Chapter 76: No Business Without Profit

Zhao Xiaoyue had never imagined that she would ever experience the treatment of being a "superstar" in her lifetime. Today, so many people vied to take photos with her; some were pleasant enough, but others were downright annoying.

Among today's visitors was a young couple, seemingly livestreamers themselves. They hovered around her constantly, getting handsy on top of that. Zhao Xiaoyue disliked them, so she ignored their approach.

After lunch, when the university student tour group from yesterday had left, the two young people came looking for her again.

"What do you want?" Zhao Xiaoyue glared, shoving the young woman aside.

"Hey, you dare hit my girlfriend?"

"Don't be impulsive, Liu. Calm down. Brothers in the livestream, did you see that? This is the so-called 'Miss Xiaoyue,' just a crude village girl. She thinks she's a celebrity now and looks down on others," the young woman grabbed her boyfriend, shouting into her phone.

Tang Long, hearing the commotion, walked over. He saw Zhao Xiaoyue glaring, her face fierce like a little tiger, and gently rubbed her head, smiling, "What's going on?"

Zhao Xiaoyue pouted unhappily, "That woman pinched my backside really hard just now."

Tang Long's smile vanished, his brows furrowing. Those who knew his temperament understood how fiercely protective he was.

Whack!

He strode over and slapped the phone out of the woman's hand. Whether it was broken or not, he didn't care.

The young woman froze in shock, then shrieked, "What are you doing? Planning to hit someone?"

"I seldom hit women," Tang Long replied calmly, glancing at the man beside her. Both were young—the woman barely twenty, the man a bit older, twenty-four or twenty-five, their accents betraying city origins.

He turned back to the woman, "Did you just pinch my sister's backside?"

"Is her backside fragrant? I couldn't care less..."

Whack!

Tang Long slapped her hard across the face, leaving her stunned. He said coldly, "I rarely hit women, but that doesn't mean I won't. Get out. Fishhead Village doesn't welcome you. If you dare come again, I'll break your legs!"

Zhang Xiu'e, noticing the disturbance, came over with others. Hearing Tang Long's words, she frowned, feeling he was too rough; after all, they were tourists.

"Hmph, hurry up and leave, or I'll ask Brother Tang Long to beat you!" Zhao Xiaoyue puffed her cheeks, shaking her tiny fist at the young woman. She was delighted—just like when she was little, as long as Tang Long was around, no one dared bully her.

"You... you people are just uncivilized! You'll regret this!" The woman, still angry, was dragged away by her boyfriend.

The man hadn't dared say a word throughout. Surrounded by watchful villagers, if he made trouble, they'd surely beat him senseless.

"All of you, pay attention. If anyone bullies Xiaoyue in the future, beat them without mercy," Tang Long addressed the villagers, his tone calm but resolute, just as he had when he threw the people from Qiangyuan Company into the water—no joking, no compromise.

Many tourists witnessed the scene, some even recorded it on their phones, but Tang Long didn't care.

There are all sorts of people in society. These independent tourists were nothing like the well-mannered university groups organized by Jiang Xue. Tang Long would never let Zhao Xiaoyue suffer for the sake of money, nor would he let her compromise herself for Fishhead Village.

"Brother Tang Long, I don't want to take pictures with tourists," Zhao Xiaoyue hesitated, mumbling as she looked at Tang Long.

Tang Long smiled indulgently, "If you don't want to, then don't. We don't have any business forcing you to pose for photos."

He raised his voice to the surrounding tourists, "Please keep your distance from Miss Xiaoyue. She is indeed an internet celebrity, but she's also the host here. I hope you enjoy yourselves, and let her do as she wishes. Let's not disturb each other. Thank you!"

Zhao Xiaoyue, finally relieved, walked away. In a while, she would join the villagers to go to Donghe Town to welcome an afternoon university tour group. Compared to mingling with random tourists, she preferred spending time with peers her own age.

As for being an internet celebrity, she truly didn't care. In her eyes, she was merely a girl who hadn't studied much, stayed in the village, with her own temperament. She didn't bother with those she didn't like, and her emotions—joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness—were always written plainly on her face, like a weather chart.

"Don't you think what you did was a bit harsh?" Zhang Xiu'e approached Tang Long, frowning.

Tang Long replied calmly, "We welcome tourists to our village and hope everyone has a good time, but some things are absolutely forbidden. Outsiders cannot bully our villagers—whether it's Zhao Xiaoyue or anyone else.

Today it was a woman pinching Xiaoyue's backside. What if it had been a man? There's no room for negotiation. We don't bully others, nor should we allow ourselves to be bullied for profit.

If we can't even control this, what's the point of development? Without rules, there's no order.

Our Fishhead Village rules are: don't bully, don't cheat, don't deceive. Likewise, we won't lose our dignity for money. If we did, what meaning would there be in leading everyone forward?"

Zhang Xiu'e managed a bitter smile, "That's not what I meant. Did that woman really bully Xiaoyue?"

She bit her lip, "But as a man, you shouldn't hit a woman. If something like this happens again, call us over. Let women handle it. Even if people see, they can't say much, especially when we're in the right."

