Couch Potato Enters the Village (Bonus Chapter)

Chapter 20

"Don't tell me you're planning to ride there?" the director asked in surprise.

"Why wouldn't we?" everyone asked instinctively.

"You're not here on vacation. You need to learn to live independently." The director looked as though it was only natural.

No one had expected the show to begin so abruptly.

With Zhao Shiyao's temper, she had never encountered anything this outrageous since her debut. Of course, she had forgotten that when filming Silk Road, she had still been an ambitious young actress who could endure hardship and work hard.

Perhaps all these carefree days had corrupted her into what she was now.

She flung her suitcase onto the ground and snapped, "Walk there? Are you kidding me?!"

Her voice was somewhat shrill. "I'm wearing heels! There isn't even another living soul in this place, and you expect me to walk there?!" As she spoke, she turned to leave.

Xiao Yi hurriedly grabbed her. "Hey, hey, don't panic. Let's think of something."

Li Wenchuan looked at the director. "You mean we can't ride in your vehicles, right?"

The director nodded.

"But we can ride in a vehicle that isn't yours?" Li Wenchuan pressed.

The director froze for a moment, then thought it over and decided there was no problem. He immediately nodded. "That's right."

"Oh—" Li Wenchuan drew out the word and headed in the direction Zhao Shiyao had been leaving. Just as everyone thought he was quitting too, he waved toward the front. "Sir, could we borrow your cart?"

Everyone: Li Wenchuan had always been one to stir up trouble. He used to throw tantrums all the time, so just watch...

Everyone: ...??!

In the cloud of dust not far away, an old man sat on an ox cart, slowly making his way forward. He had probably never seen so many people, not to mention all those miscellaneous machines. Frowning, he ordered his ox to stop, and the two groups immediately found themselves facing off.

Li Wenchuan jogged over with a friendly smile. "Sir, we're here to film a show, but those people over there are making things difficult for us. They won't let us use their vehicles."

He pointed directly at the bewildered production crew, unhesitatingly pinning the blame on them. "We want to get to the village, but we have luggage with us. Could you give us a lift?"

Li Wenchuan even said he could pay. But the moment he took out his wallet, the quick-eyed director snatched it away. "You can't use money. We'll hold onto it for you."

Li Wenchuan immediately looked aggrieved, like a little cabbage yellowing in a field. He hesitated as he glanced at the old man, seeming to feel that it would be too much trouble for him. Then he smiled awkwardly. "Well... it's already getting late, and you're in a hurry to get home. We shouldn't trouble you after all." He stepped aside to clear the way.

The old man tightened his grip on the bamboo switch. Looking at the fair, clean-cut young man before him, he could not help but feel a surge of sympathy. He did not understand anything about filming shows. He only knew these young people wanted to go to the village, but that group carrying equipment refused to help them.

He turned his head and shot the director a fierce glare, as if they were terrible villains. "It's fine. Ignore them. I'm heading home anyway. If you don't mind, climb on. I'll take you to the village."

The old man glanced back at the ox cart. It was piled with weeds and perhaps even some cow dung, which made him feel a little embarrassed. These people clearly looked delicate and pampered. What if they found it disgusting? After thinking about it for a while, he somehow became even more awkward.

Unexpectedly, the young man in front of him showed no sign of disgust. He lifted his luggage onto the cart and climbed aboard himself.

Li Wenchuan called out, "Who wants to come with me?"

Everyone exchanged looks, gripping their suitcase handles as they prepared to step forward. But when they saw the large green-headed flies circling the cart, they all stopped in their tracks.

That stuff looked nauseating at first glance. It could make them throw up last night's dinner.

Only Jiang Hansheng calmly carried his luggage over, then sat on the ox cart without the slightest hesitation.

The old man was no longer embarrassed. Although a few of them had not come over, some people simply liked being clean. You could not force them.

To everyone's surprise, Su Mingwei also dragged her suitcase over in small steps.

She was not very strong, so Jiang Hansheng gave her a hand.

She nearly slipped while climbing up. The girl's tightly furrowed brows made it clear that she actually disliked the ox cart, but she did not show it outwardly.

Li Wenchuan pulled her up and said, "Careful." Then he handed her a small pack of tissues.

Su Mingwei accepted them and sweetly thanked him.

Li Wenchuan teased, "You're pretty quiet. You were so formidable in the movie."

The Su Mingwei on-screen and off-screen were obviously not the same person. The girl spread the tissues beneath where she was sitting, then tilted her head. "You're different too."

Different from how he was in the news.

They did not mind getting on, but others minded very much, especially Zhao Shiyao.

She was so angry she almost laughed. "How could I possibly do this?"

Tang Jingran also looked as though he wanted to say something but held back. He still had an idol image to maintain. How could a handsome young man in the prime of his youth ride an ox cart?

After hesitating, he told the three people on the cart, "I'll think of something else..."

Xiao Yi could not just leave with them. There were still two kids here, and Zhao Shiyao was the ringleader among them. He could not abandon the two of them here. He nodded at the three people. "You go on ahead. We'll catch up later."

Li Wenchuan did not insist. He greeted the old man and said they could leave.

The group rode the swaying ox cart at a leisurely pace, and before long, they had left the others behind.

The old man loved to chat. "What are you doing here? Why come all the way out to this run-down place?"

They were all dressed so finely. Their families must be wealthy.

"We're just here to experience life. We'll probably be staying in the village for a while, so sorry for troubling you," Li Wenchuan replied.

"What trouble? More people means more liveliness. Most of the young people in this village have left over the past few years. It's basically just old folks who are still here," the old man sighed as he urged the yellow ox to walk faster. "Having some young people around will liven things up."

The sun was setting in the west. The hottest part of the afternoon had passed, and it was nearly time for dinner.

The nice thing about the countryside was how pleasant the temperature felt. Perhaps because it was surrounded by mountains and water, even the breeze carried a faint coolness. A slender crescent moon hung over the distant mountains, resting among slightly purple clouds.

Su Mingwei widened her eyes. "It's my first time seeing the moon while it's still daytime."

"That's common in the countryside," the old man said with a smile.

It was true. The sky here seemed higher, farther, and clearer than in the city. At night, they might even be able to see a sky full of stars.

By the time they reached the village, the sky had already darkened. The old man wanted to invite them to his home, but Li Wenchuan said the person who had snatched his wallet earlier still had arrangements for them. Once everything was settled, they would go find the old man.

The old man smacked his lips, readily agreed, and drove the yellow ox toward his own home.

Natural gas had become widespread now, but some old houses in the countryside still had traditional chimneys, with cooking smoke beginning to rise from them.

The three of their stomachs grumbled uncooperatively. They had traveled between two places all day and barely eaten anything, so naturally they were hungry.

But the others had not arrived yet, which made things especially miserable.

They squatted beneath a large tree at the village entrance, when they heard a distant puttering sound drawing closer.