Shi Tou hesitated for a moment; she needed a place to stay. But she didn't want to stay in a guesthouse! This wasn't a rural inn, after all!
"Sister, we have several guest rooms! And they're very clean. My grandma can cook lots and lots of delicious food!" The little girl was quite clever; she saw through Shi Tou's idea at a glance and hurriedly promoted it.
In the end, Stone followed her inside. It wasn't that the girl's encouragement worked, but rather that she worried that if she went to a large hotel in her current state, people would see through her. Rather than being cautious, she figured it was better to stay at the girl's house first, at least she could find out what was going on here.
"Grandma! We have a guest!" The little girl ran inside happily, shouting as she ran, "Grandma, come out quickly!"
A woman, well past fifty, came out. She first scolded the little girl reproachfully: "Erniu, why are you running? And another thing, don't shout like that again!"
Stone stepped forward and politely asked, "Hello, do you have any rooms available? I need two rooms."
The old woman looked at the stone with some surprise: "Little girl, where did you come from? That accent is so aristocratic!"
Shi Tou paused for a moment, then, remembering his decision at the town entrance, he suddenly had an idea: "Grandma, I'm from the capital. Do you have any guest rooms left?"
"Oh. Guests from the capital! Welcome, welcome! We have three guest rooms, young lady, please choose whichever you prefer." The old woman wiped her hands with her apron. She greeted them warmly, "Come, come with me. The guest rooms are on the second floor. Erniu, go and get a pot of tea!"
Stone, pulling Mifen along, followed the old woman to the guest rooms on the second floor. It was clear the old woman had confidence in her guest rooms. Although the three rooms weren't large, they were all spotlessly clean. Each room had a bed, a table, two chairs, and a small bedside table with an oil lamp.
Shi Tou was quite satisfied with the room's furnishings; the simple environment reminded her of her bedroom in the Dwarf Kingdom. However, despite her satisfaction, she still had some questions: "Grandma, we might be staying here for a while. How is the room rate calculated?"
The old woman smiled warmly, knowing that if someone asked that question, it meant they had decided to stay. She wasn't worried about the room rate, as her guesthouse was among the cheapest in the town: "It's not expensive at all. If you're a young lady staying for a few days, it's five copper coins a day. If you stay longer, it's one silver coin a month."
Shi Tou did some calculations. Bao Zi had already told her that there were generally three types of currency used in the human kingdom: copper coins, silver coins, and gold coins. The exchange rate between the three was 100:1. When she came out earlier, in addition to taking a bunch of ores, Huo Qian also gave her a bag of silver coins.
“Then let’s pay for a month’s room first, what do you think, Grandma?” Stone remembered that in the Dwarf Kingdom, a copper coin could only buy a bun, so the room rate here was definitely not expensive.
"Alright! Do you want one room or two rooms? If you want two rooms, I can give you a discount!" The old woman was very happy. Although it seemed like she was losing money by paying 1 coin a month, she knew that her guest room was empty for at least half a month.
"Two rooms!" Stone said without hesitation. You see, she had had enough of Mi Fen'er's terrible snoring in the tree hole. Now that she had this option, she was determined not to sleep in the same room as Mi Fen'er: "By the way, the room rate doesn't need to be lowered. I just want enough hot water. I like to take a shower every day."
Speaking of bathing, it's definitely the thing Stone resents most since transmigrating. In her previous life, her family was quite well-off; her bedroom had a private bathroom, and every morning she would take a nice, relaxing shower. Before going to bed at night, she also enjoyed soaking in the bathtub. But since transmigrating, she hasn't been able to enjoy that privilege anymore.
The chubby mom wasn't against her taking baths; usually, if she pooped or wet herself, the chubby mom would wipe her down. But taking a bath was out of the question.
“No problem, young lady. Just let me know when you need water. By the way, my granddaughter and I live downstairs. Oh, and there are three guest rooms on the second floor, but you'll have to share one bathroom, it's over there.” The old woman pointed to the room at the end of the corridor.