Tang Long laughed, approached Zhang Xiu'e, placed his hand on the back of her head, and gave her a fierce kiss.

"That's our 'Secretary Xiu'e'!"

Zhang Xiu'e blushed, shoved Tang Long away, shot him a glare, and scolded, "You never behave!"

She turned and hurried off, knowing Tang Long's action had surely been seen by many.

At dusk, Tang Long joined Zhang Xiu'e, Zhao Xiaoyue, Shan Xiu, and Li Ergou at the edge of Liangou Hollow to cool off.

Not far away, the university tour group and some campers who chose to stay in Fishhead Village had lit a bonfire and were drinking and singing.

Fishhead Village's food stalls now served beer, but with a limit: each person could have at most two bottles, and no one was allowed to get drunk.

Tang Long didn't mind—after all, when people travel, they should be free to enjoy themselves. Too many restrictions spoil the mood.

But since Zhang Xiu'e set the rules, Tang Long dared not argue.

"Today, we had over a thousand independent tourists in the village. I heard the food stalls sold two to three hundred pots of 'fish soup' at lunchtime alone," Zhang Xiu'e said with a smile.

Liu Yishou's big pot 'fish soup' had become a village specialty, using only fresh wild fish from Liangou Hollow, simmered in large pots. Each pot was thirty-eight yuan.

Originally, Zhang Xiu'e thought the price too low and wanted to set it at sixty-eight, but Tang Long suggested more water be added since most people just wanted soup.

The 'signature dish' wasn't solely about profit; it was more about letting outsiders taste the flavor of Fishhead Village.

Sixty-eight yuan for a pot of fish soup might be nothing in a big city, but here it felt expensive.

Zhang Xiu'e reconsidered and set it at thirty-eight yuan.

Despite being called fish soup, there was plenty of fish meat. A family of three could fill up on a pot of soup and two buns.

The buns were bought from the county town at one yuan each, with a cost price of eighty cents—barely profitable.

Besides 'big pot fish soup,' there were other specialty dishes, all reasonably priced. If someone wanted a feast, three to five hundred yuan would suffice. If they just wanted to eat their fill, a group of three to five could share a pot of fish soup for ten yuan or so.

Campsite tents cost one hundred yuan per night, accommodating up to a family of three.

For those on a budget, bringing their own tents meant they could spend a whole day in Fishhead Village for just ten or so yuan.

Such expenses were hardly high!

If you wanted to spend, there were options; but those without money could still have a great time.

Gathering popularity for the village was always Tang Long and Zhang Xiu'e's original intention—not just for profit, certainly not solely for profit. As long as people came and crowds grew, Fishhead Village need not worry about making money in the future.

"Village Chief Tang Long, Secretary Xiu'e, the catering department can't keep up. Tomorrow, you'll need to double the staff at least!" Liu Yishou approached, smiling with a hint of hardship.

Just as they were discussing the food stalls and Liu Yishou’s fish soup, Master Liu himself arrived!

"Sit down first," Tang Long gestured for Zhao Xiaoyue to fetch Liu Yishou a small chair with a backrest.

He asked with a smile, "Did you have good profits today?"

"More than good!" Liu Yishou couldn't help grinning, "Just the fish soup—317 portions sold at lunch, about 180 at dinner. The day's income from 'big pot fish soup' alone was nearly two thousand yuan!"

To Liu Yishou, selling fish soup was basically selling water. Even in a hundred pounds of soup, there wasn't much fish; the key was the fresh fish flavor. The long simmering was the labor-intensive part.

"Not bad!"

Tang Long nodded, acknowledging that Liu Yishou’s numbers were only from independent tourists; the university tour groups organized by Jiang Xue and Xu Shiyun weren't included.

"Today, the food stall's total revenue could easily exceed ten thousand!" Liu Yishou said happily.

A day's turnover in the tens of thousands was something he’d never dared dream of. Of course, this was revenue, not net profit.

After labor and ingredients, a twenty-five percent profit margin was considered good. Fishhead Village’s food stalls never cut corners; all ingredients were honest, with no tricks.

"There will definitely be more diners in the future!" Tang Long said, smiling. Until the village restaurant, farmstay, and resort hotel opened, the 'Fishhead Village Food Stalls' were the tourists' top choice—no other options for meals.

He discussed with Liu Yishou adjustments needed for the stalls, and arranged twenty more staff for him.

"The county will help us contact engineering teams. The village renovation project, restaurant, and resort hotel by Liangou Hollow will all be constructed simultaneously.

For the restaurant, inn, and hotel, my idea is Fishhead Village provides the land but retains management rights and a fifty-one percent controlling stake. The remaining forty-nine percent goes to investors."

Zhang Xiu'e was taken aback, "Will anyone dare invest under such terms?"

This was blatant daylight robbery: Fishhead Village not only kept controlling equity but also management rights. Investors would merely put up money, with no guarantee they'd recover their investment or make a profit.

Tang Long smiled, "Whether they like it or not, that's our policy. Fishhead Village belongs to us—now and always. We can't give up our 'home' just to attract outside investment, right?"

"...", Zhang Xiu'e didn't know what to say. Tang Long could secure investment from that woman because she didn't mind these conditions—but would others feel the same?

Business is always about profit.