Chapter Fifty-Five: The Main Charm is Innocence

"More than two hundred people!" Zhao Xiaoyue trotted over to Tang Long, gazing at him with wide eyes as she asked, "Brother Tang Long, did we prepare enough food?"

As the saying goes, a half-grown child can eat their father into poverty. And this was a whole crowd of young, strong men and women—surely, they'd have enormous appetites. At least, that's what she thought. Especially after their long journey that afternoon; now was probably when they were hungriest!

"Don't worry, no one's going to go hungry!" Tang Long chuckled and ruffled her hair affectionately.

Her cheeks flushed again. She absolutely hated being treated like a child by others, but Brother Tang Long was the exception. She'd tried to resist a few times, but always talked herself out of it in the end.

"Lao Liu, how's the preparation going?" Zhang Xiu'e stepped into the 'kitchen'—a large camp tent set up since yesterday, with ten villagers assigned to help. Lao Liu was especially experienced with organizing banquets; no one in the village could match him.

Lao Liu gave a hearty grin. "Party Secretary Xiu'e, just relax and watch. When it counts, I won't drop the ball!"

"Good!" Zhang Xiu'e nodded in satisfaction. "Get ready, let's start serving!"

"All right!"

Zhang Xiu'e left the 'kitchen' and, spotting Tang Long and Zhao Xiaoyue, walked over and nodded. "Lao Liu says everything's about ready. We can start dinner!"

"Then let's call everyone out," Tang Long said with a smile.

"I'll do it, I'll do it!" Zhao Xiaoyue volunteered eagerly, then hopped and skipped toward the students' camp.

"Come on out, everyone! Time to eat!"

Holding an electronic megaphone, Zhao Xiaoyue's sweet voice rang out as she ran from one end of the tent area to the other, tireless and cheerful. She was genuinely happy—never before had so many young university guests come to their village.

Looking at all the students, she felt a pang of regret for not studying harder herself and missing her chance to attend university.

"Dinner time?" Zhang Xinxin, the dorm leader, sat up in her tent, rubbing her sore legs and pulling a grim face as she looked at Jiang Xue. "Was I an idiot or what, insisting on coming with you to the middle of nowhere?"

Jiang Xue laughed. "Count yourself lucky! There were so many people waiting in line for a spot. If you hadn't come, your place would have been snatched in a heartbeat."

Zhang Xinxin was a bit plump and not very fit, so the hike from Donghe Town to Yutou Village had been tough for her. But not wanting to lose face, she gritted her teeth and finished the trek—a personal challenge, she supposed.

"What do you think they'll serve us? Will there be any meat?"

At the mention of food, her stomach gave an audible rumble. As with most who love to eat, she was always eager for a good meal.

For every nine foodies, nine are chubby, and the tenth is well on their way!

Eighty-eight yuan each for a three-day trip—Zhang Xinxin honestly didn't have high hopes for the meals. She'd packed plenty of snacks; if not for Jiang Xue stopping her, she would have resorted to munching on a Snickers bar by now.

Jiang Xue smiled. "No idea what's on the menu, but I doubt we'll be disappointed!"

"Not disappointed?" Zhang Xinxin's eyes brimmed with disbelief.

One after another, everyone crawled out of their tents. Zhao Xiaoyue was thorough, bending down to check each tent and dragging out anyone who lingered inside, whether they liked it or not.

"Oh, come on, how can you be so lazy? Quick, get out here for dinner—there's a feast tonight!"

A feast?

But since Zhao Xiaoyue was so likable, no one could complain. They endured their aches and pains and emerged from their tents.

"Is everyone out? Hurry up, it's time to eat!" she continued to call with her megaphone. "Everyone, settle where you like—five to a table, and there's plenty of steamed buns for all. No fighting over food!"

She giggled.

"Xiaoyue, we're not stray dogs, you know. Must you make us sound so pitiful?" someone protested.

She blinked playfully. "Just wait until you have a girlfriend—you'll be a lovesick puppy, guaranteed!"

"Lovesick puppy?"

"Exactly!"

Laughter erupted all around.

They were young, after all—a few jokes and lively chatter and the exhaustion faded away, especially surrounded by handsome guys and pretty girls. The air was thick with youthful energy and hormones, and no one minded the ribbing.

"First dish: braised fish!"

Since Zhao Xiaoyue loved talking and banter, Zhang Xiu'e left the task of announcing the dishes to her.

The village's resident 'adorable little darling' held up a sheet of paper, cleared her throat and recited crisply: "The main ingredient is a special wild fish from our Lian Gou hollow, cooked by our master chef Liu Yishou, heir to a line of imperial chefs. The flesh is firm, the flavor is exquisite... Too many words! In short, it's delicious!"

A collective gulp echoed through the megaphone.

Everyone burst out laughing.

