It was raining in Sanjiang in the morning, but the sun gradually came out in the afternoon, and the sky was as clean as if it had been washed.
Xu Qian and Wang Xu walked at the front of the group. They were the most energetic people there; one looked young, and the other wanted to pick watermelons.
After getting to know each other, Wang Xu, an older comrade in his thirties, became increasingly delighted with the newcomer, young Xu, and they immediately felt a sense of friendship despite their age difference. For example, regarding rest, he believed that going to bed early and waking up early was good for one's health, and he shared the same thought! They were so alike!
Yao Jing joked with Wu Meili, saying, "That's great! Old Wang has found a friend who thinks the same way as him. It's so rare!"
Wu Meili nodded in agreement, "Yes, yes, it's amazing that someone can go to bed before 10 p.m. just like Brother Wang. They're so healthy!" Wu Meili looked at the young man with broad shoulders and narrow hips in front of her and sighed again. No wonder he's a young man; he takes such good care of himself!
The group chatted as they arrived at the watermelon picking field, where the production crew's small flags were still planted around.
"Choosing a watermelon is a skill. The color should be bright green, that means it's sweet! The stripes should be clear, don't pick the blurry ones. Also, the stem should be curved, which means the nutrients have been absorbed well! You can pick it then!"
Almost every summer during filming, there's a watermelon-picking activity, and Wang Xu always explains the science to the newcomers, seemingly tireless.
Xu Qian remembered very carefully, and based on the points the other party mentioned, he quickly locked onto a target. "Brother Wang, what do you think of this one?"
Wang Xu patted the melon; it was very firm. "Hmm, it's pretty good. It'll definitely be sweet once it's opened."
With Wang Xu's presence on the scene, Zhao Wenkang and Qiao Xinhuan each managed to pick a suitable watermelon.
The three of them were holding three large watermelons, which seemed like the end, but it was actually just the beginning.
"Summer is the watermelon harvest season, but the busy farmers have one more very important task for everyone to ask—to remove the root watermelons!"
Well, here we go again, making them do the work.
Xu Qian had learned about the program's format before coming, so he was prepared and not surprised to hear it.
Compared to the calm acceptance of most people present, Qiao Xinhuan's expression was much worse. In fact, she came today on her period and was already feeling unwell, but she couldn't bring herself to say anything and could only endure it.
Led by the production crew, the group arrived at another greenhouse, which contained melons that were not yet ripe.
There are three types of watermelons: early-ripening, mid-ripening, and late-ripening. Right now, they are in front of a field of late-ripening watermelons, and their task today is to help pick the last watermelon.
The root melon is the melon that grows from the base of the main vine. Such melons not only do not grow very large, but they also absorb nutrients from other melons, so they need to be removed manually.
The guest has arrived.
Of course, as an experiential activity, they only need to pick this small patch of melons.
After carefully listening to the instructions, Xu Qian took the lead and tentatively picked the first gourd, which was smaller than his palm and he could easily hold it.
"Then we'll have to form teams. Same rules as before, Lao Wang, you take two young guys, and Brother Zhao will team up with the two of us. Today, the winners have to cook for the losers!" Yao Jing quickly divided the teams, with him and the deputy leader each leading one team.
"Wait a minute, why does the winner cook for the loser?" Zhao Wenkang asked, voicing the newcomer's question.
Wu Meili explained to him with a smile, "You see, losing a match is definitely upsetting, so naturally the winner has to offer some comfort~"
"Ah..." Zhao Wenkang suddenly realized.
Ignoring them, Wang Xu turned to his 'friend despite the age difference' and said, "Watch closely, we're about to begin."
"Yes!" Xu Qian nodded seriously.
Wang Xu also reminded Qiao Xinhuan of the same thing.
Qiao Xinhuan's face was a little pale, but since her skin was naturally fair, there was no obvious problem.
At the sound of a whistle, the team members from both sides began to move.
