Chapter Ch56.1 - Show Recording (2)
The program team piled 500 kg of sweet potatoes onto the embankment and told the guests the bad news. The program team wouldn’t help them transport the sweet potatoes to the city. Everything needed to be done by themselves.
“Most of the villagers here go to the city to sell things. Most go to the county town by themselves. The county town is closer than where you came from and it is only 10 kilometres away.” The host smiled with understanding. “Of course, if you can think of a solution yourself then you don’t have to carry it yourself. By the way, I’d like to remind you that you can’t use your own money to call a car.”
“500 kilograms of sweet potatoes spread between each of us is around 83 kilograms each…” Xiang Zhen shook his head violently on the spot. “No, I’m a middle-aged uncle. I can’t walk for 10 kilometres with so many things.”
Among the guests, the youngest were Zhang Kui and Li Zhao. The two people tacitly exchanged a look and didn’t open their mouths to be killed.
“Brothers, let’s find a way.” Xiang Zhen glanced at Li Zhao. Li Zhao was wearing worn clothing borrowed from the villagers and he looked like a delicate child who had been abducted and sold to a mountain village. Xiang Zhen patted him gravely on the shoulder. “Xiao Li, as the face value of our team, your time has come.”
Having said that, he took off the coat that Li Zhao had borrowed. “Brothers, take him to the road. If a female truck driver sees his face…”
“No no no, I sell art, I don’t sell myself!” Li Zhao turned and hugged the stone next to him, screaming, “I’m not going!”
The other guests came to help Xiang Zhen lift this person and as a result… he couldn’t be lifted.
The program group, “…”
How many kindergarten children were they looking after?
The director whispered from behind the monitor, “It seems that Teacher Xiang Zhen really likes Li Zhao, this little friend.”
Li Zhao joined the show’s recording halfway and was a newcomer in the circle. He wasn’t familiar with the other guests so Xiang Zhen not only helped him grab some scenes but he also helped Li Zhao quickly integrate with the guests.
“The child is too sincere and when he does things, he is very energetic.” The director’s assistant came over with a rice bowl. “Director, I think there are a low of wonderful materials in this episode.”
The director sighed. “It is just that our scenario-director group was almost killed by him.”
The director’s assistant took a mouthful of the food. “When did we have a scenario-director group?”
The director, “…”
Was his assistant a traitor sent by the guests?
After the laughter, the six guests sat cross-legged on the concrete ground without any burden of being a celebrity and scratched their heads to find a method.
“Why don’t I go and inquire if anyone in the village has a truck?”
“It is 8:30 and it will be too late by the time we find out anything. The show must’ve told the villagers in advance and they definitely won’t tell us this information casually.”
“What to do?” One guest was so anxious that his dialect came out.
“I have a way.” Li Zhao hit his thighs. “Adults can’t casually tell us but children can help.”
Having seen Li Zhao’s means with children, Zhang Kui felt a bit of expectation. “Are you trying that?”
The soon found a few children playing in the fields. Before the other guests could speak, Li Zhao took the lead. “Two heroes, we meet again.”
The two children saw Li Zhao and immediately gathered around. “Hero, why did you come?”
For children of this age, their parents were working outside and had no time to accompany them. Thus, they tended to feel good about young people who were willing to play with them.
“Recently, I have been embarrassingly short of money. I want to sell some goods in the city but unfortunately, I don’t have a car to transport them. Two heroes, do you know anyone with a truck?”
“What does it meant to be embarrassingly short of money?”
“Heroes, did you sneak away from class?” Li Zhao squatted in front of the two children and took out two lollipops from his pocket with a smile. This was what he bought at the store at the entrance of the village. Embarrassingly short of money means to have no money. I can’t go home without money. Am I pathetic?”
“It is really pathetic.” One of the children looked at Li Zhao sympathetically. “Do you live far away?”
“It is far away.” He used to live alone and didn’t know what it meant to be homesick. Now he had Yan Ting, a buddy he had to worry over this person’s eating meals, and he started to have the habit of a strong attachment to home.
“My father and mother are working far, far away and only come back for the New Year.” The child was a bit sad. “Your family must be waiting for you to go back.”
Li Zhao smile and unwrapped the lollipops for the two children. “After eating, remember to go home and rinse your mouth with mouthwash or your teeth will become ugly.”
“We know, the teacher told us.” The children ate the sugar and were happy. “Come with us, we know who has a truck.”
Li Zhao held hands with one with his left hand and the other with his right hand and walked with them while chatting.
“Strong man, when you were young, did your parents also go out to work?”
“They were very busy,” Li Zhao replied.
“They didn’t go home for the New Year?”
“Yes, They didn’t return for the New Year.”
“You are so pitiful.” A child reached into his pocket and took out a small red flower sticker, sticking it to the back of Li Zhao’s hand. “This is for you.”
“A little red flower!” Li Zhao looked at the child with surprise. “It’s beautiful.”
