Chapter 329: Chapter 201: Taking Shen Baobao Back to Hometown! Consecutive Encounters at the Entrance of the Scenic Area! [Seeking Monthly Ticket]_2
「Two o’clock in the afternoon.」
「At the entrance of the Longqi Mountain Scenic Area in Yinzhou City.」
Liu Zhengyu, having traveled from afar, was sitting in a sedan, reviewing information about the Longqi Mountain Scenic Area.
A staff member from the Yinzhou City Tourism Bureau sat in the front passenger seat. Seeing Liu Zhengyu’s interest, he smiled and said, "President Liu, I’m acquainted with Old Lin from this scenic area. How about I give him a call now and have him come out to welcome you?"
The sudden visit by a high-ranking official from the National Tourism Administration’s Scenic Area Rating Committee made this staff member somewhat nervous, unsure whether it was a good or bad thing.
That Old Lin you mentioned is still in Beijing right now... Liu Zhengyu muttered to himself, then said, "No need. I’ll buy a ticket later and inspect the software and hardware facilities inside. If they’re up to standard, we’ll issue them the 4A license in the near future. You all can head back; I expect I’ll be here until dark."
Although the scenic area wasn’t large, he needed to inspect several key attractions, such as Pan Rock, the Cliff Hotel, and the Tent Base.
Well, even if I were to help Lin Xu by pulling some strings, it would have to be on the condition that the scenic area meets the quality standards.
After declining the Tourism Bureau staff member’s offer to accompany him, Liu Zhengyu opened the car door and stepped out.
Once the Tourism Bureau’s car had departed, he slung his bag over his shoulder and strode towards the scenic area’s ticket office.
It was the hottest time of day, so there weren’t many people buying tickets; just a few children wearing swim rings, squeezed by the ticket window with their parents. They looked like they were preparing to go to the water park within the scenic area.
As an authority in tourism, Liu Zhengyu knew very well that despite many online complaints about how internet-famous attractions supposedly devalue a scenic area, for most sites, these attractions were actually the high-profit ventures. The water park, for instance. Besides allowing children to cool off, it also boosted sales of related merchandise like swimsuits, swim caps, swim rings, and water guns. This all translated into profit.
While he was reflecting on this, the parents with the children had already purchased their tickets and were heading with them towards the main entrance of the scenic area.
Liu Zhengyu approached the ticket window and said to the attendant inside, "One ticket, please."
The ticket seller was a girl in her twenties. She asked without looking up, "Did you drive here?"
"No."
"Without a parking fee, the total is thirty-nine yuan and ninety cents. Twenty-nine yuan and ninety cents for the entrance ticket, and ten yuan for insurance."
Upon hearing this, Liu Zhengyu promptly scanned the payment code with his phone.
While waiting for his ticket to print, he heard the sound of brakes screeching at the entrance of the ticket office, followed by two honks from a car horn.
The ticket seller immediately pulled open the window and shouted outside, "Third Aunt, you’ve finally arrived! I’m busy right now. Let me finish printing this ticket, and then we can talk!"
Liu Zhengyu smiled faintly. Small scenic areas are often like this; the staff aren’t professionally trained and tend to be rather informal. But Longqi Mountain was already doing quite well. Last year, when he visited a newly developed scenic area for inspection, the ticket seller there was busy peeling peanuts while also issuing tickets, showing no professionalism whatsoever.
Just as he was thinking this, he turned his head and saw Lin Xu walking into the ticket office carrying a box of snacks.
When their eyes met, expressions of surprise appeared on both their faces.
"Eh? President Liu?"
"Lin Xu?"
What’s going on? Lin Xu was quite astonished. If he hadn’t just participated in the food competition the day before yesterday, he would hardly have believed he could bump into the President of the National Tourism Association here.
Liu Zhengyu wasn’t secretive. Patting the documents in his hand, he said, "I saw that your family’s scenic area submitted its 4A application quite a while ago, but it hadn’t been reviewed yet. Since this falls under my purview, I came to personally inspect it. If everything is satisfactory, you could receive your 4A license as early as next week."
"Oh my, that’s wonderful! Thank you so much, President Liu. My parents were just discussing the approval process on our way here."
At this point, Lin Hongqi and Chen Meijuan also got out of the car. They hadn’t expected to run into Liu Zhengyu here either. Upon hearing that he had come to review their scenic area, Lin Hongqi hurried over to shake his hand.
Chen Meijuan, meanwhile, called out towards the ticket window, "Yuanyuan, quickly refund him for the ticket."
"Sure, Third Aunt. Where’s Lin Xu’s wife? The whole family is waiting inside. My grandma and Grandma Lin have prepared a huge spread. They said no one is allowed to eat until you arrive. I’ve just been nibbling on a small roll to keep from starving..."
Chen Yuanyuan was Lin Xu’s maternal cousin, twenty-five this year. She used to work as a cashier in a large supermarket in Yinzhou City. After the scenic area’s business picked up, she came to work as a ticket seller here.
"Oh, my poor niece, you’ve really been put out. Here, take this box of snacks. It’s from the Fishing Platform, the kind they serve to foreign presidents; ordinary people can’t buy it..."
Chen Yuanyuan had initially wanted to refuse, but upon hearing her aunt mention how precious it was, she quickly accepted it and reverently placed it inside a locked drawer.
While they were chatting, Lin Hongqi retrieved the keys to his Toyota Prado from the ticket office and planned to drive Liu Zhengyu into the scenic area. He had come all this way, and for such an important matter as the scenic area’s rating; they absolutely had to show him proper hospitality.
"We’re heading in now, Yuanyuan. I’ll have someone bring you something to eat in a bit."
"Okay, Third Aunt. You all go ahead."
Chen Yuanyuan had wanted to get a look at her new cousin-in-law, but when she peeked, she saw that his wife hadn’t gotten out of the car. So, she sent a message in the family group chat: "Third Aunt is back! I haven’t seen Lin Xu’s new wife yet. Remember to send me a photo later. I’m not allowed to eat the good food yet, but you have to at least let me see what she looks like, right?"