Stone nodded and took out two silver coins from his pocket: "Thank you, Grandma. By the way, we're a little tired. Could you give us some hot water now? We'd like to rest as soon as possible."
"Excellent!" The old woman accepted the silver coins, praising them repeatedly.
Just then, the little girl from before came up with a tray: "Grandma, the tea is ready."
"Put it in the room!" The old woman pointed to the room, then asked, "Young lady, is this the room you're staying in?"
The three guest rooms were exactly the same, so Stone didn't care: "This one is fine. Rice Noodles, you go to the one next door."
Mi Fen hesitated for a moment, but she still obediently walked into the room next door.
The little girl placed the tray on the table, took the teapot and a cup from it, and arranged them neatly: "Sister, I'll go get another pot of tea and take it to the sister next to me!"
"Wait a minute." Stone stopped the little girl. Mi Fen'er had just undergone memory extraction, and Stone didn't know how many Common languages she could speak yet. "Don't rush to drink tea. By the way, my name is Serena, and I'm eight years old. What's your name, little sister?"
The little girl smiled, revealing two adorable dimples on her face: "Oh, so you're eight years old! Then you can't call me little sister anymore. I'm nine years old this year, so I'm Erniu."
This name...
Although Stone had already heard the name from the old woman, he still had to admire whoever named the little girl. Wow, even more talented than Steel Hammer Daddy!
"Second Sister, you can call me Serena from now on." Stone was happy to continue pretending to be young. Anyway, she looked like a real little loli now. Hmph, so what if she pretended to be young?
“Serena, your name is so pretty,” Erniu said honestly. “What’s the name of that lady next to you?”
Mifen was a good half a head taller than Shitou, so Erniu was sure that Erniu was right to call her "sister".
“Her name is…” Stone suddenly stopped speaking. Damn it, he only checked his own identity information at the town entrance and forgot to make up information for Mi Fen’er. But it’s okay, Mi Fen’er… “Her name is Mi Fen.”
"Oh, all your names sound nice!" Erniu said with a hint of resentment. Why was her name so rustic?
"Erniu! What are you doing in the guest room? Hurry up and get some hot water!" The old woman's voice rang out from below the stairs. Erniu quickly said goodbye to Shitou and darted down the stairs in a flash.
Shi Tou followed them into the corridor. She had only glanced at them briefly when she came in, but now it seemed that the family's circumstances were rather strange.
This is a two-story building. She didn't know about the downstairs, but on the second floor, there were three guest rooms, each with its own balcony. The conditions shouldn't be too bad; the rooms looked quite new, like a newly built house.
That's strange. Given their seemingly comfortable family background, why would they make a living by renting out houses? And not even long-term rentals, but the most troublesome kind: hotels.
"Stone!" Mi Fen'er hadn't closed the door when she entered the room, so Stone came out of the room and was caught red-handed by Mi Fen'er.
Upon hearing that MiFen'er was still speaking Dwarven, Stone immediately became agitated. He quickly walked up to MiFen'er and scolded her in Common, "MiFen'er, how many times have I told you? Don't speak Dwarven anymore! Use Common! Remember?"
MiFen'er nodded with a confused look.
"Also, from now on your name will be Mi Fen. Come on, say it with me, Mi Fen!" Shi Tou pulled Mi Fen to sit down on the chair and looked at her seriously.
“Mifen…”
"Okay, good girl! From now on, your name is Mifen, and my name is Serena! Say it with me, Serena!" Stone quickly continued.
"Cerine... Stone!"
-----
Waaaaah, my computer's going to be stolen! (Steamed bun covers face and runs away)
Well, I was supposed to update twice a week on weekends, but due to special circumstances, I can't beat my dad.
So, I'll make up for the second update tomorrow.
