Chapter Sixty-Four: The Rise to Fame of Yutou Village

In the morning, Zhang Xiue opened her eyes and couldn't help but let out a startled cry, which gave Tang Long quite a fright. He hurriedly sat up and looked at her, thinking to himself, "I didn't do anything last night, did I?"

Zhang Xiue glared at him, picked up her phone, and waved it in front of him. "Little Moon's social media followers... have surpassed one million!"

Tang Long couldn't help but laugh, tilting his head back and lying down again.

Seeing his reaction, Zhang Xiue couldn't resist kicking him with her foot in annoyance. "What kind of attitude is that? Little Moon gained a million followers overnight—aren't you the least bit surprised?"

It was no exaggeration to say that "Miss Little Moon" was now on par with the most popular internet celebrities of the day. Although her overall fame might not yet rival the biggest stars, her meteoric rise was far beyond everyone’s expectations. Who knew, perhaps some influencer agency was already en route to Yutou Village to try to sign her.

"Of course I’m surprised!" Tang Long laughed and nodded. Truth be told, he’d met international pop stars before—celebrities and influencers really didn't impress him much. Still, he hadn't expected his own Little Moon to become an internet sensation overnight.

And Little Moon's million followers were all real, active fans—none of those inflated numbers where, out of a claimed million, maybe twenty thousand were actually active.

"Hmph!"

Zhang Xiue rolled her eyes at him, sulking and ignoring him as she scrolled through their other social media accounts.

Besides "Miss Little Moon," the official account for Yutou Village and "Ghost King Cave" had both seen notable increases in followers. The village’s official account now had about fifty thousand followers, while the cave’s had tripled that, reaching one hundred eighty thousand.

And this had all happened in less than twenty-four hours!

Riding on the wave of "Miss Little Moon's" popularity, Yutou Village and Ghost King Cave had become widely known to netizens across the country. Though people might not come to visit immediately, in the future, many could become potential visitors.

Tang Long noticed Zhang Xiue getting ready to leave and asked in surprise, "It's still early—what are you rushing off to do?"

They were camping in tents, so they could afford to be a bit lazy. Even if people noticed Zhang Xiue and Tang Long sharing a tent, no one would gossip.

As if anyone didn't already know!

"I'm going to take some photos!" Zhang Xiue replied excitedly. The area around Yutou Village was stunning in the morning, and with few people around, it was the perfect time to take some candid shots for social media. An empty account meant no one knew what Yutou Village or Ghost King Cave looked like.

There were already some photos online, taken by university students, but until now, no one had really thought to systematically photograph the village and the cave and post them online.

Tang Long didn't know how good Zhang Xiue was at photography, but seeing her so happy, he didn’t want to stop her.

They had all assumed that the next tourist group wouldn't come to Yutou Village for quite a while.

So it was a surprise when, at eight that morning, Jiang Xue called to say that sixty-seven people would be arriving that morning, and they’d need to host them. Thirty-nine of them had already bought tickets to Ghost King Cave, while the rest would decide once they arrived.

This group would be staying two days and one night—they’d arrive today and leave tomorrow afternoon.

"That soon?" Tang Long was amazed at how quickly Jiang Xue and her team had moved—it had only been a single night!

Jiang Xue laughed. "Tomorrow there are already more than forty confirmed, and for Friday, three hundred people have registered. I was worried you wouldn't be able to handle more, so I temporarily put a stop to further sign-ups for that day."

If too many people came at once, it would be a real test for Yutou Village's capacity, but it wasn't unmanageable.

"As long as people queue for Ghost King Cave, the rest should be fine," Tang Long said after thinking for a moment.

"Then should I raise Friday’s group to five hundred?" Jiang Xue asked tentatively.

The Friday group was a three-day, two-night trip; not counting the cave’s tickets, it cost 388 yuan per person. After Jiang Xue's commission, the village would receive 318 per person. With five hundred guests, the village would make about 160,000 yuan in a single weekend!

"All right!" Tang Long quickly calculated and agreed. Five hundred people was manageable.

"By the way, 'Miss Little Moon' is someone everyone insists on seeing during their visit," Jiang Xue reminded him before hanging up.

Tang Long smiled wryly—Zhang Xiue had been right. "Miss Little Moon" had indeed become a landmark of Yutou Village and Ghost King Cave, as iconic as any scenic spot.

"Leopard, go find your Sister Xiue and the others and tell them there's something urgent," Tang Long called out to Little Leopard.

Zhang Xiue, along with Mountain Pixiu and Zhao Xiaoyue, had gone to the back hills to take photos and hadn’t returned yet.

"Sixty-seven people?" Zhang Xiue was astonished as well. She hadn’t expected Jiang Xue's group to return with tourists the very next day.

"Mm!" Tang Long nodded with a smile. "All thanks to Little Moon!"

Zhang Xiue understood, nodding excitedly. "Exactly! So when will they arrive?"

"They’ll leave the city at nine thirty, and should reach Donghe Town by around two in the afternoon," Tang Long replied. "This time, Jiang Xue has hired a bus to bring them straight to Yutou Village."

