Chapter 20
The next day, Ji Nian woke up early and found that everything around her was still quiet. She guessed that the others were still asleep while the cameras had just started shooting.
She walked out to the yard a little awkwardly, remembering that her dirty clothes from yesterday still hadn't been washed. So she took a bucket and started washing her clothes and pants by the faucet.
Fortunately, the water had soaked overnight, so most of the mud had dissolved. After rinsing them several times, they were good as new.
Having gotten used to the cameras all day yesterday, she was slowly becoming accustomed to them today as well. Anyway, she just needed to wash her clothes. If she didn't wash them, she would have nothing to wear since she only brought two sets with her.
As she thought this, Ji Nian skillfully washed her clothes beside the faucet while the camera cleverly found an angle to film her.
On screen, the bare-faced woman had casually tied her hair in a bun, with several strands falling messily around her face, giving off a special feeling.
An aloof, beautiful woman was actually squatting on the ground hand-washing clothes, and the bucket and basin she was using somehow seemed out of place for her.
On this end, the director watched the woman on screen in astonishment and said to the assistant director beside him, "This Ji Nian you found is impressive. Look, her variety show presence is also pretty good."
The assistant director nodded. He hadn't actually thought about how good she would be for the show. The only goal at that time was that this woman was popular and had hype.
After Ji Nian finished washing her own clothes, she noticed a pair of dirty shoes not far away. They were the same ones the female lead Shen Shuyao had worn yesterday.
She walked over, picked up the shoes, and started rinsing them under the faucet. She thought to herself that she had to treat the female lead well for the plot to treat her character well.
She had just started washing off half the mud when she heard a surprised voice call out.
"Xiao Nian, how come you're helping me wash my shoes?" Shen Shuyao said, astonished.
Ji Nian was taken aback, a little embarrassed. She smiled and said, "I just finished washing my clothes and saw your shoes nearby. I thought I might as well give them a scrub while I was at it. It's no trouble."
"How could I... This is..." Shen Shuyao stammered shyly with an awkward expression.
Ji Nian knew the female lead was shy and said with a laugh, "What's the matter? It's just some mud. I thought I'd save you the trouble of dirtying your hands."
Although Shen Shuyao hated the mud on her shoes and had been too lazy to clean it up yesterday, she was planning to wash them today. But she definitely hadn't expected to see a scene like this.
Her heart felt somewhat apologetic. She was puzzled by Ji Nian's many kind gestures, but she was still very grateful for them.
"Thank you..." Shen Shuyao said somewhat blankly, embarrassed.
"Girls should be taken care of. It just so happens that I like taking care of people," said Ji Nian, smiling brightly. Her eyes shone exceptionally brightly under the morning sun.
Shen Shuyao stared dumbly for a moment, her cheeks reddening. She couldn't help feeling a little moved. She had debuted just over a year ago and had already experienced her share of indifference and warmth in the industry.
She wasn't very popular and currently had just a supporting role. She was often bullied in the crew. Coming onto this variety show was to try to gain some public exposure.
But she hadn't expected the currently extremely popular Ji Nian to treat her so well.
"Done washing." Ji Nian placed the water shoes in the sunlight to dry then looked at the still dazed woman with a smile. "Why so quiet?"
Shen Shuyao shyly said, embarrassed, "I don't know how else to thank you."
Ji Nian raised an eyebrow and gave a frivolous whistle. Somewhat devilishly, she said, "Then repay me with your body."
Shen Shuyao was stunned for a moment, her cheeks flushing red. She stammered, "I wouldn't be opposed to that..."
Seeing the female lead's silly, pure reaction, Ji Nian laughed out loud. She took her hand and said, "Let's hurry and go see if the others are awake yet."
As Ji Nian led her along, Shen Shuyao watched the woman's elegant face and smiling eyes. She felt a warmth well up inside.
Ji Nian entered the house and found everyone still listless. Zhou Sheng had already laid out breakfast.
Wu Hai was sprawled out on the sofa looking exhausted while Shen Yang was quietly setting out bowls and chopsticks off to the side. Even Liang Jie kept yawning.
Seeing Ji Nian and Shen Shuyao come in, Zhou Sheng greeted them with a smile, "Hurry up and come eat breakfast. We still have to do tasks later."
Ji Nian nodded and pulled Shen Shuyao over to the dining table. With a smile she asked, "Wow, are we having noodles for breakfast today? Smells great!" She gave Zhou Sheng a thumbs up.
Shen Shuyao blinked and said, "There's tomatoes and minced meat inside."
"The fried eggs are done very nicely too," said Ji Nian as she pointed at the plate.
Zhou Sheng looked smug and said, "Of course! My fried eggs today are cooked especially well."
Wu Hai walked over, still looking exhausted but grinning as he asked, "Gege, time to eat?"
Zhou Sheng had a helpless expression and said, "Time to eat. Everyone hurry over."
Liang Jie yawned and walked over. "So sleepy," she mumbled.
"Hurry and sit. Time to eat breakfast," said Zhou Sheng as he served out noodles, smiling.
After about half an hour, everyone had mostly finished eating. Ji Nian thoughtfully cleaned up the bowls and chopsticks and took them into the kitchen. When she came out after washing them, she saw that everyone else had already put on their gear, ready to head out for the day's tasks.
"Gege, what's our task for today?" asked Shen Shuyao. She had on a small backpack and looked very cute.
"Please, anything but fishing," sighed Liang Jie.
Wu Hai also shook his head rapidly. "I really don't want to fish anymore either."
Zhou Sheng nodded. To be honest, he didn't like it much either. "Don't worry. Today our task is to sell vegetables at the market."
"Where are the vegetables from?" Shen Shuyao wondered.
"From the village. The production team already prepared them. We have to sell all the vegetables today to get the corresponding payment. If we don't, there's a punishment waiting," said Zhou Sheng. He felt the production team was very unreasonable.
Ji Nian didn't care at all. She was here recording the show to make money after all. Fifty thousand yuan for barely doing any work in just a few days was a steal for her.
"Let's head out then," said Wu Hai, instantly regaining his energy. As long as it wasn't fishing, anything was fine.
On the way to the village entrance, they saw three carts piled full with vegetables, at least seven or eight huge boxes of produce. Everyone was shocked speechless. Could they really sell it all?
"Isn't this too much?" said Shen Yang, stunned.
"Oh my god, we haven't even started yet and I already feel like we've lost," exclaimed Liang Jie in astonishment.
Hearing this, Ji Nian couldn't help but laugh out loud. She said, "Liang Jie, I think we need more confidence."
"Sigh, might as well resign myself to my fate," said Liang Jie gloomily as she looked at the three carts before her.
Wu Hai studied the carts and asked the camera, "Are we supposed to bring these over?"
Zhou Sheng gave a light cough and nodded. "Yes, we'll pull them over."