Chapter 129: Tigers
The rice and pickled cucumbers were ready-made, and the fish soup cooked quickly on the stove.
Bao Yueqiao ate her fish soup with rice and pickled cucumbers, praising Jiang Lingling’s cooking.
Jiang Lingling, slightly embarrassed by the praise, took a sip of the soup. Good thing you haven’t tasted Mi Hongdou’s cooking.
After lunch and a brief chat with Bao Yueqiao, Jiang Lingling, figuring that the other team should have finished eating by now, took Bao Yueqiao to visit.
And then…
Jiang Lingling watched, heartbroken, as Ji Junxin finished the last of the egg fried rice and then, urged by Mi Hongdou, the last of the bok choy and lard bits soup.
Ji Junxin, don’t wipe your mouth! Explain yourself! You usually eat so fast, why so slow today! After seeing your lunch, how can I face myself! How can I face Bao Yueqiao!
In the small courtyard, filled with the aroma of meat, Jiang Lingling’s silent accusation went unnoticed. Bao Yueqiao, however, discreetly gulped.
The “Rich Lady” fans online were also heartbroken. Where’s the extravagance? Where’s the “I’ll buy this whole place”?… How pitiful…
“Let’s go find some tasks this afternoon. We’ve been here for a day, and we haven’t even explored the village yet,” Mi Hongdou said, clearing the table, inviting Jiang Lingling and Bao Yueqiao.
“So far, we’ve mostly done the chicken-feeding task. And Mi Hongdou and I also did the corn kernel task… I don’t think we should do that one again…” Bao Yueqiao’s hands ached just thinking about it.
“What’s wrong with the corn kernel task?” Ji Junxin hadn’t heard the details, but Bao Yueqiao’s reaction didn’t seem positive.
“It’s called ‘Helping the lonely old man remove corn kernels’,” Mi Hongdou said, washing the dishes. “You have to remove the kernels from ten dried corn cobs by hand for one coin. But it takes about five minutes per cob, and it gets harder as you go, it took us almost an hour yesterday, it’s a very inefficient task.”
“Actually, it’s not bad, I’m planning to try it after chopping wood,” Jiang Lingling said seriously.
Bao Yueqiao: “…”
Ji Junxin: “…”
Mi Hongdou flicked the water from her hands. “Okay, I take that back, it’s an inefficient task for normal people.”
Jiang Lingling nodded, satisfied.
The live stream viewers, the foodies busy buying meat, vegetables, and eggs, the CP fans busy voting, and the “Rich Lady” fans, glued to their screens, waited for Jiang Lingling to dominate both the wood-chopping and the corn kernel tasks.
“Is ‘Helping the lonely old man remove corn kernels’… the actual name of the task?” Bao Yueqiao, who had done the task, asked, confused. “Or just a description?”
“It’s the name, after we talked to the old man, the crew held up a board with the name written on it, probably for editing,” Mi Hongdou replied, drying the dishes.
“Uh…” Ji Junxin glanced outside hesitantly. “Then the sign I saw earlier, ‘Helping the lonely old woman feed chickens,’ that was also the task name?”
“The crew isn’t very creative with their task names. Such uninspired names, if it weren’t for the coins, I wouldn’t even bother,” Jiang Lingling complained. “They should learn from other shows.”
I wholeheartedly agree!
In a house in the village, with its doors and windows closed, Pan Xiang sneezed repeatedly. I must have caught a cold last night, leaving the window open… as the chief planner of “Reality Online,” I should drink some Banlangen.
While Mi Hongdou was cleaning up, the four exchanged information.
They had done four tasks so far.
One with a daily limit: feeding chickens, twice a day, one coin per feeding, now with the option of trading for vegetables.
Three with no limits: chopping wood (ten logs for one coin), removing corn kernels (ten cobs for one coin), and washing clothes (four pieces for one coin).
