Chapter 4 Eavesdropping

The vegetable grower spent the whole morning explaining to them how to grow vegetables, what to pay attention to during the process, what is needed for growing vegetables, and other important points.

After the vegetable grower finished speaking, he left first. Everyone invited him to have lunch with them, but he declined.

After the master left, the group sat together and discussed.

"Wow, Qiu Nan, your notes are so detailed and organized. You're a great teacher, amazing!" Zhao Zhiyi flipped through his notes.

Qiu Nan smiled modestly, "This afternoon we'll go find a plow first. As the technician just said, after plowing, we need to apply fertilizer to the ground."

"I have a headache from listening to this all morning," Zhao Zhiyi said, rubbing his head. "It's not the lectures that give me a headache, it's the thought of all the things I need to prepare for farming that gives me a headache."

Qiu Nan raised her hand and said, "Me too, and our start-up capital is only five thousand, which is not enough to buy much stuff."

Shen Yingying: "That's alright. The production team said we can borrow from them."

As soon as Shen Yingying finished speaking, the director suddenly interjected, "You can borrow money, but you have to guarantee that you will pay it back before the end of the show."

“Sure,” Zhao Zhiyi said confidently. “The vegetables we grow belong to us. When we take them out to sell, we’ll definitely make a profit.”

Gu Qingke echoed him, "Yes."

Qu Xian, who was older, did not respond.

After that part, everyone had another discussion.

Just as the discussion was getting into place, someone from the production crew called out, "Dinner's ready!"

Lunch was bought by the production team in town. It was a boxed lunch with three dishes and a soup, including both meat and vegetables, and it looked very appetizing.

"Does anyone among us know how to operate a ploughing machine?" Gu Qingke asked while eating. "If someone does, we can rent one; it'll save us a lot of money."

"Isn't this thing easy to drive and quick to master?" Qu Xian asked.

Zhao Zhiyi chimed in, "I forgot to ask the master just now."

As they were talking, Su Tangtang put down her chopsticks, picked up a tissue to wipe her mouth, and then said, "I can drive."

Everyone looked at her upon hearing this.

But not one of them believed it.

“Su Tangtang, are you kidding me? We’re having a serious discussion,” Gu Qingke frowned. “If you can’t help, don’t cause trouble.”

No one present believed her words; they all thought she was joking and boasting without considering the seriousness of the matter.

Su Tangtang chuckled, "Alright then, if you don't believe me, that's fine too."

Everyone: "..."

After that, no one paid any attention to her and continued the discussion.

“Let’s just find some locals to plow the land. The foreman just said that it’s only 50 yuan per mu,” Qiu Nan said.

Qu Xian: "Sure, it's convenient and you don't have to worry about it."

Zhao Zhiyi: "I think so too, I agree."

Seeing that Qiu Nan didn't speak, Gu Qingke looked at him.

Qiu Nan: "I agree."

The other four families agreed, leaving only Su Tangtang's family. They passed directly without seeking their opinion.

Su Tangtang touched her nose.

I felt isolated by them.

She glanced at Huo Yizhou, only to see him quietly eating with his head down, showing no intention of joining them.

After discussing and agreeing on the plan, everyone set off.

The production team didn't provide them with a car, but it was quite a distance to the town. Gu Qingke tried to borrow a car from the production team for a long time, but they couldn't manage to borrow one.

"We'll have to find our own transportation," said director Han Yang.

A hint of displeasure flashed across Gu Qingke's face. "Alright then."

"How about we borrow some from the villagers?" Shen Yingying suggested.

Zhou Yan: "Okay, how about we split up and meet up in town?"

Lin Lang: "Okay."

Soon, everyone left, leaving only Su Tangtang and Huo Yizhou.

The atmosphere was a little awkward.

Su Tangtang sighed and looked at Huo Yizhou, saying, "I really can drive."

One year during her internship, her school organized them to collect data and conduct experiments in the countryside. She stayed there for almost a month and learned how to use a ploughing machine from the local villagers.

Huo Yizhou glanced at her and said, "Then prove it to them without saying it out loud."

Su Tangtang: "Isn't this the question he asked who can drive?"

She asked him again, "Do you trust me?"

Huo Yizhou: "I don't believe it. I only believe what I see."

