Chapter 97 — IAVD (QT) Chapter 97

Qi Xiangkang’s attitude could not be called bad, but unfortunately, he had come a step too late.

If he had proposed this idea before Ji Xiu went to the provincial capital, Ji Xiu would definitely have agreed.

But now, Ji Xiu silently counted in his heart and realized that with the current scale of vegetables on Jingfeng Mountain, after supplying the online store and the hotel, there was truly no way to supply any additional shop. He could only helplessly refuse.

Qi Xiangkang made it sound simple, one or two hundred jin of each type, but once everything was added together, the total was not small at all.

Moreover, Qi Xiangkang now had two stores. If Ji Xiu prepared goods specifically for him, they would need to be split into two batches and transported to the town, then handed over to a logistics company to be taken to the provincial capital. Thinking it through carefully, it was actually more troublesome than sending parcels through Taobao.

After all, things were now run like an assembly line. Ji Xiu’s employees each had their own designated tasks, and the order packing progressed extremely fast. They were already thoroughly experienced.

Ji Xiu declined Qi Xiangkang’s proposal.

Qi Xiangkang looked very disappointed, unable to understand why he had been rejected.

Ji Xiu said helplessly, “It’s really that I can’t keep up with the supply. How about this, if you’re not in a hurry, come back in half a month. I’ll supply you with a batch of chicken feather greens, chives, and Shanghai greens. These were all planted urgently. At the fastest, they can be harvested in half a month to a month.”

Qi Xiangkang’s eyes brightened slightly. “Alright, then it’s settled.”

No matter what kind of vegetables they were, having a batch was already very good. It was better than having nothing at all.

Besides, vegetables like chicken feather greens and chives might look unremarkable, but they were the most convenient for barbecue. Compared to the previous ones, they were even more suitable for his late night food city.

Ji Xiu chuckled softly. “Come back in half a month, and we’ll discuss it in detail then.”

By that time, the last batch of strawberries would be harvested. The employees who had originally been assigned to care for the strawberries could be freed up to prepare vegetables for Qi Xiangkang, perfectly matching the timing.

……

After seeing Qi Xiangkang off, Ji Xiu continued busying himself with his own work.

However, from then on, he noticed that Hetian Town seemed to have suddenly gained quite a few unfamiliar faces.

Ji Xiu and Ji Jingyu usually ate most of their breakfasts in town. First, it was delicious. Second, it was convenient.

Although Ji Jingyu’s cooking skills were excellent, cooking every day would still make people feel weary. Ji Xiu did not want to overwork his daughter, so the father and daughter often walked to town together, enjoying a fragrant bowl of beef rice noodles and a basket of steaming soup dumplings.

The sudden appearance of strangers in Hetian Town was something they noticed early on.

There was no other reason. These strangers were simply too distinctive.

They arrived in groups, wearing branded outdoor jackets and carrying large hiking backpacks, staying in small guesthouses in Hetian Town. Their excited gazes at the surrounding scenery were filled with anticipation toward the unfamiliar pastoral landscape, completely different from the locals.

Most importantly, they had a kind of inexplicable curiosity toward the breakfast shops.

When Ji Xiu and Ji Jingyu ate breakfast there, unfamiliar faces often appeared, taking photos with their phones to check in.

Some bold and sharp eyed ones even ran over to Ji Xiu’s table, cautiously probing Ji Jingyu.

“Are you the little loli from Jingfeng Mountain?”

Ji Jingyu knew she had a small group of fans online. She ate fruits, vegetables, and river delicacies from home every day, and her body slowly accepted the tempering of the spirit spring water. She had long since shed the thin, sallow look from when Tian Chunfang abused her. Her skin grew increasingly fair, and her looks became more lively and playful than in her previous life. Many people had developed a bit of interest in her because of that fleeting glimpse during Cao Jian’s livestream.

Usually, just reading compliments online was fine. This was the first time someone had actually come up to her in person.

Ji Jingyu was startled for a moment, then nodded. “Jingfeng Mountain is indeed my family’s.”

