Bug Catching for a Slacker (Bonus Chapter)

Chapter Twenty-Four

Thanks to Tang Jingran's brilliant maneuvering, Li Wenchuan and Jiang Hansheng narrowly came out ahead, earning the second-best lodging.

It was a little better than the previous "run-down" place. The house was an old-style southern countryside home, built from wood and coated with waterproof paint, carrying a rich scent of pine.

The layout of old rural houses differed somewhat from modern homes. Through the front door was the main hall, where there was an altar for worshipping the God of Wealth or honoring one's ancestors. There were two bedrooms on either side of the hall. Beyond the threshold lay the kitchen and dining room, with the bathroom and toilet to the left and the grain storage room to the right.

There were three doors in total: a large front door in the main hall and two smaller doors leading out from either side of the kitchen, making ventilation very convenient.

There was also a small garden beside the house. The orange trees were thriving, the grapevines were heavy with fruit, and the peppers, eggplants, tomatoes, bok choy, and other vegetables nearby all looked wonderfully fresh.

"Can we use the things in the garden?" Li Wenchuan asked the production crew as he set down his belongings.

The show would definitely make them fend for themselves for three meals a day, so how to obtain food had become a new problem.

"You can, but don't damage the vegetable patch or fruit trees."

After receiving a positive answer, the two began dividing up the rooms. There happened to be exactly two bedrooms, and there was not much difference in their furnishings, avoiding a great deal of awkwardness.

If the difference had been too great, fighting Jiang Hansheng over it would definitely attract backlash. But if Li Wenchuan got the worse room, he would feel uncomfortable too. He was usually easygoing, yet whenever it came to Jiang Hansheng, he particularly wanted to compete.

Even he could not understand that mentality. It was entirely subconscious.

In truth, it was because someone had spoiled him in his previous life. Unfortunately, when the Great Qing still existed, there was no term like "elementary school brat."

The rooms had already been tidied up and were ready to move into without any cleaning needed. According to the production crew, the owners had gone to help their daughter and son-in-law care for their child in a coastal city and would not be back for quite some time.

When they heard the production crew wanted to rent the place, they looked over the price and contract, found them acceptable, and signed. The house would have sat empty anyway. Especially the garden—once they left, most of its produce would simply be fed to the birds. Letting people eat it made them feel better.

Li Wenchuan went to check on Jiang Hansheng. It had been quite a while, yet he still had not come out. Who knew what he was doing.

"Are you not done unpacking yet? We need to get dinner ready."

He pushed open the door and saw Jiang Hansheng sitting ramrod straight on the bed. The room was dimly lit, its warm glow outlining his refined features. He was so still that he looked like a statue.

"You..." Li Wenchuan opened his mouth.

A flash of inspiration struck him. In an instant, Li Wenchuan lowered his gaze, bent over, and began searching for something.

The room had fixed cameras installed. The staff watching the feed had seen Jiang Hansheng put down his luggage and sit on the bed, only to suddenly stop moving. While they were baffled, Li Wenchuan walked in.

Yet Jiang Hansheng still did not move. They only saw Li Wenchuan turn on his phone flashlight and start looking around for something.

"Found it." Li Wenchuan extended the hand holding a tissue, quickly reached over, and scooped something into it.

The instant he finished, Jiang Hansheng seemed to let out a sudden breath of relief. He leaned against the headboard and slowly adjusted his breathing. His face remained perfectly composed, but the hand clutching the bedsheet betrayed the panic within him.

Li Wenchuan folded up the tissue, went outside, and tossed it to a hen pecking around for food. Before the camera could see what it was, the hen stretched out its neck and swallowed it.

"It's gone. Just a stink bug." Li Wenchuan came back and swept the room with the light again. Once he confirmed there were no more, he found a chair and sat down. "Light a mosquito coil before we head out later. When we come back, we can air the room out."

He looked up at Jiang Hansheng, who had composed himself, but in the end, he did not say what he wanted to say.

You're scared of bugs.

Right?

In his memories, there was only one person who feared bugs. He was terrified of them, yet insisted on pretending to be calm.

Once, they had been ambushed while outside. That night, they hid in a dark, damp cave. They had finally managed to build a small fire to warm themselves, only for it to attract a swarm of insects drawn to the light.

That was the only time Jiang Chengyu had not gone stiff upon seeing bugs. Instead, he ruthlessly tore off his own sleeve, ripped it into strips, and skillfully yet anxiously bandaged Li Wenchuan's wound.

"Your Highness, bear with it. Our people will be here soon." He had fired the signal flare in advance.

An arrow had pierced Li Wenchuan's calf, blood staining the hem of his robes red. The bright scarlet was painfully conspicuous. The young man's face was deathly pale, and he did not even have the strength to raise a hand.

"Cheng Yu, there's a bug on your shoulder." He still could not resist making a joke.

But Jiang Chengyu did not stop. Biting his lip, he fiercely slapped the beetle away and continued bandaging him.

In truth, he did not dare look at what was on his shoulder.

He was scared. Scared of bugs to death.

But he was even more afraid that the person before him would die. If that happened, he might not want to live either.

"Jiang Hansheng, I'm not afraid of bugs," Li Wenchuan suddenly said.

Jiang Hansheng looked up in astonishment, but ultimately said nothing.

Neither of them had forgotten. But people like them could not rashly tear open the truth of something so absurd without absolute certainty.

And even if it was true, so what?

Jiang Hansheng lowered his eyes, his thick lashes concealing the turbulent emotions within them.

Irreversibly, even unforgivably, he had fallen in love with someone he should not have loved.

People called Prime Minister Jiang as bright and pure as the moon, but he felt unworthy of it. He was merely mourning someone from the past in another way. Others called Prime Minister Jiang a treacherous official meddling in state affairs, and he found it laughable. He was even more arrogant than any treacherous official.

"Let's go. It's time to eat." Jiang Hansheng stood, his face once more wearing an impeccable smile.

Li Wenchuan rose and walked alongside him, just as naturally putting on his public-facing mask as he began chattering about how they should find food.

Jiang Hansheng responded along with him, but inwardly, he was calculating.

If it was true, then this time was his chance. In his previous life, what had he not done? Now, without the restraints of ancestral rules and without those old men who threatened to smash their heads into pillars at every turn, he could slowly, bit by bit, enter... that person's life.

Closer than in his previous life, more intimate. He was no longer a minister of the Great Qing. He would forever be His Majesty's most loyal subject.

As for food, the other two groups of guests had also gotten busy.

The directing team had prepared ingredients for the guests. They wanted them to be self-sufficient, but since it was their first day and already quite late, there were not many restrictions.

Xiao Yi was a family man. Everyone knew he adored his wife and child, and his cooking was top-notch. After deciding what to make, he confidently entered the kitchen, only to be "chased" out by the lady of the house.

"You've all been exhausted today. Rest, I'll do it. Don't come into the kitchen, or I'll get angry." With that, she grabbed a spatula and got to work.

Tang Jingran was not so fortunate. Zhao Shiyao's furious roar could be heard from far away.

"Tang Jingran! Are you trying to burn the house down?"

Black smoke billowed from the chimney, while thick smoke also poured from the windows and doors. The production crew stood ready with firefighting equipment.

What if he really burned the house down?

What on earth was Tang Jingran doing?