Today marked the conclusion of this journey, and the entire day had only a single task, which was to earn funds by selling mung bean-based delicacies to purchase daily necessities and school supplies for the children in the village.
Chu Kai followed the Jing family father and daughter to the market to sell mung bean pastries.
They had arrived on foot, reaching the market right around midday.
Jing Yuanwei fed Jing Sichen a few pieces of mung bean pastry, and after selling a few more portions to earn a little over ten yuan, he bought the meat pie Jing Sichen wanted for lunch.
The lunch for Chu Kai and Liao Zhenzhen was that exact same meat pie.
The market was bustling with a steady stream of people. Sales were brisk at noon, and with a trickle of customers arriving in the afternoon, the mung bean pastries were finally sold out completely.
Clutching bills of five, ten, and fifty yuan, they headed to the stationery store to pick out pens, notebooks, erasers, and other learning supplies before hitching a ride back.
A little past two in the afternoon, all six family groups finally completed their tasks and returned to the village chief’s courtyard.
The mung bean jelly noodles sold by Chu Zhu and Yan Chi were also a massive hit, leaving not a single bowl behind.
Upon arriving at the school, Chu Zhu presented the stationery and toys to the children, having a wonderful time playing with them on the playground.
Yan Chi was no slouch either, showing off his basketball skills on the playground before stepping up as referee to organize an informal friendly match.
Fair and impartial, yet skilled at comforting the losing side, he had the children swarming into his embrace.
Watching Yan Chi act with such uninhibited flair, Chu Kai once again understood the words Yan Zuo had spoken.
Shortly after six in the evening, the dinner prepared jointly by the guests and the school faculty was served.
Yan Chi was surrounded by a tight cluster of children, which naturally included Chu Zhu, who was being fed alongside them.
“Thank you, big brother, thank you, big sister.” Chu Zhu’s mouth was stuffed to the brim, but he still remembered to thank the older kids who kept placing food in his bowl.
Seeing Chu Zhu eating with such joy, the corners of Chu Kai’s mouth beneath his mask curved upward as well.
Tonight, he would finally get to hold his little Zhu baby tightly. Xiao Zhu would surely chatter endlessly, sharing every detail of this adventurous journey, the friends he had made, and the delicious food he had tasted.
“Zhu Kai!” A sharp voice shattered Chu Kai’s reverie.
Zhang Zijun, standing right past Liao Zhenzhen, suddenly reached out and shoved Chu Kai. “The mung bean soup is out. Go pour some more.”
Just as Chu Kai was about to scold Zhang Zijun for his impolite behavior, Liao Zhenzhen flared up first. “Why did you push him? If you have any situational awareness and see the soup is empty, go pour it yourself.”
Zhang Zijun was an unbridled connection-based privileged guest in their group. Usually, Liao Zhenzhen wouldn’t dare talk back to him, but Chu Kai was also a connected guest, and she took the opportunity to vent some of the lingering frustration from her previous show.
“Impudent rogue!” Liao Zhenzhen shot Zhang Zijun a disdainful glare. “Groper!”
“What did you say?”
Provoked by Liao Zhenzhen’s words, Zhang Zijun was about to erupt when Zhang Wukang, the head of the logistics team who arrived just in time, shouted, “What are you doing! The show is still recording.”
Fortunately, it was dinner time, and everyone was talking and making a racket. The few of them were positioned at the very back, so their voices didn’t disrupt the recording.
“Hey, you two,” Zhang Wukang pointed at Liao Zhenzhen and Chu Kai, directing them, “The kitchen freshly boiled a new batch of mung bean soup. The two of you go fetch it and refill the pots.”
The mung bean soup filled a massive barrel to the brim, making it dreadfully heavy.
Struggling to carry it back, Liao Zhenzhen and Chu Kai were then ordered by Zhang Zijun to separately pour the soup into the thermos flasks at each table.
This was originally Zhang Zijun’s job, but with the camera nearby and Zhang Wukang backing him up, neither Liao Zhenzhen nor Chu Kai dared to argue easily. They could only collect the thermos flasks from every table, refill them, and deliver them back one by one.
Although a teacher accompanied each table, Chu Kai still carefully reminded everyone to mind their safety and avoid getting scalded.
“Big brother, I want some.” When delivering to the very last table, a child holding a bowl looked up at Chu Kai.
Naturally unable to refuse a child’s request, Chu Kai gripped the handle of the thermos flask with his other hand and poured a bowl of mung bean soup for the child.