Besides the chicken-feeding, which was easy, the other tasks, although repeatable, required too much effort for a decent payout. The wood-chopping and corn kernel tasks were basically only doable by Jiang Lingling. And although the laundry task seemed easy, just look at Ji Junxin’s bandaged fingers.
Compared to Jiang Lingling, who was eager to chop wood and remove corn kernels, the other three needed to find new, more manageable tasks.
After their discussion, Mi Hongdou finished cleaning up, and they left the house.
Jiang Lingling pointed at the small bowl of pig skin on the counter. “Aren’t you going to do anything with this? It will spoil without a refrigerator. Or are you not using it? If not, just throw it away, it will attract rats.”
“I want to use it, but we used up all the ginger and scallions that came with the chicken yesterday. After buying everything today, I realized… we don’t have any coins left for seasonings. I’ll have to earn some more before I can use it…” Mi Hongdou glanced at the pig skin, then at Jiang Lingling. “You got ginger and scallions with your fish, right? Use them sparingly, I think they’re quite expensive on the Supplies Board, and they’re not even edible, I don’t want to waste coins on them…”
Jiang Lingling shrugged helplessly. “That tiny piece of ginger and those few scallions? I used them all for the fish soup.”
“But… we still have another fish,” Bao Yueqiao said, pointing at their house across the courtyard.
“It’s okay. Ginger and scallions, we don’t need to waste coins on them. It’s only a little past one, I know where to get them for free, follow me.” Jiang Lingling checked the time on the cameraman’s watch and strode towards the gate, beckoning the others to follow.
“Is she going to rob the crew?!” Ji Junxin grabbed Mi Hongdou’s hand and followed excitedly.
So you missed Jiang Lingling’s extortion of the crew with the tool kit yesterday, you must be regretting it… Mi Hongdou thought, letting Ji Junxin pull her along, as Jiang Lingling led them, like a general leading her troops.
The three of them left, and although she didn’t quite understand what was going on, Bao Yueqiao naturally followed.
The cameramen had a bad feeling. This Jiang Lingling, something was about to happen…
As expected, Jiang Lingling didn’t go towards the village, but towards the four thatched huts at the edge of the village.
Their premonition intensified.
The four, led by Jiang Lingling, walked past the huts and headed straight towards the small hill in the distance.
The cameramen whispered among themselves as they filmed. After a heated discussion and a round of rock-paper-scissors, one of them stopped and took out his phone. Another one, his face pale, hurried to catch up and, trying to stay out of the shot, called out weakly, “Jiang Lingling…”
Jiang Lingling, focused on her mission, ignored him. The three following her glanced back at the staff member, then, urged by Jiang Lingling, turned and continued walking.
They knew where to get free ginger, scallions, and garlic. The best response to the staff member’s call was… to ignore him!
I lost at rock-paper-scissors, how frustrating! The staff member raised his voice, “Jiang Lingling!”
He shouted with all his might.
This time… none of them even turned around. They just walked faster.
It was rare for the four to be in the same frame outside of challenges, and the number of viewers watching their live streams had been increasing since Mi Hongdou started washing dishes. The staff member’s earlier weak call had gone unnoticed, but this desperate shout of “Jiang Lingling” was clearly audible through their microphones.
“I think I hear someone calling the Rich Lady!”
“Did she drop something?”
“No way, that sounded so desperate, like he was being abandoned…”
“Agreed…”
“Yes…”
“Exactly…”
“Look, she didn’t even turn around, so cold! I love it!”
“So even a rich lady can be heartless, but she’s so cool, I have to give her props!”
“So no one cares who’s calling her?”
“It’s fine, if he can’t cry in her luxurious RV, he can always laugh on someone else’s bicycle~”
“Bowing down to that comment…”
“Bowing down +1”
“Bowing down +2”
“Bowing down +3”
…
“Did we mishear? Or is there a problem with the audio? The other three didn’t react either.”
“True friends support you even when you’re being a jerk!”
