Chapter 232 Mission
Frugality and thrift are traditional virtues of the Chinese nation, and have been so since ancient times. Yu Xingtong thought Xia Mian would deny his extravagance, but to her surprise, he readily admitted it.
The initiative instantly turned into a passive one, and Yu Xingtong didn't know what to say, so she could only give an awkward smile and say, "Okay."
Xia Mian ignored her and, seeing the atmosphere getting awkward, the director quickly played sound effects.
"Whoosh~ Buzz~ Whoosh~ Buzz~"
A piercing horn blared, and everyone was bewildered, unsure what was happening. Zhao Xiaohui was the first to react: "It sounds like a call-in signal. The production team is summoning us. Are they about to give us a task? Let's go check it out."
Zhao Xiaohui guessed correctly. When the six of them went out, the director was waiting in the middle of the courtyard, holding a megaphone.
"Good afternoon, guests. Welcome to Nanye Courtyard. After a short rest, I'm sure you're all getting hungry and tired. To help you relax, on behalf of the production team, I'd like to give you your first task."
"I have six red envelopes in my hand, one for each of you. You will need to use these red envelopes to get through the next eight days."
Xia Mian had a bad feeling: "How much is the red envelope? It can't just be eight hundred, can it?"
Director: "Wrong, it's one hundred per letter. There are no restrictions on the means of survival, but you can't use your own funds. If you're caught doing so, you'll be fined fifty."
Xia Mian thought the production team was going to cause trouble, but she didn't expect them to do something this big: "Only one hundred??? But a fifty-something fine is fine. We can use our own money to buy all the supplies we need for these eight days, and then we'll refund you fifty."
"......" Where did these clever little devils come from! The director was speechless for a moment, "Things bought with personal funds will also be confiscated."
"Ah... I was thinking of using that trick too~~~" Yao Yao said in a disappointed, drawn-out tone.
Director: "Alright, everyone come and collect your red envelopes. I wish you all a pleasant spring outing in Nanye."
Xia Mian felt no pleasure whatsoever at receiving one hundred yuan.
With their lifeline in the hands of the production team, the guests had no choice but to take turns receiving red envelopes, then look at the physical money they hadn't seen in a long time and sigh longingly.
After handing out the red envelopes, the director left. Yao Yao pulled out a hundred-yuan bill and shook it: "One hundred and eighty days, only twelve yuan and fifty cents a day, not even enough for breakfast, how are we supposed to survive?"
Liang Qiuhong is older and has more life experience: "This amount of money is definitely not enough for one person to live on. We can pool our money together, 12.5 yuan per person per day, which is 75 yuan for six people. If we make a plan, we can buy groceries and cook for ourselves, and there won't be any problem."
“Indeed, we won’t starve to death; we can at least survive,” Zhao Xiaohui raised his hand. “I agree with Sister Hong that we should pool our money together.”
Actually, that's the direction the show's producers are aiming for. Giving out 100 yuan is just to see the guests tear each other apart over money.
The others followed Zhao Xiaohui in raising their hands.
Xia Mian agreed: "I don't know if you've noticed, but there are no restaurants in the village, so we have to cook for ourselves."
"No restaurants?" Upon hearing this, Yao Yao was at her wits' end. "Can you cook? If not, it'll be even worse; you'll have money but nowhere to spend it!"
His statement proves he can't cook. Yu Xingtong shook her head: "Where I live, I can't get Chinese food. To maintain my figure, I rarely eat hot dishes and often rely on salads to fill my stomach."
Zhao Xiaohui: "No, no, my wife's cooking skills are top-notch, I don't need to do it, hahahahaha."
Xia Mian opened his mouth, but before he could speak, Zhao Xiaohui answered for him, "You definitely wouldn't either, we know that. What about Yu Nuo?"
Zhang Yuno came from a poor family. To support them, her parents worked several odd jobs. From as far back as she could remember, her life consisted of getting up, doing housework, cooking, taking care of her younger brother, and sleeping—day after day. Things only changed after she was discovered by her current agency.
