Chapter 161: All Glitter and No Substance
Eighteen thousand yuan. Yesterday, she had first given Little Hu Liu two thousand yuan as an advance payment for the wholesale snacks and beverages.
That left only sixteen thousand yuan.
Before opening, she had bought a massive batch of supplies on a “buy now, pay later” plan, owing five thousand yuan. After paying that off, she had only eleven thousand yuan left.
Yesterday, guests gave feedback that the bowls, plates, and towels were not being sanitized in a professional sanitizing cabinet, which made them uneasy. Jian Xingxia had immediately purchased them on the spot.
Fortunately, sanitizing cabinets were not too expensive—compared to other appliances, they were considered cheap. She bought two dish sanitizing cabinets and two towel and fabric sanitizing cabinets, spending a total of one thousand yuan.
The water boiling equipment was also insufficient; the small household electric kettle had practically been smoking from overwork and still couldn’t keep up. It was a good thing this was just a trial run; if it had been the formal opening, failing to provide even hot drinking water would have definitely invited complaints.
Jian Xingxia placed another order for two commercial water boilers. One was for the side lounge for staff use, and the other was placed in the main hall for the guests.
Then there were the electric rice cookers. The large rice cookers meant for eight to ten people were simply not enough. These past two days, cooking rice relied entirely on the plump auntie using a massive cauldron over a firewood hearth. It had truly been hard on the auntie. Jian Xingxia ordered two more commercial electric cookers that could serve twenty people.
Next was a large commercial refrigerator—the household refrigerator and freezer simply could not keep up with the guests’ demands. Previously, Jian Xingxia thought that since there wouldn’t be many guests, even fewer people would buy drinks, so the large refrigerator Liang Chengcheng bought would have enough cold storage space. If they ran out of time, she could just use the freezer to top it off—freezing things for fifteen minutes had the same effect as cold storage.
As it turned out, it couldn’t even withstand the first day. Since hot water wasn’t available, the guests didn’t want to drink hot water anyway; they wanted cold mineral water and beverages. There wasn’t even enough time to get them cold. In the end, guests had to take them at room temperature and chill them themselves in the camping stream.
As for the freezer, she couldn’t rely on it at all. After all, on the very first day, the villagers of Lu’an Village had delivered ten chickens, ten ducks, a bucket of fish, and dozens of catties of pork. Once the freezer was packed with meat, it could no longer hold drinks.
Jian Xingxia was forced to spend a hefty sum to buy a three-door beverage display cooler. That cost two thousand yuan. The other water boilers and rice cookers cost another one thousand.
On top of that, following what Qin Yue had mentioned, she also needed to source a batch of slippers, swimsuits, and other small accessories for the guests who wanted to wade in the stream, to sell as retail. That was another two thousand gone.
By now, Jian Xingxia’s balance had dwindled to a mere five thousand yuan.
And this was still without settling the bill for the chickens, ducks, fish, and meat sent by the villagers, or paying the wages of Auntie Lu, Auntie Chunhui, and Sister-in-law Qin Yanyan.
Jian Xingxia sat in the chair behind the front desk, letting out a pitiful wail as she buried her face in her little ledger.
“What is going on! It looked like business was booming, but when I do the math, forget about making a return on my investment, I haven’t even made back my own meager savings!”
It was truly a case of being all glitter on the outside and no substance on the inside.
When Auntie Chunhui came out, she saw Jian Xingxia slumped over the desk inside the front counter, patting her own head.
Auntie Chunhui hesitated for a moment, but still stepped forward to stop Jian Xingxia’s hand. She held Jian Xingxia’s hand and gestured to her: Take things one step at a time, whatever it is, don’t hurt yourself.
Auntie Chunhui standardly didn’t dare to speak to people much. Since childhood, she had been bullied and mocked due to her deafness, leaving her with an introverted and timid personality. But at this moment, she steeled her resolve to stop Jian Xingxia.
“Xiaxia, don’t be anxious, take it slow. No matter how hard it is, it will pass.”
Looking at Auntie Chunhui, Jian Xingxia felt a trace of heartache, but her heart also felt incredibly warm. She sorted out her emotions and raised her head with a smile. “It’s fine, Auntie Chunhui, I didn’t really want to hit myself. It’s just been too busy these past two days, and I’m a little tired.”
