Chapter 5

At thirty Yuan a day per person, seven people had only two hundred and ten Yuan combined.

Far from getting through an entire day, that was not even enough for a decent dinner at a restaurant.

The director had thoughtfully exchanged all the money into small bills, so it actually felt somewhat thick in hand.

Everyone took turns feeling the thickness of the envelope, then looked out at the sky. They had spent too much time traveling on their first day, and it was already afternoon.

Regardless, dinner still had to be eaten.

The production crew had long since set up a little shop in the courtyard, complete with a posted price list. It was fully stocked, offering not just cooking ingredients, but daily necessities and recreational toys as well.

“Two hundred for a chicken, eighty for a fish, forty a Jin for pork, ten for potatoes, five for cabbage…” Chu Xinyue read through them one by one, sounding hesitant. “That doesn’t seem too bad…”

None of them had much experience buying groceries, so they had no idea how the crew’s listed prices compared to normal market rates. The biggest problem right now was that they simply did not have enough money on hand. To feed seven people, they would need at least five or six dishes, and two hundred and ten Yuan stood no chance against the exorbitant cost of meat.

On their very first day, they couldn’t just eat an all-vegetarian feast, could they?

You Yinyin raised her hand. “I ate snacks on the way here, so I don’t have to eat tonight.”

Chu Xinyue immediately chimed in, “I can just have a vegetable salad. Actresses need to maintain their figures.”

Shen Fei looked hesitant. “Th-Then I can also…”

“Are you kidding? Skipping one meal is one thing, but we have to stay here for seven days. We can’t just starve the whole time,” Wan Yu said, glancing toward the production crew. “Director Yang, aren’t these prices way too steep?”

Director Yang replied slyly, “It took manpower and resources to bring these goods out here. These prices are very reasonable.”

Faced with the cast’s predicament, Director Yang was well prepared. He pulled out another price list readied in advance, this one listing odd jobs.

Picking fruit, catching fish, feeding chickens, chopping wood…

Every single one was grueling manual labor, yet offered meager wages in return.

【There it is, there it is! Director Yang’s odd-job list!】

【I knew Director Yang wouldn’t let the guests off that easily!】

【High EQ: Spending leisure time with friends. Low EQ: Not a single one of you escapes.】

“How about we eat something simple for the first day?” Wan Yu suggested. “Everyone can rest today, and tomorrow we’ll work to earn our living expenses?”

Song Shuqi suddenly spoke up. “I saw a village on our way here. Are the jobs in that village, too?”

Director Yang said, “Correct.”

“If we go to work, will the crew drive us? You won’t make us drive ourselves, will you?”

Director Yang answered generously, “We’ll drive you.”

Delighted, Song Shuqi said to everyone, “We can send one person to work and buy groceries in the village while they’re there. Things are cheap out in the countryside. That way, we won’t need to buy gasoline or buy anything from the show.”

At those words, everyone’s eyes lit up.

Taking the opportunity, Song Shuqi added, “Then you all get some good rest today. I’ll go do the work, buy groceries along the way, and bring back a bit of extra money.”

That couldn’t be better!

Overjoyed, everyone began praising him all at once. Tu Sheng set down his thermos and even offered to go with him.

Song Shuqi quickly declined. “No need, Teacher Tu, you get some rest. I’m young, so I can handle more.”

Having said that, he reflexively scanned the group for Qiao Yanli. But Qiao Yanli had slipped off somewhere, and Song Shuqi couldn’t find him after looking around.

But it didn’t matter. The viewers watching the live stream had surely seen everything; a hardworking persona was great for drawing in fans. Meanwhile, his water army^[1] would stir up sentiment in the stream chat. Without even checking, he knew people in the bullet comments were already lambasting Qiao Yanli for slacking off.

The thought put Song Shuqi in high spirits, making him thoroughly enthusiastic about going to work. Seeing that it was getting late, he took the group’s living expenses for the first day, boarded the vehicle arranged by the production crew, and set off without delay for the work site.

【Song Shuqi is so clever, actually catching a loophole in Director Yang’s scheme! He traveled all day and still went to work for everyone, he’s so sweet!】

【Where’s Qiao Yanli? He and Song Shuqi are the only two young men here. Even Tu Sheng offered to go, so where did he run off to?】

【He’s someone who chose to retire as a salted fish^[2] at such a young age, after all. He probably took the chance to sneak off and laze around somewhere.】

【Ummm, isn’t that a bit uncalled for…】

So where had Qiao Yanli gone?

The audience couldn’t spot him on the live stream, nor had the cast members seen him. After searching around, they finally realized that he had slipped into the storage room at some point, rummaging inside for quite a while without coming back out.

Wan Yu asked expectantly, “Xiao Qiao? Did you find something?”

