Chapter 161: Meeting
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too.
"Did she go to the room?" Xi Mo subconsciously looked around but didn't see that friend.
From A'cuo Rize and Ranla Changxiu’s words and actions, she could feel their respect for that friend. It seemed like someone very important, so she could not help being curious.
Ranla Changxiu wore a red Yi dress today, full of spirit. While tidying up, she smiled and said, "She’s busy, and went out, maybe she will come back very late."
Xi Mo was not the type to gossip. Since she didn't see that friend, she didn't ask again. She lowered her head to look at her watch. She felt she still had the most important thing to do, and that was waiting for Ruan Yesheng to come.
She had never joined a variety show recording, and before she had no interest at all. Even though this time she was only an NPC, and not a real participant, for some reason, there was a strange excitement rising in her heart.
"Miss Xi, will you keep learning to knit later?" Ranla Changxiu asked her.
"Yes," Xi Mo said.
Anyway, she had nothing to do in the afternoon.
"But my sweater string is knitted in a mess." Xi Mo felt a bit ashamed. She learned other things fast, but she had no talent in this.
Knitting a sweater, with this rich and comfortable everyday life feel, was something she was really not good at. But she still hoped to learn more, so she could have a better sense of life.
Ruan Yesheng seemed to understand life well, knowing so many life tricks. In life, she didn't want to be too far from Ruan Yesheng, afraid she would look out of place beside her.
"When I first learned, I was not good either, so I put it aside for a long time." Ranla Changxiu encouraged, "Later I married A’xiong. At that time, A’xiong went out to gather herbs, and the weather outside was cold. Sometimes he had to sleep overnight in the forest. I wanted to knit a warm sweater for A’xiong, so I forced myself to learn, and little by little I managed it."
"Think about it. Do you have someone you want to knit a sweater for?" Ranla Changxiu looked at Xi Mo. "Set a goal in your heart, to knit a sweater as a gift for that person, then you’ll surely learn."
Xi Mo: "..."
"The one I knitted is too ugly." She quickly shook off the name that popped into her mind and said, "She won’t wear it."
Even though Ruan Yesheng’s resources hadn’t recovered yet, she was still a star. Her clothing style had to match fashion. How could she wear such a sweater?
This was way too unfashionable. Xi Mo thought, if someone gave her a hand-knit sweater, she would definitely reject it.
She would never wear it, even if she died.
"Then you can knit a scarf." Ranla Changxiu said with a big smile, "Scarves are neat and proper, not as hard as sweaters, and the result comes out easier."
Xi Mo stayed quiet, lost in thought.
On Ruan Yesheng’s side, the recording site had finally reached the goal of the third ritual offering, and they were heading toward the path of getting the fourth one.
Shen Qingbie asked Zhang Zhiyin, who came back after spying for news, "What progress on Ye Ye’s side?"
"They’re also looking for the fourth, and their progress is a bit faster than ours," Zhang Zhiyin said.
Shen Qingbie’s desire to win was stirred. She quickly said, "Hurry hurry hurry, we have to get it before them."
She was like a little top wound up with a spring, spinning harder and harder. Wherever there was a clue task arranged by the NPCs, there was Qingqing. During the filming, Yu An couldn’t get close, so she could only stay with the staff around, staring at Shen Qingbie nervously.
Afraid she would say the wrong thing, and afraid she would bump into something.
The clue for the last offering was really like a winding mountain road, one bend after another. Zhang Zhiyin’s team used up all their brain and strength, and finally found another town NPC who gave clues.
But to get the clue, they had to do a task.
This NPC was a scruffy man with a beard. He said to them, "Today is the town’s festival. I need to kill the best pig to send over. I’ll go sharpen the knife first. You all go to the field behind and catch that pig, tie it up, and wait for me. It’s not the same as the other pigs, you have to look for it."
Everyone: "..."
Yu An: "..."
The show was really going too far. Yu An didn’t even know that this variety show would have them catching pigs. She couldn’t help but feel worried for Shen Qingbie. Qingqing grew up in the city, and her mother protected her very well. She never had any chance to come into direct contact with pigs. She only ate pork, and once in a while saw pigs running around when recording in remote places.
With the camera following, Zhang Zhiyin’s team arrived at the field that the NPC mentioned.
