Chapter 132: The Utterly Ordinary Berry and Blossom Pathway
Lin Sanniang recommended the 50-yuan per person package. “Young ladies, I recommend this package. It provides camping equipment, including tables, chairs, and shade facilities, as well as simple camping refreshments. A-Feng will deliver them to the streamside shortly.”
Ai Jinjin was very surprised. “Fifty per person doesn’t just include the equipment, but food and drinks too?”
They had assumed it was merely the rental fee for tables, chairs, and sun umbrellas—150 yuan for the three of them, which would come to 120 after the discount.
That wouldn’t have been expensive, considering the aesthetic bonus of the environment.
But if it actually included food and drinks, then it was a phenomenal deal.
While the three of them were celebrating their luck, Jian Xingxia stood behind the counter looking at the progress of [Manor Operating Mission Three], which sat stubbornly at 2/10. She was feeling a bit torn. It was almost nine o’clock. Although she had received two batches of guests, both pairs were couples, and in each case, only one person had paid. The system only counted it as one person entering the manor and generating revenue.
Jian Xingxia let out a sigh. Although it was frustrating, there was nothing she could do about it.
The system likely did this to eliminate any loopholes—such as Jian Xingxia directly tossing a few thousand yuan to Uncle Lu, having him single-handedly invite dozens of villagers up the mountain for a meal, and instantly completing a massive revenue generation target.
Of course, Jian Xingxia currently only had a little over a hundred yuan to her name, and her online shopping accounts were heavily balanced in favor of post-payment options. Even if she wanted to toss around a few thousand yuan, she didn’t have it.
However, Jian Xingxia had also deciphered the system’s intent. It clearly required her to host at least ten distinct guests and genuinely complete the transactional process.
So, although she desperately wanted to tempt Lin Shuang’s group into paying separately to boost her revenue count, she ultimately held back.
A “clever scheme” like that should be saved for the very end. Before that, she wanted to guarantee high-quality service, build a solid reputation, and avoid causing any discomfort to the guests through naked opportunism.
After all, if she went out to eat and a restaurant suddenly demanded that she pay for every single dish separately, she would find it bizarre and off-putting too.
The mission was urgent, but reputation was vital. While there was still time left on the clock, Jian Xingxia chose to prioritize building a good word-of-mouth experience.
This order was simple, and Lin Sanniang had already calculated the bill. “Accommodation is two hundred and twenty, and the camping package is one hundred and fifty, totaling three hundred and seventy. With today’s twenty percent discount, it comes to two hundred and ninety-six altogether.”
That was less than a hundred yuan per person.
Lin Shuang paid the bill straightforwardly, not forgetting to offer her encouragement to Jian Xingxia. “Keep it up! Your guesthouse opening is a wonderful thing for Lu’an Village too.”
Jian Xingxia nodded solemnly. “Thank you, Secretary Lin. I will definitely carry the hopes of the entire village and manage this place well!”
After dropping off their bags in their room, Lin Shuang and the other two immediately changed into clothes, shoes, and accessories perfectly suited for taking photos, and set out for the stream.
To get to the stream, they had to cross the Berry and Blossom Pathway.
Following the map provided by the front desk, the three stepped out of the front courtyard gate and turned onto the narrow path flanking the guesthouse.
Fang Xiaoying looked at the reeds towering over a man’s height on either side, punctuated by only a scattering of morning glories, and felt a flash of disappointment. “Huh? Is this the Berry and Blossom Pathway? It looks completely different from the flyer.”
Lin Shuang felt rather embarrassed, since she was the one who had organized the trip. “I’m sorry. This guesthouse doesn’t seem to have been in development for very long, so a lot of things might just be promotional concepts.”
Her second-to-last trip to the countryside had been six months ago, and she hadn’t heard anything about a guesthouse being built in the mountains back then. Yet when she came back last time, she heard it was already opening.
With a maximum timeline of six months, it was a bit of a rush.
Fang Xiaoying patted Lin Shuang’s arm. “I’m not blaming you at all! I actually think these reeds look beautiful. Look, there are even morning glories here!”
Ai Jinjin also smiled and said, “Don’t worry, don’t worry! I did my homework before coming and studied quite a few photography compositions. I think this reed wall will look amazing in photos. Come on, stand right here, let me take a picture of you two!”
“Exactly! We didn’t have high expectations for the path anyway. Once we get to the stream, it might look incredible over there!”
“We’re counting on you, gorgeous Jinjin!”
The three girls giggled, their disappointment over the “Berry and Blossom Pathway” vanishing in an instant. Gathering their spirits, they began posing beautifully next to the tall reeds.
The morning sun between eight and nine o’clock was warm but not scorching, and the temperature in the mountains was a few degrees cooler than outside—the absolute perfect comfort zone.
The mountain breeze was refreshing. As a gentle gust swept past, Ai Jinjin managed to capture the exact moment Lin Shuang and Fang Xiaoying’s hair fluttered in the wind.
The three huddled together to look at Ai Jinjin’s phone. “Wow, this is great, Jinjin! You took an amazing shot! It looks so dynamic! Xiaoying, you look so pretty in this one. The sunlight hitting you creates a soft, warm glow!”
Lin Shuang played the ultimate hype woman, piling on the praise in hopes that her two close colleagues would maintain a wonderful mood despite the otherwise ordinary scenery.
Ai Jinjin looked immensely proud. “Of course! Who do you think I am?”
Fang Xiaoying’s nose suddenly twitched, and she took two deep sniffs. “Hey, do you guys smell that? It’s so fragrant, it smells exactly like gardenias.”
Gardenia blossoms were pure white and flawless, yet their scent was incredibly bold, capable of drifting a massive distance.
The moment Fang Xiaoying pointed it out, Lin Shuang and Ai Jinjin felt as if they could smell it too. “It really is incredibly fragrant.”
The three slightly raised their faces, carefully inhaling the floral scent carried on the breeze. Following the fragrance, they walked through the winding reed path. After negotiating a few turns, the trio froze dead in their tracks, completely silenced.
For a long moment, Lin Shuang stared straight ahead, reaching out to nudge the person beside her. “Someone pinch me. Am I dreaming?”
Immediately following her request, a sharp pain shot up from both of her arms simultaneously.
“Ow!” Lin Shuang yelped.
Only then did Ai Jinjin and Fang Xiaoying snap out of it. Since Lin Shuang hadn’t specified who should do the honors, they had both given her a sharp pinch.
Poor Lin Shuang clutched her arms—using her left hand to hold her right arm, while her right hand reached across to cup her left arm.
Meanwhile, her two friends had already abandoned her, sprinting forward in unison.
“Heavens! The Berry and Blossom Pathway is real!”
“This looks ten thousand times better than the pictures on the flyer!”
“These flowers are too beautiful! Look at this massive patch of roses!”
“I know this golden-yellow variety! It’s called Juiciness Balcony! It’s stunning!”
“I see it, I see it! And over here, there’s a huge blanket of plumbago!”
“Oh my god! This hydrangea is larger than my head! It’s so full and perfectly round!”
“Aaaaah, why did we waste so much time back there by the reed wall?!”
The true Berry and Blossom Pathway was hidden right behind the wall of reeds!
