“Did you not know that your second brother has chilblains on his hands?”
After a frantic chase, the cameraman scrambled onto the vehicle, panting heavily. The already small cargo bed of the electric tricycle became even more crowded. Viewers who tuned in at that moment were instantly amused.
[Cameraman: I did not know anything! The three of them just went “whoosh” and they were gone!] [Hahaha, did really no one remember there was a cameraman?] [I see these three do not even need to sell bamboo shoots tomorrow; they are sharp enough on their own.] [Ming Yi can drive an electric tricycle? This vibe is so unique and strange. Let me watch a bit more.]
The three returned home to load yesterday’s shoots onto the vehicle before heading toward the market the villagers had mentioned.
Wuqing Village relied on tourism and tea planting as its primary sources of income. Driving along the quiet, secluded road, they could see the lush green tea mountains nearby. The distant mountains looked like dark ink wash paintings, hidden within the ethereal white mist. It was a sight very friendly to the eyes.
Ji Nian leaned against the side rail, enjoying the breeze with a look of pure contentment. “This is truly We Are on the Road!”
Shen Pan heard this and nearly teared up in the wind. “Yes! After so many episodes! We are finally not on the road to go begging!”
Having enough food and clothing while enjoying beautiful scenery was a life they previously dared not imagine.
“Good brother, I want to join this variety show with you again in the future!” In a moment of emotion, Ji Nian reached out to hook his arm around Ming Yi’s shoulder in the front seat. Startled, Ming Yi’s hand slipped, nearly driving the tricycle into a ditch.
Ming Yi said crossly, “I think you just crave my cooking.”
Ji Nian found Ming Yi’s act of forced calmness quite entertaining and decided to tease the honest man. “Do not be so cold, Ming Yi. Did you know? Last night you were talking in your sleep, and I was the one who comforted you.”
Shen Pan immediately joined in on the gossip. “What? What kind of sleep talk?”
Hearing this, Ming Yi felt both suspicious and nervous. “I talked in my sleep?”
He carefully searched his memory to see if he had dreamt at all last night. Since the marriage alliance, Ming Yi often had nightmares. If he had talked in his sleep, the content would likely be quite unpleasant. Perhaps he had questioned the Yan family in his dreams, asking why they could not give him even a tiny bit of love. Perhaps he dreamt of begging in the rain for tuition money, or of a terrifying maze he could never escape.
He dreamt of killing, and of being killed. He dreamt of being sunk into the sea, with saltwater pouring into his chest through his nose and mouth.
There were too many. Ming Yi did not want his messy scars to be seen by anyone. He tensed up, waiting for Ji Nian’s answer like waiting for a pending judgment.
Ji Nian had no idea what Ming Yi was thinking. Having milked the suspense for all it was worth, he said leisurely, “Let me repeat it for you then.”
Ji Nian cleared his throat and adopted a tearful, dramatic tone. “Last night, you said this: ‘Ji Nian-ge is so pitiful in this begging show! I want to stay on this show forever to cook for Ji Nian-ge and be his little brother for a lifetime!'”
“What could I do? I had to agree and say, ‘Fine, fine, I promise you. I will let you cook all the meals from now on, just stop crying,'” Ji Nian shook his head, wearing an expression of helpless doting. “Only then did you fall asleep peacefully like a baby.”
Ming Yi, after hearing the so-called sleep talk: “…”
He truly had held too high of an expectation for Ji Nian.
Shen Pan immediately synchronized with Ji Nian, looking heartbroken. “Little Ming, why is it that only Ji Nian-ge is in your dreams and not Sister Shen Pan? My heart is broken. Your punishment is to handle all the cooking for my next few variety shows!”
What exactly had this show done to them? Were they really that miserable?
Ming Yi showed a faint trace of a smile. “Stop mentioning cooking. My hands say they are shaking and are about to drive this car into the ditch.”
With such playful banter along the way, Ming Yi’s mood relaxed slightly. He had overthought it. While Ji Nian seemed carefree, he was an old hand who had navigated the entertainment industry for years. Even if he had heard something last night, Ji Nian would not be so lacking in boundaries as to broadcast Ming Yi’s private affairs.