Auntie Chunhui gestured: If there is work, give it to me, I will do it.
Jian Xingxia smiled and shook her head. “No more! We successfully made it through today too!”
The guests didn’t have many demands at night. It was too pitch-black in the mountains after dark, so no one dared to venture out. Everyone had returned to their rooms around seven o’clock. And the rooms on the second floor—with their facilities and experience—were comparable to a five-star hotel. The temperature, air quality, hot water, internet, television… even the scent and ambient sounds were top-tier. There was absolutely no need to worry.
Only two guests had been bitten by bugs while playing outside during the day and had come down to get some medicine from Jian Xingxia.
Only then did Auntie Chunhui set her mind at ease.
She gestured one by one to report: The dishes have been washed, and the chickens, ducks, and geese have been fed and locked in their coops. The floor has been swept, the tables and chairs wiped down, and the vegetable patch has been watered. The used bedsheets and towels have all been gathered, and I will take them down the mountain now.
She gestured slowly. Since Jian Xingxia could only understand a bit of sign language, the two of them worked to understand each other gradually.
Once everything was communicated, Jian Xingxia gave Auntie Chunhui a big thumbs-up. “Auntie Chunhui, you are wonderful!”
Auntie Chunhui pressed her lips together shyly and turned to leave.
Jian Xingxia stopped her. “Wait a moment, Auntie Chunhui, let me settle today’s wages for you first.”
Auntie Chunhui’s eyes widened, looking a bit expectant yet a bit nervous. Her instinct was to decline—just like how she faced those polite gestures in the past that seemed well-meaning but were actually wrapped in malice. But she truly was desperate for money.
Little Hu Liu’s father still needed further surgeries and rehabilitation. Even if he stayed at home, it would cost a lot of money for his care. And Little Hu Liu had already been out of school for a year. With one deaf-mute and one paralyzed person in the family, they absolutely could not let another uneducated, illiterate person come out of their household.
Auntie Chunhui stood frozen in place, wringing her hands with an anxious look.
Seeing this, Jian Xingxia felt a deep, piercing ache in her heart. She desperately wanted to give all five thousand yuan to Auntie Chunhui right now to let her catch her breath. But she couldn’t.
A short-term handout was not the best choice, neither for her nor for Auntie Chunhui. Only if the manor sustained its development, made money, and could continue upgrading its environment to attract more guests would there be more employment opportunities. This applied to both the ancients and the villagers of Lu’an Village. Let things progress according to the rules; that was the best arrangement.
Jian Xingxia pushed down the emotions in her heart and cheerfully placed a hundred-yuan bill into Auntie Chunhui’s hand. “This is your wage for today. We agreed to settle it day by day, and I won’t break my word.”
Clutching the money, Auntie Chunhui stood rooted to the spot, entirely at a loss. Was this truly her wage? She couldn’t speak, couldn’t hear, had no academic degrees, and possessed no technical skills… could she really earn money like this?
Auntie Chunhui’s emotions swung repeatedly between excitement, joy, and her habitual low self-esteem and self-doubt.
Jian Xingxia understood her current feelings all too well. Auntie Chunhui right now was no different from the ancient temporary workers who came to perform labor. She felt both happy and heartbroken. But she had no way to process this emotion for them; she chose to use her own way to put Auntie Chunhui more at ease.
She said to Auntie Chunhui with a smile, “Auntie Chunhui, head back early to rest. Tomorrow will be another busy day!”
Jian Xingxia began mapping out the tasks. “Tomorrow morning, I’ll wake up first to cook breakfast. After breakfast, you’ll wash the dishes and work with Sanniang to learn how to clear and make the beds. Once Auntie Lu delivers the vegetables, we’ll also need to prep them.”
The plump auntie was the head chef and bore a heavy task, so everyone had to pitch in to help with the prep work. Auntie Chunhui’s workload wouldn’t be light either; during those three hours in the morning, she would have to hit the ground running.
But the more Jian Xingxia laid it out like this, the more relaxed and happier Auntie Chunhui became. Because this meant she had a job and could earn money! The busier it was, the more stable her job proved to be.
Auntie Chunhui nodded vigorously. Clutching the money tightly, she made a solemn series of gestures: I will come early in the morning.
