Chapter 22 A Story of Serious Mr. Zhou
After a while, Du Ningyou finished the painting. She drew herself delicately and cutely, and drew a cocky expression for Zhou Yangze. She had learned simple sketches in school before, and she was quite good at capturing the expressions of the characters.
After finishing the painting, he did not stop and maliciously added a pair of dog ears and a dog tail to Zhou Yangze's character, making him look mean.
Zhou Yangze didn't mind. After filtering the tea, he put the handkerchief in to dye it. When the time was up, he took it out, washed it clean, and then fixed it with a clip and hung it on the rope next to it to dry.
Chen Ziyou praised their paintings highly, saying, "Xiao Ningyou's paintings are great, but Zhou Yangze is a dog."
Du Ningyou chuckled and went to find Mrs. Wu to get the clue for the next stop. Zhou Yangze looked disdainful and said to Chen Ziyou, "That's better than being a single dog like you."
"Aren't you?"
Someone turned and left with an arrogant look on his face, the meaning of that expression was self-evident.
“!!!”
Chen Ziyou felt like a bolt from the blue. Could it be that he had really succeeded in finding his partner? So quickly?
On the other side, Ai Jia had already obtained the clue and asked him to go to the next stop. Chen Ziyou had no choice but to leave first.
After they left, Zhou Yangze found Sister Wu and carefully explained, "Sister-in-law, leave my handkerchief here to dry. Don't lose it, and don't give it to anyone else. I'll come get it after I finish recording the show."
"good."
"Be careful not to get blown away by the wind."
"Don't worry, the clip is fixed and won't blow away."
At Du Ningyou's urging, he set off for the next stop. At this time, the other two groups had already left.
After Su Qiang got the clue, she asked Jiang Lingfei to go there first. When she and Wen Ni came out of Mrs. Wu's house, they saw a family with an electric car, so they borrowed their electric car. Anyway, they couldn't give money to Zhou Yangze anymore.
Du Ningyou opened the envelope and read the clue. It read: "After three years of hard study, Mr. Chai passed the imperial examination and was appointed an editor in the Hanlin Academy. Mrs. Chai followed her husband to Beijing. Although they lived in a humble alley, the couple was deeply in love and shared the joys and sorrows. Mr. Chai experienced ups and downs in his career, and was demoted for speaking out and was also promoted to a higher position for his outstanding achievements. Mrs. Chai always stayed by his side and never complained. Mr. Chai remained faithful for many years, not taking concubines, and stayed with his first wife. They had two children and lived in harmony."
"On the occasion of Madam Chai's 30th birthday, my husband has specially commissioned a skilled craftsman to make a gilded filigree Ruyi hairpin. I wish you good health and everlasting happiness."
This sentence was followed by: "Please go to Carpenter Chen's house and get the gilded filigree Ruyi hairpin and send it to Mr. Chai."
Zhou Yangze and Du Ningyou rushed to Carpenter Chen's house. Jiang Lingfei had already left with the hairpin, and Chen Ziyou was still carving there clumsily.
After they arrived, Carpenter Chen first taught them how to draw the pattern, then select the wood, and then slowly carve it.
Chen Ziyou was in a hurry, so he showed the carving to Carpenter Chen as soon as he finished it. When the other party saw his work, his eyebrows seemed to twitch, but he still did not make things difficult for them. He took out a box and handed it to him.
Chen Ziyou thanked him with a smile, then waved to Zhou Yangze and Du Ningyou, "You guys take your time carving, we'll be leaving first."
Zhou Yangze was not in a hurry at all. He carefully perfected his drawings and patiently asked Carpenter Chen for advice while carving.
Seeing how serious he was, Du Ningyou didn't urge him and just waited quietly by the side.
An hour later, the cameraman received a reminder from the director and came over to remind him, "Um... Mr. Zhou, Director Wang said that we can finish the recording and then slowly carve it. The other groups are almost done."
Zhou Yangze raised his head and stretched his neck, "Alright."
Then he stood up, brushed off the sawdust on his clothes, asked Carpenter Chen for a box to carefully store the hairpin he had carved, and said, "Uncle Chen, I will come back to learn when I have time."
Carpenter Chen had a good impression of such a serious and studious person, and nodded in agreement in a good mood.
They came to the ancient tea tree again. This time there were two middle-aged NPCs. Mr. Chai and Mrs. Chai were frying tea under the tree. After getting the hairpin, they thanked them, and then Mr. Chai pinned it on Mrs. Chai. Unlike the innocence of their youth, they were now calmer after experiencing the vicissitudes of life, but their feelings remained the same.
Then we rushed to the next stop. The production crew set up a temporary set at the place where they usually lived. It was an antique dormitory. However, unlike the beautiful atmosphere before, the scene here was a bit heavy.
Mr. Chai sat beside the bed, holding his wife's delicate hand, his face filled with sorrow. "You and I once promised to grow old together, but now that we're only halfway through our lives, how could you bear to leave me alone?"
Madam Chai forced a weak smile. "I married you at the age of fourteen and have been with you for twenty years. I am grateful that you have always treated me with unwavering loyalty. Now Chen'er and Sheng'er have both started their own families and are living happily in their married lives. I am content with this. I only miss you, my husband, who is now left alone in this world. I can no longer make tea with you..."
Madam Chai couldn't help coughing a few times when she spoke, and after she recovered, she continued, "Since Meng Niang hopes that my husband will forget me soon, if he finds a good match, that's fine..." Her eyes dimmed slightly when she said this, "But I'm also afraid that my husband will find someone new. Don't you think my thoughts are ridiculous?"
