Chapter 17 Chapter 17 "Don't be afraid, it's okay."...
Brother Fu cooked another bowl of clear soup noodles. It didn't taste very good, but Chen Jingzhou still ate it in front of him.
After finishing the meal and returning to the room, Jiang Xinran woke up at some point and whispered, "Teacher Chen, let me switch beds with you."
After saying that, she moved her quilt and pillow inside and gave him the seat by the window.
Chen Jingzhou nodded and laid down before handing over a small box. "These are earplugs. I've never used them before. You can use them, Teacher Chen."
Chen Jingzhou looked at the two sponge earplugs and then at the boy lying flat on his back rubbing his eyes. After a long moment, he raised the corner of his lips, opened the small box, took out the earplugs and put them on.
The next morning after breakfast we set off for the orchard. Today's job was weeding. We also had to build a small shed at the entrance of the orchard to facilitate subsequent picking and live broadcasting.
The guests changed into work-friendly clothes, shoes and hats, and went to the tool room to choose the right weeding tools.
Chen Jingzhou looked through the tool wall carefully, selected a bow-shaped sickle, weighed it in his hand, put it back, and picked up another similar one.
Jiang Xinran didn't understand. "Isn't it all the same?"
"It's different. This one is important because it's easy to use." He bent down again and selected a few tools that he might need later from the large bamboo frame under his feet.
The more Jiang Xinran looked, the more astonished he became. He was surprised that the prince he remembered, always so dignified in his daily life, actually looked so skilled. He couldn't even name some of the strange-looking tools, yet he could already accurately test them and determine whether they were useful.
"Teacher Chen, have you ever participated in a program like this before?"
"No."
He picked up the tool basket and walked out, but after a few steps he turned back and took out the light sickle.
Jiang Xinran followed his gaze and saw him hand the sickle to the woman who was talking to the director. The woman naturally took it and continued talking to the director.
He thought that after a week the entire production team would know that they were a couple.
Everyone set off together in a van. To avoid suspicion, He Chuxi ignored a certain pair of eyes and got into Jian Yuan and Jiang Xinran's car.
Jian Yuan debuted as a child star and has suddenly become popular in the past two years. The two have similar experiences and many common topics, so they chatted enthusiastically all the way.
After entering the mountainous area and driving around and around on the winding mountain road, He Chuxi finally arrived at her destination. She felt like her brains were about to be shaken out.
Jian Yuan got out of the car first and politely held out his hand to take it at the door. He Chuxi put her hand on his wrist for support and said, "Thank you."
When he raised his eyes, he met a sharp gaze from the car in front. He Chuxi didn't hesitate for a second, adjusted his hat and caught up with the main group.
There were many shots of them, and the director was arranging the next steps. "This is the last weeding before we open the orchard. To protect the oranges, we don't use herbicides. It's all done manually. In addition to the tools you just brought, we also provide two weeders. Who would like to use the weeders?"
A lawn mower is not a sickle and is difficult and dangerous to use.
Those who had never done farm work looked at each other, and no one stepped forward for a moment.
Finally, the oldest brother Fu raised his hand: "Let me try."
What was unexpected was that Chen Jingzhou also responded lightly: "I can do that too."
Director: "Okay, then the others can use sickles to cut where the lawn mower can't."
After dividing the work and cooperating with each other, everyone entered the orchard together, followed by a burst of "Wow".
The branches are bent by golden and plump oranges as big as palms. The orange trees are connected in patches, and the air is filled with sweet fruit fragrance.
Someone yelled, "Director, can we have a taste?"
"Can."
Sister Dou picked a large one and broke it open with force. The juicy fruit flesh burst out eagerly. After taking a bite, the two girls were pleasantly surprised: "So sweet!"
The camera followed and captured the scene. He Chuxi also picked one, broke it open and showed it to the camera: "It's really sweet, sweeter than any orange I've eaten before. And this variety opens easily, so it's very convenient to eat."
Chen Jingzhou didn't know when he stood beside her. She glanced at him and smiled as she handed him half of the food. "Teacher Chen, try it."
The man took it, carefully peeled it and ate it. He Chuxi smiled and asked, "Is it sweet?"
