As Chu Yi'an spoke, it was as though the undercurrents among them had never existed, and everyone was getting along harmoniously.
They quickly sorted and organized everything.
Gu Wancheng picked up the shepherd's purse, recalling that he seemed to have seen it before. Could this be another kind of wild vegetable?
Chu Yi'an looked up, saw the wild greens in his hand, and said, "That's shepherd's purse, a kind of wild vegetable. I think it tastes pretty good, but I don't know if you'll like it."
"Whether we like it doesn't matter. What matters is that it's edible."
Zhao Chengyu said this without even looking up after hearing Chu Yi'an.
[Brother Zhao's right, but shepherd's purse really is pretty tasty.]
[They're already 'stranded on a deserted island,' and they're still worrying about how things taste.]
[Really 'stranded on a deserted island,' huh? I'm dying.]
Gu Wancheng smiled at that. Looking at the shepherd's purse in his hand, then thinking of all he had passed over, his eyes filled with regret. He wished he could turn back time and make up for what he had missed.
"Brother Zhao's right. Now isn't the time to be picky."
Jian Yue snorted. "It's all because Chen Liqing refuses to act like a human being. He'll get what's coming to him sooner or later."
[Hear that? Brother Jian's calling you out. Yes, you, Director Chen.]
[Director Chen had better watch his back walking home at night. Brother Jian might assassinate him. Hiding my head and snickering.jpg]
Watching them go back and forth, Jiang Yu spoke up. "What are we going to cook dinner with?"
Zhao Chengyu pondered this. Right, their pots.
Xu Xiashi said, "I got back early and asked the production crew. If we want any tools, we have to trade the things we found for them."
With that, she spread her hands and added, "As for what we can trade, that's up to them."
Jian Yue's eyes widened as he exclaimed, "Shit! Why?"
Up to them, my ass. He'll get what's coming to him sooner or later.
A sudden chill ran down Chen Liqing's back, and he sneezed twice.
"Who's secretly cursing me behind my back? They'd better hope I don't find out."
He swept his gaze over the staff present. Seeing them all avoid his eyes, he rubbed his chin. Was he that scary?
Gu Wancheng said, "So what are we trading for pots?"
Zhao Chengyu: "..."
Everyone else: "..."
Shit. We can't bear to part with any of it.
The adults squatted on the ground, looking miserable. Their fans and the other viewers sympathized for three seconds before mercilessly laughing at them.
Gu Wancheng hesitated, then said, "Why don't we go ask?"
Chu Yi'an agreed, but then... "Who's going to ask?"
Gu Wancheng: "..."
Everyone turned to look at Zhao Chengyu in unison.
Zhao Chengyu: "..." His vision went dark, and he tried to change things.
"How about..."
"Brother Zhao~" Gu Wancheng drew those words out with so many lilting twists that Zhao Chengyu instantly broke out in goosebumps and hurriedly agreed.
Chen Liqing appeared at just the right moment, smiling. "What do you all need?"
The moment he finished speaking, everyone whipped their heads around and stared at him like ravenous wolves. Chen Liqing kept his face expressionless, but inside, he was panicking like crazy.
Zhao Chengyu gave him a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Director Chen, we'd like to trade for a few pots, bowls, and chopsticks. What will you take?"
Facing this wolfish, tigerish bunch, Chen Liqing felt as though they would pounce on him and bite him to death if he dared ask for too much.
Ha. I certainly dare. I'll just have to bring the assistant director next time. I can't be the only one suffering.
Assistant director: ...Bravo. What's this got to do with me? It was your idea, and you chose to play the villain yourself. You're being completely unreasonable~ ( TﾛT)σ
Chen Liqing smiled and said, "One coconut crab for two pots. Five cat's-eye snails, one pound of shepherd's purse, one octopus, and two pounds of kelp for a bowl and a pair of chopsticks per person. The children can each have an extra spoon."
