Legends about child snatchers have been passed down in mountain villages for ages, and Zhao Xing was scared of them as a kid, so he was particularly sensitive to the subject.

But when he opened the door, all he saw was a well-dressed couple walking up the mountain trail. Both looked worried, and the husband was holding a struggling, crying child in his arms.

Zhao Xing thought they looked familiar. Taking a closer look, he realized—wasn’t this the daughter of Auntie Wang, the one the breakfast stall owner was talking about yesterday?

---

Walking along the mountain path of her hometown, with her daughter’s cries ringing in her ears, Wang Fang felt utterly exhausted, body and soul.

Her daughter’s name was Baozhu. She had just turned five, but she’d been diagnosed with an emotional dysregulation disorder when she was two.

Children with this condition are in a constant state of emotional instability. The slightest trigger can cause them to fly into a rage, screaming and crying. In more severe cases, they can even harm themselves or others.

Baozhu’s symptoms weren’t the most severe, and with treatment from a specialized center, her episodes had been reduced to about once every two weeks. Compared to some of the other children at the center who were in a near-constant state of distress, Wang Fang was already grateful.

This time, her grandmother had fractured her hip. She’d been bedridden for months with no sign of improvement. Fearing the old woman might have regrets, Wang Fang had gritted her teeth and brought her daughter back for a visit.

She hadn’t expected this. Whether it was the change in environment or some other trigger, the child had an episode almost as soon as they arrived in the village.

Wang Fang and her husband were heartbroken over their daughter and worried that her crying would disturb her elderly grandmother. They had no choice but to carry her up the mountain and walk around, hoping to get through the night and go home the next morning.

As Wang Fang emerged from her anxious thoughts, she heard a clear, friendly voice call out, “Wang Fang-jie, want to come in and sit for a bit?”

Wang Fang looked up and recognized him. “It’s you, Ah Xing. What are you doing here? This little building is…”

“Didn’t Auntie Wang tell you?” Zhao Xing said. “I inherited my grandpa’s guesthouse. Just opened a few days ago.”

Wang Fang’s two days back home had been pure chaos; she hadn’t had time to catch up on village gossip. She just mumbled a reply, “Oh, that’s nice. That’s really nice.”

Her husband, Qi Jiangming, also nodded at Zhao Xing in greeting.

The little girl in his arms hadn’t calmed down at all. Her shrill cries made your eardrums ache, and her face was flushed red. No matter how her parents tried to soothe her, she showed no signs of improving.

Zhao Xing sighed. Being a parent really wasn’t easy. “Wang Fang-jie, you and Da-ge should come in and rest for a bit.”

Wang Fang quickly shook her head. “No, no, we’ll just walk around outside. The kid’s too noisy.”

“It’s fine,” Zhao Xing insisted. “I’m the only one in the shop right now, so there’s no one to disturb. Let your husband take a break, too.”

Wang Fang was about to refuse again, but then she saw that her husband was actually breaking a sweat in the crisp early spring air. Her heart went out to him. “Alright then. Sorry to trouble you.”

The guesthouse didn’t look like much from the outside; it was practically a condemned building. She was prepared for it to be drafty and falling apart on the inside, but when she stepped in, she was surprised to find it was incredibly clean and tidy.

What was most striking was the delightful fragrance that filled the building. It wasn’t the usual scent of flowers or fruit but something like wood—like freshly cut wood, with the crispness of a live plant. A single breath seemed to clear your mind and soothe your heart.

Wang Fang took a slow, deep breath and felt the anxiety that had been coiling in her chest for so long simply melt away. Her brow relaxed slightly. She called for her husband to bring the child inside.

Qi Jiangming carefully carried his daughter and stepped slowly and deliberately over the threshold. He had no idea if the new environment would upset her more. If she started acting out even more, he was ready to back away immediately.

Wang Fang was just as tense, both of them watching their daughter’s every move.

As they held their breath, they saw that the child, who had been screaming and thrashing, actually began to quiet down after taking a few breaths inside. Her loud wails softened into quiet sobs.

Not only that, but the little girl’s struggles stopped. Only her little hands continued to pat her father’s arm, as if she couldn’t quite control the motion.

The couple could hardly believe it. She stopped crying? She got it under control? This was the first time she’d ever calmed down from an episode on her own, without being at the treatment center!

They wanted to hug each other and celebrate, but they didn’t dare make any sudden movements.

Wang Fang was almost crying with joy. She whispered, “This is wonderful! Baozhu must be tired from all the crying. Let’s hurry back, get her to sleep while she’s drowsy, and leave first thing in the morning!”

Qi Jiangming readily agreed. They stood inside for less than two minutes without even a moment to say goodbye to Zhao Xing before pushing the door open and heading back out.

The instant they stepped outside, the ear-splitting screams started up again.

Acting on pure instinct, the couple scrambled back inside in a panic.

The moment they were in, they both gave a wry smile. What was the point? It wasn’t like the child stopped crying just because she entered the building. They might as well just make a run for it and get home…

But to their astonishment, just like before, the child’s crying stopped again. She whimpered softly, curling up in her father’s arms.

Both of them froze. They looked at each other, their eyes filled with the exact same shock, disbelief, and a flicker of secret hope…

“What… what’s going on?” Wang Fang asked.

Qi Jiangming replayed the last few minutes in his head. He frowned. “It’s this building… no, it’s the scent. There’s something about this scent! Did you feel it? After smelling it, you feel a lot more relaxed.”

