Chapter 7
In the end, Shen Yiyao and Qiuqiu searched high and low in the kitchen, but couldn't find even a single fish scale—it turned out that the production team hadn't prepared any ingredients for any of the groups!
The four families who had just settled in gathered again in the square at the village entrance, the afterglow of the setting sun casting a warm golden glow over the entire village.
The village chief, wearing that comical fake beard, smiled and looked around at everyone: "It seems everyone has moved into their new homes. I wonder how the mothers feel about it?"
Ye Sisi immediately chimed in, her voice sweet: "Although the conditions in our wooden cabin are rather basic, I'm quite good at tidying up. You see,"
She pointed to the wooden house in the distance, "I cleaned the yard and picked some wildflowers to decorate it. It's simple, but cozy, and I'm very satisfied."
Fang Ran smiled shyly in agreement.
When it was Jiang Xueru's turn, she looked down at Qiuqiu, who was looking up at her, and said in a flat tone, "It's very good. Qiuqiu likes it very much."
[Actually... I quite like living here with Qiuqiu.]
She silently added in her mind, but awkwardly turned her face away.
Qiuqiu nodded vigorously, her little head almost leaving a blur: "I love it! There's a big peach tree in the yard, and it's full of little peaches!"
The village chief picked up the conversation, pointing to two rustic wooden boxes beside him: "It seems everyone is quite satisfied with the home we've prepared. However, as you've probably noticed, the ingredients for dinner will need to be earned through your labor."
"On the left are the tasks for the children. There are four slips of paper, each with two pairs of overlapping slips. The four groups of children need to be divided into two groups to complete different tasks. On the right are the tasks for the mothers. There are three tasks written on the four slips of paper. One of the tasks is more difficult and requires two mothers to work together to complete it."
"If everyone understands the rules, let's start the draw now."
Qiuqiu tiptoed and rummaged through the wooden box for a while before pulling out a crumpled piece of paper. Unfolding it, she saw various small animals drawn on it with colored pens. She turned her head and noticed that Shen Yiyao had drawn the same picture.
The village chief explained with a smile, "This is to have you feed the animals in the village."
Qiuqiu nodded, then curiously leaned over to see what Jiang Xueru had drawn.
Jiang Xueru held the note with writing on it a little further away and said casually, "It's to help the farmers transplant rice seedlings."
Qiuqiu's face immediately fell, and she pouted, saying, "If that's the case, I can't do the mission with Mommy!"
"Which two mothers were assigned the rice planting task?" the village chief asked.
Qiuqiu immediately raised Jiang Xueru's hand high, but when she turned her head, she saw another person with their hand raised—
Ye Sisi.
Jiang Xueru frowned almost imperceptibly, but seeing Qiuqiu's worried little eyes, she gently patted her head: "Don't worry."
......
The rice planting task was specially arranged by the program team to help an elderly couple in the village.
The old man twisted his back while working in the fields a few days ago. It was the prime time for transplanting rice seedlings, and the old woman couldn't manage it all by herself.
As the old woman walked along the winding path between the fields, she said gratefully, "Thank you so much for coming to help in this hot weather."
Ye Sisi immediately put on a gentle smile and said to the camera following her, "Helping the elderly is the right thing to do. I often participate in public welfare activities, and I also experienced rice planting when I recorded 'Rural Life Diary' before, so it shouldn't be a problem."
She carefully adjusted her straw hat to ensure she looked flawless in front of the camera.
【Sisi is so awesome!】
Our Sisi has always been beautiful inside and out!
Transplanting rice seedlings is so tiring. I used to help my family with it for an hour or two, and my back would be aching by the end of the night.
[Perhaps Jiang Xueru won't want to continue working for long.]
[Isn't Jiang Xueru already unwilling to speak?]
[That's just Jiang Xueru's personality; it would be strange if she said anything. Seriously, aren't you haters tired of mindlessly attacking her all day?]
[...]
The production team had already marked out areas in the field with bamboo poles. The producer explained, "Originally, only two guests were scheduled to go into the field, but Grandma Wang insisted on helping as well."
Ye Sisi immediately stepped forward to help the old lady, her tone concerned: "Grandma Wang, you're getting old, you can just guide us from the edge of the field, leave all the work to me!"
The old man stubbornly shook his head, speaking in a thick local accent: "No, no, you must do your own work. This is a rule passed down from generation to generation."
Ye Sisi turned to look at Jiang Xueru, who had been silent all along, and put on a friendly smile: "How about you give me some of Teacher Jiang's work? I have experience and I can insert it quickly, so we can finish faster."