Su Tangtang grunted, "Okay."

Huo Yizhou: "Let's go borrow a car."

Su Tangtang nodded, and the two walked towards the center of the village.

They hadn't walked more than two hundred meters when they saw Gu Qingke and Shen Yingying, who were borrowing a car from an elderly couple who looked to be in their sixties or seventies.

But they didn't trust them, and no matter how much they pleaded, they wouldn't lend them the money.

Su Tangtang: "It looks like it won't be easy to borrow."

Huo Yizhou: "Who would be willing to lend to a complete stranger?"

Su Tangtang: "That's true, so what do we do then?"

Huo Yizhou: "I think it's only two kilometers, we can walk there."

Su Tangtang: "..."

"We can go to the village chief and ask him to be our guarantor."

Huo Yizhou glanced down at her and said, "Quite smart."

Su Tangtang: "Brother, I feel like there's a hint of sarcasm in what you said."

Huo Yizhou was taken aback for a moment, then looked at her and said, "You're overthinking it."

Su Tangtang scoffed, and the two arrived at the village chief's house.

They came here to record a program after speaking with the village chief and receiving his consent, so the village chief warmly welcomed them.

Su Tangtang explained the purpose of her visit to the village chief, who chuckled and said, "We have a car, so use ours for now."

Su Tangtang exclaimed in surprise, "Really? Thank you so much!"

The village chief laughed, "You're too kind, you're too kind."

Su Tangtang followed the village chief into the courtyard.

The village chief's house is very large, and there is a carport in the yard.

Su Tangtang saw that his family had a ploughing machine, a small one, not very big, but it could plow ten acres of land a day without any problem.

After hesitating for a while, she chose to ask for a loan instead of asking, "Village chief, do you have a plow?"

The village chief replied, "Yes, my family has a lot of land, so I bought one. Sometimes people from the village come to borrow it, but it costs money to go to town to find someone to plow the land."

Su Tangtang smiled and said, "Village chief, can we borrow your ploughing machine?"

The village chief readily agreed, "Okay."

"This thing is easy to drive. Anyone who can drive can drive it. Once you get to the field, you'll figure it out in no time."

Su Tangtang: "Village chief, we won't use it for free. How much would it cost to rent it for a day?"

Village Chief: "Oh, young lady, you're too kind. No need to pay."

Su Tangtang smiled shyly, "I'm so embarrassed."

Village chief: "There's nothing to be embarrassed about."

Su Tangtang said generously, "Village chief, when our cucumbers ripen, you can pick as many as you like from our vegetable garden."

The village chief scratched his head sheepishly and said, "Okay."

Before driving the plow out, the village chief explained to them again how to use it.

After he finished speaking, the village chief drove the plow from the yard onto the road.

The plow was very loud and noisy, buzzing around. After Su Tangtang sat on it, she shouted loudly to the village chief, "Village chief, thank you, we're leaving now."

The village chief waved to her, "Okay."

Su Tangtang had just left with Huo Yizhou in her tractor when Gu Qingke and Shen Yingying arrived at the village chief's house.

They asked to borrow the vehicle, and the village chief readily agreed. While chatting with them, he said that two people had just borrowed their plow and left not long ago. He said that if they wanted to borrow it, he could help them get one.

Gu Qingke thanked Xie but refused to lend him the plow.

After leaving the village chief's house, the two drove their tricycle to town. On the way, Shen Yingying said, "When did she learn to drive a plow?"

Gu Qingke scoffed, "I wonder what she'll come up with. Maybe she'll be begging us to help them plow the fields."

Shen Yingying laughed, "You're right."

-

Su Tangtang drove the plow into the field, with Huo Yizhou and the photographer following behind.

We arrived at the field in about ten minutes.

The director and crew are currently standing next to the vegetable garden.

They were shocked to see that Su Tangtang had actually arrived in a plow; they never expected that she could actually drive one.

Someone whispered, "Knowing how to drive doesn't mean you know how to drive a ploughing machine to plough the land. Driving is simple; anyone who can drive a car can drive one. The real question is whether you know how to plough the land."

Someone chimed in, "Why does she love stealing the spotlight so much? She'll be embarrassed when she crashes and burns."

