Chapter 2457 - Jasmine Hotel

While Master Wu was enjoying himself in the bathtub, a small disturbance arose in Chen Lin's room.

The rooms Chen Xiaobing had arranged for the inspection group members were "standard rooms," one per person, just enough to accommodate a master and servant. Chen Ding had brought Chen An, but Chen Lin had brought Chen Yue.

Though they were siblings, both were young adults, and sharing a room was awkward in many ways. The moment the Chen siblings entered their room, they felt the discomfort—should they stay or not?

Chen Ding wanted to make adjustments, but Chen Yue was the only woman in the entire inspection group. No matter how he tried, he couldn't work out the arrangements.

"Why don't we book another room?" Chen Ding said. "At worst, we'll pay for it ourselves." He immediately went to find Chen Xiaobing.

"Booking another room isn't difficult." Chen Xiaobing promptly took them to the front desk, but unexpectedly, the clerk looked troubled after checking the reservation book. There truly were no empty rooms.

"Can't you squeeze out even one?" Chen Xiaobing pressed.

"Not a single one left," the clerk said. "Reservations are full these days. A few days later, we could work something out. But tonight—there's really no way."

"Why don't I find another inn to stay at," Chen Lin said. "As long as it's nearby, that's fine. It's only for sleeping anyway!"

Chen Xiaobing thought this was the only option. He immediately sent a rickshaw driver to take Chen Lin and his luggage to settle at a hotel in Bopu Town.

He wrote a few lines on his official notebook, stamped his seal, and handed it over. "Take this to register at the hotel. Food and accommodation expenses can be put on the account."

Chen Lin took the note and was about to leave. Remembering his sister, he pulled Chen Yue aside and spoke sternly: "You're staying alone now, so keep the door locked and don't leave the room unless necessary. This place may look prosperous, but it's a mix of all sorts. Don't show your face easily! Uncle and Second Uncle are next door—ask them if you need anything. Don't come to the banquet tonight—it's inconvenient."

Chen Xiaobing overheard and immediately said seriously, "Miss Chen Yue is also a member of the inspection group. How can she not attend? Besides, it's a Senate banquet—what's inconvenient?"

Chen Lin felt extremely embarrassed and could only say, "Since Comrade Chen says so, you go—but wait for me to come back and we'll go together!"

The rickshaw puller took Chen Lin and his luggage from the hotel to Bopu Town. Compared to the Seaside Avenue, this place felt more like a real "downtown." Streets crisscrossed and crowds bustled. It was full of market vitality. The puller took him along a quiet small street near the Wenlan River, stopping before a white two-story building.

"Here we are, sir. Just take the introduction letter to register." The rickshaw puller helped him unload the luggage from the back of the cart.

"Yes, thank you, little brother." Chen Lin pulled out a subsidiary currency coupon from his sleeve. "For you to buy a drink."

"Many thanks, guest." The puller accepted the "tip" without ceremony, said his farewell, and was about to leave when he turned back with a smile. "If the journey gets lonely, Master might take a walk down Heyuan Street. I guarantee you'll cheer up quickly."

Chen Lin could tell from his smile that Heyuan Street was certainly not a respectable place. He turned to look at the hotel before him—a two-story building with walls painted snow-white and topped with brick-red tiles. But the windows were painted blue. Under the clear sky, it was simply dazzling to the eyes.

That was fine, but flower pots were everywhere—on the walls, beside the steps, on the second-floor balcony railings—planted with flowers of every color, all in bloom. The two large jasmine plants beside the door were particularly profuse, filling the air with rich fragrance.

"This is an inn?" If Longhao Bay Hotel had completely exceeded Chen Lin's imagination of an "inn," this "hotel" overturned his understanding of such establishments even more.

While he stood uncertain, the two glass-latticed doors of the building opened, and a waiter in the same white shirt and black trousers came out to greet him.

"Is the guest here to stay?"

"Is this... Jasmine Hotel?" Chen Lin glanced at the paper slip in his hand.

"Correct, this is our humble establishment."

"I want to stay." Hearing confirmation, Chen Lin immediately handed over the slip.

The waiter glanced at it and immediately showed respect. "So the guest is a guest of the Senate! My apologies for not recognizing you!" He picked up Chen Lin's luggage. "Please, come inside."

Walking up the steps and entering, he felt coolness before his eyes. The decoration here differed from Longhao Bay Hotel. The lobby wasn't large, but the layout was tidy, with minimal decoration yet very beautiful. Despite the clusters of flowers outdoors, the lobby held only green plants. The walls were simply painted white, hung with a few landscape paintings. The furniture was mostly rattan and bamboo, with simple, plain patterns. Bookshelves lined the walls, filled with various books... Though it wasn't traditional Chinese study furnishings, one could still sense the owner's taste for quiet elegance.

Compared to the luxury of Longhao Bay, this place made him feel more at ease.

"What an elegant and quiet place!"

