A song from Chengdu revived a closed-down pub.

With the voting results confirmed, the live broadcast of Qin Province officially came to an end.

Su Fan didn't rush to Ning Province. Instead, he gave the production team a few days off and went back to his hometown.

After arriving home, he first went to Aunt Liu's place for a meal.

Aunt Liu knew he was coming back, so she stewed a pot of chicken in advance and stir-fried a few dishes that he loved to eat when he was a child.

Su Fan had just put down his chopsticks when she complained that he hadn't eaten well outside and insisted on serving him another bowl.

After eating and drinking his fill, Su Fan didn't rush to rest, but instead leisurely went to the village.

Today, Lijiapo Village is no longer what it used to be.

The road at the entrance of the village has been renovated, and flowers and plants have been planted on both sides.

Some of the previously vacant old houses have been converted into guesthouses, while others have been transformed into farmhouses and small shops.

Even as evening approached, many tourists could still be seen in the village.

Some people were taking photos by the roadside, some were picking out local specialties at the villagers' stalls, and a few children were chasing after the sightseeing bus, their laughter audible from a distance.

Not only Lijiapo, but also several nearby villages benefited from the change.

Some are responsible for supplying vegetables and free-range chickens to agritainment businesses, some have set up picking gardens, and others specialize in making local handmade foods.

Several villages have been linked together, and a rural tourism route has been initially formed.

As soon as Su Fan entered the village, he was recognized.

The show was still being broadcast live a few days ago, and everyone was worried that crowding around him would affect the filming, so no one dared to get close to him.

Now that the live stream is over, the villagers naturally have fewer concerns.

An older woman greeted him warmly, "Xiao Fan, don't leave tonight! Come to my house for dinner; I just killed a chicken today!"

Someone called out from nearby, "Xiao Fan, the pomegranates at my house are ripe. I'll pack you two boxes later!"

Su Fan stood by the roadside, smiling and waving his hand: "Don't bother with anything, I just came back for a quick look around. If we keep doing this, it'll seem like we're getting too distant."

As Su Fan was talking to the villagers, Pan Lei walked over from the direction of the village committee with his hands behind his back.

Upon seeing Su Fan, he sized him up and down, deliberately putting on a stern face: "You're doing quite well for yourself out there, have you forgotten that you're still the village chief of Lijiapo?"

Upon hearing this, Su Fan immediately protested his innocence: "Uncle Pan, we agreed that I would only be a figurehead and wouldn't do any work."

"Who asked you to do any work? We'll handle the village affairs. You just need to come back every now and then to let everyone know that the village chief is still alive."

"What do you mean by 'still alive'? I just finished a live stream a few days ago, and the whole country was watching."

"Netizens across the country can see it, but the villagers can't," Pan Lei said, pointing in the direction of the village committee. "Your name is hanging at the entrance of the village committee, but several groups of tourists have come and still haven't seen you, the village chief. If this continues, people will think our village chief was downloaded from the internet."

Several villagers nearby laughed when they heard this.

Su Fan said helplessly, "Uncle Pan, why do I feel like you made me the village chief just to use me for publicity?"

Pan Lei didn't deny it, and said confidently, "Otherwise what? We don't expect you to sit in the village committee stamping documents every day. Just be a good mascot for Lijiapo and come back to show your face from time to time. That's better than doing anything else."

"Alright, I'll understand my place. If anyone asks in the future, I'll say that I'm not in charge of village affairs, but mainly responsible for attracting wealth."

"That's right. People need to know their strengths. You might not be good at other things, but you're definitely good at making money."

"Uncle Pan, when you're praising someone, could you please omit the first part of the sentence?"

"That won't do. One must be honest and realistic."

The two bickered as they walked along the village road.

As Su Fan passed a row of newly renovated courtyards, he stopped and glanced inside. "Are these also newly opened guesthouses?"

When Pan Lei talked about the changes in the village, his face immediately lit up with a smile: "We haven't been open for long, but we're basically full during holidays. In the past, the young people in the village would rush out to work, but now some of them have come back to help their families run homestays. Several neighboring villages have also started doing this. If we don't have enough rooms here, we send our guests to their places. They also supply the vegetables they grow and the chickens they raise to our village's agritainment businesses."

Su Fan nodded: "That's good. A village can only accommodate a limited number of tourists. If several surrounding villages do it together, the routes will be more diverse, and everyone can make money."

"We're having a meeting now to discuss how to connect the villages. Once the plan is finalized, we'll need to bring your mascot over to take some photos."

"Taking photos is fine, but don't make me do any work."

"Don't worry, you won't have to do any work. Just stand in the middle and smile like a village chief."

How should the village chief smile?

"I don't know about others, but you should make your smile more valuable."

……

Su Fan wandered around the village for an afternoon. As the sun gradually set, the village lights began to come on one by one.

Smoke rose from above the courtyards, and the faint aroma of food wafted through the air.

The villagers he encountered along the way either invited Su Fan to come home for dinner or stuffed fruit and local specialties into his hands.

He hadn't gone far when he found himself carrying two bunches of grapes, a bag of walnuts, and a few pomegranates that he had just picked from the tree.

Looking at the thing in his arms, Su Fan couldn't help but sigh, "My mascot is getting pretty good treatment."

Pan Lei walked beside him with his hands behind his back and said with a smile, "If you know the treatment is good, come back more often. No matter how lively it is outside, it's still outside. Whether it's the orphanage or Lijiapo, it's still your root."

……

That evening, Su Fan went to the village's small tavern again.

Night had just fallen when the tavern was already full of customers.

On stage, a young singer holds a guitar and sings a soothing folk song.

The warm yellow light fell on the wooden table and wine glasses, creating a particularly pleasant atmosphere.

There are also a few people from Han Tang Entertainment here.

Upon seeing Su Fan enter, the others waved to him.

Su Fan walked over and greeted them, chatted casually for a few minutes, and then found Zhao Jie next to the bar.

Upon seeing him, Zhao Jie immediately asked the waiter to bring over a few bottles of beer.

The two found a relatively quiet spot to sit down.

The wine glasses clinked together, making a soft sound.

Su Fan took a sip of his drink and asked with a smile, "Brother Jie, how's it going here?"

Zhao Jie said, "It's pretty good. There are usually quite a few customers, and it's packed every day on weekends. Sometimes, there's a queue outside before 7 p.m.

"That's great, at least we won't have to worry about customers."

Zhao Jie picked up his wine glass and said with a smile, "In the end, I'm also thanks to you guys. If you and Fang Cheng hadn't given me a hand back then, I wouldn't be sitting here."

Su Fan waved his hand: "That's because you managed it well. We've only helped you get started. Whether customers are willing to come back depends on the tavern itself."

Zhao Jie smiled and did not continue arguing.

He knew in his heart that without Su Fan and Fang Cheng, he might still be doing hard labor on the construction site.

However, sometimes expressing gratitude too much seems insufficient.