Chapter 26 Protruding Tongue
Chapter 26
"Isn't this a yellow wax amanita?" Chu Xingli picked up a mushroom casually, her face full of disbelief. "Then what is it?"
“Professor Chu, this is Amanita phalloides. They do look very similar,” the expert explained to him, “but the difference of just one word is a matter of life and death.”
Chu Xingli sighed, put down the poisonous mushroom in her hand, and turned to look at the large basket of poisonous mushrooms, her feelings were complicated.
Lin Ning was clearly unable to accept this outcome for the time being.
He looked at Chu Xingli with a wronged expression, then looked down at the mushroom in his hand, giving the impression that he was about to put it in his mouth to test for poison.
"Master Mushroom, please take another look," Chu Xingli said, afraid that Lin Ning would actually do that. She quickly pulled the mushroom from his hand and then asked reluctantly, "Is there really not a single edible mushroom in this basket?"
Seeing the handsome young man looking at him, Master Mushroom felt a pang of pity and put his gloves back on to examine him carefully once more.
In the end, he shook his head helplessly and took off his gloves.
"Professor Chu, you're practically stacking buffs..."
Seeing Chu Xingli awkwardly purse his lips, the staff and the mushroom expert quickly gave Chu Xingli a thumbs up and comforted him, saying, "Some people would have a hard time picking up a whole basket of poisonous mushrooms like this."
Chu Xingli: "..."
[Master Mushroom: I can't say you don't have any poisonous mushrooms in your basket, but when it comes to emotional value, I'll definitely give you plenty.]
[Hug: (Holding head) I don't want to hear anymore, I want to eat these poisonous mushrooms!]
[Lemon next to me: I was just about to eat.]
[The task of offering comforting hugs should be left to Brother Ranzi.]
[Brother Ranzi, come back quickly! If you don't come back soon, your wife is going to kill herself with poisonous mushrooms (just kidding)]
Luo Xiaoran and Zhu Ji quickly caught up with the mushrooms they had picked and handed them to the staff for inspection.
In order to please Lin Ning later, Zhu Ji made sure the staff inspected him first.
Fortunately, Luo Xiaoran didn't intend to compete with him for the first time.
Instead, they focused their attention on Chu Xingli, who was standing to the side carrying his basket of poisonous mushrooms.
"Hugs, have you had some water?" Luo Xiaoran pulled a medium-sized thermos from his work pants, unscrewed it with one hand, and handed it to Chu Xingli. "Your lips are a little dry."
Chu Xingli didn't expect Luo Xiaoran to pay attention to these details.
He was taken aback after hearing this, then took the thermos from Luo Xiaoran with both hands and drank two sips of warm water.
...I am indeed a bit thirsty.
It's just that it's tough on Luo Xiaoran, who's injured, to have to take care of him like this.
"Have you drunk from it?" Realizing it wasn't very polite to let Luo Xiaoran drink from the same cup as her, Chu Xingli reached into her pocket to find a tissue to wipe the rim of the cup. "Wait a minute, let me wipe it..."
Unexpectedly, Luo Xiaoran was faster than him, snatching the thermos back into his own hands first.
Then, taking a sip from the spot where Chu Xingli was drinking water, he did the same.
When Luo Xiaoran handed the water glass to Chu Xingli, she really wanted to touch his lips.
But I was worried that she would resist a hug, so I had to give up the idea.
[They drank from the same cup! They kissed! I don't care! They just kissed!!!]
[How can Ranzi be so thoughtful? He even remembered if Hug had drunk water!]
Please, God, grant me a boyfriend who takes such good care of me (praying)
[Ranzi: You idiot, hurry up and give it to me! If you wipe it off, I won't be able to indirectly kiss you!]
[Waaaa, Ranzi's eyes are so restrained, he really wants to touch and hug you, right?]
While the two were talking, the Mushroom Master had already finished examining Zhu Ji's mushrooms.
"Teacher Zhu only found one poisonous mushroom," the staff member said with great relief after hearing the mushroom expert's identification. "Although the total number is not large, all of them are edible except for this poisonous mushroom."
Lin Ning was still angry with Zhu Ji.
Hearing that Zhu Ji had only picked one poisonous mushroom, he became even more unhappy.
He glared at Zhu Ji hard, then turned his head away and refused to look at him again.
Zhu Ji was taught many real skills by Luo Xiaoran on the mountain.
Seeing this, he immediately picked up his basket of mushrooms and went to Lin Ning's side.