Xu Qian took the lead, with sharp eyes and quick hands, and immediately put a distance between himself and Qiao Xinhuan next to him. Qiao Xinhuan saw this and also silently sped up her movements.
If the deputy team leader's team was full of motivation, Yao Jing's team was clearly much more laid-back. He and Wu Meili, aside from their experience, were both seasoned veterans. The only newcomer, Zhao Wenkang, suddenly lost all interest at the thought of having to cook if they won.
Just then, Xu Qian heard a loud "bang" behind him. He turned around and saw that Qiao Xinhuan had fainted!
"What happened? What happened?!"
The production crew panicked and rushed over, but they couldn't get there as fast as Xu Qian.
Xu Qian checked Qiao Xihuan's pulse; it was relatively steady. But when he looked at her face, it was horribly pale, and her name had a debuff—[Blood Loss]
"Is Qiaoqiao suffering from heatstroke?" Wu Meili asked hurriedly.
“…I think she might need some brown sugar water.” Xu Qian said tactfully, and withdrew his hand from the other person’s neck.
Everyone was slightly taken aback, but quickly realized what was happening.
"Go, go and call for help!" the junior director hurriedly instructed.
Xu Qian gently pressed on the other person's forehead, his fingers light yet firm. After a short while, Qiao Xinhuan opened her eyes, but she was not in good condition, her eyes were blurry.
"That's enough for now, she needs to rest." Xu Qian released his hand, took a step back, and ignored the gaze that was fixed on him.
Soon, the car arranged by the production team arrived, along with a doctor. The doctor first checked Qiao Xinhuan's condition and, after confirming that she was indeed alright, helped her into the car, and then drove away from the melon field.
After everyone left, Wang Xu was the first to ask, "Little Xu, you've studied this before?"
Xu Qian smiled shyly, "I learned it from my family."
"Sure, it's always good to have more skills, and it's always a good thing to learn more," Wang Xu remarked.
Wu Meili then realized something, "No wonder I always felt like I smelled a medicinal fragrance, it was from Xiao Xu. I must say, it smells quite nice."
"I have a lot of medicinal herbs at home, and I'm often around them, so it's inevitable that I'll get a little bit on them. It shouldn't be serious." Xu Qian lowered his head and sniffed himself. It was quite faint; he couldn't even smell it unless he sniffed carefully. He didn't expect Wu Meili to be able to smell it.
Yao Jing explained the reason, laughing as she said, "Beauty is like a dog's nose; I didn't really smell it."
"But it really smells nice," Wu Meili said with a smile.
"Alright, alright, let's continue, or we won't make it back for dinner."
"Ahhh, right, right, what time is it..."
...
Although there was a slight mishap along the way, it was nothing serious. The remaining group then took over the last melon patch and picked melons until 4:30 p.m.
In the end, Xu Qian single-handedly dealt with two-thirds of the root gourds, concluding this afternoon's mission.
The trio declared: Being young is great!
As for what to eat for dinner, that's something for Xu Qian and Wang Xu, the two from the winning side, to think about; the others are happy to have some peace and quiet.
Xu Qian and Wang Xu went to the vegetable garden to pick vegetables. As expected, they picked green peppers and some peas. The two walked and discussed what to eat for dinner, and the atmosphere was particularly harmonious.
Actually, after spending half a day together, the atmosphere of the show has become more harmonious. At first, everyone was a little awkward, but after this round of collective "battle", the relationship has indeed progressed by leaps and bounds.
Meanwhile, Yao Jing, Wu Meili, and Zhao Wenkang, who had just arrived at the cabin, started cooking rice. Although they weren't good at stir-frying, cooking rice was a piece of cake for them.
After covering the bed with the lid, Wu Meili went upstairs to visit Qiao Xinhuan, who was feeling unwell. Qiao Xinhuan was lying in bed with a blanket covering her, and her complexion was much better than before; she was no longer so pale.