In the field the grass was lush, and many spots were muddy. The place was wide, a good spot for free-range pigs. Normal pigs were kept in pens, fed on schedule, and grew fat and plump. But some villages let pigs run free. Pigs ran across the mountains and fields, looking for food on the ground, sometimes fed with corn cobs. Pigs raised this way had firm and tasty meat, were healthy, and were worth more than pen-raised pigs. They counted as top-grade pigs.
"Where’s the pig?" Gu Cen shaded her eyes with her hand and looked around.
There were more than ten pigs in the field, all looking the same. She couldn’t tell which one it was.
Li Siran just glanced at Gu Cen.
Back when they were in the group, she used to get annoyed by Gu Cen, and sometimes wanted to curse, "Are you a pig?" But she was a proper person, so she didn’t say it out loud. And in the group no one dared to offend Gu Cen.
"Is it that one?" Ruan Yesheng pointed to the corner in the northwest. "That one is different."
It was also her first time catching a pig, so she couldn’t help but feel a bit nervous.
The pig was hidden behind the green grass, with half of its body exposed. It was stronger and taller than the other pigs, with a red silk cloth tied around its neck, which was particularly eye-catching.
"The one with the red cloth tied around its neck?" Zhang Zhiyin said, "Let's go over there."
Gu Cen was always hung up on strange questions. "Actually I always had a question. Do pigs have necks? They don’t have a clear neck, right? It looks the same as their body."
Li Siran: "..."
"Of course they have necks." Li Siran said, "Better not buy pig neck meat, it’s full of lymph, and it's not good for the body."
Gu Cen put her hand on Li Siran’s shoulder and laughed. "You really know a lot of things."
Li Siran didn’t brush her hand away, and just let her rest it there. The two followed the team forward, and came to the pig with a red cloth tied around its neck.
But then the problem came.
Nobody knew how to start.
And pigs liked rolling in the mud, getting filthy all over. Now this pig didn’t look clean at all.
Gu Cen took one look and wanted to back off. "How do we even do this? It will smear dirt all over our hands."
Li Siran was smart. She could already guess that once this variety show aired, some people would surely scold Gu Cen for being pampered, a spoiled princess, and lacking emotional sense because of these words. Even if the show didn’t have a script, many words had to be weighed. When it was time to act, you still had to act. Li Siran stuck to this rule, and before every recording she would remind Gu Cen about it, but Gu Cen clearly never took it to heart.
"Can I get a pair of gloves?" Gu Cen looked around.
"Don’t bother looking for gloves. With gloves on you can’t use your strength well." Li Siran quickly killed that idea. If everyone else wasn’t wearing gloves but Gu Cen did, then later people would definitely scold her.
"Alright." Gu Cen nodded in disappointment. At least this time she listened.
Li Siran secretly let out a sigh of relief.
"I’ll go first." Shen Qingbie rolled up her sleeves and glared at the pig, eyes firm.
Shen Qingbie was strong, and she had at least learned karate. The others in the team all looked delicate, and with her chivalrous heart, she thought this rough job of catching pigs shouldn’t dirty the delicate beauties’ hands.
Yet she didn’t realize she was the one who looked delicate. Her skin was too fair and tender. If she wasn’t delicate, who was?
Shen Qingbie drew a deep breath and channeled her energy into her dantian*, shouted to pump herself up, and rushed toward the pig. She came on fierce, and when the pig saw her charging, it squealed in fright and bolted.
*dantian (丹田) is a concept from Chinese medicine, martial arts, and Daoist practices. Traditionally, there are three dantian in the body, but the most important one is the lower dantian, located a few inches below the navel, inside the abdomen.
"Pig! Why are you running! Wait for me!" Shen Qingbie shouted as she chased, "It’s not to kill you, look, do I have a knife in my hand? I’m a good person!"
Yu An lowered her head and covered her face with her right hand: "..."
Forget it. In variety shows she couldn’t expect Qingqing to hide her true nature. Luckily the fans liked seeing Qingqing’s behavior in shows, otherwise she would’ve stopped her for sure.
Ruan Yesheng saw Shen Qingbie running and quickly followed, calling to her, "Be careful, the ground’s slippery, it’s all mud!"
