Chapter 188: The Ancients Train the Moderns
“Miss, were you calling for me?” Lin Sanniang turned around, looking at Jian Xingxia, who was writing and sketching behind the counter.
She thought her mistress was truly incredible—kind, big-hearted, knowledgeable, and multi-talented. Look, her mistress was writing right now!
In the Great Liang Dynasty, if a security escort worker like her husband wanted to send things or a letter home from afar, they had to hire a scribe on the street. Poor commoners could never afford school and didn’t know how to read. But her mistress recognized every single character and was even teaching her how to read.
“Oh, I originally wanted you to bring out a few sets of clothes from the storage room.”
Jian Xingxia had previously bought a bunch of daily hanfu, new Chinese-style outfits, cool summer hanfu, middle-aged and elderly Tang suits, and square-dance performance costumes online… In short, she went for whatever was cheapest. The cheapest ones were only twenty or thirty yuan a set, and the expensive ones were only seventy or eighty.
The first few sets she bought were prepared for the temporary workers. When the ancient temporary workers arrived for the first time, most of them were in rags, looking barely better than beggars. Jian Xingxia had bought some clothes for them to change into.
After the guesthouse’s trial run started and she generated some income, Jian Xingxia bought several more sets across various sizes for both men and women in one go. Altogether, it cost less than a thousand yuan for about twenty-odd sets.
Earlier, when Wei Liang mentioned that he couldn’t mobilize the village uncles and aunties, Jian Xingxia thought about bringing a few sets of clothes down. This wouldn’t count as paying wages; after all, an ancient-style manor and an ancient-style village inherently required a wardrobe budget. Jian Xingxia planned to use these outfits to “lure” the uncles and aunties.
But she had been interrupted by Wei Liang’s request to have the ancient employees do the training. Of course, Wei Liang had no idea that the “employees” Jian Xingxia hired were actually ancient people; he just thought they were staff Jian Xingxia had trained in advance.
But when Jian Xingxia heard the idea, she thought it was actually perfectly viable. When it came to imitating how ancient people spoke and acted, what method could be more accurate and fitting than having real ancient people demonstrate it themselves?
Jian Xingxia carefully asked Lin Sanniang if she wanted to be a teacher for the villagers.
“The people in our village are pretty similar to the tourists, but they might ask a few more questions. You don’t have to pay them too much mind.”
“Anyway, as a teacher, you’re the instructor, the master. You can discipline them, but don’t be too harsh.”
Lin Sanniang’s mouth fell open in shock. “Miss, me… me?”
“That’s right!” Jian Xingxia smiled. “I think Sanniang can definitely do it.”
Sanniang was the only ancient employee whose grade had leveled up since coming to the manor, which in itself proved her excellence. When it came to hospitality, A-Feng was fine, but he lacked the authority to be a teacher; she was afraid he wouldn’t be able to keep the village uncles and aunties in line. But Sanniang definitely could.
Sanniang wasn’t afraid of the task itself, but she reminded Jian Xingxia, “But, Miss, we can’t go down the mountain, have you forgotten?”
“Huh?” Jian Xingxia slapped her forehead in realization.
How did she forget that!
When she was preparing for the guesthouse’s trial run, she had A-Feng try to cross the barrier gate and go down the mountain. The result showed that A-Feng could only leave the gate by a distance of less than five meters. Any further, and he couldn’t advance; he could clearly see the path ahead, but he just couldn’t take a step forward.
Jian Xingxia had also received a system notification at the time:
[The current manor level is low! The management coverage area is small. Please arrange the employees’ activity range reasonably.]
[If there is a need to expand the employees’ activity range and the manor’s operational management scope, please manage the manor actively to unlock more permissions as soon as possible.]
Because of this, when A-Feng received guests, the furthest he could go was just a little bit in front of the gate to help scan faces and open the door. But going down the mountain was impossible.
Having been busy for so many days—first with the trial run, then with Shang Yue and his group’s mine collapse—Jian Xingxia had completely forgotten about this rule.
However—while Lin Sanniang couldn’t go down, the villagers could come up.
