Gathering Together
Qi Yao saw that their expressions were all different and asked, puzzled, “What’s the problem?”
Zhu Qing shot Li Lan a look: What’s wrong with this guy?
Li Lan looked back with one line: You deal with him.
Most of these dishes had been made by Zhu Qing. Even though Li Lan was the celebrity here and Zhu Qing was just an unknown ordinary person, Li Lan didn’t want to decide for her without asking and turn her labor into a favor for someone else.
Especially not a favor that would choke you to death when you swallowed it and might never be repaid.
Fine. Since Li Lan wasn’t going to handle it, Zhu Qing could only steel herself and step forward.
“If you want to eat, we can give you half,” she said. “But there’s no rice left. I only steamed enough for two people.”
Qi Yao was stunned. “This little, and you still want to split it in half?”
Zhu Qing was silent for a moment. There would always be people who pushed the limits of human understanding. She couldn’t help nodding in deep agreement. “I think it’s not enough either.”
Yu Ling came over and tugged at Qi Yao’s sleeve. “Let’s exchange our points first, then go check the kitchen.”
The two of them had brought back almost nothing. Qi Yao had come back empty-handed, while Yu Ling had picked a lot of wild grass; however, less than half of it could really be called wild vegetables, and even being generous, it didn’t make two jin.
When it came to Zhu Qing and Li Lan, the production team had handed out points with pain in their hearts; faced with Qi Yao’s group, the positions were reversed, and now they felt sorry for Yu Ling instead.
“We’ll give you twenty points,” the production team said, rounding up and even adding a little. “The things you can exchange for don’t include cooked food. If you want rice, you’ll have to make it yourselves.”
Qi Yao only cared about the points and blurted in disbelief, “We worked all that time for just twenty points? That won’t even buy us half a jin of meat!”
The production team pointed out the key issue: “Half of these vegetables are wild grass.”
Qi Yao frowned and looked at Yu Ling. “What happened?”
Yu Ling ignored him, clapped her hands, and walked over to Li Lan. “Teacher Li, can I exchange twenty points for a little rice? I don’t eat much; just a little is enough.”
Since she’d been directly named, Li Lan couldn’t stay quiet any longer. She lifted her head and glanced at Zhu Qing. “Ask her. Most of the points were earned by her, and she cooked the dishes too.”
Zhu Qing hadn’t expected Li Lan to stay this firm even after being singled out. If the show edited this badly, wouldn’t it invite hate online? She hurriedly told Yu Ling, “What Teacher Li means is, yes.”
Li Lan raised an eyebrow. So she’d picked up a new way to address her?
Qi Yao frowned. “Then this still isn’t enough to eat.”
Zhu Qing couldn’t tell whether Qi Yao was playing dumb or really didn’t understand; no one had said he could eat too.
More importantly, Yu Ling still hadn’t said a word or corrected him, and Zhu Qing felt a faint irritation.
She had agreed to let Yu Ling share their meal. Yu Ling had also specifically said that she “didn’t eat much when alone,” and Zhu Qing had agreed to her “alone.”
Then Qi Yao had silently assumed that he got to freeload too, using “this isn’t enough to eat” to pin down permission for himself; Yu Ling never once opened her mouth to correct him.
Still, it was hard to say anything. On a variety show, after all, a couple was usually treated as one unit.
Zhu Qing shrank her neck, feeling like she had stepped into a pit.
Under the table, she kicked Li Lan in mild dissatisfaction, then stepped on the toes that poked out from Li Lan’s slippers and pressed down lightly; the meaning was obvious: I’m unhappy. Hurry up and help me say something.
Li Lan’s face stiffened for two seconds. She silently pulled her foot back, then finally said, “We cooked based on two portions. I don’t eat much, so I can spare a portion for Yu Ling. But Qi Yao is right; he alone could finish all of this. You still need to find more food if you want to be full.”