Please don't hit me! >_<
Chapter 98: Master's Taste is Really Terrible
"Idiot! Are you an elf or a pig?!" Stone was furious and didn't hesitate to give Rice Noodles a few hard smacks on the forehead: "Start over, Serena!"
Mifen sniffed, almost bursting into tears, but at least this time she got it right: "Serena... Serena..."
"Okay, good girl!" Shi Tou straightened his bent fingers and patted Mi Fen'er's head like he was petting a puppy: "Try again, who is Mi Fen?"
MiFen'er decisively pointed to her nose. Okay, Shi Tou thought there was no problem with that, since the pronunciation was similar.
"Who is Serena?" Stone asked again.
“It’s a stone!” Mi Fen’er had learned her lesson this time and pointed to the stone.
Shi Tou suddenly felt like vomiting blood. Okay, she admitted that Mi Fen'er was right, but why...?
"Fine, that's settled then! From now on, I'll call you Mifen, and you'll call me Serena, understand?" Stone looked at Mifen very seriously.
Mifen nodded decisively: "I'm Mifen, and you're Serena. Got it, Stone!"
o(︶︿︶)o Sigh, she was wrong. She shouldn't have had any hope for Mifen's intelligence.
"Serena!" Erniu's voice came from the stairs: "Grandma said the hot water in the bathroom is ready. Do you want to take a bath now?"
Stone excitedly skipped out, shouting, "Yes! Wait..." She quickly returned to her bedroom and asked Baozi to bring her a change of clothes. Fortunately, to avoid suspicion, she symbolically carried a bundle on her back.
Carrying the clothes, Shi Tou followed Er Niu to the bathroom on the first floor.
The old woman had already boiled the water, and when she saw the stone coming down, she hurriedly said, "Little girl, please go in quickly, the water is all boiled."
Without saying a word, Shi Tou rushed into the bathroom. He heard Er Niu behind him say to the old woman, "My sister isn't called 'little girl.' She has a name, Serena."
Preoccupied with taking a bath, Shi Tou didn't look back. It wasn't until she rushed into the bathroom that she suddenly realized something was wrong. It wasn't that the old woman had any ulterior motives. Rather, the bathroom had clearly been deliberately renovated.
The large bathroom was nearly twenty square meters, and when the door was opened, you could see that it was filled with smoke. After closing the door, Shi Tou didn't bother to take off his clothes and first looked around at his surroundings.
There was a shoe rack near the entrance, with several pairs of slippers neatly arranged on it. Shi Tou changed into the slippers first, and then noticed a wide, standing cabinet next to the shoe rack. The cabinet had sliding doors on top and drawers below. Shi Tou opened the sliding doors and found the cabinet empty. She casually put her clean clothes inside. Opening the lower drawer, she found a thick stack of white towels.
Just then, the old woman knocked on the door from outside: "Aunt... Miss Serena, there are towels in the drawer, all brand new, please feel free to use them."
Stone thanked the old woman, but sensed a strange glint in her voice. However, her attention was quickly drawn to something in the middle of the bathroom, and she forgot all about it.
What she didn't know was that in this world, not everyone had a respectable name, especially girls. Girls like Erniu, who at least had a name, were a minority in the town. Of course, there was an exception: the great nobles.
While minor nobles might give their daughters of higher status pleasant names, they wouldn't choose anything too extravagant. Names like Anne, Carmen, and Tina were usually considered quite good. But Stone, completely unaware of this, was given a name that was extremely prestigious in the world—Serena.
Serena – a nine-star mage a thousand years ago, the first princess of the Fallen Nether Empire seven hundred years ago, and the chief nine-star battle qi master of the court three hundred years ago…
Well, Stone doesn't know how much disaster this name will bring her in the future. If she did, she probably wouldn't have jumped into the bathtub so happily.
"Wow! This feels so good!" Stone was completely immersed in the water, and she was very satisfied with the huge bathtub.
