He knew that many people were concerned about Jiang Cancan's future life, and he wanted to show them through his actions that even if the court stripped Jiang Erchun of his custody rights over the Jiang sisters, they were not orphans left unattended.
From now on, the entire Langshan Village will be a pillar of support for these two sisters!
Surprisingly, Jiang Xiaoman's fans also watched these three videos, which were supposed to be shown to Jiang Cancan's fans, with great interest. This even unexpectedly attracted a new wave of casual fans to Jiang Cancan, and the reasons for their newfound interest were quite simple—
Jiang Cancan has had such a tough time. If she didn't have more fans, how could she shoulder the hopes of the entire village?
Jiang Xiaoman was speechless when she thought of Jiang Cancan's words after winning the championship.
After all, Jiang Cancan's biggest motivation for participating in the competition was to earn the 500,000 yuan prize money to build a new house for her family, a canteen for the school, and meat for her classmates.
She signed with a record company not out of any so-called love for music, but simply because she heard the job was lucrative and wanted to earn a lot of money to pay for her grandmother's eye treatment...
This reason is simply heartbreaking for netizens! It's impossible not to support it, okay?
Chapter 99
After settling her grandmother and younger sister in and completing the transfer procedures, Jiang Cancan went back to the provincial capital with Zhou Mingxing's newly hired assistant. She was going to meet up with Zhou Mingxing in the provincial capital, and then they would go to City B together to complete the enrollment procedures.
After much negotiation, the Affiliated Primary School of the Music Academy in City B finally won over Jiang Cancan, a highly sought-after student.
However, Zhou Mingxing chose this school for Jiang Cancan not only because it is a primary school that allows students to directly progress from primary to junior high school, and because it has a strong teaching level and faculty.
The main reason is that J Province TV station also has its own recording studio in B City. This way, for some programs that don't require on-site recording, Jiang Cancan won't have to take leave and travel back and forth; she can just record them directly in B City.
After seeing Jiang Cancan off, Jiang Xiaoman's family also ushered in this year's harvest - the soybeans that his father planted in various nooks and crannies in the mountains were ready to be harvested.
Oh my god! Just thinking about the soybeans covering the mountains and fields, and the days of outsmarting wild boars, made Jiang Xiaoman feel dizzy and really wanted to perform a scene of dying on the spot for his father.
People who have never farmed in the mountains probably don't understand the hardships mountain people endure when harvesting beans.
Late September is the peak of the "autumn tiger" heat wave; it can be unbearably hot to be out in the fields during the day!
Moreover, after soybeans mature, there are many fuzzy hairs on the pods and stems and leaves. Touching them will make you itchy all over. Some soybean leaves even have a kind of caterpillar called "yanglazi". When that thing touches your hand, the feeling is simply sour and unpleasant!
It would be better if they were down the mountain; there are wild boars in the mountains!
Wild boars love to eat soybeans, especially mature soybeans, which are fragrant and chewy, just like corn, and are a favorite of wild boars.
When Jiang Xiaoman was a child, he went to collect soybeans with his father and was attacked by a wild boar. Luckily, it was a young piglet that hadn't grown up yet, otherwise there wouldn't be a protagonist in this book, right?
In order to harvest all the soybeans grown at home before the wild boars came down the mountain and snatched the spoils of their victory, Jiang Youliang, who had never liked reading or writing, even borrowed paper and pen from his son and drew a picture!
"Let's leave the land below the old house for now. There's construction going on here, and people are coming and going every day, so wild boars won't dare to come."
"We need to take over this plot of land behind the mountain first. It's close to the forest, so it's easy for wild boars to come down here. This afternoon, let's go to the back of this plot and set some wild boar traps to scare those beasts away."
"We need to hurry up and take back this plot of land on the east side. The soil and water here are good, so the beans ripen quickly. The one on the west side can wait a bit; I just went to check on it yesterday, and the beans aren't fully ripe yet..."
Jiang Xiaoman stared at the "soybean harvest map" drawn by his father for a long time, and finally confirmed that his family had a total of twenty-one soybean fields to harvest this year!
