40. This place is fascinating.

Old Guo had just entered the post station. While it was true that a post station served as an inn, one could never expect the accommodations to be particularly luxurious. Along the way, even a station as large as the one in Hongdu Prefecture only offered a bowl of noodles and shelter from the wind and rain.

However, this place was different. In the very center of the premises stood a stage where a few young women were playing instruments and singing, while tables were arranged nearby for guests to eat and drink. In other restaurants, there was something called a menu board—a wooden board hung in the main hall for ordering food. Here, however, they used a proper menu: an engraved wooden plank listing the dish names. Guests simply told the server what they wanted, and the order was placed one per table.

The variety of dishes genuinely surprised Old Guo. He was quite curious how such a tiny, remote place could achieve this level of sophistication. He looked up and asked the server, "Do you really have all the dishes listed on this menu?"

"Yes, yes, yes, we have delicacies from all over the country! The Tang Family Caravan travels far and wide, bringing back goods from every region. Naturally, the prices are slightly higher since the acquisition costs are factored in. But if you prefer local dishes, those are available too, and the prices are much lower."

The server explained this with great patience. What struck Old Guo as even more curious was the exceptional politeness of every single staff member here. Given Old Guo's background—a man born into a prominent, high-ranking family and one who had traveled across the length and breadth of the empire during his early years in the military—he was well aware of the typical arrogance of tavern workers and their tendency to judge people by their clothes. Naturally, they would greet someone dressed in brocade with flattering smiles, but they would cast cold, disdainful looks at anyone in tattered clothes who looked travel-worn.

Yet here, it was entirely different. Whether it was merchants, small groups of independent travelers, or even ragged wanderers who looked down on their luck, the servers treated everyone with the warmth and devotion usually reserved for their own fathers. It was quite fascinating.

"Young man, let me ask you, why are all the servers here so remarkably polite?"

The server chuckled, then pointed to a wooden plaque hanging on the wall. Old Guo walked over and took a look. It was a set of employee guidelines, listing eight rules of conduct and eight prohibitions, accompanied by a letter to the guests. Two terms caught his eye, both rather interesting: "smiling service" and "mutual respect."

"Can all of you read?" Old Guo asked, returning to his seat. "That is quite impressive."

"We originally study at the county school. The Village Magistrate told us that we can receive our education for free, but we must also work. He also said that for people of our humble standing, the only way out is to study and make something of ourselves."

"Study?" Old Guo felt a sudden tightening in his chest. "Who is teaching you?"

"We work in shifts: seven days on the morning shift, seven days on the afternoon shift. If we're on the morning shift, we attend classes at night; if we're on the afternoon shift, we go in the morning. Every single day. The instructors are scholars invited from outside, and occasionally the Village Magistrate himself comes to teach us. Don't let his youth fool you; the Magistrate is a man of peerless talent."

Good grief! What on earth had this fellow accomplished here? No wonder these servers, young as they were, carried themselves with such poise and refinement—they were proper scholars! That completely changed the picture, elevating the entire establishment to a whole new level.

This Xinping Village was interesting, fascinating, truly fascinating. It had only been two years; if given even more time, who knew how far it might grow?

Before long, the dishes were served. As soon as the food was set down, Old Guo caught the familiar scent of his hometown, which instantly stirred his appetite to the point where he completely forgot about the wine and began devouring his meal with gusto.

He was indeed exhausted from the journey. Although Old Guo was a scholar-general by training, age spares no one, and he was, after all, a grandfather. Once he finished eating and had downed most of the fiery spirit, he felt a pleasant warmth and a slight spinning in his head, so he decided to sleep and enter the village proper the next morning.

Just as he called the server to settle the bill, the latter smiled mysteriously. "Since the honored guest has traveled from afar, why not spend a little more and truly enjoy yourself? It doesn't cost much, just a small price for some joy."

Old Guo's curiosity was piqued. Bathed in a slight alcoholic haze, he asked with a smile, "Enjoy myself in what way?"

"Well, we have a kiln in the back where porcelain is fired day and night, sending up endless smoke and flames. The Village Magistrate felt that this heat was going to waste, so he had a pool built and channeled the heat from the kiln to warm the water, which flows into the pool continuously. Because of this, even in the dead of winter, the water remains comfortably warm. And that is not all! If the guest is willing to spend eight qian of silver, you can have a specialist give you a foot massage. For one tael and eight qian, someone will pour your wine, serve tea, and massage your shoulders and neck. And for two taels and eight qian..."

"Alright, alright! What is your highest package? Your lordship will treat himself to the full experience today."

Seeing a high-spenders arrive, the server's smile grew even wider. "That will be eight taels and eight qian, sir."

"Hah, not cheap, are we?"

Yet, eight taels and eight qian was hardly any money at all to Old Guo. Not only did he indulge himself, but he also treated every accompanying guard to the one-tael-eight-qian tier. As for his own eight-taels-and-eight-qian package, it came with a private pool and supreme, VIP-level treatment.

