Chapter 139: A-Feng’s Crisis
Jian Xingxia opened her phone, only to see that Hu Da, Uncle Lu, Auntie Lu, and even Hu Lin and several others had left multiple missed calls.
She quickly dialed Auntie Lu back.
“Hello? Xiaxia? Yes, we sent those ingredients over. Hu Da said more than ten cars rolled into the village this morning, so he figured whatever you prepared up there might not be enough. He had us butcher some chickens, ducks, and fish to send your way.”
Auntie Lu laughed over the line. “Go ahead and use them, Xiaxia. If it’s still not enough, just let us know. Don’t worry if there are leftovers either; we can just head up this afternoon to bring them back and eat them ourselves!”
Auntie Lu was thoroughly delighted.
Hu Da had repeatedly reminded the villagers that Lu’an Village’s past attempts at industries—such as tea oil, livestock breeding, and lumber camps—had never really taken off. At most, they solved the employment issues of one or two families. Less than a tenth of the remaining villagers could secure a regular monthly wage.
If Xiaxia’s manor succeeded, the entire village would benefit. Furthermore, Xiaxia’s late grandmother had offered immense support and help to the village in the past, especially to the generation of Old Grandma Hu—it could literally be considered a life-saving grace. Therefore, Hu Da had rallied everyone to gather the village’s collective strength to cooperate fully with Xiaxia’s manor.
As it happened, Xiaxia had originally estimated around ten to fifteen guests for the trial run, with twenty at the absolute maximum. Yet over ten cars had rolled in before noon. Looking at the numbers, the headcount was pushing toward thirty or forty people.
Hu Da had made an executive decision on the spot: “Every household surrender some chickens, ducks, fish, and meat. For whatever can be used, Xiaxia will definitely pay. For what isn’t used, those that can be taken back will be taken back. Whatever can’t be taken back, the village committee will buy out to use for our general assembly.”
Lu’an Village lacked money, but they certainly didn’t lack chickens, ducks, fish, and meat. Everyone contributed—one person brought a chicken, another brought two ducks, and a third netted a bucket of fish… In no time, they gathered dozens of poultry and a bursting bucket of fish.
Hu Da had originally intended to send them up exactly like that, but Qi Shan stopped him.
“Xiaxia mentioned she’s running an immersive ancient-style farmhouse experience. It’s not appropriate for us to head up there in our regular clothes; it’ll ruin the experience for the tourists.”
She added, “Besides, Xiaxia is the only one up on the mountain. How could she possibly have enough time to slaughter chickens and clean fish by herself? Let’s prep everything down here first, and then have Little Hu Liu deliver it.”
Everyone agreed that made sense.
Thus, they split the labor immediately. The men took on the bloody work, while the women boiled water to process the poultry, tidying everything immaculately until they had prepared ten of each type. They also cleaned eight fish—four large grass carps and four snakeheads. Whether they were braised or sliced to make Sichuan fish with pickled mustard greens or fish hotpot, they would come perfectly in handy.
Qi Shan was a university student village cadre after all. Although she had been assigned to the village for several years, she naturally understood the internet’s agritainment trends and immersive experiences far better.
Consequently, the villagers had Little Hu Liu change into Great-Grandfather Sun’s frog-buttoned tunic, put on a straw hat, slip into sandals, and drive the tricycle up from the village.
Originally, he was supposed to be completely on his own.
As it turned out, Hu Ming had somehow eavesdropped on the adults. He ran home, unearthed a set of modified Hanfu, and threw it on. He even wore a square little scholar’s hat, looking quite convincing.
Properly costumed, Hu Ming hopped directly onto Little Hu Liu’s vehicle. “I want to go too!”
Everyone was astonished. “Hu Ming, where did you get those clothes?”
Hu Da hadn’t known, but Hu Ming’s mother ran out to look. “It’s the Hanfu his school required him to wear for the Teacher’s Day discipleship ceremony last September!”
Schools hosted numerous activities nowadays, promoting Hanfu to experience traditional culture for discipleship ceremonies, coming-of-age ceremonies, and even the Mid-Autumn and Dragon Boat Festivals. Hu Ming just happened to own a set.
Hu Da couldn’t hold him back. “Forget it. Xiao Liu, take Hu Ming with you, but keep an eye on him. Don’t let him disrupt Xiaxia’s proper business.”
Hu Liu nodded. Hu Ming looked rather displeased. “Dad, you’re the one disrupting things. I’m going to help!”
Which child in the village didn’t help the adults with work? Although conditions had improved and kids didn’t need to till the fields anymore, Hu Ming had run back and forth dozens of times just delivering meals during this summer holiday. A ten-year-old child could count as half a worker. He wouldn’t run wild or make trouble.
Moreover, when their school held activities, the teachers had actually taught them how ancients saluted and spoke! Even if it was only a few phrases, it was bound to be more than what Hu Da knew, right?
Hu Ming’s naive logic made the villagers burst into hearty laughter. “Good, good, good. Since you can play an ancient person well, you go. You and Hu Liu go together.”
Thus, Little Hu Liu drove the vehicle, carrying Hu Ming alongside a full load of poultry, fish, meat, shredded potatoes and carrots soaking in water, and home-cured pickles prepared by the villagers. They rode along the mountain path right up to the barrier gate.
Upon reaching the barrier gate, the vehicle could go no further.
Hu Ming and Little Hu Liu spent a long moment studying the facial recognition screen, attempting to call Xiaxia, but Jian Xingxia was busy leading the picking group and couldn’t pick up. Lin Sanniang was likewise unaware of the situation at the barrier gate.
It was A-Feng who finally discovered Little Hu Liu and Hu Ming waiting there, after managing to wrap up his duties with the breakfast and camping gear and deciding to head down to check if there were any guests to receive.
The moment the three youths met, they scrutinized each other, faces written with utter shock, not daring to speak for a long moment.
In the end, Hu Ming slapped his thigh and spoke first. “Holy cow! I thought my costume was decent enough, but yours is on a whole different level! You look exactly like a waiter straight out of a period drama…” All he lacked was a sweat rag slung over his shoulder.
Little Hu Liu was filled with doubt. He had heard Sister Xiaxia mention hiring friends to help out for the opening, but… was this friend really this small? When he himself dropped out of school, no one would hire him because he was under sixteen. Only after turning sixteen this year had he finally secured a job shaking milk teas. The boy with the topknot before his eyes looked barely fourteen or fifteen; how could he already be working at an agritainment spot?
Little Hu Liu felt he had truly been born at the wrong time!
Among the three, A-Feng was the most profoundly shaken.
He had visited the manor several times, but he had only ever seen Jian Xingxia, Lin Sanniang, Da Hei, and the plump auntie. Only today had he spotted a number of “guests” dressed in “bizarre costumes.” However, Mistress Lin had told him these guests were wealthy folks from the outside who liked novel things, hence their love for wearing such clothes. She told him not to worry about it, only needing to serve them well. If he did, Owner Xiaxia would even reward him!
Therefore, A-Feng had been working with immense drive. He firmly remembered that anyone dressed in these clothes was a wealthy, idle person looking for entertainment. No matter what they said or did, he would strictly follow Owner Xiaxia’s and Mistress Lin’s instructions, ignoring everything else.
But now…
A-Feng stared blankly at the two youths before him, who were costumed in a manner remarkably similar to himself. He was utterly rooted to the spot.
People dressed like this… are they guests too?
If they aren’t guests, could it be… they’ve also come to work for Sister Xiaxia?
Staring at the sheer abundance of supplies packed into the back of the tricycle, a sudden, acute sense of crisis hit A-Feng hard.