After getting Lin Sanniang’s confirmation that she wasn’t afraid to train people, Jian Xingxia decisively made the call. “Then it’s settled!”
Jian Xingxia had Lin Sanniang get ready at the manor while she rode her little tricycle down the mountain to discuss things with Wei Liang.
Half an hour later, Wei Liang drove his car while Jian Xingxia and Little Hu Liu used their tricycles to each haul a cartload of village elders up the mountain.
There were eleven people in total. The other uncles and aunties couldn’t be persuaded and refused to come up. The eleven who did come mostly came because their family’s vegetables, fruits, chickens, ducks, fish, or meat were linked to Jian Xingxia’s manor, and they felt too embarrassed to refuse.
But this was enough. The front yard was spacious enough, so Jian Xingxia decided to hold the training right here.
Looking at the row of elders in front of her, Lin Sanniang felt a bit nervous. In fact, during the days of the guesthouse’s trial run, she had already received many guests, serving dozens of people on her busiest day, so she could be considered someone who had seen grand scenes. But receiving guests was very different from acting as a master to these village elders.
The guests wouldn’t pry into Lin Sanniang’s personal situation; what they needed her to answer was primarily about the manor. But these village uncles and aunties in front of her were a different story. They treated coming up the mountain as a mere leisure trip and didn’t take it too seriously.
Seeing Lin Sanniang with her hair neatly tied in a bun and wearing two layers of ancient clothing wrapped tightly around her, the uncles and aunties couldn’t help but grow curious.
“Young lady, which village are you from? You’re quite pretty.”
“My goodness, your hair is so long! It’s so thick, is it all real hair?”
“What’s your name? How many people are in your family? Are you seeing anyone?”
Lin Sanniang had never seen such a scene before and hurriedly looked to Jian Xingxia for help.
Jian Xingxia cleared her throat and straightened her posture, giving her a firm look—You are the teacher!
Lin Sanniang shuddered as she snapped out of it, and her aura instantly transformed. She still didn’t dare use the bamboo switch in her hand, and she spoke softly, but her tone brooked no argument. “Uncles and aunties, please take a seat. I am your instructor for today. You may call me Lin Sanniang.”
Wei Liang clicked his tongue in admiration. “Yes, yes! That’s exactly the feeling!”
Laughing and joking, the elders sat down on the bamboo-woven armchairs, finding the whole thing rather amusing.
“Lin Sanniang, Lin Sanniang… this girl’s mannerisms are just like the ones who performed in the opera over at Liujia Village a while ago.”
“Indeed. Hearing her speak, she sounds like Madam White Snake, very pleasant to the ear.”
“White Snake, Lady Lin, they’re pretty much the same! Our village has a lady of our own now, haha!”
Lin Sanniang felt a bit embarrassed and annoyed. She could tell that these old folks were praising her without malice. But still, how could they compare her to an opera actress! Although Lin Sanniang knew that most opera actresses came from poor families and had their own hardships… they still shouldn’t make such a comparison! In the Great Liang Dynasty, telling someone they looked like an opera actress was an insult.
Lin Sanniang felt a bit wronged and a bit angry. She decided she would no longer meekly try to please these people who looked like her Owner. The Owner was the Owner, and others were others. The Owner was good, and she liked the Owner, but that didn’t mean others were good too, or that they deserved her affection and respect.
Recalling the lesson plan she had just prepared, Lin Sanniang began her instruction.
“First, let us learn the forms of address. If you see young guests, call them Gongzi or Xiaojie. You can also collectively refer to them as Keguan…”
“If they are older and look noble, you can call them Laoye or Furen. However, the Owner said that generally this form of address isn’t recommended; it’s best to use it only to differentiate them when two generations arrive together.”
“Calling them Guniang is also acceptable. But you must be cautious with Guanren. Two days ago, I addressed a guest this way, and it ended up making the guest blush…”
Lin Sanniang had experience teaching A-Feng, Taoya, and even the plump auntie. Once her nervousness passed, teaching hospitality came naturally to her, without a single hitch.
