"Impressive," Jiang Shuiyun said, surprised that 110 could actually handle it. She sincerely praised him, "So, shall we start cooking now?"
"But how do you cook this?" Yao Yao Ling looked at the pile of seasonings in Jiang Shuiyun's hand. "Captain, do you know how?"
Jiang Shuiyun glanced down at the table and said, "My cooking skills are still at the level of simply copying recipes."
After all, since joining the Miracle Team, Jiang Shuiyun's cooking skills have had no room to develop or improve. Although Jiang Shuiyun is already very satisfied with her cooking skills, which are able to follow recipes, it's a pity that their phones were taken away by the production team this time, so there are no recipes to refer to.
"You should at least give us a menu, right? That's not too much to ask, is it?"
Yao Yao rolled her eyes and squatted in front of the camera in the corner, demanding that they tolerate this turning a casual variety show into a survival show, since a small recipe couldn't be too much to ask.
"Sorry, we didn't prepare a recipe."
The director spoke through the camera, clearly showing no intention of backing down, and was obviously trying to make things difficult for them.
Yao Yao Ling got angry when she saw the way the production team was acting; they clearly weren't trying to make a good show.
"It's alright, there's always a way out."
Jiang Shuiyun also disapproved, but they couldn't exactly beat up the production team. They could only try to get through these two days and one night as quickly as possible, and then it would be over.
Just then, there was another noise at the door. Jiang Shuiyun and Yao Yaoling came out of the kitchen and saw a woman in her fifties leading the two children in, carrying the fish bucket that Jiang Shuiyun had given to the children.
"Are you new here? You're too kind. How can you exchange those two bags of vegetables for such a big fish?"
The child's grandmother had a hearty voice, laughing as she spoke, clearly a straightforward and easygoing person. She put the fish bucket down as soon as she picked it up.
Before Jiang Shuiyun could speak, Yao Yaoling rushed out and patted the child's head enthusiastically. "Oh, big sister, you said we were being too polite. We should reciprocate. Big sister, please come in and have a seat. It's already noon, please stay and have a simple meal."
"No need, no need, it's too much trouble..." The middle-aged woman was a little overwhelmed by 110's enthusiasm.
"There's no trouble at all. We just need to ask you for some advice, Sister. You know, we're all clueless about farming and not very physically capable, so cooking is a real challenge for us. Could you please give us some pointers?"
Yao Yao Ling took the opportunity to make a request, looking sincerely at the child's grandmother.
"Okay, it's no big deal. There aren't many kids these days who know these things. I see so many of you are here, all so young and good-looking. You must be here for a vacation and to experience life, right?"
The woman readily agreed. She glanced around at the group of people in the yard. The production team had done a good job of keeping things secret. This place was at the end of the village, and even the nearby villagers didn't know who had rented the house. That's why they were so curious when they saw a car coming.
"Big sister, let me tell you, we're actually here to film a variety show. Look, there are cameras over there."
Yao Yao Ling pointed to the hidden camera in the corner and introduced it to the older sister.
"What is a variety show?" the older woman asked, somewhat confused.
"We'll be on TV, and you can see us on your phone, but it will be a few days later."
Yao Yao explained it to her older sister in a simple and easy-to-understand way.
Wow! That's amazing?
The eldest sister and Yao Yao Ling chatted as they went to the kitchen. Jiang Shuiyun was delighted to see this big problem solved so easily and asked Poisonous Snake and the others to bring in the prepared ingredients.
Jiang Shuiyun and the others originally wanted to help out, but there was really no use for them. Yao Yaoling was in charge of tending the fire and chatting with the eldest sister. While chatting, the eldest sister was also nimbly washing the pot and pouring oil. Her eyes were on Yao Yaoling, and she could swing the kitchen knife in her hand so fast that it dazzled the others.
The few people standing in the small kitchen were in the way, so Jiang Shuiyun waved her hand and led the rest of the people out to continue cleaning and tidying up the tables.
They moved the table to the yard, gathered up various benches and stone stools, and wiped them all clean. The table was just big enough to seat everyone, including the two children.
Jiang Shuiyun looked up at the sun and continued cleaning the house while the meal wasn't ready yet, since they would be sleeping there that night.
The group cleaned up, while Yao Yao Ling and her older sister took charge of cooking. In less than an hour, the fragrant dishes were on the table.
