It’s unclear what was discussed, but in the end, the little orange kitten followed Zhao Xing to install the pet door.

While the guests were all downstairs, Zhao Xing stood in the second-floor hallway, selected the pet door, and chose “Install.”

For a long moment, nothing happened.

Just as Zhao Xing was getting confused, he saw the little orange kitten trot over to one of the guest room doors, reach out a paw, and pull open a tiny wooden door.

Zhao Xing hurried over to look. The pet door was already installed.

It was a small wooden flap, about the size of a cat’s head, and its color blended in with the wooden wall, making it easy to miss at first glance.

But upon closer inspection, you could see that the little door was meticulously carved.

This one featured a “leopard cat with a cicada in its mouth.” The carved cat was only the size of a fingertip, yet incredibly detailed.

Looking at the other pet doors, he saw that the patterns were all different.

He went inside a guest room to check and found that the pet door also had a delicate little latch on the inside. If you didn’t want to be disturbed, you could simply slide the latch. It was quite convenient.

The little orange kitten seemed to love this new door. It rubbed its furry head against it over and over and learned how to go through it without any teaching at all.

Zhao Xing had been a bit reluctant about this reward at first, but seeing how happy the kitten was, he started to relax. “Alright, from now on, you’re an employee of this establishment. You have to treat the guests well…”

Before he could finish, a panel popped up. “Congratulations, Host, on recruiting your first employee!”

He jumped. “Wait, what’s this? I was just kidding! Isn’t its role ‘pet’?”

The System didn’t know what to say. These notifications were all controlled by the main system; it had no power over them. “Um… theoretically, a pet can also be an employee, as long as the Host is willing…”

“But I’m not willing!” Zhao Xing cried. “I have to confirm if I want to install a pet door, but for something as big as hiring an employee, you just went and did it without even a prompt? Isn’t that a little too efficient?! Where am I going to get the money to pay a salary?!”

The System whispered, “But once the recruitment is successful, it also costs money to fire them…”

Zhao Xing’s face turned green.

The System quickly added, “Host, don’t panic. The salary for a non-human employee isn’t much. Raising a cat is still very simp—”

Halfway through, it suddenly remembered that its own Host couldn’t even afford meat and probably really couldn’t afford to keep a cat…

So it changed its tune. “Please check the employee panel, Host. The employee’s compensation is written there!”

With a green face, Zhao Xing opened the system panel. Sure enough, an “Employee Panel” had appeared at the very bottom.

He tapped it open.

【Employee Name: Little Orange

Race: Chinese Domestic Cat

Position: Cat Comforter

Compensation: Room and Board】

The corner of Zhao Xing’s mouth twitched at the job title. What the hell was a “Cat Comforter”…

Still, if it was just room and board, that was acceptable. Cats were carnivores, but at least they didn’t eat much…

Looking at the little cat that would be competing with him for meat in the future, Zhao Xing said sternly, “You have to work hard from now on, understand?”

The little cat let out a coquettish, “Nyan~” I want sausage~

Zhao Xing paused. “System, why did I just hear it say it wants sausage?”

The System cleared its throat. “To facilitate better cooperation between the Host and the employee, non-human employees will automatically have a translator installed upon recruitment, making it easier for the Host and employee to communicate.”

Just then, Little Orange meowed again. “Mrow meow~” Sausage, sausage, the sausage from last time~

Zhao Xing’s mouth twitched. “You little foodie…”

With that, he went to the kitchen and got some boiled chicken breast to feed it.

Little Orange ate without even lifting its head.

Zhao Xing looked at his furry employee and worried. This guesthouse was probably doomed.

---

While Zhao Xing was worrying, in the office of the Qingyang Daily, a group of editors was in a meeting.

The editor-in-chief was a woman in her forties who was very sharp and efficient. “The new feature must align with the theme of rural revitalization. Find young people who are genuinely developing businesses in the countryside, starting from scratch. I’ve looked at the materials you found before, and they’re still not grounded enough. They say they started from scratch, but does getting a million yuan from their parents count as starting from scratch? How many young people starting a business today can get a million from their families? Our reporting can’t be detached from the lives of the masses… By the way, Hou Ling, didn’t you say someone recommended a candidate to you?”

Hou Ling, who had been busy taking notes, looked up. “Ah, yes, Chief Editor. It was my professor. He came to Qingyang City for a trip recently and recommended a guesthouse to me. But I looked into it later. The guesthouse isn’t listed on any of the major review sites or travel websites. Plus, the place where it’s located doesn’t even have any tourist attractions. I suspect it’s just a vanity project, or purely for hype. It has no reporting value.”

The editor-in-chief pondered for a moment. “Professor Liao himself is a professor of journalism and communication. He shouldn’t be unable to see through a hype scheme. Since he recommended it to you, I suggest you go take a look and do some on-site investigation. Don’t feel pressured; the newspaper will reimburse your travel and accommodation expenses.”

Hou Ling was a bit hesitant, but then he remembered that he was worried about his professor anyway and wanted to go check on him. So he nodded. “Yes, Chief Editor.”

The next morning, Hou Ling took some good tea for his professor and set off for his destination.

He had never heard of this Immortal’s Rest Mountain before, and its location looked very remote.

A small city like Qingyang didn’t have a subway. Hou Ling sat on an intercity bus for over three hours.

After arriving in the town, he had to ask around for a while before he finally flagged down a local’s motor-trike to give him a ride to his destination.

After this arduous journey, Hou Ling was already convinced that the guesthouse he was going to was not a legitimate business.

After all, what kind of business person would open a shop in a place with such inconvenient transportation?