“You’re even prettier than in the videos!” The other party was surprised and delighted, looking at her and offering sincere praise. Then, not knowing what she thought of, she touched her own face and muttered, “So fair. Is it because you eat strawberries and tomatoes that you get so white?”

She was just talking to herself, but Ji Jingyu answered anyway. “Probably. Those things do have whitening effects.”

The other person’s eyes immediately lit up. “Right, they really work. I recently fell into the Jingfeng Mountain pit. After eating tomatoes for a few days, I felt my skin getting lighter, so I got curious and wanted to come see Jingfeng Mountain, to see how the boss grows such good things.”

She asked softly and hesitantly, “Can I go to your home to take a look?”

Ji Jingyu hesitated and turned to look at her father beside her.

The unfamiliar girl followed her gaze and looked at Ji Xiu, testing the waters as she asked, “Are you the boss?”

Ji Xiu had appeared in Cao Jian’s livestreams before, but he had been wearing a straw hat at the time, covering most of his face, so viewers could not see him clearly.

No one knew that Ji Xiu actually looked like this.

The unfamiliar girl was a little excited, feeling that the looks of this father and daughter pair were enough for them to debut on the spot. She looked left and right, her looks lover heart stirring restlessly.

But Ji Xiu shook his head and politely refused. “Jingfeng Mountain is just a small farm. There’s nothing fun to see, and there are employees working there. It’s not convenient to bring outsiders in.”

The unfamiliar girl’s expression visibly fell.

However, she did not do anything unpleasant. Instead, she nodded in understanding. “That makes sense. You’re a farm, not an agritainment place, and not a tourist base.”

Of course, the main reason she gave up so easily was that even just walking around the town and nearby villages, the scenery was already very good.

Although Hetian Town was small, it was complete in every respect.

Coming to this small town, staying for a few days, tasting the specialty breakfast shops here, experiencing the quiet and leisurely local atmosphere, then strolling through nearby villages to look at pastoral scenery, was already enough to wash away the fatigue of city visitors.

The unfamiliar girl had a very good impression of Hetian Town. Whether she could go up Jingfeng Mountain was no longer important.

She apologized to the father and daughter, then returned to her own table.

Ji Jingyu let out a breath of relief and continued lowering her head to eat her beef noodles. After finishing, she returned home with Ji Xiu, planning to reduce how often they came to town.

Being recognized while eating breakfast was just too awkward.

But some things did not stop changing just because they disappeared.

A few days later, when the father and daughter came to town again, they discovered that in just a short span of days, Hetian Town had undergone quite a noticeable change.

The lively mahjong hall in the town center had become deserted, with no business at all, because the regular patrons now had their own small ventures.

Someone opened the second homestay in town, full of energy every day as they renovated and solicited guests.

Someone set up a flower stall at the town entrance, selling freshly picked wildflowers. A bundle cost two yuan, tied with a pretty red ribbon. Whether placed in a vase or held in the hand, they were all very beautiful.

Someone opened a small shop at their doorstep, selling handmade straw hats and small bamboo baskets, priced differently, with exquisite and unique designs.

Someone opened a herbal tea stall. A cup of herbal tea costing only a few jiao could make travelers walking outside feel comfortable and refreshed inside.

The small town was like an elderly person who had been sleeping, gradually bursting with new vitality after the appearance of tourists.

Ji Jingyu could hardly believe her eyes.

Looking at the sparse yet continuous stream of tourists on the road, she stood there in a daze for a long while, then turned to look at Ji Xiu and asked, “Dad, do you think this kind of change is good or bad?”

She had originally cherished the town’s quiet and leisurely atmosphere, but now that she thought about it, that kind of quiet might not have been voluntary.

Most of the town’s residents were middle aged or elderly. Because there were few jobs and positions in town, young people had all gone out to work. Those who stayed behind, aside from resting, played mahjong. Every day they called out loudly, meeting at the mahjong hall from morning to night, idle and unproductive. This state of affairs created the town’s quiet atmosphere.

But perhaps not everyone was truly willing to remain like this.

