13. Eating rotten food
Aside from the chaotic start on the first morning, everything proceeded smoothly. Fang Shuning's legal education mini-class was tentatively scheduled for two sessions a week, each lasting 45 minutes. Liu Yi felt the time was a bit short, but Fang Shuning thought it was just right. Because, given the content she had prepared, it was really difficult for her to stand on the podium and ramble on for an extended period; it would be unethical for a teacher.
Of course, it wasn't because Fang Shuning lacked professional knowledge; on the contrary, she was a rare talent who possessed both theoretical knowledge and practical skills. However, even a talented person struggles to demonstrate their abilities in front of a novice.
The meals Fang Shuning ate at the village committee a few days ago were all cooked by Liu Yi, and everyone enjoyed them.
After the mini-classes got on track, Liu Yi didn't have as much time to cook. The responsibility of cooking naturally fell to Song Jiuchen. Secretary Song, already troubled by the video filming issue, became even more worried.
But I have to bite the bullet and do it anyway, since I'm so quick to jump in and say the wrong thing. Life is full of unexpected disasters, all thanks to a silver tongue, which comes effortlessly.
Chili peppers and tomatoes were on the cutting board. A voice came from his phone, "...cut it in half lengthwise with a flat knife, then cut it into large pieces like this." He paused after each sentence, strictly following the video tutorial.
Anyway, the eyes have learned it.
At this moment, the dead vegetables on the cutting board seemed to represent Song Jiuchen's dignity. With each rise and fall of the cleaver, juices splattered, creating a scene of crime.
Song Jiuchen was busy in the kitchen, sweating profusely. As soon as class ended, Liu Yi dragged Fang Shuning to the convenience store. They bought two packets of pickled vegetables and chili sauce, and just as they were about to pay, he asked Fang Shuning if she wanted anything else. Fang Shuning shook her head; dinner was coming up soon, and she didn't want anything. Liu Yi hesitated for two seconds, then grabbed two packets of spicy strips. Fang Shuning didn't understand; wasn't the village committee supposed to provide meals? Why buy these?
Then, speaking earnestly, "Pickled vegetables are delicious, but you can't buy two big bags at once. These things are high in sodium, which can lead to high blood pressure, cardiovascular diseases, and increase the burden on your kidneys. There's also the risk of nitrites, which can produce carcinogens. Add to that the various additives, tsk tsk, you should cherish your life."
"Okay, then you don't eat it, I'll eat it myself."
Stir-fried pork with chili peppers, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, cucumber salad, and even a loofah soup. It looks like a balanced meal, not bad at all. But why are there some strange black things floating on top of the loofah soup? Did they add flies to the soup?
The dining table was set up under the eaves, and stools were placed one by one for sitting. The fan whirred softly to the side, giving me a feeling of returning to my childhood, to summer evenings, and having dinner at my grandmother's house.
Song Jiuchen and Liu Yi didn't touch their chopsticks for a long time. Fang Shuning thought the two were just pretending to be polite, completely unaware that they were waiting for the unsuspecting Fang Shuning to be their guinea pig.
When humanity bravely takes its first step, it discovers that some steps are better left untaken. Fang Shuning put a mouthful of stir-fried pork with chili peppers into her mouth, chewed it only once, and then stopped. Bitterness, burnt flavor, all mixed together; it was burnt yet still had a slightly undercooked taste, and it was incredibly salty. Saltier than pickled vegetables.
If Fang Shuning were a cultured, civilized, and polite person, she might have forced herself to swallow it down; or she might have found a piece of paper, gently spat it onto it, and then made up an excuse that she couldn't handle such spiciness.
Unfortunately, Fang Shuning lacked manners, was uncivilized, and impolite. In that instant, a lot of swear words flashed through her mind. Without hesitation, she stood next to the trash can and spat out.
After vomiting, she turned and pointed at Song Jiuchen, her eyes revealing a murderous rage. Song Jiuchen couldn't believe it; he'd only cooked a little badly, surely it wouldn't warrant killing someone to vent his anger!
If that were all, it wouldn't be this bad. However, Fang Shuning's mind works quickly. The fact that the two of them haven't started eating, combined with the pickled vegetables Liu Yi had specially bought, makes it clear that these two are treating her like a Japanese person.
The stir-fried pork with chili peppers turned out like this; Fang Shuning felt sorry for the pig who died.
Song Jiuchen was prepared to be scolded or even beaten, but unfortunately, nothing happened. Ah, why didn't she scold me or hit me? Ah, why?
Is Song Jiuchen a masochist?
Liu Yi silently took out the pickled vegetables and chili sauce he had bought in advance, and then tasted the remaining three dishes one by one. Only the loofah soup was barely drinkable. Each of them ate a bowl of loofah soup with burnt scallions floating on top, along with the pickled vegetables, in silence.
Song Jiuchen was persistent in his cooking, and Fang Shuning didn't believe anyone could make food so indescribably delicious. It wasn't until Song Jiuchen, under Fang Shuning's watchful eye and direction, produced some more indescribable dishes that he finally gave up.
After all, as Teacher Da said, "Nothing is impossible in this world, therefore one is willing to give up."
Fang Shuning heard about Song Jiuchen's plan to shoot short videos and develop e-commerce sales from Liu Yi. Liu Yi just thought it was casual conversation between the two of them. But Fang Shuning took these words to heart.
