Smile

Spring plowing was busy in March, and Zhao Danshi and Li Ping were busy breeding seeds and tending the fields.

Digging a pond required layers upon layers of approval. Zhao Danshi could not get permission anytime soon, so he temporarily set the matter aside.

They currently had only thirteen mu and eight fen of land planted. Zhao Danshi's plan to plant fifteen mu had fallen through because he had not managed to rent any fields he liked. He was not obsessed with planting exactly fifteen mu anyway; thirteen mu and eight fen was plenty for the two of them, so he simply stopped asking around.

Zhao Danshi and Li Ping were not particularly skilled at farming. For these ten-odd mu of land, they hired people to help almost every day, paying eighty yuan a day. In the countryside, if you hired people to help plant vegetables, you had to provide lunch—usually one meat dish and two vegetable dishes, or, if you were generous, two meat dishes and two vegetable dishes.

Some villagers had originally been unconvinced when they heard that Zhao Danshi's vegetables were delicious. They were all the same vegetables, after all—how much better could his possibly taste? But once they ate at his house, the difference became immediately obvious.

"Danshi, why are your radishes so delicious? They're crisp and sweet!" As she spoke, the auntie could not help picking up another piece. "Your radishes are really delicious, so juicy. The ones my family grows have long since gone hollow."

Zhao Danshi smiled. "We planted ours late, so they haven't flowered yet."

Yazi Mei also sighed. "It's not just because they were planted late. Your radishes are sweeter and softer than anyone else's, with such a strong radish flavor."

For lunch that day, Zhao Danshi's family had radish-stewed pork trotters, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, stir-fried choy sum, and pickled vegetables. Every dish went wonderfully with rice. The radishes in particular were sweet and soft, soaked through with meat juices yet more refreshing than the meat itself, without the slightest greasiness. One bite, and there was barely any need to chew; with a light press of the tongue, the radish, meat, and broth all slid down together.

Listening to their praise, Zhao Danshi did not say anything more. His radishes really were delicious. They had been grown with spiritual fertilizer purchased from Watcher using Bio-Energy, so there was no way for anyone else to learn the trick.

Because his food was good, whenever others finished their own work in the fields, they were happy to come lend a hand, earn a little money, and enjoy a different meal.

Nearly a month had passed since they returned. After Zhao Danshi and Li Ping worked themselves to the bone and hired quite a few helpers, they finally finished planting all ten-odd mu of land.

On the day they finally finished, Zhao Danshi wiped away his sweat and smiled at Li Ping. "Well, Senior Brother? Farm work is hard, isn't it?"

Li Ping met his clear, bright eyes and nodded. "It's alright."

After a month of intense labor, Li Ping's abs remained perfectly defined. He looked tall, straight, and fresh, practically becoming a sight to behold in the countryside.

Zhao Danshi smiled. "For the next little while, we can think about doing something else."

The moment Li Ping saw his expression, he knew Zhao Danshi had something to say. "What do you want to do?"

Zhao Danshi rubbed his nose and discussed it with him in a gentle tone. "Senior Brother, didn't I have that plan to become an internet influencer? Now that we're a little freer, I want to hire a photographer to shoot videos."

Hiring a photographer was not too expensive. Zhao Danshi could grit his teeth and afford to pay per shoot. However, if the photographer came, they would definitely have to arrange food and lodging. With an outsider staying in their home, Zhao Danshi had to discuss it with Li Ping first.

Li Ping pondered. "Do you have high standards for the filming?"

Thinking Li Ping had someone in mind, Zhao Danshi hurriedly shook his head. "Not high. As long as they can film and edit, preferably with their own equipment. If that really doesn't work, I can edit it myself. The photographer only needs to help shoot the footage properly. Senior Brother, do you have someone in mind?"

"I do." Li Ping glanced at him, then pointed inward with his long, clean fingers, a faint smile appearing on his lips. "This humble fellow could give it a try."

Zhao Danshi slapped his forehead and looked at him with wide eyes. "I remembered—you joined a photography association. Do you still have your equipment?"

