Ch 13: The Cannon Fodder Won’t Play Along Anymore [QT]

“Rural Revitalization Bureau?” Mu Xing was a little puzzled, and politely asked, “May I ask what this is about?”

On the other end, the caller replied, “Are you still livestreaming at this time? You go ahead and finish. If it’s convenient, we can come to you this afternoon and discuss the details in person, how about that?”

Mu Xing agreed, and the caller quickly said they wouldn’t disturb him further, then hung up.

When Mu Xing returned to the study and sat back down, Liu Xue told him excitedly that while he had been on the phone, hundreds more orders had come in!

And many of them were buying dozens of jin at a time!

The livestream audience had heard this too.

[Awesome, guys, I did my part — how about you?]
[I bought ten jin.]
[I bought a hundred jin. It’s just over a hundred yuan, and I’ll consider it helping take some of the burden off the uncles in Xiaoxi Village.]
[Why am I getting excited just from hearing the cameraman’s excited voice?]

Mu Xing also felt a bit excited, but still couldn’t help saying, “Everyone, no need to buy too much at once — persimmons don’t keep long. Don’t let them go to waste after you buy them.”

[Don’t worry, I bought dozens of jin for all my coworkers to share — we all watch your livestream.]
[I’m the one who bought a hundred jin. I’ll split them up among my relatives, they’ll be gone in no time.]
[Main thing is, they’re cheap — persimmons go for six yuan a jin at my local fruit shop.]

By the time the two-hour morning livestream ended, Liu Xue looked at Mu Xing with a dreamy expression. “Do you know how many orders we’ve gotten so far?”

“How many?”

“Over twelve thousand! The smallest orders are for five jin, and the biggest are over a hundred jin!”

Liu Xue scratched his head. “Roughly estimating, we’ve already sold at least over a hundred thousand jin of persimmons!”

And that was just the current order count — the backend was still climbing.

Then he saw Mu Xing’s face break into a pure, joyful smile.

“That’s great.” Mu Xing let out a long breath. “Now I can finally rest easy.”

He pulled Liu Xue toward the door. “Come on, let’s hurry and share the good news with Uncle Fang and the others!”

When they stepped outside, Mu Xing was stunned to find the whole village gathered outside his house.

Seeing him come out, Grandpa Zhang looked at him with both hope and unease. “Xingxing, how was the first day selling persimmons online?”

The mountain climate was chilly, and today’s rain had made it colder, so everyone was wearing jackets.

From one look, Mu Xing could tell they had been standing outside for quite a while, and frowned in disapproval. “Why didn’t you say something? You should have come inside.”

Uncle Zhao smiled honestly. “Weren’t you livestreaming? We didn’t want to disturb you.”

Uncle Fang, impatient by nature and the closest to Mu Xing, couldn’t help blurting out, “Alright, enough chit-chat — Xingxing, are you keeping us in suspense? Hurry up and tell us, how’d it go?”

Mu Xing pretended to hesitate. “Well…”

Uncle Fang’s eyes widened. “What’s wrong? I watched your livestream — didn’t Xiao Liu say sales were good?”

Most of them didn’t know how to watch livestreams; most still used old flip phones just for calls. Aunt Xiu was the exception, using a smartphone to video chat with her daughter — and now she’d downloaded Yunduo Video to watch Mu Xing.

Mu Xing couldn’t hold it in any longer and burst out laughing. “Yeah, it sold really well!”

Uncle Fang glared and lifted his hand as if to swat him. “Alright, you little rascal!”

Mu Xing cleared his throat and straightened his face. “No kidding now — uncles, aunties, grandpas, grandmas, I’m announcing that in just two hours of livestreaming, our online orders have sold—”

“Over a hundred thousand jin!”

“Really!”

“Whoa! Just two hours? That much?”

“Those online orders aren’t fake, are they? Is there really that many people buying our persimmons? What if we send them out but don’t get the money?”

Uncle Fang shot Grandma Zhao a glare. “Auntie, you’re talking nonsense — hasn’t your granddaughter ever bought anything online?”

Grandma Zhao didn’t mind being scolded; her face broke into a broad smile. “I just can’t believe it!”

Mu Xing grinned. “It’s all real! So no one needs to doubt it. In the next few days, let’s get all the packaging ready. If you need extra help, arrange it early — in a few days, we’ll really be busy.”

“Right, right! I’ll call my sister’s family to help pick persimmons.”
“Whose grove do we pick first?”
“Let’s do Uncle Lu’s — Xiao Bin just started school, he needs the money.”
“Doesn’t Grandma Zhao’s house need repairs? They need the money too.”

…

Mu Xing watched everyone noisily discussing and felt a deep sense of ease and peace in his heart.

Just then, the sky cleared, sunlight broke through the clouds, and a bright glow blanketed all of Xiaoxi Village — warm and serene.

Just like the smiles on the elders’ faces.

Everything was getting better.

—

That afternoon, Mu Xing woke from a nap, washed his face to wake up, and heard Uncle Fang calling his name outside.