Qiao Yanli called back in acknowledgment from inside.

The group hurried over, five heads stacked at the doorway, only to see him unearth a dust-covered bicycle from deep within the storage room.

He went into the courtyard with a hose to wash away the dust on its surface, revealing a slightly rusted yellow paint job underneath. Then he oiled the chain, found an air pump to inflate the tires, and tested the bell on the handlebars.

A crisp ding-a-ling sounded. A relaxed smile appeared on his face. “We have transportation.”

This was a means of transportation that cost nothing and required no gasoline from the crew!

Qiao Yanli glanced back and added, “The back seat can carry someone, too.”

All four women present felt a flutter of interest. Chu Xinyue and You Yinyin, being younger, looked at the back seat with especially bright eyes.

Although their location lacked amenities, it boasted clear waters and lush green hills with picturesque scenery. Wildflowers lined both sides of the main road outside, and the weather today was lovely, with bright sunshine and a gentle breeze, perfect for cycling and taking in the views.

But they hadn’t interacted much with Qiao Yanli, and unlike Song Shuqi, who had hit it off with everyone as soon as he arrived, Qiao Yanli hadn’t. For the moment, they didn’t know how to speak up.

Then they heard Qiao Yanli continue, “Teacher Tu, would you like to take a look around the area?”

Huh… huh???

【Wait, why Tu Sheng?】

【I thought he’d invite Chu Xinyue or You Yinyin. Handsome guy and pretty girl, I was already picturing an idol drama scene!】

【Maybe he doesn’t want to play up a romantic pairing.】

【Still, shouldn’t he invite a lady? Why invite Tu Sheng, an old-school veteran?】

Tu Sheng hadn’t expected to be invited either, but he really did want to see the scenery. He agreed at once, though with a bit of hesitation: “I’m a little heavy. Can you manage to pedal with me on?”

“Teacher Tu, hop on and see.”

Cradling his thermos, Tu Sheng carefully took a seat on the back rack.

An adult man weighed well over a hundred Jin, after all; the moment he sat down, the rear wheel visibly sank.

Qiao Yanli pushed down on the pedals and effortlessly carried him on a quick turn around the yard. Then he turned the handlebars and headed straight out of the courtyard.

Watching them, Wan Yu grew thoroughly envious. “Xiao Qiao, I want a ride too.”

“Sure,” Qiao Yanli readily agreed, waving a hand with his back turned. “I need to borrow Teacher Tu for something. Wait a bit, Sister Yu, and I’ll give you a ride when we get back.”

Tu Sheng: “Huh?”

But before he could ask, Qiao Yanli had already carried him out onto the main road.

Lush grass and vibrant wildflowers lined the roadside, while boundless mountains and fields stretched into the distance, emerald greenery veiled in mist like an ink-wash landscape painting. The camera tracked the two of them as the bicycle glided beneath the shade of trees. Meeting a downward slope, the wheels whirred as the bike rolled smoothly downhill. A cool, crisp breeze ruffled the young man’s hair, revealing bright, clear eyes and a faint smile on his lips, while the hem of his pristine white shirt fluttered in the wind.

Qiao Yanli flicked the bell with his fingertips, leaving behind a trail of crisp, chiming rings.

【If you look at just Qiao Yanli, this is practically a scene from an idol drama.】

【But seeing Tu Sheng…】

Tu Sheng clutched his thermos in the back seat, his eyes squinting comfortably in the gentle breeze as the wrinkles on his face smoothed out.

【Sorry, all I can think of is a loving father and a filial son…】

【Loving father and filial son, my ass!】

The road to the village was not that far. Walking would have taken ages, but riding a bicycle took just over half an hour.

Once they arrived at the village, Qiao Yanli stopped. Tu Sheng felt a bit sheepish. “Tired, aren’t you? Let me ride and carry you on the way back.”

“I’m not tired. Besides, Teacher Tu, that’s not where your usefulness lies.”

Tu Sheng: “Huh??”

That was the second time he had said that.

It was still afternoon, and quite a few villagers were cooling off and chatting under a large tree. Seeing the two of them followed by camera operators, they all cast curious glances their way.

Qiao Yanli said to him, “Teacher Tu, I’ll need your cooperation from here on.”

Tu Sheng: “Huh?”

Seeing him walk toward the villagers, Tu Sheng followed in utter confusion. The moment they stopped before the villagers, Qiao Yanli gently pushed him forward.

He turned back in bewilderment, only to meet the young man’s encouraging gaze.

Tu Sheng: Huh???

In this village where the elderly made up the majority, neither top idol heartthrobs nor trendy starlets were guaranteed to be recognized.

Tu Sheng, however, was a different story.

He had been acting for many years, starring in plenty of satellite-broadcast dramas^[3], and was quite famous among middle-aged and older audiences.

