Dazhuang and Xiaomei were only half convinced by what the taxi driver told them.
The half they did believe hinged on whether Secretary Zhou really had said, "Anyone who smashes our cooking pot will have their rice bowl smashed by me!"
Dazhuang and Xiaomei both came from wealthy families and had gotten together through their shared love of travel. Over the past few years, they had visited scenic spots in almost every famous province and city across the country, and had seen plenty of shady practices, from vendors fleecing tourists to hotels raising their rates at the last minute.
Passing off inferior goods as quality products and forcing sales on customers, as the driver had described, were routine. If you wanted to avoid trouble, you had to grit your teeth and take it. If you stood your ground, the regulators usually dragged their feet and tried to smooth things over. Some even colluded with dishonest vendors and accused the tourists of causing trouble instead.
Even if you were too angry to let it go and exposed the incident online, it might not attract any attention. Even if it did, the local authorities would, at most, offer a perfunctory apology and promise to make improvements, while everything actually stayed exactly the same.
The taxi stopped outside the Welcoming Spring Hotel, and the couple waved goodbye to the driver.
Their room for two cost sixty yuan a night and came with a private bathroom, internet TV, and air conditioning. It was excellent value.
The hotel staff were warm and attentive, carrying their bags and pouring them water. They even gave them a little custom-made gift-a cartoon sika deer keychain.
With service like that, it really did feel as though the customer was king.
The couple rested for an hour, then set off