The Domineering Cultivator Farmer

Chapter 22: The Celebrity Effect

Liu Luotao had traveled to many places, and most so-called tourist attractions left him unimpressed. When a friend first mentioned Qiaotou Village to him, he was quite dismissive—what could possibly be interesting about a tiny mountain village deep in the hills? However, unable to resist his friend’s repeated recommendations, he decided to pay it a visit; after all, a trip is a trip, no matter where you go. By the time he arrived in Qiaotou Village, it was already dusk. The small mountain village looked exceptionally beautiful in the setting sun. The afterglow of the sunset bathed the village, as if draping everything in sight with a golden light, leaving him deeply captivated. Suddenly, he understood the poetic sentiment that “the beauty of the sunset is boundless, yet it is nearing twilight.” The air in the village was almost too fresh, the trees a translucent emerald green, and the tranquil, beautiful scenery all captivated his gaze. Just as Liu Luotao was taking in the scenery, unable to look away, several figures in the distance caught his attention. “That’s… a former national leader!!! How did they end up in this little mountain village?” “Just here for a vacation,” Old Li said with a smile as he greeted the young man who was staring at him in shock. To be honest, during his time in the village, he’d run into people like this every day—after all, when a former top-level leader suddenly appeared before them, everyone’s first reaction was inevitably one of astonishment. “Ah… right, right, right—on vacation. But how on earth did you end up here, sir?” Liu Luotao replied, flustered. “Hehe, the recuperation facilities here are excellent, so we old-timers are all planning to spend our retirement here.” Old Li smiled at the young man before him, then hurried off to catch up with Niuniu, who had already dashed to the other side of the mountain. These past few days, Old Li had essentially become Niuniu’s personal attendant—an “old child,” as they say; the older he gets, the more childlike he becomes. These days, Old Li seemed about the same age as Niuniu, running all over the village with her all day long. “Us? Are there really several top-level leaders here? This little mountain village may be scenic, but it shouldn’t be enough to attract them,” Liu Luotao mused, utterly baffled. “Excuse me, but which elderly gentleman is here for convalescence?” Liu Luotao asked, pulling aside a passing villager. “Oh, you mean Old Li?” The villager he’d stopped was none other than Fang Guofang, who’d been bragging nonstop with Old Li and the others every day. “I heard from them that the herbal bath concocted by my second uncle’s son works really well, so they’re all planning to stay in the village for long-term recuperation.” “Really!” Liu Luotao was thrilled. “Of course it’s true—they’re all staying here.” Fang Guofang, thinking Liu Luotao doubted his words, was quite taken aback. “That’s not what I meant—I just got a little too excited. My name is Liu Luotao. As you can tell from my name, I’m the only son in both of my families, and we have several elderly relatives who aren’t in the best of health. If the recuperation here really is that effective, I’ll send my elderly relatives here right away so they can get the care they need.” Liu Luotao’s parents were both only children, so when they named him, they combined their surnames. He had been showered with love and attention by both families since childhood, and now the health issues of the elderly in both families were his greatest concern. Suddenly hearing about a health resort endorsed even by a former national leader, Liu Luotao was so excited he didn’t quite know what to do. “If you ask me, you should bring your elderly parents here right away. If even Old Li and his group think this place is great, then it’s definitely a good choice.” After learning about Liu Luotao’s situation, Fang Guofang urged her enthusiastically. “Mm-hmm, you’re right. I’ll go back right away and bring my elderly parents here.” Before she had even entered the village, Liu Luotao hurriedly said goodbye to Fang Guofang and drove off. Scenes like this had been playing out repeatedly in this small mountain village over the past few days. All kinds of vehicles filled the village’s grain-drying yard and lined the road all the way to the bend at the hill near the village entrance. These past few days, Fang Yun had experienced both joy and worry. The joy came from the sharp increase in daily foot traffic in the village; those coming for recuperation were all from families with some means and were very generous, allowing the villagers to make a small profit. Her worry, however, was that the spring pool on the mountain was only so big—it simply couldn’t accommodate