Setting the thermos down, he raised his gaze and involuntarily glanced toward the direction where Chu Zhu and Yan Chi were sitting.
Their eyes met. At the exact moment their gazes locked, Chu Kai panicked and bolted backward, accidentally bumping into Liao Zhenzhen.
Stooping slightly, Chu Kai whipped off his own cap and placed it on Liao Zhenzhen’s head. “I have a stomach ache. I’m going to the restroom.”
“Big sister, big sister,” another child from that same table came over holding a bowl and tugged at the hem of Liao Zhenzhen’s shirt. “I want a bowl of mung bean soup.”
Turning around with a bewildered look on her face, Liao Zhenzhen patted the child’s head and said, “Alright, big sister will pour it for you.”
Just as she finished pouring the soup for the child, a tall figure suddenly loomed right in front of her.
“Were you the one pouring the mung bean soup?” Yan Chi asked with a chilling gaze, his tone fraught with displeasure.
Startled by his overwhelming aura, Liao Zhenzhen instinctively took a step back, yet she still nodded. “Yes.”
Zhao Zhi broke out in a cold sweat. He had no idea why Yan Chi, who had been eating perfectly fine, suddenly bolted over here like he was possessed.
He softly reminded him, “Yan-ge, we’re still recording.”
Ignoring him entirely, Yan Chi stared down at the thermos flask, his tone rigid and icy. “How did you hold the thermos when you poured the soup just now? Do it again right now.”
“I said do it again!”
Yan Chi’s terrifying voice pressed down upon everyone like an inexplicable crushing weight.
With a deep frown, Liao Zhenzhen hesitantly reached out her hand, her fingertips brushing lightly against the handle before her entire palm slowly conformed to its outer curve.
By the time she had fully gripped the handle, she clearly heard a heavy sigh, and the tall figure before her had already strode away.
When Chu Kai returned, she dragged him to her side and bewilderedly handed the cap back. “Why did you put your hat on me just now?”
“I…” Chu Kai had just splashed some cold water on his face in the restroom. His face was ice-cold, and his voice was too. “I was afraid you’d get caught by the camera. You didn’t bring a cap today, and getting your full face on camera means a deduction from your pay.”
Trustingly nodding, Liao Zhenzhen asked another question, “What kind of work do you do from Monday to Thursday?”
Finishing her sentence, she used her hand like a comb to tidy up her hair and added, “I don’t mean anything by it. It’s just that I just graduated, I work here from Friday to Sunday, and I have to find other gigs from Monday to Thursday. I wanted to ask where you work, and if they’re still hiring, I want to give it a try.”
“I work as a cleaner at a company.” Ever since Zhu Xinqing set up an account for Chu Zhu, he had been working as a cleaner at Zhu Xinqing’s company.
With that, the look he gave Liao Zhenzhen carried a hint of envy. “You’re a university graduate; working as a cleaner is a waste of your talent. Zhenzhen, you’re very capable, and a much better position is definitely waiting for you.”
Hearing this, Liao Zhenzhen tossed her head back with a laugh. Leaning against a large tree behind her, she eyed him with unconvinced suspicion. “Zhu Kai, stop joking around. You’ve never been to college?”
“I…” Chu Kai lowered his head, a regretful smile pulling at the corners of his mouth. “I stopped studying right after high school.”
A cynical, inward scoff resonated within Liao Zhenzhen.
She didn’t believe a single word of it.
“Going to university isn’t all that different anyway,” Liao Zhenzhen stepped forward with a feigned casual air, dusting off the back of her shirt. “Even with a master’s degree, I can only end up as logistics staff here.”
Yet Chu Kai shook his head, his tone remarkably sincere. “It is very different. Zhenzhen, I believe you will definitely step onto a much bigger stage. You’re so smart and determined; you’ll surely become a director.”
A flicker of emotion crossed Liao Zhenzhen’s eyes. She had merely mentioned it in passing, yet this Beta actually remembered her dream of becoming a director.
Pulling out her phone, she brought up her QR code for Chu Kai. “Here, scan this.”
Chu Kai smiled innocently. “Didn’t we already add each other?”
“Are you silly?” Liao Zhenzhen sighed in exasperation. “That was my work account. This is my personal account. Everyone keeps them separate, except for you, who only has one.”
“Is that so?” Chu Kai placed his cap back on his head and took out his phone to add the contact.