“Things that are too fancy definitely won’t do,” Zhang Yuno laughed. “You can trust me with home-style dishes.”
"Ahhh, that's great! Sister Yuno, you're my angel!" Yao Yao rushed up to hug Zhang Yuno.
Zhang Yuno quickly dodged, and Yao Yao almost strained her back when she missed the hug. Liang Qiuhong looked at these energetic younger relatives and timidly raised her hand: "Don't forget me, I can cook a few dishes too."
Actors in Hong Kong earn low incomes, especially Leung Chau-hung. She debuted early in her career but earned far less than those in mainland China, and her life was very difficult in her early years. Things only gradually improved after she married her current husband.
But she's sixty-three this year, and her health is starting to decline. No one wanted to overwork her. Yu Xingtong took Liang Qiuhong's hand: "You just need to rest. We'll call you when Yu Nuo needs help."
Those who actually did the work didn't say anything, but Yu Xingtong became the good person first.
Zhang Yuno felt like he'd swallowed a fly; his chest tightened terribly. Xia Mian glanced at Zhang Yuno and said, "Cooking isn't just Yuno's job. Everyone who can help should lend a hand. Many hands make light work."
Zhao Xiaohui: "Yes, Xia is right, I'll take care of starting the fire!"
Nanye Village has a poetic name, but it's a nationally renowned impoverished village. It lacks natural gas and has inadequate electricity; cooking still relies on traditional earthen stoves. The filming of "Let's Go on a Spring Outing" in Nanye also carries an element of economic support.
“Xia is right,” Zhao Xiaohui glanced at his watch. “It’s almost three o’clock. Shouldn’t we start preparing dinner?”
Zhang Yuno: "That's right, we haven't bought the groceries yet. Let's take out the money and divide it up. Who will manage the money?"
Managing money is not an easy job, especially when living expenses are tight. You have to keep accounts, make plans, and be frugal. Xia Mian wanted to volunteer, because he was afraid that Zhang Yuno would be hesitant to use the money.
As a result, Yu Xingtong raised her hand first: "I'll do it. I manage all the money in my family. Last year, we achieved a profit of 150%."
Seeing her argue, Xia Mian belatedly realized that although managing money was not an easy job, it would get her more screen time.
This is a variety show, not real life. The most important thing is to make a name for yourself, create variety show effects, and make the audience remember you.
He wouldn't stoop to competing with a girl, and no one seemed to have any objections. Zhao Xiaohui looked around and said, "Okay, from now on, Xingtong is our financial director. Let's take out some money to buy groceries."
“There’s no rush to buy groceries,” Xia Mian said. “We can first search around the yard to see if there are any supplies left by the previous owner, which can save us a little money.”
Zhao Xiaohui: "Hey, Xia is really smart, let's split up!"
The courtyard has four rooms: the main house, the east house, the kitchen, and the storage room. The group split into four teams and began searching for supplies.
Summer hibernation went to the storage room, which was empty except for a few agricultural machinery parts; it was so clean it was heartbreaking.
The cameraman filmed a group of people, then gestured to Xia Mian, indicating that he wanted to go outside for a smoke. Xia Mian waved his hand; he had originally intended to go out and help the other guests find supplies, but after thinking about it, he hid in a corner and took out his phone.
Half a day passed, and the notification bar was completely empty.
There was no message, and no phone call.
What's wrong with this person? Can't they even ask about the progress?
Before, when he was working, Zhou Pingchuan wouldn't contact him. Now it's different; they're no longer just a superficial couple.
They are deeply in love.
Who can resist the pull of longing?
Forget it, Zhou Pingchuan has never been in a relationship, he doesn't understand. Xia Mian decided to take the initiative this time, and took a picture of the storage room: "We've arrived at our destination and started recording, don't worry."
Zhou Pingchuan replied quickly: [Okay, best of luck with the work.]
aestivation:"???"
I told you not to think about it, and you really stopped thinking about it?
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