In the courtyard of the Fortunate Inn.
"Huh? Isn't this pretty neat and clean? Why have so many people complained that the hygiene isn't up to standard?"
Four staff members, two men and two women wearing uniforms bearing the Mount Sanqing Scenic Area logo, entered the inn's courtyard and looked around.
The roses in the flower beds looked fresh and vibrant, while the lawn and the courtyard's banyan trees were lush and green.
The pebble path leading to the inn's entrance, roughly two meters wide, had been swept spotless. There wasn't even a grain of sand in sight.
"It really is clean. Even the flowers and trees look like they've been specially cleaned. They've paid attention to every little detail."
"Could they have known we were coming and cleaned up ahead of time?"
As the staff members chatted, they reached the inn's entrance.
The door opened with a creak, and Lin Zhe appeared in the doorway.
"Oh! Ms. Zhang, Ms. Zhao, Mr. Wang, Mr. Ma! What brings the four of you here?"
"Sorry I wasn't out here to welcome you!"
"Please, come on in!"
Seeing who had arrived, Lin Zhe quickly put on a welcoming smile and stepped aside to invite all four inside.
These four were office staff in charge of sanitation and safety inspections for the scenic area's management committee.
They weren't high-ranking officials, but if he wanted to do business on their turf, he had to play by their rules.
Lin Zhe had dealt with the four of them a few times and had a fairly good impression of them.
As long as things were generally up to standard, they wouldn't deliberately make trouble for him. They were fair.
"Lin, how has business been lately?"
The woman speaking was Zhang Min, whom Lin Zhe had just greeted as Ms. Zhang.
She was in her forties, wore red-framed glasses, and had a mature, intellectual air.
Lin Zhe replied with a cheerful smile, "Not bad, thanks to your support, Ms. Zhang."
"Lin, everyone on the management committee has heard about your family's situation. We all sympathize, but..."
Zhang Min adjusted the glasses on her nose, then shifted the subject.
"But, Lin, when you're running an inn and welcoming guests, you still need to put more effort into safety, hygiene, and service."
Lin Zhe kept smiling. "You're absolutely right, Ms. Zhang. We've been focusing on improving both our service and our hygiene."
Zhao Na added from beside her, "Four tourists called the 12301 hotline this morning.
They reported that your inn had terrible sanitation, that the rooms were damp, and that the bedding hadn't been washed or changed for days and smelled moldy, posing a serious risk to guests' health.
We came to verify the situation after getting a call from 12301."
"They called 12301 to report that our conditions were poor and a health hazard?"
Hearing Zhao Na's account, Lin Zhe immediately thought of the four guests checking out whom he'd run into when he came in that morning.
He'd thought they were just shooting their mouths off about reporting him. He hadn't expected them to mean it. They'd said they'd call 12301, and they actually had!
Thank goodness I picked up the check-in panel and got something as amazing as a Cleansing Talisman on my very first check-in! Otherwise, getting through this today would've been tough!
After silently counting his blessings, Lin Zhe looked at Zhao Na and feigned indignation.
"That's completely unfair, Ms. Zhao! Saying our conditions are poor and our hygiene isn't up to standard is a blatant lie!
Here at the Fortunate Inn, we've always taken cleanliness very seriously and worked hard to provide our guests with a pleasant place to stay.
I even spent several thousand yuan today hiring a professional cleaning company to give the whole inn a deep clean!
Ms. Zhang, Ms. Zhao, Mr. Wang, Mr. Ma, rather than listen to me talk, why not take a look yourselves?
The four of you can be the judges. See whether our inn's conditions and hygiene meet the standards!"
After hearing Lin Zhe's words, Zhang Min, Zhao Na, and the others looked around.
The reception desk was as clean as new, and the floor had been polished until it shone brightly enough to reflect their figures.
The glass in the windows was spotless, almost invisible, and there wasn't a speck of dust on the windowsills.
The potted plants beside the reception desk had also been cleaned until they looked lush and fresh. Every leaf was spotless, as though it had just sprouted.
A faint scent of osmanthus lingered inside the inn, its strength just right.
With their eyes closed, it felt like sitting beneath an osmanthus tree.
"Ms. Zhang, Ms. Zhao, Mr. Wang, Mr. Ma, come on, let me show you around. If anything doesn't meet the standards, just tell me and I'll fix it right away!"
As he spoke, Lin Zhe gestured for them to follow and led Zhang Min and the others through the rooms one by one.
After the guest rooms, he showed them the hot-water room and the restrooms too. With hygiene this good, he could afford to show off. He wasn't afraid of an inspection!
"Excellent, really excellent! Lin, you've done a wonderful job with the cleaning. Make sure you keep it up!"
"It really is spotless! That cleaning company certainly knows its stuff!"
"The money Lin spent on cleaning was worth every penny. I almost want to stay here for a night myself."
"How strange. The smell of perfume used to trigger my allergies, but this osmanthus fragrance not only smells lovely, it doesn't bother me at all. It's just like real flowers."
Zhang Min, Zhao Na, and the others followed Lin Zhe around the Fortunate Inn, inspecting everything, and couldn't find a single fault.
Every one of them gave Lin Zhe a thumbs-up.
Listening to their praise, Lin Zhe felt thoroughly pleased. This was a good start!
"All right, Lin. We've taken photos and videos of the hygiene conditions here."
Zhang Min turned to Lin Zhe and said, "Once we're back, we'll post a response on the 12301 website, and that'll settle it.
You've done a good job here. Keep it up."
Lin Zhe smiled politely. "Sorry for the trouble, Ms. Zhang. Sorry to have put you all out."
"Oh, it's no trouble. This is our job."
"All right, Lin, that wraps up today's hygiene inspection. We should get back. We'll let you get on with things."
With that, Zhang Min left with Zhao Na and the others, and Lin Zhe saw them all the way out through the gate.
No sooner had he seen them off than a young man and woman wearing matching couple outfits and carrying backpacks approached him.
"Welcome to the Fortunate Inn! Everyone who stays here is blessed with good fortune. Would you like a twin room, a double room, or a premium room?"
Lin Zhe put on a smile and warmly greeted the two guests.
As soon as they entered and saw the spotless interior and floors polished enough to reflect their faces, both guests were completely won over by the inn's cleanliness.
"Let's stay here, honey! I love it!"
"Whatever you say. Hey, could you get us a double room on the second floor, facing the sun?"
"Sure thing. Could I have your ID cards so I can check you both in?"
Lin Zhe had taken over the inn more than two months ago and was already quite practiced at checking guests in.
After taking their ID cards, he quickly booked them a double room.
"The room is 299 yuan per night, plus a 100-yuan key card deposit. That's 399 yuan in total."
"If you check out before noon tomorrow, the 100-yuan deposit will be refunded to your original payment method. Here's your key card. Please keep it safe. Your room is 202, on the right on the second floor."
Once he had finished checking them in, Lin Zhe held out a key card to the young man with both hands.
"Okay."
The young man took the key card, pulled his phone from his pocket, and promptly paid the room fee and deposit, 399 yuan in total.
Lin Zhe smiled. "Enjoy your stay, and have a great time at Mount Sanqing."
"Thanks."
After exchanging a few pleasantries with Lin Zhe, the two headed upstairs to find their room and settle in.
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