Chapter 138: Travel
At the bottom of a large ceramic bowl, crystal-clear rice noodles were laid out, topped with dried sand-worms, dried small fish, beef jerky, shredded squid, sections of chives, and small green vegetables. It was then drizzled with a sour and spicy sauce and a spoonful of garlic oil.
Gu Wanrong, who doesn’t eat cilantro, refused a handful of it on her rice noodles. A bowl of Lingshui Sour Noodles was then placed in front of her.
Holding her chopsticks, she tossed the noodles a bit. Gu Wanrong took her first bite; it was full of toppings.
The sourness in the Lingshui Sour Noodles was significantly different from the sourness of the vinegar she had eaten before; it was a pure, natural sourness, not from brewed vinegar.
There was also a condiment jar on the table, similar to the one containing chili oil in a noodle shop in C-City. When she opened it, the inside was golden yellow.
“Is this chili sauce?”
After swallowing the noodles in her mouth, Gu Wanrong guessed.
“Yes, it’s a Hainan specialty—Yellow Lantern Chili Sauce,” Butler Liu replied, then suggested, “You can add a little bit to the rice noodles and mix it in.”
Gu Wanrong was from C-City. Although she wasn’t someone who couldn’t live without spice, she was quite good at eating it, which everyone familiar with her knew.
Thus, Gu Wanrong followed the advice and scooped half a spoonful onto the rice noodles.
She didn’t stir it in completely, but tentatively picked up a mouthful of noodles and dipped it, then put it into her mouth. A wave of sour, spicy, and sweet flavors swept over her tongue, instantly clearing the lingering drowsiness in her brain after waking up.
“Delicious!” Gu Wanrong praised. “Such an appetizing noodle!”
After saying that, she opened the chili jar again and added another half-spoonful of chili sauce. Gu Wanrong indicated that she preferred the Lingshui Sour Noodles with the extra chili sauce.
Each bite of the noodles was mixed with different toppings; the small dried fish was instantly fresh, while the small vegetables were more refreshing.
Soon, a bowl of Lingshui Sour Noodles piled high with toppings was finished by Gu Wanrong.
She wiped her mouth, held a coconut, and took a slow stroll, digesting her food while taking a few sips of the coconut water from time to time.
Feeling the sunlight, she wandered back to her suite.
The noodles in her stomach were almost digested. She lay down on a lounge chair by the pool and closed her eyes, feeling quite at ease.
Butler Liu came over with a bottle of sunscreen, knelt down, and carefully applied it to Gu Wanrong with gentle movements.
“Miss, the two photographers we hired should be arriving in a little while,” Butler Liu said softly while meticulously applying the sunscreen.
“I know,” Gu Wanrong replied lazily, narrowing her eyes slightly to enjoy this leisurely time.
“By the way, during the few days they’ll be accompanying me in Sanya, just let them follow my schedule. Also, can they accept staying at the hotel at night?”
Gu Wanrong sat up slightly, and Butler Liu moved her feet along with her movements.
Butler Liu nodded and replied, “Don’t worry, Miss, these things have been discussed with them in advance. Each will be paid ten thousand yuan a day, and room and board are included. They will follow your itinerary throughout. Also, both are girls.”
“Are they locals?” Gu Wanrong followed up with interest.
In this way, the two chatted back and forth about the situation of the upcoming photographers.
Initially, after deciding to go on a vacation to Sanya, Butler Liu had specifically included hiring photographers in the detailed travel plan.
When Gu Wanrong learned of this arrangement, she thought she could just take photos herself; why bother hiring someone? That felt a bit awkward and unnatural. So, she intended to have Butler Liu delete this item.
However, Butler Liu only said that the photographers they hired wouldn’t interfere with Gu Wanrong’s personal activities and would be more professional, producing better photos. After hearing this, Gu Wanrong changed her mind; if they could really take beautiful pictures of her, it wouldn’t be bad. So, she readily agreed to Butler Liu’s suggestion.
After lying lazily on the bed for a while longer, Gu Wanrong slowly got up and went back to her room. She opened the wardrobe and picked out a new outfit to replace the one she was wearing.
At this time, the two photographers were already waiting in the living room, whispering to each other out of boredom to get to know one another.
Suddenly, they heard the sound of light footsteps, followed by the sound of the door being pushed open.
The two girls, who had been sitting properly on the sofa, stood up at the same time upon hearing the commotion and looked toward the door. When they saw Gu Wanrong slowly walking out of the room, a look of undeniable amazement flashed in their eyes.
