Chapter 3 Vegetable Planting
When Zhou Yan and her husband saw the three people who had come together, a hint of surprise flashed in their eyes. It wasn't that they were surprised by their visit, but rather that they hadn't expected the three of them to appear together so calmly.
She had seen all those viral video clips online; every time the three of them appeared together, it was always tense and confrontational. Today's harmonious scene was truly unexpected.
However, Zhou Yan always knew how to behave appropriately. Suppressing her curiosity, she put on a warm smile and said, "Please come in."
The three entered one by one. Su Tangtang subtly observed the furnishings inside. The layout was similar to their room, except that the cabinets used as partitions had been replaced with thin curtains.
Qu Xian handed over a few bottles of drinks provided by the production team, saying, "The conditions here are indeed very basic; there isn't even a shower room."
Su Tangtang accepted the drink.
Gu Qingke added, "Only the accommodations for the production crew have bathrooms."
“It was really tough,” Zhou Yan said with a smile, shaking her head, fine lines appearing at the corners of her eyes.
After chatting for a while, the production crew came to notify everyone to gather.
When Su Tangtang and the others arrived, Huo Yizhou was already there. Su Tangtang quietly walked to Huo Yizhou's side. After all, all the other couples were standing together, so they had to stand together too, and they had to make it look as real as possible.
Director Han Yang said a few words, and then they went together into the two-story building where the production crew was staying.
The buildings weren't particularly fancy, but they were a million times better than the mud houses they lived in.
As soon as you enter, the rich aroma of food wafts over you.
We ate lunch on the bus, but no one ate well; everyone was starving.
The aroma of food is like a life-saving elixir.
After taking their seats, everyone eagerly began to eat.
"Jiajia, I must say, this food is really delicious, it smells so good," Zhao Zhiyi said with a smile as he looked at Wu Xiaojia.
Wu Xiaojia smiled and nodded repeatedly, "This is the first time I've ever had locust flower buns, they're so delicious."
Wu Xiaojia's cheeks were bulging from eating.
Everyone looked at her and laughed.
The meal was eaten quickly. Apart from Wu Xiaojia and her boyfriend, who were quite talkative, everyone else was very quiet.
After the meal, the production crew led them to the fields.
As the sun sets, the entire village is bathed in an orange-red hue, and even the clouds in the sky seem to blend in with the sunset, creating an incomparably beautiful scene.
Everyone was immersed in the beautiful sunset. Several couples took out their phones to take pictures, some even asking their partners to take pictures or taking photos together. Every couple was immersed in happiness and joy, except for Su Tangtang and Huo Yizhou.
The two walked side by side without speaking, a stark contrast to the other couples.
Wu Xiaojia pulled Zhao Zhiyi close and whispered in his ear, "Gu Qingke and Shen Yingying are chatting and laughing, why is Su Tangtang so calm?"
The hot breath he exhaled made Zhao Zhiyi's ears itch. He pulled Wu Xiaojia away a little, but considering that they were on camera, he lowered his voice and said, "I only saw them online before. After spending the whole day with them, I didn't find that Su Tangtang liked Gu Qingke that much."
Wu Xiaojia, with a gossipy look on her face, chattered on and on, "You wouldn't believe it, I've bumped into her so many times before. They've been arguing fiercely in private. Something's definitely up. Maybe she's holding back something big, or maybe she's worried about her boyfriend."
Zhao Zhiyi chuckled softly.
Wu Xiaojia: "Never mind, it has nothing to do with us anyway. I'll just be a bystander."
"But the guy she found is really handsome, even better looking than Gu Qingke. Maybe Su Tangtang will really give up on Gu Qingke and be with this guy."
Zhao Zhiyi: "It's hard to say."
"This is the land we contracted," director Han Yang suddenly shouted through a megaphone.
Wu Xiaojia and Zhao Zhiyi, who were whispering gossip, also stopped.
"Currently, the production team has contracted 130 mu of land. 40 mu of the land is planted with wheat, which will take about another month to harvest. 40 mu is planted with cotton, which will not be harvested until August or September. 50 mu is vacant land."