Qi Yao said, “Then why don’t we give you our points and have you make more for us?”
Li Lan thought for a moment, then spoke gently. “I’m a model. I’ve dieted for years; Zhu Qing does more of the cooking and the work. Today she hiked the mountain, carried water, and chopped firewood, and she’s already very tired. I don’t want her to keep working just to earn points. You should keep your points for yourselves.”
Then she looked at Yu Ling and asked, politely but unmistakably, “Are you going with Qi Yao to find food, or staying here?”
Li Lan had forcibly split the two of them apart in her wording.
If Yu Ling chose to stay, that meant actively separating herself from Qi Yao. She couldn’t use a vague, half-hearted default to dump Qi Yao’s trouble on someone else in a way that made others bear the loss while she herself remained perfectly invisible.
Li Lan’s gaze was very deep, as if she could see to the bottom of a person’s heart. This kind of subtle push and pull wasn’t something most people could react to immediately, much less use in such a near-perfect way to shift the burden away.
Yu Ling looked at Li Lan for a long moment, then moved her gaze to Zhu Qing’s face.
Director Yang had said that Li Lan was very smart, but she wasn’t petty. If you showed weakness in front of her, took the initiative to lay bare your needs and seek shelter, she wouldn’t refuse.
But Li Lan had been refusing from start to finish.
Yu Ling was a little curious: what reaction would the person Li Lan had been protecting all this time have?
Joy at victory?
A faint mockery?
Yet under Yu Ling’s scrutiny, Zhu Qing only clicked her tongue and shook her head, then gave her a look of extremely innocent sympathy and friendly concern, as if to say: I pity you for going out to gather food and still dragging along a pig teammate.
Zhu Qing had no idea what was going on at all.
Yu Ling: …
Qi Yao said impatiently, “Let’s go.”
Yu Ling stood up and followed him out.
Li Lan watched Yu Ling’s retreating back and frowned.
Zhu Qing saw the expression on Li Lan’s face. “See? You’re worried too, right?”
Li Lan withdrew her gaze. “About what?”
Zhu Qing was quite worried that if they refused Qi Yao, the show might edit it into something ugly. She muttered that maybe they should have let him stay for dinner.
“But then the two of us won’t have enough. No, I can eat a little less. Everyone can just take a few bites on camera and make it look good. Qi Yao wouldn’t really finish it all... right?”
Li Lan picked up a chopstickful of meat for her and comforted her, “Don’t worry. He won’t. If you cut our conversation by itself, it doesn’t make sense; if you add in a couple more seconds, it would turn into him saying something inappropriate. Look, the production team is filming us eating right now, but they definitely won’t release what we’re talking about.”
Li Lan’s prediction was extremely accurate. The production team wasn’t going to pick up a stone just to smash their own foot; the first day already had plenty of material from two groups going out to earn points, so there was no need to cut in this kind of conflict.
Halfway through the meal, Zhu Qing suddenly remembered something. “Teacher Li.”
Li Lan glanced at her.
Zhu Qing pinched her voice and said sweetly and coyly, “Teacher Li~ Teacher~”
Li Lan wiped her mouth with a tissue, swallowed the rice in her mouth, and looked at Zhu Qing with lowered eyes. “What?”
Zhu Qing pretended to be regretful. “How come I didn’t think of this way to call you?”
Li Lan was too lazy to answer.
“Let’s play a quick-fire Q&A,” Zhu Qing said. “I ask; you answer within one second.”
Li Lan felt like there was a trap. “After we finish eating...”
Zhu Qing reminded her softly, “You’re eating food made by who?”
Li Lan: .
Zhu Qing asked quickly, “What’s your name?”
Li Lan: “Li Lan.”
Zhu Qing immediately followed up, “What’s my name?”
Li Lan: “...Zhu Qing.”
Before Li Lan’s last syllable had even fallen, Zhu Qing shot back, “What did I used to call you?”
