Super-rich: Spending money is just a job!

Chapter 173 Enjoying the Snow

That day, after Xiaomeng finished skiing and checked out of the hotel, she took her older sister's family to the recently popular Ice and Snow World.

Neither of them had ever seen such a giant ice sculpture amusement park before, and they found it very eye-opening. Since they went at a time when it wasn't a holiday or weekend, they had a great experience. They didn't have to queue much and were able to try all the rides.

I didn't really experience the massive crowds that are often seen online.

After leaving the Ice and Snow World, Xiaomeng dragged her older sister to stroll along Central Street. This street was very beautiful, unlike any other city street Xiaomeng had ever seen. It resembled a scene from an ancient European movie she had watched before.

Xiaomeng originally wanted to go into a fur store to buy her older sister a mink coat, but her sister refused, saying that she didn't look good in a mink coat.

“Look, it looks good on those tall locals. I’m so short, I’d look like a bear in it.”

"Nonsense, you're not that short, are you?"

"People say that people our height are like little potatoes, how come we're not short?"

Xiaomeng glanced at her older sister, who was about the same height as her, and remained silent. Her sister had no idea she was already over 1.6 meters tall.

Xiaomeng guessed her older sister thought the prices were too high. Actually, Xiaomeng didn't think the mink coats here were expensive at all. She saw a long, white, cross-patterned mink coat with a hood, priced at only 13,000 yuan, and the salesperson even said they could offer a discount!

But Cui Ling refused, saying that she was warm and comfortable in her down jacket and didn't want a mink coat, telling Xiao Meng to buy it herself if she liked it.

In the end, Xiaomeng bought her older sister a low-key mink-lined parka.

It's a mid-length coat, removable and washable, with very dense and smooth fur inside. Although it's probably not top-grade mink, it's cheap. Compared to other fur coats, this one is only a little over a thousand.

Cui Ling then remained silent.

Xiaomeng secretly thought to herself, maybe she should ask Xiong Da to find her a few cloaks. They look really cool. But it seems like the locals in Northeast China don't really like wearing them anymore; most people wear down jackets.

She took a picture of her older sister's new parka and sent it to Xiong Zijian, saying, "Brother Xiong, let me tell you, I found this coat to be really warm. Can you help me figure out how to get a similar nice robe to wear?"

She had just sent the photos when Xiong Zijian sent a voice message, lamenting that she had bought a substandard item. "You don't even know how to judge mink fur. If I were to pick up this kind of mink, it would cost at most 200."

Don't go out and buy anything recklessly. Just wait, I'll rush to make you a Ming-style brocade long gown with gold thread, so you can see what true royal grandeur is all about.

……

I just got back from Northeast China, and it's started snowing here in Beijing too. We have to keep the heating on all day at home.

But an old house is an old house. Although the windows have double-layered insulation, the temperature is still not very high. People still need to dress a little warmer at home. It's not like what some northerners describe, where it's so hot at home that you have to wear short sleeves.

Because there are children at home, we need to add some extra electric heating equipment.

Aunt Fang suspected that perhaps the neighbors upstairs, downstairs, or next door weren't using their heating and were using theirs, which was why their home was so cold. Aunt Fang asked Xiaomeng if they should mention this to the building management.

Xiaomeng scratched her head, deciding to ignore it. Perhaps the family that was using the heat for free was genuinely struggling and couldn't afford the heating fees. She figured they could just let it go and suffer a little loss.

A winter temperature of 15 or 16 degrees Celsius is not considered low for southerners like them.

The Forbidden City is very beautiful after a snowfall in winter. Xiaomeng had seen it online before, but had never seen it in real life.

When a friend in the group chat said, "The first heavy snow of the year has come, let's all go to the Forbidden City to enjoy the snow and take pictures!"

Xiaomeng signed up, because the Forbidden City, covered in silver, was a must-see.

That day, before dawn, Xiaomeng got into a pre-booked taxi, a Land Rover Range Rover with a high chassis. The car had snow tires, so it didn't slip at all on the main road and quickly took Xiaomeng to the outside of the Forbidden City.

It was only 7:30 a.m., but a number of staff members had already gathered outside Shenwu Gate.

This time is not the time when the Forbidden City is open to the public, but only the time when staff members are on duty.

The person in charge of organizing the event in the group gave each participant a work badge and reminded everyone to take their filming equipment, follow the leader closely, and adhere to the predetermined route.

Braving the wind and snow, everyone followed the tour leader and arrived at the Imperial Garden and Cining Palace Garden, the best spots for taking photos, before the large number of tourists arrived.

At this moment, without tourists, the Imperial Garden feels like stepping back in time.

At this moment, no more snowflakes were falling from the sky, and the rising sun shone on the red walls and golden tiles covered with white snow. With a telephoto lens, one could capture the overlapping golden eaves.

Occasionally, tall persimmon trees can be seen between the walls of the palace path, with ripe, red persimmons sticking out from behind the walls, attracting birds such as sparrows to come and peck at them.

Xiaomeng doesn't like to photograph the palace walls; she prefers to photograph the small animals inside the Forbidden City.

Magpies, sparrows, crows, and Forbidden City cats—photos featuring these small animals always feel particularly vibrant.

By the time a large number of tourists arrived, they had already left the Forbidden City and gone to a private club next door to warm up and have breakfast.