My 1978 Hotel

"Secret room?"

The system's been acting up lately; it's not sending messages anymore. Is it consuming too much energy?

Li Feng nodded helplessly to Li Muchen. "Let me introduce you."

"Are you kidding me?"

Hua Ziyan looked at Li Muchen with a bewildered expression.

"You can't joke about something like this."

Li Muchen said with a smile, "Otherwise, where would we get real guns and ammunition? Let me tell you, a few days ago someone here even shot a tiger, and Boss Li got a lot of tiger bones to make wine."

"Really?"

Tian Hao slapped his thigh in surprise. "Amazing! I never expected Boss Li to have such amazing abilities!"

"nothing."

Looking at the group of chubby guys, Li Feng couldn't suppress his smile as he said, "Liu Wei, now you believe me, right? I can definitely help you lose fifty pounds. I've arranged everything for you. First, you'll train with the militia brigade for a week, then I'll send you to work on a dredging project for half a month. Oh, and I've also arranged nutritious meals for you."

"Do nutritious meals still exist these days?"

Tian Hao muttered to himself, and Li Muchen whispered, "Cornmeal, dried sweet potatoes, eat until you're six-tenths full, and have meat once a week."

"Oh, this is called a nutritious meal?"

That diet meal was definitely a feast. Liu Wei and the others were dumbfounded. They hadn't experienced the 70s, but they knew a thing or two about it. In those days, it was hard to even get enough to eat, and they also knew what a dredging project was.

They have to work, but they're not fed enough; this is practically abuse.

"Mr. Li, aren't you afraid we'll sue you for this?"

"Don't be afraid."

Li Feng said with a smile, "Anyone who wants to leak information or has any thoughts of leaking information will be humanely destroyed by the system. Of course, it might result in becoming an idiot, a vegetable, or death. I can't guarantee what the consequences will be."

"That's despicable of you."

"Look at what you're saying. You wanted to lose weight, and I agreed. Besides, I didn't do anything at the guesthouse. We're in a different world here, so the contract is invalid," Li Feng said with a laugh. "Actually, you should thank me. I didn't make a single penny out of the 20,000 yuan entrance fee, and I even helped you lose weight."

"Tickets?"

"Travel expenses" is a more vivid description.

Li Feng replied with a smile.

"Oh I see."

"Everyone knows the general situation now. It's getting late, so everyone should get some rest."

"Oh, we can't reveal that we're modern people, or we'll face the consequences."

Li Feng said to Gao Jiu, "Second brother, you make arrangements for them. I'll organize the supplies first."

"Okay, boss."

Wu Tong and Qin Yue helped Hua Ziyao choose their usual rooms, while Li Muchen, Tian Hao, and Hua Ziyan shared a room. As for Liu Wei and his group, Gao arranged two rooms for them, and they could decide how they would stay.

"Brother Liu, do you think they're lying to us?" Wang Lei asked Liu Wei in a low voice.

"I think so too. How could it be possible to travel through time and space?"

"Definitely, they're trying to fool us. They're afraid we won't cooperate with the weight loss program. This guy is really despicable. He'll even try to pull this kind of crooked trick. Does he really think we're fools?" Liu Lei swayed his 300-pound body, snorted, and plopped down on the mat with a thud.

"Let's see how it goes. When the time comes, we must stick together and ignore them. We have to be willing to train." Liu Wei said, and the others nodded in agreement. That's right, for the sake of 200,000, they couldn't possibly cooperate with the training.

After getting up early in the morning, Tian Hao, Hua Ziyan, and Hua Ziyao changed into their prepared clothes and went out for a walk. Now, the three of them, who were visiting for the first time, were completely convinced.

"Amazing."

"Yes."

Hua Ziyan and Hua Ziyao don't have that aloof feeling; they transcend time and space.

"what is this."

Wu Tong laughed and said, "Let me tell you, Mr. Li's abilities go far beyond what you've described."

"Does Mr. Li have other skills?"

"Could he fly or disappear into the earth, or is Boss Li a deity?" Tian Hao was extremely excited. "Sister, tell me quickly."

"That's an exaggeration."

Wu Tong rolled her eyes at Tian Hao. "You'll find out about this eventually. Boss Li didn't say he was going to tell you, so I can't tell you. Let's go, after breakfast, we'll go back to Hanjiaba and have Li Muchen take you for a walk in the mountains."

"Hunting isn't urgent, it's good to take a stroll first."

Tian Hao said, "I only know a little about this era from my grandparents' recollections. I must say, this place seems quite interesting. I've heard the people here are particularly innocent and pure, is that true?"