After Han Yang finished speaking, everyone fell silent for a moment. Then he picked up the megaphone and said, "Knowing that none of you have any prior planting experience, the production team has found local people with extensive planting experience to plant with you. You don't need to worry about that."
After he finished speaking, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
Han Yang: "There are also 50 mu of vacant land, ten mu per family, which will be used to grow vegetables. We have selected five kinds of vegetables for everyone to grow: cucumbers, tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, and green beans. In a little while, everyone will draw lots to decide which vegetables each family will grow. Also, in this month when the wheat is about to ripen, everyone needs to sign up to learn how to operate a combine harvester and get a driver's license."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Zhiyi felt her head buzzing, overwhelmed with thoughts, and incredibly tired. "Oh my god, director, if you finish speaking in one breath, what are we supposed to do next?"
I thought participating in this show was just for show, but judging from the director's words, it seems like he's serious.
Han Yang smiled and glanced at everyone's faces. "Okay," he said, giving a wink to his assistant, who immediately handed him five neatly folded slips of paper.
"How about we decide the order with rock-paper-scissors?" Qu Xian suggested, looking at the slip of paper handed to him, and turned to ask everyone for their opinion.
Shen Yingying nodded, her eyes crinkling with a smile. "Okay, that's the fairest way."
After several rounds of tense and interesting rock-paper-scissors, the winner was decided.
Su Tangtang and Huo Yizhou were given the first choice. She stepped forward slowly, and with her slender fingertips, she gently picked up a piece of paper from Han Yang's palm. Shen Yingying's group followed closely behind, then Zhou Yan and her husband, Wu Xiaojia and her partner, and finally Lin Lang.
The drawing of lots was quiet and quick. Everyone carefully unfolded their slip of paper, each with a different expression. Han Yang stood aside, observing everyone's reactions with great interest.
“We have 8 mu of wheat, 8 mu of cotton, and we also grow green beans,” Zhou Yan said, holding up a piece of paper and looking at everyone.
Wu Xiaojia said happily, "Sister Yan, the first two of us are the same, the last one is growing tomatoes."
Lin Lang: "The front part should be the same, but the vegetables we plant in the back are different. We plant eggplants."
Shen Yingying said with a smile, "We grow chili peppers."
Su Tangtang held up the note, "We are cucumbers."
Han Yang glanced at Su Tangtang, then continued, "By the way, the production team gave each household 5,000 yuan as start-up capital."
"Five thousand yuan?" Qu Xian asked again uncertainly.
Han Yang nodded, "This five thousand yuan includes living expenses, seeds, pesticides, and other expenses."
Su Tangtang: "I'm afraid this won't be enough."
Han Yang: "If that's not enough, then we'll all have to figure it out. Just to emphasize, you can't use your own money."
After speaking, Han Yang glanced at Su Tangtang again.
Su Tangtang: "..."
Call her!
Gu Qingke: "What if we don't have enough?"
Han Yang: "You can borrow from the production team, but you have to pay it back. You have to pay it back when you have a good harvest."
Upon hearing this, everyone immediately lowered their expressions.
Qiu Nan: "To be honest, this amount of money is a bit small."
Zhao Zhiyi complained, "It's pitifully little. What can five thousand yuan even buy?"
Han Yang: "Alright, everyone, stop complaining for a moment. Anyone who wants to get a combine harvester driver's license can sign up now. It's not mandatory."
After Han Yang finished speaking, everyone fell into thought.
Getting a combine harvester driver's license is like acquiring another skill. After thinking for a few seconds, Su Tangtang said, "I'll sign up."
"I'm signing up."
Huo Yizhou spoke up along with her.
After they finished speaking, they glanced at each other and then looked at Han Yang.
Han Yang raised an eyebrow slightly, his gaze lingering on Su Tangtang for a few seconds.
When Su Tangtang saw him looking at her, she asked, "Can't girls sign up?"
Han Yang coughed lightly, "You can sign up."
When Su Tangtang signed up, Han Yang wasn't the only one surprised. However, Su Tangtang had a very bad impression on everyone, and her courage to sign up made everyone wonder what tricks she was planning to play.
Shen Yingying has the most inner monologues.
She stared at Su Tangtang for a few moments, then tugged at Gu Qingke, "Don't sign up."