Stepping inside, he first washed away the grime of the road in an outer chamber, and then, under guidance, entered the warm pool. The moment he stepped into the water, the wave of comforting heat instantly relaxed every joint and bone in his body. The fatigue of the journey was swept away entirely. As he leaned back, even Old Guo—a man accustomed to the finest luxuries—couldn't help letting out a satisfied groan.

Stimulated by the heat, combined with the lingering effects of the wine and sheer exhaustion, he drifted off into a hazy slumber. Yet, little more than an hour later, he was gently woken by an attendant. The person crouched beside Old Guo and whispered softly, "Sir, you mustn't soak any longer. Continuing would lead to dizziness, and you still have other treatments waiting for you."

Old Guo nodded, rising reluctantly to change into the linen robe prepared for guests, and was guided to another room. Inside stood a plush recliner, with a small side table holding wine, tea, and pastries. As soon as Old Guo lay down, the attendant clapped his hands, and a row of youthful maidens filed gracefully into the room.

"May your lordship be blessed with peace and longevity."

The maidens bowed in unison, leaving Old Guo thoroughly delighted. He asked with mild curiosity, "And these are?"

"Ah, honored guest, it works like this: your package allows you to choose three services. One specialist will massage your feet to relieve the fatigue of travel, another will massage your arms to soothe sore elbows and shoulders, and the third will pour your tea and gently press the pressure points on your head and neck."

"Three of them?" Old Guo nodded. "Then let's keep numbers three, seven, and eleven."

Old Guo initially expected something akin to a pleasure house. In his youth, he had been a regular patron of such establishments, though he stopped going as he grew older and his stamina waned. But the moment these young women began their work, it was an entirely different experience. The three of them worked in unison, kneading his travel-weary bones until they popped, melting away the stiffness from his long journey. It felt so heavenly that he alternated between groaning in relief and letting out contented sighs.

During a brief pause, warm wine was brought right to his lips. After a delicate sip, he was gently turned over like roasting meat, and a lithe young maiden began massaging his lower back and spine—areas that had long grown sore from sitting and working at a desk.

Whenever they pressed upon a chronic knot of tension, Old Guo would let out a small cry, only for it to be followed by waves of utter bliss. At that moment, thoughts of government affairs and the livelihoods of the common people vanished completely from his mind. There was only one sentence echoing in his head: *"I've fought wars all my life; what's wrong with enjoying myself for once?"*

After a while, a man and a woman entered the room, breaking into a melodious southern ballad the moment they began to sing. Old Guo didn't understand the words, but the soft, gentle dialect sounded wonderfully soothing.

"My whole life has been wasted," Old Guo muttered to himself. "Even the Emperor doesn't enjoy luxuries like this..."

If anyone else had made such a remark, they would surely have been mocked. But when Old Guo said it, he truly meant it—he had literally grown up bare-bottomed alongside the Emperor. What kind of lifestyle Fourth Brother led was hardly a secret to him!

During the intermission, the three maidens sat nearby, wiping away sweat with small handkerchiefs, while Old Guo sat back, feeling completely rejuvenated as he sipped tea and nibbled on pastries. Curiosity getting the better of him, he asked, "What did you all do before coming here?"

The three girls exchanged glances before one of them answered shyly, "We used to work in the pleasure quarters... Later, the young mistress of the Tang family paid our debts to redeem us, brought us here to work, and once our debts are paid off, we will be completely free."

"And have your debts been paid off yet?"

"They were paid off in four months," said the youngest of the three. "Now we earn our own money. It's so much better than being in the brothel. It's a bit tiring, but at least we aren't treated like pigs and dogs anymore."

Hearing this, Old Guo burst into hearty laughter. "It seems you quite like it here, then."

"Like it or not, it's still infinitely better than life in the brothel. That place was truly pitch-black. Even now, I break out in a cold sweat just thinking about it, terrified that it might all be a dream and that I'll suddenly wake up to find myself back there." The slightly older girl sighed, then added, "If you've rested enough, honored guest, we still have half an hour left of our time."

"Good, good," Old Guo nodded. "If I want to extend my time, how should I go about it?"

"I can call the attendant outside for you, and you can simply give him the silver."

Old Guo ended up extending his stay by three more hours...

No joke—this place was still ten li away from Xinping Village proper, yet Old Guo's entourage had already spent over a hundred taels of silver. And they hadn't even finished experiencing all the services yet! He heard that tomorrow morning, a performance troupe was coming to put on a show.

The next day, Old Guo watched the performance, after which he was told he could spend the daytime fishing in the nearby ponds or harvesting vegetables from the gardens. Any fish or produce could be brought back to the post station, where the chefs would cook them for guests free of charge.

Just like that, he spent an entire day playing. By the time evening arrived, well-fed and content, Old Guo thought to himself, *Well, since it's already evening, I might as well get another foot massage...* And then they told him that the next day was the Laba Festival, featuring various acrobatics and street performances during the day, and free Laba porridge served to everyone in the evening.

A single post station had managed to trap a high-ranking imperial commissioner for a full three days—a solid three days! Spending a few hundreds taels of silver was a minor detail, but if this had happened during a military campaign, Old Guo wouldn't have had enough heads on his shoulders to keep them attached.