"Some of it can still be used. Some things need to be bought separately." Li Ping asked, "When do you want to shoot?"

"This week? It's not too urgent, really. A few days earlier or later doesn't matter." Zhao Danshi thought for a moment. "For the first video, I want to make spring rolls. The wild vegetables on the mountain have sprouted, there are some mushrooms too, and spring bamboo shoots have been ready to dig for a while. I'll buy some meat, and we can make spring rolls."

Li Ping had no objections. "Sounds good."

Li Ping had never filmed this kind of video before, but he had watched others do it, so he was not completely inexperienced.

This sort of video did not demand much from a photographer. As long as the footage was clear, some editing in post-production and suitable music would make it quite watchable.

Li Ping had considerable confidence in Zhao Danshi's looks. In this age of looks, that face alone could win him plenty of fans.

For the video shoot, Li Ping ordered some equipment online. The camera arrived first, and whenever he had free time, Li Ping casually filmed a few shots to get a feel for it.

The small leafy greens they had planted just after returning had grown tender shoots over a foot tall in half a month. Zhao Danshi had been careful about pest control, so the greens that grew had basically no bug holes. Two neat rows of them stood tender and green, swaying gently in the spring breeze.

Li Ping found the vegetables so pleasing that he often used them as footage.

Zhao Danshi deliberately picked a bundle to stir-fry at home, using only lard and a little salt. The moment they were cooked over high heat, he served them.

The vegetables tasted unbelievably good. Zhao Danshi had not eaten such delicious leafy greens in years. They were sweet, tender, refreshing, and free of any fibrous residue. Without exaggeration, he could taste spring itself in this batch of greens.

The old man also sighed. "These greens have grown wonderfully, even better than the ones we planted in the latter half of last year. They have a strong vegetable flavor and none of that strange aftertaste."

"Have some more." Zhao Danshi placed a chopstickful of vegetables in the old man's bowl. Thinking of Li Ping's hard work and great contribution, he gave him a chopstickful as well, prompting Li Ping to flash him a brilliant smile.

"Tender greens only stay tender for a few days. Once they get old, they won't be this sweet and crisp, and the price will definitely be lower. Yun Yun, if you plan to sell them, sell them quickly."

Reminded by the old man, Zhao Danshi promptly pulled up some vegetables and sent them to Ran Yuanyao via SF Express. He had specifically included a portion for Shao Jitong as well. If nothing else, before Dou Dou was born, Shao Jitong had helped them with plenty of examinations.

There were not many vegetables left. Zhao Danshi had not decided where to sell them when the villagers heard the news and immediately came rushing over. A jin here, a jin there—they bought nearly all of them without even bargaining. People from other villages came to buy them too. Before Zhao Danshi's vegetables could even be sent to town, they had been snapped up clean.

Zhao Danshi did not know whether to laugh or cry. Once he counted it up, his greens had sold for six yuan per jin, earning a little over two thousand yuan in total—just enough to add to Li Ping's photography equipment budget.

Most of the equipment had arrived, and they could begin filming. Li Ping and Zhao Danshi briefly drafted a shooting plan and decided to start right away.

Early that morning, Zhao Danshi woke up. He got up, washed his face, brushed his teeth, and deliberately changed into a different outfit.

The temperature had risen, but the mornings and evenings were still a little cold. He wore a cashmere sweater, jeans, and a coat over them, making him look tall and long-legged, as though he were filming an idol drama rather than heading up a mountain to pick wild vegetables.

It was still early, and the sky outside had not yet brightened. He turned on the lights and began making breakfast with boiling water.

Li Ping also got up and followed him around filming. They might not end up using this footage, but they needed to gather more material. If they lacked content during editing, they could insert these clips.

Li Ping had read plenty of material and had some understanding of modern media. While filming, he deliberately avoided shooting Zhao Danshi's face directly, aiming only for atmosphere.