"Oh, and I'll throw in a lighter for free."
"..."
A flock of crows flew through the air as everyone's eyes fell out at Chen Liqing's shameless declaration.
Jian Yue was so angry his eyebrows stood on end. "You really have the nerve to ask for the moon!"
Gu Wancheng chuckled, looking at him with a smile that wasn't quite a smile. Ever since Chen Liqing came over, he had kept glancing at the coconut crab. But one coconut crab for two pots? Ha.
Hearing Gu Wancheng's chuckle, Chen Liqing immediately wilted and rubbed his hands together like a fly. "Mr. Gu, these aren't ordinary pots."
Gu Wancheng said lightly, "What, are they made of gold?"
Chen Liqing waved his hands. "You must be joking, Mr. Gu. How could you cook with a pot made of gold?"
"These pots will be with you for half a month! That gives them special significance."
Gu Wancheng folded his arms, his eyes plainly saying, That's it?
Seeing this, Xu Xiashi cut in, pretending to wipe away tears. "Director Chen, look how hard we worked to find all this. If you take so much away at once, what will the children do?"
At some point, the little ones playing off to the side had run over, gazing at Chen Liqing with their big, innocent eyes.
Chen Liqing checked his conscience. No pain. Good.
Gu Wancheng glanced at Chaochao and said pitifully, "What are we going to do, Chaochao? The things we just found are going to be taken away."
Seeing his fragile daddy looking so "sad," and Chen Liqing wearing a sleazy smile, Chaochao frowned. He pattered over to stand in front of his daddy, planted his hands on his hips, and glared at Chen Liqing.
Chen Liqing: A sleazy smile? Me?
"Apologize to my daddy right now! Don't bully my daddy just because he looks easy to bully. I'm going to tell my father."
Hmph. Only I can bully my daddy. Nobody else should even think about it.
[Hahahaha, Chengcheng's being a green tea today.]
[Chaochao, hurry up and tell your father. No ulterior motives here, I just can't stand seeing your daddy bullied.]
[You all have this nicely planned out. But... I support Chaochao tattling with both hands and feet.]
[Count me in.]
[Me too.]
Gu Wancheng clutched his chest like a delicate beauty, looking thoroughly pleased with himself as he raised an eyebrow at Chen Liqing.
Chen Liqing: "..." What a little tyrant.
He looked at the others, who pretended not to notice his plea for help. His gaze landed on Jiang Yu, then skipped right past him a second later.
Jiang Yu: "..."
Seeing all the limelight being stolen, Jiang Yu could no longer hold back. As though offering kindly advice, he said, "Wancheng, we're filming a show. Isn't it inappropriate for you to do this?" He was insinuating that Gu Wancheng was using his power and influence to pressure people.
[Rich people just love getting special treatment.]
[Poor Director Chen's going to have someone making life difficult for him.]
[What's wrong with special treatment? Are you jealous?]
[Me, jealous? What a joke. If you're on a show, just do the show properly. Why demand special treatment? For all we know, his husband's some decrepit old man.]
[Just a passerby, but Gu Wancheng pulling strings is unfair to the other guests.]
[Take off your fan badge before pretending to be a passerby. They're all sharing this food. If you've got the guts, tell your fave not to eat any.]
[Why shouldn't he? Xiao Yu found it himself. Why shouldn't he eat?]
[Not pretending anymore, huh? Tell me, did he find it? Xiaoxiao was clearly the one who found it. What was he doing? Calling it showing his fans the scenery when he just wanted to freeload.]
[Even Xiaoxiao knew to go look for food. A grown man, and he's worse than a little kid.]
[You... you.]
[You what? Get lost if you've got nothing to do.]
You're amazing, sis. Keep talking if you're this good at it. Most of the viewers hit like.
Chaochao was still glaring up at Chen Liqing. Gu Wancheng tugged at the hem of his clothes, only to be pushed away.
"Don't be scared, Daddy. I'll protect you."