Lin Qinghe and You Rong returned to the small courtyard after completing their mission. Wen Qianyi had also finished her task of feeding the chickens, ducks, and geese, and had obtained some vegetables. Lin Qinghe and You Rong received rice, flour, and cured meat as rewards.
As soon as they received their mission rewards, Zhou Cheng'an and Zheng Yi returned, panting heavily with corn on their backs. They collapsed onto the ground.
Zhou Cheng'an, slumped on the ground, weakly addressed the camera, "We completed the mission! Quickly, program team members... our fish! Give it to us!"
Zhou Cheng'an's actions naturally drew laughter from everyone. Only after the program staff repeatedly assured him that they would give him the ingredients did he relent.
The program team handed over the reward ingredients to them, and a staff member said, "Alright, you have the ingredients. Now, please prepare dinner yourselves."
As soon as the words fell, Zhou Cheng'an and Zheng Yi looked at each other with awkward expressions.
Zhou Cheng'an said, "Uh... I don't know how to cook, I only know how to eat! You definitely can't count on me for dinner. I... I can do chores! Chopping firewood, anything! But cooking... I'm really bad at it!"
Zheng Yi followed suit with a bitter smile, "It's the same for me. I can do physical labor, but cooking... Your subject truly cannot!"
Wen Qianyun smiled a little sheepishly, "Uh... I can cook a little, but only stir-fried greens. This fish is still alive, and I don't know how to handle or cook fish."
Zhou Cheng'an immediately looked at the program staff, asking with anticipation, "Can you help us process this fish? That's not too much to ask, is it?"
The program staff looked at him with indifference and flatly refused, no matter how much Zhou Cheng'an pleaded.
You Rong frowned subtly, finding it hard to watch. Just as he was about to step forward and offer to cook dinner, Lin Qinghe stepped forward first. She picked up the fish in her hand, weighed it, and smiled, "It's okay, I can cook! I'll prepare dinner today, and... You Rong, you can help me. The three of you go prepare some firewood. It seems there's no water heater here, so we'll have to boil our own water for washing our faces and bathing tonight."
Everyone was surprised by this announcement. Zhou Cheng'an asked incredulously, "Sister Qinghe, can you really cook? You don't look like someone who can cook!"
Lin Qinghe smiled faintly, "Not only can I cook, but my cooking skills are also excellent. You'll see when I show you later. Don't lick the plates clean when we eat!"
Seeing Lin Qinghe's confident demeanor, Zhou Cheng'an and the others were still skeptical. However, since none of them could cook, they had no choice but to trust Lin Qinghe.
Zhou Cheng'an said, "Alright, then we'll trouble Sister Qinghe with dinner today. We'll go chop firewood!"
"Okay, go ahead."
Wen Qianyi had asked Lin Qinghe if she needed help, but Lin Qinghe refused, saying You Rong's help was enough.
After Wen Qianyi also went out, You Rong stood by, subtly observing Lin Qinghe. He was convinced that Lin Qinghe couldn't cook. He had personally seen her have her assistant prepare instant noodles for her and feed them to her.
Lin Qinghe knew he could cook. Two years ago, he had cooked for the entire cast and crew. Was she leaving him to help her with the intention of having him do the work, and then faking a persona of being a great cook through editing later?
You Rong's eyes flickered. Before Lin Qinghe could speak, he said, "I'm sorry, I'm not very good at cooking. If you ask me to help, I can only assist you."
If Lin Qinghe was as he suspected, he wanted to see how she would handle it!
Lin Qinghe, holding the live fish, had a slightly puzzled expression on her delicate face. She blinked her bright, clear eyes and said, "Yes, your help is enough. Help me clean the vegetables, and then help me watch the fire by the stove. I'll do the stir-frying."
You Rong pursed his thin lips and nodded slightly, "Okay, I understand."
You Rong picked up the vegetables to clean them. With his peripheral vision, he saw Lin Qinghe place the fish on the cutting board. With a single chop, she stunned the thrashing fish, then gutted and scaled it. Her movements in handling the live fish were fluid and skillful, which genuinely surprised him.
So, when she said she would prepare dinner, she wasn't just saying it. She really could cook.
Next, You Rong watched Lin Qinghe skillfully chop vegetables and stir-fry them. In about an hour, she had prepared braised fish, stir-fried greens, and cured meat stir-fried with chili.
If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, You Rong would never have believed that these three dishes, with their enticing aroma and appearance, came from Lin Qinghe.
She brought all the dishes to the bamboo pavilion in the small courtyard and sat down. Zhou Cheng'an looked at the steaming dishes in front of him with surprise. "Sister Qinghe, you really can cook! I didn't quite believe you when you said it at first."
Lin Qinghe smiled, "Why didn't you believe me? Is it that strange for me to cook?"
Zhou Cheng'an scratched the back of his head and said sweetly, "No, it's just that Sister Qinghe is too beautiful, like a fairy. Fairies don't eat earthly food, so who would have thought you could cook, and so well! It's truly beyond imagination!"
"You're so sweet-mouthed. Try it quickly, I hope you like my cooking."
"We definitely will!"
Everyone started eating. Lin Qinghe looked at You Rong with anticipation and asked, "How is it? Is the taste okay?"
The food tasted very good, unexpectedly so for You Rong. He nodded and said, "Yes, it tastes very good!"
Lin Qinghe's eyes curved slightly, and she smiled, "That's good. I'm glad you... you all like it!"
After dinner, the day's filming temporarily came to an end. The cameramen who followed them went back to rest. Lin Qinghe and the others returned to their rooms separately to prepare for sleep.
After Lin Qinghe finished showering, she mentally cursed You Rong a couple of times.
Thanks to his choice of carrying manure to fertilize, her shoulder was abraded. Even her pajamas rubbing against it hurt terribly.
Hearing Wen Qianyi finish her shower, Lin Qinghe had an idea. She deliberately pulled down her pajamas to expose her shoulder, frowning and feigning a look of enduring pain.
As she expected, when Wen Qianyi came out of the shower, she saw Lin Qinghe's abraded shoulder and ran over with a look of concern, "Sister Qinghe, what happened to your shoulder? Are you injured?"
Lin Qinghe forced a smile, "It's nothing, just a scrape from carrying manure today. It's not serious."
"This... it's so badly injured, it must hurt a lot. Why didn't you say anything? You even cooked dinner for us. How about... I go tell the program team now and ask them to find a doctor to check on you!"
Lin Qinghe held Wen Qianyi back, "It's okay. The program staff have had a long day, let's not disturb them. I'll look around... maybe I brought some medicine, but I can't find it..."
"I'm sorry, I didn't bring any medicine for injuries either," Wen Qianyi said guiltily.
Lin Qinghe took her hand and comforted her, "You're different from You Rong and me. You're not an actor and don't often film, so you wouldn't think to bring wound medicine. Don't blame yourself, it's not like you caused me to get injured. Besides... it's really not serious. I'll sleep, and I'll be much better tomorrow."
Wen Qianyi suddenly perked up, her eyes lighting up, "That's right! I'll go ask You Rong if he has any wound medicine on him!"
"Qianyi, you..."
"Sister Qinghe, you wait in the room. I'll go ask. I'll be back soon, don't worry!"
Watching Wen Qianyi walk away, Lin Qinghe's eyes twinkled, and the corners of her lips curved slightly upward.
Alright, her objective was achieved!