However, despite his impatience, Jiang Yanzhou followed closely behind his sister step by step. Even with piles of luggage in his hands and sweat streaming down his forehead, he didn’t once lose his temper like a spoiled young master.
The white shirt Jiang Zhiwu wore clung to her back in the wind, outlining her slender figure. A few strands of hair at the nape of her neck were damp with sweat, yet it did nothing to diminish her poise and grace.
She was explaining the local history and legends using vivid metaphors, making several visitors nod in approval. One lady with golden curly hair held her hand and laughed nonstop, her eyes filled with obvious affection.
The atmosphere in the live stream room shifted instantly:
[Sister Jiang’s English is absolutely amazing! Her pronunciation is as standard as a BBC announcer.]
[As an English major, I can say her vocabulary is also incredibly natural and native. She even explained ‘mortise and tenon structures’ clearly in English!]
[There’s just this aura about her when she speaks—like the saying goes, ‘The belly holds poetry and books, and the spirit grows elegant on its own.’]
[Hahahaha when Jiang Yanzhou gets teased, he gives off major innocent high school boy vibes (not really)]
[I just wanna know who wrote that ‘Handsome Guy for Hire’ flyer. It hit my funny bone so hard, someone please understand.]
Seeing the comments filled with nothing but praise, some haters couldn’t sit still anymore:
[Selling her brother’s looks just to grab attention. So opportunistic.]
[Huang Zhihe and Jiang Ting are working hard in a restaurant carrying plates and wiping tables for hours on end. That’s what earning money honestly looks like!]
Some neutral viewers couldn’t help but step in to argue back:
[??? No need to put others down to lift someone up, right? Earning money using your own skills isn’t being unsteady. Your logic is something else.]
[There are so many ways to make a living. If you can earn it with your ability, that’s skill.]
[Weren’t some fans complaining earlier that pooling the earnings together was unfair? Now that Jiang Yanzhou and his sister are making the most, what do you have to say about that?]
***
Shen Yu squatted on a soft mat inside a pet store, his fingers hovering just above the fluffy tail of a Ragdoll cat. He was carefully calculating the best angle to pet it so he would look gentle but not forced.
The cameraman beside him was sharp-witted enough to zoom the lens in, capturing a close-up of his profile and the cat’s soft fur.
—According to Shen Yu’s plan, the comments should soon be filled with lines like “Shen Yu is so gentle” and “Handsome guy and cat are a perfect match”. This would perfectly wash away the negative impression from when he threw his phone earlier.
But when he glanced at his phone screen by chance, out of ten comments scrolling by, eight were teasing Jiang Yanzhou about the “Handsome Guy for Hire” flyer, and the other two were discussing how much they’d earned from guiding tourists.
The few rare comments that mentioned him were all sarcastic remarks like “Why is he still petting the cat” and “Stop dawdling and get to work”.
“…”
Shen Yu instantly lost all interest in posing.
***
Just as Jiang Zhiwu finished her explanation, several foreign visitors enthusiastically pulled out tips and thanked her repeatedly.
She thoughtfully used her phone to look up the bus schedules for their return trip before watching them leave.
Watching the red banknotes in Jiang Zhiwu’s hands, the bright smile on Huang Zhihe’s face faded slightly.
“Sister Jiang, you’re incredible!” Li Lele was the first to rush over, her eyes sparkling as she looked at the money, her voice full of admiration. “It hasn’t even been that long, and you’ve already earned so much.”
Huang Zhihe forced a smile. “To be honest, I never thought about working as a tour guide before. If I’d known it paid this well, I would have tried it too.”
Shen Yu also walked over, putting on a generous and helpful expression. “Zhiwu, your tour guide business seems to be doing really well. If you get too busy later, just let me know. I can come over and help take care of things.”
He deliberately emphasized the word “help”, as if he were making some huge sacrifice.
He really had the nerve to say that.
Hearing this, Jiang Yanzhou didn’t even lift an eyelid. He completely ignored Shen Yu, acting as if he hadn’t heard a thing.
Huang Zhihe added, “Jiang Ting and I can help too! When there are lots of people, we can assist with whatever needs to be done.”
They worked part-time at a Chinese restaurant, earning only fifty yuan after standing for three whole hours. Yet Jiang Zhiwu and Jiang Yanzhou simply used their mouths to talk and guide people, and they earned a whole red bill.
Thinking about it, being a tour guide was clearly much more worth it.
Li Lele asked casually, “Zhihe, do you speak English? There are a lot of foreign tourists here, English seems pretty important.”
“Jiang Ting does, he speaks English really well,” Huang Zhihe said. She paused, then added confidently, “And I know a little too.”
She had received crash course training before when she was invited to shoot magazines abroad, so she should be able to handle simple conversations.
As they spoke, a foreign tourist with a high nose bridge stopped at a nearby stall.
He held a vividly woven grasshopper, frowning slightly as he examined it, and rattled off a string of questions.
The stall owner was an elderly man. Seeing a potential customer, he quickly hunched over and stood up.
