47: Weekend Special: Xiangxi Hut on the Tip of the Tongue

Inside the small store.

Zhao Jin bit off the last mouthful of ice cream, threw the stick into the trash can, and cast an envious glance at Chen Fang.

She had to be so careful even when checking the calorie count of ice cream, so how could he just fool people directly in front of the camera?

Was this the bittersweet feeling of a reputation collapse?

She was a little envious of such casualness, but, well… a reputation collapse, she'd rather not.

Chen Fang looked at Xie Yunxuan, who was holding three cans of chewing gum, feeling depressed and awkwardly smiling. He kindly comforted him, “If you bought too much, just eat it slowly. Don't be sad. Instead of making it hard on yourself, blame others. Blame me, it's all my fault.”

[Xie Yunxuan's negative emotional value +333!]

Chen Fang finished the last bite of ice cream, revealing a brilliant smile.

Please, do blame me to your heart's content!

Chen Fang threw the ice cream stick into the trash can. Just as he threw it in, the door curtain rattled, and the boss walked in, rubbing his butt. Seeing the camera, he quickly straightened his back as if nothing was wrong.

Chen Fang stood up and vacated his seat. “Only three cans of chewing gum were sold just now.”

The boss, supporting himself on the glass counter, sat down groggily. He didn't notice that the buyer was Xie Yunxuan. He picked up a can of refreshing mint chewing gum from the counter and handed it to Chen Fang. “Thank you, Teacher Chen. Here's a can of chewing gum as payment. Don't refuse.”

Chen Fang had bought a lot of things from him these past few days, and many aunts and young girls in the village followed suit, making him a lot of money. Besides, the chewing gum only cost six yuan wholesale, so he might as well give it to him.

Chen Fang happily took the chewing gum, leaned on the glass counter, and tilted his body slightly towards Xie Yunxuan, confirming with the boss, “Eh? It's free?”

[Xie Yunxuan's negative emotional value +166!]

“Payment, it's payment,” the boss said, rummaging in his pocket and secretly rubbing his butt.

Chen Fang smiled. “Then you rest well. We're going to record the show.”

“Okay, the three teachers are welcome to visit anytime.”

Chen Fang and the other two returned to the village chief's courtyard and chatted with Pan Pengpeng for a while. Time quickly reached nine o'clock.

The live broadcast room for the third group of the adventures officially began streaming.

The camera slowly zoomed in from the sky.

The mountains of Xiangxi were tranquil and peaceful, with bird calls intertwined with the rustling of wind through the leaves.

The camera panned down to a large courtyard.

The host He Xing and Chen Fang, among others, waved at the camera.

“Hello everyone, and welcome to the Weekend Special Program of the adventures Group 3 Xiangxi corpse driving Experience Team – Xiangxi Cottage.”

“The hustle and bustle of the May Day holiday seem to be still fresh in our minds, but busy work has already plunged us back into our daily grind.”

“But it doesn't matter. Today, we will take everyone to enjoy the most pristine scenery, and accompanied by our guests and villagers, return to the countryside and savor delicious food. Let us temporarily set aside the busyness of life, slow down, and experience the down-to-earth beauty.”

The camera cut to the village chief's cottage. The courtyard was paved with bluestone slabs, and wooden carrying poles and bamboo baskets were placed in the corners. Behind everyone, a long table displayed a large array of fresh ingredients.

The scene shifted, and Tian Gangwu, the village chief, and four other villagers, along with the guests, all greeted the camera.

He Xing continued, “Today, the villager team will prepare 6 Xiangxi specialty dishes in the fire pit house.”

He Xing turned and pointed to a small bluestone house on his right. “The fire pit is a traditional cooking area in Xiangxi folk houses, and also the center of family activities. Later, we will go there with the big brothers and sisters of Xiangxi to prepare Xiangxi cuisine.”

“And our four guests will prepare 6 dishes from other regions in a modern kitchen, using ingredients provided by the production team. Today's ingredients were prepared by the production team, and the guests arrived on site completely unprepared. Everyone can look forward to what kind of delicious food the four guests can make.”

“At noon, we will sit together, chat about daily life, youthful ideals, and the times of the last century, having a collision of different cultures and ages.”

After He Xing introduced the villagers, guests, and today's schedule, he smiled at the camera and said, “Next, let's walk into the bustling kitchen and begin a relaxing pastoral journey!”

Amidst the applause of the guests and villagers, both sides split into two groups.

[Live stream, quickly split! I want to see the fire pit!]

[Me too! The taste of home! When we were little, we used to sit around the fire pit in winter and chat. It felt very safe.]

[You guys are making me so curious about what a fire pit looks like.]

[I want to see the four of them go to the fire pit to cook.]

[The production team seems to be promoting Chen Fang. Chen Fang definitely knows how to cook. Is this a segment designed for him?]

[Oh my god, Chen Fang, either clarify or stop appearing on the show. His anti-fans are more annoying than his actual scandals.]

[I've already blacklisted a bunch of his anti-fans.]

The four of them, including Chen Fang, came to the ingredients prepared for them by the production team. On the table were ingredients such as crayfish, pork, ribs, and chicken.

Zhao Jin tentatively asked, “Perhaps, is there an expert?”

“My parents often tell me that I can't do anything except study and work,” Xie Yunxuan said, not forgetting to praise himself while admitting his shortcomings.

Chen Fang honestly said, “I can't either, but I can help.”

Pan Pengpeng rolled up his sleeves and proudly lifted his chin. “I'll have to rely on me. I used to cook a lot for my fellow disciples. Any flavor is not a problem.”

The other three immediately breathed a sigh of relief. There was an expert here!

[Huh? Are you guys serious? Even the romance reality show next door has better cooking skills than you.]

[Chen Fang can't cook, haha. Are the haters crazy?]

[His anti-fans, spurred on by Yao Ting, are almost forming a cult. They just want to find fault.]

[At first, I felt sorry for Yao Ting, but then she kept broadcasting her misery every day, which started to annoy me a bit. Do truly injured people constantly expose their wounds?]

[I came to watch Xiangxi Cottage. Can the production team block Chen Fang's personal history? Anyone who says one more word about Chen Fang's nonsense, I'll report them!]

In the live broadcast room, a small number of people were talking about Chen Fang's gossip and almost started arguing.

Meanwhile, in front of the camera, the four of them were fully focused on the task.

Zhao Jin felt it was inappropriate to put all the pressure on Pan Pengpeng, so she volunteered and raised her hand, saying, “I can barely make simple dishes by looking at the recipe.”

Pan Pengpeng confidently patted his chest. “Six dishes in two hours is absolutely no problem. If you can cook, try it. If it's really inconvenient, just help me. Let's discuss what to make first.”

Zhao Jin nodded. “No problem. We can't cook, but we can still eat.”

Chen Fang turned his head to look at the fire pit. “Xiangxi dishes are mostly sour and spicy, fragrant and fresh, and smoked. So we can make light, rich, and sweet and sour dishes.”

The other three nodded.

Combining the ingredients on the table with the differences in dish flavors and cooking methods, the four quickly decided on six dishes: Shredded Pork with Beijing Sauce, Braised Lion's Head, Sweet and Sour Pork Ribs, Steamed Perch, and Garlic Crayfish.

Without further ado, the four of them took the ingredients and walked into the modern kitchen.

The young girl Zhenzhen also came in to help. Zhenzhen was a person of few words but fierce action. She quickly sorted and arranged the ingredients, neatly peeled garlic and picked green onions, working quickly and diligently.

This made the director a bit regretful. He had originally only wanted to add a local child to enrich the dialogue, but he ended up finding them a great helper.