Sang Ning had no idea how things had escalated to this point. Forget about Song Shiye for a moment, but Shen Yi was supposed to be the original male lead of the show! So why wasn't he looking for Chu Xi and instead hanging around in this broken-down cattle pen?
Aside from Grandma Song, everyone else had joined the weeding crew. Director Sun was frantically shouting at them, "I order you all to stop whatever you're doing right now!"
Not a single person paid him any attention; everyone was happily focused on cutting grass.
In her previous life at the temple, Sang Ning had grown up helping the monks reclaim wasteland for planting vegetables, fixing houses, and building chicken coops. This level of farm work was a piece of cake for her.
The trolls originally wanted to flame her for being useless, claiming she was just pretending to play up a persona for the cameras. But then they saw her working even more efficiently than all the men present and quietly deleted their pre-written comments.
If Sang Ning counted as useless, then Shen Yi and Song Shiye were practically the kings of uselessness. Criticizing Sang Ning was equivalent to criticizing them, but the fanbases of these two were too strong and ruthless. The trolls knew they couldn't win that fight.
Director Sun could no longer control these three guest groups, so he quickly asked the control room to switch the camera feed to Qin Kai's and Chu Wei's homes to see what was happening there.
Before the live feed could switch over, the field cameraman for those two groups connected with Director Sun, reporting that the guests were heading toward Sang Ning's cattle pen.
Director Sun: ???
"What's wrong with these guests? Why does everyone seem intent on squeezing into the cattle pen?"
The cameraman quickly explained, "No, Director Sun, Qin Kai and Chu Wei's groups already found places to stay. They heard Sang Ning's group was planning to settle in a cattle pen and wanted to check it out for the fun of it."
Director Sun was clearly skeptical: "Shen Yi and Song Shiye have already showcased all their talents but couldn't find a farmer willing to host them. How did Qin Kai and Chu Wei manage to pull it off?"
"Director Sun, just switch to the live feed and you'll understand. Everyone's together now anyway."
As soon as he saw Chu Xi, Director Sun immediately understood—Qin Kai and Chu Wei must've worked their way in through special connections.
With Chu Xi and Sang Ning, two wildcards in play, Director Sun felt utterly defeated.
After arriving at the village chief's house, Chu Xi and Li Sulan sat in the courtyard to rest while waiting for the production crew's next task arrangement.
The courtyard gate was wide open, and even seated far inside, they could hear Qin Kai's and Chu Wei's groups repeatedly being rejected by nearby villagers.
The two groups eventually converged at the village chief's gate. Standing side by side, they exchanged helpless glances and wry smiles, sharing mutual frustration.
The tasks given by the production team were absurdly challenging. At this rate, it seemed unlikely they would find accommodations before nightfall.
Li Sulan remembered how both Qin Kai and Chu Wei had been respectful during lunch earlier. She wanted to lend them a hand and build goodwill with them.
She asked the village chief to help arrange for two villagers to host Qin Kai's and Chu Wei's groups, promising that each farm household would receive a payment of 100,000 yuan as compensation after filming ended.
With Li Sulan's promise and the village chief stepping in, Qin Kai's and Chu Wei's housing problems were resolved just like that.
Netizens were stunned, calling it "666-level godlike problem-solving."
[It's true—money can solve 99.99% of problems. If it doesn't work, it's just because you don't have enough of it yet.]
[But come on, Qin Kai and Chu Wei could've forked out 100,000 yuan themselves. They obviously didn't want to break the show's rules. Mrs. Chu pulling tricks like this totally defeats the purpose of the program; she's just treating it like a vacation.]
[What's funny is, the production crew never forbade post-recording payments. It's just that other people didn't think to be so flexible.]
After solving their accommodation issue, Qin Kai and Chu Wei heard Sang Ning's group had opted for a deserted cattle pen as their lodging. Chu Wei found it intriguing and decided she wanted to check it out.
On the surface, Chu Xi voiced concerns that it might not be appropriate, but her actions didn't match her words—she followed along after Qin Kai and Chu Wei headed over.
The current scenario involved Chu Xi, Chu Wei, and Qin Kai crowded at the courtyard gate, peering in at those inside zealously hacking away at weeds.
Chu Xi never expected to see Shen Yi here. Her hands clenched into fists, relaxed, then clenched again.
Chu Wei, whose heart was as straightforward as her comments, pointed at Shen Yi and Song Shiye working tirelessly on the weeds and teased, "Gentlemen, why not give up helping Sang Ning and join Sister Xi instead? Brother Kai and I have places to stay, thanks to Sister Xi's mom."
Song Shiye, though young, had earned himself a reputation for being foul-mouthed in the industry. He immediately stood up and fired back at Chu Wei's remarks: "What, didn't Mommy Chu simply buy your accommodation spots with money?"
Chu Wei didn't pick up on the sarcastic undertone in Song Shiye's comment. Instead, she nodded repeatedly in shock: "Exactly! How did you know? If I'd realized this was possible earlier, I would've directly offered the villagers money instead of dealing with all those rejections!"
Song Shiye brushed his blue hair back, revealing his little fangs, and smirked: "The production team took away our luggage and phones precisely to prevent secret financial deals with the villagers. While not explicitly stated, the rule clearly implies that we're not allowed to use money to secure lodging. What you guys did basically broke the rules."
Chu Xi, already upset, couldn't understand Shen Yi's thought process. He'd rather stay in a dilapidated cattle pen than come to her group. Hearing Song Shiye sneer about how her family ignored the show's rules made her suddenly snap. She pointed at Sang Ning and retorted to Song Shiye.
"Why are you only criticizing us? Didn't Sang Ning also break the rules? The arrangement was for us to be accepted by villagers, not by a cattle pen!"
Sang Ning, focused on weeding, suddenly found herself dragged into the conversation. She looked up at Chu Xi with an earnest expression and replied, "That's because my family doesn't have as much money as Miss Chu's family. If I had the wealth, I'd pay for a place too—why would I choose to suffer here like this?"
Sang Ning was speaking the truth. The Sang Family was dirt poor, and if she really had money, she would've adopted Li Sulan's cash-driven strategy. Anyone would choose comfort if they could afford it—she was no exception.
But Chu Xi interpreted Sang Ning's sincere words differently. To her, Sang Ning seemed to be taking a jab at her for solving issues by throwing money around.
"Sang Ning, don't you think your words are a bit too harsh?" Chu Xi's voice was tinged with a sob.
Chu Wei and Qin Kai turned toward Chu Xi and saw her eyes brimming with tears, teetering on the verge of falling. Although they didn't quite understand why she was upset, they instinctively leapt to side with her.
Chu Wei pointed at Sang Ning and accused, "Sang Ning, look at what you've done! You're about to make Sister Xi cry."
Sang Ning appeared genuinely puzzled, her face a mix of confusion and exasperation. What had she done to Chu Xi?
[Eldest Miss Chu sure is fragile. Is it so wrong to point out that her mom paid for accommodations?]
[Sang Ning clearly spoke with sincerity. From her expression, I can tell that if she actually had the money, she'd undoubtedly be the first to fork over cash for a place to stay.]
[Come on, Sang Ning's a celebrity—can't she scrape together just a few thousand yuan?]
[Not all celebrities are wealthy. Look at the Sang Family—they're carrying snakeskin bags and wearing what looks like street-corner apparel. Does Sang Ning even have the ability to produce 100,000 yuan?]
Sang Ning didn't intend to keep watching Chu Xi tearfully complain. She walked over to the courtyard gate, leaned casually against it with a sly smile, and quipped, "How about this: Miss Chu, why don't you also buy a home for my family?"