"Second dish: stir-fried wild mushrooms! This one's vegetarian, made from wild mushrooms picked from our mountain, also prepared by Master Chef Liu Yishou... You there, with the hat—what are you laughing at? If you keep laughing, I'll make you come up here and you won't get to eat!"

At a nearby table, a boy in a hat kept grinning, making Zhao Xiaoyue stamp her foot in mock anger. But her cuteness only made people like her more.

"No laughing, any of you!" she pouted, her lips pursed in mock grievance. "I'm really hungry, you know!"

As night descended, Yutou Village's little comedic angel filled the air with laughter for the visiting university students from the city.

Whether the dishes would be tasty remained to be seen, but the people were certainly entertaining—everyone was in high spirits.

Dinner consisted of five dishes and a soup. Five per table, one dish each—local wild fish from Lian Gou, mountain mushrooms, both meat and vegetable dishes, all served on large platters, hearty and generous if not fancy.

The soup was fish soup, rich and fragrant—an absolute standout.

The staple was steamed buns.

No drinks were prepared; if thirsty, there was fish soup to drink.

"This is delicious!" Zhang Xinxin declared as soon as she started eating.

As for flavor, there was nothing to complain about—it was simply good. The presentation wasn't up to city restaurant standards, but these were homestyle dishes, focused on taste, and memorable for it.

"Jiang Xue, this dinner alone can't have been cheap, right?" Zhang Xinxin asked in a low voice.

They were here for a three-day trip, each paying only eighty-eight yuan. Honestly, just this dinner—with fish and meat—must have cost at least fifty yuan per head!

Not to mention the tents and brand-new bedding. All things considered, they weren't here to do charity—they were practically robbing the rich!

Tang Long, Zhang Xiu'e, and Zhao Xiaoyue sat among the group, as did all the villagers involved in serving.

The rest of the village ate too, though their meal was less lavish.

Today marked a big day—the grand opening of Yutou Village's tourism endeavor, a day worth celebrating.

After all, happiness shared is happiness doubled!

After dinner, the students returned to the camp area. Those who wanted to take a stroll could do so—Tang Long had arranged for villagers to stand guard, especially around the hollow.

Those who didn't want to mingle could crawl into their sleeping bags and turn in.

Zhao Xiaoyue was whisked away by Jiang Xue and her friends to the riverbank, where they lit a bonfire and sang and danced. Tang Long and Zhang Xiu'e stayed behind to help the villagers clean up.

"It seems to be going pretty well," Zhang Xiu'e said softly to Tang Long, smiling.

"Especially Xiaoyue," Tang Long replied with a chuckle. "She really shone tonight—so lively and talented. She could be a key asset in the future!"

If anyone stood out most in Yutou Village today, it wasn't Zhang Xiu'e nor Tang Long, but 'Miss Xiaoyue.'

These university students might not remember Village Chief Tang Long or 'ambassador' Secretary Xiu'e, but almost all of them would remember 'Miss Xiaoyue.'

Her popularity was second only to campus beauty Jiang Xue!

"Xiaoyue really did a great job," Zhang Xiu'e agreed. The two of them sat on a rock in the darkness, watching the bonfire and the laughing crowd in the distance.

Zhang Xiu'e leaned her head on Tang Long's shoulder. "It's good to be young—just look at all that energy."

Tang Long laughed and put his arm around her. "You say that as if you're ancient. How many years older are you than them, really?"

"I'm talking about attitude!" she said, rolling her eyes at him flirtatiously.

"Fine, attitude. If your mindset is old, turning you into an old lady, then maybe I'll just call you 'wife' from now on. How's that?"

"Get out of here!" She pinched him, blushing.

Around ten o'clock, the bonfire died down and most of the students retired to their tents, leaving only a few couples cuddling outside under the stars, whispering softly to each other.

"You've had a long day, go get some rest," Tang Long told Zhang Xiu'e, ushering her into a tent. The women were also sleeping at the camp that night.

"Be careful," Zhang Xiu'e said, hesitating. She knew Tang Long would be keeping watch. Without him there, she wouldn't feel at ease.

Around eleven, Zhao Xiaoyue bounced back, lively as ever. Spotting Tang Long, she dashed over, hugged his arm, and, eyes curved like crescent moons, cooed, "Brother Tang Long, let me stay up and keep watch with you tonight!"

"Aren't you tired?" Tang Long didn't push her away; he was used to her clinging to him and simply regarded her as a little sister.

"Not at all!" she replied, shaking her head with delight.

She chattered on about the day's events—who was handsome, who teased her, which girls were pretty, who was dating whom. But after about ten minutes, she started to wilt.

Tang Long laughed and tucked her into a tent, telling her to sleep.

After midnight, Shanhou came over and said in a calm voice, "I'll check the girls' camp; you take the boys'."

"Alright."

Tang Long didn't refuse; they needed to make the rounds and ensure nothing went wrong.

The mountains were silent, especially at night.