Jiang Xueru glanced at her indifferently, her tone revealing a hint of amusement: "Are you sure?"
"Of course I'm sure."
Ye Sisi smiled sweetly, but in her heart she thought that the other party should be able to understand such polite words.
"what ever."
Unexpectedly, Jiang Xueru readily gave up an area near the field ridge.
Ye Sisi: ? ? ?
You actually gave it to me when I told you to?!
You're too kind!
Don't you know what politeness is?!
Ye Sisi felt so angry that her heart ached, but she still had to keep smiling in front of the camera.
After a brief silence, the live stream chat began flooded with messages.
What's with Jiang Xueru's tone?
[Sisi kindly helped her, what was her attitude?]
[Isn't Jiang Xueru just like that? She was fooled by the heartwarming mother-son relationship she portrayed before.]
Sisi shouldn't have helped her. I just wanted to see how long she would keep going.
The live stream only calmed down again when the camera focused on Jiang Xueru once more.
The reason is simple: it's just too beautiful.
The afterglow of the setting sun spilled onto the rice paddies, creating golden ripples.
She casually tied her long hair up loosely, securing it with a twig she had broken off, a few stray strands fluttering gently in the breeze.
The most striking feature was the pair of hands that were lifting her hair.
People in the industry say that Jiang Xueru's hands don't need any jewelry, because there's nothing that matches them.
These were the same clean, flawless, and sharply defined hands that, in the next second, unexpectedly plunged into the mud.
Before anyone could react, those hands picked up another seedling and precisely inserted it into the mud, the movements fluid and graceful.
It wasn't until it was repeated several times that someone realized—
Depend on!
How could Jiang Xueru be so fast?!
In fact, Jiang Xueru's speed cannot be described as just fast.
Quick, accurate, and ruthless is far more precise.
[That's way too fast! Is this the normal speed for a person?]
But wouldn't it be easy to die if you just stick it in like that?
It's not good to prioritize speed over quality.
[That's definitely not good; it's inserted crookedly.]
[However, Jiang Xueru wasn't leaning or swaying, was the previous statement referring to Ye Sisi inserting the needle?]
The comments section was filled with arguments, but the old lady next to her nodded repeatedly, her wrinkled face showing an expression of appreciation: "The young lady's technique is very professional. The depth is just right and the spacing is even. She's almost as good as I was when I was young."
【？？？】
[Hilarious! The comments are way more professional than everyone else's.]
Watching her plant rice seedlings was like watching a cold-blooded killer commit murder, stabbing one knife after another with a blank expression.
Others might be able to plant rice seedlings with aesthetic appeal, but only Jiang Xueru could plant them with such menacing intent.
[Jiang Xueru looks like she's never lifted a finger, so why is she so skilled?]
[Many people may not know that during the years when she was struggling financially, she filmed a rural drama, in which she played a rural woman who did a lot of manual labor.]
I know that drama, but wasn't its biggest selling point the fact that Jiang Xueru used a body double, and that all the dirty and strenuous scenes were done by a body double?
[It has been clarified that Jiang Jiang never uses a stunt double when filming, but at the time, there was an overwhelming wave of negative publicity, and no one paid any attention to that clarification.]
If that's really the case, the beautiful woman is in a bit of a predicament.
Looking at the area that Jiang Xueru had completed at a rapid pace, and then at her own field which was less than a third complete, Ye Sisi felt anxious and regretful.
Sweat dripped down her forehead, and her back began to ache. She started to regret taking on the work herself.
Before long, Jiang Xueru had finished her part.
She straightened up, gently stretched her waist, and turned to look at the old lady who was still busy.
"You rest, I'll take care of it." Jiang Xueru walked to the old lady's side, said briefly, and then took the seedlings from her hands.
Ye Sisi, who still wanted Jiang Xueru to take his share back, tremblingly shut her mouth.
The old man had been unwilling to accept help earlier, but now that he saw Jiang Xueru's speed, he no longer insisted on it.
Suddenly I think Jiang Xueru is so cool!
[He doesn't talk much, but he seems very reliable.]
While Sisi was still slowly inserting the needle, Jiang Xueru had already started helping her grandmother with the chores.
By the time Jiang Xueru finished the elderly person's share, Ye Sisi's share was barely halfway done.
Actually, given Ye Sisi's own speed, it shouldn't have come to this.
But she kept thinking that once Jiang Xueru finished her task, she might still come to help her in the end.
After all, when recording a TV show, the most appealing aspect for viewers is the interaction between guests.