Young people were forced to leave home to seek opportunities elsewhere, leaving behind the elderly and children to guard the house. The elderly could not do heavy labor and had nothing they could do, so they could only play mahjong every day.

But if given the chance, even the elderly would want to have a career of their own.

As for the young people working outside, they actually wanted very much to return to the town, to enjoy a life surrounded by family in the place where they were born and raised.

Otherwise, why would these newly appeared small businesses include not only elderly figures, but also young ones?

Ji Jingyu’s question was abrupt, but fortunately, Ji Xiu understood what she wanted to express.

He looked around at the town’s streets and said calmly, “It should be good. Excessive development is not advisable, but moderate development can allow everyone to live a better life.”

It was just that they were a little too eager. Seeing tourists come in, they hurried to find ways to make a living, without considering what would happen if the tourists’ enthusiasm was fleeting, if things were only lively for a short time before they waved goodbye and left.

All that could be said was that it was fortunate that everyone’s businesses were still small scale. Even those opening homestays were only doing so in their own courtyards, without having time to specially renovate or rebuild.

“Let’s help them,” Ji Jingyu said. As a future strong businesswoman who would oversee more than ten chain restaurants, she naturally saw the crisis hidden beneath this brief prosperity and asked Ji Xiu.

Putting herself in others’ shoes, seeing these townspeople made Ji Jingyu think of herself. If she later went away to study, leaving home to go elsewhere, would she want to come back?

The answer was yes. She could not bear to leave her dad alone.

Therefore, she had to improve the town in advance. That way, after finishing her studies, she could return to this town and stay by her dad’s side.

Ji Xiu glanced at her and nodded slightly. “If we want to keep this level of popularity, it’s not actually difficult.”

In fact, as long as they were willing to slightly renovate Jingfeng Mountain and open it to the public, this popularity would not decline.

But in that case, Jingfeng Mountain would inevitably become a place frequently visited by outsiders, and the secrets on Ji Jingyu’s body would be easily exposed.

That would not work. They had to think of another way.

True help was not dragging everyone forward, but maintaining a certain level of popularity, letting everyone slowly walk their own path and stand up on their own.

Right now, in Hetian Town, only the natural scenery and Jingfeng Mountain’s produce could be considered features. But as long as the townspeople were willing, they could completely develop their own distinctive scenery.

Just like Gulangyu. Aside from its natural scenery, what attracted people even more was its lazy and comfortable island atmosphere.

Ji Xiu stroked his chin. This would require long term planning.

The current problem was how to keep this popularity from disappearing after one or two months, crushing the townspeople’s enthusiasm.

……

A few days later, Ji Jingyu contacted Cao Jian on WeChat, asking him for advice on how to become a Bilibili up.

Cao Jian was greatly shocked and quickly sent a message.

What’s wrong with you? You’re a little princess with a mountain at home. Why are you descending to the mortal world?

Ji Jingyu was helpless and explained to him, “I want to make Hetian Town livelier, so that the townspeople and villagers have ways to make a living.”

“What do you mean?”

Ji Jingyu could only explain everything to him in detail.

Cao Jian fell silent for a long while. “Little princess, are you trying to use your own strength to create an internet famous ancient town?”

The atmosphere in Hetian Town was very comfortable. Although the buildings were not old enough, that was not important. As long as there was money, they could be newly built at any time.

The problem was that there were already too many ancient towns domestically, and they were no longer anything novel.

Some distinctive ancient towns, such as Lijiang, Wuzhen, and Tongli, were still doing fine because they had water features that made them unique, so their visitor flow was constant.

But some rough, overly developed ancient towns, like Huangyao, quickly drowned among the ever increasing number of ancient towns once their scenery was consumed and they lacked unique charm.

Cao Jian was worried that her actions would also fail, dealing a blow to her confidence and causing heavy losses for her family.

Ji Jingyu laughed. “You’re thinking too much. I don’t have that kind of power to create any ancient town. I just want to make the town a little livelier.”

And that little bit, no more and no less, could be achieved as long as she became an internet celebrity.

