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Two days later, Shen Yanming asked Qin Yiren to help reserve four spots. That’s right, just four spots because when Zhang Heping requested leave, his superior scolded him and even canceled his previous three-day vacation.
Zhang Heping shed tears of frustration. Whenever he had time during the past two days, he unleashed a torrent of complaints in the WeChat group. You couldn’t even block his messages. If you ignored him, he would bombard you with phone calls.
During these two days, Shen Yanming had been relatively unfazed among the three, yet even he found himself growing increasingly annoyed by Zhang Heping’s constant complaints.
Finally, unable to take it anymore, Shen Yanming put his foot down. “Zhang Heping, if you keep whining, I’ll make sure no one brings you any meat!”
Zhang Heping fell silent…
The whining monster was defeated, and the world became quiet!
Shen Yanming didn’t give Qin Yiren the names or contact information of his friends. He only provided his own contact details for the small group.
Over the past two days, several colleagues from the Human Resources Management Office signed up after discussing the trip with their families. In the end, their small office had amassed a total of thirty-two registered participants.
The only individuals traveling alone were the four girls: Qin Yiren, Ye Xiaoxiao, Xia Ran, and Mi Xue’er. The families of Qin Yiren, Ye Xiaoxiao, and Xia Ran didn’t feel like joining the trip. However, they felt reassured knowing the girls were going with colleagues.
Mi Xue’er, after some hesitation, decided to sign up as well. She was curious about Qin Yiren’s motives and wanted to see if Shen Yanming was truly as loyal as he claimed.
Apart from these four, everyone else signed up as family units. These groups included: Zhu Shiliang’s family of five, Li Yinhe’s family of four, Shen Yanming’s “family of four,” Yu Shui’s family of three, Li Yueya’s family of three, Hong Lixia and her daughter, former Management Bureau accountant Liu Miaomiao’s family of three, and former Management Bureau archivist Wei Bei’s family of four.
Qin Yiren took the finalized list and sent a private message to the Qingli Mountain administrator. She reported the total number of people, followed by a breakdown of the group sizes and the relevant contact information for each group.
Once the Qingli Mountain administrator confirmed the successful reservation, Qin Yiren exited the private chat interface. Only then did she notice that only 3,592 meteor shower packages remained on the homepage.
In just two days…
“Oh my, more than half of the spots at Qingli Mountain have been reserved in just two days!” Qin Yiren’s eyes widened in disbelief, awe lacing her voice.
“Wow, seriously? I didn’t expect so many people to book such an expensive package. I didn’t think they would even gather 10,000 people by the end of the holiday,” Shi Leyong exclaimed.
Actually, he really wanted to go too, but the price was just too high.
“Yeah, I didn’t expect it either,” Qin Yiren agreed.
Not long after, maybe just half an hour, the office was filled with the constant chiming of text message notifications.
“Dear customer,
Thank you for booking the Qingli Mountain Scenic Area meteor shower package! This package includes:
To confirm your booking, please log in to the Qinghe Alliance Travel Network Qingli Mountain Scenic Area page, complete your identity information, and submit your payment. Upon successful payment, you will receive a verification code. You will need this code and your ID card to enter the scenic area. Please keep both safe.”
The text message reminders detailed the standard procedure for traveling in Qinghua. Regardless of the scenic area visited, payment had to be made through the Qinghe Alliance Travel Network. Only by presenting your ID card and the verification code after successful payment could you gain entry.
If a tourist’s rating was below seven, the scenic area must provide evidence that they provided good service and did not engage in any improper behavior to receive full payment. If lacking evidence, the Qinghe Alliance Travel Network would deduct a portion of the fee based on the tourist’s rating and refund it.
Of course, if the scenic area proved the tourist intentionally gave a low rating, the tourist would face substantial fines and, in severe cases, be added to the scenic area’s blacklist. This created a two-way restriction, preventing ticket evasion and missed tickets while encouraging scenic areas to improve their service quality.
Shen Yanming opened his phone and logged into the Qinghe Alliance Travel Network. He found the Qingli Mountain Scenic Area page and followed the steps to enter his own identity information along with that of Bi Qiao’an, Ji Kangyong, and Li Zhaozhao. With a decisive tap, he paid the 80,000 yuan fee.
Moments later, Shen Yanming’s phone buzzed with a confirmation text message and a nine-digit verification code. Bi Qiao’an’s phone chimed with a similar message.
About five minutes later, Shen Yanming messaged the other two to confirm their successful payments. Only after receiving their affirmative replies did he relax.
Shen Yanming’s actions were swift and efficient. By the time he had paid for the four of them, some in the office still hadn’t completed their payments. There was no need to rush, however, as payments could be made within the allotted six hours.
This six-hour payment window thoughtfully allowed tourists to consider their arrangements. They could use the time to confirm their itinerary and ensure their funds were available.
If tourists changed their minds within these six hours, there would be no penalty. However, if they canceled after successful payment, they would need to do so at least one day in advance and pay a twenty percent compensation fee to the scenic area.
Shen Yanming’s decisive payment was not only motivated by Bi Qiao’an’s desire to see the meteor shower but also by arrangements he had made the night before…
In the office, with just a few days left before the holiday, no one felt like working. Fortunately, few people came for business recently, so colleagues chatted idly during their break.
“Only a few days until the holiday. Wonder if we’ll get our usual Mid-Autumn Festival benefits,” someone mused.
“The usual? Don’t we always?” a colleague replied, confused.
“Could this year be the same? Everything’s limited these days, especially grain,” the first speaker said with worry in their voice.
“Don’t worry. This year’s benefits will be distributed as usual,” Director Hong had just entered the office when she caught wind of the benefits discussion.
“Really? Director, what are this year’s benefits?” an eager voice piped up.
“Each person gets a five-liter bucket of oil and a twelve-kilogram bag of rice,” Hong Lixia announced.
“But… wasn’t it thirty kilograms of rice before?” someone asked, puzzled.
“It’s already generous that they’re giving rice at all,” Hong Lixia said with a wry smile. “But don’t worry, you’ll also get two boxes of mooncakes and two boxes of fruit.”
“That’s amazing! In previous years, it was only one box of mooncakes and no fruit. Are they using fruit to make up for the rice this year? I think it’s not a bad deal,” Yu Shui exclaimed.
“Director, are the mooncakes the same delicious brand as last year?” a hopeful voice piped up.
“Yes, you can line up to receive the benefits shortly,” Hong Lixia confirmed.
“Director, what kind of fruit will we get?”
As you journey through the pages of this apocalyptic tale, I hope it has captivated your imagination and stirred your emotions. If this story has resonated with you, I humbly request your support.
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Stay curious, and may the flames of hope guide you through the darkness ahead. 🔥
Katra1212[Translator]
Hi I'm Katra! Translator by day, lemon aficionado by night. Secretly suspects a past life as a citrus fruit. Squeezing the joy out of language, one word at a time.🍋