Su Tangtang stopped the plow.

Han Yang walked up to her and said, "Are you going to drive? Don't be reckless, or you'll hurt yourself."

Su Tangtang: "Don't worry."

Han Yang still disagreed somewhat.

If she hurts herself, he really won't be able to explain it to Su Tanghao.

He never expected her to sign up for the harvester training, but then he thought she probably gave up after seeing the harvester, so he didn't take it seriously. Now that he saw her actually driving the plow, he believed she was serious.

I don't know what triggered her, but she stopped bothering Gu Qingke.

Seeing that she showed no sign of giving up, Han Yang said, "Be careful."

Su Tangtang hummed in agreement.

Before starting the ploughing machine, Su Tangtang checked its structure, the working parts, and whether the screws were secure, as well as whether the oil level was sufficient. Then she started the machine, sat on it, and drove it into the field. Just as she reached the edge of the field, she saw Huo Yizhou waving at her. She stopped and asked him loudly, "What's wrong?"

The machine was very loud, and Huo Yizhou couldn't hear it very clearly.

He stepped onto the machine by standing on the footrest.

In an instant, the two were very close.

Su Tangtang felt a pang of panic, blinked, and stared at him. "What are you doing up here?"

Huo Yizhou leaned closer to her, "You're tired from plowing, let me take over."

Su Tangtang: "You can?"

Huo Yizhou: "I know a little."

Su Tangtang didn't doubt him. After all, he was the big shot described by the author in the story, someone who knew a little bit about everything. She nodded, "Okay."

After Huo Yizhou got off, Su Tangtang drove the machine into the field.

The machine body reached the field, and the plow blades were at the edge of the field.

It hasn't rained in Qiushui County for half a month, and the ground is quite dry.

She started the engine, pressed the clutch and adjusted the throttle to the appropriate position, and then shifted into second gear.

The plough started moving, the blades sank into the ground, and with her operation, the flat ground quickly rolled up, revealing new soil.

“She actually plowed it successfully; look how even the depth is,” someone said.

Seeing her skillful operation, Han Yang's anxiety subsided.

Huo Yizhou: "Pretty impressive."

Han Yang paused for a moment, then looked at Huo Yizhou, "It's rare to see you praise someone."

Huo Yizhou chuckled lightly, "That's the truth."

"After spending the last two days with her, I found that she is not the same as what is said online."

Han Yang chuckled.

Huo Yizhou raised an eyebrow at him.

He had witnessed her disgraceful behavior firsthand. He had even watched her performances on other variety shows, which were simply unbearable to watch; she had offended everyone in those shows.

Han Yang sneered, "Is it possible that she's faking it?"

Huo Yizhou turned his head to look at him, "You have a lot of prejudice against her."

Han Yang sighed, "You've never seen anything like this before."

Huo Yizhou didn't respond, but instead looked at Su Tangtang, who was far away.

-

The streets of Renji Town were not crowded, but most of the people there were elderly. Gu Qingke and his group were in a shop, negotiating with the owner.

"Can't we plow the fields today?" Qu Xian asked the boss, who looked to be in his forties.

The shop owner said, "There are many people planting vegetables in April, and all the machines have been taken out. We can only do it tomorrow."

Gu Qingke: "There's no rush, it'll only be this afternoon. How about tomorrow?"

Qu Xian thought for a moment, then nodded in agreement, "Okay."

The boss glanced down at his phone, then looked up at them again. "You guys look familiar. Are you celebrities?"

As he spoke, he held up his phone and showed it to Qu Xian.

"Is this you?"

Qu Xian smiled and then nodded.

The boss got excited, "A real star! This is the first time I've seen one like this."

Qu Xian: "..."

Zhou Yan and the others were trying not to laugh.

Seeing this, Shen Yingying smiled and said, "Boss, could you give us a discount? We have forty acres of land."

The shop owner said, "We've already given you a discount. For other people, it's 60 yuan per mu, but we're offering you 50, which is already cheap."

She thought the shop owner would recognize them and give them a discount, but she was wrong.

Boss: "Our machines are big; we can finish your forty acres in just one morning."

Wu Xiaojia: "Okay, then let's do it this way."

They eventually paid the deposit and left.

