Chapter 145: The Mattresses Are Not For Sale
The forty-odd guests ate lunch in three separate batches.
Fortunately, some guests were camping by the stream, others had just finished picking fruit and were still exploring the narrow forest paths, and a few were completely immersed in the Berry and Blossom Pathway, snapping photos left and right. There weren’t many guests inside the old house at the moment, so there was just enough seating to accommodate everyone.
The two weathered wooden tables inside the old house, supplemented by the four small bamboo tables A-Feng had hauled over in succession, paired with small stools and high-backed bamboo chairs, provided adequate space for dining.
However, as the trays were carried out one by one, each person was presented with a collection of small bowls filled with food. A few guests felt this resembled eating a boxed lunch and lacked the traditional feel of an agritainment farmhouse.
“How come this feels almost the same as our cafeteria? Everything is served in small individual bowls.”
Yet the vast majority of guests found this individual plating system rather excellent.
“I think it’s great. Serving them in small individual bowls is convenient and clean. The portions are also very substantial; it’s more than enough for one person.”
“Exactly. Last time we went to play at the reservoir, the two of us wanted to sample some of the local specialties, but a single reservoir fish head weighed five catties… It was completely impossible to order food!”
“Yes, yes, yes, us too! When we visit an agritainment farmhouse and order a local chicken soup, it’s one hundred and sixty-eight yuan! Add a few more dishes, and your wallet screams in pure agony!”
“Xingxia Manor’s style is wonderful. It’s an individual portion, so you can order exactly what you want to eat and sample a bit of everything. If you want to try something else, adding another dish won’t cause you to overeat or waste food.”
“I actually want to order a single portion of this tea-oil duck to take home. It’s so fragrant and delicious! The duck meat is both tender and crisp, without a hint of that gamey duck odor.”
“Me too… I also want to add an extra portion of the poached meat slices! Boss, can we order extra dishes individually?”
Jian Xingxia was so busy she didn’t even have time to look up. Hearing this, she caught Lin Sanniang’s eye and gave her a subtle wink.
Lin Sanniang immediately ducked into the back kitchen and returned shortly after. “The plump auntie says it’s fine; she can make more!”
Jian Xingxia immediately began calculating the pricing with Lin Sanniang.
“A single meal package—consisting of two meats, one vegetable, one soup, a bowl of rice, and a fruit pairing—costs 35 yuan. If guests order extra dishes, a heavy meat dish is 15 yuan, the soup is 15 yuan, and a light meat dish is 10 yuan. Rice, fruit, and the daily soup are all complimentary.”
Although the manor provided small-bowl dishes, the portions were by no means meager; the large sea bowls could actually hold quite a lot. Jian Xingxia had no desire to take the extreme route of low-margin, high-volume sales. Now that the manor was up and running, the responsibilities and impacts on all sides had amplified. She still needed to account for the price disparity between the interior and exterior of the mountains, as well as the loss of prepared ingredients when guest traffic was low.
As for ordering extra dishes for takeout, Jian Xingxia could only decline with regret.
“Honored guests, since the manor is currently in its trial run phase, we haven’t prepared takeout containers yet, so we cannot offer takeout today.”
Jian Xingxia said with a smile, “However, we will make a note of everyone’s feedback and evaluate the manor’s labor capacity. If possible, we will certainly bring more and better services and experiences to everyone in the future.”
Hearing this, the guests didn’t press the matter further.
A few people raised their hands. “I didn’t order the tea-oil duck just now, but the table next to me made it smell so good. I want to add a portion.”
“This local chicken soup is delicious. One look at that golden hue and you know it’s old hen soup! The mushrooms are also exceptionally fresh. Serve us three more portions, please.”
“Beautiful lady boss, we don’t have enough staple food left. Please add some more!”
As Jian Xingxia recorded the accounts and collected payments, Lin Sanniang and A-Feng quickly busied themselves once again.
Twenty minutes later, guests began finishing their meals one after another, and A-Feng set to work clearing the bowls with sharp eyes and swift hands. Inside the kitchen, Auntie Lu washed the dishes rapidly, giving them a double scrub before scalding and sanitizing them with boiling water. If there had been even a few more guests, she truly wouldn’t have been able to keep up. Meanwhile, the plump auntie was already brandishing her spatula, beginning to stir-fry the next batch of food.
