Chapter 24

I had already received the itinerary for the package tour, so on the second day, I took Mom to Bells Mountain. We happened to run into a tour guide leading a group of elderly men and women. I followed behind them with Mom, entering a large souvenir market at the base of the mountain. The place was packed with an array of goods—novelties for tourists—but the prices were outrageous. Mom and I wandered nearby, keeping an eye on the group's movements. With all smiles, the guide stopped and encouraged everyone to shop. Fifteen minutes later, the group emerged while shaking their heads. Most of them had empty hands, with only a few carrying small trinkets. Seeing this, the previously friendly tour guide's face twisted into a scowl. She was furious. Grabbing a megaphone, she yelled loudly with hands on her hips and red-painted nails pointing at the elderly tourists. "What's the meaning of this? There are dozens of you, and you've barely spent a few hundred dollars! Go back inside! "The