Chapter 26 You're My First Friend
"I wonder whose friend will be here," Su Tangtang said, sitting in the main room after returning from the directing team. She rested her chin on her hands and looked at Huo Yizhou with curiosity in her eyes.
The lights had just come on, not yet bright enough, casting a dim, yellowish glow. Huo Yizhou looked into her clear eyes, which held undisguised curiosity, and his heart stirred slightly.
He asked in a low voice, "Could it be your friend?"
Su Tangtang thought about it seriously; it seemed that the original owner didn't have many friends.
People hate her so much they don't even want to be her friends.
She smiled, shook her head, and said, "I have no friends."
Huo Yizhou was slightly taken aback, then chuckled, "That bad?"
Su Tangtang responded with a "Hmph," then turned to him and asked, "And you, do you have many friends?"
The original book mentions Huo Yizhou very little, only that the director is his friend. But someone like him must have a lot of friends.
Huo Yizhou replied, "I have a few close friends."
Su Tangtang nodded, tilting her head to look him over.
A moment later, she suddenly called out, "Huo Yizhou."
He responded in a low voice.
When their eyes met, his heart skipped a beat for no apparent reason.
For some reason, the more he looked at her today, the more beautiful he found her, and he couldn't take his eyes off her.
“When you first came here, you were very aloof, unapproachable, and rarely smiled. You were cold and had a strong presence,” Su Tangtang said with a smile. “I never expected that you would be completely different from my initial impression.”
Huo Yizhou paused for a moment, then said gently, "I am a human being, not a machine. Of course, I also experience joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness."
Su Tangtang chuckled, "I know, I shouldn't have judged people so quickly."
Huo Yizhou looked at her smiling face and smiled wryly, “When facing someone you don’t like, you always subconsciously become a little colder.”
Su Tangtang paused for a moment, then suddenly moved a few steps closer to him, her eyes bright as she asked, "So you like me now?"
If he admits it, it means that her impression on him has really changed, and it also means that she is safe with Huo Yizhou.
She was somewhat anticipating his answer.
Huo Yizhou looked into her eyes, trying to catch a trace of other emotions, but those eyes were too clean, so pure that they were devoid of any ulterior motives, only bright curiosity and expectation that he would say he liked her.
This "like" is not the same as that "like".
After a long pause, he spoke in a low voice, "I guess I like it."
Su Tangtang pouted, "Only average?"
She pressed on, unwilling to give up, "So, are we friends?"
Huo Yizhou gave a soft "hmm," and said, "I guess so."
"That's a bit far-fetched," Su Tangtang muttered softly, then laughed. "But you are my first friend."
Huo Yizhou remained silent for a moment, not replying, but his eyes softened slightly.
-
The next day, as soon as Su Tangtang and her group arrived at the production team, they saw Zhou Yan and the others talking to the two new guests.
As they got closer, their features became clearer.
Su Tangtang smiled and greeted them, "Hello, I'm Su Tangtang, and this is my boyfriend, Huo Yizhou."
Huo Yizhou nodded to them.
The girl simply responded with a light nod, and the boy merely nodded; neither of them seemed inclined to introduce themselves.
Su Tang's gaze shifted slightly, landing on the face of the bright and flamboyant girl. There seemed to be a hint of hostility in the girl's eyes as she looked at her.
At this moment, Shen Yingying interjected with a smile, "Let me introduce you. This is my friend, Meng Meng, and this is her boyfriend, Ke Tangshu."
When her gaze swept over Su Tangtang, a hint of smugness flashed across her eyes.
Su Tangtang didn't know what she was so proud of, but she understood. It turned out that the person who came was Shen Yingying's friend. No wonder.
Her smile deepened, and her tone became light, "That's wonderful! A friend is coming over."
Shen Yingying's eyelids twitched upon hearing this.
When you dislike someone, you always feel like everything they say has a hidden meaning.
At that moment, she felt that Su Tangtang's words were a veiled criticism of her.
At this point, the director saw that everyone was present, said a few words, and formally welcomed the two newcomers.
He then turned to Meng Meng and Ke Tangshu and instructed them, "The fields and houses that Wu Xiaojia and Zhao Zhiyi were previously in charge of will be taken over by you. In addition, they have some outstanding debts, which will also be transferred to you."
Meng Meng immediately exclaimed "Ah!" and said in a wronged tone, "Director, we just arrived and we're already burdened with debt. This is too tragic!"
The director calmly replied, "It's okay, we can pay it back slowly and eventually."
Meng Meng was speechless for a moment, then her eyes lit up and she said, "Then, director, could you talk to Su Tangtang and the others and ask them to waive the interest for us? After all, we're new here, so please take care of us."
She had paid for the previous few installments before she came, and at the time she felt that Su Tangtang and the others were asking for such a high interest rate, which was really excessive.
Su Tangtang frowned as she listened, but before she could speak, the director's voice rang out, "You'll have to discuss this with Su Tangtang and the others yourselves."
After saying that, the director glanced at Su Tangtang, seemingly unintentionally.
Su Tangtang's eyelids twitched. "You, Han Yang, are you just passing the buck to me?"
Meng Meng looked over as expected, her tone both assertive and slightly coquettish, "Could you waive the interest for us? Please be considerate of the newcomers!"
The teasing tone in his voice almost gave Su Tangtang goosebumps.
She smiled slightly and replied calmly, "If the director is willing to waive the interest on the money we borrowed from the production team, then I can also waive your share."
She knew perfectly well that the director would never agree to waive their interest.
Meng Meng's face stiffened, and she subconsciously looked at the director, her eyes filled with a pleading look.
