19

Bo Chuan finished speaking, then handed the fake work ID back to them and left calmly.

“…What’s wrong with him?”

The paparazzi were furious. Just then, a sudden gust of wind blew through, and the spring wind, which was rarely this cold, made the two of them feel a chill in their hearts. Maybe it was just in their heads, but they suddenly felt that the mountain village scene in front of them looked a little dull.

Having spent so much time in the entertainment industry, those involved in the business often become somewhat superstitious. After all, this industry isn’t always about skill, becoming famous often depends on luck and probability.

The paparazzi had often heard rumors about certain female stars raising little ghosts or stars seeking out masters, so they had more belief in such things than ordinary people.

“Do you, do you believe it?”

“…No.”

One of them was still trying to comfort the other, their hearts uneasy.

“Look at him, so young, he doesn’t look like a fortune teller at all. He’s probably just trying to scare us on purpose.”

“And he didn’t even look at our palms or ask for names, he was just talking nonsense.”

“Really?”

“Really. Let’s go, let’s hurry and ask at the school.”

They quickly wanted to finish the task. The whole place felt a little eerie to them.

They didn’t dare waste any more time and quickly walked towards a more populated area. They didn’t even stop for breakfast, and soon they asked for the location of the town’s high school.

But when they arrived, they were stunned.

It was the weekend, and the high school was closed. A big iron lock hung on the school gates, with only a bent and hunchbacked gatekeeper around.

“No one’s here. You’ll have to come back tomorrow!”

Most of the teachers in town lived down the mountain, usually staying in the dormitories, but now it was the weekend, and they had all gone home.

Finding anyone at this hour was not easy.

Despite their best efforts, the gatekeeper refused to let them in.

“What’s this about interviewing a celebrity alumnus? For an interview, shouldn’t you be asking for the school’s leadership?”

“This is just unlucky. What do we do now?”

“What else can we do? Let’s find a place to stay for the night.”

After searching, they found only one old guesthouse in the town. The walls were peeling, and the air inside was filled with dust. Even the reception desk still had an old-fashioned ’80s or ’90s style.

“Fine, let’s just stay here. Let’s settle in first.”

They managed to clean up the room, and then received a call from their boss.

“Don’t worry, we’re already in the town. We’ll definitely get the video tomorrow.”

“The topic and trending spot are already secured. It’ll be on tomorrow.”

Even though they felt a bit nervous, the paparazzi still patted their chests and reassured their boss.

Hearing the boss, Zhang Kai transferred some money, saying that if everything went smoothly, the money would be their reward for their hard work. The sound of the two paparazzi patting their chests grew even louder.

“Tell Brother Kai I’ll definitely get it done!”

They were all in now!

Bo Chuan received the delivery and met up with Lin You.

When Lin You saw the large box, she couldn’t help but wonder what Master’s parents had sent.

Logically speaking, if a son went to a remote mountain to practice feudal superstition, and his parents didn’t break his legs but still sent him something…

Could it be something related to family tradition, like peach wood swords, ancient coins, and vermilion paper talismans?

Bo Chuan quickly cleared up her confusion.

Just as they got home, Bo Chuan came in carrying a pile of things.

“These are from my parents. Since I don’t cook, I’ll just give them to you.”

Inside the large box, there were dried sea cucumbers packed in big boxes—at least three pounds—and dried abalone with shells, various strange-looking mushrooms, vacuum-sealed snowflake beef…

Lin You: !!!

She couldn’t help but ask, “You don’t cook, so what did you do with these things when you got them?”

Bo Chuan thought for a moment, “I’d cook them occasionally… but they don’t taste that good.”

Lin You nearly wanted to strangle him—dried seafood and other items should be soaked first, how could they be good if they were cooked without soaking?

Bo Chuan said, “This is for you.”

Then, after a brief hesitation, as if feeling a bit more confident after offering the ingredients, he made his request.

“Can I have egg rice for lunch?”

Yesterday, Yao Jiu had asked for it, describing how she wanted to have the egg rice she had eaten a few days ago. Although Bo Chuan didn’t speak at the time, he had remembered it deeply.

