Chapter 186: Busying Around to Get the Business Started

ere was one more or one less person."What a surprise! It's been years since this lion dance troupe came to our village. Why are they here this year""I reckon they heard our village got a good deal on..."Of course, otherwise, how could he be called a divine doctor" Li Laotai had been saved twice by Zhang Shenyi, so she admired the old man very much.

But remembering the Guo family, she asked again, "What happened to Guo Qing Mr. Guo is paralyzed now, what about his young grandson"

Jia Yin touched the little wooden horse tucked inside her pocket, also remembering Guo Wenhao.

Li Laosi replied, "Guo Qing was sentenced to death, and those people from the underworld are also hunting him down. The Guo family is not short of money, and Mr. Guo has several friends, so they won't be too bad off in the future, at least they can raise their child. But how many years Mr. Guo can hold on for, who knows."

Everyone sighed, "The poor ones are the children."

"Indeed, what a sin."

This Guo Qing is truly despicable. Although he's gotten his comeuppance now, he has caused untold harm to others. The members of the Guo family won't survive either.

Li Lao suddenly remembered her eldest grandson and worried again, “The Guo family has had an incident, so the academy can't reopen. Where will Jiaren go to study”

Mrs. Cui smiled and comforted, "Don't worry, Ma'am. The literary scene in the Jiangnan region is thriving, with numerous academies already established. There will be no shortage of places for Jiaren to study. Besides, there's also his senior brother who will surely arrange everything well for him."

Only then did Old Li feel at ease. However, Zhao Yuru brought up another matter, "What if those gangsters who are being investigated come to seek revenge on our village"

Li Lao Si nodded, "Rest assured, Third Sister-in-Law, Mr. Wen also thought of this. When he was at the yamen, he hid what happened in our village. Outsiders only know that we happened to encounter the Guo family who were murdered and helped them bury their bodies. They don't know that it was us who exposed Guo Qing."

"That's how it is, Mr. Guo suspects that we killed someone to steal their fortune, so he naturally couldn't say it directly, but indirectly helped us out. However, our village is also safer. I and Liu the鏢頭 went to see the village head, and we should be more careful in this section of the village, just in case."

"Okay, the same goes for our family. Make sure all the kids know to stay put and not wander around, so no one takes advantage."

"Tomorrow, over by the valley, they'll be welcoming guests. You'd better watch out and be careful."

After a few discussions, they reached a consensus and decided to call it a day.

Early the next day, before dawn had broken, the entire village was awake.

Cleaned the yard, swept the road, boiled water for a meal, and then went to the valley to greet the guests.

Of course, it's impossible for over a hundred people to all be crowded in the valley working. Most of the manpower should still go to the fields where they belong, and those who work in orchards should head to the orchards.

In the valley, only Li Lao Er led the way, accompanied by ten or so half-grown boys like Jia An and Jia Xi, plus seven or eight women dressed neatly.

By the time the sun was high in the sky, the first group of guests had arrived.

The couple brought along a little girl and four servants.

Seven people gave food as tickets and were then led inside.

They booked a small wooden house, and while it was called a "small" house, it wasn't actually that small. It had three rooms in total.

A stone bathing pool that has been repaired, a room for rest, and a room for entertaining guests.

Young Master Yan had somehow found a craftsman who was incredibly skilled.

The bathhouse had a wall with a window. The window was covered by special-coded blinds. From the inside, it was clear to see outside, and steam could also dissipate, but from the outside, nothing of what was inside could be seen at all.

As long as a maidservant guards the window, the mistress inside can bathe, admire the scenery, and watch the commotion at will without worrying about being seen.

The bath is paved with blue stones, and the water is constantly flowing, ensuring it is always warm and clean.

As soon as you step inside, half the room is filled with swirling mist, and the entire pool of hot spring water just makes you want to jump right in.

Unconcerned about the potential for embarrassment, a man who prefers comfort and spaciousness took a gauze robe to the pond.

By the pool, there were a lot of large stones placed on one side. Sitting on them, the spring water would just soak up to your chest.

