Chapter 63 - 62: Tourists Get to Eat

Chapter 63: Chapter 62: Tourists Get to Eat

Inside a bus, several officials from the Culture and Tourism Bureau were discussing matters concerning Lin Xian Village.

"We’ve been getting over three thousand tourists a day lately. It’s even brought more traffic to the surrounding attractions."

"I have to say, the influence of a viral tourist spot is immense. It’s much more cost-effective than trying to create an internet celebrity."

They used to be envious of other "viral cities." Now that their own county had one, they were finally realizing just how massive the economic benefits of such a hotspot could be.

Besides, Lin Xian Village’s situation was clearly sustainable. It wasn’t just a flash in the pan, destined to vanish as quickly as it came.

That was why every department in the county was taking it so seriously. If they could keep Lin Xian Village popular, the economic benefits for Wuyuan County would be enormous.

Their county lacked any major industries. Most business was circulated internally within the county seat, yielding very low profits.

After the real estate boom of the past few years, the economy was stretched too thin, and now everyone was struggling.

The recent influx of tourists gave them hope for the tourism economy, so naturally, they wanted Lin Xian Village to do better and better.

"So, what kind of performances should we recommend?"

"They said they want performances with local county character—things that are famous around here but that outside tourists wouldn’t know about."

"What about the clay figurine performance?"

"I’m not so sure about that. I’ve seen it before, and it’s a bit creepy." She was actually thinking of the internet slang term for something being "eerie."

The performers wear clothes molded from clay and painted with bright colors. The whole thing has a bit of an uncanny valley effect.

"We could give it a try. If the tourists don’t like it, we’ll swap it out. A lantern parade could also work. They get plenty of tourists there at night, too."

"A lantern parade is a great idea, but it needs to be on a grand scale to be truly impressive."

"That’s fine. We can talk to the surrounding villages about it. I don’t think it’ll be a problem."

"The Colorful Silk Dance would be another option. That tumbler doll performer in Chang’an City isn’t even as beautiful as our Colorful Silk Dance."

The officials discussed for a while longer and quickly came up with a long list of potential acts. The plan was to try them all and keep the ones the tourists liked best.

Their task for the day was to talk with Lin Feng, figure out what kinds of performances he needed, and then find people to come and audition.

When they arrived at Lin Xian Village and stepped off the bus, they looked at the bustling crowds of tourists. ’This place really is lively,’ they thought.

"If they sold the Jade Grapes to the public, there’d probably be even more tourists."

"Don’t even think about it. You can’t buy that stuff even if you wanted to. I hear people are going crazy trying to get them."

"Yeah, I heard they only sell two thousand bunches per batch, and someone’s already bought out the entire supply for the next three years."

To be honest, they all wanted to try them if they could. It was a shame, though. They’d heard the boss had only set up a stall twice. If they’d known earlier, they would have gone to buy some.

They wondered if they’d ever get a chance to taste the legendary Jade Grapes.

"Look at that Medicinal Tea over there. I hear it’s incredibly effective for coughs. It’s in limited supply now, and huge crowds of people come to snatch it up every day."

"It’s extremely effective. A relative of mine managed to buy some. You could say it’s an instant cure—a common cough is gone after just one dose."

"Too bad we heard about it so late. I heard that when it first went on sale, nobody bought any, so they gave it all away to the people in Mountain Ridge Town."

Now, getting your hands on the Medicinal Tea was incredibly difficult. You weren’t just competing with tourists, but with the villagers from Mountain Ridge Town as well.

Fortunately, unlike the Jade Grapes, a new batch of this Medicinal Tea was made every day. It was a small but steady supply, which meant ordinary people still had a chance to buy it.

Upon meeting Lin Feng, they were astonished that this ordinary-looking young man was actually so capable.

As for chalking it all up to luck, anyone who wasn’t a fool could see that there was something special about Lin Xian Village.

