Chapter 100: Is This Truly the Life We Long For? (Please Vote)

Nine o’clock.

A white production vehicle from the show drove into the small mountain village. Jiang You, sitting in the back, rolled down the window and poked his head out, gazing at the world outside with curiosity. Having grown up in a big city, everything here felt novel to him. For Jiang You, this show was not just an opportunity, but a chance to experience a wider world.

The villagers were already busy, and figures could be seen moving back and forth in the fields. The weather was pleasant today, with the sun not too scorching, a detail that Li He found regrettable. The guests would have to do farm work later! Farm work without the sun was incomplete, much like a childhood without Ultraman.

The white car moved slowly. On both sides of the road between the houses, many villagers sat on stone-carved stools, chatting and gossiping. After about ten minutes, Jiang You finally arrived at his destination: the Mushroom House.

Security personnel from the production crew stood near the house. The cameras were already in position, and the moment Jiang You stepped out of the car, filming began.

"Wow!" Jiang You exclaimed. "It's so beautiful; I'm so lucky to be filming here."

He stepped out with his suitcase. His assistant agent had been intercepted by the production team as soon as they left. Before filming, the crew hadn't specified what to prepare or even what type of program it was. Jiang You only knew it was in a small mountain village and that he would be staying for three days; he knew nothing else. His suitcase had been packed by his assistant, containing clothes, shoes, some skincare products, and low-calorie snacks.

Seeing that no one approached him after he got out—the camera crew simply followed him, and no assistant came to tell him what to do next—Jiang You felt a bit lost. He didn't know what to do next; there was no script.

On the other side, Li He, fanning himself with a small fan, sat on a wooden stool, watching the somewhat bewildered Jiang You. Suddenly, Li He stood up: "I almost forgot there was a segment." He hurried off, leaving Wu Guang completely baffled. What was going on? The guest had already arrived; why was Jia Bei running off now?

Before Wu Guang could think further, Li He reached Jiang You. "Open your suitcase. We need to inspect it."

This segment wasn't in the system-provided proposal, and Li He had initially forgotten about checking the luggage. The inspection was mainly to prevent guests from sneaking in food or ingredients.

"Huh?" Jiang You was stunned. The production team hadn't mentioned that luggage would be checked! Still, he cooperated and opened his suitcase. Li He called over a staff member who rummaged through it and then confiscated all the snacks.

Jiang You was shocked. "Why?"

Li He didn't answer. He waved his hand and said, "You can go in now," before returning to the director's area.

"Was that added on the fly?" Wu Guang asked, confused. It wasn't in the proposal or the script.

Li He explained, "We can't let the guests sneak in food. It would be detrimental to us when we sell them ingredients later."

Dragging his noticeably lighter suitcase, Jiang You finally stepped into the Mushroom House. The wooden door creaked as he pushed it open, and the air was enchantingly fresh and clear.

He walked in. The house was built of stone, and there were two rows of flowers planted by the villagers in the courtyard. He could even hear chickens clucking.

"Wow! This is amazing." The beautiful environment made Jiang You instantly forget the heartbreak of losing his snacks. The mountain scenery was gorgeous, the air was incredibly fresh, and greenery and flowers were everywhere. "The inside is so beautifully kept," Jiang You remarked sincerely.

While Jiang You was making his bed, Teacher He and Xie Shun arrived one after the other. Soon, the three permanent guests of *The Yearning Life* were all present. Once they finished setting up, Wu Guang called the three guests out. He was extremely cautious when dealing with Xie Shun.

Xie Shun, Teacher He, and Jiang You went into the courtyard and sat under a gazebo used for cooling off on summer nights. The soft sunlight poured over the small courtyard, and the fresh air of the mountains greeted them. Xie Shun and Teacher He chatted and laughed, neither acting with airs, whereas Jiang You was cautious, feeling a trace of fear toward Xie Shun.

Xie Shun was a "Master of Music," even though he had only debuted as a singer a year ago. Facing a Master of Music, perhaps only a King of Songs could remain calm. Jiang You was terrified inside. *No one told me there would be a Master of Music on this show! I have no mental preparation at all; what if I leave a bad impression? This is too scary.*

The highly anxious Jiang You sat next to Teacher He, his focus at its peak.

"Is everyone satisfied with the Mushroom House?" Wu Guang shouted. The director's voice pulled them back, and there was a brief silence.

The experienced Teacher He spoke first: "Very satisfied!"

Xie Shun, sitting in a relaxed posture, also played along: "It's fantastic!"

Jiang You followed suit: "I love it!"

