Chapter 248: Who Has the Good Fortune?
It was a pity the academy was still under construction.
Jian Xingxia could only pass the time exploring the smart restroom, but she quickly discovered the drawbacks of these smart facilities.
Although the electricity ran on solar power, the water was drawn from the manor’s underground spring, and the biological composting septic tank required no extra money, there was a catch! Aside from the items initially provided by the system for free, once the supplies in the restroom were used up, Jian Xingxia had to restock them out of her own pocket.
After checking the system notifications, a shudder went down Jian Xingxia’s spine, and she hurriedly removed the premium goods from the restroom.
It wasn’t that she was stingy; the system’s pricing was simply extortionate. The dental kits, combs, hair clips, and hair ties placed in the sink’s mirror cabinet cost 15 yuan to restock, but the system’s recommended retail price was 30 yuan.
The body wash and shampoo provided in the shower stalls were luxury goods priced at 200 yuan per 500ml bottle.
The bath towels, slippers, hair-drying caps, and waterproof shower caps were equally exorbitant.
Jian Xingxia refused to accept the system’s recommendations and wanted to set the prices lower, but the system refused to cooperate and rejected her request.
[Unreasonable pricing will impact the operations and development of the manor. Prices that are either too high or too low will affect your reputation score. Does the Manor Owner confirm the implementation of this pricing?]
Jian Xingxia: …I do not.
If she sold them at these prices, she might as well shut down the manor. The items would be sold in the morning, and the manor would be blacklisted all over Jinmen Town by the afternoon.
Jian Xingxia could only rush to remove the consumables configured by the system. She disabled the paid service for consumables for the time being, then hurried online to purchase qualifying, reasonably priced replacements.
Now, a disposable toiletries kit—containing a toothbrush, toothpaste, a small bar of soap, and a comb—cost less than one yuan, and the system’s recommended retail price was 3 yuan.
The supplies for the shower stalls followed a similar rule, priced at roughly two to three times the cost.
This time, Jian Xingxia accepted the recommendation.
However, she would have to wait two or three days for her online orders to arrive before she could restock them for sale.
“Not bad, it’s a profit center after all,” Jian Xingxia comforted herself, glad she had narrowly avoided being blacklisted.
Monday, five o’clock in the morning.
Jian Xingxia opened her eyes, and her new management point arrived.
She opened the manor mall once again, scrolled through the items, found the “Public Restroom,” and purchased it.
Not long after, another small flatbed truck drove into the manor.
Hu Da didn’t suspect a thing, assuming it was the same utility truck from yesterday. Only Jian Xingxia, who observed the construction crew on the truck, could tell they were entirely different people.
The location for the public restroom was set right behind the wall of reeds.
This one was a proper public restroom, featuring a total of six stalls. The user criteria and restroom types for each stall could be configured individually and changed later at any time.
This was excellent, as it meant her choice wasn’t set in stone.
Jian Xingxia thought it over and selected one sitting toilet and five squat toilets. Since it was a public restroom, squat toilets were simply more practical. Leaving one sitting toilet stall was enough to accommodate guests with special needs.
Since there weren’t many stalls, Jian Xingxia decided to set them all as a women’s restroom. Once tomorrow’s management point arrived, she would buy a men’s restroom. Placing them separately would be safer and avoid any awkwardness.
The toilets in the public restroom were just as high-end, featuring automatic odor elimination and fragrance dispensers. However, once the toilet seat covers and air fresheners provided by the system ran out, Jian Xingxia would have to restock them.
Since she was already charging for admission, Jian Xingxia didn’t mind this bit of pocket change. She could afford to maintain it!
There were fewer guests on Monday, but because it was still summer vacation, it wasn’t dead quiet either. Families and tourists looking to unwind still made their way into the mountains.
Jian Xingxia’s services were concentrated around the old house. Once the tourists stepped past it, they mostly kept to themselves out in the mountains, by the creek, or in the woods, making the atmosphere exceptionally quiet, peaceful, and safe.