Of course, their superiors weren’t delving into the matter, so they knew better than to ask any inappropriate questions.

After their discussion, they understood what kind of performances Lin Feng needed.

With too few attractions, he needed to add some special performances to enhance the visitor experience.

They knew before coming that Lin Xian Village was still under development; in fact, the Culture and Tourism Bureau had his development applications on file.

"Mr. Lin, we’ll head back and start looking for suitable acts from all over the county. We should have something for you soon."

"Thank you all for your support. I’ll do my best to promote our local culture."

After seeing them off, Lin Feng thought, ’With the government’s support, things really are much easier.’

’If I had to find all these performers myself, who knows how long it would take. Some of these things might even be impossible to pull off on my own.’

With some time on his hands, he set out again for the western mountain to build a Well and solve the animals’ drinking water problem.

The western mountain was a simpler job. A natural spring already existed there, so one more springhead appearing wouldn’t seem too strange.

The digging would be a bit of a hassle. This time, Lin Feng planned to use local materials. He would find a natural depression and build the Well right there.

Of course, he could also find stone for it right on the mountain. There were plenty of large rocks, especially near the summit, and many of them were already safety hazards.

The large rocks in his inventory were, in fact, some of those hazardous boulders he had collected from the mountain.

When he came down from the mountain around noon, he saw that an awning had been set up on the empty plot of land near the village entrance, not far from the square. Numerous tables were set out beneath it.

Steam billowed from four large woks, their white vapor curling into the air as a crowd of curious tourists watched.

Ma Sandao, dressed in a white chef’s uniform, was busying himself at the stove with two other men, also in uniform.

’Those must be the two helpers he found,’ he thought. They looked fairly young, maybe in their thirties or forties.

Some tourists were asking about the prices, and a staff member was nearby explaining.

As Lin Feng walked over, Ma Sandao was just finishing up a wok of stir-fried vegetables.

"Boss, how should we price this? A lot of tourists have been asking."

"How do the restaurants in town charge for this kind of thing?"

"For six to eight courses, it’s about 150. For 12 courses, it’s 400; 16 courses for 600; 18 to 22 courses for 800; and 26 courses for 1,000. That’s for the standard set meal. If customers pick their own dishes, it depends on the price of each dish.

Since we didn’t have time to prepare some of the more complex dishes today, we can only offer the 150-yuan standard."

Lin Feng was familiar with the standard banquet prices in town, but this was the first time he’d heard the full breakdown.

"Let’s stick with that price for today, then. After we’re done, draw up a proper menu. I’m sure some tourists will want to order individual dishes."

"Right, I got it. These two are the chefs I found, Niu Sihai and Liang Damao."

"Hello, Boss."

Niu Sihai and Liang Damao looked at Lin Feng attentively. It was only after arriving that they realized just how enticing the performance bonus was.

’There are so many tourists,’ they thought. ’If we were really going all out, we could probably serve dozens of tables a day.’

"Hello to you both. Since you’re cooking today, we’ll just consider this your official trial."

Ma Sandao called out, "You hear that? Show us what you’ve got. Let’s make sure these tourists leave happy!"

"We’ll give it 120 percent and make sure everyone has a great meal!"

Lin Feng went to the security room and used the village’s PA system to make an announcement, telling the tourists how to purchase meals.

When they heard it was a traditional rural-style banquet, tourists who had come in groups immediately rushed over.

"Boss Lin finally wised up! We can get a meal in Lin Xian Village now."

"Yeah, and this is pretty good. You can see all the ingredients. It feels cleaner than some restaurants."

"It’s true. It’s totally open, and there’s even someone over there filming it."

This was where Ma Sandao’s experience working in large, professional restaurants really shone through. The entire process was spotless, with none of the filth and chaos one might associate with such a setup.

To guarantee the food’s cleanliness, he even avoided disposable plastic wrap, opting instead to cover the dishes with transparent plastic lids.