Having a cup of tea and chatting, basking in the sun, surrounded by mountains and water, it couldn't be more pleasant.

On the other side, there are several small canoes prepared for children to play in. Because they are tied up with ropes, they can only paddle a few meters away and won't reach the deep water area, so there is no fear of accidents.

As the family of four strolled through the grainery, the rest of the guests arrived one by one.

Soon, all the small courtyards and wooden houses were filled with guests.

Some people came with many servants, while others came quietly, just master and servant.

Some people haven't booked the wooden houses and courtyards, they just want to come and have a look at the novelty.

Li Laoer only took in over thirty individual travelers before closing the gate.

It's not that I don't want to receive food or make money, but when there are too many people, things tend to get chaotic.

Especially, the heart of the entire valley was bathing. Once something went wrong, it wasn't just a ruined reputation for women, but also a tarnished name for men.

Fortunately, the thirty or so day-trippers who came in would leave at dusk and not stay overnight. Those who had booked cottages and courtyards could walk more freely in the valley.

More people mean more things happening.

This cottage needs mosquito repellent, the courtyard needs clean water, and by the pond, we need tea.

Jiā'ān, Jiāxǐ and the other mischievous youngsters, having gone from watching the old farmer grow gourds to working as errands runners, are even busier now.

Jia Ren helped his father with the accounting, while Jia Yi and Liu Yang became leaders among the mischievous boys.

The women were responsible for boiling water and attending to the female guests.

Although everyone was new to the job and a little flustered, fortunately, everyone was here for leisure and no one was in a particularly hurry.

They won't complain even if the tea and water are late or if the order is wrong.

By the stream, men sat in a row, stripped of their outer garments. Everyone seemed to have become one and the same, devoid of distinctions of rank or status.

If you're thirsty, share a pot of tea. If you're bored, chat about random things. There's a strange kind of intimacy between us.

At noon, someone called out to the young men, "We haven't brought a cook or womenfolk. Can you provide us with food here"

Before anyone could speak, another voice chimed in, "That's right, I also wanted to ask about this. The other day, I was chatting with some friends over tea and heard that there is a descendant of the imperial kitchen here at Suijin Beach, known for their exceptional cooking skills. I've been eager to try it!"

"Really There are still descendants of the Imperial Kitchen chefs here Then we're in for a treat!"

Everyone was happy and crowded around the young man, asking him questions.

This young man was Jia'an. When someone praised his mother, he was naturally delighted and practically flew to the hut at the entrance of the village to report the news.

Li La Er was having a headache. He thought the guests would bring their own snacks and food, but now they suddenly wanted to eat here. It wasn't easy to arrange this on short notice.

He pondered for a moment, then had the village head and Tao Hongying called over.

Jia Yin was bored at home and begged her mother to go with her to the valley to see the commotion. Tao Hongying had something important to do, so she carried her daughter on her back while working and coaxing her.

At this very moment, Li Lao Er wanted Tao Hongying to be a cook, which made Jia Yin overjoyed.

Tao Hongying was unable to, angrily patted her daughter, and said a word to Li Laotai, then she went to the valley.

The village head is a man of action, having already started building the earthen oven with his people, while Li Laosan, hurrying in his cart, had already gone to Xiaowang Village to buy groceries.

Luckily, we had some pork and scraps left over from slaughtering the pig the other day. This will come in handy now.

Tao Hongying listed the menu right away, all of them were simple to make, tasted good and went well with rice.

After all, this place is too simple, and we can't make anything too complicated...

Ground pork tofu, garlic chives scrambled eggs, chicken stewed with mushrooms, cabbage stir-fried with wood ear fungus, and carrot dumplings in soup.

Today, we tentatively decided on these five dishes. The ingredients are easy to buy, offering a balance of meat and vegetarian options, and can also be combined into four set meals.had to clean up their own house, as well as the courtyards of Young Master Ye and Madam Cui.Li Lao Tai was washing the new kang mat she had bought, drying it in the sun.Jia Yin sat on the doorstep, sm...