“Although something seems off, it’s kind of… exciting…”
“My worldview is broken after reading these comments…”
“Don’t cry, it’s just the viewers’ imagination, she wouldn’t ignore him.”
“Right, she’ll turn around and slap him.”
“…”
“…”
“…”
…
One of the cameramen was monitoring the comments. Seeing this, he put away his phone. It was probably best if his colleague, who was chasing after Jiang Lingling, didn’t see these comments, hahaha!
They were now less than a kilometer from the foot of the hill. Jiang Lingling and her companions quickened their pace, hoping to reach it before the staff member caught up.
Just as the ignored staff member was about to burst into tears, another one, having made a phone call, caught up and pushed him. “Why haven’t you stopped them yet! Are you planning to wait until they come back down?”
The staff member who had been monitoring the comments glanced at the two. How pitiful, good thing I’m just reading comments, oh ho ho ho~ Urged by his colleague, the staff member who had been ignored twice, smoothed his hair and clothes, took a microphone, and stepped in front of the camera.
Hearing the heavy footsteps behind her, Jiang Lingling thought, Here it comes. She knew the show wouldn’t let them go so easily. She glanced at the hill, now so close, her fighting spirit ignited!
“Wait… where are you going? You can’t go there!” The staff member who had been chasing them panted, blocking Jiang Lingling’s path.
So our earlier guesses were wrong…
The viewers, having just recovered from the earlier drama, were now eagerly watching.
“Betting one french fry, this staff member is doomed.”
“I’ll raise you a bag of sweet chili sauce, he’s definitely doomed, the question is, will she throw him or just roast him verbally?”
“Although I want to see her throw him, this is a family-friendly show, no flying people allowed…”
“Whenever it’s Jiang Lingling’s turn, the viewers’ imaginations run wild.”
“So now, no one cares where they’re going, or why they can’t go there?…”
“We’re more concerned about this poor man’s fate…”
“Concerned +N”
“Counting from N, what should I type? Hmm.”
“Concerned +N+1”
“I’m… speechless.”
The viewers’ attention, always easily diverted, then refocused. Jiang Lingling, blocked by the staff member…
“Where can’t we go?” she asked cautiously, wanting a complete victory.
“You can’t go up the mountain!” He pointed at the small hill.
“Why?” Jiang Lingling asked, her tone challenging.
“Because…” the staff member hesitated, glancing at the cameramen.
The other crew members, showing no support, just stared at him with expressionless faces.
Those bastards! I’ll practice rock-paper-scissors eight hundred times a day when we get back! He turned back to Jiang Lingling, then, seeing her calm demeanor, his own bravado crumbled. “Because… you just can’t.”
“Because the rules say so?” Jiang Lingling started digging the trap.
The staff member nodded vigorously.
Jiang Lingling smiled, watching him fall into the trap.
“But the rules only said we can’t go past the warning tape on the right side of the village, not that we can’t go to the hill behind the village,” she said innocently, burying him with dirt.
“This! This is a new rule!” The staff member, his face covered in metaphorical dirt, tried to maintain his composure.
“You can’t just make up new rules. Important rules have to be announced by the director, right? Are you trying to steal your boss’s job? Are you trying to get famous by appearing on camera! Are you trying to replace the director! Answer me!” Jiang Lingling pressed her advantage.
The staff member shook his head and stumbled backward. He didn’t know how to retort… it must be the cameras! He quickly retreated behind them.
Silence.
The “Rich Lady” fans in the comments were impressed, but also slightly critical. Too many rounds, she should have finished him in one blow!
With the staff member defeated, Jiang Lingling, not wanting to waste any more time, turned to lead her team on their quest for… ginger, scallions, and garlic.
The cameramen quickly played rock-paper-scissors and chose a new representative, Male Staff Member #2.
#2, angrily biting his fist, took the microphone from the defeated #1 and bravely stepped forward, blocking Jiang Lingling again.