As soon as she opened her mouth, Gu Qingke frowned, a hint of dissatisfaction in her eyes. "Yingying."
She leaned close to his ear and whispered her thoughts, "Su Tangtang signed up because of you, she knew all the boys would sign up."
Gu Qingke reached out and put her hand on her shoulder. "They've all signed up, so it wouldn't be right for me not to."
Shen Yingying knew him well; once he made a decision, it was unchangeable, especially since it was on a TV show. She had just lost her mind and said she didn't want him to sign up.
Shen Yingying pouted and said somewhat defiantly, "Then I'll sign up too."
Gu Qingke disagreed, saying, "The harvester is so big, it's hard to control. What if you hurt yourself?"
He snorted softly, "Don't worry, Su Tangtang won't last more than a few days before giving up."
Shen Yingying thought for a moment, then finally nodded, "Okay."
In the end, all the male guests signed up, but only Su Tangtang signed up as a female guest.
People didn't think much of her; instead, they waited for her to quit after two days so they could laugh at her.
Around 9 p.m., Su Tangtang and the others went home.
Su Tangtang washed up in the courtyard by pumping water. After she finished washing, she lay on the bed for about twenty minutes when she heard the door close. She got out of bed and went to the main room.
She saw Huo Yizhou come back from outside. His hair was still wet, and he had a towel around his neck. She asked, "Did you take a shower?"
Huo Yizhou took the towel off his neck, lifted his eyelids to look at her, and gave a curt "hmm".
Su Tangtang pressed for details, "Did you wash at the place where the production crew was staying?"
Huo Yizhou: "Hmm."
Seeing that he didn't want to talk to her, she gave a dry laugh and said, "I won't bother you anymore."
-
The next day, after breakfast, everyone discussed how to plant the vegetables, and the production team also found an experienced vegetable grower for them.
The vegetable grower was in his forties, with a kind and honest appearance, and his skin was tanned dark from years of farming.
"How many years have you been growing vegetables, Master?" Zhou Yan asked, looking at her master.
The vegetable grower replied, "I started growing vegetables when I was twenty years old, and it has been twenty-five years now."
Wu Xiaojia asked in surprise, "It's been that long?"
The vegetable grower nodded with a simple smile, "Yes, my family was poor back then, and I dropped out of school early. I didn't learn any special skills, so I learned to grow vegetables from my family. I've been doing this for over twenty years."
Lin Lang: "Master, do you make money growing vegetables?"
The vegetable grower chuckled and said, "I won't make much money, just enough to feed my family and keep them from starving."
After a few casual words, the topic returned to growing vegetables.
When the topic of growing vegetables came up, the chef became much more serious. "No matter what you plant, the land must be tilled. This is essential."
Everyone nodded and listened attentively.
"You are going to plant cucumbers, tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, and green beans. For cucumbers, tomatoes, and green beans, we recommend building arched greenhouses. This is mainly because the weather in April is unpredictable, sometimes cold and sometimes hot. If you don't build arched greenhouses, it will not be good for the growth of cucumbers, green beans, and tomatoes, and it will also affect the yield later."
"Master, do we need to build arched sheds for planting chili peppers and eggplants? Do we need to cover them with a layer of mulch to keep them warm?" Su Tangtang said.
The master craftsman smiled broadly. "Yes, this young lady is absolutely right. Although chili peppers and eggplants don't need to be grown in greenhouses, plastic film is still essential."
Su Tangtang chimed in, "When choosing mulch film, you should choose transparent mulch film, as it will be more effective."
"You know a lot, little girl. Where are you from?" The master looked at the fair-skinned and very pretty girl in front of him and asked her.
Of course she understood. She majored in agricultural science in college, and although she lacked farming experience, she had a solid theoretical foundation.
Su Tangtang replied with a smile, "I'm from Qingcheng."
The master smiled and responded, then continued speaking.
As her mentor spoke, Wu Xiaojia kept glancing at Su Tangtang, but she was utterly speechless. If it weren't for the cameras, she would have rolled her eyes to the heavens.
Su Tangtang is such a slut, secretly doing her homework behind their backs to steal the spotlight.
It's a pity Su Tangtang can't read minds, otherwise she would know what Wu Xiaojia is thinking about her.
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