Chapter 153: Chapter 121: Large Portions? No Problem, Let Me Broaden My Horizons
A trace of sadness crossed Wang Shasha’s face as she spoke. As a born-and-bred native of Ice City, she hoped her city would become more bustling. But years of effort hadn’t yielded much result, which led to many young people leaving the region to find work elsewhere.
Silence filled the car. Su Chen looked out the window and murmured to himself, "With such great tourism resources, especially the Ice and Snow World and the ice sculptures, why not promote them to people from the south? Market all this to the southern regions!"
’After all, plenty of people in the south have money to spend and are completely fascinated by snow. Add in the ultimate attraction of all the ice sculpture exhibitions, and wouldn’t this be the top choice for winter travel?’
Unfortunately, Su Chen’s voice was too quiet for Wang Shasha to hear clearly. And even if she had... it probably wouldn’t have made a difference.
The drive from Ice City’s airport to the Ritz-Carlton was a bit far—nearly forty kilometers. The roads were also quite slippery after the snow, so the car wasn’t moving very fast. It took them almost an hour to reach the hotel.
The Ritz-Carlton Hotel is known as "the roof of the world," and this five-star hotel in Ice City was no exception.
At first, Su Chen thought it would be similar to the Peninsula Hotel he had stayed at before, with the lobby on the first floor...
But when he followed his private butler, Wang Shasha, into the hotel, he learned from her that the lobby of the Ice City Ritz-Carlton Hotel was on the fifty-fourth floor—a true "sky lobby"!
"Welcome to the Ritz-Carlton Hotel!"
As soon as they stepped out of the elevator, they saw three tall, beautiful hostesses standing on each side to greet them.
"Huh?" The uniforms on the hostesses were very different from traditional office wear. The black plush scarves paired with loose, double-layered wool coats made Su Chen steal a few extra glances.
"Mr. Su, this way, please!" Wang Shasha raised her right hand in a guiding gesture.
Only then did Su Chen notice the Ritz-Carlton Hotel’s unique decor. A white color scheme paired with panoramic floor-to-ceiling windows made the space feel exceptionally bright.
The hotel front desk wasn’t very busy. Seeing Wang Shasha arrive with a guest, a receptionist quickly put on a friendly smile. "Hello, sir. Your ID, please!"
Su Chen didn’t waste time or try to show off that he was staying in the presidential suite. He simply gave Chen Fei a look, since Chen Fei was holding onto all his things for him.
Since the hotel was booked online and already paid for, they just needed to verify his identity.
While his information was being verified, Wang Shasha deliberately glanced at Su Chen’s ID. She was just curious about the name of this "rich second-generation" heir who owned a private jet.
’Su Chen? 25? So young.’ Wang Shasha couldn’t help but sigh internally. ’Sometimes, being born is a skill in itself.’
She was almost thirty and still worrying about making a living, while he was only 25 and flying around the world on a private jet.
It just goes to show how different people’s fates can be!
The front desk staff was very efficient, finishing the check-in process in less than a minute.
"Mr. Su, I’ll take you to your room!" Under Wang Shasha’s guidance, Su Chen and Chen Fei took an elevator down.
That’s right, down!
This really surprised Su Chen. The hotel lobby was on a higher floor than the guest rooms... That was a truly unconventional design.
Soon, the elevator arrived at the 52nd floor, where Su Chen’s presidential suite was located.
"Mr. Su, the hotel has a swimming pool and gym on the 37th floor, and a spa area on the 38th floor with professional scrub attendants!"
When visiting the Northeast, you have to do as the locals do, and getting a scrub is an essential experience.
Before coming, Su Chen had done a little research online about the Northeast’s scrub culture. It was a truly frank and open affair. Rumor had it that for men, they even lift up... certain important parts... to scrub them.
’I just wonder if the hotel’s scrub attendants are male or female,’ he thought.
.......
"This view is really something else!" Su Chen said, standing before the suite’s glass curtain wall and looking out over the entire urban area of Ice City.
Buildings in the Northeast are generally on the shorter side, unlike in the south where skyscrapers dozens of stories high are common.
Looking out from the hotel, there were basically no obstructions—just one or two scattered tall buildings in the distance, but they didn’t spoil the view.