Li Lan: “Miss—”
She fell into an eerie silence.
Zhu Qing’s expression also turned strange. “Miss? Did I work in customer service? What kind of weird way is that to address someone?”
Li Lan was speechless. Between “smearing Zhu Qing’s image from the past” and “letting Zhu Qing keep closing in on her,” she endured it again and again. “...Darling.”
Zhu Qing’s eyes lit up. Woo-hoo.
“Oh, dear,” Zhu Qing said, picking up food for Li Lan with her eyes curved in a smile. “Eat more.”
Li Lan let out a sigh. She didn’t really want to develop an ambiguous relationship with Zhu Qing, but Zhu Qing kept pressing closer step by step.
And she kept retreating step by step.
“Be good for a bit,” Li Lan said, her words muffled by the food she was swallowing. “Eat quietly.”
Because they had already accumulated enough points that day, Li Lan and Zhu Qing didn’t go out in the afternoon. They lay on the bed and took a satisfying nap, only to be woken by a knock at the door.
“Anyone there?”
“We’re here.”
Li Lan put on her hat and went out. Outside the wooden house were the other two couples from the variety show. She quickly greeted them with a smile, took the stick propping the door open, and welcomed them in.
Standing in front were two women in their sixties. They had met years ago through the wildly popular drama Twin Flowers, and both were national first-class actors with experience and standing in the industry. One of them smiled kindly at Li Lan. “Hello there, little Li Lan. So you’re the other female couple.”
The speaker was a little plumper, with a booming voice and plenty of energy. The woman beside her quickly said, “Why are you still using that old term? I told you not to mention it.”
Li Lan bowed slightly to the woman who had spoken first and smiled. “Hello, Teacher Hu.” Then she turned to the other one. “Hello, Teacher Liu.”
Li Lan took the luggage from Hu Xu and Liu Yini; at that moment, Zhu Qing also came downstairs.
“This is my wife, Zhu Qing,” Li Lan introduced. “Xiao Qing, these are Teacher Hu and Teacher Liu.”
Zhu Qing gave them a slight bow and said sweetly, “Hello, teachers.”
Hu Xu clasped her hands behind her back and sized Zhu Qing up for a couple of looks before nodding. “Not bad. You look great. What do you usually do? Do you have any work to show for it? Have you signed with an agency?”
Zhu Qing blinked awkwardly. Her work? Did translating the niche sci-fi award-winning novel Trapped Me into the English edition The Devil, which then became a bestseller overseas, count?
Though the profits had been scooped up by middlemen, and she didn’t get a share of the bestseller royalties.
But Hu Xu didn’t seem to be asking about that.
Liu Yini dragged Hu Xu away. “You talk too much. Hurry up and put your things down. You’re blocking the doorway and not letting anyone in.”
Only then did Hu Xu remember. “Right, I forgot. There are two youngsters behind us.”
Following behind Hu Xu and Liu Yini into the house was a married couple: the man was handsome and refined, the woman gentle and generous. They were the recently gold-award-winning Best Actress and Best Actor, a loving couple with an excellent reputation in the industry.
They only showed their faces after the two seniors in front had entered. Zhu Qing hurried to take their luggage, but the man smiled and refused. “I’ll do it. Hers is too much; you can’t carry it.”
The woman said coquettishly, “If you’re old, then just say you’re old. I think you’re out of shape. Maybe that young lady is even stronger than you. Isn’t that right?”
The last sentence was directed at Zhu Qing. Zhu Qing answered seriously, “Teacher Sun is in his prime. From the workout video he posted last time, he can deadlift a hundred kilos without effort. I can only deadlift forty.”
The woman said in surprise, “That much?”
Sun Qi looked pleased. “Xu Yuzhi, you really are underestimating your husband.”
Xu Yuzhi gave him a tiny wink. “You’re amazing.”