Lin Ning dodged to the side, but he kept nudging her, coaxing her with a shameless grin: "Good Ning Ning, Несердись! (Don't be angry) You can have all my mushrooms, okay?"
Lin Ning has a soft temper and is easy to coax. After refusing Zhu Ji a few times, she was still taken by his hand.
The staff member was enthusiastically cracking sunflower seeds like Tang Sanzang, while the Mushroom Master carefully examined Luo Xiaoran's mushroom basket.
"All of Teacher Luo's mushrooms are edible," the Mushroom Master congratulated Luo Xiaoran, but he didn't forget that he and Chu Xingli were a couple, so he turned to look at Chu Xingli, "Teacher Chu, you can be a little happier now."
“Xing Li is concerned about his image,” Zhu Daniu thought he could please everyone after he had appeased Lin Ning, and began to speak without restraint, “You can’t praise anyone as being better than him.”
When Chu Xingli first heard Zhu Daniu's words, he thought he would really be like the second half of his sentence.
He would feel unhappy because Luo Xiaoran's grades were better than his, which made him lose face.
But it didn't happen.
He even felt happy because Luo Xiaoran's abilities were superior to his.
Chu Xingli lowered her gaze and slowed her breathing.
No, that's not right.
Chu Xingli was still in a daze, still pondering why she had such emotions.
Then they heard Luo Xiaoran's voice.
"I thought the poisonous mushrooms were pretty, how come I didn't pick a single one?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Luo Xiaoran took the basket from Chu Xingli's hands: "Hug, let's switch."
Chu Xingli was in a great mood for no apparent reason.
[This is beyond criticism, this is truly amazing! Ranzi-ge, why don't you open a class and teach us? You're so good at flattering us!]
[Ranzi: (Satisfied.jpg) It wasn't a waste of time teaching him on the mountain!]
[Zhu Daniu isn't a fool anymore, hahaha, he knows how to coax people now!]
[Zhu Ji: No matter how hard I try, I can't compare to naturally gifted players]
[Ranzi Bro: Watch closely, I'll only teach you once]
Zhu Ji and Luo Xiaoran were the first to complete their respective tasks. They carried mushroom baskets into the house and handed the ingredients over to the professional chefs for processing.
Chu Xingli and Lin Ning stood in the yard, watching Bao Keming, who was carrying half a basket of mushrooms and was so tired he was crying and complaining, inspecting the mushrooms.
“Teacher Bao, this is all dog urine moss,” the mushroom master couldn’t help but laugh as he said it, “It’s inedible.”
Bao Keming felt deeply humiliated: "How could this possibly be dog urine moss?!"
Zhao Anyu and Chen Xuanqi followed behind them.
After hearing this, Zhao Anyu laughed out loud without a care in the world, but was glared at by Qiao Manyun and immediately stifled his laughter.
"Buzz—Buzz—"
Lin Ning's phone vibrated in her pocket.
"Your phone?" Chu Xingli heard it before him, leaned closer to listen carefully, and confirmed, "Your phone is vibrating."
Lin Ning was stunned for a moment, then quickly took out her phone to check.
His face turned deathly pale the moment his gaze fell on the caller's name on the screen.
His reaction was so extreme that Chu Xingli inevitably noticed the change.
"What's wrong? What happened?"
Lin Ning hurriedly shook her head: "It's nothing."
As he spoke, he unscrewed the microphone from his waist and quickly walked out with his phone in hand.
Thinking that this was someone else's private matter, Chu Xingli didn't ask any further. She looked down at her basket of poisonous mushrooms that Luo Xiaoran had already exchanged, her mind filled with many thoughts.
[Dog pee moss, that's hilarious! They're such a good match for each other!]
I think Bao Keming should be thankful that Bao Bao didn't add insult to injury by saying he picked up dog urine moss, haha.
[Hugs are still standing there, completely charmed by her husband; otherwise, she wouldn't have let Bao Keming off the hook (just kidding)]
[I feel like Ningning has so many secrets about her o(╥﹏╥)o]
[I hope everything goes well for Ningning in the future, sob sob, she's so pitiful.]
After Lin Ning finished the call, almost everyone had returned.
So the director started pulling another stunt.
He knew what people liked to watch, so he had his staff prepare a bunch of apples and put them on the table in advance.
All the activities organized by the program team were aimed at warming up the relationships between the five couples present.
Whether it's fishing or picking mushrooms together in the mountains, these are times when they can be alone.
In such a pristine atmosphere by a mountain stream, it is the perfect breeding ground for feelings to blossom.
But that's not enough.