She was quick and nimble, running faster than Shen Qingbie, soon passing her and getting close to the pig. But she had no experience catching pigs, didn’t know how to start. Seeing the pig’s tail right in front of her, she hurried to grab it.
The pig shuddered all over, then kicked up its hooves and struggled hard.
Ruan Yesheng was only fast, but she wasn’t nearly as strong as Shen Qingbie. Soon she couldn’t hold on. The pig’s front body was huge, but its tail was thin and small, she couldn’t control it at all.
The pig got angry, its squeals grew louder, and it kicked back hard with its hooves.
Luckily Ruan Yesheng dodged fast. She quickly let go, but inertia made her fall to the ground. She got covered in mud, even her face splashed with muddy spots. Feeling uncomfortable, she frowned and wiped her face with her sleeve.
Director Ning Kui hadn’t expected someone as delicate-looking as Ruan Yesheng to be so fierce, daring to grab a pig’s tail by herself. That was very dangerous. He got scared, worried the show had gone too far, and quickly shouted, "Ruanruan, don’t grab a pig’s tail alone, it’s too dangerous!"
Because the variety show was too real, sometimes accidents could happen on set when things weren’t thought through. Ning Kui was afraid something might happen, so he hurried the staff to check on Ruan Yesheng.
"I’m fine." Ruan Yesheng, with no experience, also felt sorry. "I didn’t know it would be so dangerous, sorry."
But this made her more cautious. She said to her teammates, "We can’t just try to grab the pig first. We have to find the tools. The show crew didn’t tell us there were tools, but just now Director Ning was so nervous, he must also know pigs are hard to catch. They must have prepared safer tools for us, just without giving any hint, so we need to find them ourselves."
If she hadn’t tried just now, she would’ve thought catching pigs was too simple, that everyone just needed to hold on together.
Turns out there was technique to it.
Zhang Zhiyin nodded. "Let’s search around this field, see if there are tools hidden."
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too.
With a clear goal, everyone searched around, looking for anything useful. In the end they really did find some tools that looked handy, like a pile of strong ropes, a long-handled fork, especially that fork with a curved end. From its shape and size it looked like it could lock around a pig’s neck. There was also a downward-curved iron frame, and some wooden sticks.
Ruan Yesheng looked at that iron frame and saw that the curve fit a pig’s back well. She hadn’t seen these before and didn’t know the names, but guessed they were for pressing a pig down onto the frame, then jamming it with wooden sticks, putting the pig into a state ready for slaughter.
With pig-catching tools in hand, the group made a detailed pig-catching battle plan, then surrounded the pig.
Ruan Yesheng used the curved end of the long fork to lock around the pig’s neck, blocking it from moving forward. Gu Cen grabbed both pig ears to control its head. Zhang Zhiyin was in charge of tying the rope. Shen Qingbie, strongest of them, volunteered to grab the pig’s tail.
With this group effort, plus the tools controlling it, the pig-catching finally started to look like the real thing.
Li Siran moved the iron frame closer and set it beside the trapped pig. The group worked together to push the pig’s body onto the frame. The pig, already struggling and unsteady, toppled over at once, falling into the downward-curved frame. It got stuck there, unable to move, kicking its legs in the air.
Ruan Yesheng brought over a wooden stick, wedged one end on the frame’s side, and pressed the other end down, holding the pig in place.
Everyone was drenched in sweat, their bodies covered in dirt. They looked as messy as could be. Standing by the squealing pig, they looked at one another and then burst out laughing at how they all looked.
Yu An stood farther away, hardly daring to breathe. But for someone as cautious as her, this segment really did have hidden risks. She couldn’t help but blame herself for not checking the situation ahead of time, though she hadn’t known catching pigs might lead to injury.
Still, it wasn’t too late to make up for it. During a filming break, she went to Ning Kui and spoke in a low voice, asking him not to arrange such segments again.
Ning Kui himself also felt he hadn’t thought it through. Even if the program effect came out good, it was still dangerous when the cast didn’t know in advance. He quickly apologized to Yu An and promised that later there would be no more segments like this, things would be easier from then on.
Only then did Yu An finally relax a little, though she still kept her eyes fixed on Shen Qingbie, watching her very closely.
With the pig caught, the NPC finally appeared to give the reward. This time he was generous, giving two blue clue cards.
