Seeing the guests being stopped from going up the mountain, the two mothers said to Jiang Mingxi and the others, "Let us pay for this."
They meant it sincerely.
After all, 9.9 yuan really was cheap for having someone accompany them on an outing.
And Jiang Mingxi and the others had been very attentive.
But Jiang Mingxi, Zhao Jiayuan, and Chen Chong said almost in unison, "No, no, we can't do that."
"We promised 9.9 yuan with no extra charges. We can't ruin our reputation," Jiang Mingxi added, then turned to ask the staff member, "Do we have to pay every time we go up?"
The staff member immediately replied, "You only need to pay once a day. After that, you can come and go as you please, but if you come up again tomorrow, you'll need to pay again."
The three briefly discussed it.
They could have had Dabao lead them in through another entrance.
But that would affect the four visitors' experience.
Gritting their teeth, the three paid thirty yuan.
They made it onto the mountain, and with Dabao leading the way, they chatted and laughed as they headed straight for their first destination.
A stream where they could catch fish.
[It's so beautiful here! I live in the nearby town, and I never knew the mountains in Bridgehead Village were this pretty!]
[Our town talked about developing tourism before, and I rolled my eyes and thought they were nuts. Now-get on with it! Don't waste such great resources!]
[Wow! There's a stream up ahead!]
"There's a stream here. The water isn't deep, and you can catch fish. Want to try?" Jiang Mingxi asked the two girls.
Both girls had been incredibly excited all the way up the mountain.
They had chattered the whole way.
Now that they were standing by the stream, the livelier girl had already rolled up her trouser legs. "Yes, yes, yes! I want to catch fish!"
The other girl was a little shyer. She nodded. "Mm-hmm."
Zhao Jiayuan raised a hand in a finger-gun gesture. "Companion squad, first stop: fishing! Pew, pew, pew~ Let the fun officially begin!"
Chen Chong glanced at him, turned his head, and chuckled. Dumbass!
Since catching fish had been mentioned on the way, both mother-daughter pairs had bought small buckets and fishing nets at a convenience store before coming over from town.
"Ms. Xu, I'll treat you to a feast tonight!" The livelier girl had already grabbed her bucket and net and gotten to work.
Her mother stood beside her, smiling. "All right, all right. I'm counting on you today, Your Highness."
[Oh my gosh, those two have such a good relationship!]
[This is making me want to cry a little. If only my daughter were this close to me.]
[I kind of want to cry too. If only my mom would smile and talk to me like that. But she always has a stern face and tells me I'm doing this wrong or that wrong. In her eyes, I never do anything right.]
[Hugs, hugs. Hugs for the moms and hugs for the daughters too. Let's enjoy the show and treat it as a virtual vacation.]
[There really are fish!]
The more reserved girl probably didn't act spoiled around her mother much at home either.
Holding her little bucket and net, she stood by the stream without a word, concentrating on catching fish.
Her mother, however, fell silent for a moment, then suddenly said to her, "You can do it, Your Highness."
Her tone was a little awkward.
The girl probably hadn't expected her mother to suddenly say that.
She froze for a moment.
Somewhat stunned, she turned to look at her mother.
[Oh my god, does anyone understand how hard that look between mother and daughter hit? Fuck, I'm crying! This is ridiculous! I actually cried watching this.]
"What a big fish! Qiaoqiao, quick! It's over by you! Catch it, catch it!"
The livelier girl suddenly shouted.
The shy girl, whose name was Qiaoqiao, turned and dipped her net into the water.
But she was a moment too late, and the fish escaped.
Instead, she got splashed in the face.
The water wasn't cold. It felt nice.
The instant the water splashed onto her face, it was as though her taut nerves suddenly relaxed.
"Here, here! There are loads of fish here! Come on!" Jiang Mingxi called to the two girls from a bend in the stream.
The livelier girl grabbed her bucket and charged ahead.
After a couple of steps, she suddenly turned back and took her friend's hand. "Come on, Qiaoqiao!"
"Get ready to catch them! I'll herd the fish toward you!" Standing on the rocks in the stream, Zhao Jiayuan waved his arms like a silly monkey, trying to scare the fish.
[Hahahahaha, even the landlord's idiot son isn't as dumb as you!]
[Zhao Jiayuan, do you still remember you're a celebrity? Could you care just a little about your image?]
[Even ordinary people wouldn't let loose this much on camera. This proves he's just plain dumb.]
The girl tried several times without catching a single fish.
Perhaps because they had gotten more familiar, and because she was lively by nature, she turned and called to Jiang Mingxi, "Jiang Mingxi, help me catch one!"
Jiang Mingxi smiled as he took the little net from her. "Call me big brother. What's this 'Jiang Mingxi'? Mind your manners."
The girl's eyes immediately curved with her smile. "I'm afraid your fans will yell at me if I call you big brother."
Zhao Jiayuan was utterly dumbfounded. "He actually has fans? Has that 9.9 yuan gone to your head? I'm the one with fans."
[Hahahahaha, Zhao Jiayuan, that's enough!]
[They have such a great vibe. I really want to be there!]
[I'm becoming Jiang Mingxi's fan today. I'm his fan-a face fan!]
[Not just a face fan. His singing is so, so good!]
Jiang Mingxi couldn't see a single one of the comments praising him.
But when he dipped the net into the stream, he caught a fish.
The girl immediately cried out in excitement, "You caught one! You caught one! You're amazing! How did you do it?"
Before Jiang Mingxi could answer,
Zhao Jiayuan rushed over. "Let me try, let me try! I'm even better."
Jiang Mingxi put the fish into the little bucket. Zhao Jiayuan took the net, aimed at a fish in the stream, and plunged it straight down.
Perhaps he lunged too hard.
Whether he would catch a fish was anyone's guess, but this landlord's idiot son pitched face-first toward the rocks in the stream.
Startled, Jiang Mingxi hurried to grab him.
The instant Jiang Mingxi's hand caught that bit of fabric on the back of Zhao Jiayuan's T-shirt,
Chen Chong, who had just been standing by the stream, rushed over in the blink of an eye and caught Zhao Jiayuan around the waist.
[???]
[!!!]
[Ooh (whistles)~~~~~]
[What did I just see? Aren't these two sworn enemies?]
[Chen Chong moved so fast! He was just by that tree beside the stream. The instant Zhao Jiayuan lost his footing, he anticipated the fall and rushed over!]
[Can I just quietly ask if we're allowed to ship this?]
[Sworn enemies in public, but in private...]
A perfectly good Survival Challenge was turning into a dating show in the comments.
With an arm around Zhao Jiayuan's waist, Chen Chong hauled him upright.
Zhao Jiayuan couldn't steady himself, and his entire back pressed firmly against Chen Chong's chest.
He jumped up and yelled, "What are you doing!"
Chen Chong was thoroughly exasperated. "Saving your damn life!"
Zhao Jiayuan was furious. "No need! I like sticking my face in the water! I like it!"
He said he liked it, so he liked it.
He turned around.
Sticking his butt out, he bent over and plunged his face straight into the stream.