Chapter 83: I Am the Master of Your House

Tang Long went straight to Aunt Yang and stated his intentions directly.

Aunt Yang thumped her chest, all enthusiasm, and declared, "Standing up for our village is my duty!"

She looked ready to roll up her sleeves and start a brawl on the spot.

Tang Long quickly soothed her with a laugh. "Auntie, we're not going to fight!"

"We're not fighting?" Aunt Yang was momentarily at a loss.

Tang Long explained, "Here's the thing. Find a few eloquent aunties for me—if any young wives can come, even better. We're not going today. Tomorrow morning, let's set up a sign by the roadside and put up a few four-legged parasols to guide the tourists."

If Yutou Village didn't send anyone and just let things be, nearly all the visitors heading their way would be snatched up by Huayutou Resort.

Once she understood, Aunt Yang grinned. "I thought it was something big—this is nothing! Just wait till tomorrow and see what we can do!"

Tang Long smiled encouragingly, but inwardly he wasn't too optimistic. Anyone could see that the Huayutou Resort had come thoroughly prepared. Even the young women they had outside guiding guests were clearly trained professionals.

Whether in figure, voice, or eloquence, Aunt Yang's "cheer squad" might not be able to compete.

But winning or losing wasn't the point. Yutou Village had to show the proper spirit. The others were promoting themselves—they couldn't just stand by.

Tang Long told Li Ergou to take people into town to order custom signs, road markers, and a huge promotional banner overnight. All of it would be needed the next morning.

Individual tourists might be intercepted by Huayutou Resort, but the university tour groups organized by Jiang Xue would not. According to her phone call, she was already expanding her outreach to other schools. In a few days, the daily visitor numbers would rise even more.

Even if Huayutou Resort did everything perfectly—food, scenery, camping—it didn't matter. Visitors didn't come all this way just for camping.

They came for "Miss Xiaoyue," for the "King of Ghosts Cave" scenic spot. And those were precisely what Huayutou Resort did not have.

Even if some tourists were lured away, they'd eventually leave and find their way to Yutou Village.

That's why Tang Long said Huayutou Resort wouldn't have much impact on Yutou Village—if anything, it might even seem as though the Wen family was trying to curry favor with them.

"Tang, boss!"

Wang Lu found Tang Long, her face long with worry.

He looked at her, teasing, "Why so glum? Is it the food, or the lodgings?"

Wang Lu secretly gritted her teeth. She disliked both the food and the lodging, but couldn't say so outright.

"It's not the food or the beds—it's just the mosquitoes!" she said helplessly.

Tang Long replied, "I'll have the village doctor make you a few special sachets to repel insects. Wear them—they really work."

Wang Lu nodded. She hadn't come to complain, but to discuss the village construction project.

When Tang Long realized her purpose, he chuckled. "Secretary Xiue handles all that. I'm just the errand boy—what I say doesn't count. If you have any issues, go straight to her!" With that, he turned away.

As far as Zhang Xiue was concerned, Tang Long had complete faith in her. He didn't want anyone undermining her authority, including himself.

The next morning, Tang Long and Li Ergou's crew were up at the crack of dawn.

"Village chief, why don't we just flip their stalls?" one villager said angrily, glaring at the Huayutou Resort's promotional booth across the road.

Tang Long grinned, "Flipping their stall would just be an act of bravado—and we'd be in the wrong. We can be bold, but we have to be reasonable. We can't let people say the folks of Yutou Village are thugs or bullies, right?"

The young man he addressed was nicknamed Tiger, and amusingly, his family's dogs had been named Tiger for generations—always an old one and a young one at the same time.

The Yutou Village promo booth was set up directly across from the Huayutou Resort's, creating an air of rivalry. But their main purpose was to let visitors know exactly where Yutou Village was, and whether they were actually heading there.

The big banner read: "If you're looking for 'King of Ghosts Cave,' go straight ahead! If you want to meet 'Miss Xiaoyue,' go straight ahead! Welcome to Yutou Village!"

No fancy gimmicks—just three simple lines on a giant white banner with bold red lettering, several meters long and impossible to miss.

They propped up a few parasols and set out some tables.

"Chief, what's this thing?" Tiger fiddled with a walkie-talkie, baffled.

Tang Long laughed and took it from him. "Calling Secretary Xiue, calling Secretary Xiue—this is your Old Dragon, do you read me?"

Li Ergou, busy nearby, chuckled. Anyone in the village who wasn't blind knew about Tang Long and Zhang Xiue's relationship. If they weren't in the woods at night, they were in each other's tents. Out of respect for Secretary Xiue, nobody gossiped openly.