The first card had a picture, it looked like the doorway of the houses where the townspeople lived. Beside it was a poem: “Water bees and cliff butterflies are unaware, dewdrops and crimson flowers bloom in thousands.”
The second card said: “Guests from afar, welcome. Welcome also to seek my crimson figure. I will bless you with happiness forever.”
“What does it mean?” Gu Cen, a true study slacker, could not understand at all.
“This poem is by Tang poet Li Qinyu, it describes azaleas,” Ruan Yesheng said.
“And the second line?”
Li Siran also joined in, “It’s also about azaleas. If we don’t look at the poem, the second card could have many answers. But with the poem, it’s clear, the second card also means azaleas. For Yi people, azaleas are flowers of welcome, flowers of blessing, very important.”
“So we need to find azaleas?” Gu Cen asked.
Ruan Yesheng nodded, “To be exact, it’s to find a house with red azaleas at the doorway. The first card shows the doorway, the second card says ‘crimson figure.’”
To save time, and to get the offering before Ye Ye’s team, they didn’t even change clothes. They quickly went to look for those houses.
Some houses had azaleas but with wrong colors. Some had red azaleas, but even after trying in many ways, the NPC gave no useful clue.
They wandered for a long time, but still found nothing.
“Are we going the wrong way?” Gu Cen asked.
“There are still some places we haven’t been. Let’s keep looking. Maybe the next house with red azaleas will have the answer.” Shen Qingbie pointed to a small path and said, “Here is also decorated with lanterns. It’s part of the exploration area. We haven’t gone in yet.”
Ruan Yesheng took a look, and her heart skipped a beat. A’cuo Rize’s house was also on this path. Xi Mo didn’t want to join the show. If the crew kept going down this road, would it disturb Xi Mo?
But then she thought, if Xi Mo closed the door and stayed at home, they shouldn’t be filmed. Now many media had also come to the town to follow and shoot. Xi Mo was such a cautious person, she would surely close the door.
Thinking of this, she didn’t say more.
The crew followed their team, walking down this road. They looked carefully at the houses on both sides, checking if there were red azaleas at the door. But after walking a long way, they still didn’t see any.
It was still Shen Qingbie who had sharp eyes. She pointed to a quiet house with a yard and said, “There, at the door, azaleas are placed!”
She still didn’t know where Xi Mo lived. Thinking she had found an NPC’s house, she got especially excited.
Ruan Yesheng: “…”
She was shocked, and even more, she felt something was wrong. These azaleas placed at the doors had to be props. And since they were props, the crew must have gone and talked beforehand. Because houses with key prop clues would always be filmed.
Could it be that Xi Mo got tricked by the crew? They placed azaleas but didn’t tell her, deliberately filming her?
That shouldn’t be right. Even if the crew had such thoughts, Zhiyin wouldn’t agree. And if Xi Mo found out she was filmed without permission, with no filming agreement, it would cause a big mess, maybe even a lawsuit. The crew, no matter how bold, wouldn’t dare go that far.
Could it be that Xi Mo… tacitly agreed?
Ruan Yesheng’s mind churned in place. She never thought Shen Qingbie and Gu Cen would get too excited. Finally finding a house with red azaleas at the door, they rushed forward.
Since they ran, the other staff of the crew would surely follow.
“Wait for me!” Ruan Yesheng panicked, quickly running after them.
When they reached the door, Shen Qingbie and Gu Cen both froze.
Li Siran, who arrived a bit later, was also stunned.
Only Zhang Zhiyin had a mysterious smile on her face.
Ruan Yesheng followed nervously to the door, thinking if there was a filming problem here, it was still not too late to fix it. Even if it was filmed, if Xi Mo didn’t agree, it couldn’t be broadcast. Worst case, it could be cut.
While pushing aside the people blocking in front, she said, “This is the inn where Xi Mo lives. Did you talk to her first? Director Ning, please don’t film yet, I’ll go ask her.”
Then she froze: “…”
Xi Mo was sitting in the yard, holding yarn and knitting needles, seriously knitting a sweater. Noticing the group of people crowding at the door, Xi Mo stopped and looked over.
Shen Qingbie: “…”
What did she just see? Xi Mo was actually knitting?
