Chapter 82: Aunt Yang Takes Charge

“We can’t just sit here and wait for doom,” Tang Long said quietly.

Zhang Xiu’e took a sip of her milk tea, her eyes flickering as she nodded in agreement. “That’s right. We can’t just wait to be defeated—we have to take the initiative!”

Tang Long couldn’t help but laugh. As long as Secretary Xiu’e was still standing, these little setbacks were nothing at all. If they want to play games, then we’ll play along!

No matter what, the Wen family had put down a solid thirty million to acquire the land—that was a fact. Besides targeting Yutou Village, it also showed that this woman, Wen Nuanchun, had a certain level of confidence in Donghe Town’s tourism resources.

So, even in the worst-case scenario, if his ‘Flower Fish Head Resort’ developed well, it would eventually benefit Yutou Village as well.

Right now, it might look like they were taking advantage of Yutou Village, but as long as they kept investing and didn’t play any dirty tricks, it would be good for everyone in the future.

Only by making the pie bigger and building a strong industrial chain could everyone ultimately benefit. The road was still long—immediate gains weren’t everything.

“How do you plan to fight back?” Tang Long asked with a smile, tilting his head as he looked at Zhang Xiu’e, who was frowning.

Zhang Xiu’e wasn’t pleased. She pouted and said, “Why should I be the one to come up with a plan? Aren’t you a grown man? Can’t you take the lead for once?”

“Alright, then we’ll do it my way,” Tang Long replied readily, picking up the thread without hesitation.

Zhang Xiu’e gazed at him and asked softly, “So, what do you have in mind?”

Tang Long replied with a half-smile, “Call me something nice, and I’ll tell you.”

“Forget it! Who cares to hear your idea anyway?” Zhang Xiu’e rolled her eyes at him. Trying to take advantage of me? Hmph, not a chance.

Tang Long said, “Actually, I’m still quite surprised by the Wen family’s move.”

“What’s so surprising? You broke Young Master Rui’s leg—they’re just here to avenge her brother,” Zhang Xiu’e scoffed.

Tang Long shook his head with a smile. “There are plenty of ways to seek revenge, but they used the most open and aboveboard method. Besides, you shouldn’t just focus on the immediate situation. If you analyze it more closely, you might realize that for the Wen family, this might not be revenge at all, but rather a covert olive branch.”

“A covert olive branch?” Zhang Xiu’e was taken aback, staring at Tang Long. “What do you mean by that?”

Tang Long chuckled, “It’s simple. I broke Wen Rui’s leg. The most straightforward and effective way to retaliate would be to call the police and have me arrested. I’m sure the Wen family, with their connections, could easily make that happen.”

Zhang Xiu’e thought it over and had to admit Tang Long had a point. Reporting him to the police and having him detained would be the simplest solution. Even if the authorities in Wuxian heard about it, it would be difficult to get Tang Long released quickly—after all, he had actually broken Young Master Rui’s leg.

“So where’s the olive branch in all this?”

Tang Long explained, “On the surface, the ‘Flower Fish Head Resort’ seems to be piggybacking on Yutou Village’s popularity, but think about it: Wen Nuanchun spent thirty million just to acquire the land. If she was only planning to gouge tourists and steal business from us, how long would it take her to make that money back?”

Even if she earned a thousand yuan from every tourist, she’d need to rip off thirty thousand people to recoup her thirty million!

Fleecing a few hundred tourists isn’t hard, but to do it to tens of thousands? That’s not easy at all.

There are plenty of better things to do with tens of millions than to toss it into a backwater like Donghe Town just to compete with Yutou Village for tourists.

“Then why are they doing this?” Zhang Xiu’e, prompted by Tang Long’s analysis, was also a bit confused.

Tang Long smiled. “That’s why I say, maybe the Wen family is actually showing goodwill to us. In the long run, whether Yutou Village thrives or the Flower Fish Head Resort takes off, it’ll be good for us all.

‘Ghost King Cave’ is Yutou Village’s main attraction—fifty percent of visitors make it a must-see.

Buying land for thirty million is just the beginning. To build the entire resort, they’ll have to invest at least tens of millions more.”

Zhang Xiu’e still couldn’t wrap her head around it. Tang Long had broken Young Master Rui’s leg—why would the Wen family want to show him goodwill?

But if Wen Nuanchun came for revenge and to cause trouble, the logic didn’t hold up either. Investing millions in Yutou Village or in the resort—was there really much difference?

There wasn’t. Both served to boost Donghe Town’s tourism resources.

Since she couldn’t figure it out, she decided not to dwell on it. The Wen family had already made their move, so Yutou Village had to respond.

In the short term, the goal was to compete for tourists—there was no avoiding it!

Upon their return to Yutou Village, Tang Long and Zhang Xiu’e immediately began organizing people. If they were about to start a “recruitment” battle, they needed manpower.

“Should we have Li Ergou lead a team?” Zhang Xiu’e looked at Tang Long, testing the idea.

Tang Long shook his head. “He’s good for staking out territory, but not for recruiting visitors. You have to remember, over at the Flower Fish Head Resort, it’s all young, pretty girls!”

Zhang Xiu’e was momentarily stunned, then narrowed her eyes at Tang Long. “You’re not thinking of sending me, are you?”

Tang Long grinned. “Actually, that’s not a bad idea. Our Secretary Xiu’e in action is worth two of anyone else.”

Gritting her teeth, Zhang Xiu’e resolved that, if it meant bringing in all the walk-in tourists, she’d do whatever it took. “Fine, I’ll go if I must.”

“I haven’t finished!” Tang Long hurriedly grinned apologetically. “But, Secretary Xiu’e, you need to hold down the fort here in the village. There’s no need to use a butcher’s knife to kill a chicken. Sending you to duel with those ‘rookies’ from the resort would be a waste of talent!”

Zhang Xiu’e couldn’t help but laugh and cry. “So who exactly do you want to send?”

“What if we have Aunt Yang, Zhao Xiaoyue’s mother, lead the team?” Tang Long blinked.

Pfft.

Zhang Xiu’e burst out laughing, casting him a flirtatious glance. “You just said they’re all pretty young girls over there, and now you want Aunt Yang to lead the team? Are you serious?”

Tang Long replied with a grin, “What’s wrong with Aunt Yang? She gave birth to someone as beautiful as Xiaoyue! Back in her day, she was the most renowned beauty for miles around.”

“That was when she was young. Now she’s just the mother of a beauty!” Zhang Xiu’e laughed in exasperation.

Tang Long shrugged it off, still smiling. “A beautiful mom is still a beauty; she’ll do in a pinch.”

Yutou Village didn’t have many skilled specialists, but they could still find a few articulate women if they looked hard enough. Aunt Yang was one of them!

Having Aunt Yang lead the team in a showdown against those city girls from the resort might not end as badly as one would think.

“Whoever you send is up to you. In any case, Yutou Village must win this battle. The rest is your problem!” Zhang Xiu’e gave Tang Long a firm mandate.

It had taken so much effort to gain the upper hand—no way would they let this new ‘Flower Fish Head’ snatch the prize.

“Heh, yes ma’am, my dear Secretary Xiu’e. Just wait and watch!” Tang Long said, grinning mischievously.

Zhang Xiu’e blushed, rolled her eyes at him, and then turned to head toward the Liangouwa camp.