As for people like sisters Ye Shiqi and the estate’s staff, they had fixed guest rooms.
Ye Shiqi had seen some of the larger rooms, which featured a living room followed by a bedroom, as well as large suites with a living area and two bedrooms, all at different prices.
When initially designed, everything was laid out in the style of a vacation resort’s suites.
If possible, she also wanted to build some luxury villas on the mountain or in this area, as some wealthy individuals might be willing to rent or purchase them.
Later, she felt that since this was ancient times, people might come here to play, treating it like an inn, or perhaps some, unconcerned about the cost, might rent long-term. If someone bought the place, it wouldn’t be entirely their family’s anymore.
Ye Shiqi turned her head to look in another direction, towards the neighboring village’s mountainous land not far from their estate.
Some people had already built estates mimicking their design and had opened them to the public by the end of last year.
Those who copied their estate to make money set a slightly lower price for admission and suite rentals, tempting guests to visit and compare the two estates.
Those who returned after visiting noted that the estates looked similar in construction, but inside... there weren’t giant fish weighing over ten kilograms to catch.
The taste of fish meals made from the fish caught from the fish pond was vastly inferior; gradually, those who were accustomed to the taste of fish here didn’t favor the neighboring estate.
Ye Shiqi knew that the neighboring estate’s construction might have taken some of their business for a while since customers always shop around, but good quality is never afraid of comparison.
High-quality service has always been something the wealthy could afford, especially when it comes to entertainment. As for those who sought to save face, visiting the neighboring estate was understandable.
Ye Shiqi brewed three cups of honey tea, and the three girls sat quietly drinking tea, enjoying pastries, and watching handsome men fish.
The young masters who came to their estate today were not only these youngsters; there were young men, men of mature years, and even old men with white hair.
Unless they were somewhat reclusive, they came in groups, and even if someone came alone, they would be accompanied by a house servant.
Ye Shiqi found that men in ancient times took great care of their appearance; when they fished, the stillness brought a different kind of handsomeness to them, with the breeze stirring their garments, adding an alluring charm of handsome young men.
Ye Shiqi’s appreciation was pure; she didn’t see her age as an impediment to admiring handsome men, as she felt it was acceptable at any age.
"Qing, what are you looking at?" elder sister Ye Fengqi paid attention to her younger sister, feeling that she wasn’t just watching others fish but was specifically gazing at the people themselves.
"Watching handsome men!" Ye Shiqi had no need to lie in front of her sister and friends.
"You’re blushing!" Ye Fengqi playfully pinched Qing’s tender cheek.
Ye Shiqi swatted away her elder sister’s hand, always feeling like those visually intrusive hands were "salty pig hands."
Sima Roumei laughed openly; being with these two sisters, she truly didn’t need to hide her moods or personality. She too admired the attractive faces of the men with a look of appreciation.
Indeed, she thought the men from the Southern regions might be a bit slight in build, but their appearance was still good.
As an 11-year-old girl, she couldn’t quite feel that sort of romantic affection for men, knowing they wouldn’t stay here long. Her father had already planned to leave this place at the end of this year, with the next destination possibly being Capital City.
Compared to here, she rather liked Capital City, but if she could go back to her hometown, that would be even better. A wish, however, was only a wish; she knew that her carefree days were numbered.
People like them might be destined to be used as tools for arranged marriages or for financial gain, a sad fate she had become aware of a few years ago and had always wanted to change.
The men who fished returned with their catch, and as soon as they hooked their first fish, they had the estate’s servers take it to the kitchen to prepare a fish meal.
They weren’t too greedy, anyway; since they weren’t going back today, they were content with fulfilling their desire to fish. Then they followed suit in changing out of their dirty clothes, a process that naturally involved bathing to wash off the sweat.
At lunchtime, the men and women dined separately, without a screen divider, and enjoyed another delicious fish meal.
Ye Shiqi saw the fish dishes on the table, sour cabbage fish made from filleted fish, fish bones fried to a golden crisp, and fish head with tofu becoming another tasty soup.
As the big fish was so large, one plate of sour cabbage fish couldn’t hold that many fillets, so these slices became another dish. In addition to fish, there were vegetables, pork belly made into Dongpo pork, duck cooked with braised winter melon, and a dish of salt-baked chicken on the table.