I Tied Up the Travel Check-In System - Chapter 11

The boy’s introduction piqued Tang Siqi’s curiosity. She nodded and followed them into the apartment.

Entering, she felt as if she had traveled back in time. A five-story, U-shaped building, steeped in history, appeared before her.

She instinctively turned her head. The bustling streets outside still exuded the modern atmosphere of a metropolis, yet inside, a different world seemed to escape her.

“I’m right, aren’t I? You won’t regret coming in,” the boy said proudly.

Another boy, carrying a DSLR camera, urged, “Let’s go upstairs to find the best view. We only have half an hour.”

“Then I’ll be leaving. Take your time exploring.”

“Okay.”

Tang Siqi didn’t rush upstairs, but instead stood in the courtyard below, taking in the area.

It truly resembled the Pig Cage Village from the movie “Kung Fu Hustle.” She could almost hallucinate, and the next second, she could hear the iconic line, “Landlady, there’s no water!”

It also felt a bit like a castle, a bit like the Colosseum in ancient Rome.

Along the long corridors, tightly packed households formed a series of densely packed houses.

Tang Siqi had actually lived in a similar tube-shaped building when she was very young. It was her father’s factory unit, with a long corridor connecting more than a dozen single-family units. Because the kitchen was a separate building, residents had to cook in the hallway. One of her childhood memories is of her and her friends riding merry-go-rounds in the corridor, reeking of cooking oil.

However, that tube-shaped building was nothing compared to the apartment building she now stood in front of her.

The sheer size and sheer number of residents here were simply breathtaking.

Although the building looked a bit old, it was brimming with life. Many residents had set up clotheslines to dry. Today, with the beautiful weather, many people had washed their quilts and clothes, and sheets and quilts were everywhere, drying like flags of various nations.

Such a spectacular scene was rare even in the old alleyway where she lived.

As Tang Siqi stood downstairs, lost in thought, a delivery man walked in, carrying a takeout box. A look of confusion crossed his face.

“Miss, could you tell me how to get to Mr. Jia’s apartment, 3205, on the third floor?”

Tang Siqi said with a smile. “I’m just visiting too. Why don’t you call him and ask?”

The delivery man, still on the phone, headed up to the third floor.

Tang Siqi followed suit, following the corridor.

Upon entering the apartment, she discovered that the apartments were even closer together than she’d expected. Yet, even in such cramped living quarters, people haven’t given up on the little pleasures of life.

In discreet corners, you can often see people planting vegetables and flowers. There’s even a ginger cat strolling gracefully through the hallways.

On the fifth floor, two men were filming. From this vantage point, overlooking the entire apartment building, it was a perfect spot for framing.

Tang Siqi didn’t want to disturb the residents, but seeing such a rare spot, she couldn’t help but take out her phone and snap a few photos.

Afterward, she couldn’t help but search for the apartment on Baidu.

It turned out this place was designed and built by the British in the 1920s and 1930s. Originally, it served as the police station’s offices, with many rooms even serving as cells. Later, it became the staff quarters for the Public Security Bureau.

Tang Siqi was surprised to learn that, despite its nearly century-old history, it had an elevator built into its original design.

Upon seeing this, Tang Siqi searched around the fifth floor and actually found it.

“Wow, amazing!” Tang Siqi exclaimed.

“Are you here for a visit, little girl?” An elderly man approached, his hands behind his back.

“Yes, I happened to be passing by and came in to take a look.” Tang Siqi felt a little embarrassed, having intruded on his peaceful life.

“Haha, don’t worry, little girl. There is indeed an elevator shaft here, and there is an elevator. It’s just that after liberation, it was labeled a bourgeois lifestyle and was discontinued.” The elderly man seemed quite welcoming to this visitor.

“Alright, take a look for yourself. I have to go get Old Li to shave my head,” he said, and began to leave.

Tang Siqi asked curiously, “A haircut?”

“Hahaha, that’s a haircut. It’s right up front, around the corner. Everyone in this building knows Lao Li, the barber. Grandma Zhang on the fourth floor makes chive dumplings, and there’s a pastry shop on the second floor.”

Tang Siqi hadn’t expected this building to harbor such talented individuals, such as these small-time artisans.

After the old man left, Tang Siqi also went downstairs to leave.

It suddenly occurred to her that such an interesting place should have a check-in feature, right?

Tang Siqi opened the app and tried to check in.

[Congratulations, host, you have successfully checked in at “Changle Apartment” and received an A-level rating. The system rewards you with 24 hours of health, 100 gold coins, a total wealth of 112 gold coins, and 38 hours of remaining health.]

Wow, success!

I didn’t expect to have such a magical experience just by going out to increase my step count. It seems the system recognizes interesting places like this, even those that aren’t traditional tourist attractions.

After leaving Changle Apartment, Tang Siqi checked her WeChat Sports app. Her step count was almost 20,000, placing her second on WeChat Moments.

Ahead of her was “Brother Tang,” who had walked two thousand more steps than her…

Tang Siqi: “…”

Unexpectedly, her only competitor turned out to be her dad.

It was already nine o’clock, and Dad wasn’t at home watching Korean dramas with Mom, so why was he hanging out outside?