Lin You: …

Seeing Lin You remain silent, Bo Chuan looked a bit disappointed. “Is it hard to make?”

It did sound so delicious that it must be difficult to make.

Lin You, struggling to regain her voice, said, “It’s not hard to make… How many would you like?”

Oh my god, with all these ingredients worth over five figures, making a thousand eggs would still seem too few.

Bo Chuan didn’t even realize the excitement in his voice: “Any amount is fine.”

Lin You weakly waved her hand.

For lunch, both Bo Chuan and Yao Jiu requested egg rice. When Yao Jiu saw Bo Chuan watering the plants in the yard, she was silent for a moment before quietly asking Lin You.

“So, you’re going to team up with him for lunch too?”

How did it go from just dinner yesterday to adding lunch today?

Lin You didn’t know how to answer, so she just vaguely nodded.

Yao Jiu was lying in the yard waiting for the meal, watching Bo Chuan go back and forth in the yard. He cleaned the cow shed, tidied the chicken coop, swept the yard, and watered the vegetable garden…

Yao Jiu, feeling upset, moved closer to Bo Chuan, who was working.

“Master, do you have any complaints about me?”

Bo Chuan: ??

“Why are you being so diligent? Are you trying to work me to death?”

Yao Jiu felt wronged. She had been enjoying her free meals comfortably, but as soon as Bo Chuan arrived, he was fertilizing and watering the fields, cleaning the yard for Lin You…

Yao Jiu even suspected that Bo Chuan had bad intentions, planning to wear her down first and then get close to Lin You.

Bo Chuan didn’t know what “work to death” meant, so he didn’t respond.

Yao Jiu sat there for a while, still upset. Eventually, she got up in frustration and started picking vegetables outside the kitchen. As the smell of food wafted out of the kitchen, Yao Jiu muttered to herself, her voice reaching Bo Chuan’s keen ears.

“Down with the working thieves…”

When Lin You shouted “Dinner’s ready,” Yao Jiu rushed inside to serve the food.

Apart from a large plate of chili scrambled eggs, Yao Jiu had also made a small bowl of spicy pig’s trotters and a stir-fried dish of bok choy with tofu to cut through the richness.

The chili scrambled eggs, drenched in red oil, stained the rice underneath, making it red and spicy. The eggs were crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, perfectly complementing the rice. The spicy pig’s trotters were in small pieces, not as soft as stewed trotters but still tender. With a gentle bite, the pork skin tore apart, and the spiciness balanced the grease perfectly. The combination of the spicy trotters and rice felt like the rich, oily pork skin wrapped around the rice, sliding down into the stomach—a perfect clash of carbohydrates and fat.

If it got too greasy, the stir-fried bok choy with tofu helped cleanse the palate. The tofu was fine, but the bok choy was still crispy and sweet, the perfect palate cleanser.

Lin You had been worried that Bo Chuan might have some dietary restrictions, but seeing him eat without hesitation, she didn’t bring it up. She had checked the night before and found that people who practice Taoism usually avoid four foods: beef, mutton, wild goose, and dog meat. Aside from these, dietary restrictions varied from person to person.

This meal was rather spicy, and after eating, Lin You brought out the strawberries she had bought today. She mashed them and added milk to make strawberry milk, which was sweet, sour, fragrant, and smooth.

Lin You and Yao Jiu casually laid back in the reclining chairs.

“Meow meow meow~”

Lin You’s eyes lit up. “Mimi, you’re here!”

She quickly went into the kitchen and brought out the food she had prepared for the cat.

The scrambled eggs didn’t have chili, and the pig’s trotters were rinsed with water.

The tabby cat meowed a few times in protest, but as it ate, there were rice grains all over its face.

Bo Chuan: …

Lin You continued discussing with Yao Jiu, “Do you think we should take Mimi to the county next time for sterilization?”

It was clear that the tabby cat was female, and if she wasn’t sterilized, she would keep having kittens, which could affect her lifespan.

Unaware of what sterilization meant, the tabby cat ate and drank heartily. Bo Chuan opened his mouth but said nothing in the end.

Well… let’s see how things go.

