Chapter 129: Grand Opening of the Guesthouse
“Oh! It really is an immersive experience, huh? The training is quite spot-on, very convincing,” Luo Yang remarked to Xiao Ya.
Xiao Ya walked over to the front counter and explained to Lin Sanniang her prior communications with Owner Xiaxia.
Lin Sanniang nodded. “The owner did mention this matter. However, it is only half-past eight right now, and not yet nine o’clock. You two honored guests may leave your luggage here at the guesthouse first and stroll around the manor. If the guests with reservations fail to arrive by nine, we will reserve a guest room for you. However, you must check in before half-past nine.”
Xiao Ya agreed. “Alright!”
Luo Yang, ever critical, asked, “What kind of activities do you have here? Is it enough to keep us entertained for a whole day?”
Lin Sanniang smiled. “Currently, our manor has five activities open to guests. The owner has prepared a brief summary; please have a look.”
With that, she handed over a sheet titled Xingxia Manor Activities and Sightseeing Guide:
The manor currently offers the following six sightseeing and recreational activities:
- Berry and Blossom Pathway Stroll (Free): A scented pathway roughly 500 meters long, lined with berries and blossoms, perfect for a scenic stroll.
- Creekside Camping (Free): The pathway leads directly to a crystal-clear stream where guests can wade, fish, or catch minnows. The creekside lawn is available for camping. If camping or fishing gear is required, please inquire at the front counter for rentals (Fee: 10–100 yuan/person, see the Camping Mode Price List for details).
- Pastoral Farm (Free): Guests can visit the manor’s vegetable patches to harvest fresh produce and experience the joy of farming and harvesting. The harvested produce can be prepared as part of the guesthouse dining options (included in meal packages). If you wish to take the produce home, it will be charged by weight (approx. 3–20 yuan/catty, see the Pastoral Picking Price List for details).
- Forest Foraging (Free): A mountain pathway roughly 2 kilometers long winding through the woods, where guests can enjoy the canopy shade, forest breezes, and get up close with nature.
- Smart Greenhouse Picking (Paid): A modern, automated greenhouse utilizing advanced temperature, light, and humidity control systems. It features eight specialty fruits and vegetables available for picking, charged by weight (approx. 10–60 yuan/catty, see the Greenhouse Picking Price List for details).
- Traditional Crafts Experience (Paid): The manor offers an immersive experience in traditional arts and crafts. Professional instructors will guide guests in learning and experiencing various skills such as cooking, embroidery, bamboo weaving, and making bamboo utensils. This is an unscheduled, hidden bonus activity. If interested, please inquire at the front counter for reservations (Fee: approx. 100–1,000 yuan/person, see the Traditional Crafts Experience Price List – Draft Pending).
It was indeed five active items. Aside from the sixth item—the traditional crafts experience, which wasn’t available during the trial run—the other five were clearly priced.
There was no need to search elsewhere for the detailed prices; they were printed right below the activity guide.
An enlarged version was also posted on the wall behind the front counter, alongside the price lists for accommodation, retail items, and dining.
It was exactly as the Lu’an Village Party Secretary had promised: prices were clearly marked, free and paid services were explicitly separated, and the detailed price lists enumerated the exact cost of every item and service.
Luo Yang noticed that breakfast was split into two tiers: 5 yuan and 10 yuan. He was a bit surprised; even 10 yuan was considered very cheap for a scenic area.
However… Luo Yang secretly suspected that the 5-yuan option would just be steamed buns and plain congee, and the 10-yuan option would merely add an egg to the mix.
If so, it wouldn’t be worth it.
Thus, Luo Yang asked Lin Sanniang, “What exactly comes with these two breakfast tiers? Why aren’t the details listed?”
Lin Sanniang explained with a polite smile, “Honored guest, the 5-yuan tier includes sweet corn, boiled eggs, sweet potatoes, millet congee, and white rice congee, which you may choose from freely.”
“The 10-yuan tier includes all of the above, plus steamed buns, fried eggs, hot noodle soup, and other specialty dishes.”
Lin Sanniang patiently added, “There may be occasional adjustments, as our manor’s meals are provided strictly according to seasonal availability, making it impossible to guarantee an identical daily menu.”
“For instance, today is our first day of the trial run, and the manor has not yet begun simmering broth, so we cannot offer noodle soup today. The 10-yuan tier today will only include extra steamed buns and fried eggs.”
Lin Sanniang felt a bit anxious. Judging by his expression, this guest seemed rather difficult to please, and his questions happened to target the dining menu—the single aspect the guesthouse couldn’t define with absolute precision. What if he was dissatisfied and left a bad review?