Gu Cen and Li Siran were also shocked. Gu Cen, who didn’t even know Xi Mo had come to visit, whispered, “What’s going on, isn’t that Teacher Xi? Why is she here? The crew didn’t tell me Teacher Xi was a guest.”
Li Siran didn’t get it either, saying, “I don’t understand what’s going on.”
But seeing Xi Mo, she was very happy. This was a top star, with popularity, acting skills, and resources. Very few artists stood at such a height. Li Siran admired the strong, so naturally, she had great respect for Xi Mo.
Xi Mo stood up and walked to Ruan Yesheng. Seeing her all dirty, she frowned slightly, then softly said, “It’s fine, you can film. The crew already asked me. Don’t worry.”
Seeing Gu Cen and the others still looking confused, Xi Mo naturally explained, “Yesheng is filming a variety show here. I came to visit her and stayed at this inn. The owners, Uncle A’cuo and Auntie Ranla, signed up as NPCs and were chosen. So the crew set this place as a filming site. I’m just living here, you can treat me like a passerby.”
She didn’t mention her wish to be an NPC. She looked calm on the surface.
Shen Qingbie: “…”
Xi Mo, how could you call yourself a passerby?!
She would never allow her goddess to belittle herself like that.
Gu Cen finally understood. From dazed, she turned excited. She went over, bowed to Xi Mo, and shook her hand. “Hello, Teacher Xi!”
“Hello, Teacher Xi.” Li Siran was also obedient this time. After bowing, she quickly introduced herself: “I didn’t expect to see you this way. My name is Li Siran. I’m a member of the girl group Eos8.”
Both of them were girl group members. When facing a senior, they were especially polite, addressing her as Teacher.
Xi Mo nodded to them. “Hello.”
Then her gaze fell back on Ruan Yesheng. She frowned again. “Why are you so dirty?”
“I accidentally fell. It’s nothing, just got my clothes dirty.”
Ruan Yesheng sensed her emotions were a bit complicated. Her eyes looked like there was a smile, but when she saw her messy self, she seemed unhappy.
“You all fell down?” Xi Mo glanced over the guests, all covered in dirt.
“We just went to catch a pig.” Shen Qingbie, too excited to waste this rare chance to talk with Xi Mo, quickly answered. Her eyes stayed fixed on Xi Mo.
Xi Mo looked back at Shen Qingbie, frowning: “…”
Catch a pig?
This show was actually this outrageous.
She only knew what her own segment was, but she had no idea Ning Kui arranged pig catching. How could they let Ruan Yesheng catch pigs? Just hearing it made her furious.
If this scene got clipped and put on hot searches, the media could spin it endlessly. Things like: “Xi Mo and Shen Qingbie confirmed to be at odds! Tense atmosphere during variety show filming, one frowning, the other staring intently!”
“Come here.” Xi Mo beckoned to Ruan Yesheng. “Hurry and wash up.”
Ranla Changxiu also came over, smiling as she called the rest of the guests: “I’m Ranla Changxiu. Come wash up first, everyone. Let’s go to the well, I’ll fetch water for you.”
Xi Mo first fetched a basin of water for Ruan Yesheng, then walked a bit farther away. Ruan Yesheng followed behind her.
The two stood alone in one spot. Xi Mo knitted her brows, staring at Ruan Yesheng for a long while, then said, “Turn your face toward me.”
Ruan Yesheng leaned closer, smiling brightly at her. In her heart, she never expected Xi Mo would actually agree to be filmed.
Xi Mo pressed the wet towel against her face, wiping away the dirt marks. It seemed rare to see Ruan Yesheng in such a messy state, so there was a smile in Xi Mo’s eyes, though her mouth said, “So dirty.”
“Are you also an NPC?” Ruan Yesheng let her wipe her face and smiled as she asked, “If you’re an NPC, then I need to ask you questions.”
“I’m not,” Xi Mo said.
“Then why were you knitting a sweater?” Ruan Yesheng asked.
Xi Mo: “…”
She wrung the towel again, gently rubbing Ruan Yesheng’s face, and softly said, “I already said I’m not an NPC. Don’t ask me questions. I really don’t have any clues.”
Author’s Note:
Xi Mo, you don’t really want to be an NPC. You just want to see your wife, and give her variety show a little help, adding some hype [.
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