“I got double 100 points and the teacher rewarded me.” The child boasted a bit with a blush.
“It turns out that you are a hero who is both strong and smart.” Li Zhao lamented. “You are really great.”
“I also took double 100 points in the last exam.” The other child wasn’t convinced.
“It turns out that you are all deeply hidden masters. I was really disrespectful.” They passed through a somewhat muddy side road beside a field and Li Zhao bent down to hug the two children. The two children lay on Li Zhao’s shoulders and smiled in an innocent and content manner.
The cameraman captured this scene and couldn’t help smiling at the two children as he zoomed in. A child’s world was always easy to meet. Many houses in the village were built next to each other but most of them had been abandoned for a long time and there were no traces of life. Seeing how happy the two children were, Li Zhao didn’t put them down. Instead, he started to teach that about how to deal with scammers and bad guys as well as not talking to strangers.
“They are still a stranger’s things and can’t be eaten.’ Li Zhao said with a smile. “The next time you meet a handsome brother like me, you can’t casually eat what he gives you.”
“We’ve only met you who looks so good.”
“The two great heroes have good eyes!”
With the help of the two children, Li Zhao finally found a family with a pickup truck.
The owner was a middle-aged man in his 40s. He usually made money by acting as a short-distance freight. After hearing Li Zhao’s explanation, the uncle was very happy and agreed without much hesitation. However, the uncle pulled his whole family to take a photo with Li Zhao. He cheerfully said he wanted to hang this photo in his living room.
Having solved the transportation problem, the six people cheekily got on the program group’s car and rushed to the county. After arriving at the county town, they found the vegetable market with the highest number of people and each one of them occupied a stall. Li Zhao also pulled out his secret card.
Once the program group saw the words on the sign, they felt that they were hurt again. The guests were ground down by the program group so even in the vegetable market, they could hawk their wares loudly.
Li Zhao held the sign that he made early in the morning. “Don’t walk past and miss out on the delicious sweet potatoes. 8 jiao, as long as you have 8 jiao, you can eat them all. Authentic sweet potatoes. Young men eating them will become more handsome and young girls eating them will become more beautiful. Old people eating them will have a long life and little kids will become strong and smart after eating them.”
“Young man, this is a false advertisement, We can go to the Market Supervision Administration Bureau to report you.” An aunt saw a young man who looked handsome and tender was actually wearing old-fashioned blue clothes and was amused by his appearance. She came over and asked. “Sweet potatoes aren’t a rarity for us. How can you sell this?”
“Big sister, you don’t know but I’m an actor.” Li Zhao sighed. Unfortunately, I was tricked by the bad guys who recorded the show. If I don’t finish selling these sweet potatoes then I won’t be paid.”
The program group, “…”
“Who was this guest they invited? In broad daylight, how could he say something so baseless with such an innocent face?
“Child, I’m older than your mother. Who is your sister?” The auntie was coaxed by the ‘big sister’ and smiled. She started to bend down to pick the sweet potatoes.
“The beauty of women lies in the soul, not in the skin.” Li Zhao diligently took a plastic bag and helped hold it open for the aunt. “You are young so you are a big sister.”
“Really?” The aunt laughed happily. “As a person, you need to have a good mentality to look young.”
The aunt was coaxed to smile and bought 5 kilograms worth of sweet potatoes on the spot. She also said that she would introduce her friend to come buy some. It was 5 kg worth of sweet potatoes but the aunt carried it with no effort. She smiled happily and still seemed to have some of the beauty of her youth.
The other guests hadn’t sold anything while Li Zhao sold 5 kg. Xiang Zhen touched his face with shock and spoke emotionally, “10 years ago, I was also a handsome young man in the hearts of older sisters and aunts.”
He had just finished when he saw Li Zhao already receiving a second guest. The person buying sweet potatoes was an old man.
“Uncle, you really know how to keep healthy. It is good for your health to eat some grains. Looking at your appearance, you are probably in your early 50s?”
“What? You’re 65 years old? It seems that I should learn from you and pay attention to my health.”
Li Zhao’s side was selling in a hot manner while the other guests were criticized by those buying vegetables.
What was too small, too big, too round, too flat…
“Sister, why are you buying here?” An aunt who bought sweet potatoes from Li Zhao’ came to Zhang Kui stall and spoke to the only buyer in what she thought was a whisper. “These sweet potatoes are good. There is a guy in front whose sweet potatoes are selling particularly well. The weight is enough.”
“Really?” The buyer ruthlessly threw the sweet potatoes back to the stall and turned to go with the aunt to find the reliable person.
Zhang Kui watched the two aunts walk through the crowd and finally stop in front of Li Zhao’s stall.
They were all sweet potatoes from the same car. Why not buy from him? Aunt, speak with your conscience! Don’t think that his things are the best just because he is a young man who speaks a few sweet words. Take a good look. How are my sweet potatoes bad?