His decisive actions and determined gaze filled everyone, both on and off screen, with anticipation.
The online bets increased from one french fry to three because of his heroic demeanor.
“You… you can’t go up there,” he said, looking directly at Jiang Lingling, seemingly unafraid.
Jiang Lingling raised an eyebrow.
He clenched his fist and shouted, “There are tigers on the mountain!”
Silence.
Not just on set, but also in the live stream comments.
Then… an eruption of laughter from the crew.
Followed by more laughter from everyone else.
Male Staff Member #2’s face turned crimson.
“Pfft…” Jiang Lingling, who had been planning a similar tactic, couldn’t maintain her serious expression. Whether there were even scallions and ginger on that small hill was questionable, but tigers? How ridiculous!
Ji Junxin, clinging to Mi Hongdou’s arm, laughed so hard that she almost collapsed against her. Mi Hongdou, also laughing uncontrollably, put her arm around Ji Junxin’s waist to steady her.
Meanwhile, the live stream comments exploded.
“There are tigers on that little hill, hahaha!”
“This staff member is crazy… hilarious!”
“I just fell off my chair laughing, the most adorable staff member of the year!”
“Is Jiang Lingling too powerful? They’re resorting to tigers now, hahaha!”
“Tigers on that little hill? There’s a white dragon under my building…”
“A white dragon or a white dragon horse?”
“Whatever! If there can be tigers on that small hill, why not a dragon under my building!”
“This is going to be my go-to joke for the next year…”
“Stop laughing, everyone, look! Mi Hongdou and Ji Junxin are flirting!”
“Holy shit! They are!”
“When did Xiaomi put her arm around Xinxin’s waist?!”
“Ahhh! A hug! Public display of affection on the second day, are you going to show us your marriage certificate on the twelfth day?!”
“Show us the certificate!”
“Show us the certificate +N!”
“Show us the certificate +N+1!”
“Show us the certificate +N+2! The ‘N+1’ comment is so last year!”
“Is this show crazy? I almost died laughing at the tiger thing, and now I’m being bombarded with sugar, I can’t breathe!”
“Look! The hug just got tighter!”
“Ahhhh!!! I’m dying…”
“Are you okay up there? …”
“Are you okay up there? …”
“Are you okay up there? … Hang in there, be strong!”
“Magic potion!”
“Resurrection!”
“A withered tree blossoming again!”
“Thank you for the four-character idioms… I’m alive…”
“Are they hugging even tighter now? Tell me I’m not seeing things!”
“So much sugar, I’m also dying!”
“Dying +10086!”
…
This new wave of sugar was because, during the earlier “show us the certificate” frenzy in the comments, Bao Yueqiao, clueless as ever, had said, “Is it dangerous to have tigers so close to the village?”
Are you serious?!
The viewers, already amused by the “tiger” incident, were now stunned by Bao Yueqiao’s serious concern.
Ji Junxin, already weak from laughter, collapsed against Mi Hongdou.
Mi Hongdou, also amused by the “tiger” and Bao Yueqiao’s reaction, couldn’t help but laugh, as Ji Junxin, losing her balance, leaned against her. Mi Hongdou, afraid she would fall, instinctively tightened her hold.
And so, the CP fans online, along with Ji Junxin, also collapsed.
Amidst the new wave of laughter, Bao Yueqiao still looked confused.
Jiang Lingling, unable to stand it any longer, patted Bao Yueqiao’s shoulder. “It’s… pfft… it’s okay. Tigers… pfft, hahaha… if a tiger comes down the mountain, I’ll… chase it away.” Although she wanted to comfort Bao Yueqiao, she couldn’t help but laugh.
“Shouldn’t we have more security then? No, security guards aren’t as strong as you. But fighting a tiger with your bare hands… shouldn’t you make a weapon?” Bao Yueqiao asked seriously.
“Hahahaha…”
Now Jiang Lingling’s HP was also zero…
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