It made Su Chen feel like he was on top of the world.
GRUMBLE~ An incongruous sound broke the silence.
He patted his stomach and said grumpily, "Quiet down. I’ll take you to try some authentic Northeastern cuisine in a bit!"
"Chen Fei, are you done unpacking?!" Su Chen called towards the other room.
The Ritz-Carlton Hotel’s presidential suite was massive. According to Wang Shasha’s earlier introduction, the entire suite was 110 square meters. Besides a large and a small bedroom, it also had a separate dining room, a study...
But the most crucial part was... the suite had a 180-degree panoramic view, offering a sweeping vista of the entire Songhua River and the Ice City urban area.
"All packed, sir! What is it?" Chen Fei came jogging out of the bedroom, beads of sweat on his forehead.
"Why are you all sweaty? Go wash up first, then we’ll go get some food!"
The words had barely left his mouth when Su Chen’s stomach rumbled inopportunely.
Chen Fei was about to laugh but froze when he saw Su Chen’s cold glare. A shiver went down his spine... and he immediately turned and ran back to his room.
-----------------
When they came out of the room, they ran into Wang Shasha. Or rather, "ran into" wasn’t quite right; "waiting" would be more accurate.
After Su Chen and his companion had entered the room, Wang Shasha had been sitting in the 52nd-floor lounge area, ready for Su Chen’s call at any moment.
When she learned they wanted to go eat, Wang Shasha, without a second thought, recommended the Cantonese restaurant on the 54th floor...
But who would have thought Su Chen would reject it outright? His reasoning was simple: why come to the Northeast to eat Cantonese food? He might as well fly to Yangcheng City for that!
When in the Northeast, you should of course eat the local specialties. Otherwise, what’s the point of coming?
After some discussion, Wang Shasha finally recommended a restaurant about two kilometers from the hotel. Their goose stewed in an iron pot was to die for, but the place wasn’t very high-end—more of a casual, local diner.
She had originally offered to take them there personally, but Su Chen refused without a second thought.
If he let Wang Shasha take them, what would be the fun in that?
The whole point of traveling was the uncertainty. You never knew what you might encounter along the way—that was the mystery of travel.
In the end, Wang Shasha could only arrange for a hotel car for their use, adding that they could call her anytime if they needed anything.
There’s a saying: a wise man avoids the river of love; the iron pot only stews the goose! The river of love brings sorrow and woe, but a hearty goose warms the soul and fills the belly!
As soon as he reached the restaurant entrance, Su Chen caught the fragrant aroma of goose wafting from inside and couldn’t help but smack his lips.
"Sir~ it smells so good!" Chen Fei said, craning his neck to peer inside.
Su Chen ignored him and walked quickly inside.
Business at the restaurant wasn’t booming; there were only four or five occupied tables. He found a seat by the window and sat down.
Just as he sat down, an older woman came over with a menu. "What’ll it be, little brother!"
Hearing her boisterous words, Su Chen was taken aback for a moment. He then recovered, smiled, and took the menu.
A glance at the menu revealed many familiar-sounding dishes.
"We’ll have the goose stewed in an iron pot, a crispy sweet and sour pork, a chicken stewed with mushrooms, and a soup!"
After speaking, Su Chen handed the menu back to the woman, only to be met with her sizing him up.
"Little brother, first time in the Northeast, huh?"
"Huh?" Su Chen looked at the woman in surprise. "Just got here today. Why?"
Hearing this, a smile appeared on the woman’s face. "I could tell you were first-timers. Our portions here in the Northeast are pretty big. I suggest you just order the goose stew and a soup. You can come back tonight to try the other things!"
Su Chen was quite surprised to hear this. What kind of restaurant owner suggests a customer order less? Most of them hope you order more... and pick the expensive items, at that.
This was the first time Su Chen had ever encountered a restaurant owner who advised him to order less.
"It’s fine, ma’am. If we can’t finish it, we’ll just get it to go!" Su Chen also wanted to see for himself just how big these Northeastern portions really were.
Seeing Su Chen’s calm and composed expression, the woman opened her mouth as if to persuade him further, but ultimately swallowed her words.
"Alright then~"
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