No one would refuse.
Unexpectedly, Jiang Xueru walked to the edge of the field, carefully washed the mud off her hands, straightened her clothes, and was about to leave.
He left without even glancing at Ye Sisi!
Ye Sisi: Damn it!
"Teacher Jiang!" Ye Sisi hurriedly called out to the person who hadn't gone far, her voice tinged with grievance, "I still have quite a few here..."
Jiang Xueru stopped and glanced back at her, saying in a slightly sarcastic tone:
"I take on the work myself, and I finish it myself."
Ye Sisi was so angry that she almost snapped the rice seedling in her hand, but she still had to keep smiling in front of the camera.
What does Jiang Xueru mean? Sisi kindly offered to help her, but she didn't come to help back?
[Is it okay to leave after completing my task?]
[If Sisi hadn't taken on part of the task for her, could she have finished so quickly?]
[Jiang Xueru even helped the old lady, and didn't she ask Ye Sisi to confirm? It was clearly Ye Sisi who wanted to take it on herself.]
Ye Sisi's fans couldn't win the argument, and seeing Ye Sisi buried in planting rice and exhausted, they became even more furious.
Then someone else posted a comment.
Go watch Jiang Xueru's live stream, she's not resting.
However, the camera quickly revealed Jiang Xueru's whereabouts—she did not go back to her residence to rest, but instead took the initiative to help the elderly couple fetch water, chop firewood, and finish all the physical work in the yard.
As the photographer followed her, she deftly wielded an axe, her sweat glistening in the setting sun.
In fact, Jiang Xueru considers herself to be a warm-hearted person.
But perhaps seeing the two elderly people reminded him of your grandmother, the only person who gave him affection during his childhood. If she were still alive, she would be the same age as the two elderly people and would also like to lie by the field and bask in the sun.
It's also possible that Qiuqiu, this little sun, melted a lot of the ice shell she used to protect herself. Even Jiang Xueru herself has noticed that she's been much less stubborn lately.
[Sister Jiang is a force to be reckoned with; she's ruthless and doesn't mince words.]
I apologize for insulting you earlier.
Jiang Xueru has amazing stamina; Ye Sisi is probably still planting seedlings in the field right now.
[Here's a joke: Ye Sisi is very capable.]
[Here's another joke: Jiang Xueru needs Ye Sisi's help.]
Jiang Xueru has finished her work here; she should go back and help Sisi now.
Why resort to moral blackmail? If you took on a task against your will, just do it yourself.
[You Ye fans were chasing after Jiang Xueru to criticize her before, but now you're eagerly hoping she'll help you. You're really something else.]
When Jiang Xueru was leaving, the old lady insisted on giving her a large bag of homemade maltose, a basket of fresh eggs, and some freshly picked vegetables.
Jiang Xueru couldn't refuse, so she had no choice but to accept it.
"Come visit often in the future!" The old lady said, reluctantly seeing her off at the crossroads.
Jiang Xueru nodded gently, a barely perceptible smile appearing at the corners of her lips.
Carrying large and small bags, she didn't go home. Instead, she asked the production crew for directions and went directly along the village road to find Qiuqiu.
From afar, she saw that familiar little figure feeding ducks with two other children by the pond.
As soon as Qiuqiu looked up and saw her mother, she immediately ran over like a happy little bird, her two little braids bouncing merrily behind her head.
"Mommy!" Qiuqiu rushed into her arms, her little face flushed from running. "Qiuqiu missed you so much!"
Jiang Xueru gently patted her back and took out maltose wrapped in oil paper from the bag: "I brought this for you."
Qiuqiu happily took it, broke it in half without thinking, and stuffed the larger piece into Jiang Xueru's mouth: "Mommy, eat too!"
The sweetness slowly melted in her mouth. Looking at Qiuqiu's bright smile, Jiang Xueru suddenly felt that all the fatigue of the day was worth it.
She reached out and ruffled Qiuqiu's hair, her eyes softening considerably.
"Let's go," she said, taking Qiuqiu's hand. "It's time to go back and cook."
The setting sun cast long shadows of them, and the two figures, one tall and one short, holding hands, gradually disappeared into the splendid sunset, the air filled with the sweet aroma of malt sugar.
This scene is so heartwarming!
Jiang Xueru became completely gentle in front of Qiuqiu.
My opinion of Jiang Xueru has changed today; she's actually a very nice person.
What should I do if I've become a fan after initially being a neutral observer?
Jiang Xueru felt a sweet taste in her mouth.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
