by Zhou Daxin
Nuannuan would normally return home for dinner, with no need to return to Shang Xin Yuan afterwards, as Xue Chuanxin would manage things during the night. After dinner on one night, Nuannuan made an excuse to go to Shang Xin Yuan, and after finding out which of the rooms where the six girls were providing service to guests in, she grabbed a universal door key and opened one of the door that connected with a service room into the guests apartment. The guest was lying on the bed with a girl massaging him. Nuannuan looked through a slit in the door. What she saw made her jump with fright and then fill with indignant rage. So this is what those girls were up to! A massage indeed! Unmistakably they were selling sex! Nuannuan stepped out of the service room into the corridor with her face red and teeth clenched, and quickly marched to Xue Chuanxin’s room, pushing open the door. “You are still here?” Xue Chuanxin asked, putting a book down that he was reading under the light.
“Do you know exactly how the six girls from the provincial city are serving the guests?” Nuannuan glared at Xue Chuanxin.
Xue Chuanxin’s pupils focused on her: “What do you mean? It’s not just massage and drink accompaniment?”
“Do you know how they give the men massage?”
Xue Chuanxin quickly opened his hands, “Okay, if you think they are massaging incorrectly, I will go and see what it’s all about. You go and take the night off, and we will talk about it tomorrow, okay?”
At first light the next day, as Nuannuan was dressing Dangen, a security guard from Shang Xi Yuan arrived calling for Kaitian, saying that Boss Xue was calling for the Leader. Kaitian left with the security guard. Usually, when Xue Chuanxin called on them, it was for Nuannuan. She did not expect him to be calling for Kaitian directly, and suspected it had something to do with the massage incident. Whatever, you two talk, but sooner or later you will have to deal with me. In order to preserve the clean name of Shang Xin Yuan, those six girls must leave! If we guarantee to keep the Red Lake clean, we must also guarantee to keep Shang Xin Yuan free of filth!
As Nuannuan arrived for work after breakfast the next day, Xue Chuanxin called her into his office. Kaitian was still there, sitting and smoking a cigarette slowly. Xue Chuanxin started with a laugh: “Due to our combined efforts, and especially because of Nuannuan’s painstaking plans, Shang Xin Yuan has developed well since the business opened. One could say Nuannuan has given herself entirely to Shang Xin Yuan!”
Nuannuan said nothing, but waited for him to continue on. She did not think that he had called her over simply to compliment.
“Nuannuan, there is something we must talk about. Our company director has requested that every business must undertake the next level in building up the management, and as for our project of cooperative management, the request is made that the next management cooperative must be held with the leading stakeholder. In view of this, we have asked for Leader Kuang Kaitian to participate as the manager of Shang Xin Yuan.” Xue Chuanxin spoke with the greatest of caution.
“Fine! With him as the manager, I can relax.” Nuannuan laughed.
“So it’s decided, from today onwards, you need not come to Shang Xin Yuan any more for work. Understand?” Xue Chuanxin said, followed by a tense laugh.
On hearing this, Nuannuan’s heart dropped. The implicit meaning of this was clear now, this was because she was no longer wanted to work there. How can he do this? Did I make a mistake? Or was it because of the incident with the six girls? Probably because of them, because last night he in no way indicated that he wanted her out, and only recently was saying how satisfied he was with her management. I was thinking only of Shang Xin Yuan. How can this man be so narrow-minded? Fine, I’m done at Shang Xin Yuan, and with that I don’t need to worry about it any more!
Kaitian spoke up, as though to comfort her: “Well, Chu Di Ju will need your hand, so you can continue to work there, and as for Shang Xin Yuan, I will come when and as is requested. What’s good is that nowadays I can sort out everything at the village committee, and there will be no need to worry about anything up there much.”
“Fine, I’ll go then.” Nuannuan turned after she spoke, and for fear that this injustice and indignant treatment would bring on her tears, she walked quickly. For she did not want to let Xue Chuanxin see her cry. Having thought that Xue Chuanxin was a good man, she never expected him capable of such hurt. Just over those six girls! Oh, you despicable man!