We must press our advantage and strike while the iron is hot.
We need more.
"Now, we've encountered a problem: everyone doesn't have enough mushrooms, so we need to play a game to gather enough mushrooms for lunch," the director explained, "and now we'll hand it over to Xiao Ma's brother to tell everyone about it."
Little Pony's staff member, Brother, confidently and vividly recited the script, perfectly capturing the essence of the NPC character.
However, as soon as he said it, he couldn't hold back: "There's a little pony, hahahahaha... Sorry, it needs to eat apples, its mouth is very small hahahahaha. Sorry, director, I couldn't help it."
The director rolled his eyes and, quite professionally, stepped in himself: "There's a little pony who needs to eat apples. Its mouth is small, so it can only eat half an apple at a time. Therefore, everyone needs to help it break the apple in half before feeding it!"
"Little Horse wants to eat apples?" Chu Xingli didn't find the first part of the question strange, but the second part seemed a bit demanding. "Its mouth is small? It can only eat half an apple at a time?"
Isn't this a bit too outrageous?
"Please put a little more thought into setting the questions." For the first time, Bao Keming stood on the same side as Chu Xingli.
Of course, the main reason is that he simply cannot break an apple, so he strongly opposes the program's activities that would embarrass him.
The director offered an incredibly tempting reward: "If everyone breaks more than ten apples in total, they can get the fruit wine brewed by the pond owner. I tried it yesterday, and it was so delicious I cried."
Chu Xingli quite likes wine.
His eyes lit up after hearing that.
If the reward were alcohol, that would be more like it.
But breaking an apple...
Chu Xingli almost immediately thought of Luo Xiaoran's hand.
While Luo Xiaoran was still inside, Chu Xingli thought she should quickly finish breaking off the required number of apples for each group.
This would save Luo Xiaoran from having to exert himself, which could risk causing secondary damage.
To Chu Xingli's surprise, the apples prepared by the production team were incredibly hard, and she didn't know where they came from.
It was also very large; judging by appearance, the apple's diameter was almost thirteen or fourteen centimeters or more.
Aside from absolute strength, it would be difficult for anyone to achieve such a finger-to-palm length ratio if they wanted to break it apart.
Chu Xingli's arms were already quite long, but she could only barely wrap the huge apple into a ball. It was still quite difficult to use it for leverage.
Seeing Chu Xingli silently peeling an apple with her head down, Bao Keming mocked her without any politeness: "Xingli, are you peeling an apple here?"
"There's nothing I can do, I'm a greyhound."
Chu Xingli's sincerity made Bao Keming's mockery catch in his throat.
Bao Keming: "..."
Okay, okay, sincerity is always the ultimate weapon.
[Bao Keming is speechless, hahaha]
[Hugs are really tough on themselves, even saying that about a greyhound, haha]
[Don't say that, baby, you have a super great figure (slurp)]
Before Chu Xingli had his car accident, he paid great attention to maintaining his physique.
Chu Xingli prefers lean muscles, and since her muscle mass isn't naturally bulky, she has always maintained a beautifully shaped, slightly protruding six-pack.
Now that he has just been discharged from the hospital after being seriously injured, his physical condition is worse than that of an ordinary person, let alone regaining the charming physique he once had, which he himself admired.
Luo Xiaoran and Zhu Ji walked out of the villa.
Seeing everyone in the yard trying so hard to peel apples, he immediately understood the task requirements.
Luo Xiaoran walked up to Chu Xingli and took the apple from her hand: "Let me give you a hug."
"Don't use your hands too hard," Chu Xingli hurriedly took the apple back from Luo Xiaoran's hand. "Don't be stubborn."
Feeling cared for by Chu Xingli, Luo Xiaoran felt a warm glow in his heart.
He couldn't help but laugh: "Hug me, breaking an apple isn't something to brag about."
Luo Xiaoran picked up another one from the table.
His ring finger was fixed in place, which did have some impact on breaking the apple.
However, the impact is not significant.
Luo Xiaoran always considered Chu Xingli's feelings and reputation.
He carefully controlled his strength, breaking the apple in his hand into a barely perceptible crack, then handed it to Chu Xingli with an innocent expression—
"Hug me, I can't move you anymore."
Chu Xingli was struggling with the apple she had just taken back, with her back to him. When she heard Luo Xiaoran say this, she put down her own and took the other's.
"It's okay, I'll help you."
Chu Xingli gripped the apple tightly with both hands and exerted force.
"Crack—"
The crisp cracking sound drew the attention of everyone present.