When he went out, he saw a car parked not far away and three strangers standing next to Uncle Fang, chatting.

Seeing him, Uncle Fang excitedly grabbed his hand. “These folks are from the county government — they heard about our village selling persimmons via livestream and came specifically to find you.”

For someone of Uncle Fang’s generation, government officials naturally carried an aura of prestige.

Among the three visitors, the oldest middle-aged man quickly said, “What leader? Elder, you’re being too polite.”

He had a slightly portly build and a kind, honest face. The moment he saw Mu Xing, his eyes lit up. He stepped forward, hand extended. “You must be Mu Xing. My name is Wang Xueqiang, deputy director of the Xincheng County Rural Revitalization Bureau.”

He even took out his work ID to show him.

Mu Xing shook hands with them. “Hello.”

He invited them inside and poured tea.

Wang Xueqiang could hardly wait to ask, “I just heard from Grandpa Fang that Xiaoxi Village’s livestream sales went really well today?”

Mu Xing nodded, without false modesty. “Yes, very well.”

Wang Xueqiang said, “To be honest, we came today because we’d like to discuss a possible collaboration.”

Mu Xing asked, “What kind of collaboration?”

—

Over an hour later, the three left Mu Xing’s home.

The driver, Wen Yang, asked, “Director Wang, do you think Mu Xing will agree to work with us?”

Wang Xueqiang gave a wry smile. “Hard to say. Mu Xing isn’t chasing fame, and we can’t offer much money if we ask for his help. If he doesn’t want to, it’s understandable.”

This year, Xincheng County had perfect weather, and the harvest was bountiful. Farmers were both happy and troubled.

Happy, because of the abundant crops. Troubled, because the county was remote — even within the province it counted among the poorer areas — and transportation was underdeveloped.

Too much produce was piling up unsold.

Many farmers were worried, and the government had been trying to find ways to boost sales.

Mu Xing’s sudden livestream success had given them inspiration. They had tried paying others to promote online, but big streamers were expensive and booked solid, while small ones only broadcast for a few hours with minimal impact.

Seeing Mu Xing officially post purchase links today — with such great results — Wang Xueqiang decided to come in person.

—

Back at Mu Xing’s home.

On the table lay a thick stack of documents. Inside were introductions to Xincheng County, details about its main industries, the current state of its farmers this year, and many on-site photos.

It was clear the materials had been prepared with great care.

Wang Xueqiang had been completely candid, speaking plainly without any bureaucratic airs. He admitted that if they invited Mu Xing to promote, part of the payment would come from the county government and part from the farmers themselves, so the fee wouldn’t be high.

“Rest assured, you can treat us like any normal business partner. Whether or not you agree is entirely up to you. We will never pressure you, and you don’t have to worry about it interfering with your livestreaming work,” Deputy Director Wang emphasized before leaving, telling him not to feel any burden.

Mu Xing didn’t agree on the spot, only saying he would think it over.

He then spent nearly two hours carefully reading through all the materials — enough to see how seriously the people behind them were taking this matter.

Afterward, he dialed the number they had left.

“Director Wang? This is Mu Xing.” He rubbed his tired eyes. “About what you mentioned earlier today — I’ll do it.”

“Really?” Wang’s voice leapt with joy. “Then when would be a good time for you to come livestream for us? If you have any equipment or location requirements, just say the word — we’ll do our best to provide.”

Mu Xing shook his head. “No special requirements for the livestream itself, but the timing will have to wait until I finish handling Xiaoxi Village’s situation first.”

“Of course.”

“As for the payment…” Mu Xing began.

Wang’s heart skipped a beat. “If you’re not satisfied, we can still negotiate.”

“You misunderstand,” Mu Xing said. “I mean, there’s no need for payment.”

“…What?”

Mu Xing’s tone was sincere. “I’m not short on money — I’ve been earning plenty from livestreaming. Besides, I’ve been wondering what else to stream; selling products is good content and can help boost my popularity.”

It was the truth. Even though he constantly told fans not to send him gifts, his huge follower base still made his earnings considerable.

Wang was silent for a moment, then sighed. “Xiao Mu — can I call you that? On behalf of the farmers of Xincheng County, thank you.”

He added solemnly, “Don’t worry, since you’re doing something truly helpful for ordinary people, the publicity department will do its best to promote you — we won’t let a contributor go unnoticed.”

“No!” Mu Xing quickly said. “That’s unnecessary. And I do have one condition for my livestreams.”

“Name it.”

Mu Xing spoke seriously. “Product quality must be strictly controlled — no cutting corners. My fans trust me; I can’t betray that trust, right?”

Hearing this, Wang immediately promised, “Of course!”

“Then that’s all,” Mu Xing said. “Once Xiaoxi Village’s surplus is taken care of, I’ll contact you.”

After hanging up, Mu Xing stretched. Outside, half the setting sun burned a fiery red, like a ball of flame.

He thought, Days like this… are actually pretty good.

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