Perplexed and Smitten (92)

An Xiaoning scurried toward the house and pushed the door open. At the sight of her, the man who was smoking inside the house was about to flare up. An Xiaoning hurriedly said, "Sir, simmer down. Here's what happened. We came here on a motorboat, but there's no way for us to go back now. Does that boat along the river belong to you? Could you give us a lift?"

"You can make a turn at the road over there. It's not like there aren't any roads for you to walk on. You don't necessarily have to cut across the river," said the man, who obviously didn't want to give them a ride.

An Xiaoning entered and negotiated with him, "Sir, how about this? We'll give you 300 dollars in exchange for a lift. Will that do?"

By rights, she was offering way too much for such a short distance. However, he still refused to give in. "I'm not giving you guys a lift."