"You put it well, sir," the waiter said with spirit upon hearing the praise. "Our Jasmine Hotel is a famous elegant establishment locally. Scholars coming to Lingao from outside to study all like to stay here, discussing learning late into the night. Many people come here specially for refined conversation and elegant gatherings."

"I didn't expect your owner to be so cultured!" Chen Lin nodded repeatedly.

"My owner was originally a local gentleman of the county," the waiter said, lowering his voice, "and a Jinshi master!"

Such a thing? Chen Lin was quite surprised. Until now, at least in Guangzhou, he hadn't heard of any Jinshi master defecting to the "Kun." The remaining Jinshi all followed the routine of "not leaving and not surrendering," hiding on their own properties and rarely venturing out. He'd never heard of anyone opening a business. And why an "inn" of all things? This was not a "respectable trade."

This "county gentleman" was none other than Liu Dalin. According to the history of the other timeline, he would have died more than two years ago by now. However, the Senate's arrival had treated his illness and restored his health in this timeline. Jinshi Liu's body was actually stronger than on D-Day. Though he couldn't walk freely, he could manage with a cane.

Liu Dalin had never formally defected to the "Kun," maintaining a "cooperative relationship" of neither too close nor too distant with the Senate. But honestly speaking, he had never caused them any trouble either. In recent years, many private letters from the mainland had arrived inquiring about news of the Kun thieves. He replied to every one, speaking well of the Senate in his letters, and ignoring all questions involving military and political affairs. This earned him considerable goodwill from the Elders. Though with the victory of the second counter-encirclement campaign, the Senate had gained firm footing in Lingao and even Hainan Island, and its power reached deep into the Pearl River Delta—meaning Liu Dalin's utility value had dropped significantly—the Senate still treated this Ming Jinshi very preferentially. The Jasmine Pavilion Academy he hosted as a "cultural salon" for Lingao's traditional Confucianism also continued to exist.

Jinshi Liu was no "rotten scholar" impervious to reason. He didn't fully agree with the Australians' administrative actions in Lingao, but seeing local construction progress rapidly and the people suffering neither hunger nor cold, he admired them. Shortly after the County Consultative Council was established, he accepted an appointment letter and became a committee member.

Though a committee member, Jinshi Liu rarely attended meetings. First, he didn't have as vigorous an "ambition" as other members, nor was he keen on seeking welfare for his descendants or accumulating wealth. Second, regarding suggestions for local construction, he felt that with his crippled legs and homebound lifestyle, rarely going out, he couldn't say anything significant. Finally, he still felt some guilt toward the Great Ming in his heart.

These years, he had lived quietly this way, the whole family subsisting on his fields and his income as Headmaster of Jasmine Pavilion. The family fields had long been contracted to the "Tiandi Society." And the "dividends" the Tiandi Society sent were always larger than those of other families. Needless to say, this was a secret extra allowance from the Elders to preserve his self-esteem and reputation—for which he was quite grateful to the Senate.

Most household servants had been dismissed, leaving only a few old retainers to continue serving. The servants' children and Jinshi Liu's own children had all entered Fangcaodi school. By their grades, they logically shouldn't have been exempt from tuition, but all had received preferential exemption.

Liu Dalin also taught his son about Confucianism, poetry, and eight-legged essays. But the son was obviously not scholarly material, which disappointed him greatly. Then again, what use was learning these things? The Senate's rule didn't need them.

This originally peaceful and comfortable life was disrupted starting in the third year. For some reason, Jinshi Liu's relatives, friends, and old acquaintances suddenly began visiting Lingao frequently.

The visitors were mostly nephews and juniors of these people. They claimed to come for "visits," but after a few polite words, they asked about conditions in Lingao, then went out to purchase wildly—buying "Australian goods" in quantity.

If they'd just come to buy goods, that would have been fine. But they wandered the streets asking about everything. Their suspicious behavior got them arrested by police several times. Eventually, Liu Dalin had to come forward to bail them out.

Liu Dalin then realized that besides buying Australian goods, these visitors also intended to purchase property and land in Lingao—"making a retreat plan."

Originally, whether buying goods or preparing a rabbit's three burrows, Liu Dalin didn't mind. As long as they came to visit, he received them warmly. However, these visitors still followed old customs, mostly staying at relatives' and friends' homes when traveling.

Hosting guests from afar was a fine thing, but he couldn't handle the sheer number of relatives and old friends. The Liu family didn't actually have many relatives on the mainland, but Liu Dalin had "classmates" (Tongnian) from both the Juren and Jinshi exams—numbering several hundred.

Thus the originally quiet Liu residence became busy with comings and goings. Guests had to be entertained every month. Sometimes as soon as one group left, another arrived.

The Liu family not only had to provide food and lodging for visitors but also send people to accompany them shopping, help handle consignment at the wharf, and if they committed an offense locally, the family had to step in to handle the aftermath... Financially unbearable, their lives were also greatly disrupted.

(End of Chapter)