Ge Yan’s plastering skills weren’t great, but she managed to apply a layer anyway. The firewood opening, ash outlet, and stove platform were all fully functional.
The two boys had also assembled the sunshade canopy, carried it over beside the stove, and set it up. Digging holes, filling them in, securing it… a ten-square-meter makeshift kitchen was successfully completed.
Qin Dehua was exhausted and waved his hand: “I have the right not to cook. We’re going to rest first.”
Shen Yan hurriedly followed along.
Song Xiyuan looked at the blisters on her hands and felt like crying but had no tears. She was utterly unwilling and wished she could leave on the spot.
Ge Yan: “But we haven’t fetched water yet.”
Qin Dehua, who had just sat down, sprang back up. He was willing to do anything Ge Yan said; he admired her immensely now.
Once the water arrived, Ge Yan and the other two girls began washing the kitchenware and vegetables.
Song Ruan quietly raised her hand: “I haven’t been of much use so far. Should I cook?”
Lin Dang: “Little Song Ruan knows how to cook?”
“Just a few dishes. I often help my mom in the kitchen.”
Seeing everyone vying to cook, Song Xiyuan seized the chance to slip away and slack off.
Ge Yan put down the kitchen utensils to rest for a while. After walking just a few steps, she spotted Shen Yuanming in the production tent.
The live stream was temporarily focused on Song Ruan cooking, so Ge Yan was called over by Shen Yuanming.
The two sat in the car, facing each other in silence.
Shen Yuanming crossed his long legs, exuding an air of refined elegance.
Ge Yan still had specks of cement on her clothes and was afraid of dirtying Song’s sponsor’s car. But while being cautious, she also had to act submissively. The whole sequence left her feeling completely out of place.
“Ge Yan, what’s your situation now?”
Ge Yan: “The situation is just this situation. What exactly the situation is still depends on the situation.”
“Stop beating around the bush!”
“Alright, alright! Sorry…”
Shen Yuanming: “?”
Since when did she become so adaptable?
“Well, I just wanted to experience life a bit. After all, no matter how poor this production team is, they still pay 100,000 yuan per episode, right?
Besides, don’t you not want to see me either?”
“Ge Yan!” Shen Yuanming’s voice grew heavier. “Playing hard to get isn’t your style.”
The contempt in his words was unmistakable, but to the current Ge Yan, it didn’t even stir half an emotion. In all her life, she had only cried during the days after her grandfather passed away.
Oh, right—after being hit and sent flying by that truck, curled up in that cramped space, the pain of her shattered body had also made her cry.
Her distraction made Shen Yuanming frown, his tone turning colder: “Ge Yan, did you hear what I said?”
Ge Yan snapped back to reality. She took a deep breath. Perhaps because the grievances from her previous life’s violent death surged up, facing Shen Yuanming’s aggressiveness, she no longer wanted to indulge him this time.
“CEO Shen, I don’t care that you and your white moonlight are all over the gossip columns. Why do you always meddle in my business? If a sewage truck passes by your house, do you have to taste it to see if it’s salty or not? You speak with such sarcasm every day—do you live in a gossip matrix? And that white moonlight of yours—I just joined this show yesterday, and she reposted shady posts about me. What’s the deal? Just because she got caught in the rain, she has to splash dirty water on others too? It doesn’t matter anyway. You’ve always been true to yourselves, so the rest—leave it to karma!”
With a fierce outburst, Ge Yan finally vented her feelings.
Looking back, Shen Yuanming’s face had darkened to an extreme degree.Even those always elegant fingers had grown slightly stiff.
Ge Yan merely smiled faintly, pushed the door open, rose, and stepped out of the car.
Under Shen Yuanming’s icy gaze, Ge Yan gave a light wave of farewell, then swung the door shut with a flourish.
Satisfying!
On the lounge chair, Song Xiyuan was basking in the sun with a relaxed posture, waiting to see how disheartened Ge Yan would look stepping out of Shen Yuanming’s car.
