Hong Jinhua and Hong Jingjing insisted on giving all the things they had bought to Lin Guodong and his wife.
"If you won't accept them, you're looking down on me. You're refusing to forgive me or let me put my mind at ease."
"If you don't accept them, this isn't settled. We can't put it behind us."
Wanting to put the matter behind them as soon as possible, Lin Guodong and his wife reluctantly accepted her gifts of apology.
"That's more like it! We're all sharing a ward, so let's get along from now on."
"As the saying goes, a nearby neighbor is better than a distant relative. And our beds are right next to each other! What a stroke of fate!"
"Is this your son, dear? He takes after you. Such a handsome young man! He'll never have trouble finding a girlfriend!"
"Brother Lin, you and your wife are blessed! You've raised such a wonderful son!"
Hong Jinhua seemed like a different person after returning from her outing. Her voice was warm and friendly, and her smile couldn't have been brighter.
She kept trying to get closer to Lin Guodong and his wife while showering Lin Zhe with praise.
Hong Jinhua's enthusiasm left the whole family at a loss.
They had never met anyone so enthusiastic before.
Lin Zhe stayed in the ward chatting with his parents until around six in the evening.
If Hong Jinhua and her daughter hadn't been there, he might have stayed a little longer.
The two of them were so overwhelmingly enthusiastic that he honestly couldn't take it, so he said goodbye to his parents and made his escape.
Before leaving, he paid 20,000 yuan toward the medical bills at the self-service payment machine downstairs.
After the outstanding balance of a little over 3,000 yuan was deducted, more than 16,000 remained, enough to last roughly two months.
Only after taking care of his parents' affairs did Lin Zhe head outside and take a taxi to the bus station.
He paid 27 yuan for a ticket and boarded the last bus to the Mount Sanqing scenic area.
Although it was the last bus of the day, it was still nearly eighty percent full.
The tourism industry's boom this year was plain to see.
Scenic areas across the country were bustling.
The Mount Sanqing Scenic Area Management Committee had also kept up its efforts, introducing one policy after another to attract visitors.
These included small events with prizes and measures such as waiving admission fees for tourists from particular provinces or cities.
With all these promotions of varying scope, the scenic area had attracted quite a crowd.
At six thirty, the bus left the station on schedule and followed its designated route toward the Mount Sanqing scenic area.
Lin Zhe leaned against the window and watched the bustling city outside for a while, no longer feeling any yearning for it.
After spending so much time in the scenic area, his tastes and demeanor had changed considerably.
He now preferred the scenic area's peaceful, elegant surroundings and felt increasingly out of place amid the city's noise and bustle.
The bus ride took a little over an hour and a half. Lin Zhe kept his eyes on the scenery outside, but his thoughts had wandered far beyond it.
"We'll soon be arriving at our final stop, the Mount Sanqing scenic area. Please gather your belongings and get ready to get off."
The middle-aged attendant's call brought Lin Zhe back to reality.
Once he snapped out of his reverie, he saw that the other passengers had already begun gathering their belongings.
About five or six minutes later, the bus pulled into a parking lot designated by the scenic area.
Lin Zhe got off with several dozen tourists, then walked for another ten minutes or so before reaching the inn's entrance.
The sun was setting, and a few tourists sat on the benches in the courtyard, chatting and laughing at their leisure.
"This inn is pretty clean, and the service is good. There just aren't enough spots to take photos."
"Yeah, they haven't done a very good job with that. There isn't even anywhere to get a nice shot."
"Babe, let's go look around and find somewhere. What's a vacation without photos?"
"Okay, whatever you say. I'm your personal photographer for this trip."
"We'll shoot wherever you want and take as many pictures as you like. You can get your fill this time."
"Hehe, you said it! No getting impatient this time!"
"Have I ever been impatient? Absolutely not! Heaven is my witness!"
A young couple walked past Lin Zhe and out the gate, chatting and laughing.
The speakers had meant nothing by it, but their listener took it to heart.
After hearing their conversation, Lin Zhe stopped walking.
He looked around his inn's courtyard, trying to assess it from a tourist's perspective.
The courtyard covered more than 1,200 square meters. It wasn't huge, but it wasn't particularly small, either.
A cobblestone path a little over a meter wide led from the inn's entrance to the reception lobby.
Along either side were just a few banyan trees trimmed into simple shapes, several small flower beds, and about a hundred square meters of artificial turf.
There were also four antique-style streetlights, but two were broken, leaving only two still working.
Finally, four long wooden benches were scattered around the courtyard.
That was everything in the inn's courtyard. It did look rather plain, with nowhere particularly suited to taking attractive photos.
Young people staying at inns these days wanted more than clean, comfortable rooms. They also had a strong desire to take photos.
In this age when everyone was a content creator, posting travel photos on Moments or Little Yellow Book, or uploading videos to QuickTok, was perfectly normal.
That was why many popular inns and guesthouses set up several photo spots similar to those at wedding photography venues, giving guests places to take pictures and check in online.
Everything has its priorities. I'll earn next year's rent and pay off the family's debts first, then consider investing in this.
Lin Zhe wasn't the sort to make a random decision on impulse and blindly carry it out. He always believed in planning before acting.
The most pressing task now was to earn next year's rent. He didn't have the money to mess around.
He had given the entire 200,000 yuan he had just received to his father to repay the bank loan, then paid another 20,000 toward the medical bills. Just like that, he was back to square one.
Making a mental note to create some photo spots, Lin Zhe started walking toward the inn's lobby again.
When he reached the lobby, he saw Hu Ting checking in two young men who looked like college students.
With her calm expression and efficient movements, no one would have guessed that she was a new employee on her very first day.
"Room 208, upstairs on your right. Here are your ID cards. I hope you both have a memorable trip."
After checking them in, Hu Ting held their ID cards in both hands and returned them.
"Thank you."
The two young men thanked her, took their ID cards, and headed upstairs.
"You're back, boss!"
Seeing Lin Zhe come in, Hu Ting greeted him with a smile.
"I'm back. How's occupancy looking today?"
"So far, eighteen rooms are occupied. Two more were booked over the phone, and those guests are on their way."
"Oh, that's pretty good. How was your first day?"
"Great. It's been pretty interesting. I met quite a few guests from all over the country today."
"Huh? Didn't the dining hall serve dinner today? Why is it so quiet?"
Lin Zhe had felt that something was off the moment he entered. Now he finally realized what it was: it was too quiet!
The reception desk was far too quiet today. Why wasn't anyone ordering food?
Even the little LED board for meal orders was missing from the desk.
Hu Ting explained with a smile, "We're already sold out! There isn't a single egg left in the kitchen."
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