Upon reaching the market, the three worked together to unload the shoots and carried them inside. The market was a spontaneous gathering of local villagers selling homegrown produce and mountain goods.
One look at the scene told them things were not looking good. At this time of year, spring shoots were as common as hair on a dog’s back. There were plenty of sellers, and anyone who wanted some could just dig them up themselves. Their shoots likely would not fetch a good price here.
Shen Pan went around to check the prices. Finally, the three agreed to set their price at ten pesos per catty. They found a spot for their stall and set up shop.
They did not need to shout. The three of them had remarkable appearances, and standing there with a cameraman made them the most conspicuous presence in the market. People could tell at a glance they were filming a show. Initially, no one dared to ask, at most stopping to peek curiously. Ji Nian and Shen Pan, having extensive experience with begging, were not worried about not selling the shoots.
When they turned to look at Ming Yi, they found him sitting to the side with a slight frown, his eyes scanning the crowd nervously.
Ji Nian asked kindly, “Little treasure, what is wrong? Do you need the restroom?”
“No,” Ming Yi said quietly. “I am just wondering if the presence of the camera is stopping people from buying our shoots.”
Realizing his concern, Shen Pan burst into laughter. “Oh, Little Ming, why are you so cute? It is fine. Just relax.”
Ming Yi nodded awkwardly.
Fortunately, a brave passerby soon came to the stall and asked, “Are you filming a show?”
Shen Pan said enthusiastically, “Yes! Would you like some shoots? They are very fresh!”
The passerby was straightforward. “Sure, give me three catties.”
Ming Yi skillfully weighed the shoots and packed them for the customer. Seizing the opportunity, the passerby continued talking to Shen Pan. “Um, you are Shen Pan, right? Can we take a photo together?”
Shen Pan readily agreed.
Ming Yi finally understood. With celebrity influence, the guests’ items were not hard to sell. For those interested, the shoots were merely a bonus; the real product was the autographs and photos.
With the first customer served, several others followed, all coming for Ji Nian and Shen Pan. Only Ming Yi, sitting nearby, remained unvisited.
[MY’s weighing technique is quite accurate. It looks like he really has sold vegetables before.] [Why is no one talking to MY? He looks so pitiful sitting there like a small child.] [Hah, he brought this on himself. With so many bad films, who can he blame for having no fame?]
Ming Yi did not feel much embarrassment at being ignored. In his past life, being ignored was the norm; he was used to being an invisible person.
After seeing off another customer, Shen Pan did not even have time to count the money before she hurriedly reorganized the messy shoots. Her obsessive-compulsive disorder had kicked in; she would only be satisfied if the shoots were lined up neatly by size.
“Sigh, Shen Pan, you really are something,” Ji Nian laughed and sighed. He turned to joke with Ming Yi but caught a glimpse of Ming Yi’s hands. He narrowed his eyes. “Why are there red patches on your hands?”
“What? Did a bug bite you? Let me see!” Shen Pan stopped arranging the shoots and leaned in to check. The cameraman immediately zoomed in.
Ming Yi’s skin was pale. By contrast, a small patch on the knuckles of two fingers was visibly red and swollen.
Ming Yi’s fingers curled slightly, but before he could make a fist, Ji Nian grabbed his hand. Ming Yi was forced to speak. “It is likely my chilblains acting up. It is an old problem. I will just soak them in hot water when we get back.”
“Chilblains?” Ji Nian frowned. “Why would they flare up suddenly?”
Ji Nian wanted to say the weather was not that cold yet, but he quickly thought of other things. Perhaps the tap water from this morning was too cold, or perhaps it was the morning mountain wind blowing against them on the tricycle ride.
“Is it itchy?”
Ming Yi shook his head. “I do not feel anything.”
Holding Ming Yi’s hand, Ji Nian felt the calluses on his palm. For a moment, his heart felt heavy with mixed emotions. Honestly, when they first met, Ji Nian thought Ming Yi was the cold, aloof person described in rumors. After getting to know him, Ji Nian gradually overturned that idea. It was not coldness, but a subconscious self-defense mechanism developed after years of neglect.
