I said fourteen kuai, not four kuai! You heard wrongly! You can't even speak Putonghua!
The old man couldn't have been more wrong. If anything, travelling around Shanghai for the past five days has taught him to listen and speak Putonghua. In fact, the xiao jie at the souvenir shop had said to him, 'ni de chung wen hao' despite his humble denials.
Impossible, four kuai! Even a taxi will cost 16 kuai!
Silly old man. The same xiao jie had told him it that wouldn't cost more than four kuai. He had done his research. The old man shouldn't have agreed when he had said four kuai while indicating with four fingers twice before hopping onto the trishaw.
Don't be ridiculous! Give me my money!
The old fool! You should be giving me my one kuai change. The old man's grubby hands grasp his five kuai note tighter. His speech gets faster. Louder. Cruder. The old man tries to rally the other locals to his cause but they avoid him. They stand on the sidewalk. Talking amongst themselves. Laughing.
Old master. The police are on the way, thanks to two ladies with mobiles who could speak English. I've done my fair share of travelling. Been cheated by others before you. You think you've got me now. But you haven't got any idea, have you?
The old man shoves a dirty crumpled one kuai note into his hands and disappears into the hectic traffic of the dusty street. Minutes later, he enjoys a good laugh with the locals at the Garden of the Master of Nets.
***
The Garden of the Master of Nets is designated as a World Heritage site by the United Nations. It's always the smallest that are the most treasured.
The old man couldn't have been more wrong. If anything, travelling around Shanghai for the past five days has taught him to listen and speak Putonghua. In fact, the xiao jie at the souvenir shop had said to him, 'ni de chung wen hao' despite his humble denials.
Impossible, four kuai! Even a taxi will cost 16 kuai!
Silly old man. The same xiao jie had told him it that wouldn't cost more than four kuai. He had done his research. The old man shouldn't have agreed when he had said four kuai while indicating with four fingers twice before hopping onto the trishaw.
Don't be ridiculous! Give me my money!
The old fool! You should be giving me my one kuai change. The old man's grubby hands grasp his five kuai note tighter. His speech gets faster. Louder. Cruder. The old man tries to rally the other locals to his cause but they avoid him. They stand on the sidewalk. Talking amongst themselves. Laughing.
Old master. The police are on the way, thanks to two ladies with mobiles who could speak English. I've done my fair share of travelling. Been cheated by others before you. You think you've got me now. But you haven't got any idea, have you?
The old man shoves a dirty crumpled one kuai note into his hands and disappears into the hectic traffic of the dusty street. Minutes later, he enjoys a good laugh with the locals at the Garden of the Master of Nets.
***
The Garden of the Master of Nets is designated as a World Heritage site by the United Nations. It's always the smallest that are the most treasured.
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