After all, he had that woman completely under his thumb—every time they met, she was either meek and submissive or weeping at just a few words.
Seeing her steal the spotlight for so long, this would finally be a chance to vent some frustration.
Suddenly, a loud slam of the car door startled her, nearly causing her to slip off the lounge chair.
Removing her sunglasses, she was shocked to see Ge Yan stepping out of the car with a radiant, spring-like expression, wearing her signature professional smile as she walked toward her.
Song Xiyuan sat up abruptly. What was going on?
By the time Ge Yan returned, Shen Yuanming’s car still hadn’t left. Song Xiyuan hurried over to knock on the window.
The car window slowly rolled down, revealing Shen Yuanming’s dark and brooding face.
“Mr. Shen…” Song Xiyuan’s tone was cautious, not daring to speak recklessly.
Why had their expressions reversed?
“Keep a close eye on Ge Yan for me.”
Shen Yuanming’s voice carried an undeniable chill. It was the first time he had been left speechless by a woman.
And that woman was Ge Yan.
“Understood.”
Shen Yuanming drove away, and Song Xiyuan returned, her expression toward Ge Yan seeming more serious than before.
The meal was already prepared, and everyone gathered around the table to eat.
Song Ruan’s cooking skills were truly impressive—each dish was a feast for the senses in color, aroma, and taste.
After the meal, everyone returned to their own living quarters to rest and await the afternoon’s tasks.
The room felt somewhat stuffy, so Ge Yan got up to open the window. The moment she pushed it open, she thought her eyes were playing tricks on her.
At the foot of the opposite mountain, there was actually a manor.
The manor was enclosed by a wall of blue bricks, deep and serene inside. All she could see was a small wooden cottage within, even more impressive than their own, with green tiles and red eaves.
The courtyard was divided into neat plots, lush with verdant vegetables.
Ge Yan leaned out to get a clearer look.
A man dressed in black was sitting in a chair in the small courtyard, with long legs and broad shoulders. The exposed half of his forearm was almost unnaturally pale.
A dog, seemingly a golden retriever, was jumping around him in the yard.
“Sister Yanyan, what are you looking at?”
Ge Yan snapped back to reality and withdrew her head.
“Nothing.”
She just thought this village was truly quite lively.
That nap was truly refreshing, and everyone woke up full of energy.
The production crew soon delivered the second task.
Task One: Receive potato seeds, cultivate a small plot of land near your living quarters, and see which group has the best potato harvest after three months.
Task Two: Each group will be assigned a calf. After three months, the group whose calf shows the best growth will be the winner.
These two tasks were considered long-term investments.
The Director said that tasks like transporting corn would become less frequent in the future, with the main focus being to encourage the guests to engage in the primary tasks: farming and raising cattle.
Side tasks would be updated occasionally, and with more updates, the variety of crop seeds available would also increase.
Growing a small vegetable garden of her own—Ge Yan was exceptionally good at that.
Speaking of vegetable gardens, the guy on the other side of the mountain seemed to have a thriving garden too.
Next up was claiming their calves.
There were three calves: one black, one brown, and one black-and-white.Ge Yan took a liking to the spotted one at first glance.
Qin Dehua said, “This black fellow looks like it matches my vibe. I want it.”
Ge Yan also went over to pat the black-and-white calf’s head. “Then I’ll take this one.”
To the others, the three calves all looked the same.
Song Xiyuan’s group naturally adopted the brown one.
Comments:
“This calf is so adorable, ahhh!”
“Unlocking my idol raising a calf for me in the cloud!”
“Trendy dating shows are nice, but simple slow-paced variety shows are truly fun!”
The Director announced again that they needed to name the calves.
Qin Dehua went with what was at hand—Black Fellow.
Song Xiyuan looked at the calf before her with a hint of disdain. “Just call it Little Brown.”
After some careful consideration, Ge Yan blurted out—Flower Girl.
