CH 38

Bonus 4/6

However, Xun Qian didn’t respond.

It wasn’t until Qi Xiaoyu hugged the little black dog and was about to leave for his own room did Xun Qian say, “Celebrate the New Year however you want to.”

“Uh…yes.”

Butler Cheng lowered his eyes and was speechless for a moment. He could only follow Qi Xiaoyu, quietly close the door, and retreat.

After everyone left, the room became quiet again.

The night was silent, and the singing was gradually fading away. Xun Qian pushed the wheelchair to the front of the gramophone.

There is still a faint residual warmth on the record, like a warm smell that has not dissipated in the room.

His long, slender fingers gently traced the rough grain of the record before winding it up and releasing the brake button.

The song is like a gentle night, flowing slowly once again.

Xun Qian closed his eyes again, but he couldn’t return to the tranquil state of mind just now.

The happy memories gradually faded away, and the scarlet background color came up.

In the middle of the blood, Qi Xiaoyu’s figure emerged.

He frowned, but still closed his eyes patiently and waited quietly.

Wait until the song is finished.

Xun Qian opened his eyes again. Under the long eyelashes, his eyes were as cold and sober as a blade unsheathed.

****

Qi Xiaoyu got up early the next morning, packed his bags, and went out.

The little black dog refused to let him go.

It followed him like a little stalker. When he went to wash up, the little black dog crouched in the bathroom doorway.

When he ate breakfast, the little black dog was squatting under the dining table.

When it saw Qi Xiaoyu standing up, it also stood up and tried its best to pull Qi Xiaoyu’s body with the front paws, asking for a hug.

It was as if it could sense that Qi Xiaoyu was going on a long trip.

Fortunately, the butler showed up on time and used a few ham sausages to trick the little black dog into the kitchen.

After Butler Cheng tricked the little black dog away, he first said, “Look, Xiaohei (little black) can’t bear to leave you. Come back soon after the show is finished.”

After saying that, he added depressingly, “Third Master is still sleeping. I guess it was too cold yesterday, and he went to bed late, so he hasn’t gotten up yet. Don’t take it to heart.”

“It’s fine. I’m leaving so early today. If I woke up the third master, I would feel bad.”

“Hey, look how well-behaved this child is!” Butler Cheng sighed.

Then he sent Qi Xiaoyu to the parking lot and watched him get into the Lexus and drive out of the garage to the door of the Xun family villa.

****

Qi Xiaoyu arrived at the airport at 8:30. Li Kun was waiting for him at the check-in area.

Qi Xiaoyu wore a hat and a mask when going out this time, but as he walked through the airport, passersby still kept looking back.

After meeting Li Kun, he went through the security check, went to the waiting room, and met with the program team and other guests.

In addition to Qi Xiaoyu, there are five guests in this recording of the program.

Qi Xiaoyu didn’t recognize three out of the five prior to this. One was the 50-year-old actor Zheng Peizu, the other was the 37-year-old female artist Gu Meiling, and there was also the 19-year-old female star Lu Tongtong.

Of the two remaining people, one was Xue Qingchu, and the other, somewhat surprisingly, turned out to be the curly-haired Jiang Sicheng.

Yu Xiaosheng had briefly mentioned the members who recorded the program together to him before, but there was no Jiang Sicheng.

When Qi Xiaoyu arrived, there were already three people in the waiting room. Jiang Sicheng was sitting on the sofa next to Xue Qingchu.

When Qi Xiaoyu came in, he seemed to be nailed to the sofa, motionless, but his eyes clearly read, “Surprised? Surprised?”

Qi Xiaoyu didn’t want to respond to him that much.

The other two ladies gave Qi Xiaoyu a very warm welcome.

Needless to say, Xue Jingchu even gave Qi Xiaoyu a hug in front of Jiang Sicheng, which made Jiang Sicheng’s face deform with jealousy.

Another person who actively welcomed Qi Xiaoyu was Lu Tongtong.

Lu Tongtong exchanged a hug with Qi Xiaoyu like Xue Qingchu did, then said with a smile, “Hello, my name is Lu Tongtong. My aunt said that your acting skills are very good, and she wants me to learn more from you.”

When Qi Xiaoyu heard what she said, he couldn’t help but take a closer look at Lu Tongtong’s appearance.

Lu Tongtong also has willow-leaf eyebrows and a little tear mole under her eyes. These characteristics are very similar to those of Xu Yan, but her complexion is a bit more tan. With such distinctive facial features, she didn’t have that classical Chinese beauty, much less so than Xu Yan.