Zhang Xiue, in the middle of breakfast, blushed when she heard Tang Long's voice come through the walkie-talkie.

Aunt Yang chuckled and turned away, and the other village women just took it in stride.

Only Zhao Xiaoyue pouted, clearly displeased.

"Just say what you need to say!" Zhang Xiue snapped into the walkie-talkie. He was obviously doing this on purpose—letting the whole village know they were together, ruining her reputation.

Since Yutou Village's renovations had begun, all the villagers ate together, giving meals the feeling of a communal canteen.

Breakfast, lunch, and dinner were all prepared by Liu Yishou and his team. At first, it was just steamed buns and porridge, but now the menu was far more varied.

With the introduction of buffet-style breakfasts, things became even easier. Villagers and tourists ate the same food—Liu Yishou just had to prepare enough. Tourists needed meal tickets, but villagers just showed their faces.

Breakfast started early—six in the morning and continued until nine. Villagers came early so they could get to work right afterward.

Adults had their own tasks, but even the elderly and children were busy and had meaningful work to do.

Life was definitely tiring, but everyone felt fulfilled and increasingly hopeful—something they’d never had before.

"Nothing important—Tiger didn't know how to use the walkie-talkie, so I'm showing him," Tang Long replied, grinning.

Zhang Xiue was both exasperated and amused. Sometimes he was stubborn enough to poke a hole in the sky; other times, he was all jokes and mischief.

She wanted to scold him, but with so many nosy women listening in, she let it slide to spare him embarrassment—she’d save it for the evening.

"How's it going on your end?" Zhang Xiue changed the subject.

Tang Long looked around. Li Ergou and the others were driving stakes into the ground for the big banner. Everything else was set up.

"Just about done," he replied.

"I'll bring Aunt Yang and the others over in a bit. Want me to bring you some breakfast?" Zhang Xiue offered. Tang Long and his crew had left early and certainly hadn't eaten. What woman wouldn't worry about her man?

"That would be great—saves us going back for food," Tang Long agreed.

He tossed the walkie-talkie to Tiger. "Within ten kilometers, the signal's fine. It's easier than using phones and cheaper too."

These radios were brought in from the provincial capital by Gao Peng—a hundred units in all, at little cost. They were especially handy for contact. Tang Long assigned fifty of them to Lian Sheng for the back mountain's King of Ghosts Cave.

Tiger followed Tang Long's instructions and spoke into the walkie-talkie: "Sister Xiue, I want roasted sweet potatoes, porridge, and cold tofu salad."

Three seconds later, Zhang Xiue's laughter came through: "Got it!"

"Hey, this thing really works!" Tiger tried to hand the radio back, but Tang Long waved him off. "Keep it. I have another in my car. We’ll leave two here, and put one each at the Donghe Town entrance and the three service stations."

Besides the main booth facing Huayutou Resort, Tang Long had set up another at the entrance to Donghe Town, and planned to have two people stationed there.

Along the road, Tang Long also arranged three service stations, where spring water from the mountain was free for all. They also sold bottled water, wine, and other drinks at city prices—mainly to promote the village and guide visitors.

Steamed sweet potatoes, purple yams, yams, and potatoes were all available in unlimited quantities for the breakfast buffet. But roasted sweet potatoes were not—too many people, and they couldn't roast enough. Liu Yishou had made a few big roasting barrels out of oil drums, baking some each morning just for the villagers.

Sweet potatoes roasted in iron stoves were nothing like those in electric ovens. Tang Long thought the traditional way tasted better and more authentic.

...

At Huayutou Resort, the PR department started work at seven. They were all city youths—maybe it felt fresh at first, but after a while, living in tents would surely wear thin. Who knew how they'd cope then?

"Are you from Yutou Village?" A young woman in a black uniform came over from across the road. She wasn't very old but looked sharp and energetic, her skirt just past the knee, pale legs exposed.

Tang Long was still there, having breakfast under the parasol.

"Yes, we're from Yutou Village," Zhang Xiue stepped out, smiling. Since the woman had approached, it wouldn’t do to ignore her.

The woman sized up Zhang Xiue, surprised—she hadn’t expected Yutou Village to send such a young and beautiful representative.

"Hello, I'm Jiang Xiuzhi, from Huayutou Resort’s PR department."

She had a strong presence, but Zhang Xiue’s was stronger still. She shook hands warmly. "I’m Zhang Xiue. Have you had breakfast? Why not join us?"

Perhaps it was just a polite offer, but the woman accepted without hesitation. "Sure!"

Tang Long, sitting at the table under the parasol, nearly laughed out loud. This Jiang Xiuzhi was certainly thick-skinned.