Chapter 45
Nuannuan did not go to Chu Di Ju until after breakfast the next day, and when Shallot heard that Nuannuan would not be working at Shang Xin Yuan any more, instead managing Chu Di Ju, she replied very happily: “Good, I feel so much better on hearing this. What you don’t know is that there are some guests here who, having originally checked into Chu Di Ju, will then move to Shang Xin Yuan after hearing about the massage girls. You have allowed me to manage Chu Di Ju, and I am always in a worry about what to do when the guests are leaving! I feel as though this burden is pushing down on my chest!” Nuannuan said: “Don’t worry, let’s not think on it, with fewer guests we earn less. Though earning less, we can still feed ourselves.”
Nuannuan was used to working in the city-hotel standard Shang Xin Yuan, and arriving back to Chu Di Ju, she immediately felt that indeed the conditions were very low. Before Shang Xin Yuan, Chu Di Ju looked quite nice, she thought, and now to compare the two together, the differences were obvious. It seemed that, in order to attract tourists, Chu Di Ju would have to undertake some renovations and changes. At least the family had some money, and Nuannuan was thinking of using some of the money for the work ahead.
The first thing that Nuannuan did was to add a bathroom to every guest room. In the past, when guests wanted to use the toilet, they would have to put on clothes and run out of the yard, not something that city visitors were very accustomed to. As Chu Di Ju was a single floor, adding bathrooms was not too difficult. Nuannuan had the workers bury piping outside the yard, and then built small bathrooms behind the bedrooms, and attached the two rooms with a simple door.
The second task was to build a shack in Chu Di Ju’s yard, and put tables, chairs and sofas inside, and then to design a counter and hire a girl to work behind it selling daily items and tea supplies. Also, to install a television, so that the guests could eat snacks, drink tea and chat whilst watching some TV.
Thirdly was to plant flowers and grass all around the empty perimeters of the buildings of Chu Di Ju, just like in Shang Xin Yuan. Once this third task was completed, Chu Di Ju looked much more presentable. However, Nuannuan did not increase the cost of accommodation, and for a room, tour and meals, the price was still 100 yuan per day. Tourists who stayed all said that, in such a remote land on the western bank, 100 yuan for such accommodation, and this kind of food is a real bargain …
Nuannuan nowadays was only managing Chu Di Ju, and would not even spare a look at Shang Xin Yuan any more. Even during the performance Farewell, she would not allow herself a look. Xue Chuanxin’s actions had hurt her. They had started the business together, and just because she did not see eye to eye on one small issue, she was immediately pushed aside. Only a truly ruthless man can do such a ruthless thing!
After lunch one day, Nuannuan was intending to lie in bed for a quick lunch-time nap, when Shallot suddenly ran into the yard frantically, asking: “Nuannuan, do you know about the extension Shang Xin Yuan is planning?” Nuannuan shook her head, replying: “No, nobody has told me, and like I would care? You needn’t worry over it either, it has even less to do with yourself.” “Hah! It has everything to do with me!” Shallot pat Nuannuan’s thigh anxiously, “Do you know how they plan to extend? They plan to extend through my yard and my yellow bean field, as well as Jiuding, Zhankun and Zhan Tongfangs too! All three of our houses and our plots of land!” “What?” Nuannuan was shocked, “extending over such a big area?” “Yes, this morning Xue Chuanxin and Kaitian spoke with Brother Changlin, saying that we must prepare to pull down the house and move, and that each house will be subsidized 600 yuan,
and that there is planned approved land in the south of the village to build new houses on. Who could build a new house with only 600 yuan? Isn’t it meant to be a big occasion to build a house? We have had our lands for who knows how many generations, and someone can just come in and get us to move? Not only that, the field by our yard is over 3 mu (666.7m2) big, and the crops grow well in this soil, as we have continually put down fertilizer over the years. After this land is taken, what can we do? They say they can subsidize us 5,000 yuan per mu, but after the subsidy is used up, what can we do? That land has been our only source of income for years!”
