but he’s just too rigid. He prohibits me from studying abroad no matter what, he’s afraid that I might have a bad influence. In reality, I don’t have to leave home to have a bad influence, am I right?”

“That’s right. But brother, you sound like you actually admire your father,” Zhang Lisheng said without paying attention while staring rather blankly far into the jungle in the dark standing on the deck.

“You got me. Hehe, among the people on the boat, I can only talk about this with you. My dad would be even stricter to me if people around him heard about this and told him. You’ve no idea how bored I am during the days in Amazon, I couldn’t even find someone to talk to me…”

“Really,” Zhang Lisheng forced a smile and said.

“Yea. Oh, I didn’t realize it’s already so late. Lisheng, I didn’t look at the time since we were chatting so happily,” Xiong Zhuangming yawned as he spoke, “We should sleep now, let’s talk tomorrow. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight Brother Xiong,” Zhang Lisheng walked to his cabin after saying goodbye. He turned his head to look at Xiong Zhuangming’s silhouette that was disappearing before getting into the door with the help of the bright moonlight. He clenched his teeth and mumbled, “Brother Xiong, how beautiful would it be if you’re a bad person who’s plotting against me…”

The young man showed no mercy when he killed as soon as he met someone who was a threat to him, even the smallest threat. However, his nature was that he softened easily. He stayed one day one night on the tugboat, he was annoyed by Xiong Zhuangming who clung onto him to chat. Eventually, he managed to tolerate until the boat docked at Rukututu City’s port. He pretended to call Hatton and lied that his American friends booked him a hotel in Rukututu City, which he finally escaped to peace and freedom.

Rukututu City was the most important city in Tatetutu, apart from its capital Tuikano. It was located at the ocean, naturally, more than 90% of Tatetutu’s domestic natural resources’ international trading was done in this city due to its convenient shipping condition. The blessed geographical condition made Rukututu’s urban construction to be even on top, compared to Tuikano on a certain level.

At night when the lights had just lit up, Zhang Lisheng rode on a cab after rejecting Xiong Mulin’s offer of sending him off by car. He watched the bright lights at the hotels on the vast streets from the car window and said casually, “I didn’t expect Rukututu to be so bustling, there are so many hotels…”

“What’s the point of that, sir? These are all business hotels, they’re for those insignificant staff from those foreign countries. Even the ordinary Tatetutu people could run around at the entrance. Only the holiday hotel Grand Ocean Hotel can be called a real hotel,” The native driver showed his white teeth and said while smiling.

“So only those hotels that prohibit Tatetutu people from getting close is considered a real hotel to you?” Zhang Lisheng asked feeling stunned.

“Of course sir, that’s why the Grand Ocean Hotel is the only one that I thought of when you told me you want to go to the best hotel,” The driver said proudly. The native driver’s distorted opinion was pathetic but Zhang Lisheng did not complain or sigh, “Since you said the Grand Ocean Hotel’s so great, then let’s drive faster. I want to see how is it different from the Paradise Hotel in Tuikano.”

“Sure sir, don’t worry. The Grand Ocean Hotel will definitely not disappoint you.”

“If that’s true, my tips will definitely not disappoint you too, Mr. Driver,” What Zhang Lisheng said lifted the native driver’s spirit, “I’ll go faster sir, I’ll go faster right now. It’s so strange today like there are a few more guests in the car. I can’t go faster with the same gear and same amount of accelerator-stepping as usual.”

He stepped onto the accelerator to its limit, the old car had rumbling noise coming out of it. It was going fast in Rukututu City center while black smoke was coming out of it. Four to five minutes later, the cab finally arrived shakily outside a hotel with a decor of light-green vines and light-blue waves intersecting each other that was pleasing to the eyes.

“The style’s different,” Zhang Lisheng mumbled and spoke looking at the hotel that looked nothing exaggerating, but gave a faint magnificent and comfortable feeling. He took out a $50 note to the native driver and gotten off the cab. Naturally, an attendant came to him as soon as he walked into the hotel. What surprised him was that she was speaking English when she asked, “May I know if you’re Mr. Zhang Lisheng?”

“Yes I am,” Zhang Lisheng touched his backpack that he was carrying as he was stunned and said smiling.

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“Hi Mr. Zhang, Ms. Tina Douglin had booked you a room. You can check in after you register. She left a message that you must give her a call if you checked into the Grand Ocean Hotel.”

“Is there a phone that I could make international calls at the lobby?” Zhang Lisheng asked, after thinking about it.

“Of course we do, please follow me,” The native attendant lady wearing a blue dress brought Zhang Lisheng to the vast lounge with tourists who sat scattered. She pointed at the couch with a wireless phone placed on the coffee table, “Please help yourself.”

“Thanks,” Zhang Lisheng sat onto the couch and looked around the elegant ambiance before calling Tina.

“Lisheng, is that you?”

“Tina, who else would call you from Tatetutu apart from me?”

“You… You’re at the Grand Ocean Hotel already?”

“That’s right, how do you know that I’m coming to the Grand Ocean Hotel?”

“Because I know you wouldn’t mistreat yourself as long as your situation allows you to, so of course, you would stay at the best hotel.”

“Is that so? Are you back in America?”

“We’ve just arrived in New York two hours ago. I’m grounded now, luckily I have my phone with me.”

“Being grounded sounds about right, Trish must be experiencing worse than you. Oh ya, how are Sheila, Walter, and Shittu?”

“I’ve no idea, they were sent to NYU Langone Medical Center. They should still be on diagnosis stage now, hopefully, they’re alright,” Tina’s tone became very solemn all of a sudden.

“Yea I hope they’re alright,” Zhang Lisheng said casually, “Alright, I’m going to rest. I’ll contact you again when I get back to New York, goodbye Tina.”

“Lisheng, can we talk? I’m now…”

“Haven’t you just returned back to New York? You should rest since the plane ride was so long. Let’s not talk more, goodbye,” Zhang Lisheng who had goosebumps when he heard somebody wanted to talk to him hung up the phone after saying that. He stood up and waved to the attendant who was waiting aside, “Miss, please show me the way to registration.”

The Grand Ocean Hotel’s model was smaller than the Paradise Hotel. Instead of the feeling of a blend of civilization and ancient jungle, it was a blend of beautiful rainforest and ocean style, which won the hearts of many. Tina booked him a high-class room with a great view. The entire room from the floor to the walls and ceiling were in a blue ocean theme. All of the decors in the room were made of precious sandalwood by hand. There was natural wood fragrant without any artificial processing. The room located at the back of the ocean, there was a rather small viewing balcony.

When Zhang Lisheng went to the balcony, he inhaled fresh rainforest air that was a little salty. He looked far away, the quiet ocean with waves appeared in his eyes. It gave him an exquisite feeling, he could not help but said this out loud, “This is just one of a kind, it’s too beautiful.”

“This is one of the rooms with the best view in our Grand Ocean Hotel. It would give you a different feeling when it’s raining.”

“Thanks, this is a really great room,” Zhang Lisheng shoved $5 tips to the attendant, “Give me room service for two, bring me the best set meal your hotel has. Then bring my clothes to express wash, bring me a hard shell jacket too. And also undergarment.”

“Yes, sir,” The attendant left after taking the tips. Zhang Lisheng took off his clothes and tossed them on the hotel floor. Someone took his dirty clothes away when he went out for a hot shower. They placed clean clothes on his bed, there was a baked lobster in the middle of the coffee table next to the couch. There were straw mushrooms, worms and bamboo shoots soaked in some thick black sauce in big silver plate surrounding the lobster.