Ming Yi kept his heart locked tight. If someone were lucky enough to knock it open a crack, only then could they glimpse his true inner world.
Shen Pan also saw the swelling and quickly connected it to the cause. She could not help but feel guilty. “Let us buy some chilblain ointment later.”
Ming Yi said hurriedly, “Truly, there is no need. It will go away on its own soon.”
Just then, another customer arrived, and the topic was dropped. Ming Yi breathed a sigh of relief.
Before long, all the shoots were sold out. Since the guests had no phones, they could only accept cash. Many people even ran to nearby shops to exchange for paper bills. After counting the money, they had earned a total of 165 pesos.
This large sum arrived just in time. They were able to buy groceries at the market. The stall owners, seeing the camera behind them, did not overcharge them, so they bought a significant amount of food at a very fair price.
The recording for We Are on the Road was four days long. By the evening of the fourth day, the guests would leave. If they did not mind repeating dishes, this food would last them for the remaining seven meals. In the end, they had 48 pesos left.
Ji Nian discussed it with Shen Pan and spent fifteen pesos to buy a pair of gloves from a roadside stall. Ming Yi tried to stop them, but Ji Nian shoved the gloves into his arms. “Do not worry about whether it is cold on the way back. For the next few days, we are counting on you to drive the tricycle. Money is earned to be spent. Let us say, save where we should, but spend where we must.”
Ming Yi had no choice but to accept the gloves. His lips moved slightly as he said in a low voice, “Thank you.”
The gloves Ji Nian bought were thick but ugly. They were a combination of red and green, looking as festive as Christmas.
Wearing his Christmas gloves, Ming Yi carried the other two in the cargo bed and drove the electric tricycle back to the village. When they returned, they happened to run into Yan An’s trio coming back from the mountain.
They saw Ji Zhan Yun being supported on both sides by Yan An and Zhu Yu. He was holding his waist in a familiar position, gritting his teeth as he shuffled forward.
“What happened? Did Teacher Ji strain his waist again?” Ming Yi stopped the car. Ji Nian and Shen Pan hopped off immediately.
“Sigh, it is a long story,” Ji Zhan Yun said with a bitter smile.
Yan An’s eyes were red. “It is all my fault. If he had not reached out to pull me, Teacher Ji would not have…”
Shen Pan did not know what to say. “Since it has happened, let us get Teacher Ji back to rest first.”
The group helped Ji Zhan Yun back. Once he lay down, he felt much better. He even had the energy to say to Zhu Yu, “I will be fine lying here. You and An An should go sell the shoots.”
“The market will be closing by the time you get back,” Ji Nian ruthlessly punctured Ji Zhan Yun’s hope. “You should worry about what you are going to eat for lunch instead.”
Although begging was a running gag on this show, it would be boring if they actually begged the whole time. Being a constant handout seeker would eventually lower the audience’s opinion of them. After all, the two groups were in competition.
But some people just preferred seeking handouts.
Yan An looked at the empty stove and turned his eyes toward Ming Yi with a pitiful expression. “Second Brother, please help us.”
He had seen it just now; there was clearly a lot of food in the tricycle. Helping them out would not be an issue at all.
Ming Yi’s gaze was indifferent. He did not want to show any emotion to Yan An. He only said, “That food was bought with money our group earned together.”
Yan An bit his lip upon hearing this. His eyes landed on Ming Yi’s conspicuous gloves. Although the weather was cold, it was not cold enough to warrant buying a specific pair of gloves. “But you even bought gloves…”
Prompted by his words, the viewers in Yan An’s live stream also noticed the gloves.
[No way, money is so hard to earn on this show, and he bought a pair of useless gloves? As expected of the notorious MY.] [I am disgusted. They agreed the money was earned by all three of them. Did he just use public funds for private use?] [So ugly. Ugly gloves for an ugly person. A perfect match!]
For a moment, the insults in the live chat were very nasty.
But just then, Ji Nian spoke up coldly: “You have been with your second brother for so long, do you not know that your second brother has chilblains on his hands?”