Chapter 25: Making Friends with Sincerity

“How deep is the ‘Ghost King Cave’?”
Tang Long shook his head and laughed, “We haven’t figured out exactly how deep it is yet. There are quite a few forks in the path, and it might lead to an underground river.”
They stayed in the Ghost King Cave for about seventy minutes, nearly twice as long as originally planned!
It was only when Tang Long saw that Jiang Xue and her classmates were tired from playing that he suggested they leave.
Lingering a bit longer wasn’t really an issue, as long as they obeyed the rules and didn’t damage the cave. The people of Fish Head Village were reasonable folk.
“Can I pick up a few small stones from inside?” Jiang Xue suddenly asked. There were plenty of broken stones scattered across the cave floor.
Tang Long was taken aback. He leaned close and whispered, “Pick them up quietly, don’t make a show of it. Don’t mention it after you’re out, otherwise it’ll be hard for us to keep things in order here.”
Jiang Xue glanced at Tang Long, grinning as she nodded, “Alright, I know what to do.”
An hour later,
The villagers of Fish Head Village finally led the six young tourists out of the Ghost King Cave. Zhang Xiu’e, seeing Tang Long, breathed a sigh of relief.
She walked over and, in a tone of slight complaint, whispered, “Weren’t you supposed to be in there for just half an hour? Why did it take so long?”
Tang Long chuckled, giving her a meaningful look, “I’ll explain it to you later!”
He looked up and called Lian Sheng over, “Find someone to be a guide, take Miss Jiang and her classmates over to have a look at the Lian Valley Hollow.”
It had already been agreed with Tang Long beforehand—Jiang Xue had brought her classmates to visit, and they couldn’t just tour the Ghost King Cave and leave.
Tang Long didn’t really care whether these young people would spend money in Fish Head Village. He even invited them to stay for lunch and enjoy the communal meal, as long as they didn’t mind.
The village was under construction, and meals for the villagers were prepared collectively; with hundreds of villagers, a few guests made no difference.
Tang Long’s idea was simple: make friends with everyone.
Fish Head Village only welcomed guests with courtesy and integrity, never resorting to deceit or heavy-handedness. Only then would more people choose to come here in the future.
“Alright, Leopard, you go.”
Lian Sheng responded and called over a young man named Leopard from the village to guide Jiang Xue and her classmates.
Leopard was sixteen or seventeen, a couple of years younger than Jiang Xue and her friends, but quick-witted and a good swimmer.
“See you later, Village Chief Tang Long!”
Jiang Xue smiled and greeted Tang Long and the villagers who had taken them into the cave. She slung her backpack over her shoulders and, following Leopard, left the Ghost King Cave.

That morning, aside from these young visitors from out of town who were willing to pay a few hundred yuan to tour the Ghost King Cave, most people came just to watch the excitement; not a single one paid.
Tang Long wasn’t anxious. The Ghost King Cave was still in its natural state; neither the attractions inside nor the paths were ready for lots of visitors. There wasn’t even a rough guidebook yet.
He exchanged a greeting with Lian Sheng, called Zhang Xiu’e, and headed down the mountain.
On the way, Zhang Xiu’e wore a stern look and said casually, “That girl just now was quite pretty, wasn’t she?”
Tang Long smiled inwardly but kept his expression calm, “She is pretty, studying in the city. I heard she doesn’t have a boyfriend yet.”
Zhang Xiu’e shot him a glare, speaking with annoyance, “You took her to visit the cave and also asked whether she has a boyfriend?”
Tang Long shrugged and laughed, “Well, she is pretty, isn’t she?”
Zhang Xiu’e retorted angrily, “So just because she’s pretty, you let them play in the cave for over an hour?”
“No!”
Tang Long firmly denied it, his tone tinged with sourness; he knew all too well what Zhang Xiu’e was thinking.
“As the first batch of visitors to the Ghost King Cave, surely we shouldn’t be stingy, right? The cave is right there. Whether they spend a little more or less time inside doesn’t cost us much.
Since there aren’t many visitors yet, there’s no issue of time costs. They came, and were willing to pay, so shouldn’t we do our best to make them happy?
People like Jiang Xue and her classmates represent the paying customers, unlike those who just come to look around. If we make them happy, they’ll spend money and want to spend money, and isn’t that exactly the group we want to keep?
If we delight them, next time they want to go somewhere, the first place they’ll think of will be the Ghost King Cave, and Fish Head Village. If you can win their trust and make friends sincerely,
the next time they go traveling, won’t they come looking for you? Won’t they introduce you to their friends?” Tang Long said with a smile.
Zhang Xiu’e’s gaze softened; she rolled her eyes and muttered, “Hmph, you always have so many arguments.”
“Are you jealous?”
Tang Long moved closer, nudged her with his shoulder and asked with a smile, quietly.
Zhang Xiu’e’s cheeks blossomed with color, her eyes mischievous as she murmured, “Who would be jealous of you? Don’t flatter yourself.”
With frequent contact between the two, it was inevitable that feelings would arise.
“Let me carry you!” Tang Long stopped and grinned.
Their first meeting had been awkward, but now, recalling it, it felt warm.
Zhang Xiu’e hesitated, but then walked behind Tang Long and jumped onto his back.

Giggling.
She was happy.
“Oof, you’re heavy—I can barely carry you!” Tang Long cried out deliberately.
Zhang Xiu’e blushed and tapped his head, “Shut up!”
She was shapely, with soft flesh where it mattered, but her waist was slender—a good figure, not thin, but certainly not fat.
No girl wants to be called fat.
Tang Long laughed as he strode toward Fish Head Village.
“Aiya!”
Zhang Xiu’e hugged his neck tightly, “Slow down! Why are you running so fast? Don’t wear yourself out!”
Tang Long grinned, “I’m not tired. With your weight, I could run ten kilometers without breaking a sweat.”
After a little while, Tang Long slowed his pace. Zhang Xiu’e lay on his back, arms clasped tightly around his neck, refusing to let go.
“What are you thinking?” Tang Long asked with a smile.
Zhang Xiu’e answered softly, “Do you think Fish Head Village will have lots of tourists in the future?”
“Yes!” Tang Long nodded confidently, “As long as we do things well, improve our service and our brand, the prospects are sure to be bright.”
“If, just if, one day I leave Fish Head Village, would you miss me?” Zhang Xiu’e bit her lip and asked.
Tang Long frowned, and slapped her lightly on the bottom, answering seriously, “I hope that ‘if’ never happens. Fish Head Village will get better and better. You have shares in the village’s company—why would you leave?”
Zhang Xiu’e blushed, lowered her head and bit his shoulder gently, muttering, “Idiot, I’m asking whether you’d miss me.”
“Heh… No!” Tang Long drew out the word, grinning mischievously.
“I’ll kill you!”