The sapphire blue wool carpet, dozens of small lights on the ceiling cast a golden glow, the wine cabinet emitted a chilling white mist, various shaped glass bottles soaked within, red and green liquids crystal clear. The sofa was large enough to seat a family of black bears, yet in the over one hundred square meter living room, it appeared rather small.
On the wall was a sculpted landscape of green mountains, reminiscent of Wang Ximeng's "A Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains," the colors possibly laid with powdered lapis lazuli or chalcedony.
Jiang Ye closed the door, placed his suitcase in the corner, and went to explore the other rooms.
There was a dining room, the wood grain of the dining table clearly expensive, the chairs like giant slime blobs of gel, conforming to the thighs and buttocks after sitting down, allowing complete relaxation.
There was no food printer, but there was a screen for ordering. As a guest in a silver VIP room, Jiang Ye could receive twelve dishes for free each meal; anything more would require payment.
Although he had eaten before arriving, he decided to take advantage of the freebies. Jiang Ye browsed the menu on the screen and ordered several desserts.
The center of the dining table opened up, and white porcelain plates were immediately delivered, with steaming hot desserts quickly filling the table. The chocolate on the donuts was even semi-liquid, shiny and dark brown.
Jiang Ye picked up a donut and put it in his mouth, thinking that nowadays, chefs really had no way to make a living.
The bathroom was astonishingly luxurious, the bathtub and faucets were polished gold, dazzlingly bright, inlaid on a floor of what looked like jade. The walls were wine-red wooden panels carved with coiled dragon patterns, and a row of small silver bottles were placed by the bathtub, labeled with words like "Conditioner," "Hair Removal Cream," and "Body Wash," exuding an imperial grandeur.
There was also a screen on the wall to call a masseuse.
Jiang Ye had expected masseuses in low-cut dresses and short skirts. He browsed the screen a few times and found the style to be different.
【You can choose from the following massage categories:】
【Monkey Service】【Machine Service】【Massage Ball Service】【Starfish Service】【Python Service】
Since they offered related services, he decided to enjoy one.
Jiang Ye didn't understand what kind of massages were common these days and randomly selected Monkey Service.
A prompt appeared on the screen asking him to choose the service time. Jiang Ye tapped "Now."
【Your assigned monkey will arrive shortly, please wait】
Jiang Ye fell into thought.
A monkey assigned to him?
He had assumed "Monkey Service" was a colloquial term for a massage technique, like "Thai massage," not that a Thai horse would kill a chicken, but rather referred to Thai massage.
But now it seemed... could it be a monkey in the literal sense?
"Knock, knock, knock!" A knock on the door.
Jiang Ye left the bathroom, crossed the living room, and went to the door.
Looking through the peephole... the corridor was empty, nothing there.
"Knock, knock, knock!" Another knock.
Jiang Ye opened the door a crack, peering outside suspiciously.
"Below," a hoarse voice said.
Jiang Ye looked down and froze.
On the scarlet carpet, a monkey about the size of a cat was squatting, with a small face and coffee-colored fur. Its long tail was held upright, and it tilted its head up, meeting Jiang Ye's gaze. It looked young, a small monkey, perhaps only two or three years old.
"Did you call for bath and massage service?" the monkey said, its voice very hoarse.
"Ah..." Jiang Ye finally calmed down from his shock. "Yes."
He opened the door, and the monkey walked in on two legs. Jiang Ye then noticed a small basket tied to its tail, containing various bottles and jars of massage supplies.
Jiang Ye followed it to the bathroom.
The monkey hopped onto the bathtub, put in the plug, and then turned on the golden faucet to test the temperature. After adjusting the water temperature, it turned the faucet to full blast, quickly filling the entire bathtub.
Throughout the process, its demeanor was professional, like a seasoned master.
"Please take off your clothes first, and I'll give you a scrub. After soaking in the hot water, you'll be relaxed, and the massage will be more effective," the monkey said hoarsely. "I've been in this line of work for over three years, and I'm very skilled; I can satisfy anyone. Don't worry."
Jiang Ye took off his clothes and sat naked in the hot water of the bathtub. He felt a little embarrassed to undress in front of the monkey.
The monkey, however, maintained a normal expression. It took out bottles and jars from its basket, poured them onto Jiang Ye, and rubbed him with hot water. Fragrance and foam quickly emerged, turning the bathwater pinkish-white, like strawberry milk.
"Your muscles are quite strong," the monkey asked. "Are you an athlete or a model?"
"Neither."
"Then you've been to a colony?" The monkey massaged his back, its rhythm even and the pressure just right. "Been to a colony and can come here, you wouldn't happen to be a General, would you?"
"Indeed." Jiang Ye felt he might have drunk too much, or perhaps he was dreaming, actually chatting with a talking monkey.
"That's great," the monkey clicked its tongue in admiration. "The highest-ranking official I've served over the years was a General. Some had a lot of airs, while others were very amiable. Please relax, lean over the edge of the bathtub."
Jiang Ye obediently complied. The monkey's pounding on his back was sore, but there was also a sense of relief in the soreness.
"Your voice is very hoarse, is it naturally like that?" Jiang Ye asked.
"I'm not afraid to admit it, I have a rather heavy smoking habit, I smoke both cigarettes and cigars, and I also take a puff of pipe tobacco. Over time, my throat got damaged, and I was too lazy to get it treated," the monkey said hoarsely. "Relax, judging by the fatigue in your muscles, you must be very busy usually."
"Being a General is also a tough job. I've served other Generals before; some would fall asleep while I was massaging them," the monkey added.
"It's alright," Jiang Ye squinted and frowned comfortably, taking a deep breath.
The monkey put on its scrubbing gloves and vigorously scrubbed Jiang Ye. It scrubbed until his skin turned red, and foam filled the bathtub. It scrubbed him from top to bottom, then from bottom to top, skillfully cleaning his entire body.
After rinsing, Jiang Ye pressed the button on the wall and dried himself in the hot air.
Emerging from the bathroom, the monkey had already spread out a massage blanket by the bed. "Please lie down on it."
Jiang Ye obediently lay down. The monkey climbed onto his back and began to massage him vigorously. The strength wasn't immense, but there was still pain. Jiang Ye felt like his body was falling apart and being put back together, both painful and satisfying, causing him to grit his teeth.
"Your muscles are indeed overly fatigued. I'll relieve them for you tonight, but you'll need at least three more days of massage to feel completely transformed," the monkey said.
"At most one more day tomorrow; I'm leaving the day after," Jiang Ye said.
"Leaving the day after tomorrow? Let me think... are you going to Yongye Star?"
"Yes. To attend a training class."
"Yongye Star is great, incredibly prosperous, with over ten billion people, and each city has at least thirty million. Yongye Star has a massage chain called 'One Thousand and One Nights Massage Parlor'; they have branches in major cities. I recommend you try it there."
Before Jiang Ye could reply, the monkey continued on its own.
"The female masseuses at 'One Thousand and One Nights Massage Parlor' are truly well-built and shapely; almost all of them could be models! Their skin is delicate, smooth, and tender. You'll only know true comfort when they massage you. If you want a male masseuse, there are plenty of handsome young men, both pretty boys and rugged types; they offer massages of any intensity you desire."
"They don't hire monkeys there because monkeys only provide simple massages, but humans can offer something more," the monkey sighed slightly. "They pay more there, so I've applied several times, but they rejected me. Later, I realized it was impossible for them to hire me."
Jiang Ye listened silently, utterly bewildered. How did monkeys these days know so much?