She was incredibly nervous. The young mistress owner had explicitly told her to ensure guest satisfaction as much as possible, emphasizing that positive reviews were vital—they were a necessary condition for the manor to upgrade from Level 1 to Level 2.
What Lin Sanniang didn’t know was that upon hearing her answer, Luo Yang was actually profoundly shocked.
He had originally assumed there would be a hidden trap, but he hadn’t expected it to be this genuinely generous.
He exchanged a look with Xiao Ya, and the two spoke in unison: “Give us two of the ten-yuan breakfasts.”
“Right away! Since you don’t have a room assigned yet, honored guests, would you mind dining under the tree in the front courtyard?”
A youth’s voice chimed in from behind them. Xiao Ya and Luo Yang turned around to see the small boy who had greeted them at the main entrance earlier.
A-Feng slung an imaginary cloth over his shoulder with a sharp flick. “Honored guests, right this way—”
With that, he guided the guests under a large tree in the front courtyard.
Here, beneath every massive tree, sat small bamboo tables and high-backed chairs—he had brought two sets two days ago, and today he had carried over another four.
Luo Yang and Xiao Ya sat down. The massive tree blocked the glare of the sun, allowing only fragmented beams of light to filter through the shifting leaves like scattered stars, bright and thoroughly comfortable.
Before even checking in, Xiao Ya had already fallen in love with the place.
A-Feng headed to the back to fetch the breakfast. Jian Xingxia had laid out the schedule: today Lin Sanniang would manage the front counter and central hall, she herself would handle the greenhouse and pastoral picking, and A-Feng would serve as a flexible runner.
If things went smoothly, someone would come to help out later, but if not, the three of them would have to hustle.
A-Feng had originally been stationed at the barrier gate to receive guests and manage parking, but since guest traffic was light so early in the morning, he had returned to see if the first two guests needed anything.
Sure enough, the moment he brought the guests to the courtyard to sit down, Lin Sanniang hurriedly called out to him, “The guests have checked their luggage. Carry it to Warehouse Number Two behind the small lounge, and lock the door tightly.”
Warehouse Number One held the “wages” for the temporary laborers, along with backup inventory and linens.
Jian Xingxia was busying herself preparing breakfast in the kitchen—the buns, mantou, corn, and eggs were already steamed, and a pot of white rice congee and a pot of millet congee stood ready.
However, since Luo Yang and Xiao Ya had ordered the 10-yuan tier, she now needed to freshly fry two eggs.
A few minutes later, A-Feng carried a woven bamboo tray, delivering the breakfast to the table beneath the tree.
“Honored guests, here is the breakfast you ordered: one sweet potato, one section of corn, one boiled egg, one fried egg, one meat bun, a small bowl each of millet congee and white congee, accompanied by complimentary farmhouse pickles—crisp radish skin and savory sesame oil mustard strips.”
The woven bamboo tray held a variety of bowls and saucers of different sizes.
The boiled egg sat in a small, deep dish, while the fried egg rested on a shallow white porcelain saucer. The medium-sized sweet potato and corn were displayed together in a large ceramic farmhouse bowl.
The millet and white rice congee were served in small, four-inch bowls. While too small for a standard meal, they were the perfect size for sampling both types of congee without being overly filling.
In the very center sat a round plate holding a truly colossal steamed bun. Next to the bun lay two small pinches of mustard strips and radish skin.
Xiao Ya gasped in surprise. “Why is this bun so huge!”
The bun had been steamed by the plump auntie yesterday. Its diameter was larger than the fried egg—white, thick, incredibly fluffy, and still radiating columns of hot steam.
Luo Yang, however, frowned. “An egg each, a sweet potato and corn each, a bowl of congee each, and plenty of pickles… but how are we supposed to split this bun?”
As large as the bun was, who ever heard of buying two breakfasts only to have two people split a single bun?
This was far too unseemly!
Just as Luo Yang prepared to voice his criticism, A-Feng said with a beaming smile, “Please calm yourselves, honored guests. You ordered two breakfasts, and this is merely the first portion.”
“Huh?” Luo Yang was stunned.
Xiao Ya was also incredibly surprised. “This is just one portion?”
But this amount was already enough to feed two people!
A-Feng laughed. “I am young and can only carry one tray at a time. Please wait a moment, honored guests, I shall fetch the second portion right away.”
With that, he ducked back into the kitchen with light steps, returning shortly after with the second breakfast tray.
Meanwhile, having finished preparing the breakfasts, Jian Xingxia was staring at the system’s mission progress and the monitoring alerts from the barrier gate with a mixture of anxiety and excitement.
The bad news: Luo Yang had paid for two breakfasts, but the system had indeed only counted it as a single instance of customer revenue generation.
The good news: The barrier gate monitor showed that the three batches of guests mentioned by Hu Da and the others had begun arriving one after another!
