By Han Meimei

After staying with Xiao Lin for quite a long time,I discovered that he was a rather interesting man.

Runningan Inn in a Mountainous Village

On a lonely and remote mountain,it is not easy to hire employees.When I first arrived there,Xiao Lin ran an inn all by himself,with only a woman from the nearby village helping.One morning when I was having breakfast,I heard Xiao Lin saying to her,“Auntie,this cup hasn't been washed clean.”

“Really? Why don't you clean it yourself if you think it's not clean?”

Xiao Lin did wash the cup again himself.

A few days later,I found that the auntie was chatting with another villager under an old pine tree,arms crossed,during her shift.More than an hour later,Xiao Lin and I walked past the old tree,only to find that they were still chatting enthusiastically.

“Auntie,have you finished your work?” said Xiao Lin.

She turned around and replied unhurriedly,“Xiao Lin,one can never finish doing their work!”

I was a little taken aback by her words.I thought it would upset Xiao Lin,but it didn't.Instead,he went to do the work for her—vacuuming the floor,changing the bed sheets,and scrubbing the toilet.At last,the auntie was too embarrassed to continue her chat,so she came back to work.

I was deeply impressed by Xiao Lin's mild temper.

Xiao Lin is not local,so you can imagine how difficult it can be for him to run an inn here in a mountain.He treats the local villagers with great sincerity and respect.For example,he dug into his own pocket for building a road and installing streetlights.At every traditional festival,he sends light refreshments to the elderly in the village.In addition,he often provides the local villagers free rides,and he even set up a recreation room in the dining hall of his inn for them,with an automatic mahjong machine inside.When I first saw it,I found it was so incompatible with the surroundings,like a round peg in a square hole.But I soon realized the compromise and difficulty of his life in this village.

Once,during the holidays and festivals,when his inn was full,someone had cut off his water supply secretly several times.Every time he abstained from saying anything and tried his best to solve the problem,and afterwards,he just touched on the matter lightly,“There is always someone who is jealous of your success.” That's all—he truly believed indignation doesn't help to solve problems.

“To deal with problems,staying calm means half of the work is done,” said Xiao Lin.

Before moving to the mountain,he was a well-paid architect working in a nice district in Hangzhou,and enjoyed cycling in his leisure time.Out of his pursuit for nature,and a yearning for a simple and idyllic life,he resigned and resolutely brought his family into the mountainous village.

During the long decoration period,he and his family often stayed in a tent.He designed the inn,procured building materials,and managed the construction project all by himself.The construction started in September,which meant that winter was just around the corner.Winter here is so cold that your breath will freeze in mid-air.

When it was snowing heavily,thick snowflakes billowing like ocean waves could block your eyesight,so you couldn't even see the old pines even a few yards away.After a blizzard,only a few objects would remain in place.He had to put on his snow boots and heavy coat to fetch back all the items that had been blown away.Sometimes,he needed to climb up a ladder to fix a light bulb on the roof,and he would also have to sweep the snow off the roof.Afterwards,he would have to spend half a day shoveling off the snow in the courtyard.

The coldest days happened to be during a festival,so the workers were gone,and his wife and daughter went back to town.But he had to stay here to keep an eye on the valuable materials.Although the snow was laying three feet deep on the ground,he would use the ice to brew tea for himself.At night,he drank all alone in the tent,regardless of the cold wind roaring outside.

Finally he successfully transformed the cowshed into a café,the hay shed into a cozy inn with 24/7 hot water,and the dusty and mossy age-old cottage into a fancy guesthouse with a nice view of the old pine trees.

No Time to Care About Loneliness

When the inn was successfully completed,they were confronted with the schooling issue for their daughter.After discussions,his wife decided to bring their daughter back to the city,which left him all alone in the mountain.

I once heard someone ask Xiao Lin,“You're an architect,but now you have to roll up your sleeves and wash the toilets for your guests.Do you feel bad about it?”

“Not at all,” said Xiao Lin.“After cleaning toilets,I'll wash my hands,and I can still make a cup of coffee for myself.”

“But do you feel lonely in the mountains?” asked one guest.

“There are simply too many things to do.I can hardly spare time to think about loneliness,” he answered.

Everyday he keeps doing one thing after another.Once the breakfast is arranged,he waters the flowers; after watering the flowers,he fixes the wooden fence; and as long as the fixing is done,he cleans the guest rooms,and then it is time to arrange for lunch.After lunch,he takes care of his miniature garden,and then,he washes his hands,because some important guests and journalists may be visiting,and he may need to prepare dinner for them.And after dinner,the tiler comes for tile fixing in the washroom,and he will help…Every day carries on like this.