Two plump fish, one for soup and one for steaming, were prepared. A rabbit was braised, and a pot of large crabs was steamed. The eldest sister also brought a bag of eggs from home and stir-fried a plate of wild vegetables with eggs, which was very delicious. Finally, there was a big pot of hand-pulled noodles with the greens that the eldest sister had grown herself, which were chewy and refreshing.
In their eyes, the eldest sister is no different from a living bodhisattva descended to earth; they are both equally compassionate and merciful in saving people from suffering.
We enjoyed a satisfying meal. The older sister was incredibly kind; she even steamed rice for us to eat that evening, showing great thoughtfulness.
As the older sister led her two grandsons away, Yao Yao Ling exaggeratedly wiped away non-existent tears from her eyes, exclaiming, "What a good person! This is a truly good person! Look at this production team! Ugh! What a piece of trash!"
After eating and drinking their fill, it was a pity that they didn't have the facilities for an afternoon nap, so they had to make do and continue working.
Even if the production team is heartless, they can't really not provide blankets. After the group finished cleaning up and clearing away the excessive water, it was already dark. They served the rice that the eldest sister had steamed for them and soaked it in the fish soup from lunch, and dinner was successfully solved.
I've never had such a tiring day. After we took turns washing up, we lay down on our narrow wooden beds and felt a rare sense of happiness. The day was finally over.
Jiang Shuiyun then remembered what Fu Xian had told her before: today should also be the day of the Jianghe Group's trial, and he said that the results would be in the hands of the investigation team.
Jiang Shuiyun turned over and looked at the bright moonlight outside. She could only calm down and think, "Oh well, it'll be the same to see the result tomorrow."
"Don't you guys think this looks like a transformation program? The path to reforming internet-addicted teenagers."
In the silence, Jiaoyang started the conversation.
"That's too much, the description is so apt."
"This is the first time in my life I've done so much work. It feels like I've done all the work for the rest of my life."
"You guys are too weak! You can't even hold on for this little bit?"
"Little Dudu, you've gone too far!"
"..."
Although they were physically exhausted, they still had the energy to chat idly.
Jiang Shuiyun didn't bother with them. She was thinking about what to eat for two meals tomorrow, since she couldn't keep relying on her older sister. But thanks to her older sister and the two children, they finally knew what wild vegetables looked like. Maybe they could go dig for wild vegetables tomorrow. There were still eggs left by her older sister in the kitchen, so it would definitely be fine.
As Jiang Shuiyun pondered this, the voices of the others gradually subsided, and the quiet night returned to silence, except for the occasional crowing of a rooster and the barking of a dog in the distance.
In this unfamiliar courtyard, the group slept soundly until the sound of rain pattering against the window just before dawn.
A note from the author:
Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 01:39:21 on May 23, 2022 and 02:59:05 on May 24, 2022!
Thank you to the little angel who watered the nutrient solution: Su Guilang, 10 bottles;
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
Chapter 44
Jiang Shuiyun felt a chill in her sleep. Half-asleep, she reached out to pull the blanket over herself, but a drop of icy water jolted her awake.
Rubbing her eyes, Jiang Shuiyun sat up in bed. It was probably around five or six o'clock. Although it was raining heavily outside, it was already getting a little bright.
Wiping the water off her hands, Jiang Shuiyun blinked and looked around. She found that it was raining heavily outside, and a light rain was dripping inside their hut. Not only was a small patch of her bed wet, but the others were not spared either.
"I'm speechless," Jiang Shuiyun said, getting up and patting the bedside. "Wake up, everyone!"
The noise woke all five of them up. They groggily got up and looked at Jiang Shuiyun, puzzled.
"Get up and move the bed. It's leaking in this room. Let's move the bed to the living room next door, otherwise the blankets will get wet."
Jiang Shuiyun yawned and gestured for the others to carry the bed.
"This production team is like a panda ordering takeout—the bamboo shoots have arrived right at their doorstep!"
Yao Yao Ling was hit squarely on the head by a drop of water. She rubbed her face in annoyance, but still had to get up and lift the bed.
The bedroom was leaking terribly. When Jiang Shuiyun discovered it, it was only the beginning. In the short time it took for several people to lift the bed, it had almost turned into a waterfall.
The living room is in slightly better condition; there are two leaks, but catching the water with basins isn't a big problem.
After doing all that, the group returned to their small wooden beds, wrapped themselves in blankets, and stared blankly at the torrential rain outside, listening to the howling wind.
