The bearded man said, "Itâs fine. Iâm not busy anyway, so I can wait here." If he were really in a hurry, he would have called Li Xiang himself to rush him.
But in the end, Granny Li Xiang still asked the older woman to give Li Xiang a call and tell him what was happening.
"Alright, Iâll be right back!" Li Xiang hung up the phone, straightened himself up a bit, and headed home with a basket of winter bamboo shoots on his back.
"Ah, Brother Li Xiang, a pleasure, a real pleasure!" When Li Xiang got home, the bearded man greeted him enthusiastically before he could even set down his bamboo basket.
"You must be Mr. He, right? Hello, hello!" Li Xiang was about to extend his hand but pulled it back. His hands were covered in dirt from working. He smiled and said, "Let me go wash up first."
He Zhixiang quickly stopped him. "Letâs take a picture together first."
"Huh?"
He Zhixiang immediately stood beside him, waved at his driver, and shouted, "Quick, help me get a picture with Brother Xiang."
Seeing the slight surprise on Li Xiangâs and the gathered eldersâ faces, He Zhixiang quickly explained, "Iâm also a fan of Brother Li Xiang. This visit is partly to indulge my inner fanboy and meet my idol in person. He just got back from working, all raw and authentic. He looks way cooler than he would all cleaned up!"
Li Xiang: "..."
The elders: "..."
âWhat kind of taste is that?â
After taking one photo, He Zhixiang had Li Xiang take off the basket full of winter bamboo shoots and place it in front of them for another shot. He even picked up Li Xiangâs hoe and struck a pose.
He Zhixiang looked at the photos, extremely satisfied. "When you post your winter bamboo shoot video, Iâll use these two photos to leave a comment. I guarantee itâll make all those other fans die of envy, haha!"
"Thank you, thank you." Li Xiang was quite touched. âThis will definitely help boost my popularity.â
In truth, while He Zhixiang had come as a fan, he was also here to "investigate" Li Xiangâs actual situation and see if his videos were authentic. Many internet celebrities faked their content, even renting the rural houses they filmed in.
Influencers like that could have their whole image collapse and disappear at any moment. Fakeness canât last; it canât withstand scrutiny. If even the setting is fake, can you trust the products they sell?
Are there really sweet potatoes in the sweet potato noodles?
His casual chat with Granny Li Xiang and the other elders hadnât been without purpose. He had been subtly asking questions and had gathered a lot of information. He could basically confirm that Li Xiang was a genuine farmerâthe real deal, without any PR packaging or hype.
He didnât even have a team behind him.
He couldnât help but feel that if Li Xiang had a team behind him handling things like traffic generation and promotion, with the quality of his short videos and skits, his follower count wouldnât be just over a hundred thousand. It would probably be closer to seven or eight hundred thousand, maybe even over a million by now.
In other words, from his perspective as a successful businessman, Li Xiang was currently "undervalued." An ad placement for 8,000 yuan was definitely not a bad deal.
âBecause Li Xiang doesnât delete his videos. In the future, when he becomes a major influencer with millions or even tens of millions of followers, this 8,000-yuan ad will still be on his account, embedded in a short video. Wouldnât that be a huge profit?â
At this thought, He Zhixiang was secretly pleased. He even had an idea to build a team to cooperate with Li Xiang, but he didnât know if Li Xiang would be willing.
When Li Xiang returned after washing up and changing his clothes, He Zhixiang brought up the matter. Unfortunately, Li Xiang politely declined.
"Sorry, but I actually prefer to handle things on my own." âThe main reason was that Li Xiang wanted to quietly enjoy these few precious years of peace before the Apocalypse. Making short videos was just a side project; his true goal was to savor the sunlit pastoral life that was "soon to vanish."â
âHe knew that this kind of pastoral life was finite; every day that passed was one day less. Once the darkness descended, it would cease to exist, making it the worldâs most precious "luxury." Many people now enjoyed the free Sun and took it for granted, but in the Apocalypse, they would miss it endlessly.â
âAnd for children born after the Apocalypse, days filled with sunlight would only exist in "ancient legends."â
âHaving a team meant management, dealing with all sorts of miscellaneous problems, and a high risk of financial disputes and lawsuits. Li Xiang would find it all a "hassle" and a "burden."â
"Thatâs a real shame," He Zhixiang sighed softly.
Afterward, the two finalized the content of the advertisement and the general method of product placement. Then, He Zhixiang generously pulled out two stacks of red bills from his bagâone slightly thicker, one slightly thinnerâand handed them to Li Xiang. "Exactly 16,000 yuan. I already counted it, but you should count it again."
Li Xiang smiled. "No need to count. I trust you."
He Zhixiang insisted, "Brother, you should still count it. Itâs not a lot of money, but we should do things by the book."
So, Li Xiang smiled and began counting the money in front of everyone.
The village elders: "..." Their eyes glinted as they looked at Granny Li Xiang with no small amount of envy, thinking, âIf only that were my grandson!â
âBefore, they were just hearing talk of sixteen thousand, but now heâs actually pulled it out.â
âHe was counting the red bills one by one, right before their eyes. The crisp sound of the new money was quite pleasant to the ear.â
After finishing his count, Li Xiang joked, "The amount is correct. Should I write you a receipt?"
Unexpectedly, He Zhixiang seriously considered it for three seconds before saying, "It would be best if you could issue an official invoice. Thatâs my suggestion."
Li Xiang was taken aback for a moment. "Thank you. Iâll go register for that when I have some free time."
âThis was mainly because he had never done this before and needed to research the procedures first.â
âHe Zhixiangâs suggestion was a reminder. Earning money through social media would become troublesome later on without a registered company or studio.â
âAfter all, this wasnât the Apocalypse yet. Things hadnât descended into lawlessness.â
âEven if Li Xiangâs power grew to a Realm unimaginable to ordinary people, he still couldnât act without restraint, because he had his weaknesses.â
âHis grandma, Jiang CaiâEr, his relatives on his maternal grandparentsâ side... they were all his weaknesses.â
âOnly when the Apocalypse truly arrived and he had established his own faction could his word be law in his own territory.â
Although He Zhixiang said he was just stopping by, he had come all this way and even given him money. So, Li Xiang gave him the basket of winter bamboo shoots he had just dug up, stuffing itâbasket and allâinto the manâs car trunk. This was good stuff, and the dirt clinging to it was still fresh.
"Thank you, thank you." He Zhixiang was very pleased and took out a carton of cigarettes from the passenger seat as a Return Gift.
Li Xiang didnât really want it. Giving the winter bamboo shoots was just a small gesture; he wasnât expecting to get cigarettes in return.
But He Zhixiang insisted, forcing it on him. "This is a small gesture from me, too. Since I was just passing through, I didnât have time to buy a proper gift."
Li Xiang accepted it and glanced at it. It was a carton of famous cigarettes from Yunnan Province, the soft pack DĂ chĂłngjiÇ.
After He Zhixiang left, the village elders sat and chatted for a while longer before leaving.
Soon, nearly all the villagers knew what had happened, and everyone was envious.
At the same time, another piece of news spread: Li Xiang was planning to do a livestream to sell products for everyone, starting with winter bamboo shoots. If any families had mushrooms, they could bring them over to be sold as well.
âIn fact, heâd had this idea for a while. It was just that his follower count had been too low before, and he felt a bit embarrassed. What if the sales were too low? Wouldnât that be humiliating?â
This time, after seeing his "money-making ability," the elders all urged him to do something for the village. After all, Li Xiang was the future village chief. Li Jinyu had already revealed to everyone that he wanted to train Li Xiang to be his successor.