His face was covered in deep wrinkles as he smiled, gesturing with his hands to show how he twisted the grass, then pointed at the grasshopper, repeating over and over: “This one… very good! Made completely by hand, very strong!”
But due to the language barrier, the look of expectation in the tourist’s eyes slowly turned to confusion.
The old man grew anxious, sweat beading on his forehead, and his back seemed to bend even lower.
He looked around, and when his gaze landed on Huang Zhihe and the others not far away, it was as if he had grabbed a lifeline. He quickly waved towards them, his voice pleading: “Young lady… could you help me out please? This foreign friend… I really can’t understand what he’s saying!”
As he called out, he gestured towards the tourist with his other hand, then pointed at Huang Zhihe, trying to signal that he needed a translator.
Following the direction of his hand, the tourist’s eyes lit up with understanding. He smiled warmly at Huang Zhihe, who was closest, and even held up the grasshopper higher, clearly hoping she would come over to help.
The smile on Huang Zhihe’s face froze for a split second.
Because she hadn’t understood a single word the tourist had said either.
She instinctively looked at Jiang Ting, only to see the boy lowering his head, counting the wages he had just received from the restaurant. His fingers rubbed back and forth over the crumpled bills, seemingly completely oblivious to what was happening.
Left with no other choice, Huang Zhihe tried to guess based on the situation:
“Uh… he’s asking how much it costs.”
The old man immediately held out his calloused hand and gestured to the number five. “Five yuan! Five yuan each!”
But the tourist looked even more confused. He held the grasshopper up to his eyes, furrowing his brows deeper, and spoke another stream of words, his tone clearly questioning.
This time, the old man was completely lost. He looked at Huang Zhihe helplessly.
Huang Zhihe racked her brain but still couldn’t understand.
Just then, a clear, smooth voice cut in: “This is woven from Longxu grass, which is unique to this area.”
Jiang Zhiwu had walked over at some point. She explained fluently in English, picking up a bundle of dried grass stems from the stall to show him. “It’s harvested every spring and has to be dried in the shade for three months to become this tough and flexible.”
The tourist’s eyes lit up in realization. He then pointed at the grasshopper’s wings and asked about the weaving techniques.
Jiang Zhiwu turned to translate for the old man, who immediately perked up. He took several grass stems and wove them swiftly between his fingers—his withered hands moving with an agility that belied his age—chanting as he worked: “Three strands twist, four strands bind, leave the wings soft and fine.”
Jiang Zhiwu translated while helping gesture with her hands. Getting carried away, the old man put down the grass and pulled out a faded cloth bag from under the stall. Inside were half-finished works: legs of crickets, wings of butterflies, stacked neatly layer upon layer.
“He says this craft has been passed down in his family for five generations,” Jiang Zhiwu interpreted. “But unfortunately, young people aren’t interested in learning it anymore. These items don’t sell for much, and he can barely even cover the cost of materials now.”
The tourist listened intently. When he finished, he solemnly held up the grasshopper and said respectfully that he would buy several as souvenirs.
The old man’s face crinkled into a wide smile. He carefully selected a few brightly colored pieces and tremblingly placed them into a brown paper bag.
Seeing that the old man moved with difficulty, Jiang Yanzhou stepped forward silently and took the bag from his hands.
The old man was startled and quickly waved his hands. “No, no, I can do it myself. I wouldn’t dare trouble you, young man.”
Jiang Yanzhou didn’t speak. He simply pulled a clear ziplock bag out of his pocket—the kind he used to store expensive jewelry—and it proved perfect for this.
He carefully placed the grasshoppers inside the bag, sealed it tightly, and then put it back into the paper bag.
“This way they won’t get crushed easily,” he explained in a flat tone, giving nothing away, but leaving the old man visibly moved.
The elderly man rubbed his thin, dry hands against his apron, wanting to say thank you but feeling a lump in his throat. In the end, it only came out as a few grateful sighs.
The foreign tourist witnessed the whole scene and gave Jiang Yanzhou a thumbs up, praising: “You’re so kind.”
Jiang Yanzhou glanced up at him briefly but said nothing, simply handing over the packaged bag.
It was Jiang Zhiwu who smiled and said, “He may look cold on the outside, but he’s actually very thoughtful.” Then she turned to the old man. “Don’t be polite, it’s only right for young people to help out.”
After paying, the tourist shook hands warmly with the old man before leaving happily with his purchase.
The old man watched his back, then looked at Jiang Zhiwu and her brother. Suddenly, he pulled out two palm-sized grass-woven rabbits from under the stall and insisted on giving them to the siblings. “These are for you. They aren’t worth much, but it’s the thought that counts.”
Jiang Yanzhou tried to refuse, but the old man firmly held his wrist. His hand felt like dry wood, yet surprisingly strong. “Take them. I can see you have a warm heart despite your cold face. You’re a good kid.”
A faint blush spread from Jiang Yanzhou’s ears down to his collarbone, as if the words “good kid” had burned him.
Seeing his reaction, Jiang Zhiwu’s eyes curved into gentle smiles.