He looked into her eyes, "Sweet."
He Chuxi looked away and handed the other half to Jian Yuan, "Jian Yuan, this is for you."
"Alright." Jian Yuan immediately walked over and praised after finishing the meal, "It's really good, juicy and full of orange flavor."
The woman laughed. "What does orange taste like if not orange?"
"I'm not kidding. The flavors I've had before weren't as rich as this."
The two of them interacted with each other, Chen Jingzhou lowered his eyes, curled the corners of his mouth, and walked away.
After tasting, they started to work. The two boys first used a lawn mower to clear the way.
Brother Fu didn't know how to use it, so Chen Jingzhou helped him adjust the position, turn it on, and then taught him how to use it. After Brother Fu got the hang of it, he could use it himself. The whole process was smooth and efficient.
Jiang Xinran whispered to her again, "Sister Chuxi, has Teacher Chen really never done farm work?"
How could she not have done it? He could do all the work of weeding, sowing and spraying pesticides in the greenhouse by himself as long as he was there. But she was also surprised because she thought he was only willing to do his own work.
He Chuxi smiled, "Perhaps the Chinese blood flowing in his veins is thicker than ours."
"Hahahaha, that's possible." Jiang Xinran looked forward at the man in the straw hat who was weeding skillfully, and sighed again, "Teacher Chen today is really different from before."
It was quite different, a little more human. He Chuxi didn't chat with him too much, "Okay, get to work."
The camera was filming and everyone was working very hard. When they were tired, they would stop from time to time to chat, and the atmosphere was relaxed.
Thanks to the two lawn mowers, all the grass in the garden was cleared in less than the morning. Everyone moved to rest under the tree, had a simple lunch and rested for an hour before starting the afternoon work.
Although it is winter, the sun above our heads is so hot that we are sweating.
Chen Jingzhou's mysophobia was gone, so he sat on the tree trunk. He had taken off his coat at some point, and now he was only wearing a thin white short-sleeved T-shirt soaked in sweat. The muscles in his arms were tense and the veins were bulging.
Jiang Xinran brought him some water, and after a second or two, he mustered up the courage to shout, "Brother Zhou, drink some water."
Chen Jingzhou raised his eyes and met the boy's embarrassed evasive gaze.
"Thanks."
"Hey, you're welcome."
He Chuxi was also a little tired, and sat on the ground to drink water without caring about her image.
The staff came over to distribute lunch boxes. She was hungry and everything looked delicious to her.
He picked up his chopsticks and looked to the side. The man was also frowning at the open lunch box. However, the physical labor in the morning made him put aside his temper and eat slowly, bite by bite.
After finishing the lunch, around 1:00 PM, the camera was turned on again.
There are several hills here and the mobile phone signal is very poor. The only place for fruit farmers to rest is this big tree. If they want to do live broadcasts, they have to build a tent and run network cables.
The program team has prepared the wood and boards for building the shed. Several boys gathered around Brother Fu to discuss the shed drawings, while the girls who are not good at it are responsible for the logistics.
They discussed and divided the work, some sawed wood, some hammered nails, some directed the work, and some carried the goods, all in an orderly manner.
At five o'clock in the afternoon, a stable greenhouse had been built at the entrance of the orchard. The space was spacious and bright, allowing fruit farmers to rest here after they finished their show.
After packing up and returning, the artists first returned to their residence.
But when everyone got off the bus, they were all stunned.
Jiang Xinran: "Where's Sister Chuxi?"
Qi Yu: "Didn't I get in your car?"
Jiang Xinran: "She said she couldn't hold it any longer and needed to go to the bathroom, so she went to the orchard. Let's go first and let her get in your car."
Dou Qian: "No, we are still in the same car as before. We will leave once everyone is here."
A few people looked at each other and concluded that it was over and the person was lost.
The man who was listening nearby had a very dark face. He turned around and walked away. After a while, a van drove away in a hurry and disappeared without a trace.
Everyone was a little panicked. It was almost dark and it would take forty minutes to get to the mountain. There was no electricity or signal up there. What would happen if something really happened?