"As long as you're satisfied," Wu Guang said with a smile. "Here's the thing: the Mushroom House you are staying in requires rent, and the three of you need to pay it."

"What?" Teacher He exclaimed. They hadn't even received their appearance fees yet, and they had to pay rent? Xie Shun also looked confused.

Wu Guang continued, "The owner of the Mushroom House said before leaving that you need to pay a rent of 1,000 corns for the time you stay here."

Xie Shun became vigilant: "Corns?" He had a bad feeling. If the rent was corn, where would they get it?

"Yes, corn." Wu Guang explained the rules: "The currency here is corn. Everything you need must be bought with corn, or you can trade other items for it." The rules were simple; corn was everything.

Jiang You realized belatedly: "Are you going to make me go husk the corn?"

"1,000 is a bit too much!" Xie Shun tried to haggle. "Can't we have a bit less? Even stores offer discounts, let alone corn. How about 50% off?" Although he phrased it as a negotiation, his tone was firm.

Wu Guang found himself in a bind. According to the rules, he couldn't, but refusing a Master of Music was difficult. Sometimes, having guests with too much status made it hard for the production team to operate.

Li He trotted over from the back and took over from Wu Guang, smiling. "Teacher Xie, how about this? We'll play rock-paper-scissors. If you win, the rent drops to 800; if I win, the production team will charge 1,200."

Win and the rent decreases; lose and it increases. Xie Shun was hesitant. If he were alone, he wouldn't think twice—he'd just go for it. But with other guests here, the outcome didn't just affect him, so he had more concerns. *This young man isn't very old, so why is he harder to deal with than Wu Guang? He's trouble!*

Xie Shun had come directly from home and hadn't seen the company's recent celebrity, Jia Bei.

Teacher He saw Xie Shun's dilemma and supported him: "Teacher Xie, play him. Best of three."

Jiang You clenched his fist: "Go Teacher Xie!" The Master of Music was the best; the production team would surely lose.

Wu Guang gave Jia Bei a thumbs-up from behind. Perhaps only he could handle a Master of Music so calmly. To Xie Shun, Jia Bei was a junior, especially since they were both members of the Seventh Group. Before filming, Wu Guang had dug up many secrets, including the fact that Xie Shun was the Master of Music for the Seventh Group.

With the strong support of his two teammates, Xie Shun's confidence grew. He rolled up his sleeves: "Come on, best of three."

Li He smiled: "Rock, paper, scissors..."

Li He played scissors; Xie Shun played paper.

...After some intense rounds, Xie Shun lost and backed down: "Let's stick to 1,000. 1,000 is fine, really. 1,000 is a great number—perfect."

*Ha!* You didn't say that before you played. Li He naturally refused Xie Shun's attempt to back out. More corn meant more work for the guests, which meant more negative... er, more "life experience."

Li He continued, "Did the three of you bring any food?"

Xie Shun, having lost the match, snapped, "Don't you know?" They weren't sure if the production team knew they had brought dried dates from home to make date tea—he was getting older and needed to focus on his health—but the crew had just confiscated them.

"Exactly," the three said in unison regarding the food. "Isn't all the food we brought with the production team now?"

Li He ignored their complaints and explained the rules: "For daily meals, you need to use local ingredients and cook for yourselves. If you want the production team to provide ingredients, you must buy them with corn."

If they wanted to eat, they had to forage and cook. Xie Shun suddenly understood why Zhang Yang had asked if he could cook before he came. It was a setup.

"Let's start with a braised chicken to wet our appetites," Xie Shun said with a smile. Braised chicken was a specialty of Lu Province.

Li He didn't blink: "600 corns."

"What?" Teacher He was startled. "600 corns for a braised chicken? Why don't you just rob us?"

Jiang You protested: "That's too crooked! How can a chicken be that expensive?"

Xie Shun asked, "What about grilled fish?"

Li He replied: "600 corns."

The three were furious. It was too much.

Teacher He grumbled, "I feel like I've been scammed. This isn't *The Yearning Life*; it's a black-hearted production team!"

Xie Shun added painfully, "This is probably why the crew didn't tell us what we'd be doing before we came."

Jiang You accused: "Before I arrived, I only knew the show was called *The Yearning Life*. I knew nothing else. I didn't even know who the other guests were."

The three began to complain, accusing the production team of being black-hearted and tricking them into doing manual labor. Li He was not in a hurry; he didn't rush them. This segment could be sped up or edited out later.

When they had finished venting, Li He asked, "What do you plan to eat for dinner?"