And there were no local tourist attractions. What the hell kind of money could they make?!

The motor-trike putt-putt-putted its way to Immortal’s Rest Village, dropped him off, and then putt-putt-putted away.

Hou Ling asked a few villagers and followed the mountain road up. When he looked up, he saw the dilapidated little guesthouse building.

The holes in the outer walls were just as they were, and even the dark green marks left by overgrown weeds hadn’t changed a bit.

The main door of the building, however, from being frequently opened and closed during this period, looked… even more broken. Especially when it was leaning crookedly against the wall, it looked like a whole slab of rotten wood.

Zhao Xing wouldn’t even dare to mention that the first time he came, this slab of rotten wood—no, this door—had actually had mushrooms growing on it.

Hou Ling stared blankly for a long time, then took out his phone and started searching for the standards for appraising a condemned building. He wouldn’t believe this thing was habitable for the life of him.

After searching for a while, he found that you couldn’t judge a condemned building just by its exterior; you had to look inside too.

So he carefully pushed the door open and stepped inside, light on his feet, afraid that any extra force would bring the whole house crashing down.

There was no one in the main hall. He looked down at the floor. Although it was swept very clean, the sense of decay was still overwhelming.

Not only was it pitted and uneven, but some parts were even brazenly warped…

Then he looked at the tables and chairs in the hall. Each one was missing an arm or a leg.

Some were tied together with iron wire, others were nailed together, like heroic soldiers who refused to leave the front line despite minor injuries. It was strangely moving.

There was even a three-legged chair, probably beyond saving, just leaning crookedly in a corner, waiting for a fated bottom.

Hou Ling was shocked. They didn’t even throw this out?

Even in the countryside, no one was this frugal, right? If all else failed, chop it up for firewood!

He took a deep breath and then looked at the walls—surprisingly, the walls weren’t dilapidated at all.

The wood-colored walls were clearly made of good wood, with a very natural grain, smooth and lustrous. This luster wasn’t the superficial “tacky shine” of new furniture, but a kind of splendor that emanated from within.

Hou Ling was stunned again. These walls… They looked a bit like the antiques he had seen when he interviewed an antique collector, possessing a kind of understated luxury.

But was it possible? In such a shabby place, there was a wall made of a material similar to an antique? How much would that cost?

Hou Ling shook his head, pushing the unrealistic thought from his mind. He took another deep breath and belatedly realized that there was a very comfortable, clean scent of wood in the shop… It was quite pleasant.

The fragrance did a good job of soothing his tension. Only then did he notice that peals of laughter were coming from the backyard.

Hou Ling did not let his guard down. He sent a message to his colleague at the newspaper, then carefully turned on his voice recorder, put the emergency number on his speed dial, and only then followed the sound to the backyard.

…No wonder the main hall was empty. Everyone was in the backyard.

Hou Ling carefully peeked his head out, and the scene before him was astonishing—

The yard was filled with birds and all sorts of small animals. A handsome guy was standing in the middle of this menagerie, scattering bird feed like he was feeding chickens.

The birds were very friendly with him. Several were resting on his shoulders and would affectionately rub against his cheek, a sight that could soften anyone’s heart.

There was also a pitch-black crow perched on the handsome guy’s head. The guy looked up at it speechlessly, said something, and the crow started cawing.

The man and the bird began to argue.

And in a wider circle, several small children were standing, clapping their hands and laughing happily, their eyes shining, their smiles brighter than the sun in the sky.

The parents around them were watching them with smiles.

The scene was as beautiful as a fairy tale.

Hou Ling’s hand, which was gripping the voice recorder, couldn’t help but relax.

Perhaps he had been wrong. A boss with such a kind heart didn’t seem like the type to engage in hype and scams… right?

While he was still hesitating, he saw a familiar figure on the outskirts of the crowd.

Professor Liao was sitting on a stone stool in the yard. Next to him was the Clear Rhyme Tea Set, which Zhao Xing had specially brought out for the old man to drink tea from. He was old and had high blood pressure, so he couldn’t be too careful.

Hou Ling quickly ran over to greet his professor. “Professor, I’m here. Are you having a good stay here?”

Professor Liao was also surprised. “You got here quite fast.”

Seeing his student’s travel-worn appearance, the old man felt a pang of sympathy and had him sit down. “Quick, come have a cup of tea. Boss Zhao specially brewed this for me. The aroma is excellent.”

Seeing his professor acting like a little kid, Hou Ling felt a mix of exasperation and fondness. He went along with him and drank a cup.

The aroma was indeed good, but he didn’t know anything about tea, so he just gave a casual compliment and then said, “When I first came to this guesthouse, I thought the owner was a scammer. After all, this house is so run-down, and there are no scenic spots around. But now it seems the owner is a pretty good person.”

Professor Liao quickly said, “Don’t you dare wrong him! The conditions at this guesthouse are very good. The food isn’t exquisite, but it tastes excellent. Most importantly, the fragrance in the guesthouse can cure emotional dysregulation disorder!”

Hou Ling was stunned. “Emotional dysregulation disorder? Cure?”

Professor Liao praised it vigorously. “Of course! And it works so fast! The kids who were having an episode stopped the moment they walked in the door, like magic! I’ve been to so many treatment centers for emotional dysregulation disorder, and I’ve never seen anything work so fast! And there’s no need for medicine or injections, you just smell the fragrance and you’re cured. Tell me, isn’t that amazing?!”

Hou Ling: “…”

He put down his teacup and reached for his phone.

“Hello? 911? This guy is a goddamn scammer!”