novelraw Chapter 74 Midday in the Suburbs of Moscow
Chapter 74 Midday in the Suburbs of Moscow
Chapter 74 Midday in the Suburbs of Moscow
"Then let's chat about anything, just don't stay silent."
"Okay!" Hu Yi felt relieved and wanted to introduce some of the scenery along the street, but the bus was still in the suburbs, and the only things on both sides of the road were trees and boxy buildings, so there didn't seem to be much to say. He hesitated for a moment and then casually said, "Today is Saturday, so there will be more tourists in the city. After we get off the bus, we need to stay with the group and not get separated."
No one spoke, except for the elderly couple with northwestern Shandong accents who nodded earnestly. Hu Yi picked up the itinerary and read aloud: "This morning's itinerary is a boat trip on the Moscow River, followed by a morning visit to Lenin's Mausoleum, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and the State Department Store near Red Square. If we're lucky, we might catch the Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier—"
"Director Hu!" The woman from Northeast China yawned deeply. "Stop reading it aloud. We already know the itinerary. It's written all over the paper."
Hu Yi smiled awkwardly: "It seems everyone is exhausted from playing. They just woke up and are already falling asleep again."
Upon hearing this, several more people reflexively yawned. The middle-aged professor spoke with a stern expression: "Yes, Xiao Hu, everyone is indeed exhausted. The travel agency's itinerary is problematic; it's too rushed. We've had a very tiring journey. Although this arrangement is intended to compress the trip, allowing us to see as many sights as possible in the least amount of time, we should also consider everyone's physical condition and feelings. Otherwise, what's the point of traveling? Tomorrow is Sunday, but we still have to take a bus to another city very early in the morning; it's even more tiring than going to work. In my opinion, this kind of itinerary that prioritizes efficiency over quality is not worth promoting and should be seriously improved—"
"You're right, I was indeed too nervous, I should improve." Worried the professor was about to launch into another long-winded explanation, Hu Yi quickly interrupted him with a smile: "Tomorrow is Sunday, it should be—it should be a day for rest. Sunday—um—by the way, does everyone know how to say Sunday in Russian?"
Everyone shook their heads lazily. Hu Yi cleared his throat: "The Russian pronunciation of Sunday is 'socks in shoes'—isn't that easy to remember? You don't have to go to work on Sundays, so you put your socks in your shoes."
Soft chuckles filled the car. A few people straightened up, muttering "socks in shoes" under their breath. The other tourists opened their eyes and looked at Hu Yi, seemingly finally showing interest in his words. Hu Yi quickly pressed his advantage: "Does anyone here speak Russian?"
"I can!" The woman from Northeast China raised her hand. "You little brat!"
"Very good, that's right." Hu Yi nodded and smiled.
"I know a few words too," the middle-aged professor said with a serious expression, trying to imitate a foreigner's tone: "Comrade is 'comrade-in-arms,' great is 'spicy chicken strips,' and thank you is 'wash it up.'"
"That's great." Hu Yi was amused by his accent and said with a big smile, "Your comrade-in-arms is very spicy."
The people in the car laughed again. Hu Yi, emboldened, raised his voice and said, "I'll teach you two more simple Russian words: 'bad' is pronounced 'bu le he' in Russian, and 'cold' is pronounced 'hao len na'. Aren't they easy to remember?"
"Not happy?" "It's so cold?" The tourists muttered to themselves, finding the pronunciation of these two words quite interesting and indeed easy to remember.
"That's right. So if you come to visit in winter and a Russian asks you, 'How are you?', just tell them you're not happy! If they ask why, just say you're so cold!"
"Hahahaha!" The tourists burst into laughter, their weariness instantly vanishing. They teased each other with the Russian words they had just learned, creating a warm and joyful atmosphere.
Having successfully livened up the atmosphere in the car, Hu Yi breathed a satisfied sigh of relief. Just as he put down the microphone, a young woman sitting in the back seat shouted, "Director Hu! Sing us a song!"
"Singing?" Hu Yi felt that singing wasn't his forte, but he still gritted his teeth and agreed, "Sure, I'm not a very good singer, but if everyone wants to hear me sing, I'll give it my all!"
"We want to hear it!" everyone on the bus exclaimed in unison.
"Okay! So what should I sing?" Hu Yi pondered for a moment, "How about I sing 'My Chinese Heart' for everyone? How about that?"
The song title was the first thing that popped into his mind. Twenty-year-old Hu Yi had been living in Moscow for two years, and it had been more than a year since his last trip back to China. Although he didn't consider himself a homesick person, he couldn't help but feel a pang of homesickness when he was surrounded by a group of compatriots visiting from China. Perhaps only this song could fully express his feelings at that moment.
"Good!" The middle-aged professor approvingly clapped a few times. The others, however, reacted indifferently, merely offering polite smiles.
"What's so good about it? It's no good!" the woman from Northeast China objected bluntly. "Every time I travel abroad, the local tour guides sing 'My Chinese Heart.' They even made us sing it in St. Petersburg the other day—on the bus, while eating! Even the best songs get old. Let's change it!"
Hu Yi felt a little disappointed as his carefully crafted mood was abruptly interrupted. He looked at his older sister awkwardly and asked with a smile, "So, what are you going to sing?"
The older woman exclaimed excitedly, "The day before yesterday, our tour guide, Xiao Yu, sang a Russian song on the bus. Although none of us had heard it before and we couldn't understand it, we just thought it was so beautiful! Could you sing one for us too?"
"Oh, a Russian song? I'm not very good at that. I can only sing three or five lines at most, and not even a complete one." Hu Yi scratched his head awkwardly, pondered for a moment, and then said, "You've been staying at a hotel in the suburbs for the past few days, so how about I sing 'Moscow Nights' in Chinese? Although it's still quite early."
"Sure! It fits the mood!" The older woman grinned, turned around, and called to the whispering tourists behind her, "Shh! Quiet down! Director Hu is singing! 'Midday in the Moscow Suburbs'!"
Hu Yi cleared his throat forcefully, took a deep breath, and sang in a deep voice: "In the quiet of the garden at night, only the wind sings softly."
"How beautiful the night is!" the eldest sister suddenly cried out in a hoarse voice, "How delightful my heart is! On this enchanting night!"
The eldest sister was tone-deaf, but her voice was exceptionally unrestrained. Hu Yi laughed heartily: "Oh! Eldest sister, do you want to sing a duet with me? Let's sing a duet! — How beautiful the night is, how cheerful my heart is, on this enchanting night."
A round of enthusiastic applause erupted inside the car. Hu Yi took a deep breath and was about to sing the second verse when singing suddenly came from behind him. It turned out that the chubby Russian driver couldn't help but sing in Russian: "The little river flows quietly~ with gentle~ waves, the water reflects the silver~ moonlight~, a breeze~ a song, how peaceful~ evening~."
"Awesome! Spicy shredded chicken!" Hu Yi led the applause, and the others followed suit. The eldest sister grinned and pulled Hu Yi to sit next to her, then threw her head back and shouted at the top of her lungs, "My sweetheart! Sit with me!"
Beside me, you silently watched me without saying a word! I wanted to tell you, but I was too embarrassed! So many words remained unspoken in my heart!
A burst of laughter erupted. The eldest sister stood up, knelt on one knee on her chair, and waved vigorously behind her: "Come on! Let's all sing together!"