The small estate wasn’t far, just a five-minute walk.
Ge Yan cautiously knocked on the small red wooden door. After a moment, she heard some strange sounds, like something running back and forth.
Oh right, it was that little golden retriever named Lucky from yesterday!
“Hello, sorry to bother you.”
A short while later, the door opened a crack, but there were no footsteps.
Ge Yan tentatively pushed it open, only to find Lucky excitedly jumping and circling around her.
It couldn’t have been the dog that opened the door, could it?
“What is it?”
A cold, faint voice came from ahead, startling Ge Yan.
She looked over. Under the long pavilion, a man was hidden in the shadows, his face not clearly visible. But this time, Ge Yan noticed that he wasn’t sitting on a stool last time—it was a wheelchair.
The butler said he came here to recuperate. Was this the illness he meant?
Not daring to look too long, afraid of offending the gentleman, Ge Yan smiled and pointed to his neatly arranged vegetable patch. “Sir, could I borrow some vegetables from you?”
The man didn’t answer whether it was possible or not. Instead, he said, “My name is Song Bojian.”
Ge Yan: “…Mr. Song… hello, then could I borrow some vegetables?”
The man’s tone was indifferent. “Take whatever you want yourself. Don’t make a mess.”
The man’s voice was pleasant, but it carried a certain cold, hoarse quality, as if he hadn’t spoken in a long time. The hand holding the remote control was bony and distinct, with a sickly pallor.
After speaking, he maneuvered his wheelchair backward, disappearing completely from sight.
Ge Yan dug up a ginger plant and pulled out a few bunches of cilantro, then carefully replaced the soil. The nearby brick path was also spotlessly clean.
Ge Yan took the opportunity to observe the small courtyard. Besides vegetables, the yard was filled with flowers. In the distance, a small pond held several koi fish swimming leisurely, creating a scene reminiscent of a secluded paradise.
As she was about to leave, Ge Yan suddenly remembered something and called out toward the house, “Mr. Song, thank you for the vegetables, and for the garlic yesterday.”
No one replied from inside the house. Only Lucky circled around her. Ge Yan bent down to pat its head, then turned and gently closed the door.
Everyone was shocked to see Ge Yan holding ginger and cilantro in her hands.
Qin Dehua rubbed his eyes. “No way, sis, are you some kind of magical maiden? Can you just conjure things out of thin air?”
Shen Yan: “I’m starting to wonder if she went somewhere to use magic.”
Lin Dang: “I’ve read novels where the female lead has a secret space. Could Ge Yan be like that too…”
Ge Yan was speechless. She handed the vegetables to Song Ruan to chop. “I borrowed these from the guy across the way!”
Comments:
“Pfft hahahahaha, these three and their wild imaginations!”
“Magic and secret spaces, seriously?!”
“My sis Ge Yan is speechless.”
“This girl is so decisive when chopping fish!”
“Cold and ruthless, like she’s been working at a supermarket for ten years.”
The fish was finally in the pot, its aroma filling the air.
Once it was done, she ladled it out and prepared a bowl of Ge Yan’s secret soul-stirring sauce, pouring it over the fish.
Perfect!
The guys set the table outside as the sky grew completely dark. Qin Dehua turned on the lights.
Everyone held their chopsticks, eagerly waiting to eat.
The hills behind them gradually took on a golden hue as the countryside settled into tranquility.
Ge Yan brought out the fish, its fragrance wafting everywhere.
They had expected Ge Yan to know how to cook, but they never imagined her skills would be this good.
The fish pieces were golden brown and savory, the broth rich and flavorful, topped with a layer of exquisite cilantro.Perhaps it was because they had been in the village for a while, but they felt this fish was more delicious than any they had ever tasted. In the end, even the green peppers and the broth were completely devoured.
Bullet comments:
“I’m absolutely drooling!”
“Tutorial recorded, I’m trying this tomorrow!”
Qin Dehua asked while eating, “Ge Yan, what are you keeping that lotus root for?”
Ge Yan took a bite of food and raised her eyebrows mysteriously. “Didn’t you say breakfast was inconvenient?”