Qi Xiaoyu smiled and said, “I have to thank Sister for the appreciation.”

Lu Tongtong raised her eyebrow and asked immediately, “Is it because my aunt and I look alike, so you can tell at a glance?”

Qi Xiaoyu blinked and replied wittily, “It’s the way you deal with people—very bold and grand.”

When Lu Tongtong heard this, she immediately burst into laughter.

She actually hated people who said that she looked similar to her aunt. She always heard such comments when she was a child, but the next sentence was always a pity that she was not as beautiful as her aunt.

Although she has a good relationship with her aunt Xu Yan, she always feels uncomfortable hearing such words too often.

That’s why she was so happy when she heard Qi Xiaoyu’s words, “No wonder my aunt likes you. I also like you very much.”

As soon as the two finished chatting, Zheng Peizu, a regular guest from the first season, and Gu Meiling, who was carrying two large suitcases, appeared one after the other.

After everyone introduced themselves and gathered together, they boarded the flight to New Zealand soon.

This show is called “Eating Light on the Road,” and it is currently recording its second season.

The recording location of the first season was in Europe, but the purpose of the program crew’s arrangement this time was to reach a new country on the other side of the ocean.

The flight time is nearly 12 hours.

The program team is only responsible for transporting them to the new country.

Upon arrival, there was only 200 yuan128USD per person for the original cost.

They need to make money by running a restaurant and completing travel tasks.

This is a slow variety show that focuses on travel and food. The biggest attraction is that the stars run restaurants and cook food like any normal folks, as well as travel interspersed in it.

Although the ratings of the first season were average, the reputation was very good, so Longjiang TV launched the second season.

*****

The consumption level in New Zealand is not low. A bottle of mineral water costs 5 yuan20.7USD. The starting price of a taxi is around 30 yuan34.21USD, plus extra labor service fees.

It will cost nearly 600 yuan484.21USD in taxi fare from the airport to the restaurant they will operate.

However, each of them was carrying so much luggage, and there was no direct public transportation, so there was no other way except taking a taxi.

Lu Tongtong pitifully asked the director’s team, “Can I rent your car to go to the restaurant?”

The director’s team said with an iron face, “The rent fee is 1,000 yuan.”

When Jiang Sicheng heard this, his face collapsed. “I heard that you guys weren’t like this last season.”

“So the rules have been changed this season. Travel costs have also increased, haven’t you noticed? This season, you have to earn 5,000 yuan a day to complete all travel projects.”

Everyone chose silence.

Of course, the calmest among them is Qi Xiaoyu. After all, when it comes to enduring hardships and living a hard life, no one here can compare to him.

As long as he can buy basic ingredients, he will not starve to death here and can still make money.

By the time they took a taxi and arrived at their destination, the six of them only had 600 yuan left.

Young Master Jiang looked at the remaining money on his body and silently tightened his small wallet. Unfortunately, this small move didn’t escape the eyes of the director team, who directly ordered each member to hand over all their property.

Jiang Sicheng protested loudly, “So what are we eating tonight?”

The director team was very calm and asked innocently, “Aren’t there still 600 left?”

Young Master Jiang looked up to the sky and sighed, “600 is not enough to eat a lobster.”

Just as he finished, Lu Tong Tong slapped him from behind. “Why are you so troublesome? You’re more pretentious than a girl. Look at Xiaoyu; how about learning from him? He didn’t say a word the whole time.”

****

The restaurant is in a small forest, consisting of a few cabins, with a mountain behind and a river in front, making it very scenic, wild, and remote.

After entering the store, according to seniority, everyone elected Zheng Peizu as the store manager.

Of the rest, Gu Meiling very much volunteered to be a waitress and bravely admitted, “I can’t cook. The eggs will be burned, and the rice will be undercooked. But I have no problem being a waitress.”

Lu Tongtong also refused to cook. “I’m afraid that once I’m in the kitchen, we’ll lose money. Otherwise, you should leave the grocery shopping and reception work to me. I can help Sister Meiling.”

Two people had already suggested that they didn’t want to cook, so Zheng Peizu could only lock his eyes on the remaining three. After all, the chef was in the most important position in running a restaurant.

Based on his experience, the program team should arrange a guest who can cook.

Jiang Sicheng looked at Xue Qingchu, and Xue Qingchu looked at Qi Xiaoyu. Qi Xiaoyu raised his hand and said, “I can try being the chef.”

