The greatest honor of this life.
After parking, the guesthouse butler, worried they might not find the place, had already come with a luggage cart to pick them up. They didn't have much stuff, but because they'd left in a hurry, they could only pack things in Ji Shuhe's twenty-six-inch suitcase. The firecrackers at midnight were deafening. The butler pushed the cart, so luggage wasn't a concern. Afraid the noise would scare Lizi, Wen Shaoyu thought for a moment and simply picked him up. Ji Shuhe walked beside him, covering the little dog's ears. Actually, Lizi wasn't scared at all. His beady eyes darted around, clearly not understanding why Ji Shuhe was covering his ears and snout.
The two of them and the dog hurried along the bluestone path lined with red lanterns toward the guesthouse. This street was near the scenic area, full of lodging and attractions, and even on New Year's Eve, it wasn't completely silent. They brushed past late-returning tourists and locals heading home after setting off firecrackers, breathing in the crisp air that still carried the smell of gunpowder.
Preview