Chapter 173 Carp Village

The production team didn't buy much. After dividing it up, each serving only contained the standard claypot rice with scallions and eel, a small piece of steamed bun, a small box of cold dishes, and a small box of braised dishes.

Presumably to take into account the celebrities' need to maintain their figure, the boxes are all small.

The assistant lifted the lid, and a fragrant aroma wafted out. Because the insulation was done well, everything except the cold dishes was piping hot.

The assistant laid out a table full of food, and after taking one bite, his eyes lit up.

Whether it's the claypot rice with shallots and eel, or the cold dishes and braised dishes, they are all surprisingly delicious.

He devoured the entire table of food in a flash, only then realizing he was stuffed.

Touching his bulging belly, the assistant licked his lips, still savoring the deliciousness of the claypot rice and the rich, savory flavor of the steamed bun.

He's eaten his fair share of good food with celebrities, but nothing, whether it's a five-star hotel or a private dinner, is as delicious as tonight's meal.

He put the lunchbox away and went to the program team's meeting room.

It was already past midnight, and while the artists could rest, the team was still working tirelessly to finalize the details of tomorrow's shoot.

The assistant director saw him arrive and warmly invited him to sit down: "Is there anything I can help you with?"

The assistant also smoothed things over: "The food Lucy brought over was quite good; Xuanli said it was delicious."

The assistant director beamed: "Right? I told you this restaurant was good. As soon as they mentioned filming here, I immediately thought of it."

Assistant: "This restaurant is so delicious, it must be very expensive, right?"

"It's not expensive," the assistant director said mysteriously, gesturing with his hands. "But there's a purchase limit!"

Luckily, there were many people buying food earlier, so we split the purchase among several people; otherwise, there wouldn't have been enough to go around!

The two were chatting animatedly when the director, who was going over the script, overheard a few sentences and asked, "What purchase restrictions?"

The assistant director quickly explained that it was a very famous local internet-famous shop.

"She's really good at cooking. My niece's classmate once brought her some sausages, and she took them to my house to stew. They were so delicious!"

There were only two portions, and the family members each ate a few bites of one portion. The remaining portion was intended for dinner, but somehow the family dog ​​opened the refrigerator and ate it all.

The assistant director's five-year-old daughter came home and burst into tears, and the family dog ​​felt incredibly guilty. In the end, he asked his niece to find that classmate and buy some more Wenji sausage seasoning powder, so his daughter could eat it again.

Director: "Is it really that delicious? What do you sell it for?"

Assistant Director: "They sell quite a variety of things... Hey, I just had Xiao Yue bring you some. Today I bought claypot rice with sand onion and eel, as well as steamed buns, cold dishes and stuff."

The assistant director looked around and then found a meal that was still in its unopened packaging on the corner of the table.

"Here, that's the one."

The director, seeing the food, realized he was hungry, but not wanting to eat alone in front of everyone, he decided to share it with everyone.

Zhou Xuanli's assistant didn't leave this time. He had eaten there before and knew how delicious the food was. So, he took advantage of the chaos to find a pair of disposable chopsticks and planned to eat a few bites.

The director frowned as he looked at the sand onions; he really dislikes eating onions.

So he picked up the steamed bun and said, "You guys eat, I'll just have something to eat."

He said it was just a casual snack, but the moment the steamed bun entered his mouth, the director fell silent.

This thick meat pie is incredibly soft, I don't know what's added to it. The meat filling on the cut surface even has a slightly powdery texture, which means it's made from high-quality meat. It's juicy, crispy, and the one-finger-wide meat pie, paired with cold dishes, is so delicious that it instantly washes away the frustration of working overtime.

"It's really good."

The assistant director, who had just grabbed a bowl of claypot rice, mumbled through his mouth, "I told you so?"

Although he had eaten sausages before, this was the first time he had actually tasted Wen Ji's dishes. He immediately felt an urge to stay a few more days after the show ended and have a good meal at Wen Ji.

He thought this, and some of the staff around him actually said it out loud.

"Wow, this is so delicious!"

"Director, we're finishing filming this program the day after tomorrow. Could we stay half a day or a day longer? I'd like to eat at a restaurant!"

Although the food was delicious, the director's portion had been sitting out for a while, which slightly diminished its flavor but left everyone even more dissatisfied.

This is hardly enough for one person to share!

They're going to eat at the restaurant!

The director wiped his mouth: "That's too much trouble, Xiao Yue. Call Director Hao and tell him we have some new arrangements... Oh, and talk to the artists about whether it's okay to postpone the show by half a day."

The others were a little surprised when the director spoke.

Although the show is one of the top outdoor variety shows in recent years, with ratings so high that it can hold its head high in front of celebrities, such changes to the celebrities' schedules have been very rare in the past few years, usually due to weather or other reasons.

Why is it being postponed so suddenly?

The director smiled and said, "I've been thinking about it. Could we add a few NPCs to this episode? Let's discuss it with Director Hao and add a few related to local specialties. We can also invite this shop to set up a stall."

Seeing the staff instantly excited, the director kept his achievements to himself, feeling that his idea was absolutely brilliant.

Zhou Xuanli's assistant was also very happy to hear this, but when he returned to his room, he saw Zhou Xuanli in a rage.

Zhou Xuanli unleashed a string of profanities: "Is that old geezer sick in the head?! Isn't my time time too? He keeps postponing things, what about the time delays on my end?!"

The assistant quietly picked up the pillow that Zhou Xuanli had thrown on the ground, thinking to himself that Zhou Xuanli didn't have any schedule. He was the least senior member of the production team. As a newcomer, his only other job besides this regular variety show was joining the production team two months later.

"Perhaps the production team has other plans."

The assistant didn't want to tell the artist anymore about the show's producers inviting that restaurant with the best food to be an NPC.