"They are indeed quite innocent, well, mostly innocent, but some things are a bit more brutal than back home. Fighting is no big deal here, so be careful and don't mess with anyone. If you get into a fight, you'll have nowhere to seek justice," Wu Tong warned the three. "There are no security cameras here. If you kill someone and run away, you won't be caught. You know, there are no ID cards now, and in the countryside, it's all collective household registration. If you commit a crime and run far away, you won't be able to find them."

“Last time, we lost a little black donkey, and we still haven’t heard from it. It’s probably hopeless to find it.” Wu Tong’s words made the others more cautious. They couldn’t let their excitement cloud their judgment.

"Let's go, wake them up for breakfast."

"Morning."

Good morning, Mr. Li.

Hua Ziyao and Hua Ziyan were much more polite to each other, but Tian Hao, needless to say, had a smirk in his eyes, which puzzled Li Feng. What was this kid up to? "Wu Tong, thank you for getting up early to buy breakfast."

"It's alright, I slept quite well last night."

Wu Tong said with a smile, "But I'm afraid this little bit of breakfast won't be enough." Wu Tong pointed to the two rooms next door, where ten big fat men lived.

"Let's eat first."

Li Feng said with a smile, "I cooked a pot of dried sweet potatoes. They're a whole grain and suitable for people who are trying to lose weight."

"Mr. Li, you're ruthless."

Wu Tong gave a thumbs up, saying that the dried sweet potatoes of today are completely different from those of later generations. They are tough, coarse, almost tasteless, and somewhat rough on the throat.

“I’m doing this for their own good. It’s so unhealthy for them to be so fat.”

Li Feng said, "Losing weight is a serious matter and cannot be taken lightly."

"Okay, cousin."

Wu Tong and Qin Yue exchanged a glance. Poor guy, actually trying to fleece Boss Li, that miser, is like trying to use a flashlight in a latrine—he's asking for trouble.

"Aren't dried sweet potatoes quite delicious?"

Hua Ziyao asked softly, and Wu Tong and Qin Yue exchanged a glance and sighed. "Wait a minute, you'll understand once you try it."

"This dried sweet potato is absolutely awful!"

“Right? This is one of the cheapest grains around here, and even so, some poor families can’t afford it,” Wu Tong said. “This breakfast today is from a state-run restaurant. Don’t let its simplicity fool you; it’s probably the best meal we’ve had in the last few days.”

"Oh, the food here is so bad?"

Tian Hao muttered to himself, "No wonder my grandfather said we've been happy all our lives."

“Terrible? You haven’t seen anything terribly bad. But some people might have to experience it.” Wu Tong glanced at Liu Wei and the others who had just gotten up. “These people get up later than everyone else, no wonder they’re so fat.”

"Do you really think they can lose weight with their body type?"

Losing weight is no easy feat, Wu Tong thought, surprised that Hua Ziyao actually doubted it. "Haha, don't worry about that. Just wait, starting tomorrow, they'll be experiencing a heavenly weight loss program." "Heavenly? Why does that sound a little chilling?"

"That's right."

Wu Tong couldn't help but laugh. "You'll understand once you try it. Why don't you give it a try? Maybe you can lose ten or twenty pounds."

"No, I'm fine, I don't want to lose weight."

Tian Hao waved his hands repeatedly, but Hua Ziyan was curious. "Can I try?"

"I advise you not to try it, or you'll regret it."

Qin Yue glanced at Hua Ziyan; this kid was really courting death.

“Yueyue is right, you’d better give up this suicidal idea.” Wu Tong looked at Hua Ziyan and his sister. “Let me tell you about the time Boss Li brought his son here for training, you’ll understand when you hear it.”

"That's too cruel, those are all children!"

"So, this time it's not kids again, it's another case of trying to fleece Boss Li. Do you think Boss Li will go easy on them? They'll be lucky to escape with their lives. Let me tell you, fifty pounds isn't their limit, it's just their lower limit. They'll probably be the ones who suffer the consequences."

Liu Wei sensed that the people over there were looking at him strangely, seemingly full of pity. Liu Wei muttered to himself, "These rich kids, I wonder what crooked ideas they're thinking. They're probably accomplices of that heartless boss."

We need to be wary of them," Liu Wei whispered to Liu Lei and the others.

"Don't worry, Brother Liu, we understand."

"They're too green to fool us."

"That's right, we'll just listen to you, Brother Liu. As for the training, we'll just ignore him."

"We've been so busy talking about business, what about breakfast?"

"I don't think anyone called us?"

"Hey, Mr. Li, right? Where's our breakfast?"

"It's in the pot, make it yourself."

But when Liu Wei and his group arrived in the kitchen and opened the pot lid, what they saw was... "Pig feed! They're trying to pull this trick on us."

"Damn, you can eat this stuff?"

"Do they think we're pigs?"

The group grumbled and cursed, saying they wouldn't eat anymore, but that wasn't enough; they were really not given any food.

