Chapter 192: The Plump Little Pigeons in the Square and the Resort Hotel!
Yucun had several parking lots. Ryohei Tanaka, having already achieved financial freedom, parked the car in the P4 lot. This lot was the closest to Yucun Square, just a two-minute walk, and was also the only one that charged for parking.
The fee was 6 yuan per hour, with an additional 3 yuan for any period over an hour but less than thirty minutes. Ryohei felt it was reasonable and not expensive for a tourist attraction.
He locked the car, tucked the keys into his pocket, and pulled his phone from another pocket. He opened a navigation app and, following the travel itinerary they had planned, entered the destination: "Yucun Square."
Then, he looked up as Yurine walked over to him. Ryohei proactively took her small hand and said with a smile, "Let's go, we're off to Yucun Square."
"GOGOGO—!" A smile blossomed on Yurine's face. She made a small fist and pumped it in the air with a cheerful shout.
The two set off, following the navigation out of the P4 lot and toward Yucun Square.
"The buildings here are so unique... Is this Republican-era style? It looks a bit like Western architecture, but not quite!" Yurine said, marveling at the scenery along the way. This was all new to her.
"Mhm, of course it's different. The Republican style fuses Chinese and Western elements," Ryohei said, his gaze sweeping over the surrounding architecture. "It's my first time seeing it in person, too. It feels like I've traveled back to the 1930s."
"Hm? This is your first time seeing it, too, Ryohei-kun?" Yurine asked, turning to him in surprise.
Ryohei just chuckled and nodded.
"..."
While chatting, the two arrived at Yucun Square.
The square was full of white pigeons, and feeding them was a local feature. Ryohei and Yurine had planned to do just that, but when they arrived, they found the ground already covered in corn kernels. A few kids were holding handfuls of corn, trying to entice the plump little pigeons near them.
The pigeons, however, were completely disdainful. They held their heads high, strutted away on their little claws without a backward glance, and were clearly already full. It made sense. It was the peak of the tourist season, and a huge number of visitors were at Mogan Mountain. With so many people feeding them, there simply weren't enough pigeons for all the people wanting to feed them.
Ryohei and Yurine exchanged a look, disappointment clear on both their faces.
"Looks like feeding the pigeons is out. Let's just walk around," Ryohei said with a helpless smile.
"Mhm," Yurine nodded in agreement.
The square featured the clock tower, Yucun's main landmark, as well as an old bus station that had witnessed a century of Mogan Mountain's history. There were also many bars, coffee shops, and cultural and creative shops. All in all, it had a very French feel and was well worth exploring.
As Ryohei and Yurine were taking photos in front of some of the unique buildings, a plump little pigeon suddenly flapped its wings and landed on Ryohei's shoulder, tilting its head to look at him.
Ryohei and Yurine were both stunned. What's going on? Are the pigeons here this friendly?
Ryohei, feeling rather flattered, gently poked the little pigeon. Yurine quickly raised her phone and click—captured the moment.
Passersby looked on in surprise, and the children looked on with envy, wishing it were them.
"Coo coo—!"
Perhaps startled by the sound, the little pigeon flapped its wings, cooed, and flew up to the clock tower.
"Looks like something good is about to happen!" Yurine said, looking at her work. Her timing was perfect; she had captured the interaction between Ryohei and the pigeon clearly. She was very satisfied. With a happy curve to her lips, she looked up at Ryohei.
"Maybe so." Pigeons were always seen as symbols of peace and good things. Having one land on his shoulder was naturally a good omen. Ryohei casually brushed the spot where the pigeon had been and leaned in curiously. "Did you get a picture? Let me see."
Yurine opened her photo album.
Ryohei stood beside her and looked down. He saw that Yurine had perfectly captured his handsome side profile, the pigeon's chubby cuteness, and the fun of their interaction. He was momentarily stunned by how good it was and gave her a thumbs up.
"That's a great shot! Yurine, I think you have a talent for being an artist!"
"An artist?"
"A photographer, I mean. A legitimate one."
"Why did you have to add 'legitimate'?" Yurine teased. "By adding that, you're the one who sounds... not so legitimate!"
"Aha—! You found me out!" Ryohei laughed and wrapped his arm around Yurine's shoulder, and they continued their stroll.
...
Yucun wasn't very big.
Ryohei and Yurine visited all the noteworthy spots and bought some souvenirs at the creative shops before following the navigation back to the P4 parking lot. They found their rented Mercedes and drove to the Le Passage Mohkan Shan resort hotel.
Both Ryohei and Yurine were very excited about the hotel.
The entire resort covered a massive 223 acres, spanning six mountains, and had its own private reservoir, tea garden, and orchard. The guest rooms were scattered among 210 mountain buildings, every single one a true scenic-view room.
Ryohei had booked the Panoramic Sky Garden King Room.
At the hotel lobby, they presented their identification and reservation information. After completing the check-in process, they boarded one of the hotel's shuttle buses to go to their room.
Private cars were not allowed within the resort grounds, but the shuttles were on-call, so it was still very convenient. Furthermore, each room was assigned a personal butler, so they could contact the butler directly to book activities or meals.
"..."
About ten minutes later, Ryohei and Yurine were led by their personal butler to their reserved Sky Garden King Room.
The room was absolutely massive, and it came with an enormous garden balcony. Standing on the balcony and looking down, they had a panoramic view of the entire accommodation area. The view was absolutely superb!
Ryohei and Yurine were both momentarily mesmerized. They looked here and there, and it was several minutes before they finally started discussing dinner.
The resort had three specialty restaurants: a Chinese restaurant, the Cloud Top Restaurant, and a BBQ buffet.
After a brief discussion, they without hesitation chose the Cloud Top Restaurant, which sounded the most stylish.
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