Then Jiang Sicheng also raised his hand and said, “I can also try to be a chef.”

Zheng Peizu’s eyes turned around the two of them. “Okay, then you two will handle today’s dinner. For the rest, Meiling and Tongtong will go buy ingredients, while Qingqing and I will stay to clean up the restaurant and kitchen.”

When the work was arranged, everyone got busy.

In the kitchen, Qi Xiaoyu was deftly cleaning foreign pots and pans. After cleaning them, all the dishes, cups, and saucers were methodically, cleanly, and neatly placed on the counter.

Jiang Sicheng came over and asked, “Are you really good at cooking?”

Qi Xiaoyu nodded.

Jiang Sicheng scratched his head and said, “Ahem, can you teach me?”

Qi Xiaoyu nodded leisurely and said, “Okay. Or you can watch the video yourself.”

Jiang Sicheng whispered, “Can I learn it by watching the video?”

Qi Xiaoyu told him, based on his own experience, “Yes.”

So, after the people who went out to buy food came back after spending 100 yuan to buy eggs, meat, vegetables, and noodles, another half hour later, Jiang Sicheng appeared in the restaurant with two large bowls of noodles.

The noodles cooked by Jiang Sicheng according to the video instructions look good. The meat is meat, and the eggs are eggs. The noodles have distinct roots and look quite clear.

He was very satisfied with the result of his first cooking and said quite proudly, “You guys must be hungry. Come and try it. I move much faster than Qi Xiaoyu. He’s still there, cooking slowly, while I’m already serving the food.”

Lu Tongtong, who was extremely hungry, took a bite first.

After eating, she remained silent, not uttering a single word.

Then, out of curiosity, Gu Meiling also took a bite. She turned away after finishing the meal without making any comment.

Finally, Zheng Peizu and Xue Qingchu both tasted it.

Xue Qingchu was worried about her image and turned away silently, like Gu Meiling.

Only Zheng Peizu had the courage to tell the truth, especially since he was the last victim.

He first got up and walked to the kitchen, spitting out all the noodles he had eaten into the trash can.

Then he took a large glass of water and poured it into his mouth.

Finally, he came out with a deformed face and said angrily to Jiang Sicheng, “Did you pour the whole bottle of salt in?”

Faced with such a straightforward question, Jiang Sicheng knew he was in the wrong, but in order to prove that he didn’t pour the whole bottle of salt in, he hunched his shoulders, raised his hand, and compared his index finger and thumb about three to four centimeters apart. “No, not the whole bottle… less than half a bottle.”

If there weren’t a bunch of cameras surrounding him, Zheng Peizu would have wanted to scold Jiang Shicheng on the spot.

Lu Tongtong and Gu Meiling, who went shopping for groceries, also wanted to do the same. It was all money.

In an atmosphere of anger and hunger, Qi Xiaoyu’s noodles were also ready.

Just like the noodles made by Jiang Sicheng, they are clear and bright, with a poached egg lying on top.

But there was a fine sprinkling of scallions and a drizzle of sesame oil on the side.

But this time, everyone is afraid to just try it. Maybe the better-looking something is, the more poisonous it is.

Gu Meiling looked at Zheng Peizu, Zheng Peizu looked at Jiang Sicheng angrily, Jiang Sicheng looked at Xue Qingchu affectionately, Xue Qingchu… and Lu Tongtong were both ready to give it a brave try.

Then, once they tried it, they didn’t stop.

The food made by Qi Xiaoyu was already very delicious, and with Jiang Sicheng as a comparison, it was as delicious as the Queen Mother’s peach feast5According to Chinese legend, it’s a feast held every 3000 years at the celestial Jade Palace in Paradise..

For a moment, everyone picked up their chopsticks one after another and then showed the expressions people had when eating delicious food in “Chuuka Ichiban6A Japanese manga about Chinese food in 19th-century China during the Qing dynasty..”

The director’s team swallowed their saliva silently. It was not easy for them to follow the shooting for more than ten hours. If it were Jing Sicheng’s level, they wouldn’t want to eat, but the food now looks quite delicious.

Qi Xiaoyu walked up to them with a bowl of freshly cooked noodles and said with a sly smile, “Do you want to eat it? I cooked a lot, 58 yuan a bowl, with eggs and meat~”

The guests who were about to share joys and sorrows silently gave a thumbs up in their hearts, saying that the money is only worth it when spent.