Gu Wanrong was wearing a colored vertical-striped knit camisole, the hem tucked into light blue denim shorts, with a belt of the same pattern as the camisole around her waist. On her feet were a pair of white Roman-style woven beach sandals.
On her earlobes were gold earrings, and she also wore two simply shaped gold rings on her fingers; it was clear they were from the same series.
The fiery and bright outfit further highlighted the whiteness of every part of her exposed skin. Her body proportions were excellent, and she walked over with light steps. Her hair, tied high, had a faint golden glow under the sunlight.
As she got closer, a face as brilliant as spring flowers and as fair as the autumn moon became clearer and clearer in front of the two girls.
They glanced at each other, seeing the same look of amazement in each other’s eyes, as if time had stopped at this moment.
One of the girls, wearing a long white dress, took a step forward first, with a polite and friendly smile on her face. “Hello, Ms. Gu. I am the photographer responsible for documenting your trip. You can call me Xiao Yi.”
As soon as she finished, the other girl also stepped forward, greeting Gu Wanrong with equal enthusiasm and introducing herself, “I am also a documentary photographer for these few days. Everyone usually likes to call me Mangmang.”
After a brief exchange with the two, Gu Wanrong quickly gained a preliminary and general understanding of them through their conversation.
Xiao Yi was three years older than Mangmang and was more stable and mature in personality. Although Mangmang was younger and more lively, she was not flighty or impulsive.
Of course, despite their young age, both had been photographers for several years, were experienced and skilled, and the quality of their photos was not low at all.
Time flowed quietly, and in the blink of an eye, it was afternoon. According to the plan, the group went to Nanshan Temple.
The crowd in front of the Hall of the God of Wealth in the temple was bustling. The number of tourists coming to worship the God of Wealth was simply too many to count, and the liveliness was not inferior to those waiting in line to touch the Buddha’s feet.
Gu Wanrong decided to follow the local customs, walked into the Hall of the God of Wealth with the crowd, and sincerely offered prayers.
To touch the Buddha’s feet, she had to go up to the seventh floor, walk three times clockwise, and then touch the Buddha’s feet. So many people came here to touch the Buddha’s feet that even the toenails were polished to a shine.
At dusk, the warm afterglow gently fell on the earth, draping the whole world in a layer of golden gauze. Gu Wanrong rode her bike along the seaside.
Rows of tall and straight coconut trees were planted neatly on both sides of the road, standing quietly.
The sun tilted to the west, casting a yellow glow that reflected on half the sky. The warm light was like a delicate brush, splashing a brilliant and colorful scroll across the sky.
Orange-red, orange-yellow, deep blue, and dark green blended together, as dreamy as an illusion.
In the distance, the noise of the bustling tourists and the sound of the waves gently patting the shore during the ebb and flow of the tide were intertwined.
As the sun gradually sank to the west, it finally hid on the other side of the sea. After even the last faint afterglow was no longer visible, the group found a shop by the roadside and ate the Hainan specialty—Vanilla Duck.
After dinner, the sky was already dark, with only the street lamps and various lights in the building clusters illuminating the winter night of Sanya.
Having played outside for a long time, Gu Wanrong decided to return to the hotel.
Today, Xiao Yi was the one accompanying Gu Wanrong. Not long after returning to the hotel, she sent the selected and edited photos to Gu Wanrong.
Gu Wanrong clicked on the photos and looked through them one by one. They truly captured her beautifully.
In each one, she was exceptionally beautiful and moving, either smiling sweetly or gazing into the distance. Her beautiful figure complemented the charming seascape.
She gently swiped the screen, saving these photos one by one.
Then, Gu Wanrong picked a few of her favorite beautiful photos and posted them to her Moments with a caption:
“Listening to the winter evening breeze by the seaside.”
Then she attached four photos.
Subsequently, she picked a few photos where her face wasn’t visible, added some photos of the scenery and food, and logged into her Weibo account “HuanBuWanMoney,” attaching a caption and sharing them with more netizens.
Translator’s Note: “Lingshui Sour Noodles” (陵水酸粉) and “Vanilla Duck” (香草鸭) are iconic local delicacies of Sanya, Hainan. “Yellow Lantern Chili” is famous for being incredibly spicy! Touching the Buddha’s feet at Nanshan Temple is a popular ritual for good luck. The “Moment” mentioned is a feature on WeChat similar to a Facebook post or Instagram story.
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