Chu Xingli held one half of the apple she had broken in one hand, tilting her face slightly to avoid the splashing juice, and smiled at Luo Xiaoran with her eyes crinkling:
"I broke it open."
Luo Xiaoran generously offered his praise: "Hugs are so amazing, thank you."
Chu Xingli wiped the apple juice splatter on her brow bone with her fingertip, then smiled and picked up another apple: "You're welcome, we're like family."
We're all good brothers, why say so many thanks?
[Hugs are so cute, but why do I feel like crying? Ranzi's way of taking care of him is like taking care of a child o(╥﹏╥)o]
Okay, okay, so you think you're so good at sweet-talking your wife?
[Brother Ran is secretly pleased again]
[Don't even mention how awesome Ranzi will be after hearing this, I feel awesome for him too o(╥﹏╥)o]
If only I could receive such care and hugs... (cat poking its cheek in thought.jpg)
Everyone present had an exceptionally strong interest in and passion for alcohol, so they all put in their best effort.
Aside from Bao Keming, who was completely unwilling to prove to the viewers in the live stream that he was indeed very weak and powerless.
Zhu Ji and Lin Ning both have valuable hands, so the production team specially provided them with gloves with high friction to make it easier for them to break apples.
Zhou Maidong and Lu Yunxin sold a lot of fish yesterday and made a lot of money, so they don't need to participate in the competition.
"My hands are still used for playing the piano," Zhao Anyu, like a giant baby, waved his hands at the director. "Can I not have them bent?"
Bao Keming had a lot of opinions about Zhao Anyu and couldn't stand him. He directly reprimanded him, saying, "Doesn't Teacher Zhu use her hands to play the piano? Are you trying to teach a fish to swim?"
Zhao Anyu then remembered that Zhu Ji was also present, and awkwardly shrank back, remaining silent.
The only one who suffered was Chen Xuanqi, who was with Zhao Anyu.
She glared at Zhao Anyu with exasperation, then picked up an apple, shoved it into her stomach, bent over, and gave a sudden, forceful push.
After briefly testing the force, Chen Xuanqi seemed to see hope, so she continued to exert force in the same way as before, even shaking her hair into a mess.
With a rough, muffled groan that seemed completely out of place for a female idol, the apple in her hand cracked, but didn't break in two.
"Almost there, almost there!" Chu Xingli encouraged her.
Chen Xuanqi grinned and exerted her strength one last time—
"Crack!"
The apple split in two.
"Director, is Xiao Ma eating enough now?" Chu Xingli laid out the apples that everyone had broken in a row. "I guess the rest will be our dessert."
The director scratched his head, looking away guiltily.
[haha, the truth is out!]
[Director: I didn't want to either, but you two insisted on getting a divorce.]
I think it's very effective; Zhu Daniu and Ningning almost kissed while they were breaking apples together.
But even the director was helpless when faced with a lazy bum like Bao Keming.
[Hug: If it weren't for the alcohol, I wouldn't be playing these games with you.]
"Come on, everyone, thank you for your hard work. Come and have a taste. This is my homemade fruit wine," the owner of the pond had been waiting at the table, enthusiastically pouring wine for everyone. "There's plum wine, mulberry wine, apple wine, lychee wine, pineapple wine, and pear wine. They're all quite delicious."
When it comes to drinking, Chu Xingli has no fear.
When he and his older brother entertain clients, he's usually in charge of the drinking.
The fruit wine has a fragrant aroma.
Driven by curiosity, Chu Xingli drank three cups in less than ten minutes.
"Hugs, drink less."
Luo Xiaoran asked the pond owner about the alcohol content of this wine. It wasn't high, but it was still enough to make Chu Xingli drink too much.
"Oh, okay~" Chu Xingli spoke a little slowly.
As he responded, he watched as the pond owner recommended lychee wine and pineapple wine to Sister Lu.
I feel a little itchy inside.
"I'll have two more drinks."
Seeing his state, Luo Xiaoran had a bad feeling.
He raised his hand and pressed it against the rim of Chu Xingli's cup: "A hug is enough."
Luo Xiaoran's fingers are long and slender, easily covering the diameter of the cup's rim.
Chu Xingli stared blankly down at his hand.
[Brother Ranzi's veins are perfect for me to practice flying needle therapy]
[Hugs: Who wants to practice throwing needles on my husband's hands?]
My wife looks so cute with her silly antics, I want to kiss her (*^▽^*)
[Why does it seem like Bao Bao is a little drunk?]
Chu Xingli was not annoyed by being stopped.
