"Xiaoli, we’d like to warmly invite you to do a livestream for our county government. The only catch is that the commission is a bit low—just 1%. I was wondering if you’d be willing? As you know, this is a genuine charitable event to support our local farmers. Our pricing for the spring bamboo shoots will be lower than the typical online price, and for the same quality, it’ll also be lower than what you were selling before."

"No problem. I’d be honored. I just have a few questions I’d like to clarify."

"Ask away! We’ll tell you everything we know," the county magistrate said, his laughter hearty over the phone.

Li Xiang asked a few questions, and after some back-and-forth, they reached a cooperation agreement.

This charitable event organized by the county government was actually a great idea. With a huge volume of spring bamboo shoots hitting the market, the government had kept up with the times by establishing a temporary task force. They brought together over sixty professional agricultural cooperatives of all sizes. These cooperatives would be responsible for supply, shipping, and after-sales service, leaving Li Xiang to focus solely on the livestream and sales.

In addition to him, there were a dozen or so other influencers from the county, but none of them had as much clout as Li Xiang. The most popular among them only had around four hundred thousand followers.

And Li Xiang? He had over 2.6 million.

He’d become a minor celebrity online, so he figured participating in this charitable event was a good way to give back to his hometown. ’Besides,’ he thought, ’if sales are high enough, even a 1% commission could add up to a tidy sum.’

As for a slotting fee, he naturally wouldn’t charge one.

Taking a slotting fee would get him torn to shreds online and ruin his reputation.

Li Xiang had also done his research. Commissions for charitable livestreams supporting farmers were typically between 1% and 5%. While a few streamers might charge exorbitant rates like 15% to 20%, that defeated the whole purpose of helping the farmers in the first place.

A high commission either meant a higher price for the produce or it would cut into the farmers’ already slim profits.

Higher prices also made the product less competitive. The key was to make small profits on high volume.

The government’s low pricing gave them an advantage. And since it was a charitable event, the influencers’ low commission rates ensured that the farmers’ interests were protected.

It meant the influencers were essentially yielding their profits, but in return, the government would offer them and their teams certain policy benefits.

When the news got out, some of the villagers from the surrounding area who had previously worked with Li Xiang began to complain, not understanding the full picture.

"He charged us a 10% commission to sell our produce, and now look! He’s selling for the government and only taking 1%. If we’d known, we would’ve just joined the government’s livestream event."

Someone else explained, "You’re dreaming. You think someone like you would even qualify to participate? That event was organized by big cooperatives pulling strings."

"Even if we could participate as a village or a town, what about packaging, shipping, and customer service? Doesn’t that cost money? Li Xiang handled all of that for us before."

"Sigh, you all are forgetting one thing: the price! Li Xiang sold our stuff at a high price. Now look at the county government’s price—for the same quality, it’s five or six yuan cheaper per jin, maybe even seven or eight. For that event, Li Xiang takes a smaller commission, but he doesn’t have to handle anything, and the selling price is lower."

After they all talked it over, a sharp-witted villager did the math and realized they were right. They actually ended up with more money in their pockets by selling through Li Xiang.

Besides, the government prioritized supporting the large-scale cooperatives. If small-time farmers like them wanted to join in, they’d probably have to go through one of those co-ops, which would just take another cut of their profits.

Sure enough, it wasn’t long before news spread that the cooperatives were sending people into the countryside to buy up bamboo shoots in bulk, forcing the prices way down.

The villagers in the areas surrounding Li Family Village were relieved they had already sold their stock through Li Xiang.

"Grandma, I’ll be away for a few days, so please take good care of yourself," Li Xiang said to his grandmother. Then, he set off with Zhao Xueqing, Yao Yao, and Lei Xiaohui.

He still hadn’t gotten his driver’s license, so he hadn’t bought a car yet. During this trip to the county seat for the charity livestream, he planned to take his road test. The test was quick, so it wouldn’t interfere with his work.

The road test just involved driving for a few minutes and performing all the required maneuvers correctly. It was generally easy to pass.

The government had scheduled the event for five days, from Monday to Friday. They would livestream during the day and stay at the county government’s guesthouse at night.

On the first morning, the county leadership organized a symposium. In attendance were the influencers and their teams, numerous government staff, local news media, and the suppliers for the charity event—namely, the representatives from the sixty-plus cooperatives.

The meeting took place in a large auditorium within the county government building. Nearly two hundred people packed the hall, making for an impressive turnout.

The title of the event, displayed in large characters on a big screen, read: "Symposium on New Online Business Models Empowering Rural Industrial Revitalization and The First Annual (2025) Influencer Rural Charity Drive." Below it, the names of the sponsoring organizations were listed in a smaller font.

These kinds of meetings were always incredibly tedious, filled with one speech after another from various leaders.

However, Li Xiang also had a chance to go on stage, as he had been invited to speak as the representative for the influencers.

He had been notified in advance, so he had prepared a speech. It was an eloquent piece, several hundred words long, filled with high-minded ideals and positive energy. When it was his turn, he took the stage and delivered it with confidence.

Having returned from a major city, his Mandarin was exceptionally standard, his pronunciation impeccable. His voice was full, resonant, and clear. Many of the leaders listened, nodding in silent approval. ’This young man is quite impressive,’ they thought. ’He has the makings of a leader.’