Chapter 131 [A Thousand Mile Journey (3)] (6200)
The next day was March 8th, this once Labor Women’s Day has been transformed by capitalism into the annual Goddess Day.
But whether it’s called Goddess Day or anything else, on this day, Chen Yan and Gu Qingyi could only huddle awkwardly in their hotel room, each wrapped in a blanket, leaning against the bed, slowly recovering.
Chen Yan forced himself to get up in the morning, went downstairs to the hotel front desk, and extended their stay. Considering both of their conditions, Chen Yan extended it for a week in one go.
As for visiting places like the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven, the Yuanming Garden ruins, boating in Yihe Garden, drinking at Sanlitun... all plans had to be cancelled.
Predictably, the only activity for the next few days would be: lounging lifelessly in the hotel room.
The entertainment consisted of: one fever pill for you, one for me, one Vitamin C tablet for you, one for me, one bottle of cough syrup for you, one for me...
After Chen Yan returned from renewing the room downstairs in the morning, he lay down on the bed and fell asleep, waking up again in the afternoon.
There was a damp towel on his forehead again, likely placed by Gu Qingyi while he was asleep.
Chen Yan sat up, feeling that the dizziness had slightly eased, and turned to look at Gu Qingyi, who was curled up on her bed in a deep sleep.
Hmm, the towel on his head was probably placed by her when she woke up midway.
Chen Yan got up, went to the bathroom, and looking at the time, saw it was already after 4 PM.
He had slept well and was still running a fever, but his mind was no longer in the foggy state it was the night before.
Chen Yan sat by the bed watching the sleeping Gu Qingyi for a while, then frowned.
Such a beautiful girl, with looks as enchanting as a siren... how could she drool in her sleep?
Thinking about this, Chen Yan turned and walked into the bathroom, wet a towel with cold water, walked over to Gu Qingyi’s side, wiped her mouth first, then folded the towel and placed it on her forehead.
Half asleep, Gu Qingyi felt a coolness on her head, instinctively opened her eyes, and saw Chen Yan sitting in front of her.
"Hmm... you’re up?" Gu Qingyi said in a low, raspy voice.
Chen Yan picked up the water cup from the bedside table, "Want a sip of water?"
Gu Qingyi struggled to sit up and, after drinking a cup of water all in one go, lay back down on the bed, "I still want to sleep, don’t bother me."
Chen Yan nodded and tucked Gu Qingyi in with the blanket.
Gu Qingyi fell back asleep in just a few seconds.
Chen Yan looked at the sleeping Gu Qingyi, then glanced at the time, put on his shoes and coat, and headed out.
In early March in Beijing, the temperature was still a bit low these days. Bundled up in his coat, Chen Yan exited the hotel lobby and was buffeted by a gust of wind.
This shiver gave him a very tangible sense of how weak his body was due to his illness.
He tightened his coat and walked towards the street.
After checking the map on his phone earlier, Chen Yan had a clear goal. After walking 200 meters along the road, he turned left onto a small lane and spotted a bun shop.
He bought four vegetable buns and four meat buns, along with two cups of soy milk.
Thinking of Gu Qingyi’s special condition in the past few days, he replaced one of the soy milk cups with jujube-flavored soy milk.
On the way back, he passed by a restaurant, which, judging by its good business and clean-looking interior, caught his attention.
Chen Yan had an idea and went inside.
The restaurant wasn’t big, having only about seven or eight tables. Although it wasn’t quite dinner time yet, it was already half full.
Chen Yan chose a table, sat down, and after looking at the menu, called over a middle-aged man who seemed to be the owner.
"Boss, I’d like to discuss something with you." Chen Yan said politely.
"Go ahead." The boss replied in a thick Beijing accent.
Then, Chen Yan and the owner arranged for the restaurant to deliver meals to his hotel room three times a day starting tomorrow—breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
The daily menu was set by Chen Yan after reading the menu and specifically choosing balanced and nutritious dishes with a mix of meat and vegetables, also instructing them to use less oil and salt.
He also paid a deposit of 2000 yuan upfront—agreeing to settle any difference later.
The owner certainly wouldn’t reject such a windfall, confirmed the menu with Chen Yan, and accepted the 2000 yuan.
With Chen Yan’s hotel less than a hundred meters from the restaurant, the owner was happy to have someone make the deliveries each day.
As for why Chen Yan didn’t order delivery...
He was worried about cleanliness.
Many delivery services nowadays are run from kitchens set up in places without even a proper storefront.
The hygiene conditions are questionable—there are plenty of news reports on that.
These roadside restaurants, while not necessarily very clean, have to maintain some standards as they have a physical presence to uphold.
And when Chen Yan entered just now, he noticed that the customers all seemed to be locals, not out-of-town tourists.
A restaurant serving locals has to care about repeat business, so they’re more cautious overall. Whether it’s about taste or hygiene, it’s somewhat more reliable.
Besides, the hotel they were staying at was not very high-end, and it didn’t have any decent restaurants of its own.
After finishing these tasks, Chen Yan trudged back to the hotel—initially feeling a bit more restored after sleeping all day, but after venturing out, his energy seemed to have almost depleted again.