Jiaoyang looked at Jiang Shuiyun beside him. The usually cheerful Jiang Shuiyun was all gloomy today. "Captain, can we still go back today?"
Jiang Shuiyun also wanted to know, but judging from the rain, if it continued like this, the flight would have to be canceled without a doubt.
Several people lay on the bed, some slumped over, some slumped, wrapped in blankets, until seven or eight o'clock. The rain gradually subsided, and the crew members, wearing raincoats, finally came over.
The rain has lessened, but it's still drizzling, making it too difficult to find food. The production team can't just ignore the safety of the guests, so they've made a new request: if the Miracle Team can repair the roof, they can get breakfast in return.
After glancing at the leaky roof, the group turned their attention to Jiang Shuiyun. In reality, they had only been hungry for most of the day, and they could manage.
"Let's divide the work," Jiang Shuiyun said, not intending to let them leave hungry, especially since they were just idling around anyway. "This should be straw and tiles. Yao Yaoling and Jiao Yang, you two are responsible for asking the neighbors if they have any extra tiles. Shi Tu, you go with them. If they do, the three of you can carry them back together. As for the cost, the production team should cover it, right?"
The production team has already confiscated the phones and wallets of the individuals. They have no money now, and they can't just take other people's things for free. The production team has no choice but to pay them.
The three people who received the task grabbed the raincoats from the production crew and set off with the cameraman. Jiang Shuiyun looked at Viper and Sword Aura and said, "You two go and bring the ladder over. I'll go up and see how to fix it."
Viper agreed and, together with Sword Aura, donned raincoats to carry the ladder. They propped it up on the eaves, each holding one side of the ladder. "Captain, are you sure you can do this?"
Jiang Shuiyun put on gloves, held an umbrella in one hand, and climbed up the ladder with the other. "It's alright."
The house wasn't very tall to begin with, and Jiang Shuiyun easily climbed onto the roof. The roof tiles were old and in disrepair, and many of them had been damaged by wind and sun, which was the reason for the leak.
Jiang Shuiyun was squatting on the roof, so the cameras below couldn't capture her at all. The only way to get her to film was for the cameraman to climb onto the roof of the adjacent kitchen.
How to film it is the production team's business. Jiang Shuiyun looked at the arrangement of the roof tiles and realized it wasn't too difficult.
Jiang Shuiyun first sorted out the broken, leaky tiles. He counted about twenty tiles that needed to be replaced. He just didn't know if Yao Yaoling and the others could successfully retrieve the tiles.
110's social anxiety is no joke. In about twenty minutes, the three of them each carried back some tiles. If the production team hadn't forbidden it, a neighbor even offered to help them.
With enough tiles, Jian Mang, being taller, stood on the ladder and passed tiles up to Jiang Shuiyun. Jiang Shuiyun then cleaned up the broken tiles one by one, replacing them with new ones, according to the order in which the tiles were arranged.
Coincidentally, just as Jiang Shuiyun was replacing the roof tiles, the rain gradually subsided and eventually stopped.
Putting away his umbrella and replacing the last tile, Jiang Shuiyun straightened up and saw distant green mountains and boundless fields, with a rainbow appearing above the mountains.
“Come up and take a look, there’s a rainbow.”
Upon hearing about the rainbow, the group perked up and were about to climb up when the production crew stopped them, saying, "The roof up there can't support so many of you."
The roof can't hold up anymore? What should we do? Jiao Yang scratched his head in disappointment, then his eyes lit up when he saw the courtyard wall and the small bungalow with the kitchen next door.
The ladder was moved around, and in no time, the roof and walls of the farmhouse were covered with people.
Standing on the courtyard wall, Yao Yao turned around and called to the production crew, "Photographer, could you please take a group photo of us? Just our backs are fine, but make sure the rainbow is in the shot too!"
In the photographer's lens, several people stand under a rainbow, on the courtyard wall and rooftop, raising their hands and shouting out their shared faith.
"Miracle Team!"
Even the most beautiful rainbow is fleeting; in the end, eating is the most important thing.
The group climbed down the ladder to ask the production crew for breakfast. When they saw the six buckets of instant noodles, they almost dumped them on the director's head. They must be the most miserable guests in history.
Considering that it would be over soon, the group ate instant noodles and then began packing their bags to leave.
However, it's not possible to leave so easily. After all, the production team invited an e-sports team, so it has to be related to games. Therefore, in the last segment, the Miracle Team and the production team will play a match, which will bring the show to a perfect end.