Because she thought of Cui Sitong.
Cui Sitong was a poor student from a young age—this is not meant as a derogatory term; he was simply bad at studying. It was the kind of poor performance that meant he couldn't learn well regardless of whether he tried hard or not.
Therefore, after Cui Sitong developed an independent personality, the first life decision he made was to give up studying. Studying is like a key that can open multiple doors, or a map marking various paths. It has indeed provided many people with opportunities to change their destiny, but there are other paths on the map worth exploring, all of which may lead to Rome.
At that time, short videos were just emerging, and Cui Sitong seized the opportunity. After successfully enrolling in a vocational college in a coastal city, he started making videos while still in school. By graduation, he had already achieved some success and was considered a relatively early internet celebrity. With the rise of the internet, a large number of MCN (Multi-Channel Network) agencies sprang up. To ensure stable monetization, reduce operational burdens, and expand his business, Cui Sitong, despite not knowing much about it, signed with an MCN agency after being persuaded by others.
Because he lacked expertise, he was forced to do many low-quality jobs later on. The fans he had painstakingly built up over the years were lost through these repeated instances of taking on undesirable work. When Cui Sitong considered terminating his contract, the company initially tried to persuade him gently, but once they saw his resolve was firm, they turned their backs on him. They presented the contract terms: termination was possible, but he had to pay the penalty for breach of contract and could never work in the same industry again.
Cui Sitong panicked and called Fang Shuning in tears. Fang Shuning came to the coastal city overnight to comfort Cui Sitong while reviewing the contract, analyzing the situation, and looking for solutions.
After nearly two years of litigation, he finally paid the company a sum of money to settle the matter. There was no doubt that he had to pay the penalty for early termination before the contract expired. For those two years, Cui Sitong had no income; almost all of his previous earnings went to paying the penalty. Fortunately, he managed to get his account back.
Like Fang Shuning, Cui Sitong never lacks the courage to start over.
After terminating his contract, Cui Sitong started his own studio at Fang Shuning's suggestion. Fang Shuning contributed two-thirds of the initial capital as equity, participating only in profit sharing and not in operations or management. Excluding operating costs, the net profit was split 30/70, with Fang Shuning receiving 30% and Cui Sitong 70%.
Fang Shuning receives regular reports on the operational status and revenue of Cui Sitong's studio. She has carefully studied these reports and found that Cui Sitong's traffic and monetization capabilities have been declining over the past two years. The internet landscape has changed drastically since then. Market saturation, a constant stream of newcomers, and so on have presented Cui Sitong with wave after wave of challenges.
Cui Sitong has tried to transform his career, but he hasn't yet found a suitable direction.
Short video bloggers are helping their hometowns develop agriculture, which has become an important manifestation of the construction of "digital villages" and the empowerment of agriculture, rural areas and farmers by new media in recent years.
Fang Shuning is a giant in both thought and action. Once a good idea takes shape in her mind, she immediately starts working on it. She immediately starts researching information and relevant cases, and conducts feasibility analysis.
...The alignment of policies and resources, the premium pricing of agricultural products, the stimulation of supporting industries, the support of platform traffic... Fang Shuning stayed up all night, analyzing the feasibility from five aspects: cooperation model, positive impact, problems encountered, optimization suggestions, and sustainability. She sent the analysis to Cui Sitong that very night before finally falling asleep.
Cui Sitong maintained good sleep habits, staying up during the day and not sleeping at night. After reading Fang Shuning's writing late into the night, Cui Sitong couldn't wait to pack his things and return to Xitang.
I walked around the house for ages before I could calm myself down. When I tried to reply to Fang Shuning's message, she was already asleep.
Fang Shuning woke up before lunch, glanced at her phone, and saw 75 unread messages, 45 of which were from Cui Sitong. Of those 45 messages, only a few were useful: "Okay," "Great," and "I'll pack up and go back right away."
After quickly tidying up, Fang Shuning went to the village committee. This matter couldn't be resolved simply by her and Cui Sitong discussing it; the village officials also needed to give their approval.
Song Jiuchen was eating lunch. He didn't know who cooked it, but it was served with pickled vegetables that Liu Yi had bought. He could easily eat two large steamed buns. Fang Shuning looked at Song Jiuchen with a smile, which gave Song Jiuchen a creepy feeling.
On a sweltering summer noon, I was sweating profusely. "Secretary Song serves the people and eats so simply; he's truly a good cadre of the people."
Song Jiuchen wiped the sweat from his forehead and adjusted his glasses. "Just say what you want to say. As long as it's not illegal, I'll take care of it."
Fang Shuning waved her hand and recounted the whole story. Song Jiuchen's eyes lit up as he listened, and he even stopped eating his steamed bun. His eyes widened and shone especially brightly when he heard phrases like "professional photography and editing, three million followers across the internet." It was incredible news, truly a stroke of luck that solved his immediate problem.
Song Jiuchen was also excited. He grabbed Fang Shuning's hand and looked at her with sincere eyes, "I will definitely give you the award for outstanding individuals in the village this year. So when can we meet the big internet celebrity?"
Fang Shuning, whose hand was grabbed, was taken aback. She met Song Jiuchen's sincere and earnest gaze. Some things, the eyes don't lie.
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