Sure enough, a villager soon hurried over in excitement. “Are you Zhuzi?”

Zhuzi was a popular supporting character in a classic Anti-Japanese War drama, played by the actor Tu Sheng.

Before Tu Sheng could react, the young man beside him answered for him, “This is Teacher Tu.”

The villager immediately asked, “Then can I take a photo with you?”

Qiao Yanli answered swiftly, “No problem. Teacher Tu would be glad to.”

Tu Sheng: ???

Though he did not understand, he cooperated and smiled for the phone.

Seeing one person succeed, other villagers who recognized Tu Sheng gathered around holding their phones, taking photos with him one by one.

Only after everyone had taken their photos did Qiao Yanli speak up. “Teacher Tu is filming a variety show nearby. The rules require us to work and earn money to buy ingredients for tonight’s dinner. Would there happen to be any suitable jobs around here?”

The villagers responded enthusiastically, “Why bother with that? You can all just come to my house to eat!”

“There are seven of us, so we wouldn’t want to impose,” Qiao Yanli said. “We need a job, and we also need to know where to buy vegetables.”

That was even simpler!

Every household in the village grew vegetables, more than they could eat themselves. Having just taken photos with an actor they liked, upon hearing that they wanted to buy vegetables, they went straight home and picked huge bunches.

But all of their living funds had been handed over to Song Shuqi, leaving them without a single Fen^[4] on them.

The villagers were even more generous. “Just take them! No charge!”

Only after the two adamantly refused did they agree on a low, nominal price.

As for work, that was easy to find as well. The villagers said outright, “Teacher Tu can just chat with us, and we’ll count that as work.”

Holding his thermos, Tu Sheng sat in the middle of a crowd of middle-aged and elderly folks, wearing an awkward yet polite smile.

Qiao Yanli chuckled. “That won’t do. That would be cheating.”

The villagers scratched their heads, asked among themselves, and actually managed to find him a job.

There were craftsmen in the village who made a living weaving handicrafts. They usually took these crafts to sell at a nearby tourist town, fetching fairly good prices.

Qiao Yanli made an arrangement with one of them to help weave handicrafts, agreeing to be paid based on how well the finished pieces turned out. He did not ask for much, keeping it well below market price, since he could not take unfair advantage of the villagers.

Weaving was artisanal work; anyone who had never learned it would find it very difficult to pick up. But Qiao Yanli had a bit of similar experience in the past. After watching the master demonstrate once, he quickly set to work.

The young man lowered his gaze, his thick, long eyelashes casting shadows as his ink-dark eyes focused intently on the work in his hands. The camera zoomed in, focusing on his hands. Long, fair, and clearly defined at the joints, they were remarkably beautiful hands. Under his deft touch, the bamboo strips were nimbly woven into an outline, gradually taking shape until the finished piece was on par with the master’s own work.

He worked fast. In the time Tu Sheng spent chatting with the villagers, Qiao Yanli had already completed several pieces.

The viewers in the livestream room were practically dying of laughter.

【So this is where Tu Sheng’s usefulness lies!】

【Tu Sheng never knew that the gifts bestowed by fate had already been priced from the very beginning…】

【I’m dying of laughter, hahahaha! One second it’s a loving father and filial son, and the next second he sells him out.】

【By the way, Qiao Yanli’s hands are gorgeous… Ah, wait, I mean the things he weaves are gorgeous.】

【He’s actually pretty good at this! He can even build on what he learned and come up with his own creative ideas. It’s even better than what the master taught!】

【Holy shit! What an unexpected turn of events! This is the first time a guest has searched for a job right under Director Yang’s nose, and he actually found one! Does Director Yang even know about this?!】

【Compared to the jobs Director Yang provided, this is obviously effortless and brings in quick cash. Qiao Yanli earned all their living expenses by himself.】

【Though only Qiao Yanli could pull this off. Tu Sheng tried earlier and was doing more harm than good, so Qiao Yanli immediately asked him to go back and keep chatting. Cracking up so hard.】

Meanwhile, on the other side.

Song Shuqi had chosen the fruit-picking job. But it was far from easy; it was pure manual labor. He carried a massive basket on his back, and once filled with fruit, it weighed heavily on his shoulders. He was sweating buckets, to the point that the makeup he had specifically put on before setting out was already beginning to smudge.

The wholesale price of the fruit itself was not high, and the labor was even cheaper. On top of that, Yang the Skinflint took a cut in the middle. Calculated by weight in the end, picking one Jin [approx. 0.5 kg] only earned a few Fen…

Ah, well…

Waves of ellipses swept across the screen.

Someone chimed in:

【I suddenly feel a little sorry for Song Shuqi…】

【+1】