Zhang Xiue frowned—the road from the village to Donghe Town was so bumpy, a bus would rattle everyone to pieces. Walking would actually be more comfortable.

"Well, at least it saves us some trouble," Zhang Xiue conceded.

Tang Long said, "Still, we should set up supply stations. This time, six will do—no need for too many. We can have Li Ergou call a few people to make sure nothing goes wrong. We should still go greet the group at Donghe Town. Until the road is fixed, the hiking aspect should remain part of our experience. We won’t interfere with who chooses to take the bus or walk."

Zhang Xiue thought it over and agreed. "All right, let's do it your way."

"For breakfast, let's upgrade to a buffet and offer more variety. As for lunch and dinner, let's have Liu Yishou make improvements, but keep the overall approach the same. What do you think?" Zhang Xiue asked. These were all ideas gathered from feedback after Jiang Xue’s group left.

"No problem. Liu Yishou and Aunt Yang can handle the arrangements," Tang Long nodded. "This afternoon, you can take Zhao Xiaoyue to Donghe Town to meet the arrivals."

"What about you?" Zhang Xiue asked.

Tang Long shrugged. "I'll take some people to the county to buy supplies and pick up extra equipment. One vehicle isn’t enough anymore."

"Are you planning to buy a car?" Zhang Xiue was surprised.

"A delivery van. We’ll need it for grocery shopping and other errands," Tang Long explained. The village currently had only one small Isuzu truck, which would soon be insufficient as the number of visitors grew.

Zhang Xiue frowned, reluctant—Yutou Village’s finances were already tight.

Tang Long said with a smile, "Jiang Xue mentioned a group of five hundred from the university coming on Friday!"

Five hundred!

Zhang Xiue’s frown vanished instantly. "Then in addition to the van, get a small passenger car, like a Wuling or Baojun. We’ll need it!"

"How about a pickup truck as well?" Tang Long joked.

Zhang Xiue rolled her eyes. "If you had enough money, buy ten for all I care."

She knew exactly how much money they had.

Just as Tang Long was about to speak, his phone rang. Zhang Xiue watched him without leaving, curiosity written all over her face—she wanted to know who was calling.

Seeing the string of 77777 on the screen, Tang Long didn't answer immediately but glanced up at Zhang Xiue with an awkward chuckle.

"What are you grinning at? Answer the call!" Zhang Xiue said sternly.

Tang Long hesitated before picking up. The voice of Yao Handong came through: "Yutou Village is famous now!"

Yao Handong knew Zhao Xiaoyue, and with "Miss Little Moon" becoming a nationwide sensation overnight, it was no surprise the news had reached her.

"I’ll use my connections to keep 'Miss Little Moon' trending," Yao Handong continued. "But whether you can monetize this will depend on your own abilities. You’re short on funds, right? Give me a bank account—I'll send you five million as advance payment for our partnership. The money will come from 'Gao Xiaoqiao’s' account."

Tang Long responded, "Perfect timing—we were just short on funds. Thank you!"

"Say hello to Secretary Xiue for me. I’ll be heading to Taoyuan County at the end of the month," Yao Handong concluded, ending the call.

Yao Handong’s voice had been loud enough for Zhang Xiue, standing nearby, to hear every word.

"Who are you partnering with?" Zhang Xiue asked softly.

Tang Long explained, "The money is from a friend of mine. They'll be setting up an investment company in the provincial capital, starting with ten million to invest in tourism here."

Zhang Xiue nodded and didn’t ask further—especially since the money was from Tang Long’s friend, she knew it wasn’t her place. She trusted Tang Long to manage the village's affairs wisely and never let the villagers suffer.

"That woman is coming at the end of the month?" Zhang Xiue asked, trying to sound casual.

Tang Long laughed. "You’re the village secretary—are you afraid of meeting people?"

Zhang Xiue blushed and glared at him. "Don’t talk nonsense. Remember, in front of outsiders, we have no relationship!"

"Really?" Tang Long grinned slyly, unable to resist teasing her.

Zhang Xiue bit her lip, walked over, and pinched his waist hard. "That’s for grinning so cheekily!"

Tang Long was both amused and helpless—how was his smile cheeky?

Yao Handong’s five million was a much-needed lifeline for Yutou Village, solving their immediate financial crisis. And with her promise to keep "Miss Little Moon" trending, it was no empty boast. For others, it might take endless begging to pull such strings, but for Yao Handong, it could be as simple as a word to the right uncle, aunt, or family friend in an influential department.

Now, the key was how to best capitalize on Little Moon’s popularity to promote Yutou Village.

"Bring in workers from other villages to speed up construction and advance the village renovation within a month! With more tourists coming, at least half of the village’s workforce should shift from construction to helping the tourism company. If there are suitable young women or wives from outside the village who want to work here, we’ll hire them first—men can apply later. If any villagers have relatives or friends outside, they get priority for referral! Call everyone from outside the village and ask if they want to return—there will be more opportunities and better pay if they stay!"

Tang Long and Zhang Xiue then called a brief meeting to address the villagers of Yutou Village.