Dou Qian calmed down first and ordered: "Xinran, call Chuxi right now and keep calling. Jianyuan and Junhao, you and the production team immediately follow Jingzhou and Qiyu, let's go and ask the production team."
Everyone with serious expressions obeyed and went their separate ways, but as soon as they hurried to the backstage, they saw the woman getting off the program crew's car.
Everyone was stunned again. He Chuxi saw that they were all looking at him and asked in confusion: "What's wrong?"
Dou Qian came back to her senses and asked, "Did you come back with the production crew's car?"
"Yeah, when I came out of the bathroom you were all gone, so I had no choice but to follow the production crew's car." He Chuxi probably guessed something and smiled, "Don't worry, I'm not lost."
Everyone looked at each other and felt a pang of fear in their hearts.
Jiang Xinran lowered his voice and said, "Sister Chuxi, Teacher Chen drove to find you himself."
It was getting dark, the lights in the yard were already on, and the woman's bright smile froze on her face.
After a few seconds, she hurriedly turned to the director and said, "Director Lu, please arrange a car to go look for him."
The directors also understood what was happening and hurriedly ordered all the remaining cars to go look for people. He Chuxi also got on one. Dou Qian advised: "Just let them go."
He Chuxi was a little confused at the moment and quickly closed the door. "It's okay, I'll go check it out. Teacher Chen is also anxious to find me."
The car drove for about ten minutes and then started to enter the mountains. The mountain road without street lights was winding and rugged, and the white headlights shuttled through the mountain road like snakes.
He Chuxi looked at the darkness ahead and became increasingly panicked.
There is no signal or light, and if he gets anxious... nothing must happen.
The program team hired a local villager who was familiar with the road conditions as the driver, but even though the villager stepped on the accelerator to the bottom, he still couldn't catch up with the van.
He Chuxi held the handrail tightly with one hand and kept calling him with the other, praying in her heart that the signal, which was sometimes good and sometimes bad, would work at some point.
Before the signal completely disappeared, she sent a message to Liang Quan, who she wasn't sure whether he knew about this or not, asking him to be prepared as well.
Chen Jingzhou can't get into trouble here.
The driver took 25 minutes to arrive on a 40-minute journey.
Fortunately, the van was already parked where the shed was originally set up, but there was no one there, and a broken cell phone was left on the passenger seat.
It was pitch black all around without a trace of light. There seemed to be fog in the mountains, and the orchards looked like a man-eating maze forest.
He Chuxi took a staff member's flashlight and walkie-talkie and was about to go into the garden. The staff member advised: "Teacher He, it's dangerous in there and you might get lost. Please wait here for us."
He Chuxi didn't insist on taking action on his own, and said calmly, "I want to go in. We'll go in groups of two and won't separate."
"Teacher He..."
"I want to go."
The woman was so persistent that the staff had to send two people to accompany her.
Everyone went into the orchard together, shouting his name loudly.
Every fruit tree in the orchard looked the same, and it was impossible to tell the direction in the dark, and he didn't have a flashlight...
After walking a dozen meters inside, He Chuxi became more and more panicked, her heart almost jumping out of her throat. She shouted, "Chen Jingzhou!"
But the voice seemed to be swallowed by the darkness, and there was no response at all.
"Chen Jingzhou! I'm here!"
"Chen Jingzhou!"
After an unknown amount of time, when she was about to scream until her throat was on fire, a person jumped out from the darkness, rushed over and hugged her in his arms. The force made her step back, and the walkie-talkie and flashlight in her hands fell to the ground.
His body was shaking and his chest was trembling violently.
In the flash of the staff's flashlight, she saw the man sweating profusely and with a pale face.
He Chuxi recalled the night she brought him home four years ago. Even the person who was afraid of the dark hugged her tightly like this, full of panic.
In the following four years, every time she was with him, even in his room, even when he was fast asleep late at night, there was always a light on until daytime.
She felt complicated, not caring about the people behind her. She raised her hand and gently patted his back to comfort him, "Don't be afraid, it's okay."
The person in his arms gradually relaxed until his tense body softened and he fainted.
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The author has something to say: Today is shorter, there will be more tomorrow
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