Jian Xingxia could see little glowing dots on the system’s 3D manor map, each representing a tourist. She checked it from time to time to make sure no one wandered into the deeper, undeveloped areas, preventing guests from getting lost or trying to hide out.
By noon, Jian Xingxia counted the visitors and found that, including the dozen or so overnight guests, the number of tourists today had already surpassed 30, allowing her to set her mind at ease.
The temporary workers hired for today were Shaoyin and Ah Feng.
With no performances scheduled for the day, Shaoyin and Ah Feng helped out in the kitchen.
Auntie Pang was under a mountain of pressure now, as a significant portion of the guests came to the manor solely for her cooking. Even though the prep work and dishwashing had been outsourced, Auntie Pang was still stretched a bit thin.
Jian Xingxia figured it was time to add another pair of hands to the kitchen.
She asked Auntie Pang, “Auntie Pang, if I were to give you an assistant, what kind of person would you want? A sous chef or a prep cook? Someone specialized in pastries or hot dishes? What cuisine, how old, and what kind of personality? You can tell me anything.”
Auntie Pang, who was usually easygoing and hearty, suddenly became a bit bashful.
She hemmed and hawed for a long time, shuffling from one stove to another and lifting the lid off a pot three times before finally asking sheepishly, “Miss Manor Owner, if you’re letting me choose, I’d like to call my Dahong over.”
Auntie Pang only had this one daughter. When a good opportunity came along, if she didn’t think of her daughter, who would she think of?
Jian Xingxia smiled and said, “She’s a great candidate, having trained under you, and you know her temperament well. But the thing is…” Jian Xingxia threw up her hands helplessly. “If someone isn’t dirt-poor, suffering, or on the brink of death, my manor can’t summon them!”
Auntie Pang grew anxious. “My Dahong is suffering! Her marital family is not easy to get along with at all!”
Auntie Pang began listing Dahong’s grievances: “Take that old hen soup I brought back last time. My Dahong only got to eat two chicken drums, two wings, and eight pieces of meat… Her mother-in-law talked her out of the remaining half-bowl of broth, the chicken head, neck, and carcass! My Dahong didn’t even get a taste!”
“And those two fish I brought back that other time? My Dahong only got to eat a tiny bit of the belly. Those two massive fish heads and the big tails were entirely chewed clean by her father-in-law! Tragic, truly tragic!”
“Her sister-in-law is a sly creature too. Sure, she helps my Dahong wash diapers, watch the baby, and keeps hot water ready. But those four little brats of hers have mouths like bottomless pits—you can never feed them enough! I brought back ten steamed buns, and my Dahong only got to eat six because those four scarfed down the other four!”
Jian Xingxia: “…”
Lin Sanniang and Shaoyin couldn’t bear to listen any longer and turned away.
Only Ah Feng asked with a grin, “Auntie, are you sure my sister Dahong ‘only’ ate that much, or could she ‘only’ fit that much in her stomach?”
This didn’t sound like people were stealing Dahong’s food; it sounded like Dahong ate the best parts—the chicken drums, wings, and fish belly—and used the leftovers she didn’t want to smooth things over with her in-laws.
Auntie Pang chuckled, ultimately unable to keep up the act. She waved her hand and said, “Oh, forget it, forget it. My Dahong has good luck; with a mother like me, she won’t ever lose out!”
Auntie Pang added, “Manor Owner, just hire whoever you see fit. As long as they are nimble, value cleanliness, and are industrious, I can teach them even if they’re a bit clumsy. I’m not picky.”
Jian Xingxia understood. Auntie Pang didn’t mind someone who was slow; she just disliked people who tried to be clever.
“Alright, as soon as a slot opens up, I’ll bring someone over for a trial shift, and you can vet them.”
Auntie Pang agreed with a cheerful laugh. “Sounds good. We’ll see who has even better fortune than my Dahong then.”