He then turned his attention to the person who was blocking him, tilting his head back to look at Luo Xiaoran.
"You...you want to drink too?"
Just as Luo Xiaoran was about to answer, Chu Xingli began to mutter to himself, "You're injured, you can't drink alcohol."
"Okay, I won't drink, and neither will you," Luo Xiaoran said softly, not letting him strain to look up, as he half-squatted in front of Chu Xingli. "How about we drink something else?"
Chu Xingli nodded, looking like an honest man.
This made Luo Xiaoran lower his guard a little.
"Stand up," Chu Xingli said.
Luo Xiaoran obediently did as instructed.
Chu Xingli tilted her head back again and slowly raised both hands—
Filled with lofty faith, absolute holiness and fervor.
It was perfectly placed against Luo Xiaoran's chest.
After a long silence, a satisfied smile appeared on his face.
"I love so much."
Luo Xiaoran: "..."
There were many people sitting around the table, and most of them were so engrossed in the fruit wine that they didn't notice Chu Xingli and Luo Xiaoran's hushed conversation.
Even if you speak very softly, it can't outweigh the visual impact of large movements.
Lu Yunxin gasped, put down her wine glass, and stared in astonishment at Chu Xingli's actions, not forgetting to pull Zhou Maidong to watch along with her.
Lin Ning, with her back to Zhu Ji, gazed at the scene before her, her cheeks even redder than Chu Xingli's after drinking.
Chen Xuanqi secretly took out her phone from her pocket and recorded the scene from a very tricky angle.
Chu Xingli seemed oblivious to the situation, completely absorbed in the hand placed in front of Luo Xiaoran's chest.
He stared at his hands.
I looked at my left hand.
I shook it.
Luo Xiaoran: "..."
He then turned to look at his right hand.
I shook it again.
Luo Xiaoran's ears turned red, and she whispered to him, "Hug me, you..."
Chu Xingli reluctantly raised either hand to pinch his mouth: "Shut up, you're just a plaything."
Luo Xiaoran: "..."
If he continues to spout nonsense, he'll likely find it difficult to face anyone once he regains his senses.
[You're really something, you even made Ranzi blush.]
Kaempferia galanga is the best cosmetic procedure for men.
[Ranzi is usually quite reserved, but he's completely at ease around Baobao!]
[Just kidding, if I had a wife like Hug, I'd be peacocking all the time.]
[lol, I didn't expect those two to be so playful in private!]
[Hugs, how dare you face anyone?]
Chu Xingli was already drunk.
Luo Xiaoran was very surprised by this.
He always knew that Bao Bao had a high alcohol tolerance.
Unexpectedly, his alcohol tolerance plummeted after this accident.
This news is good for Luo Xiaoran.
He never wanted Chu Xingli to be a heavy drinker who could drink a thousand cups without getting drunk, but now that he's become someone who gets drunk after just three cups, Luo Xiaoran is happier than anyone else.
Bao Keming no longer harbored as much hostility towards Chu Xingli, who was talking nonsense while drunk.
She even couldn't help but tease him.
"Hey, Mr. Chu, if you drink any more, the police will come and arrest you."
Upon hearing this, Chu Xingli immediately grabbed the apple cider and pear wine on the table that she hadn't yet tasted, and shook her head with hazy eyes:
“We won’t give him any to drink, no matter who comes.”
Luo Xiaoran gently patted his back and comforted him tenderly, "Okay, okay, I won't give it to anyone."
Chu Xingli was very pleased with the coaxing.
He spoke as if bestowing a favor: "You can have it."
His arms were crossed and placed behind Luo Xiaoran's neck. With a slight pull, he forced Luo Xiaoran to bend over.
Luo Xiaoran's heart pounded, his Adam's apple bobbed, and he paused for a long time, trying to straighten up.
But Chu Xingli pressed down on him again with the force applied to the back of his neck.
Immediately afterwards, a pair of warm lips pressed against the corner of his lips.
After grinding it a couple of times, Chu Xingli slightly parted her lips and peeked out her tongue.
He quickly ran the small, pretty silver tongue stud across Luo Xiaoran's lips.
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Luo Xiaoran's brain completely shut down.
【Aaaaaaah! You guys! Did you even consider my feelings when you were kissing?!】
[If I had known earlier that I could win someone over with just a few glasses of fruit wine, I would have done it much sooner o(╥﹏╥)o]
Now I completely understand why Ranzi didn't want a divorce.
[Help! Tongue piercing! This tongue piercing is so tight!!!]
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