Fangping Town Kindergarten.

Yao Yun spent quite a bit of time preparing lunch. This private kindergarten had been in town for many years. In addition to nearly two hundred students, there were also more than a dozen teachers eating there.

Of course, such a large amount of food couldn’t be prepared by just one person. Yao Yun had hired two women to help with the washing and dishwashing. However, women’s strength was still a bit lacking compared to men, and after spending the whole morning cooking, Yao Yun was so exhausted her arms could barely lift.

One of the teachers peeked into the kitchen and sighed, “Sister Yun, are we having fried chicken chunks again for lunch today?”

The meals at the kindergarten were all served in large buckets, which the teachers from each class would collect and distribute. Today’s lunch included fried chicken chunks with potatoes, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, garlic bok choy, and a seaweed egg soup.

The dishes themselves weren’t out of the ordinary, but having fried chicken chunks for three days in a row—potato-fried chicken, chili-fried chicken, lotus root-fried chicken—was starting to make the teachers unhappy. Also, with so many eggs and chicken, the repetition was starting to wear on everyone’s appetite.

The kids were always picky eaters, some of them refusing to eat chicken. Normally, you could coax them to eat once or twice, but after three days in a row, no one could persuade them anymore.

Yesterday was even worse— the chicken chunks were overcooked, and the vegetables weren’t fresh. A few children went home with stomach issues, and parents were calling in the middle of the night.

“Sister Yun, you really should change the menu.”

Yao Yun forced a smile, “We’ll change it tomorrow, we’ll change it tomorrow.”

A few teachers, still frowning, took the food. Many children ate very little yesterday, and there were leftovers. Today’s dishes weren’t great either, so they worried that the parents would complain after hearing what the children had to say.

After the teachers took the food, even the vice-principal came by and spoke to Yao Yun, advising her to pay more attention to the quality of the food recently.

Yao Yun quickly agreed but then became anxious and couldn’t eat her meal. Even when the two helpers casually mentioned, “The bok choy today was pretty good,” she didn’t take it to heart.

Half an hour later, the teachers came back to return the dishes.

Yao Yun’s heart was racing. The kindergarten had certain standards— if there were too many leftovers, they would surely be questioned about the kitchen. She anxiously watched the dishes being returned.

One of the teachers, who was among the first to return the dishes, stayed and asked curiously, “Sister Yun, where did you buy the bok choy for today? It’s really well made.”

Another teacher chimed in, “I also think it’s tasty. The kids in my class who don’t usually eat vegetables, I managed to get them to eat a bite, and then they started fighting over it.”

“Our class too! They left the chicken chunks and just focused on the bok choy.”

“Sister Yun’s cooking skills have improved!”

Yao Yun was a bit surprised.

The bok choy recipe was very simple. She had been so busy these past few days that she didn’t have time to perfect her cooking. It was just a matter of adding oil, stir-frying garlic, and then adding the vegetables.

The teachers seemed very pleased and kept asking her where she bought the vegetables.

Yao Yun made some excuses, and once they left, she quickly opened the dishes. To her surprise, there was still a lot of chicken chunks left, the scrambled eggs with tomatoes had only a little bit remaining, but the garlic bok choy and rice were completely eaten up!

Yao Yun quickly grabbed her portion and took a few bites.

The chicken chunks and scrambled eggs with tomatoes were the same as before, but the garlic bok choy had a refreshing, crisp sweetness. The flavor was a bit light, but the natural taste of the vegetables was perfect.

Yao Yun paused, her mouth slightly open. She knew her cooking skills weren’t that great. The only change today was that she had bought the bok choy from Lin You earlier in the morning.

Could it be that this bok choy was something special? That didn’t make sense though— Lin You had only been back in the village for a short time. How could she grow vegetables better than the local farmers who had been doing it for years?

Yao Yun decided that she would buy some more from Lin You to check. If the vegetables were really that good, even if they were a bit expensive, it wouldn’t be a problem.

Encouraged by the compliments, Yao Yun’s spirits, which had been low, were now lifted. She washed the dishes with energy, completely shedding the previous signs of exhaustion.

