Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 663 Inspection

Xiao Liu looked around the lobby and then at the lobby manager: "Is the boss here?"

The lobby manager smiled and said, "Sir, is there anything I can help you with? Do you know our boss?"

Xiao Liu said, "Alright, I guess you can't call anyway. Let's just look around, okay? Which floor is the lobby on?"

The lobby manager smiled even more sweetly: "Are you two going straight to the lobby? Would you like to change your clothes? This way, please."

Back then, some people would come in for massages or foot and back rubs without showering, so it wasn't unusual for them to go straight to the lobby without showering.

The two followed the lobby manager upstairs. The quiet corridor was long and quiet. There were far fewer people taking showers during the day than at night, so there weren't many people inside at the moment.

The corridor ran along the windows, and on the right was a row of rooms, all with their doors closed. Xiao Liu casually pushed open one: "What's this for?"

The lobby manager said, "These are for guests to rest. If you two want some peace and quiet, you can book a room. The price is the same as outside, plus an extra twenty yuan per hour. Would you like a room?"

Xiao Liu glanced into the room, shook his head, and said, "No need, it's too stuffy. Let's stay in the living room."

Xiao Liu randomly pushed open two more doors, but the rooms were empty. The lobby manager stared at Xiao Liu a few times, feeling that this person was a bit strange. In Northeast China, bathing is not only a necessity of life, but also a culture and a custom, naturally leading to some established basic etiquette, commonly known as rules.

No matter what kind of person they are or what they do, very few people will break the rules. Once the rules are established, the more people who abide by them, the more benefits they will actually receive in return. Everyone understands this principle.

Xiao Wei subconsciously moved closer to the lobby manager to distance himself from Xiao Liu. The lobby manager smirked and said, "Gentlemen, we've arrived at the lobby. Please make yourselves at home. What would you like to drink?" He gestured for them to sit down and then casually placed his other hand on Xiao Wei's arm.

Xiao Wei said, "Anything's fine with me. I'll call two foot massage therapists and get two packs of cigarettes. Do you have any fruit?"

The lobby manager smiled and said, "Okay, please have a seat, I'll be right there." She personally tidied up the sofa for Xiao Wei, adjusted the height, laid out a blanket, gestured for him to sit, and then swayed away. Xiao Liu lay down beside her and laughed, saying, "Wow, Wei, you're quite charming. She didn't even acknowledge me."

Xiao Wei lay down, laughed a few times, and said, "It's mainly because you made a good impression; you deserve the most credit." No matter where you are, service staff always like people who follow the rules the most and hate those who don't follow the rules and act arrogantly. Compared to them, they naturally became closer to Xiao Wei.

On a side note, service workers have it really tough, no matter what industry they're in. They earn little but give a lot, and their hardships are unseen. We just follow the rules and don't have to give anything extra as a sign of respect. Isn't it because of them that we can enjoy comfort and beauty?

Xiao Liu shifted a few times to make herself more comfortable and said, "Something's happened at home. What do you think, should we help or not?"

Xiao Wei asked, "What did you figure out?"

Xiao Liu said, "Well, it's up to you whether I'm in charge or not. I'm just a junior officer; I listen to my superiors."

The waiter approached: "Hello sir, here are your drinks, cigarettes, and fruit. Please enjoy." Xiao Wei thanked him, picked up his drink, and took a sip. Xiao Liu picked up a cigarette and said, "Don't you smoke custom-made cigarettes?"

Xiao Wei said, "What's the difference between smoking different things? If you don't want it, just put it down." Two technicians carrying small stools and plastic baskets walked over while talking. They bowed to Xiao Wei and Xiao Liu and said, "Hello sir, I am number 15 (19). It's a pleasure to serve you."

After setting up the small stools and tool baskets, the two technicians sat down to take off Xiaowei and Xiaoliu's shoes. Xiaoliu said, "Luckily I changed my socks today, otherwise I would have been so embarrassed. Hey, little sister, have you ever encountered someone with smelly feet before?"

Number Fifteen chuckled and said, "I've encountered that before. It's nothing, nobody intentionally makes their feet smell bad, just wash them and it'll be fine."

Xiao Wei said, "Your smelly feet aren't intentional? Let me tell you, they're intentional, it's because I'm lazy. If I washed my socks and changed my insoles every day, would they still smell?"

Xiao Liu said, "Not necessarily, there's nothing you can do about sweaty feet."

Xiao Wei said, "Feel my socks. I have sweaty feet, and they're really heavy so I sweat a lot. How can I not smell? It's just an excuse. Laziness is laziness. My socks are practically standing up on their own, and I don't wash them. I stuff the insoles in my shoes for six months without taking them out once. How can they not smell?"

Number Nineteen curiously reached out and took Xiao Wei's socks, touching them: "Wow, it really is wet. It doesn't smell bad at all." She held them up to her nose and smelled them.

Everyone laughed. Number 19, feeling a little embarrassed, stood up and said, "I'll go get something to dry for you." Then he turned and ran off.

Xiao Liu said, "It's too much trouble. Sometimes I'm so tired that I don't even want to eat, let alone change my socks or wash my insoles."

Xiao Wei said, "It's just a matter of habit; laziness is a habit too."

Number Fifteen asked Xiao Liu, "Sir, would you like to take a bath?"

Xiao Wei laughed out loud, and Xiao Liu said, "Soak, soak, go get it done." His feet smelled a bit, and Number Fifteen was subtly reminding him to wash them. You know, a foot massage takes half an hour by hand, and it will smell even worse then.

Number 19 ran back, grabbed a pair of shoe dryers, put Xiaowei's socks on them, plugged them in, sat down, rolled up Zhang Xiaowei's trouser legs, skillfully sprayed both feet with alcohol, then applied a layer of Vaseline, wrapped one foot in a towel and set it aside, then started massaging the other foot, asking, "Sir, a little more or less pressure?"

Xiao Wei said, "Don't use too much force, it hurts." He had only gone to get massaged twice with Xiao Hong, so he wasn't quite used to it yet.

Number Fifteen brought over a bucket of water, smiling as he put Xiao Liu's feet in to wash. Xiao Liu said, "Hey, if you laugh again, I'll splash water all over your face, you hear me?"

The two girls burst into laughter, laughing so hard they almost fell over.

Xiao Wei took an apple and ate it, then asked number 19, "How many technicians do you have here?"

Number 19 said, "There are about ten even-numbered ones, but I don't know much about the odd-numbered ones."

Xiao Wei asked, "Everyone works here, how come I didn't know?"

Number 19 said, "Those of us with even numbers are on the second floor. We're not allowed to go upstairs, and those upstairs aren't allowed to come down either. Our meal times are all different."

Xiao Liu said, "Nonsense, if you're not allowed to come down from upstairs, what are these rooms for? Are they for you to use?"

Number 15 said, "They take the outside stairs and don't go into the lobby. They stay upstairs for the whole night, and not many come downstairs."

Xiao Liu turned to look at Xiao Wei and raised an eyebrow.

Xiao Wei scratched his head, wondering whether to intervene or not.

(End of this chapter)