Ji Jingyu liked watching online videos in her free time. She knew there was a particularly famous girl online who lived deep in the mountains and created her own value with her hands. She had tens of millions of fans, and even the place she lived became something outsiders wanted to peek at, forcing her to move several times.

For that girl, family was extremely precious. As a single woman, she did not want to expose her privacy too much, so she kept moving. Ji Jingyu completely understood and supported her.

But for Ji Jingyu, she had Ji Xiu, a reliable father, by her side, as well as Ji Qin’s family of lovable relatives. Even if her address was exposed, it was not a big deal.

Among the people staying behind in Liu Village, a good portion were their family’s employees.

They could just take advantage of this popularity to attract outside tourists, keep the town’s heat going, until the townspeople gradually formed their own style and the town gained long term and stable fans.

Whenever people within the province wanted a short getaway, Hetian Town could become their first choice.

That was Ji Jingyu’s entire plan.

After hearing her explanation, Cao Jian was somewhat worried that she would be excessively harassed.

Ji Jingyu burst out laughing. “Did you forget? I still have Dabai.”

Having experienced Dabai’s “warm kisses,” Cao Jian instantly came to his senses. Right, with the boss’s family conditions, what was there to fear from outsiders’ gazes?

If worst came to worst, Dabai could bring his little brothers to guard the boss’s family.

“Alright, I can help you. Wait for me two days. I’ll pack my things and come over to personally guide you.”

Cao Jian’s popularity had been steadily rising over the past few months. He was no longer the fledgling up he once was. After his followers surpassed five hundred thousand, he quit his job and became a full time up. Although he did not earn much, he had free time and was very happy.

Thus, he now had plenty of time to guide Ji Jingyu.

Ji Jingyu agreed. “Okay, I’ll wait for you.”

Cao Jian appeared punctually two days later, bringing a pile of equipment. He genuinely wanted to teach Ji Jingyu how to enter this line of work.

Ji Jingyu was very grateful. To repay him, she personally cooked every day at home.

This was only the second time Cao Jian had tasted her cooking. The first time, he had been too busy eating to think much. This time, although delighted, he was not quite as foolish.

After two bites of food, he looked at the dishes on the table and suddenly thought of something. His eyes lit up. “Right, didn’t you say you haven’t found your positioning yet and don’t know what type of up to become? I think the food category suits you perfectly. With this level of cooking, it would be such a waste not to do food.”

Ji Jingyu looked at the spatula in her hand and was momentarily stunned.

Could it be a blind spot? She cooked every day, and her dad praised her endlessly, to the point that she had become immune and lost her sensitivity in this area.

She had actually forgotten that she could become a food category up.

“How about it? Shall we try filming your first video tomorrow?” Cao Jian tempted her, chopsticks in hand, sneaking a bite of food.

Ji Xiu was eating beside them, a mouthful of rice and a mouthful of dishes. Hearing this, he calmly swept Cao Jian a glance. Clearly seeing through his intentions, he did not expose him.

Because this was also beneficial to him.

If his daughter became a food category up, would she not have to constantly develop new dishes?

He knew full well that his daughter was reborn. In her previous life, she was a chef who owned more than ten chain restaurants. Yet he had hardly tasted her true skills, because Ji Jingyu did not want to expose too much related to her previous life. She feared Ji Xiu would bring up old matters again and talk about rebirth, so she had always concealed her abilities.

She still cooked very well, but she did not make those expensive and famous state banquet dishes.

Back and forth like this, Ji Xiu had been quite disappointed.

Now that there was an opportunity, he definitely could not miss it.

As for Ji Jingyu, after thinking for a moment upon hearing Cao Jian’s words, she agreed without hesitation.

At this point, she had already forgotten about hiding her skills.

Seeing that things were feasible, Ji Xiu’s eyes revealed a trace of satisfaction. He continued eating, not interrupting the conversation between the two young people.

The next day, Ji Xiu got up and saw Ji Jingyu carrying a bucket of water back from outside.

Listening closely to the sound, he suddenly realized.

It had been a long time since he had tasted river delicacies.