The largest plot is over an acre, while the smallest is only a few rows of land. His father really doesn't let go of even the smallest bit of idle land! He even planted soybean seedlings in the cracks of the tea garden!
That evening, Jiang Xiaoman posted a picture on her WeChat Moments, along with the largest soybean field in her yard.
"Hey everyone~ Want to experience the joy of harvest? Langshan Ecological Farm's multi-day soybean harvesting tour is now open for registration! No fees! No prerequisites! We cover everything, including food and accommodation! Sign up now!"
Jiang Xiaoman just posted it on her WeChat Moments on a whim, and she didn't expect that people would actually sign up!
“Xiaoman, didn’t we say we were going to visit your place? We’re free right now, and your family is harvesting beans. Shanyan and I can help you!” Jiang Yu had been thinking about Jiang Xiaoman’s cooking skills, and as soon as she saw the post on WeChat Moments, she immediately signed up. Worried that he might not have seen it, she even messaged him privately.
"Great! Come help me, I'll kill a chicken and stew a duck for you!" Jiang Xiaoman was overjoyed!
Both Shan Yan and Jiang Yu are excellent workers, especially the strong Shan Yan, who is as good as two of them!
I told Jiang Youliang, and he was quite happy. Although harvesting beans is not a heavy job, in their rural area, if someone offers to lend a hand during the busy farming season, that's a sign of having good relationships with people.
Moreover, Jiang Xiaoman is his only child. Jiang Youliang was always worried that after he died, Jiang Xiaoman would be all alone. He was very willing to see his son make more friends so that he could have more people to lend a hand when he encountered difficulties.
"Then I'll go to the market tomorrow and pick up the things I bought for Brother Xiaoyu while I'm at it," Jiang Xiaoman said happily.
The Wi-Fi cards and spicy soup I promised to buy for Jiang Yu and the others have arrived, but they're still at school. I'll take them up the mountain tomorrow.
Now that Jiang Xiaoman has more money, she can go shopping without feeling as constrained as before. She calculated that it would take about a week to harvest soybeans, and she probably wouldn't have time to go down the mountain to buy things. So, Jiang Xiaoman made a shopping list and borrowed the school's electric tricycle from Jiang Baichuan, and went on a shopping spree.
Jiang Xiaoman bought ten pounds of fresh pork, a pair of pig livers, and a pair of pig trotters. Her father loves pig blood, so she also bought two pieces. Since her family doesn't raise ducks, and the braised ducks in the store are very expensive, Jiang Xiaoman simply bought two live ducks, planning to take them home and slaughter them herself. That way, the leftover duck blood and offal could make a dish.
He didn't buy any chickens; his dad still had over thirty of his own. But the fish were really cheap this year; silver carp were only four yuan a pound, and he bought five big ones in one go! The fish heads could be chopped off to make fish head tofu soup or chopped chili fish head. The flesh of the silver carp wasn't very tasty, with a strong fishy smell, but that wasn't a problem for Jiang Xiaoman.
Cut the fish into chunks, marinate overnight with salt, ginger slices, Sichuan peppercorns, and dark soy sauce. The next day, take it out and arrange it evenly on a wire mesh. Place some damp firewood underneath and slowly bake it until both sides are golden brown. That's how you make delicious smoked fish.
Jiang Xiaoman can make two kinds of smoked fish: spicy smoked fish with chili peppers and sweet and spicy smoked fish with honey. However, Jiang Youliang prefers the spicy flavor, so he usually only makes the spicy one.
Many fruits are in season now, so Jiang Xiaoman bought a few pounds of grapes, a bag of pears, a bag of oranges, and two bunches of bananas. He didn't buy anything else. However, this shopping reminded him that the pomegranates and persimmons at his old family home were almost ready to eat.
The persimmons aren't ripe yet this season; they're all green. However, if you pick these green persimmons and leave them in the barn for a few days, they'll be crisp and sweet. He could make some for Jiang Yu and the others. As for his father, forget it; his old teeth can't chew persimmons anymore. Let him eat bananas instead.
When he returned from the market, his father had already taken out the wild boar traps and was rubbing oil on them one by one.
In fact, hunting was completely banned here a few years ago, and even wild boars were not allowed to be hunted.