Calling it a bathtub is a bit of an understatement. In the middle of the bathroom, there is a huge tub made of stone, with a heating system similar to a kang (heated brick bed) in northern China, which is currently burning coal.
Sitting in the steaming hot bathtub, Shi Tou felt every pore on his body was refreshed; it was simply indescribable how wonderful it felt!
"Giggle, Master, this feels so good! Baozi really wants to take a bath too!" Just as Stone was enjoying himself, Baozi's annoying voice suddenly appeared in Stone's ears. Immediately afterwards, a plump white bun jumped out from the clothes Stone had just taken off and threw itself at Stone, who was taking a bath.
"Ah!" Stone was about to scream, but then he remembered that he couldn't let anyone see Baozi's appearance. He swallowed the scream abruptly, and accidentally choked on his own saliva: "Cough cough, you stupid Baozi, cough cough!"
"Gaga, Master! You're still as unreliable as ever! Such a good opportunity to take a bath, how could you bear not to call Baozi out for a bath with you~~~" Baozi jumped into the bathtub and happily bounced around in the water.
Stone was furious! She wanted nothing more than to slap this damn brat into a scallion pancake! "You damn brat! Who let you out? A bath together, please! Damn it, do you believe I, this princess, will send you on your way right now!"
"Huh? Why? Baozi didn't do anything bad! Master, how could you not let Baozi take a bath?" Baozi sounded so innocent, its big wrinkles opening and closing, and Shi Tou saw that the water in the bathtub was swallowed by Baozi.
Taking a deep breath, Stone gritted his teeth: "Whose steamed bun wants to take a bath? Get lost!"
"Giggle, of course Baozi needs a bath! Master, didn't you used to bathe Baozi every day? After the bath, you would spray Baozi with fragrant perfume, and oh right, pretty little clothes!" Baozi complained, twisting its chubby body in dissatisfaction.
Stone looking up at the sky—the ceiling, damn it, what kind of crazy owner would bathe a bun every day?! ⊙﹏⊙b
“Baozi, if you like taking baths so much, I can borrow the kitchen from the landlord in the future. Then I’ll put a pot of boiling water on the stove, and then I’ll throw you into the boiling water and give you a good scalding, so you can feel the tender and fragrant taste from the outside to the inside…” Shi Tou said with a look of intoxication, but the look in his eyes when he looked at Baozi was full of murderous intent.
Baozi, still submerged in the water, trembled violently, staring at the stone in disbelief: "Giggle, Master, you're so poisonous, so poisonous, so poisonous~~~"
Holy crap!!!
Stone was so angry he wanted to flip the table. This steamed bun was just too infuriating! "Steamed bun, if you dare say another word to me, I'll throw you into the fire down below!"
A threat, this is a blatant threat!
Baozi wasn't rice flour; far from being stupid, it was exceptionally shrewd. Upon hearing the stone's sinister tone, it immediately made a decision: "Hehe, Baozi won't stand for this! The master always bullies Baozi! Baozi is so angry, so angry, the soup and filling are about to spill out!"
"Ugh!" Stone instantly broke down and quickly raised his hands in surrender: "Okay, if you want to take a bath, then take one! I won't say anything more, but you can't dirty the bathwater!"
Knowing when to stop is always one of Baozi's strengths. Seeing Shitou's pale face, Baozi felt incredibly relieved! Of course, feeling relieved, it couldn't help but scold Shitou: "Hehe, Master, how come your taste has become so bad? Even Baozi can't stand it anymore!"
Poor taste? Stone was a little stunned. She always thought her thinking was pretty jumpy, but she didn't expect Baozi to be even more amazing than her: "What do you mean poor taste? Are you talking about my clothes? What can I do? Back in the Dwarf Kingdom, everyone wore clothes like this, didn't they? But it's okay, we'll go out shopping tomorrow and buy some pretty clothes for me and Mifen."