Chapter 243: The Fields

Chapter 243: Chapter 243: The Fields

Fu Chao wanted to distract Nan Zhi, so he transformed himself into a scenery pitchman.

He did his best to paint a picture for Nan Zhi of the beautiful scenery and its soul-cleansing properties, terrified she might find it unsatisfactory and simply walk away.

Fortunately, Nan Zhi didn’t let his enthusiasm go to waste. She listened intently, nodding every now and then.

Just then, an indignant, childish shout rang out.

"Uncle! You ran off again!"

That familiar voice could only belong to Qing Xi.

Fu Chao turned around, slightly embarrassed. He tried to give Qing Xi a meaningful look, silently pleading for him to save him some face.

But Qing Xi didn’t even glance at him. Like a gust of wind, he WHOOSHED right over to Nan Yi and Qi Zhang.

He ignored his "useless" uncle and asked Nan Yi and Qi Zhang excitedly,

"What are you guys doing here? Did you come looking for me?"

Nan Yi and Qi Zhang didn’t know how to answer.

Nan Zhi stepped in.

"That’s right. We all came to play with you. Your uncle invited us."

After hearing this, Qing Xi nodded with surprising gravity.

"Hmm, so my uncle actually did something right for once."

Fu Chao was the first to protest.

"Hey, hey, hey! I’m your elder!"

Qing Xi paid him no mind.

Seeing Nan Yi and Qi Zhang curiously eyeing his outfit, Qing Xi lifted his small pail and spun in a circle to show it off.

"Cool, right?"

Qing Xi’s outfit had been custom-made by the production team—a straw hat, rubber waterproof boots, a small pail, and a small hoe. He looked quite the part.

Qing Xi loved it. He promptly shoved the little pail and hoe into Nan Yi’s and Qi Zhang’s hands, respectively, and waved his hand magnanimously.

"Here, take them! Play as much as you want!"

What a display of generosity!

It made Fu Chao laugh in exasperation.

"Qing Xi! Those aren’t toys. They’re..."

"The tools farmers use to make their living. So we have to cherish and respect them, and not treat them carelessly."

Qing Xi cut in innocently, then threw a question back at Fu Chao.

"So, can we play with them carefully?"

Fu Chao looked at his stubborn little nephew, shook his head, and let him be.

Before long, however, the production team sent over a staff member with identical sets of gear for Nan Yi and Qi Zhang, so now they could play their digging game by the roadside.

Actually farming, of course, was out of the question. It was the crucial spring planting season, and for the local farmers, whose livelihoods depended on it, farming was not something for children to treat as a game.

Don’t be fooled by Qing Xi’s confident and practiced demeanor. In reality, the most he was allowed to do was swing his hoe a couple of times at a weedy patch on a slope. He’d never actually set foot in a proper field.

Of course, for kids, that was more than enough.

Nan Zhi saw that among the items from the production team, they had even thoughtfully included waterproof bib overalls.

She had Nan Yi and Qi Zhang put them on, then completely let them loose to play with Qing Xi.

Gazing at the children frolicking and running across the mountainside, Fu Chao lowered his voice and said something too quiet for the microphones or the livestream audience to hear.

"Are they trying to make it up to you?"

Fu Chao’s thick brows furrowed, and his eyes, full of coldness, were laced with scorn for the production team.

Nan Zhi’s heart skipped a beat. She sensed something was off from Fu Chao’s unusual attitude.

"Did you argue with the production team?"

Fu Chao turned his face away, deliberately avoiding the topic.

Nan Zhi didn’t press him.

She was just a little moved.

Wanting to change the subject, Fu Chao simply invited Nan Zhi to join him in the fields.

Nan Zhi: ...

She wanted to retract the touched feeling she’d just had.

In the end, however, Nan Zhi changed her shoes and clothes and ventured into the fields.

She knew ingredients like the back of her hand, but she had never truly experienced their growth from the very beginning—the cultivation.

Aside from her initial speechlessness at Fu Chao’s suggestion, Nan Zhi soon found herself immersed in the joy of the activity.

Perhaps it was just as Fu Chao had said, and the production team did feel guilty toward Nan Zhi.

As Nan Zhi awkwardly bent over to work in the field, the camera simply filmed her quietly, capturing their idle conversation.

Not once did anyone from the crew interrupt to tell her she wasn’t supposed to be there.

As for the audience watching the livestream...

They had been busy discussing the cooking class incident and Nan Zhi’s subsequent "walkout" with Nan Yi and Qi Zhang.

In their eyes, this was a "dejected departure."

From their perspective, Nan Zhi looked utterly pitiful.

So they flooded the live comments, furiously cursing the production team for being inhuman, for casting her aside after using her... basically, they threw out the nastiest insults they could think of.

...until events took a turn they didn’t expect. Nan Zhi was rolling up her sleeves and getting into the fields?

[Gotta say, this is pretty interesting. Reminds me of when I was a kid living in the countryside.]

[It’s interesting to watch once in a while. If this was your daily life, you’d have a breakdown.]

[The media is still reporting that Nan Zhi admitted defeat. I bet they’ll be pissed when they see this!]

[I can’t even be bothered to watch the other stream anymore. Go on and farm, Sister Zhi! We’ll keep watching and supporting you!]

[Actually, Sister Zhi has always been mentally tough. Have you guys not noticed she’s been smiling this whole time?]

[Exactly! I’ve never seen Sister Zhi have a mental breakdown!]

[Watching the farming team is so much more fun, hahaha!]

...

Unfortunately, Nan Zhi’s stamina was quite limited.

After just a short while of labor, her back was already aching.

It felt even more strenuous than standing in the kitchen all day!

Fu Chao didn’t force her, quickly telling her to go rest on the side.

Nan Zhi looked around.

"Is it really okay?"

A field this large couldn’t possibly be the responsibility of just Fu Chao and Nan Zhi.

There were many local villagers around. When Nan Zhi first joined, she had greeted them, and they had welcomed her warmly, eagerly chatting with her and sharing their food.

Now, leaving so soon, Nan Zhi felt a little bad.

But then, a woman nearby, who had likely overheard their conversation, looked up and smiled.

"Go on and rest if you’re tired. We’ve got it covered here."

Nan Zhi’s heart warmed.

In the end, she nodded, thanked them quietly, and went to sit on the hillside.

Her long hair was in a braid that rested on her shoulder. She wore a straw hat, and her loose cotton-silk clothes billowed in the mountain breeze, making it seem as if she might be carried away by the wind at any moment.

The audience enjoyed the view along with her, flooding the comments with praise for how beautiful and easy on the eyes everything was.

It was unclear whether they were talking about the person or the scenery.

As Nan Zhi was sitting, she suddenly let out a small, "Huh?"

She then got up, took a few steps, and began to poke at some "weeds" by the edge of the field.

The audience was confused, but a passing older man stopped in his tracks.

"Little lady, you recognize that?"

"Isn’t this Indian aster?"

Nan Zhi replied casually.

The man was genuinely surprised to hear that.

"I heard you’re from Yanjing. I didn’t expect a young person like you to know about things like this."

Nan Zhi raised an eyebrow and smiled.

"Of course. I’m a chef."