Huang Guangkuang nodded, "That's right, that's what I'm talking about. Let me do the math for you. A pound of meat costs more than ten yuan, and rice costs more than three yuan a pound. It's not easy to buy a lot. I only bought three pounds. I only bought enough flour and noodles for tomorrow morning. I still don't know what I'll have for tomorrow noon!"
"That's right, so the production team's approach won't work. But we can't fight against the production team, and the guests can't pay for their meals. So there's a solution: let the guests bring their own food to the set. They can bring whatever they want to eat. Being able to eat Teacher Chen's cooking is already a blessing, so what's a little food? Teacher Huang, don't you agree?"
Huang Guang slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "That's right! Why didn't we think of this? You're right. Since there's a segment where guests order food, it's not against the rules for the production team to bring their own food if they don't have the budget. It's to satisfy the guests' appetites, and Teacher Chen is just helping them prepare the food. That's perfectly reasonable!"
"That's right! Look at this, we've worked ourselves to the bone all day, and all we get is fifty yuan. That's the earnings of five of us, which is only ten yuan per person. According to the national minimum wage standard, this is far below the national average, only one-fifth of the average. This is extremely unreasonable. I'm only staying for one more day tomorrow, but this program will be filming for several months, right? And what about Xiao Xu, this half-grown boy? They say a half-grown boy can eat his father out of house and home. Not being able to eat enough is a huge blow to Xiao Xu's physical development!"
"Exactly, exactly. Old Chen and I were discussing this earlier. After a hard day's work, we can't even afford to eat. Is there such a stingy director in the world? Isn't this pushing people to the brink? So we're trying to figure out a solution. If all else fails, we'll remove all the products from the table. It's like the production team makes money from advertising, while we can't even get a sip of soup. Why should we advertise for them?"
"That's right, this is a good idea. Viewers in the live stream, don't you agree? And to all the manufacturers, it's not that we don't want to advertise for you, it's just so infuriating! Even an emperor doesn't starve his soldiers, but here we are the oppressed and exploited bottom. It's really unfair!"
Zhang Ze turned to the cameraman's lens, bitterly denouncing the production team's exploitation, which made the viewers in the live broadcast room burst into laughter. This Zhang Ze is too funny, stirring up hatred for the production team on the spot, without any attempt to hide it.
"Brother Zhang is absolutely right. Five people only earned fifty yuan a day. That's treating people like dirt. Even exploiting laborers like this is unacceptable, especially five celebrities. I think they can drink as much of the beverage as they want, since it's free. But they shouldn't be exposed in front of the camera. Let the production team experience the manufacturer's furious roar, haha!"
"Even the donkeys in the production team aren't handled like this. And there are two children here. If this affects their development, can you, director, afford to take responsibility?"
"Support, support, support! I'll say it three times because it's important. Giving Zhang Ze a test is a good idea. More importantly, it's full of positive energy. We can't let that dog director take the lead. We should still resist. Isn't it said that where there is oppression, there is resistance?"
Speaking from the public is always more persuasive. Zhang Ze's idea alone won the approval of everyone in the live broadcast room, and it also made Huang Guang's eyes light up. It seems that the battle with the production team can't be too conventional, otherwise they really won't be able to make a living!
"Your idea makes a lot of sense. I'll discuss it with Lao Chen later. Sigh, honest people get bullied. By the way, take the label off this drink first, and let's start now. We can't let that old guy Huang Xiaoping get away with this!"
With Zhang Ze's guidance, Huang Guang felt as if his mind had been enlightened, and he immediately figured out the trick: "From now on, tear off the labels from all the drinks before taking them out. If you can't tear off the labels from boxed yogurt, then drink them in the house. As long as you don't expose yourself to the camera, it's fine."
The viewers in the live stream were practically laughing out loud, calling their friends to come and watch the memorable moments of the wit and courage between the guests and the production team. Meanwhile, the major manufacturers were feeling uneasy, wondering if the millions of dollars they had invested in advertising would actually be effective if things continued like this.
Huang Xiaoping and Zhuge Jianming naturally saw this scene immediately. "Old Huang, it seems your method won't work on the first day. We'll have to think of another way!"
Huang Xiaoping chuckled and said, "I never intended to do it this way. The essence of this variety show is the battle of wits between our production team and the guest team. If the guest team can't come up with a plan, this variety show will lose its value. On the surface, there is often a lot of intrigue and backstabbing hidden beneath the seemingly peaceful and harmonious days. As the great man said, 'It is endlessly enjoyable to fight with others.' Without struggle, our variety show will not go far in the end!"
"You see things very clearly. I'm sure the manufacturers have seen this situation by now, and I bet someone will be calling soon. So what are you going to do?"
"That's easy. Once the guest team and our production team have reached an agreement, we'll have the guests hold up the drinks and do some advertising. That's much more effective than just leaving them on the table. No manufacturer would dare say a word against it; they'd be secretly laughing."
No one heard Huang Xiaoping and Zhuge Jianming's conversation, but the various manufacturers still held back their urge to make phone calls. What if it was all part of the show's script? Wouldn't making a call just be asking for trouble?
When Zhang Ze and Huang Guang finished talking and went into the kitchen, Chen He had already cleaned the fish, added the seasonings, and was marinating it. Xu Peng, from who knows where, found a pair of pliers and was snapping the snails' tails with a smacking sound; there was at least half a basin of them.
Seeing Zhang Ze and Huang Guang come in, Chen He laughed and said, "What are you two chatting about? You didn't even want to come in, hiding outside. You know it's the peak season for mosquitoes outside. Aren't you afraid of getting bitten all over?"
"Yeah, you're right. There weren't many mosquitoes outside just now, even though this is usually when they're most rampant."
"Didn't you see that there are a lot of mosquito-repelling plants planted along the outside wall? Mosquitoes generally don't want to fly near these plants. Also, it's possible that no one has lived in this yard for a long time, and the nearby water source is far away. In places without water sources, it's not easy for mosquitoes to breed."
"Xiao Xu is right. I'll start cooking the rice first. Everyone has worked hard today. Let's have a feast of river delicacies tonight, and also to welcome Teacher Zhang and Teacher Lan back."
Lan Qing laughed and said, "It's the teachers who have worked hard. I'm just enjoying a peaceful life. Teacher Zhang, you've suffered today. Eat more tonight!"
Chen and the other three glanced at Zhang Ze, not understanding what Lan Qing meant. Even Xu Peng was puzzled. It was certain that Zhang Ze had worked hard today, but what did "suffering" mean?
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