After clearing two tables, Jian Xingxia sent a message in the temporary tourist chat group, calling the next batch of guests to come eat.
To her surprise, the guests were having such a fantastic time that they forgot about returning. The lunchtime window, which she had originally assumed would be highly rushed, was instead drawn out significantly by the tourists who drifted back in small trickles.
The final batch to come down consisted of the guests who had been sleeping in the guesthouse rooms, including Brother Zhang and Sister Yu.
Unlike their exhausted, drained state when they arrived this morning, Brother Zhang and Sister Yu looked completely revitalized.
Sister Yu clutched Jian Xingxia’s hand. “Sister Xiaxia, you absolutely must tell me where you bought this mattress and pillow! Preferably, give me the links for the four-piece bedding set, the room fragrance, and the furniture too!”
“You simply have no idea. Your Brother Zhang and I always struggle to sleep in unfamiliar beds. With one of us being heavy and the other pregnant, it’s been a very long time since either of us had a proper night’s sleep!”
“You won’t even believe it! The moment my head hit the pillow this morning, I grew drowsy, and then I slept in a single stretch until now!”
Because they couldn’t sleep well, Brother Zhang and Sister Yu had woken up very early this morning, counting virtually among the very first batch of guests to arrive at the guesthouse. They had arrived around eight o’clock and slept right until twelve, and Sister Yu hadn’t woken up once in between.
Brother Zhang had gotten up once midway through to fetch breakfast, only to be jolted awake by phone calls from several members of the “Jinmen Town Insomnia Support Group.”
Brother Zhang had simply dropped a single sentence: “Let my wife get her fill of sleep first! Once she’s fully rested, we’ll clear out a spot for you guys!”
Sister Yu had slept for three or four hours in a single stretch. Although the duration wasn’t long, it was undeniably a period of profound deep sleep. The heavy bodily burden and mental exhaustion she had carried recently were instantly mostly dissolved.
Sister Yu remarked, “It’s no exaggeration at all! After getting a good night’s sleep, I feel completely refreshed, and even my body feels light and nimble.”
Jian Xingxia was profoundly grateful to Brother Zhang and Sister Yu from the bottom of her heart. Sister Yu was already eight months pregnant, yet she had still come in person to support the manor; Jian Xingxia felt both deeply moved and terrified.
However, she could only inform Sister Yu with deep regret, “This batch of furniture was all custom-made by hand, and no artificial room fragrance was used inside the rooms. It’s just the natural scent of the high-quality timber the villagers selected for me.”
“But—” Jian Xingxia informed Sister Yu solemnly, “Every single tree is unique, so the harvested timber won’t necessarily yield the exact same texture and scent. There is simply no way to guarantee consistency with handcrafted goods.”
“What about the mattress then? And the pillows?” Brother Zhang and Sister Yu asked hurriedly.
Jian Xingxia shook her head, left with no choice but to fabricate a reason: “I didn’t have much money on hand, so I sourced leftover stock from all over the place… They were all unique, one-of-a-kind items. This was the only one left, so I bought it.” She bought it at a cheap rate.
Hearing this, Brother Zhang countered, “Then we’ll buy it at a higher price, Sister. Name your price! As long as it lets your Sister Yu sleep well, any amount of money is fine! Your brother isn’t short of cash!”
Jian Xingxia offered a wry smile. “Brother Zhang, Sister Yu, it’s not that I’m unwilling to sell it, but it truly cannot be sold. If I sell it to you… the other guests won’t let me off easily either.”
Jian Xingxia tilted her head slightly, gesturing for Brother Zhang and Sister Yu to look off to the side.
Sister Yu looked over and felt it was nothing out of the ordinary—just a row of people sitting along the wall of the central hall, their gazes appearing a bit unfriendly and their spirits somewhat drained.
However, the moment Brother Zhang looked, he quickly matched them up with the usernames from the group chat.
“‘Grant Me a Bed’? ‘I Want to Sleepy-Sleep’? ‘Cultivating Immortality’? ‘Nodding Off’? ‘Late-Stage Insomnia’…”
The row of exhausted-looking individuals gazed at Brother Zhang, utterly devoid of any will to live. “You’ve finally remembered us.”