Lin Lang: "Since we're here, let's go check out the seed shop."

Zhou Yan: "Okay."

-

In half an hour, Su Tangtang had finished plowing one acre of land, and then she started on the next acre.

By the time Gu Qingke and his group arrived at the field, Su Tangtang had already plowed three acres.

They stood by, dumbfounded. They thought she was just boasting, but she actually succeeded. They were expecting to see her proven wrong, but instead, they were the ones who were proven wrong.

Wu Xiaojia stared at Su Tangtang in the field, "She's really something."

Seeing her success, Gu Qingke and Shen Yingying's expressions turned very ugly.

By 7 p.m., it was already dark. Su Tangtang and the others had finished plowing their fields. She had plowed five mu of land, and Huo Yizhou had plowed five mu.

After plowing the land, Su Tangtang and the others tidied up the land, drove the plow machine, and took the drinks provided by the production team to the village chief's house to return the machine.

They thanked him again and politely declined the village chief's offer to let them stay for the rest of the meal.

When they returned, everyone else had already gathered at the production crew's accommodation.

After everyone had gathered, they began to eat dinner. After dinner, director Han Yang asked everyone to report on their progress for the day.

The final result was that all four families were at the same pace, while Su Tangtang's family had already finished plowing their land, which was a little faster than the other four families.

Han Yang said, "Then please take turns reporting on your progress for tomorrow."

Qu Xianxian replied, "Then we'll go first. We'll finish tilling the land tomorrow morning, and then buy organic fertilizer and prepare for fertilization in the afternoon."

As soon as Qu Xian finished speaking, Wu Xiaojia chimed in, "Our family is on the same track as Brother Qu's family."

Han Yang looked at Gu Qingke and Lin Lang.

Gu Qingke: "We are the same."

Lin Lang said calmly, "The same."

Finally, Han Yang's gaze fell on Su Tangtang.

Su Tangtang: "Our plan is to go upstairs tomorrow to buy fertilizer and apply it, then go in the afternoon to buy the things needed to build the greenhouse, and then water it the day after tomorrow morning."

Han Yang gave an OK sign.

Afterwards, Su Tangtang and the others returned to their respective residences.

There was a video camera in the house. As soon as Su Tangtang got home, she saw Huo Yizhou cover the video camera with something.

"Are you going to take a shower?" Su Tangtang asked.

Huo Yizhou: "Go."

Su Tangtang quickly replied, "I'll go too."

Huo Yizhou responded with an "oh".

Su Tangtang took her things, and the two of them went to the crew's accommodation to take a shower.

While taking a shower, Su Tangtang thought Huo Yizhou would leave first, since men shower faster than women. However, when she came out, Huo Yizhou was still there.

For some reason, Su Tangtang felt a warmth in her heart.

Huo Yizhou looked at her, who was wrapping her hair in a towel, and asked, "Aren't you going to dry it?"

Su Tangtang: "Blow."

Huo Yizhou nodded, "Then hurry up."

Su Tangtang gave him an OK sign and quickly went to blow-dry her hair.

Three or four minutes later, the two left the production crew's accommodation and returned to their own place.

The two did not speak to each other on the way, and walked quietly into the alley where they lived.

"I'm so angry! I didn't expect her to have such a hidden trick up her sleeve. I just can't stand her. Everything she does annoys me."

The soft, rustling sounds reached their ears.

"Keep your voice down, there are cameras inside."

"I have turned off the lapel microphone and earpiece, and I have also turned off the camera."

"I'll be fine after the show is over."

"After this recording, what if she takes money and throws herself into the next show? She's just deliberately trying to annoy me."

"No, I'll handle it after the show is finished recording, and I won't bother you anymore."

"real?"

"Believe me."

The two didn't leave until the sound disappeared.

Huo Yizhou: "I didn't expect you to have this kind of quirk."

Su Tangtang: "?"

Su Tangtang retorted, "You didn't leave either, did you?"

Huo Yizhou smiled.

He laughed softly, but Su Tangtang heard it.

It sounds very nice; it's completely different from his usual speaking voice.

Unfortunately, it was too dark, and she could only hear the voice but not see the smile.

Huo Yizhou: "Then you're quite annoying."

Su Tangtang said, "Of course, but this is my fault."