Sun Qi immediately became even more pleased. He reached out and took the last little square bag from Xu Yuzhi’s hand, carried one suitcase and a large bag on the left, dragged a large suitcase on the right, and still had a backpack and a crossbody bag on him; the only hand left over ended up holding Xu Yuzhi’s mini purse. He strode forward, broad and powerful.
Zhu Qing was stunned. So this was the power of praise?
“See? He eats up compliments.” Xu Yuzhi said with a smile.
Zhu Qing nodded deeply. Learned something.
According to the production team’s arrangements, they had all come after eating. In the entertainment industry, staying in shape meant eating enough for breakfast and lunch, and whether they ate dinner or not didn’t really matter. So compared with the remaining two groups, these two had actually missed out on a whole day’s worth of tasks, but no one would think it was unfair; after all, their age was right there. Especially Hu Xu and Liu Yini, who had already agreed to come all the way out to this remote mountain area for the show, were taking a risk. If anything sudden happened to them, there might not even be time to get them to a doctor.
[All guests have now arrived. The production team has also brought everyone a small bonus. Please collect your task cards.]
The eight guests sat at the long table in the main room. On the table were some specialty foods from the southwest region, and beside each couple was a tower stacked from small bird’s-nest jars.
Yu Ling had already opened two jars and was eating quietly; the camera moved to her from time to time.
Everyone received their task cards one after another.
The director spoke. “Teacher Hu, please go first. Completing your task will earn you an initial loan of 300 points.”
Hu Xu smiled and handed the task card to Liu Yini. “Take a look; can we do it?”
Liu Yini read the words on it aloud. “In ancient times, trade began with barter. Later, as the scale expanded, a general equivalent emerged... To obtain the necessities of one day, you may use points to exchange for goods and trade with the villagers. The exchanged goods can then be converted back into points; profit is yours, while losses mean you forfeit loan eligibility.”
Zhu Qing understood. Their task was to trade with the villagers. Both of these people were nationally known and also older, so they’d have common topics with the villagers. The items they could exchange for would definitely not lose money; this task was basically tailor-made for them.
Liu Yini laughed heartily. “Good, this task’s not bad.”
Xu Yuzhi’s task card was fishing.
[Human tribes first formed around river sources. Here there is a river with abundant water and a sweet, clear taste. The river contains plump fresh catches and rich produce. If you can catch five jin of river produce in one day, you will receive double points.]
The river produce itself already exchanged for a lot of points; one jin was worth eighty points, and catching five jin of it wasn’t difficult. One big fish would be enough, and the points would double. That meant eight hundred points.
Sun Qi and Xu Yuzhi came from a small fishing village in the southern province and had been familiar with water since childhood. Sun Qi sighed with emotion. “It’s been a long time since I went into the water to fish. Want to give it a try tomorrow, the two of us?”
Xu Yuzhi’s presence on camera was calmer than she was in private. She smiled gently. “Sure.”
These two groups were clearly being looked after by the production team; their tasks were all tailor-made. But no one raised any objections.
When it came to Li Lan, Zhu Qing looked at her expectantly. Li Lan read it once, said nothing, and handed the card to Zhu Qing. “You read it.”
Zhu Qing took it and looked down. Good heavens; when it came to them, it had turned into exploitation.
[Delicious ingredients only need the simplest cooking methods. Mountain villagers live by the hills; curling chimney smoke and fragrant wood-fired rice are the deepest homesickness... Pan-frying, stir-frying, simmering, and deep-frying can all earn points. Please earn 300 points and prepare a table full of dishes for guests from afar, warming the stomach and the heart and warming the mountain village.]
Zhu Qing barely suppressed the urge to complain about the overly coy wording. “Fine. Isn’t it just stir-frying ten dishes?”
Li Lan asked, “And the ingredients for the dishes?”
Hu Xu said with a smile, “Of course we’ll provide them. We’ve long heard your little one’s cooking is delicious, and this time we’ll finally get to enjoy it.”