For lunch, they had a hearty meal, but for dinner, Lin You kept it simple.

Freshly steamed pepper-salt flower rolls were paired with mung bean soup, and a cold dish of vermicelli, cucumber, and carrots was topped with peanuts.

The pepper-salt flower rolls were about the size of half a hand, the dough was well-risen, and the seasoning wasn’t too heavy, making it the perfect accompaniment to the vegetables. The cold dish was light and refreshing, and the mung bean soup, with a touch of dried osmanthus and honey, had a delicate sweetness.

The only downside was that the honey tasted average and had a sickly sweet flavor.

Lin You: “Xiao Jiu, do you know where there are beekeepers?”

Yao Jiu: “What, do you want to keep bees?”

Lin You nodded: “The honey I bought is too bad. I want to set up my own beehive.”

This was a helpless situation, it was difficult to find real honey now. Many beekeepers feed their bees white sugar, so when you buy honey from them, it looks like it’s been taken straight from the hive, but the honey is very thin and the quality isn’t great.

Yao Jiu: “You don’t need to look anymore. My uncle’s village has a beekeeper. We can go there in a few days.”

Beekeepers often travel around in spring. After the spring equinox, the flowers on the lower hills start to bloom, and beekeepers drive around chasing the flowers and following the honey sources. At this time, the flowers on the mountain haven’t bloomed much yet, and the lower hills are already in full bloom. Beekeepers are definitely not up in the mountains.

Lin You wasn’t in a hurry and felt relieved now that Yao Jiu had a lead: “That’s fine, I’m not in a rush.” After all, the flowers on the mountain haven’t bloomed yet.

However, Yao Jiu also reminded her: “There aren’t many large flower fields around our village. Even if you keep bees, the production might not be very good.”

Lianhua Village mainly grows vegetables, and besides vegetables, most people grow corn and wheat. There aren’t many people growing rapeseed.

Lin You: “The mountain is so big, there must be a honey source. And I don’t need much, just one hive. If there’s little honey source, it’ll be easier to divide the hive later.”

The more honey sources there are, the more bees there will be. In places with abundant honey sources, bees can split their hives every three or four months.

Bo Chuan suddenly spoke up: “There’s a patch of jujube trees on the mountain, and there are also loquat trees around the Taoist temple.”

This was a big surprise. Jujube flowers produce a lot of nectar, and their flowering season is after May. Loquats have a long flowering season and, what’s rare, they bloom in winter.

Bo Chuan: “I can help you with the beekeeping.”

Since he already had to take the cows up the mountain to graze every day, it would be easier for him to keep bees too.

Yao Jiu became excited: “If we have honey, can we make honey cakes?”

Since they already had milk and honey, how far off could honey cakes be?

Lin You felt a bit helpless: “That would probably have to wait until summer.”

“Don’t worry, as long as we have something to eat, that’s fine!”

However, when milk was mentioned, Lin You also asked Bo Chuan, somewhat puzzled: “What are you planning to do with all that milk?”

There were several cows, and they couldn’t just stop milking them, it wouldn’t be good for the cows.

Bo Chuan looked at Lin You.

Lin You: “…I don’t need that much!”

Bo Chuan didn’t speak.

His meaning was clear: he didn’t know what to do with it, so he was waiting to see what Lin You thought.

To be honest, Lin You really didn’t understand why Bo Chuan bought cows. He didn’t eat beef and didn’t drink much milk!

“…I’ll ask around to see if anyone sells biscuit-making machines.”

Milk can’t be stored for long, and it can’t be used for cakes either. The best option is to make biscuits. At worst, if I don’t sell them online, I can take them to the market stall in the morning.

As night fell, the guesthouse in Fangping Town became quiet.

The two paparazzi were busy for a while, each managing several marketing accounts. Every night, they would go live to attract attention, which was also part of their work.

Each live session was designed to seem like an exclusive reveal, but in reality, they just talked about ambiguous, harmless, and old industry gossip.

