Chapter 520: Chapter 331 Scenic Mountain Villa_2
“We must maintain the quality of our food; that’s the secret that the neighboring estate can’t surpass, no matter the price they offer.”
The guards who came with their masters enjoyed food, drink, and lodging here—it was exceptionally comfortable. Not everyone could get such a cushy job, and those who did were extremely pleased with themselves.
Ye Shiqi felt like she was a spinning top, ceaselessly striving for the welfare of her family, yet only a few people at home knew the difficulties she faced.
In fact, she often felt weary. Life was not just about living for oneself, but also for others. You can’t always do as you please.
But what could she do about it? Protecting her family and having her family protect her was the reason she worked so hard to become rich. She felt warmth from some of her family members, which was why she fought so hard to prosper.
Ye Shiqi believed that her future wouldn’t be confined to this place; how suffocating it would be to always stay here!
“Ah, to live every day, staying here is simply fantastic, I don’t even want to go back,” one of the young friends commented.
“I’ve decided, before I go to the academy to study, I’ll stay here,” Tang Xiyue announced, reluctant to leave.
The other young friends also decided to stay for over a month to spend the hot summer here.
“Now that you mention it, I’m considering it too!” Si Ma Roumei thought and said so, though as a woman who lived not far from here, she could stay at home and come here every day.
So the men decided to stay since they had brought enough money to enjoy themselves here.
Si Ma Roumei wanted to make the same decision, aware that it was fine for her to live here for a few days. Back at home, her mother was waiting for her support, and the concubine was starting to cause trouble.
In various ways, the concubine tried to usurp the housekeeper’s authority. Her mother’s health had improved, and she was strong enough to manage the household, but she also felt that her presence was needed at home, that her mother needed her.
With her two elder brothers studying at Capital City Academy, she was the only one who could support her mother. Her father had many affairs to attend to and had no time to deal with the women.
Everyone felt full and entertained, happy to be here.
The boys, along with their attendants, went to soak in the hot springs designated for men.
As for the girls, Ye Shiqi, her elder sister, and Si Ma Roumei, together with her maids, entered the women’s hot springs.
There were attendants at the hot springs who provided each paying customer with a bathrobe.
Si Ma Roumei scrutinized the hot springs; it wasn’t her first time here. Ever since the Mountain Villa’s scenic area had been established, she visited yearly, whenever she found the time, no matter the season.
The hot springs here were suitable for bathing all year round, and she found the refreshing sensation of soaking utterly addictive. It was sensitive intuition for someone who practiced martial arts.
The springs were separated for men and women, with different pools for different springs. They weren’t open-air; they were designed to isolate ancient women from others, as they didn’t like their bodies being seen by strangers.
If you can accept the price, you can monopolize a hot spring pool by yourself. If other customers come and the rooms are full, you’ll have to wait or come back another time.
No customer would be turned away because another offered more money.
The three young ladies joined a hot spring pool and then changed into their clothes and bathrobes in a room before entering the pool area.
Si Ma Roumei’s maids waited outside, guarding the door to ensure no one intruded.
Ye Shiqi suggested the swimsuits which were actually quite modest. The conservative mindset of ancient women didn’t allow the creation of revealing swimsuits.
There were various styles to choose from: thigh-length, knee-length, or ankle-length swimsuits.
The bathrobes were uniformly white, as were the bath towels. Men’s slippers were gray wooden sandals while women’s were pink.
Ye Shiqi actually fancied a type of plastic shoe and knew what material they were made of, but the manufacturing process would certainly require designing a machine, a task she felt was beyond her current capabilities, prompting her to set aside this decision for now.
The wooden shoes were her design; she had drawn the schematics and asked her father to have them made at the woodshop, which then produced them in large quantities. They came in many colors and were slip-resistant.
Whether at home or outdoors on rainy days, these were better than straw sandals and cloth shoes. Not everyone could afford shoes made of leather.