so many people. She had no choice but to have everyone wait at the foot of the mountain for arrangements. Worst of all, every house in the village had been rented out—with several people even sharing a single room—yet it still wasn’t enough to meet everyone’s needs. Although Fang Yun had anticipated that the arrival of Old Li and his group would draw a crowd, the number of people showing up now was simply too great—so much so that even the most basic accommodation needs couldn’t be met. Fang Yun hurried to find his uncle, Fang Zhong, who was busy arranging for guests to stay in town and neighboring villages. “Uncle Fang, there are just too many people now. Constantly sending guests elsewhere isn’t a sustainable solution. I noticed a flat piece of land at the foot of Sanfeng Village—if we clear it, we could build some houses for the visitors to stay in. See if you can find a construction crew to start work immediately and see if we can get them built as soon as possible. Also, see if there are any villagers with some free time and ask them to help me expand the pond up on the mountain.” Ever since Fang Yun had proposed taking over Sanfeng Village and developing tourism there—a move that had boosted the villagers’ monthly income to more than what they used to earn in over a year—Fang Zhong had been following Fang Yun’s every word to the letter. “Okay, no problem. I’ll have someone look into it right away. By the way, do you remember that guy Feng Gouzi? His dad wants to ask you to help him find any kind of job—as long as it comes with meals.” Whenever villagers mention Mad Dog, they sigh and say, “What a tragedy.” When talking about Mad Dog, one can’t help but mention a supernatural incident that took place in Qiaotou Village. Back during that “special period” when the authorities were cracking down on all forms of superstition, a group of young people decided to tear down the Erlang Shen Temple on the east side of the village. But the village elders insisted the temple was very powerful, and warned that anyone who dared to demolish it would face divine retribution. Frightened, the group didn’t dare to act, so in the end, only three of them went ahead and smashed the Erlang Shen statue and the statues of Qianliyan and Shunfeng’er on either side—among them was Mad Dog’s father. Perhaps there really is such a thing as retribution, for the fates of all three families turned out to be tragic. One family died out early on; another was left with only a mute son, who, now in his fifties, has still never married; and Mad Dog’s father didn’t have him until he was forty. At first, the family was overjoyed, but later they discovered that Mad Dog was, in fact, mentally disabled. Because of these events, after the Erlang Shen temple was rebuilt, it became a thriving place of worship, with a constant stream of people coming to burn incense. Although Mad Dog was mentally disabled, he was very tall and had a huge appetite. His poor family simply couldn’t afford to support him. To prevent him from eating an entire family’s daily ration in a single meal, his father had no choice but to lock the rice bin. It was heartbreaking to see such a burly man crying from hunger. To get enough to eat, Mad Dog often did manual labor for others in exchange for three meals a day. Sure enough, seeing how bustling Sanfeng Village—which Fang Yun had taken over—was with people coming and going every day, his father pleaded with Village Chief Fang Zhong, asking if Fang Yun would let Mad Dog do some work there, with meals provided. Fang Yun felt deep sympathy for Mad Dog; now that he was in a position to help, he certainly would. “No problem. Bring him over. He’ll get paid the same as everyone else, and meals are included.” Feng Gouzi showed up as soon as Fang Yun got home. “Uncle Yun, my dad told me to come help you out.” The man, standing over 1. 8 meters tall, smiled like a child, his eyes filled with pleading. Actually, Mad Dog was fine when he wasn’t acting up—he was just a bit slow, like a five- or six-year-old. He did exactly as he was told and never cut corners. But when he acted up, it left people both laughing and crying. His favorite pastime was tying straw into a circle, sticking candles and incense sticks into it, then kneeling by the river at the village entrance to mourn, wailing, “Dad! Mom! Why did you have to die so young?” His booming voice carries throughout the entire village, leaving everyone both amused and exasperated—his dad and mom are alive and well, so what on earth is he mourning? “All right, come inside and eat first. After you finish, I’ll take you up the mountain to work.” This guy was stubborn—he absolutely wouldn’t eat at your house unless he’d helped you with the work—so Fang Yun didn’t beat around the bush and just got straight to the point.