Wang Fang was stunned. “You felt it too? I thought I was imagining things!”

Zhao Xing had just gone to the kitchen to get them some water, and it took him a moment to find some cups. When he came out with two glasses of water, he saw the couple staring at him, their heads swiveling in unison, eyes like wolves.

Zhao Xing was so startled he almost took a step back. “Wh-what’s wrong? Are you that thirsty?”

Wang Fang and Qi Jiangming practically lunged at him, each grabbing an arm. “Ah Xing, where is that scent in here coming from? Can you show us?”

Looking at their excited expressions, then at the quietly sobbing child, Zhao Xing immediately understood. “The fragrance is just the natural scent of the wooden walls. I hear it has a calming effect, and it helps people relax.”

Wang Fang nodded eagerly. “Yes, yes, it’s incredibly calming! Do you have any spare pieces of this wood? I’ll buy it, I don’t care what it costs!”

Qi Jiangming had moved closer to the wall. Sure enough, the scent was stronger there, and the child in his arms grew even quieter.

Zhao Xing obviously couldn’t reveal the System, so he had to say, “I don’t have any spare wood. Besides, I don’t know if one or two pieces would even work. Maybe you need a large quantity of it to have an effect.”

Wang Fang realized he had a point. And it wasn’t like she could ask him to tear down his own walls. But getting her child’s emotions stabilized was more important. She pleaded, “Well, could we please stay a little longer? We’ll leave once the child falls asleep…”

In her haste, she suddenly remembered that Zhao Xing was running a guesthouse and corrected herself. “No, we’ll stay here for one night. Do you have a room available? We’ll pay extra! Just one room is fine. We can even sleep in the main hall!”

Zhao Xing had to laugh. “Wang Fang-jie, what are you saying? I just opened. I don’t have any other guests. You, Da-ge, and the little one can stay as long as you like. I won’t charge you…”

He hadn’t even finished his sentence when a flashing red System panel slammed onto his face with a DUANG.

**【WARNING! The host detected an attempt to engage in low-price competition. Cease immediately or face punishment! The Host must charge according to the System’s listed price!】

Zhao Xing was speechless.

He fumed internally, and 20 yuan isn’t low-price competition? What’s the difference between that and charging nothing!

If it were a regular guest, it would be fine. But these were people from his own village, only staying one night for their child’s sake.

How could he bring himself to ask for money? Besides, asking for twenty was almost worse than asking for nothing at all.

The System chose its words carefully. “But Host, your total assets are only seventy-something yuan?”

Zhao Xing: “…”

He cleared his throat and said to Wang Fang, “I know you’d feel bad if I didn’t charge, so how about we just do a symbolic twenty yuan per person? To be honest, the guesthouse isn’t really ready yet—the water and electricity aren’t even connected. Just think of it as helping me warm the place up.”

Wang Fang had been feeling awkward, since twenty yuan is nothing these days—less than a cup of bubble tea! But hearing him put it that way, she relaxed. “Alright then. I guess I’m taking advantage of you. Don’t worry, I’ll be sure to send more customers your way later.”

Internally, she felt even more grateful to Zhao Xing. All that talk about having no guests and warming the place up—she figured the young man was saying that to save her from embarrassment.

The place didn’t even have water or electricity hooked up yet; it clearly wasn’t officially open, but he was still willing to let them stay the night.

Wang Fang had already made her decision. When she returned, she would definitely promote Zhao Xing’s spot. If nothing else, she could at least bring him three or five new guests.

While the couple was talking, Zhao Xing opened their guest panels. This was his first time hosting human guests.

…That sounded a little weird.

【Name: Wang Fang

Reception Points: 20 Points/Visit

Experience: A native of Immortal’s Rest Village. Admitted to university fifteen years ago, becoming one of the few female university students from the village at the time. Remained in a large city to work after graduation and got married 7 years ago. Has a strong and fiery personality, but her daughter is her greatest weakness.

Likes: Wallpaper: Ancient Wood Fragrance】

【Name: Qi Jiangming

Reception Points: 20 Points/Visit

Experience: From X City. Formerly a book editor, he quit his job to take care of his child after his daughter was diagnosed with an emotional dysregulation disorder. Has a gentle and kind personality, is very family-oriented. His greatest dream is for his daughter to recover and for his wife to be happy every day.

Likes: Wallpaper: Ancient Wood Fragrance】

The reception points for human guests are definitely higher than for animals, Zhao Xing noted with a nod. When he saw what they liked, his expression turned a little strange. That counts?

He then opened little Baozhu’s panel.

【Name: Qi Baozhu

Reception Points: 20 Points/Visit

Experience: A five-year-old human cub suffering from an emotional dysregulation disorder. She has a naturally cheerful, sunny, and lively personality, but cannot control herself during an episode. Her greatest dream is to be the joy of her parents’ lives.

Likes: Wallpaper: Ancient Wood Fragrance】

Zhao Xing sighed. This little girl was quite thoughtful, he thought.

Just then, another System page popped up.

【Daily Task Issued: A certain guest in the establishment is emotionally unstable, which seems to be caused by an item they are carrying. Please resolve the source of the problem and provide the guest with a pleasant experience!】

An item they’re carrying?

Zhao Xing raised an eyebrow and looked over at Qi Baozhu.