"What, aren't you going to eat?"

Li Feng was puzzled. He had made some dried sweet potatoes, and although the taste was a bit off, they were still edible.

"Mr. Li, you're joking with us, right?"

Liu Wei stared at Li Feng, his eyes revealing a hint of displeasure.

"Just kidding, what joke?"

Li Feng laughed. "You mean boiled sweet potato chips? That's right, that's your breakfast, a healthy whole grain. But don't worry, it's your first day here, so I cooked a lot, enough to fill you up."

"What do you mean? Are you planning to starve us?"

"No, that's not true. Your food rations are calculated entirely based on your work points; you get only what you work for."

Li Feng peeled off the dried sweet potato skin and said calmly, "I'm a very fair person. You paid for the travel expenses, so I brought you here. As for your food, drink, and other necessities, you'll have to rely on yourselves."

"You did this on purpose. We paid 20,000 yuan for training."

“That’s right, that’s the training fee from the guesthouse, we don’t have that here.”

Li Feng said calmly, "Hurry up and eat. We'll go back to the countryside later."

"What if we don't leave?"

"Don't go?"

Li Feng looked at the group. “Given your build, it won’t be long before the police arrest you. Without a letter of introduction, you’ll most likely be sent to a mine or a lumber mill in the mountains. You’ll probably get to work twelve hours a day, with ten days off a year, and all-inclusive meals and accommodation. It’s a good job.”

"Of course, losing 180 pounds in a year is not a big problem."

"As for the possibility of starving to death if you don't work, it's up to you to choose."

"Aren't you afraid that if we go back and something happens to us, your secret will be exposed?"

"Of course I'm not afraid."

Li Feng said calmly, "At that time, you will still insist on finishing your training and leaving the guesthouse. If any accidents happen afterward, you will die quite normally, without any surprises."

"you……."

Upon hearing this, Liu Wei and the others felt a chill run down their spines. It seemed that dying here had no effect on this person at all. In fact, Li Feng had said he was just bragging, but if he didn't scare Liu Wei and his group of fat guys now, who knows what kind of trouble they would cause on their way back to Hanjiaba.

"Is there anything else you want to ask?"

Li Feng wiped his hands; the dried sweet potatoes really tasted awful. He'd barely managed to finish half a bowl, but he wouldn't eat them again. Liu Wei and the others went inside and discussed it for a while, but ultimately obediently followed Li Feng's instructions. As for the dried sweet potatoes, they'd take them all for lunch.

However, they encountered some trouble when taking the carriage back to Ma'ya Commune. Liu Wei's size made it difficult for the carriage owners to take him, so they offered to pay double the fare. Helpless, Li Feng had no choice but to pay double.

"I'm afraid even the coachman has never seen so many fat people before."

Gao shook his head slightly. "These days, it's good enough to have enough to eat. Being fat is one in ten thousand, maybe one in a hundred thousand."

Although Liu Wei and the others were indignant, there was nothing they could do; they were simply too large for horse-drawn carriages to pull. Having finally returned to Ma Ya Commune, Li Feng didn't delay and led the group directly back to Han Jia Ba on foot.

There was no other way; Liu Wei and the others couldn't pull the carts without enough oxcarts. Fortunately, Li Feng didn't bother borrowing carts from the pig farm, as it wasn't enough, so they had to walk back.

"Let's go."

After walking less than two miles, Liu Wei and the others were exhausted, panting and unable to walk any further.

"How much longer?"

"It's not far now, we've walked almost a fifth of the way."

"Oh, we've only gone one-fifth of the way?"

Liu Wei, Liu Lei, and their group of chubby guys really can't walk anymore.

"Why don't we take a break?"

"alright."

"Take a five-minute break."

They continued walking, stopping and starting, and Li Feng realized how poor the stamina of this group of fat men was. Normally, it would take him about an hour and a half to walk this ten-odd miles, and two hours would be enough to take Wu Tong and the others. But this time, they had walked for three and a half hours and still hadn't reached Hanjiaba.

"Alright, it's getting late, hurry up."

After walking for another hour or so, we finally returned to Hanjiaba. The journey had taken more than four hours. "An Bing is probably going to be busy for a while now."

“They are not only physically weak, but also somewhat lazy.”

He needs to be properly disciplined. The whip is good; he can give him a few lashes now and then. Li Feng originally didn't plan to be too harsh, but now it seems he has no choice but to be, otherwise it won't be effective. As for damaging him, he won't become chubby; a few lashes will only hurt a little, but won't cause serious injury.

"Ah."

Liu Wei and the others collapsed onto the ground, exhausted, but for some reason, they felt a chill run down their spines. Could someone be talking behind their backs? (End of Chapter)