Xu Yuzhi also tucked her hair back and said warmly, “Everyone has to eat, but not many people can cook. My husband and I haven’t cooked in many years. If you’re willing to do it, we’ll provide the ingredients and everyone can eat together.”
Zhu Qing considered it for a moment. She could share the meal and earn points. Anyway, every time she cooked, she had to wash the pot afterward; whether she made more or less in one pot didn’t make much difference. And this way, they could avoid the four groups eating separately and creating an awkward scene.
Li Lan and Zhu Qing exchanged a look and couldn’t help but sigh at how sly the production team was. The moment Qi Yao had exposed the hidden risk, the show immediately adjusted the setup to fit the situation and filled the gap.
“Okay, we’ll be in charge of cooking,” Zhu Qing said.
The remaining group was Yu Ling and Qi Yao. They were the youngest pair, both looking soft and fresh; just from their faces alone, it was easy to feel favorably toward them.
Qi Yao took the task card and read, “The villagers work every day. July is the critical period for topdressing rice, preventing pests and disease, filling corn kernels, turning sweet potato vines, and flood control and drainage. You can earn point rewards through labor and exchange for all necessary items.”
Among these three groups, the elderly pair had already expected they’d be able to earn enough points to exchange for grain and meat. The middle-aged pair was going to catch river produce in the first place, so even if they didn’t catch five jin, it would definitely still be enough for them to eat. As for the young pair, Zhu Qing was the chef; who would hand over ingredients to her to cook and then not let her sit down to eat?
So only their group faced the danger of not earning enough points and going hungry.
However, Qi Yao glanced at Yu Ling very quickly.
He was a man and did have strength, but getting Yu Ling to work would be a joke, wouldn’t it?
At most, Yu Ling could carry water. Accepting this task meant he’d be carrying the whole load for two people, and the points he earned would still have to be split with her.
But those thoughts only flashed through his mind. He still didn’t think the production team would really starve him. Look, hadn’t they already prepared a meal for them by evening?
Qi Yao was very hungry. He didn’t want to waste any more time and wanted to eat as soon as possible, so he said directly, “Sure, we’ll take it.”
Yu Ling hadn’t found a chance to speak from beginning to end. Only after Qi Yao finished did she ask, “Aren’t there technical barriers to all of these?”
Qi Yao didn’t care. “What technical barriers do you need to catch bugs? It’s just a difference in how much you catch, right?”
Yu Ling was shut down. She noticed the fixed camera at the table angle toward the two of them, pressed her lips together, and said nothing more.
Everyone started eating. Zhu Qing and Li Lan weren’t that hungry and ate slowly. Hu Xu was also focused on health, holding a cup of tea as she spoke lazily.
“You’re Zhu Qing, right?”
Zhu Qing looked up, like a student suddenly called on. “Yes.”
“How did you and little Li Lan meet?”
Hu Xu smiled like a laughing Buddha. “I’ve known little Li Lan for many years. At first, she was a firm believer in not getting married. How did you manage to get her?”
Zhu Qing choked. This question was exactly something she’d always wanted to know too.
She looked to Li Lan for help: Save me!
But Li Lan lowered her eyes unhurriedly and took a sip of water.
“Well, we met at a gathering,” Zhu Qing said haltingly, quickly searching for words in her mind. She couldn’t exactly say the two of them had gotten together by drunkenly rolling onto a bed, could she!
And besides, she only knew that much; she had no idea what happened after that!
But very soon, Hu Xu’s next sentence cut off her thoughts and left her with no need to explain at all.
————————
Zhu Qing: Save me, save me, save me!
Li Lan: read and ignored
TL Note:
“亲” (literally “dear”) is the very Chinese customer-service / online-shop way of addressing a customer (dear customer), hence the banter. Li lan then settles on “亲爱的 (darling)” which is more affectionate. Dear is a bit of a more affectionate term in English so I switched to "Miss."