Seeing that she hadn't woken up, Wu Meili didn't call her. After checking that she seemed to be in good condition, she closed the door and went out.
She had just come downstairs when Qiao Xihuan opened her eyes, turned to the side, her face turned pale again, and she dared not move anymore.
...
Xu Qian and Wang Xu quickly returned with the ingredients. Not only that, Xu Qian also specially bought some red beans from a farmer's house they passed by, preparing to cook some red bean porridge for Qiao Xinhuan, who was feeling unwell.
As a former friend of women in Wuqi Mountain, Xu Qian was extremely skilled at these operations.
Because of this, Wang Xu secretly took off his headset halfway and gossiped, asking him if he had his eye on so-and-so.
Upon hearing this, Xu Qian almost jumped up. This was unacceptable! He didn't mean it that way at all!
"Really?" Wang Xu looked at him questioningly, then said, "If neither of them is married, it's not a big deal even if they have feelings for each other."
Xu Qian was in a real bind. "Brother Wang, really, I have a girlfriend, and she's incredibly jealous. Please don't..." Xu Qian glanced at the still-on camera not far away and whispered, "I'll be kneeling on a washboard when I get back, really!"
Wang Xu's eyes twitched. This was the first time he'd heard a man bring up the word "washboard" so readily. It seemed only deep love could inspire such awareness. He patted the man's shoulder with deep emotion, "Not easy, right?"
Xu Qian recalled his late-night conversation with Bai Lu and couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness. It hadn't been easy. He said to Wang Xu with genuine emotion, "It's alright, you'll get used to it. Who told me to like her so much?" The cruelest part was that he hadn't even gotten her yet. He could only indulge in wishful thinking, saying that she was his girlfriend or something.
This flattery touched Wang Xu a little, but he didn't say anything more. "Let's go back. Let's have a good meal tonight. We're tired today anyway."
Yes, let's have a good meal! Xu Qian regained his youthful energy.
Six people, five dishes and one soup.
A modified version of shredded pork with garlic sauce, slightly sweet and spicy, perfect for eating with rice, and also suitable for those who can't handle spicy food; twice-cooked pork with garlic sprouts, the pork belly is cut into evenly thick slices, almost transparent, the fatty but not greasy meat is paired with his special chili sauce (taken from Xu Qian's suitcase); there is also sweet and sour lotus root cubes, this is Xu Qian's first attempt at cooking lotus root, I haven't tried it yet, so I won't comment on it for now.
Of the five dishes, Xu Qian provided three for himself; just hearing about it makes one's mouth water.
Xu Qian (shrugs): There's no way around it, Sichuan cuisine is just that charming!
Later that evening, Qiao Xinhuan also came downstairs, but she looked like she was forcing herself to stay upright.
Xu Qian thought for a moment, then took the mini bamboo flute from his backpack and recited a spell to Qiao Xinhuan, along with a "Gentle Breeze and Dewy Rain" buff, but unfortunately, the buff couldn't be dispelled.
However, Qiao Xinhuan was noticeably more relaxed after the needle was removed. She was puzzled but didn't think about it too much because Wu Meili brought her a bowl of red bean porridge.
"Qiaoqiao, try it quickly, it's cooled down a bit and it's not hot anymore."
"Thank you, Sister Meili." Qiao Xinhuan thought it was Wu Meili who made it.
Wu Meili covered her mouth and laughed, "You have to thank Xiao Xu, these are red beans he bought from a fellow villager!"
Qiao Xinhuan was taken aback, then turned to Xu Qian and smiled shyly at him, "Thank you, Brother Xu."
"It's nothing, just a small matter." Xu Qian saw that the other party's favorability had increased by another ten points, currently at a friendship level of thirty, which was very safe.
Yao Jing got to the most important topic of the evening—"Come on, let's eat!"
"Yes, yes, let's eat!"
Author's Note: As usual, 6 PM or 9 PM
***
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