“What does that have to do with breakfast?”
“You’ll find out when the time comes.”
Song Xiyuan, trembling from the beating, couldn’t resist her hunger. Carefully holding a bowl, she went over to serve herself a portion and sat far away, wolfing it down.
Under the dim yellow light, the mountains and fields were quiet, far from the noise. Steam rose from a few teacups as the young men and women gathered around the small table, chatting about amusing stories and sharing bursts of laughter.
The camera zoomed out as the live stream was about to end.
“Wow! Who came up with the name for this show? The Unlonged-for Life… I’m totally longing for it, okay?”
“A few good friends, chatting freely about life—such a great atmosphere!”
“Pausing my variety show binge—I’m heading to this village!”
As soon as the butler entered the courtyard gate, he noticed two extra footprints in the vegetable patch.
He walked into the house and took off his coat. Song Bojian was reading a book.
“Everything taken care of?”
“Yes.”
As usual, the old butler draped a wool sweater over the young master.
“Did anyone come to disturb you today?”
Song Bojian paused while turning a page, his tone calm. “She came.”
“Miss Ge?”
“I told her my name.”
The butler’s expression shifted slightly. “Really? That’s… quite a big step forward.”
“She wanted to ask me for some vegetables. I tried very hard to be enthusiastic.”
“And then?”
“You know, my enthusiasm is like a basin of water in winter.”
The butler smiled, having expected as much.
“But what did she mean when she said she really liked garlic?”
The butler was taken aback for a moment, then chuckled softly as he understood. “She probably mistook the tulip seeds you sent for garlic.”
“You didn’t explain to her?”
The butler smiled wryly. “Miss Ge didn’t give me a chance to explain.”
Song Bojian closed the book. “Then I’ll send them again another day.”
For the socially anxious Song Bojian to take the initiative twice was truly rare.
The butler smiled in agreement. “Very well.”
Ge Yan found a few cola bottles, cut them in half, and took out the garlic cloves. With a bit of ingenuity, she fixed the garlic above the bottles, half-submerged in water, with the green sprouts pointing upward.
She had been wanting to try hydroponic garlic—her grandfather had done it once before.
Opening her phone, she saw a few messages from Sister Zhao.
The gist was that the first episode of The Unlonged-for Life* would be released tomorrow. The preview had been updated today, with reservations already exceeding 100,000. Surprisingly, the comments were evenly split between positive reviews and haters.
Sister Zhao never expected that Ge Yan would one day have a group of spontaneous fans.
It was just that their comments were as wild and full of jokes as if they had inherited their idol’s style, leaving the haters speechless. Ge Yan’s haters had always won without a fight, so they had never encountered such a situation before. For a while, they vanished without a trace.
Ge Yan had been enjoying herself these past few days, even feeling that she wouldn’t mind living here forever.
While completing her tasks, Ge Yan kept herself busy.She had researched it; this village was nestled against mountains and beside water, with fertile land, but it was remote, with roads long in disrepair. Even the abandoned fish ponds contained wild lotus roots and grass carp, indicating a good ecological environment.
Most of the villagers were middle-aged or elderly, with limited education but a strong work ethic.
Seeing them, Ge Yan was reminded of her own grandfather.
The village held some promise—it just lacked an investment.
To prosper, roads must be built first.
Ge Yan glanced at the 5.01 million yuan balance in her account and called an acquaintance.
“Build roads?”
“Yes, how much would it cost?”
“It depends on the length in kilometers, as well as the thickness and width of the roads to calculate the cost.”
“About twenty kilometers.”
“Estimated at two million.”
“I’ll transfer two million to you. Find a contractor through bidding.”
The friend on the other end was clearly taken aback.
“Oh… okay.”
Just after hanging up, as Ge Yan was about to rest, she suddenly saw a new notification.
#Dark Horse Slow Variety Show to Welcome Mysterious Guest#
Below it was the promotional poster for the variety show “Not Yearning.”
Ge Yan had anticipated that once the show gained popularity, someone would parachute in, but she hadn’t expected it to happen so quickly.