Even though Zhao Danshi had decided to pursue self-media, Li Ping was still reluctant to share his handsome features with the general public.

A little after six in the morning, Zhao Danshi finished breakfast and called the old man out to eat.

To protect Dou Dou, Dou Dou would not appear on camera. The basket was brought out and placed beside them, while only Zhao Danshi and the old man ate breakfast.

Under the lights, the footage of him and the old man having breakfast looked especially warm.

Zhao Danshi had been busy all morning. After breakfast, Li Ping packed up the camera equipment, and Zhao Danshi hurriedly took breakfast out of the pot. "Senior Brother, hurry and eat. You must be hungry, right?"

Li Ping carefully put away the equipment. "I'm alright. How did it feel?"

Zhao Danshi had appeared quite composed in the video.

But Zhao Danshi shook his head. He wanted to see the footage they had shot. "I feel like my movements were really stiff. Senior Brother, what do you think?"

"It wasn't very obvious that your movements were stiff, but you did seem a little nervous."

Zhao Danshi took a deep breath. "I'll try to calm down. If it still doesn't work, should we shoot it again tomorrow?"

Li Ping agreed with a smile, and only then did Zhao Danshi go check on Dou Dou.

It was still early, and Dou Dou had not woken up yet. His little chest rose and fell as he slept soundly.

Zhao Danshi touched his cheek, warmed his hands, then reached into the sleeping bag to feel his body, checking whether he was too warm and whether he had wet himself. Once he felt that everything was fine, he lowered his head and kissed Dou Dou.

The scene was simply too heartwarming. Even though they had agreed Dou Dou would not appear on camera, Li Ping could not help taking a picture, capturing that wonderful moment.

After breakfast, Zhao Danshi put on his back basket and prepared to head up the mountain. Li Ping picked up the equipment and followed behind him, filming.

Zhao Danshi gritted his teeth. Under the camera, he felt as if he had forgotten how to walk. Fortunately, before long, he forgot there was a camera behind him, and his movements finally became more natural.

Since it was their first time filming a video, Zhao Danshi had specifically gone up the mountain in advance to scout the locations and ensure success.

He knew exactly which corners of the mountain had wild vegetables, where the spring bamboo shoots were, and where mushrooms had already sprouted. Once he went up the mountain, he did not need to wander around; he only needed to head straight for his destinations.

Quite a few villagers were already working in the fields. Seeing Zhao Danshi and Li Ping dressed like that, everyone greeted them and asked where they were going.

Zhao Danshi answered honestly. Seeing Li Ping carrying a camera and filming behind him, everyone found it quite novel.

"Danshi, are you going to act in a show?"

Zhao Danshi hurriedly waved his hands. "No, no. We're just filming a video to post online, to promote my family's vegetables so they won't fail to sell."

"Your vegetables are so delicious. How could they possibly fail to sell? Don't worry, once your vegetables grow, I can't speak for anyone else, but I'll definitely come buy some from your house to try."

Zhao Danshi smiled. "Then thank you in advance. Once our vegetables are grown, I'll bring you some to taste first."

"Oh, that would be great. Remember, now."

Their casual chat could not be included in the video for the time being, so Li Ping simply turned off the camera and listened to them talk.

After chatting for a while, Zhao Danshi looked at the sky. The sun had already risen, so he hurriedly said, "Uncle Hu, it's getting late. I need to hurry up the mountain. We can chat again later."

The man did not stop him and waved. "Go on, then. Don't delay your proper business. Let us know when your video is done—we'd like to watch it too."

"Alright!" Zhao Danshi agreed readily. "If you want to watch it, I'll tell you where I posted it."

The sun had only just risen, and the mountain was shrouded in mist, making the video footage exceptionally beautiful.

Zhao Danshi's agile figure moved through the mountain paths like a nimble little deer.

He knew exactly where the vegetables were and headed straight for them. Before long, the bottom of his back basket was already piled full.

Behind the camera, Li Ping chased Zhao Danshi's figure with deep amusement and tenderness in his eyes.