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Chapter 17
This plan was indeed risky, but let’s not forget what Ruan Xizhi did in her past life.
She didn’t sleep all night, busy planning how to maximize the impact and fully promote the abandoned village.
As the sound of a rooster crowing echoed outside, Ruan Xizhi stretched lazily and opened the window to let in the fresh morning air.
She woke up Xing Xiaochi, “Get up, we’re heading out later.”
Xing Xiaochi curled up in bed, rubbing his eyes, about to cry. Ruan Xizhi quickly covered his mouth and reminded him, “You promised—no more crying when waking up. A gentleman keeps his word.”
Xing Xiaochi forced his tears back and nodded, mumbling, “I’m a gentleman, I won’t cry.”
Ruan Xizhi pinched his cheeks. “That’s my good boy. Now go freshen up. How about we help Grandma pick some oranges in the mountains later?”
Xing Xiaochi’s eyes lit up instantly. “Yes! Yes! I want to pick oranges for Tongtong and the others!”
After freshening up, the two followed Grandma out of the house.
The sky was still dark, and there weren’t many people in the livestream chat.
【Where are they going this early?】
【Wow, the usual late-riser Xing Xiaochi is actually up so early.】
【Is this some kind of secret mission?】
The cameraman followed closely behind. Since the livestream had a replay function, Ruan Xizhi figured—why not take advantage of it?
When they arrived at the orchard, many people were already there, each carrying a bamboo basket.
Ruan Xizhi was puzzled. “I thought the fruits couldn’t be sold?”
Grandma smiled. “Even if we can’t sell them, every household has a cellar. Storing the fruits helps them last longer.”
She casually picked a jackfruit and put it in her basket. “So while the weather is cool, everyone comes to pick fruit. Otherwise, we’d just be idling around.”
Ruan Xizhi nodded. “So every household has a stockpile of fruit in their cellars?”
Grandma sighed, “Yes, it’s harvest season, so everyone has stored some. If only things had been better in past years, our village’s fruits wouldn’t have gone to waste like this.”
“What do you mean?” Ruan Xizhi asked.
Grandma explained, “We used to have regular buyers come to pick the fruits, but in the past two years, things changed. People prefer renting land to grow fast-yield crops, so they don’t have to travel far. They get fruits all year round, but nothing tastes as good as ours.”
“Ours are grown naturally, without pesticides.”
Seeing the elderly woman’s dejected expression, Ruan Xizhi reassured her, “Good things will always get noticed.”
【Yes, yes! I love these kinds of fruits! I’d pay a premium for them!】
【Nowadays, most fruits are full of chemicals. It’s so rare to find truly organic ones. The show should help us buy some!】
As they walked deeper into the orchard, the variety and size of the fruits became even more impressive. Some were so rare they couldn’t even be found in regular markets.
Xing Xiaochi was ecstatic, darting through the trees. The orchard was full of elderly people, and they couldn’t help but smile at the sight of the energetic child.
“Little one, come here. Grandma has a big mango for you.”
Xing Xiaochi, unafraid of strangers, took it with both hands and bowed. “Thank you, Grandma.”
“Call me Grandpa, and I’ll give you a watermelon.”
“Grandpa!”
Before long, Xing Xiaochi had collected all sorts of tropical fruits—small ones like lychees and big ones like durians.
The elderly villagers adored him, and he basked in their affection.
Seeing this scene, Ruan Xizhi took the camera from the cameraman.
The cameraman had already received instructions from the director to fully cooperate with her, so he handed it over without hesitation.
Ruan Xizhi’s mother had loved photography, and growing up under her influence, Ruan Xizhi had learned quite a bit.
Later, she even invested in a photography company, which eventually became a leader in the industry under her management.
“Xiaochi,” Ruan Xizhi called.
Xing Xiaochi turned around, holding two big mangoes. Seeing the camera pointed at him, he beamed and flashed a peace sign.
Ruan Xizhi slowly panned the camera upward, capturing the villagers as they picked fruit. They smiled warmly at the lens, radiating kindness.
“Grandma,” Ruan Xizhi called out to a familiar figure.
The elderly woman turned around. Seeing Ruan Xizhi with the camera, she thought it was a photo and nervously put down her basket, unsure where to place her hands. She stiffly smiled at the camera.
She held the pose for a long time without moving.
Ruan Xizhi chuckled and reassured her, “Got it.”
“How does it look?”
Grandma touched her face and sighed, “I’m old now. I probably won’t look good in photos. The last time I had a picture taken was when I got married at twenty. Back then, photos didn’t have colors like they do now. If only we had colored photography back then.”
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Ruan Xizhi felt a bit emotional hearing this, unsure how to comfort her. Just then, Xing Xiaochi walked over, held Grandma’s hand, and said, “Then why not take one now?”
Grandma gently stroked Xing Xiaochi’s face and chuckled, “Grandma’s old now. I won’t look good in pictures.”
Ruan Xizhi gave Xiaochi a thumbs-up and then reassured Grandma, “Who said so? I’ll take some for you.”
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Many people agreed, but later, they realized Ruan Xizhi was a real expert. No one wanted to replace her!
She carried a camera and filmed around the orchard, capturing close-ups of different fruit varieties and even filming the underground storage cellars in some villagers’ homes.
This was eye-opening for the online audience—who knew fruit could be preserved underground?
Finally, Grandma led Ruan Xizhi to meet the village chief.
Ruan Xizhi shared her ideas with him, and the chief sighed.
“It won’t work. My son tried live-streaming for us before, but not many people bought our produce. We’re too old to talk on camera for hours, and even when we do sell something, we often can’t ship it out.”
Ruan Xizhi had already considered these issues.
She reassured him, “Don’t worry. The director promised that if we sell anything, the team will handle the shipping.”
Director: “…Wait, when did I agree to that?”
“Really?” The village chief hesitated, but seeing the team arrive in helicopters—more than one—gave him a glimmer of hope.
Most young people had left the village, leaving only elderly residents behind. If this continued, the abandoned village might soon disappear completely.
Ruan Xizhi asked, “Are there any villagers willing to sell their fruit?”
They were standing at the entrance to the orchard when several villagers passing by overheard the conversation.
One stepped forward.
“I’m willing. We have plenty of fruit at home.”
Another followed.
“Our family has a lot too.”
“Out here, we lack everything except fruit.”
The villagers were enthusiastic, but that was exactly what Ruan Xizhi was worried about—because where there’s hope, there’s also the risk of disappointment.
She was confident, but there was always a chance things could go wrong.
She decided to set expectations: “I appreciate everyone’s enthusiasm, but I have to be honest—we don’t know for sure if this will work, so please be mentally prepared.”
The villagers were simple and straightforward.
“Whether it works or not, we appreciate the effort. We’ve got nothing to lose.”
“Exactly. Don’t feel pressured. We’ve been living like this for years.”
Ruan Xizhi nodded. “This isn’t mandatory. If you’re interested, please report your cellar’s location to the village chief.”
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