The director simply shrugged, looking helpless, and said, "Well, there's nothing I can do about it."
Meng Meng was speechless for a moment. She pursed her lips and muttered softly, "It seems this show is really realistic... I thought it would take better care of the newcomers."
The director didn't respond, but instead raised his voice and said to everyone, "Alright, the wheat harvest is finished now, but there's still a lot of farm work to do. In a couple of days, we'll start planting corn."
Everyone responded enthusiastically.
The director continued to assign tasks, "This afternoon, everyone take the harvested wheat to town to sell it. The money you make is yours to use as you see fit. You'll have to use it to buy corn seeds, fertilizer, and other supplies later."
He paused, then added a special arrangement: "Since Wu Xiaojia and the others' wheat fields were burned down, and the newcomers Meng Meng and Ke Tangshu are currently short of funds, the production team will subsidize them according to the amount of money the rest of you make from selling your wheat."
No one had any objections, and the director had finished speaking, so everyone went back to their own tasks.
The harvested wheat was left to dry in the field before being hauled home.
Eight acres of land yielded a total of 7,200 jin (3,600 kg) of harvest, piled up golden in the yard, looking exceptionally pleasing.
Today they're going to sell it, and Su Tangtang is really a little reluctant to part with it.
“We don’t have a car. We’ll go to town later and have the wheat harvesters come and pick it up,” Huo Yizhou said softly, looking at Su Tangtang who was staring intently at the wheat pile.
Su Tangtang gave a soft "hmm" and sighed gently, "So much wheat, how much stuff can be made from it..."
Huo Yizhou continued, his tone calm yet clear, "Assuming a wheat flour yield of 72%, 7200 jin can be milled into approximately 5152 jin of flour. If made into steamed buns, with each bun using 50 grams of flour, that would make about 10368 buns. If made into dumpling wrappers, that would be about..."
He was doing mental calculations as he spoke, and before he finished, Su Tangtang couldn't help but exclaim, "My God, so many! Farmers are truly amazing!"
Huo Yizhou nodded. "It is indeed great."
“You’re amazing too,” Su Tangtang turned to look at him, her eyes shining. “Your mental arithmetic skills are so strong.”
Huo Yizhou smiled faintly at the praise, "Alright, don't be reluctant."
Su Tangtang was slightly taken aback, not expecting him to see through her thoughts.
“But if you really want to stay, that’s fine too. We should have enough money to grow corn,” he added.
Su Tangtang exclaimed "Ah!" and quickly waved her hand, "No need, no need, it would be troublesome to bring so many home."
Huo Yizhou said, "You don't need to worry about that."
She shook her head again, her voice soft, "Forget it, I can eat it even if I sell it. If I keep so much at home, it might get infested with bugs and go to waste. Besides, there are many other people who need it."
Huo Yizhou nodded and said nothing more.
The two rode their electric tricycle out and had just turned onto the main road when they ran into Zhou Yan and her companion.
Zhou Yan spotted them immediately and called out, "Tangtang, are you going to town?"
Su Tangtang nodded and replied with a smile, "Yes, Sister Yan."
Zhou Yan said, "We were planning to go too, but we share a car with Lin Lang's family, and they've already taken it. Can Qu Xian and I hitch a ride with you?"
There are several wheat collection points in town, and they plan to ask around at several to compare prices.
Su Tangtang readily agreed, "Sure!"
She paused for a moment, then added, "But there are no small stools on the bus, so you'll have to bring two yourselves."
Zhou Yan immediately nodded, "Okay, I'll go back and get it right away!"
After saying that, she turned around and jogged home.
Su Tangtang and Huo Yizhou were waiting by the roadside.
Just then, Meng Meng and Ke Tangshu also came out of their house.
Seeing them standing next to the tricycle, Meng Meng greeted them with a smile, "Are you heading out?"
Qu Xian replied, "Let's go to town."
Meng Meng's eyes lit up, and she said excitedly, "Could you give us a ride? I haven't been to town since I came here."
Qu Xian paused for a moment, feeling a bit awkward. The car wasn't his, so he couldn't just agree outright. He could only turn to look at Su Tangtang.
Su Tangtang said tactfully, "This car probably can't carry this many people, right?"
Meng Meng seemed oblivious to the hesitation in her voice and continued to smile, saying, "It's alright. I think this carriage is quite spacious, there's enough room. Besides, neither my baby nor I are fat, so squeezing in won't be a problem!"
Su Tangtang felt a little helpless, but in the end she didn't refuse again, "Alright, then you guys go and bring two small stools too."
As soon as she finished speaking, Meng Meng turned around and jogged to get a stool.
Watching her walk away, Su Tangtang quietly approached Huo Yizhou and whispered, "With so many people getting on... won't they damage the car?"
Her faint fragrance brushed past his nose, causing Huo Yizhou to pause slightly and turn his head to look at her. "Then why didn't you just refuse me directly?"
Su Tangtang sighed softly, "I just refused, but I put it tactfully, but she didn't seem to understand."
Huo Yizhou responded in a low voice, "Be more direct next time. This car isn't meant to carry that many people anyway, so it's easy for problems to occur."
Su Tangtang thought for a moment and nodded, "Okay."
“Some people can’t understand subtle hints, so you have to be direct,” Huo Yizhou added. “Otherwise, even if you reluctantly agree, you won’t feel comfortable.”
She felt he made a lot of sense. Right now, she did feel a little uneasy and worried about whether the tricycle could hold up.
It wasn't that she was stingy; it's just that the car is only so big, and she was genuinely worried that it wouldn't be able to handle too many people.
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