373: Northeast bathing culture

Yang Qi and the others spent the entire afternoon strolling along Central Street, but only covered about half of it. They did buy quite a few things, though.

Just as Yang Qi and his father were about to collapse from exhaustion, Zhang Li received a call, finally putting a stop to the endless shopping spree.

"Let's go, let's go! A few girlfriends called. I'm going to take you guys to experience a Northeastern specialty."

Yang Qi clearly saw his father, Wang Xudong, and Li Lifeng visibly relax. It seemed that no man enjoyed shopping, even at tourist attractions.

They didn't bother driving their own cars; they hailed three taxis on the roadside and headed straight for the destination.

When Yang Qi got out of the car, he saw a red building with "Da Fuhao Hot Spring Center" written on the roof.

So they were here to experience the Northeastern bathing culture. To be honest, he was somewhat looking forward to it.

Back home by the sea, they rarely went to bathhouses. They had a pool at home, so they usually just swam, took a shower, and were done. They seldom went to a bathhouse to soak.

Inside the entrance was a lavishly decorated lobby. After everyone received a wristband, the male and female guests separated.

Upon entering the changing room, an attendant led them to the locker corresponding to their wristband to change clothes.

Yang Qi felt a bit uneasy as soon as he entered. Most of the men inside were naked, and some were still undressing.

When he was little, he had followed his dad to the town bathhouse a few times. Usually, though, his family mostly bathed at home.

Later, when he went away to school, the dorms had showers, and the apartments he rented later also had bathrooms, so he hadn't been to this kind of public bathhouse. He felt somewhat unaccustomed to it.

So he dawdled, touching things here and fiddling with things there, taking forever to even get his underwear off.

"Xiao Qi, we're going in first."

At that moment, Wang Xudong called out to him from the other side. Yang Qi turned his head and saw three naked middle-aged men already heading toward the bath area.

"Screw it. Mine isn't small either. What the heck am I afraid of?"

Yang Qi gritted his teeth, stomped his foot, and "swoosh" went his shorts. He closed the door and hesitantly walked toward the bath area, trying to cover himself.

"Boss, this way please!"

The attendant suddenly gestured for him to proceed and handed him a clean white towel, startling Yang Qi, who hadn't been paying attention.

"Damn it!"

Yang Qi cursed inwardly, but he also blamed himself for his lack of concentration. He took the towel, wrapped it around his waist, and finally breathed a sigh of relief, even walking a bit straighter.

Once inside, he saw many naked, pale bodies. Some were soaking, some were showering, and some were getting scrubbed.

Yang Qi swore this was the highest number of naked people he had ever seen at one time in his life. There were at least fifty or sixty naked individuals inside.

At that moment, he saw three people sitting on stone stools in the corner, taking a sitting shower. Yang Qi immediately walked over, found a stone stool, sat down, and picked up a showerhead to spray himself.

At the same time, he began to look around. There were two large pools, and everyone inside had only their heads above water, their bodies completely submerged.

"Hmm, that's acceptable. Others can't see much. I should go there!"

Yang Qi thought to himself.

Then he looked at those lying on the massage beds getting back scrubs—some were prone, some were supine, and some were sitting, all looking completely at ease. The scrub workers were diligently working with scrubbing mitts.

"That... seems a bit awkward. I might not be able to handle it!"

Yang Qi assessed his psychological tolerance.

Just then, he noticed that a few people next to him taking sitting showers were brushing their teeth or shaving.

"This place... it seems like people only come here after they've already washed up!"

Yang Qi gritted his teeth, checked the path, found the shortest route, stood up, quickly walked to the edge of the large pool, and stepped in. Only after he squatted down did he feel much more comfortable.

"Young man, you lack experience. You need more practice!"

Yang Qi secretly rationalized his actions.

"But this water seems a bit hot! I'm not used to it, completely not used to it!"

Just then, he spotted an eccentric person, and his mood lightened considerably. Turns out he wasn't the only one who felt awkward! Hahaha!

He saw four or five people enter at once, one of whom was a young man in his twenties, still wearing his shorts.

Appearing among a crowd of naked people, someone wearing shorts stood out so abruptly and conspicuously.

Like an Ugly Duckling mixed into a flock of swans!

"Attention seeker."

"Brother, you're unique! Where are you from?"

As the group entered the large pool, the young man wearing shorts happened to come right next to Yang Qi, so Yang Qi asked him.

"Hello! I'm from Zhejiang. I haven't done this before, so I'm a bit uncomfortable. Please excuse me!"

The man said, looking slightly embarrassed.

"Not at all! I'm not used to it either. If you had come earlier, I would have followed your example!"

Yang Qi said earnestly.

"Hehehe, back in my hometown, I always use individual baths. We have public bathhouses in society there too, but I've never been to one."

The man scratched his head and smiled at Yang Qi.

In the end, Wang Xudong and the others finished their scrubs, but no matter how they called him, he refused to get scrubbed. Anyway, he showered every day at home, so his body wasn't dirty.

(The above is the author's true experience from the first time they visited a Northern bathhouse. They genuinely felt uncomfortable back then. Thinking about it now, the memory is still vivid.)

When the group returned to the changing room, several attendants came forward with towels to help them dry off.

"Oh! I'll do it myself, I'll do it myself."

Yang Qi quickly stopped him; he wasn't used to being waited on for drying his body.

The group changed into the Hot Spring Center's clothes and, led by Wang Xudong, went up to the second floor.

On one side was the buffet restaurant, and on the other were private rooms, which they were told were for massages and foot washes.

The four of them scanned their wristbands and entered the buffet restaurant. Judging by the menu, the restaurant specialized in seafood buffet, though chicken, duck, fish, beef, and mutton were also available.

This was Yang Qi's happy time again.

Just as he went to get food for the second time, Zhang Li arrived with the 'girl group.' Three of them were unfamiliar faces, likely her friends whom she had called over to accompany the guests.

Yang Qi and Bai Xue's happy hour truly allowed these people to witness their 'real' (eating) strength.

"It's a buffet! Eat as much as you want! If they complain about this, they shouldn't run a buffet!"

Zhang Li declared protectively with a grand gesture.

"How was the bath?"

Yang Qi quietly asked Bai Xue.

"It was alright, just a little embarrassing! Hehehe."

Bai Xue stuck out her tongue and whispered.

"But they all complimented my skin and my figure, hee hee hee."

"How could it not be good? There's a twenty-plus year age difference!"

Yang Qi thought silently, but didn't say it out loud, mainly because he was afraid of getting pinched.

"This is my nephew, Yang Qi. He has outstanding looks, is young and promising, and not only owns several large villas but also several large ships!"

Zhang Li pointed at Yang Qi and started bragging!