76: Crying and begging to sell herself?

Gao Xiaofan was completely dazed, staring at the three people in front of him, while Reba stood to the side, covering her mouth and laughing.

Early in the morning, Gao Xiaofan was still sleeping when he was woken up by a knock on the door. He opened it in a daze to find Lü Tao, Yan Feng, and Qiu Gu standing outside.

Hearing the commotion, Reba also opened her door and looked over.

Yan Feng rubbed his hands together and gave a dry laugh. "Um, Xiaofan, did you know the Program Production Crew updated the version?"

Gao Xiaofan nodded groggily, waiting for him to continue.

Yan Feng gave another dry laugh. "Well, Xiaofan, the other guests have all hired people, and they're working up a storm~"

Gao Xiaofan scratched his head. "Yeah, I know~"

Yan Feng stammered for a long while without being able to say anything.

Lü Tao, who was standing nearby, couldn't take it anymore and shoved Yan Feng aside.

"Let me say it. Xiaofan, are you considering hiring a few people?"

Gao Xiaofan rubbed his chin. "Not really. I don't have much money on me~"

Yan Feng and Lü Tao looked at each other. "We don't want money, just provide meals."

Gao Xiaofan was completely dazed.

Forcing themselves into servitude?

Reba stood to the side, unable to stop laughing while covering her mouth.

The bullet chat in the livestream room was dying of laughter.

"I was planning to just take a quick look and go back to sleep, but I'm laughing so hard I'm wide awake now~"

"Begging for work? I still remember how much effort Han Han had to put in just to get two staff members~"

"I suspect the staff members were also eating the canteen auntie's food and just couldn't take it anymore~"

Gao Xiaofan nodded. "Even though your request is a bit excessive, it's not impossible. I'm going back to sleep for a bit. Just remember to come over when it's time to eat~"

After saying that, he slammed the door shut, leaving the three people outside with question marks all over their faces~

No wages, just meals—was that excessive?

Then, the group left with joyful expressions.

Qiu Gu was happy because it seemed like he wouldn't have to go out fishing today~

Yan Feng and Lü Tao were happy because Gao Xiaofan just fished every day, so being hired wouldn't be too tiring~

Most importantly, they could get a good meal~

...After returning to bed, Gao Xiaofan pulled the covers over his head and went back to sleep.

He didn't want to go out today, and his right hand was still incredibly sore; even if he wanted to fish, he lacked the strength.

Yesterday, Reba's earnings from her task were 450 yuan. Including the two hired people and subtracting the 200 yuan hiring fee, the actual income was 250.

Additionally, those five guests had reserved today's Chopped Chili Fish Head for 500 yuan, which was pure profit.

Although their current assets were at the bottom of the teams, for Gao Xiaofan, at least they wouldn't starve~

So why work so hard?

He wasn't the only one thinking this; the guests on other teams were rarely working now, spending most of their time interacting with fans~

The work could be left to the staff members~

The Program Production Crew didn't stop them either. Essentially, this was just a rural variety show, not a survival show. Without guest interaction, where would the gifts and revenue come from?

However, it was only the fifth day of the show. The Program Production Crew would surely come up with new ways to stir up trouble later on.

So, Gao Xiaofan planned to give himself a day off in the show, sleeping until he felt refreshed before getting up.

The backstage staff watched this scene with dark lines on their faces. Even if others were being lazy, they at least made an effort to hide it by sitting in the fields playing on their tablets and interacting with the audience; he didn't even leave his room.

He slept until 11 o'clock before Reba finally woke him up.

After all, it was almost mealtime, and the Chopped Chili Fish Head wasn't ready yet.

Gao Xiaofan got up, washed his face, and strolled to the back of the house with a cigarette in his mouth.

Gao Xiaofan had also exchanged for the small stove he used for his private cooking. Although the one he built himself worked, he had to squat on the ground every time.

It was uncomfortable, so since he had money, he swapped it~

He used an entrenching tool to chop the fish head into four pieces. It was mainly because it was too big; a single fish head was as large as the pot.

He started the fire in the stove, tossed in a few pieces of firewood, set the pot on top, heated the oil, and threw in green onions, ginger, and garlic.

Reba handed over the ingredients she had prepared in the morning—chili peppers she had been chopping for half an hour.

After sautéing the ingredients until fragrant, Gao Xiaofan carefully placed the fish head inside and seared it slightly. A rich aroma surged from the pot and drifted away.

Gao Xiaofan sniffed, scooped up a basin of water from the nearby mountain spring, and poured it in.

Light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, salt, pepper powder—he poured them all in with a flourish.

Outside the village, Hua Hua sniffed and looked delighted.

"Cheng Seventeen, do you smell that?"

Cheng Seventeen sniffed and nodded with a grin.

"Cheng Seventeen, wrap it up, wrap it up. Let's head back to the village."

The two of them called over the staff members and excitedly packed up their things to rush back to the village.

...Gao Xiaofan looked at the two extra pairs of buttocks by the table, his face covered in dark lines.

He finally understood why Lü Tao and Yan Feng had proactively begged to sell themselves; these two were here to freeload a meal.

Lü Tao and Yan Feng had their butts sticking out as they lowered their heads and frantically devoured the fish head, making slurping sounds.

The other guests were also looking intoxicated. Each had a bowl in front of them with some fish soup; they dipped their steamed buns with their left hands and took bites, while their right hands wielded chopsticks in a frantic attack~

Fortunately, the fish head was massive. The best part was actually the chopped chilies inside, which had absorbed all the fish soup, making them fresh, spicy, salty, and fragrant. In the end, some of the fish head was actually left over, but not a drop of soup or a single bit of chopped chili remained.

After the meal, everyone sat on the ground, burping and chatting.

Gao Xiaofan squatted there, puffing out clouds of cigarette smoke, while the backstage staff cursed as they ate while blurring the image~

Han Han and Hua Hua approached.

Han Han: "Xiaofan, if there's a next time, let me know. Still 100 yuan~"

Hua Hua: "Me too~"

Gao Xiaofan squinted at the two of them, his eyes struggling to stay open from the smoke.

"I'll let you know if there is, but I'm not sure yet."

He would definitely go fishing, but he wouldn't be catching Silver Carp and Bighead Carp again. Originally, he had just done it because he didn't want to let Brother Quan down.

It was a good thing he caught them this time, but his hands were truly sore~

After the crowd dispersed, Gao Xiaofan exchanged 200 yuan for 60 catties of corn and also exchanged for a fishing rod ground stand. He called Lü Tao and Yan Feng over to discuss.

"We're heading out at four tomorrow!"

Amidst the dumbfounded stares of Lü Tao and Yan Feng, Gao Xiaofan continued.

"Which of you can cook? The delicious kind~"

The two shook their heads, still not having recovered from the news of the four o'clock departure.

"Sister Tao, do you know how to clean fish?"

Lü Tao nodded. "I can do that~"

Gao Xiaofan nodded, then scratched his head. "Alright then, that's it. Let's meet on time tomorrow~"

"Oh, right, remember to notify Qiu Gu to come tomorrow too. Also, tell him to bring more steamed buns~"

The two nodded numbly and walked out as if they had lost their souls.

Gao Xiaofan rubbed his chin and couldn't help but smile as he watched their dejected figures.

Just this? Still trying to take advantage? Tomorrow, I'll let you know the meaning of cruelty~