Nuannuan listened in shock, and said: “Shallot, Do not worry. This really is the first time I have heard anything about an extension of Shang Xin Yuan, I am going to go now to find out some answers for you!” Nuannuan got up as she finished speaking, put Dangen into Shallot’s arms and quickly walked out.
At that moment, Kaitian and Xue Chuanxin were in a small VIP room drinking alcohol, and as Nuannuan opened the door, they were clinking their glasses together, faces full of smug satisfaction. On hearing the door open, they assumed that it was a service woman bringing in food, and without turning to look, Xue Chuanxin said: “Come now, for the expanding Shang Xin Yuan, let’s drink another glass!” Kaitian said: “Don’t worry about the land, I have everything under —”
Nuannuan broke Kaitian’s sentence. “Shang Xin Yuan is really extending?” She didn’t sit, and stood facing them both as she asked.
“This decision has been made between myself and Leader Kuang.” Xue Chuanxin said, an implicit smile on the edge of his mouth.
“You can expand, but how can you pull down the residence of villagers, not to mention occupying their fields!” Nuannuan had a cold expression as she said: “It isn’t easy for farmers to build their houses, and is usually through the accumulation of a lifetime, and to give 600 yuan for them to pull down and build a new one, how could they manage? And not to mention the fields, their source of livelihood, and you only give a few thousand to take it away? After they spend that money, how can they realistically go on?” “Okay okay, I get it! I get it!” Kaitian broke off Nuannuan’s speech, coldly, “So you think you understand more about the tourism industry than Boss Xue?”
On hearing this, Nuannuan’s face dropped: “I don’t care about the extension! But to pull down the houses of Shallot, Jiuding and others, and occupy their fields, that is not right!”
Kaitian said nothing, instead, pouring a glass of alcohol and emptying it …
That same day, Nuannuan went back to Chu Di Ju and told Shallot: “Don’t you worry, whoever thinks they can make you pull down your house, you need not answer. I bet nobody would have the courage to come and forcibly pull your house down!” Shallot relaxed on hearing this, and said: “I will head home and tell brother Changlin so that he can relax too. On hearing the news of demolition at midday, he was so angry he couldn’t even eat anything.”
Kaitian had still not returned at dinnertime, and Nuannuan grew a little worried, thinking he was again at Shang Xin Yuan eating, so she called over to ask him to come home for dinner, to tell him to force Xue Chuanxin to get rid of the massage girls. She didn’t expect to hear from the girl on reception that: “Leader Kuang had gone to a village meeting.” Nuannuan was anxious, and headed out for the village office.
Sounds of the night rang through the building, and there was nobody at the village offices, apart from the sound of the odd crow returning to roost, there was not a single sound in the yard. Nuannuan saw a door that had written on it “Leader”. It was unlocked, but on pushing at it, unexpected she found it to be jammed shut from the inside. “Kaitian, it’s me, open the door!” Nuannuan shouted out, and couldn’t help but to feel that the whole situation was very strange: Why would the door be jammed shut at this hour? Then a noise came from within the room, the door gradually swung open, and Nuannuan suddenly pushed open the room with a heave, and on entering the room found Kaitian and Youyou together. Nuannuan’s eyes opened wide.
“My sister, what a coincidence! I was here to talk about the land ownership with the leader. He had a headache, and lay in bed so that I could massage him better, and now that you have arrived you can massage him in my place.”
“And who would have known that Youyou here had studied massage from the girls of Shang Xin Yuan with such skill that the moment she began to massage, my headache went away.” Kaitian laughed unnaturally.
“Really? Well, please go ahead and continue massaging him, Youyou.” Nuannuan put on a smiling expression, and did not expose any suspicion from the tone of her voice. But of course, Nuannuan was smart enough to know what was going on. A man and a woman together behind a locked door giving massages?! Moreover, Youyou had hastily buttoned up her shirt incorrectly. Nuannuan felt hatred in her chest, and wanted to curse and shout her lungs out: Kuang Kaitian, you dare to commit such acts?! You son of a bitch! But Nuannuan also knew that what she had seen was not clear evidence of what she assumed. They would probably both deny everything. I will not make a move in haste, and instead, learn from the wife of Spotty Laosi, and wait for the right time.
