Chai Fei's protest was ineffective, and he didn't miss a single task.

After Jiang Hexi led the team to collect the eggs and clean the beehives, they went to the camphor tree to gather information.

As soon as she sat down on the small stool, the old women crowded around her, chattering away as they spoke to her:

“Daughter, my bell peppers have sprouted. Grandma Liu will pick them for you now.”

“There are extra lettuce, tomatoes and water spinach in the garden. I saved them for you in the field since you didn’t come last week.”

"I was wondering why the three of you hadn't come for so long. Turns out you went home. I still have the scallions and cilantro I gave you last time. I'll take them to you now."

Jiang Hexi couldn't refuse the old ladies' kindness, so she had Chu Yang and Yu Xiangwan go and get the vegetables separately.

Chai Fei couldn't help but tease her, "Xi-mei, I didn't realize you were so popular in the countryside."

"That's to give a red envelope as a token of appreciation."

Granny Xiang rubbed her two fingers together and whispered something in the doorway, her voice so loud that everyone sitting nearby could hear it:

“She offered a lot of money, so those women were willing to sell their vegetables to her.”

Cui Atai laughed until her face was full of wrinkles, and scolded her, "Axiang, that's a longevity red envelope, not money from selling vegetables."

Grandma Xiang quickly changed her tune, saying, "Xi-mei is such a filial child. She knows how to be respectful to us old women and brings us good fortune. She's truly thoughtful."

Jiang Hexi took it as a compliment and asked, "Grandma and Grandpa, are there any side jobs in the village or county that can earn money quickly?"

Grandma Xiang stopped fanning herself with her palm leaf fan and asked with concern, "Xi-mei, how much money do you want to earn?"

Jiang Hexi tried to speak, "Would ten thousand yuan be alright?"

"It's going to be difficult. It definitely won't work in the village, unless it's one of the projects contracted by the village committee."

"There's a job at the suburban forest farm. I don't know if you're qualified."

Granny Xiang and Aunt Cui replied one after the other. Before Jiang Hexi could react, Granny Xiang asked anxiously:

"What kind of money-making jobs can you find in those remote corners of the suburbs?"

"The Luo family, who live by Sanxi Lake, have always wanted to find someone to repair the road, but the money offered was too little, so no one was willing to help them."

Jiang Hexi then asked, "Grandma, how much money can they give us?"

Although Cui Atai is old, her memory is surprisingly good. "It seems to be 20,000 yuan."

When Granny Xiang heard that it was the Luo family couple, she immediately had endless things to say:

"The Luo couple are city dwellers. They came to the suburbs more than ten years ago, saying they wanted to do something about ecology... which meant raising egrets. The birds come here in April and May, and they all fly away after October. The villagers laugh at the couple for raising so many birds for nothing."

Cui Atai, as if remembering something, suddenly murmured:

"There are egrets, egrets everywhere. Ever since I can remember, egrets have been flying in the sky here."

Jiang Hexi doesn't care about Bailu; she just wants to find a job that makes money.

She went to the village committee and asked the village chief to act as an intermediary to reach an agreement with the Luo family.

She was busy until it was completely dark outside before dragging her exhausted legs and rushing back in the dark with the cameraman.

Yan Jie stood on the steps in front of the courtyard gate, glancing out onto the country road from time to time.

He saw a streak of light flash in the dark shadows and knew that Jiang Hexi had returned.

"Why are you back so late?"

Jiang Hexi kept her head down and hurried along, but upon hearing this, she looked towards the end of the path.

In the pale moonlight, she could vaguely make out a lithe figure. The person emerged from the boundless shadows, and the faint glow of a flashlight illuminated his deeply contoured eyebrows and eyes.

She was taken aback. "Your Highness, you almost scared me to death!"

Yan Jie walked up to her and said with an unreadable expression, "If you don't want to be scared to death, come back earlier next time."

Jiang Hexi weakly defended herself, "When you're talking business, there's no time to think about anything else."

Yan Jie led her forward, and sensing her low spirits, his voice softened: "Next time you encounter something like this, leave it to me to handle."

He sensed the footsteps behind him slowing down and turned to look at her.

"Can't walk anymore?"

"Your Highness, I'm hungry."

Jiang Hexi was starving, her stomach practically sticking to her back. "The village committee doesn't have a canteen, so I went through all the dinners my auntie used to make in my head, and barely made it this far."

A smile crept across Yan Jie's face as he led her forward, tempting her as they walked:

"My aunt made Sichuan-style chicken for dinner. It was fresh, fragrant, spicy and delicious. The white chunks of meat and the oily chili sauce made my mouth water."

"She also made a wild vegetable and mushroom soup. The refreshing broth made you want to have a second bite after just one sip."

"The last dish, braised bamboo shoots, was also quite good. You've had this dish before; you can easily finish a bowl of rice with just a handful of bamboo shoots."

Jiang Hexi's hand, pointing at him, trembled slightly, whether from anger or hunger, it was hard to tell.

"You stay there and wait for me to come over. I'll show you what I'm made of."

Yan Jie strode forward before she could finish speaking, and Jiang Hexi chased after him with all her might.

The two hurried forward, one after the other, and soon entered the wooden building.

Exhausted, Jiang Hexi slumped into a chair, repeatedly shouting, "I can't take it anymore, I'm so tired and hungry, I'm going to die."

Yan Jie went into the kitchen and brought out the heated food, also remembering to bring her a towel to wipe her hands.

"Would you like to have a couple of bites first?"

Before he could finish speaking, he met that resentful little gaze, and the words "Have some food so you can get on the road" that were about to come out of his mouth were swallowed back down.

He finally understood why she was so unwilling to be his partner.

"We have your favorite Sichuan-style chicken, braised bamboo shoots, and wild vegetable and mushroom soup."

Jiang Hexi didn't hear any malicious words. She took a towel, wiped her hands, and said with a smile in her eyes, "Thanks."

Yan Jie picked a chair and sat down opposite her.

After taking a shower, Chu Yang saw Jiang Hexi and immediately asked:

"Sis, did you close the deal for 10,000 yuan?"

"It's all settled," Jiang Hexi said hurriedly, taking a sip of mushroom soup. "The village chief has contacted the suburban county—"

"Have a meal."

Yan Jie coldly interrupted Jiang Hexi, gave Chu Yang a pause gesture, and continued eating.

Yu Xiangwan came down the stairs, and before she even reached the living room, her voice had already caught up with her:

"Xi-mei, what did the village chief say?"

"The village chief and Professor Luo have reached an agreement; we'll go there tomorrow—"

"Have a meal."

Yan Jieshengwei's words interrupted Jiang Hexi's speech once again.

Jiang Hexi glanced at him and saw him sitting opposite her like a referee, supervising her meal. She thought to herself, "Just eat, why are you being so fierce?"

Ignoring the surprised looks from Chu Yang and Yu Xiangwan, she buried her head and finished off the food on her plate without saying another word.