"Mian Niang, I will not marry again. Please wait for me on the Naihe Bridge. I will come to you soon. We will be husband and wife in the next life."
"What nonsense are you talking about? You still have many unfulfilled ambitions. You still have to go see this beautiful country for me, take care of the autumn tea tree in my hometown for me, watch our grandchildren being born, and listen to them calling you grandfather. Then you, husband, will teach them how to call you grandmother..." At this point, her breath weakened, and she managed to speak with her last breath, "Husband, I hope you will live a hundred years. Manniang will be waiting for you by the Naihe Bridge. When we meet again, you can tell me all about these years..."
After saying these words, Madam Chai gradually lost her breath. Master Chai burst into tears and replied in a trembling voice, "Okay."
After a while, he repeated, "Okay."
Then he could no longer control himself and burst into loud cries.
The scene ended here. Du Ningyou was watching with tears in her eyes, and Zhou Yangze put his arm around her shoulders to comfort her silently.
Ai Jia, Jiang Lingfei and others came to the ancient tea tree again for their last stop. From a distance, they saw an old man over 70 years old sitting in front of a stone table with a pot of boiled hot tea and several cups on the table. When they got closer, they found that the old man Chai Langjun was actually played by Mr. Chang.
They were still immersed in the story just now, and the joy of seeing Mr. Chang was diluted a little.
Mr. Chang invited them to sit down, poured each of them a cup of hot tea, and motioned for them to taste it.
Chen Ziyou tasted it, but he didn’t quite understand it. He just felt that it was similar to his father’s Dahongpao.
Ai Jia took a sip and commented, "It has a hint of sweetness at first, but a bit of bitterness when you savor it carefully. However, the tea fragrance is strong and the flavor is long-lasting."
Jiang Lingfei said, "I originally thought tea tasting was a hobby of the older generation, but I feel like this tea has awakened my blood. Coupled with the immersive experience I just had about the story of Mr. and Mrs. Chai, I actually felt a sense of melancholy in my heart."
Mr. Chang smiled and said, "This is the essence of tea tasting."
Zhou Yangze and Du Ningyou arrived last and saw that they had already met with Mr. Chang and were chatting about life.
Mr. Chang invited the two to sit over and poured each of them a cup of hot tea. The NPC next to them diligently re-enacted the last scene.
"This Mr. Chai is a high-ranking official in the capital. Why would he come to this remote and poor village instead of staying there to enjoy his old age?"
"What do you know? This was originally Master Chai's hometown. He and his wife lived here before high school. Look at that lush tea tree. It's said that Master Chai and his wife planted it together, decades ago. His wife passed away long ago, and Master Chai never remarried. Now that he's resigned and returned home, he must be here to remember his late wife."
"So that's how it is."
…
After everyone has calmed down, Director Wang will wrap up the story.
"Today, everyone has had an immersive experience of the story behind this thousand-year-old tea tree, and I believe that they have also gained a different understanding while sipping tea. First of all, we would like to thank all the actors who played the story of Mr. and Mrs. Chai. Although they are not very well-known, they have always maintained their passion and awe for acting. Thanks to them, we can deeply understand this simple but long-lasting story. Let us express our gratitude to them again!"
Everyone applauded sincerely.
"Also, welcome to our Mr. Chang's official return to 'Taoyuan Life'! We've just caught up with him. From now on, he'll be participating in the program as the head of the family. He won't be in any group, but anyone with any questions or difficulties can come to him for help. Of course, we can also have a chat."
…
"Finally, it's time for the exciting prize-giving session. Today's prizes include: a tricycle, 200 yuan in cash, a small harvester, a thresher, one-third of a sofa, and a luxurious bed with a mosquito net..."
Today, Su Qiang and her team finally won first place. They were so excited that they were overwhelmed by the choices of prizes. In the end, they chose 200 yuan in cash, a tricycle and a harvester. Chen Ziyou's team won second place and chose two luxurious beds with mosquito nets for Lao Zhao and Ai Jia.
Finally, it was Zhou Yangze and Du Ningyou. Although they were at the bottom, they didn't look disappointed at all. They got a big bed for Zhou Yangze as they wished.
After they had all made their selections, the director announced the arrangements for tomorrow.
"Everyone has worked hard recording the show these past few days. Tomorrow we'll give you a day to relax. You can go shopping in town, or you can relax at home. Tomorrow we'll collect some material for everyone to relax and unwind."
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone cheered again and praised the program crew for being so conscientious.
Director Wang thought with a smile, it doesn’t matter if the program crew has a conscience, what matters is whether the investors have a conscience. However, it seems that the investors are still quite humane at the moment.
After the recording session, Zhou Yangze was eager to retrieve the handkerchief that was drying at Mrs. Wu's house. Chen Ziyou, after holding it in for a long time, finally found the opportunity and quietly pulled Du Ningyou over to ask, "Ningyou, are you really together with Zhou Yangze? Is he no longer single?"
Du Ningyou looked puzzled and answered subconsciously: "Probably not yet, who said we are together?"
"This guy was trying to frame me. I was wondering why he got out of being single so quickly."
So he immediately ran to laugh at Zhou Yangze.
When Du Ningyou saw him running to find Zhou Yangze, he quickly spoke out to stop him, but the other party didn't hear him at all.
I felt something was wrong and hurried over.
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