After posting the last “See you next Monday, top male star rumored to have a child” scoop, they received a flood of comments like “Nonsense, everyone in the industry is a top star, right?” “I bet, either it’s not a top star, or it’s not a child” and “Here we go again, a new round of ‘guess the picture'”. Only then did the two of them finish their day’s work.

The man, unaccustomed to such quiet, flipped over in bed and complained to his companion who was on his phone: “What kind of bed is this? It’s all torn up, even turning over makes noise.”

His companion muttered “Mm,” and both of them couldn’t help but recall the five-star hotel they had stayed in while attending a certain female star’s wedding. Once they started talking, they began to roast the male and female celebrities in the industry.

“That so-and-so, so cheap, even booked a budget hotel for a press conference. When I went back, I wrote a few negative articles about her.”

“Then there’s that veteran actor. Please, he really thinks he’s some kind of senior in the crew, criticizing XX for not acting well and trying to teach them. Haha, the person is the male lead, okay? He immediately came to me afterward. I stirred up a few topics, and then he got slammed by X fans, totally breaking down and had to quit the crew.”

“XXX and XX divorced a long time ago. The guy even asked me to write more negative articles about his ex-wife…”

“And XX…”

“XXX…”

The more they talked, the more energetic they became, as if some mysterious force was encouraging them, the conversation flowing more and more, and they grew more spirited.

“To be honest, Lin You really doesn’t get it. Her manager asked her to use Mu Qingqing as a stepping stone, and she should just go along with it. There was absolutely no need to quit the industry. This industry makes so much money every year, way more than what she could earn as a regular person. Even if she gets criticized, it’s worth it.”

“Who says not… By the way, do you know what the relationship is between her manager and Mu Qingqing? They’re not even from the same company. Lin You has been doing well these past two years. If things go well, she could really make it. Does her manager really want to use his own artist to pave the way for others?”

“I’ll tell you a little rumor…”

The paparazzi lowered their voices and quietly shared their discovery with the other, both of them clicking their tongues in surprise.

Just then, a phone rang.

They both perked up when they saw it was a call from their boss. A phone call at this time of night surely meant they had some shocking scoop about the entertainment industry.

“Hello, boss…”

“Are you out of your mind? Do your eyes belong to a hole? I must have been blind to hire you two jinxes…”

A series of insults followed.

They were both stunned, completely caught off guard.

“Boss, did I do something wrong?”

“You still have the nerve to ask me? Look at your damn phone. Are your heads and butts switched? Get your asses back here right now!”

Phone?

The two were holding their phones in their hands, and there didn’t seem to be anything unusual.

Until…

In the distance, on a table, a phone used for live streaming was flashing with a red light.

“Did you forget to turn off the live stream just now?!”

“I turned it off! I really turned it off! I remember it clearly!”

“Then what’s going on here? Huh? Can you explain this?”

One paparazzi, his eyes bloodshot, grabbed his phone and yelled at the other.

“I really turned it off! Did you turn it back on later?”

“You’re full of crap!”

The two of them, frantic and angry, almost started fighting.

The live streaming device was still flashing, and the bullet comments on the screen were rapidly scrolling up, but the two of them would rather argue than look at the comments above.

They knew it was all over.

When they finally calmed down, one of them, unsure who, reached out and turned off the live stream. The two of them, faces bruised, sat down, panting heavily.

At this point, there was no meaning in shifting the blame. It was their words on the live stream, and even if they said it was someone else’s fault, no one would believe them. Not just them— their company was also going to suffer, and it was uncertain whether they could continue operating.

Without even looking at their phones, both of them knew just how big of a mess they’d gotten into, how much trouble they had stirred up.

They couldn’t help but remember the words of the man in the black windbreaker from earlier in the morning.

“The heavens are dark, the sun and moon have broken, your misfortune is near.”

It was like grabbing onto a lifeline. One of them grabbed the other’s arm: “Let’s go find him! Find that person!”

Since he could predict their downfall, he must have a way to fix it!

The two of them exchanged glances, both seeing that faint glimmer of hope in each other’s weary eyes.

Unfortunately, they had no idea who that person was. After struggling for an entire day without finding any trace of him, the two of them could only leave in defeat.

Meanwhile, online, the situation had truly exploded.