Who knew that this thing could reproduce so rapidly? In just a few years, wild boars became rampant in the mountains, not only ruining crops but also injuring people!
The year Jiang Xiaoman started college, an old woman from their village was hit by a wild boar and rolled into a ravine when she went up the mountain to pick corn in her field.
By the time the villagers found her, the old woman was already cold.
Since then, although the village has not yet allowed private hunting, every autumn harvest people are organized to go into the mountains to hunt wild boars that have overpopulated. Villagers are also allowed to set wild boar traps on their own land, but they must mark them so that no one can accidentally step on them.
Having prepared the wild boar traps, Jiang Youliang took a few strips of red cloth and ran out to hang them on several crooked trees far away. This was to let people know that wild boar traps had been set up in this area of the mountains, and that people who were not familiar with the area should not go into the fields.
"Dad, go hang up the red ribbon and while you're at it, cut some cypress branches for me. I bought four big silver carp; let's smoke them!" Jiang Xiaoman quickly called to her father.
"Alright! I'll cut down some more pepper trees; the smoke from those trees will keep the bugs away." Jiang Youliang went inside, grabbed an axe and a rope, and went out.
Jiang Xiaoman took out all the things she had bought, shook her sore arms, and threw the four fish into the pond in the yard, preparing to process them.
I had just removed the fish scales when I heard Jiang Yu's voice from afar: "Xiaoman, your house is nicely built! How much did it cost?"
"About two hundred thousand, that's emptied our savings!" Jiang Xiaoman quickly washed the fish scales off her hands and walked outside her yard, where she saw Shan Yan and Jiang Yu each carrying a large basket on their backs.
Shan Yan was carrying a knife of fresh pork and two large bluefish, while Jiang Yu was carrying a woven bag.
"See how good I am to you? Yesterday, Shan Yan and I spent half the day rummaging through the woods and found these bamboo worms for you. We'll add some to your family's lunch." Jiang Yu opened the woven bag, inside which were two sections of bamboo tubes. Needless to say, the bamboo worms were definitely all inside the bamboo tubes.
This is a great product!
In this season, the new bamboo shoots of this year have just sprouted, and bamboo worms love to gnaw on these newly grown, tender bamboo shoots.
These bamboo worms that live inside bamboo need to be removed quickly, otherwise, if they are allowed to breed in the forest, your family's bamboo forest will be ruined in just two years.
So during this season, many families here with bamboo groves will go into the mountains to find the bamboo that has been infested with insects, cut it down, bring it back to dry and use it as firewood. If there are few bamboo insects, they will keep them for their own enjoyment, but if there are many, they will definitely sell them.
This stuff isn't cheap when sold at the market! It costs over eighty yuan per pound, and I heard it's even more expensive in the county town. But it's really delicious, and Jiang Xiaoman loves to eat it.
Locals usually bring fish and meat when visiting relatives. Seeing the fresh fish and meat Shan Yan was carrying, Jiang Xiaoman immediately regretted it: "If I had known you brought fish and meat, I wouldn't have bought any. My arms are about to break from carrying all this up here. Anyway, come in and have some tea!"
Jiang Xiaoman welcomed the people into the house and casually brought in the tripod and phone that were being used for filming outside, aiming them at the bamboo couch in the living room.
"Xiaoman, you're filming all this? Does anyone watch it?" Jiang Yu asked curiously as he leaned closer. He also enjoyed watching short videos, but his favorites were beachcombing and fishing, so the platform always recommended these kinds of videos to him.
"Hehe~ I was just about to tell you, let me show you some videos I filmed in Laoshan Aozi before, the number of views has exploded!" Jiang Xiaoman paused the video shooting and happily opened the background to show Jiang Yu.
Last time, he went into the mountains with Shan Yan and his group to harvest honey and filmed a lot of video footage. After exporting and watching it several times, Jiang Xiaoman immediately decided to break down the footage into several themes for editing.
Jiang Xia taught him this move.
