Chapter 2
The sunlight filtered through the overlapping elm leaves, casting round shadows on the bluestone path.
Xu Xiaozhi’s steps came to a sudden halt—her toes had clearly stepped on something soft and squishy.
She looked down and saw that her foot had just nudged Chouba’s belly. The touch was very light, but he was sprawled out on the ground refusing to move, lying belly-up with all four legs in the air, acting cute. His head tilted to the side as he gazed at her with those pitch-black eyes.
“Chouba!” Xu Xiaozhi held her forehead, helpless.
This was just too embarrassing!
Three pairs of footsteps stopped at once, and the two other people looked over at Xu Xiaozhi.
“Ahem,” she cleared her throat awkwardly, “Let’s go inside first. My dog… might just be… a little hungry!”
The air was filled with the aroma of smoked meat…
“It’s fine, it’s fine. If he wants to eat, let him eat! What a big, fine dog!” the elderly woman said admiringly, her eyes full of praise for Chouba. She gave a kind smile and pulled Xu Xiaozhi into the inner room.
Under the dim light of the kitchen…
“So that’s how it happened…” Xu Xiaozhi left out the part about being scammed and gave a brief, to-the-point account of how she came to inherit this farmhouse inn.
Before she could even finish speaking, she noticed the elderly couple’s expressions had shifted—they no longer looked as cheerful as before.
The old man couldn’t hold back and asked, “I don’t care about this inheritance stuff—just tell me, are you the boss now or not?”
Xu Xiaozhi figured there must be a reason why this couple was here at the inn. She turned her gaze to the old woman.
The woman explained, “Girl, just call me Grandma Gui. This old man is Wang Jianguo. We’re both plain folks and speak bluntly.”
She paused for a moment, then continued, “Back then, your uncle hired the two of us to work here.”
“In the beginning, he paid our wages on time, but later on, when fewer and fewer guests came to the inn, your uncle said he had no money to pay us. The delays just kept dragging on.”
Xu Xiaozhi nodded inwardly. That really did sound like something her unreliable uncle would do.
“When the rest of the staff left, it was just me and the old man doing everything. Your uncle kept saying we’d get paid by the end of the year. We’re just two unlucky folks…”
“Pa!” The dining table shook violently from the impact.
Xu Xiaozhi flinched instinctively, her eyes wide in shock as she looked toward the old man.
Uncle Wang had slammed his palm on the wooden table, his expression stern and voice harsh as he growled, “What’s the point of talking so much to this little girl? If she says she’s the boss, then let her pay up!”
Grandma Gui gave the old man a gentle nudge and said sincerely, “Girl, we’re not trying to make things hard for you. Your uncle owes us eight months’ wages. We’re not asking for much…”
Her heartfelt words made Xu Xiaozhi start thinking seriously.
If what this couple said was true, then since she had inherited her uncle’s business, both emotionally and logically, she should compensate them.
But the truth of the matter was hard to verify now. Maybe they had worked here, but for how long? And how much were they owed? It was all based on their word—there was no way to confirm it.
【Side Quest Triggered: Hire Grandma Gui and Uncle Wang as official employees of the farmhouse】
【Quest Details: Grandma Gui and her husband have worked for many years at the Peach Blossom Farmhouse. Please repay the owed wages and officially employ them.】
【Quest Reward: 100 points】
The sudden system notification made Xu Xiaozhi lower her head in thought. Quietly absorbing the information from the system, she realized—so Grandma Gui had been telling the truth.
“All right then, Grandma,” Xu Xiaozhi said, “How about this—I’ll take responsibility for the wages my uncle owes you. However—”
The firewood crackled loudly in the stove.
Tension filled the air.
“If you choose to leave now, I’ll pay the owed wages immediately.”
“But if you’re willing to stay and keep working, not only will I pay everything by the end of the month, I’ll also increase your previous salary by 20%. You get to decide which option to take.”
Although Xu Xiaozhi looked calm on the outside, her heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was about to leap out of her chest.
She was flat broke. The reason she dared to offer those two options… was because she was gambling that Grandma Gui and her husband would be willing to give her one more chance.
Boom! Sparks burst from the stove’s firebox.
“You—!” Uncle Wang’s face looked extremely unpleasant, but the moment Xu Xiaozhi finished speaking, Grandma Gui immediately pressed down on his arm.
She walked over to him and gently patted his hand, signaling him to calm down. Uncle Wang quieted right away, though his body was still tense, and his brows were tightly furrowed into a 川 character.
“Girl, you must be hungry. Why don’t you eat a little something first to fill your stomach?” Grandma Gui walked back to the stove and lifted the soot-blackened lid of the large pot, darkened by smoke and fire.
A rush of steam billowed out, and the fragrant aroma of freshly cooked rice filled the entire room.
“Gurgle gurgle…” Xu Xiaozhi laughed awkwardly, her hunger suddenly surging like a tide. She then stood up openly and grabbed a bowl. “Grandma Gui, your food smells amazing!”
Uncle Wang: As expected, the dog takes after its owner.
In the large black iron pot, a rack of chopsticks formed a makeshift steamer, holding several bowls of white rice, vegetable tofu soup, braised pork, and yellow-green steamed corn buns.
Grandma Gui swiftly brought the dishes to the table, wiped her hands on her apron, and said warmly, “Little girl, go ahead and eat first…”
Looking at the vibrant mix of white and green dishes before her, all fresh and glistening, Xu Xiaozhi couldn’t wait—she picked up her chopsticks eagerly.
With faint chatter coming from the courtyard and the occasional “woof” from Chouba, Xu Xiaozhi reached her chopsticks toward the braised pork she’d been eyeing.