...

The director had a new idea and immediately began making arrangements, making a phone call to Director Hao.

Fortunately, Director Hao knew the production team was coming to film in the past few days, so he didn't question why they were calling so late.

After the director finished explaining his ideas, Director Hao immediately said no problem.

However, when it came to Wenji, Director Hao said that he would have to talk to the owner of Wenji tomorrow.

The director was puzzled: "Do we need to prepare things? Don't worry about that, I'll make arrangements with the logistics team, and everything will be ready tomorrow."

Director Hao: "That's not it..."

The director was even more puzzled. The production team had a great reputation, and any store that came to cooperate would gain a large number of customers afterward. How could anyone disagree?

Director Hao thought to himself, this isn't about agreeing or disagreeing; he wants to ask the owner of Wenji whether the cook will be going to school tomorrow.

...

Wen Fan, a cook who doesn't attend school, was called to the shop by his mother as soon as he woke up in the morning.

When I arrived at the store, I saw several people in suits. The one in the lead had an unfamiliar face and claimed that his surname was Hao.

"I work in the cultural and tourism sector."

The other party sincerely invited Wen Fan to participate in the program.

Wen Fan looked at his father and then at his mother, both of them filled with confusion and a little excitement.

"...What is this program about?"

Director Hao: "It's a reality show that goes all over the country and features many celebrities."

He read out the names of several celebrities, glancing at Wen Fan's expression: "If you go, you can meet the celebrities face-to-face, get autographs and take photos with them."

Wen Fan showed little interest.

When she was first reborn, she watched some TV dramas, especially palace dramas. The actresses in them were all very beautiful, no less so than the concubines she had met. It was just that the emperors were unrealistic; real emperors were old and ugly.

As for those handsome imperial physicians, Wen Fan couldn't relate to any of them. Most of the old men in the Imperial Hospital had lost a lot of their teeth, and it was hard to find one under forty. It was completely different from the TV series.

She gets dizzy watching other TV dramas after a while; those handsome faces are good-looking, but she can't tell them apart after watching them for a long time.

Seeing that the celebrity had failed to pique Wen Fan's interest, Director Hao could only try to persuade him from other angles.

"The production team pays you for your work, and this show is nationwide. Your business will be even better after it becomes popular..."

Upon hearing that business would be even better, Wen Fan immediately replied, "I'll go."

Upon receiving a definite answer from Wen Fan, Director Hao immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

"What should I bring? And what are the arrangements for this program?"

Director Hao waved his hand: "Let's go first, someone will tell you when we get there."

Wen Fan nodded, then added, "I want to bring my mom and dad along."

What's the big deal? Just by looking at the expressions on Wen's parents' faces, Director Hao knew that if he dared to say no, the parents would definitely tell him directly not to go.

"Go, all of you."

Wen's mother immediately said, "I'll call Du Min."

Father Wen: "I'll also tell my master."

The two went to make a phone call, while Wen Fan went into the kitchen, found a box, and packed some of his own sauce powder and liquor.

...

Wen's father drove with Director Hao and soon arrived at Carp Village.

This was Wen Fan's second visit, but it was his parents' first. As they looked around, they exclaimed, "This place has changed so much!"

Wen Fan also noticed some differences. Compared to last time, this place is much richer now. From afar, he could see a huge koi sculpture at the entrance of the village, and the village was decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations everywhere.

Director Hao brought the family to the director, who initially thought the cook was Wen's father and that Wen Fan was just a celebrity brought by his family.

"Our segment is not complicated. The artists will receive coins in other segments. This time, the program focuses on getting rich. The coins can be used for purchases or exchanged for fortune-telling and wishes at the Koi Temple. The program is designed so that no food is provided, so the artists will definitely come to you to buy food. What they buy and how much they charge you are all up to you. It's best to make it look good."

Director: "Xiao Yue, find me a couple of outfits. Is this your kid? Just stay with the crew and don't go into the filming area."

Director Hao: "Find three sets of clothes."

The director frowned, feeling a little uncomfortable. Could this family be trying to push their daughter into the entertainment industry, and that's why they deliberately brought her to the show?

Looking at Wen Fan's appearance again, although she is very beautiful, but...

Director Hao whispered to the director, "This young lady is the real chef."

"What?!"

Even the director's voice cracked.

Director Hao could only pull the person aside to explain.

A moment later, the director returned, waving absentmindedly, "Three outfits, please."

What kind of nonsense is this!

Wen Fan changed into ancient costume and saw herself in the mirror. Her pale face was covered by a maroon ancient costume dress, and her heart clenched instantly.

Makeup artist: "Come here, little sister, let me do your light makeup..."

Wen Fan jumped up and asked, "Where's my mom?"

Wen's mother's voice came from behind: "Xiao Fan, do you think I look good in this outfit?"

Seeing her parents, who looked slightly uncomfortable, come out of the fitting room, Wen Fan finally managed to calm her wildly beating heart.

"……nice."

In the end, Wen Fan still refused to wear makeup, and she changed out of the maroon ancient costume dress, choosing a blue one instead.

The production team's preparations were quite adequate. This place was originally a small restaurant in Carp Village. When Wen Fan entered the restaurant, he placed the things he brought under the table.

The production crew kept coming in to set up cameras in the kitchen. Once everything was in place, Wen's mother looked around and saw that there were at least five or six cameras. She even spoke in hushed tones.

What are you planning to do?

The various vegetables, rice, and noodles on the counter were all still in their bags.

Wen Fan pointed to the large water tank next to him: "It's definitely for cooking fish!"

Carp Village, Carp Village—the production team clearly had this in mind, otherwise where would this tank of carp come from?

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Author's Note: One less update today, I'm a bit sleepy.