I find that he is such a meticulous and conscientious person,who never neglects trivial matters.He values the principle of “action speaks louder than words,” and,most important of all,he prefers taking immediate actions.Once a guest told him,“This tissue box doesn't match the style of your inn.” He placed an order for a batch of straw braided tissue boxes to replace them that very night.I said,“It would be great if your garden had some jasmine and gardenia.” A few days later,I saw him plowing at the corner of his garden—he was planting jasmine and gardenia as I suggested.

One day,at ten o'clock in the morning,we were sitting on the rooftop,drinking coffee.Bathing in the morning sunshine,I felt so comfy and relaxed that I couldn't help but collapse in the chair.He got up immediately after finishing his coffee,saying goodbye to me,and went to work.Obviously,he refused to let himself indulge in mere sensual pleasures for too long.

He uses an old iPhone,and when he is in the middle of something,he just lets it ring.He won't pick up the phone until his work is done.One day I borrowed his phone to register on a cab-hiring app,and I noticed hundreds of unread messages in his phone.“Don't you fear that you may have missed something important?” I asked.“How could it be? If the messages were really important,they would have reached me eventually,” he replied.

“At leisure,he takes care of his plants and flowers; during business,he entertains the guests from afar; and occasionally goes for a hike in nature for enjoyment.” This is how I summarize Xiao Lin's life in the mountainous village.

A Dream That Has Just Blossomed

When no one visits his inn,he sometimes drives to an abandoned village to pick up the remaining items of the former villagers,like an ancient wooden door,a discarded bamboo chair,a broken coop,and a pig trough that has been polished by the weather over quite some time… Finding old items is full of fun for Xiao Lin.After carrying them to his car,he'll tuck a small garden hoe into his belt,take off his shoes and socks to wade across a brook,and climb up the mountain path to dig a rare species of orchid.

He is more of a listener than a talker.When one speaks,he stares into their eyes,and his eyes will sparkle and his face will beam with a big smile if he hears anything that touches his heart.

With so many guests coming and going,he can always meet someone who is funny and witty.Whenever he meets kindred spirits,he will generously offer them free drinks.

“I've been totally wasted at least five or six times this year,”said Xiao Lin.

As I see it,since there have been so many guests staying in his inn,and the times that he has gotten drunk can be counted on his fingers,it is enough to show that he is not a big drinker.

During my stay,I drank with him almost on a daily basis.

Every night at dinner,he would pour a little home-brewed rice wine for me,and a little for himself as well,and we could chat over food and drink.

As he drank,he began to talk,and we had quite a few nice conversations.

During my one-month-stay in Xiao Lin's inn,it rained most of the time.On those rainy nights in the valley,I was frequently drenched in euphoria when our topic touched my heart,so I was ready for a drinking binge all through the night.But he always stopped me from going too far,and said mildly,“Let's finish what's in your cup and call it a night.” Then he would turn on the fiashlight on his phone and escort me back to my room.Moreover,he flipped the switch of a wall lamp under the roof,and helped me shut the fence gate and bid me a goodnight.

Since we chatted a lot,our conversation has naturally covered the topic of the “untaken road.”

“Have you ever thought about how your life would be if you hadn't come to the village?” I asked.

“Obviously,” hesaid.“Unsolicited competitions and fading energies… Regardless,a stereotyped life may help you achieve success in an earthly sense,but it seems to leave no room for your innermost dreams,which is much more pathetic.”

“But you know,my dreams do not end here,” he added.“I've always had a passion for old houses and ancient villages.In the future,when I find a suitable manager for my inn,I'll get on with the work of protecting some ancient villages.Besides,I want to learn to play the guqin and carpentry.And there are actually many things I'd love to learn…”

Many visitors are carried away by the beauty of surging clouds and mists in the mountain village,as most of them come from big cities,where they are surrounded by loud noises,busy traffic,polluted air,and bustling streets—they never see fiowers dancing in a lush forest.So,after enjoying a few days of peace and tranquility in the mountains,they thank Xiao Lin in person before they leave.

That's why I say he is a man who constantly bids goodbye to others.

But he never hugs his guests.

“It makes me sad,” he said.

“Keep in touch.Come back when you're free,” he always says with a smile.