It's said that many short video bloggers are doing this now, especially those in the travel category. They can make a separate video about the travel guide, a separate video about transportation, a separate video about what they see and hear on the way, and once they arrive at the destination, they can make a separate video about the local food, another video about the famous attractions, and they can also take on some advertisements for homestays, resorts, and specialty restaurants. After one trip, they have enough video material for half a month.
Inspired by Jiang Xia, Jiang Xiaoman divided the Laoshan Aozi area into three parts.
The first one was that he set off from home, traversing mountains and valleys all the way to the Jiang family, and then followed Shan Yan and the others deep into the primeval forest to search for the beehive on the cliff...
The fans couldn't help but exclaim that harvesting honey in the mountains must be incredibly arduous! No wonder they have such a hard time buying authentic rock honey, and no wonder it's so expensive...
The second is the thrilling scene of Shan Yan and his gang of brothers driving away wild bees and harvesting honey on a nearly vertical cliff using only a few bundles of hemp rope and a basket of wooden wedges.
Because Jiang Xiaoman didn't have a drone, the footage in this section is particularly blurry, but that only makes the danger at the top of the cliff more palpable.
The most memorable scene from the second video was when Shan Yan and his brothers appeared shirtless after harvesting honey the next day. The screen was instantly flooded with comments, with fans saying they were blown away by his good looks. Many people even asked in the comments if Shan Yan had a personal account and strongly urged the honey-harvesting team to debut as an idol!
The third video is the one of them cooking in the woods that day. This video has the highest number of views, currently reaching an astonishing 12 million!
It seems that the topic of wilderness survival is always very popular.
In particular, Jiang Xiaoman and her group went to a real deep mountain forest. Whether it was the simple tents set up on site or the toilet surrounded by wet firewood, it all looked very real.
The segment about making knock-off roujiamo (Chinese hamburger) made netizens exclaim that they learned something, and some mischievous netizens even reminded Jiang Xiaoman in the comments section that it's okay to make roujiamo, but never say that it's from Tongguan, otherwise the Tongguan Roujiamo Association will sue her in court for compensation... It's hilarious!
"Wait! Xiaoman! Your video has so many views, can you give our Yanmi a yellow bike?" Jiang Yu suddenly asked.
Chapter 100
"Sure, I was just about to ask you and Brother Shanyan, is the honey production in your village high now?"
When it came to making money, Jiang Xiaoman's eyes lit up instantly!
"Little Fish Bro, you don't know, a lot of fans have been asking me in the comments section of my previous videos when this rock honey will be available for purchase. If you want to sell it, just give me a rough estimate of the quantity and price, and I'll help you list it on your shopping cart!"
"Oh, right, food items also need to be sampled and sent to the county for testing. Only after receiving the test report can they be sold online," Jiang Xiaoman quickly explained.
Actually, even if Jiang Yu hadn't asked about it, he planned to ask them about it when he had some free time in a couple of days.
After all, who would complain about having too many sales channels?
Shan Yan himself said that relying on old customers and referrals is too slow. It usually takes more than half a year to sell all the rock honey harvested in a season. Fortunately, pure rock honey has a very long shelf life, otherwise they would have starved to death long ago.
"It would be best if we could sell it online, but I'm worried that our rock honey is too expensive and can't compare to the price of honey in the market."
Jiang Yu is quite pragmatic. They are in this industry themselves, so they definitely know the current market situation better than Jiang Xiaoman. They also know that there are very few target customers for genuine wild rock honey.
"Let's give it a try. Honey won't spoil during long-distance transport anyway, so we'll sell as much as we can." Jiang Xiaoman wasn't planning on making money; she just wanted to help Jiang Yu and the others.
“We can’t let you work for nothing,” Jiang Yu glanced at Shan Yan, then turned to Shan Yan and said, “How about this, we’ll give you the standard honey at seventy yuan a pound and the old honeycomb at one hundred yuan a pound. You can sell it at the market price, at least enough to cover your internet fees, right? Otherwise, I’d rather sell it myself slowly.”
After a moment's thought, Jiang Xiaoman readily agreed.
Anyway, starting in the second half of the year, they will also be selling local specialty honey, so adding a high-end rock honey wouldn't be a problem.
After finishing their business, Jiang Xiaoman had also brewed the tea.