“Sister, I have things to do at home, I’ll head off now.” Youyou said in a fluster as she headed out, tripping on the doorsill as she went, and stumbling forward a few steps. Nuannuan closed her eyes for a minute, and forced her curses down deep into her belly.
“What’s up, why are you looking for me?” Kaitian asked Nuannuan, more natural now as he watched Youyou leave.
“Nothing, I was just passing by and thought I would come in for a look.” Nuannuan described casually. She was already filled with anger regarding the issue with Shang Xin Yuan, and now to add what had been seen with Kaitian and Youyou, which she was afraid was not simply a massage but something more.
After returning home, she pretended that she had seen nothing, and managed things at home and Chu Di Ju just as normal, and Kaitian’s parents had no idea that Nuannuan’s thoughts were raging, like a strong wind surging waves on the Red Lake surface. I have to find out the truth. If she were really just giving a massage, she would caution them and nothing more; but if they had really moved onto more than that, then they better not complain about what I might do! Despite the fact that Nuannuan was already 80-90% certain that they had moved onto more, deep in her heart she wished that this was not so.
From this day on, there was no change in Nuannuan from the surface, though she was watching every move that Kaitian made. Whenever Kaitian would go to a village meeting or have work to do, Nuannuan would quietly take a look. During the performance of Farewell, she would also go and quietly inspect. She now knew that they were slowly growing inseparable during the performance, and as Kaitian played the Chu King Zi, and Youyou the Chu Queen Zi, they were often together, pretending that their fiction was fact.
Oh dear, why did I allow Xue Chuanxin to put on this rotten show to attract the tourists in the first place. Yet, after many shows, Nuannuan still had not noticed anything, and even during the performance she hadn’t seen any second looks between the two of them. But this did not eliminate Nuannuan’s doubts, and having guessed that they were startled by what had happened, she decided to give them a chance that she would allow everything to carry on as usual; and if they were normal, Nuannuan would drop her suspicions entirely.
One morning during breakfast, Nuannuan said to Kaitian: “There are a couple of researchers on Qu Yuan staying in our Chu Di Ju and they want to go to the hill and see the Great Wall of Chu the day after tomorrow. They also want to see if they can find any site that Qu Yuan used to live in this area. So they specifically asked me to accompany them. It will be dark when I’m home.”
Kaitian nodded and said: “Go and pay attention to what they talk about. We can use that knowledge on tour guiding other visitors.”
Nuannuan nodded and left.
The truth was, Nuannuan only sent the Qu Yuan researchers to the hill and returned to the village. She went to the small teahouse owned by Uncle
Zhankun. It was Nuannuan’s idea to open the teahouse. She said: “Uncle Zhankun, with all the visitors in our Chu Wang Village, most of them must want some local tea. If you open a teahouse, you will be sure to make good money. You should use the water from the Red Lake and tealeaves from the South Mountain. You have enough firewood in your own house, so the cost of running the teahouse will not be too high.”
Uncle Zhankun found her words with good reason, and he started his business accordingly. It was no surprise that he quickly achieved a daily income of no less than 30 yuan. Therefore, when seeing Nuannuan enter the teahouse, Uncle Zhankun hastened to greet her: “Yikes, Nuannuan! What an honour to have you as a rare guest!”
Nuannuan smiled and said: “Uncle, I have always wanted to come to your teahouse. But I was too busy. You see, I just returned from sending a group of visitors to the hill. I can only come here to take a rest when they are sightseeing on the hill.”
“Take a seat! I will make some tea for you so that you can take your time sipping,” said Uncle Zhankun as he fetched the water and the tealeaves. “Nuannuan, you are the most capable person in this village. You have Chu Di Ju and Shang Xin Yuan, all that money you earn every month! I am jealous!”
Nuannuan smiled and answered: “My uncle is good at complimenting others. I only earn enough to make my days easier.” Her eyes, however, were gazing upon the courtyard gate of the village committee. Her seat provided her a clear view.
