Chapter Nine: The Old Man Displays His Feathers

Off to the side, Xie Yi paused mid-way through breaking corn, his eyes betraying a hint of envy at the scene before him.

Xiao Yufei noticed and instinctively urged, “Hurry up, Xie Yi, we’re being timed!”

Xie Yi lowered his gaze, glancing at his hands, now reddened from the work, and suppressed the grievance in his eyes. “Oh...”

It was only when she saw Xie Yi deftly breaking corn again that Xiao Yufei finally looked away, satisfied.

She had to win first place! She had to eat a good meal today!

[Oh dear, someone give Xie Yi a hug, he’s about to break down.]
[Xie Yi looks so wronged, when will Fei ever figure it out?]
[Xiao Yufei is taking this way too seriously—it’s just a game...]
[Honestly, what’s with everyone today? This is a challenge, shouldn’t you take it seriously?]
[Forget about being serious—look at Yu Tang over there, she’s about to take off, hahaha.]

At that moment, Yu Tang was holding a basket in one hand, bent over, digging up lotus roots at lightning speed in the muddy field. She thrust her hand down along the leaf stem, and with a quick pull, up came a lotus root.

Shen Tianshi, watching beside her, was dumbfounded by her swift movements. Was it really that easy?

Suspicious, Shen Tianshi mimicked Yu Tang’s actions. Biting his lip, using all his strength and every trick he had, he jabbed hard beneath a lotus stem.

With a thud, he landed flat on his back, head over heels.

They all wore waterproof waders for digging lotus roots, coming up to their chests. But even the longest waders were no match for Shen Tianshi’s antics—he ended up splattered head to toe in mud.

Yu Tang tossed a freshly dug lotus root to Shen Tianshi, which promptly knocked him back to the ground just as he was getting up.

“Yu Tang! You’re bullying me!” Shen Tianshi was so upset he was nearly in tears.

Yu Tang, not understanding what had just happened, paused in confusion before turning with difficulty to look at him.

She stared blankly for two seconds, then burst out in a piercing laugh. “Pffft hahahahaha!”

“You look even more helpless than my eighty-year-old grandma with a cane.”

“Enough, just go rest for a while—I’ll finish this myself.”

Yu Tang waved Shen Tianshi away in disdain.

Shen Tianshi struggled to free his feet from the mud, but failed, so he watched Yu Tang with a pitiful look.

Yu Tang clicked her tongue in annoyance, set down her basket, and walked over to Shen Tianshi. With a princess carry, she lifted him up.

Shen Tianshi, dirty from head to toe, was held at arm’s length by Yu Tang, who was clearly trying to keep her clean clothes dirt-free.

He hadn’t expected her to pick him up at all. Instantly, he shyly wrapped his arms lightly around Yu Tang’s neck, which made her lean even further away in distaste.

“Hey, your hands are filthy! Don’t touch me!”

Shen Tianshi obediently withdrew his hands, folding them demurely over his chest and letting Yu Tang carry him. A suspicious flush crept across his mud-streaked face.

[Oh my, what am I witnessing?]
[I can’t stop laughing—Yu ‘Popeye’ Tang.]
[Wait, was Young Master Shen always this shy? Wasn’t he the guy who picked fights with everyone and everything?]
[By the way, who invented this little trick of Yu Tang’s (chomp chomp), it’s too much fun (chomp chomp).]
[Is this just for show? What normal female contestant would carry a male contestant?]
[Do you even hear yourself?]

Yu Tang dumped Shen Tianshi on the bank and instructed, “You stay here and wait for me. Don’t wander off.”

Shen Tianshi nodded bashfully. “Okay, I understand.”

Yu Tang gave him a speechless look, not sure what he was being shy about, then hurried back to the pond to resume digging for lotus roots.

In the little pond, she dug and dug. Shen Tianshi sat on the bank, his face covered in mud, chin in hand, gazing at Yu Tang with lovestruck admiration.

Yu Tang wasn’t nearly as fierce as he’d thought. She’d only been that way at first because they hadn’t known each other—it was normal to be defensive with strangers. He needed to learn to understand her. A strong woman like Yu Tang was always busy.

As for the secret mission the production team had quietly slipped him at the start, Shen Tianshi had long since forgotten about it.

On the bank, the old man watched Yu Tang’s nimble hands and feet, then threw his head back and laughed. “She pulls lotus roots faster than anyone I’ve seen!”

[Even the old man, with his sharp tongue and critical eye, is impressed. You must truly be working hard to better yourself.]
[Mission accomplished. Reward incoming.]

Five minutes later, Yu Tang had filled an entire basket with lotus roots.

She slung it over her shoulder and returned to the starting point, walking up to the old man.

He looked at Yu Tang with admiration as he took the basket from her.

“All right, all right, your task is complete.”

Yu Tang’s lips twitched. “Why not check them? After all, it’s a hundred lotus roots in half an hour. If you don’t check, it feels like all my work was for nothing.”

The old man waved her off with a smile. “No need, I trust you, young lady.”

Yu Tang could only shrug. “Very well.”

The old man fetched the task card, now split with a crack, stamped it, and handed it to Yu Tang.

With the task card, Yu Tang also received a pair of gloves—thick cotton ones. They’d be hot to wear, but her hands would be safe from cuts during work.

Yu Tang accepted them cheerfully and turned to leave.

Seeing Yu Tang about to walk off without him, Shen Tianshi panicked and sprinted after her. He was tall, so he had to lower his head to speak to her, his eyes shining with pure admiration.

“Little Yu Tang, when did you learn all this? How come I never knew?”

Young Master Shen’s voice carried a petulant pride.

Yu Tang replied offhandedly, “It’s a gift.”

With that, she headed for the neighboring cornfield.

Young Master Shen wasn’t sure what she was up to, but he followed her like an eager little puppy.

Xie Yi and Xiao Yufei were still hard at work picking corn. The stalks were tough—it took a lot of effort just to press them down, and they’d only managed to fill one basket so far.

Yu Tang didn’t say a word; she simply waded into the field.

The punk grandpa in charge of the corn, having witnessed Yu Tang’s prowess earlier, tensed up at her approach, afraid his cornfield would be stripped bare like a plague of locusts had swept through.

He hastily grabbed his guitar and began strumming, hoping to attract Yu Tang’s attention. As he played, he sang, “Girl across the way, look over here, look over here, look over here, the show here is wonderful~~”

But Yu Tang’s mind was focused solely on the task. His performance failed to draw her in, but it did catch Shen Tianshi’s attention.

Hearing the commotion, Shen Tianshi strolled over to the punk grandpa, circling him with great interest.

“Wow, old man, you’re still showing off at your age?”

The old man’s hands shook so much he almost dropped his guitar on the spot.