Song Ruan, already instinctively admiring Ge Yan, didn’t even ask about the meaning and just followed along with applause and cheers.
Lin Dang continued announcing the rules: “The calves’ feed is the corn you transported at noon, but calves can’t just eat corn. We can complete side tasks or gather materials from the village to exchange for grass feed.”
Ge Yan nodded. Yes, calves can’t grow well on just feed.
Song Xiyuan asked, “So we have to feed the calves every day?”
Director: “Yes.”
Qin Dehua: “When’s the next side task?”
“Tomorrow. The task will be sent to everyone via group message tomorrow morning.”
Lin Dang added with a sly smile, “But today isn’t over yet. I have a new small task here.”
Everyone instantly deflated again…
Shen Yan mustered all his strength to lean in and look, then suddenly exclaimed, “A bonfire feast?”
Qin Dehua’s eyes lit up. “Really?”
Director: “Given that our first live stream yesterday exceeded 100,000+ viewers, we’re rewarding everyone with a bonfire feast. The ingredients are already prepared. Please return to the cabin.”
100,000+—looks like yesterday’s viewership was good. The first edited episode will be released this Saturday, and the view count likely won’t be low either.
Today’s live stream finally ended.
Fortunately, the production team didn’t set any traps this time. The bonfire pit, grill, beef and lamb, lettuce, and fruits were all fully prepared.
Everyone looked at the complete setup, almost in disbelief.
Only after confirming that everything was normal ingredients did they breathe a sigh of relief.
Until Lin Dang asked another question.
“Who knows how to grill meat?”
Song Ruan: “My mom never made this…”
Qin Dehua: “I only know how to eat!”
Song Xiyuan: “I’m on a diet, not hungry…”
Qin Dehua: “You always say you’re on a diet, but I’ve never seen you skip a meal once it’s ready.”
Song Xiyuan was stunned but, seeing Qin Dehua wasn’t someone to mess with, could only sulkily shut up.
Until Ge Yan quietly raised her hand. “Is there cumin?”
Song Xiyuan sighed. “Sister Ge Yan, you really don’t have to be good at everything…”
Ge Yan didn’t want to say that during her university years, she had traveled to Kashgar in Xinjiang and learned the proper craft from a lamb skewer vendor.
Seeing everyone’s half-doubtful looks, Ge Yan snapped her fingers. “Time to show off!”
With that, she rolled up her sleeves, walked to the cutting board, picked up the kitchen knife, and with swift strokes, the lamb was cut into evenly sized pieces—red and white, with both fat and lean meat.
After cutting the meat, she cracked in an egg, added marinade and chili, mixed it well, and finally—let it rest.
The whole process took only about ten minutes.When Ge Yan finally finished her tasks and looked up, she was startled. Two people were gathered on her left, three on her right, all staring intently at the lamb meat in her hands.
“What are you all standing around for? Skewer the meat!”
The group snapped out of their daze at her shout, scrambling to grab skewers, light the fire, or, for those with nothing to do, cut fruit and arrange plates.
Song Xiyuan sat frozen in place, noticing the camera pointed at her. She forced a stiff smile, pretending to look admiring.
After another flurry of activity, everything was ready.
Ge Yan pulled over a small stool and sat by the grill, then snatched the fan Song Xiyuan had been using for shade—it turned out to be quite handy.
She laid the meat on the grill, expertly flipping it, sprinkling chili powder and cumin, and once both sides were crispy, placed it on a platter lined with fresh lettuce. Her technique was so polished it could rival that of a seasoned Xinjiang barbecue master.
The aroma drifted next door, making even Song Bojian’s dog drool.
In the neighboring courtyard, the old butler licked his lips, holding back the eagerly whining dog as he addressed the man who, as usual, was basking in the moonlight with utmost respect.
“It’s the production crew across the way. They’re having a bonfire party.”
“Lucky wants some.”
The butler glanced down at Lucky, whose eyes were filled with longing.
“Understood, young master.”