Tang Siqi thought, two thousand steps isn’t a lot, he’d already walked twenty thousand steps, what else was there to lose?

If she could continue to take first place today, she would have completed three consecutive days of being number one.

If she could keep up the pace for four more days, she would be able to unlock all kinds of desserts and delicacies. The thought of the desserts that might be on sale in the gold coin mall next time filled her with energy.

Tang Siqi quickened her pace, hoping to overtake her dad when the rankings were fixed.

She walked for a while and checked WeChat Sports again, and realized something was wrong.

Although the gap between her and her dad was gradually narrowing, her dad didn’t seem to be stopping.

Tang Siqi felt something was wrong, and a doubt crossed her mind.

Could it be that her dad was angry with her and was arguing with her?

Tang Siqi immediately adjusted her strategy, turned off the internet, and continued walking briskly. WeChat Sports usually freezes the rankings at around 10:30. If her father sees that her steps are no longer increasing during this time, he will definitely go home and stop walking.

The number of steps on Tang Siqi’s phone has exceeded 25,000. Logically, she should have secured first place, but to be on the safe side, she gritted her teeth and walked for a longer time.

At 10:25, she reopened the data, and the WeChat Sports data was refreshed.

Sure enough, her father’s steps were frozen at 24,000 steps, while hers was 26,000 steps, securing first place!

After the rankings were announced, Tang Siqi was almost exhausted.

Oh my God, this life is too hard!

She was now near the Bund, not far from where she lived. The bus home had stopped running, and she was reluctant to take a taxi, so she prepared to walk back slowly.

Oh, isn’t the Bund a great attraction, too?

She remembered when she first came to Shanghai for university, everything was new to her. Although she was a homebody, she had at least visited the Bund and Nanjing Road.

It was one of the few Shanghai attractions she had visited.

As a representative attraction of old Shanghai’s foreign concessions, the Bund should be okay!

Tang Siqi nervously attempted to check in.

[Congratulations, host, you have successfully checked in at the “Bund” and received a C rating. The system rewards you with 5 hours of health, 20 gold coins, a total wealth of 132 gold coins, and 43 hours of remaining health.]

Tang Siqi: !!!

It really works?

But it’s a shame that such a famous attraction like the Bund can only be rated C. Isn’t this system’s rating system a bit… arbitrary?

Tang Siqi remembered that Nanjing Road, next to the Bund, was also close, and since she was heading home in that direction anyway, she walked to Nanjing Road and prepared to check in again.

If you can’t get an A-rank, getting a BC-rank still gives you extra gold and health points—what a bargain!

During sales, 20 gold coins can buy you something delicious!

Tang Siqi quickly arrived at Nanjing Road, Shanghai’s most popular pedestrian shopping area.

[Sorry, the host is limited to two non-A-rank check-ins per day. You have no remaining non-A-rank check-ins.]

Ah…

so there’s a limit.

So, you can only check in twice a day for non-A-rank, but there’s no mention of an A-rank limit.

And if your rank is too low, you might even lose a few points and health points.

Tang Siqi returned home with some regret, but she still had a fruitful day.

She had nearly 43 hours of health points, meaning she could stay home tomorrow without risking her life!

After washing up, Tang Siqi lay in bed, happily thinking, and quickly fell asleep.

That night, Tang Siqi dreamed that her father had mobilized all his friends and family for a walk. Everyone in their friend group walked 30,000 steps a day, startling her so much that she woke up before dawn.

“Oh… It’s impossible to stay at home. Today is the day to take first place in WeChat Sports.” Tang Siqi brushed her teeth with dark circles under her eyes and sighed. It would be great if she could block those who walked more than her…

But…

Blocking my dad…

Never mind, she didn’t want to die yet.

At this moment, Tang Ruiqing, who was a hundred kilometers away, hummed a little tune and opened his mobile phone.

“Wow.”

He originally thought that he would take first place for sure, but he didn’t expect Tang Siqi to have taken 2,000 more steps than him!

“What are you daydreaming about so early in the morning? Come and help me with the steamed buns.”

Tang Ruiqing: “Hey, I’m coming.” He

agreed with his mouth, but the expression on his face was visibly unhappy.

What did Ma Xiaopang’s dad downstairs say last time? There are those smart bracelets that can count a lot more steps when worn on the wrist than a mobile phone.

Humph, I’ll ask later, and buy one if it’s not expensive!

At this moment, Tang Siqi, who had just washed her face, sneezed and rubbed her nose.

Luo Junbao, carrying his small schoolbag, passed by the bathroom and said, “Tang Siqi, I’m leaving. If you have a cold, take medicine as soon as possible. Don’t be afraid of the bitterness. If you don’t take it, you won’t get better in a month.”

Tang Siqi: “…I don’t have a cold. Oh, by the way, Junbao, did the kids in your kindergarten introduce you to any delicious food in Shanghai?”

Luo Junbao looked up at the sky, thinking, what can I, a little kid, know.

“I don’t know, but I can ask for you. Tang Siqi, why don’t you search online and you’ll know.”

Tang Siqi suddenly realized: “Ah…not bad, not bad.”

Why didn’t she think of it, she could check out what others shared online in advance.

Luo Junbao looked very old-fashioned and shook his head helplessly. How could adults know nothing? How did Tang Siqi grow up…