As soon as she picked up a cube of meat, it jiggled slightly—perfectly marbled with fat and lean. The rich aroma rushed straight to her nose.
The moment it entered her mouth, she gasped, eyes lighting up instantly. The complex flavor burst on her tongue—it was fatty but not greasy, lean but not dry. The tender meat soaked up the rich, slightly sweet sauce just right. It left a lingering aftertaste that was utterly addictive.
“How is it this good?!” Xu Xiaozhi couldn’t stop—her chopsticks moved nonstop as she devoured several pieces before finally shifting her attention to the other two dishes.
The soup, clear and vibrant, had not a trace of oil floating on top. The tofu cubes were soft and silky, perfectly cut. She scooped up a spoonful of the light green, almost transparent broth.
Just one sip—even though the seasoning was mild—it instantly outshone the flavor of the meat. The young, newly sprouted greens were so fresh and tender they left a fragrant aftertaste in her mouth.
Xu Xiaozhi ate with a wide smile and sparkling eyes, clearly looking like someone who had never seen such good food before. At the same time, her thoughts began to stir—if food this fresh and delicious could be promoted outside the mountains, customers would definitely come.
She couldn’t help turning her attention to the plump, hand-shaped steamed corn buns.
The yellow-green buns looked unlike any she’d seen before. Green grains were embedded in the yellow dough, giving it a highly textured appearance.
Just as she was holding her chopsticks up, trying to figure out what they were made of, Uncle Wang and Grandma Gui returned—
—along with Chouba, whose mouth was now gleaming with grease from sneaking food outside.
“Chouba, how did you get your whole mouth covered in oil?!” Xu Xiaozhi scolded, a little guilty herself, as her gaze caught the progress bars above Uncle Wang and Grandma Gui’s heads already halfway loaded.
Uncle Wang’s expression had clearly softened a lot, while Grandma Gui still wore the same kind and gentle smile as before.
Uncle Wang glanced at the girl whose lips were also shiny with oil, let out a heavy “hmph,” and then sat down at the table.
His suspicion of Xu Xiaozhi had lessened a bit: “Doesn’t seem like the type who would lie.”
Xu Xiaozhi smiled brightly, as if she had predicted this exact situation. “Uncle Wang, come on, eat.”
Uncle Wang: …
At this moment, the three of them sat around the dining table, just like an ordinary family. The atmosphere suddenly grew much warmer and more homely.
“Boss…” Grandma Gui was the first to speak.
Xu Xiaozhi knew she had won them over and quickly set down her chopsticks, responding promptly, “Grandma Gui, just call me Xiaozhi.”
“Alright then,” Uncle Wang said casually, reaching out with his chopsticks to pick up some food. “We’ll give this little girl one month. But let me say this up front—if we don’t get a single customer in the first week, we’ll have to pack up and leave. We can’t work another month for nothing.”
This was slightly different from what Xu Xiaozhi had expected, but after a moment’s thought, she agreed readily. “Don’t worry, Uncle Wang.”
Uncle Wang shot her a sideways glance, wondering where her confidence came from. Apart from a few overly curious guests who came during the grand opening just to see what a farmhouse in the deep mountains looked like, the place had seen practically no traffic.
In fact, on regular days, there were more staff than customers. It wasn’t long before the staff gradually left, and with nowhere else to go, the elderly couple simply stayed on and lived in the farmhouse.
But they didn’t have the energy to maintain it anymore. Many parts of the place had fallen into disrepair—on rainy days, the roof would even leak. Now, the only road into the North Mountain was completely overgrown with weeds. There was no way guests would come.
After the meal, Grandma Gui led Xu Xiaozhi to her room.
According to her, this was the deluxe suite that Xu Xiaozhi’s uncle had specially designated at the time. It was located on the second floor of the north building in the courtyard. There were two suites on the second floor, each fully furnished, with a living room, bedroom, dressing room, and bathroom.
The farmhouse was made up of the south building, the north building, and the main building to the west. The south building had two floors with eight guest rooms of varying sizes for visitors.
The main building’s first floor housed the reception area, kitchen, and dining hall. The second floor was equipped with a pool table, ping pong table, karaoke machine, and other entertainment facilities for guests to relax and socialize. There was even a huge open terrace, originally designed for barbecues, singing, and gatherings.
The first floor of the north building served as the staff dormitory. As for the two deluxe suites on the second floor—no one had ever stayed in them.
“Creak!” The long-unopened door swung open, sending up a thick cloud of dust dancing in the wind.
Grandma Gui stepped forward and pulled aside the dark green curtain. Suddenly, a flood of sunlight poured into the pitch-black room, illuminating the entire space.
The living room wasn’t very large, but it was fully furnished with sofas, tables, chairs, and appliances. The vintage décor didn’t look outdated at all—walnut-colored furniture and flooring complemented each other perfectly.
Grandma Gui moved swiftly. Seeing Xu Xiaozhi’s slow pace several times, she quickly took the mop from her hands. “Alright, alright, let me do it. You go rest. If you keep going like this, who knows when you’ll ever settle down.”
“Huh?” Xu Xiaozhi looked confused, water droplets still lingering on her face.
The air was filled with dust, and the windows around were wide open. The evening sunlight softened a bit, carrying a faint reddish, warm hue.
The girl turned her face to the side, and her clear jawline was reflected sharply on the wall.
Grandma Gui looked up and saw this scene, feeling touched and thinking she should cook more delicious food for the girl to nourish her.
From downstairs came Chouba’s shouting and a few faint meows of cats. Xu Xiaozhi stepped out of the room and leaned on the railing, looking down.