How did hiring someone to press a pig image during Chinese New Year become a top trend?

Chapter 41 Are you here for tourism, or to cry while eating green onions?

It was still dark.

The wind in the Taihang Mountains carries a chill that can penetrate to the bone.

Xu An squatted on the stone roller at his doorstep, his hands tucked into his sleeves, looking like a quail.

In front of me was a wall.

A green and white wall, exuding a strong, spicy aroma.

That was two thousand catties of Shandong scallions.

There was also a small, yellowish-brown hill next to it, which contained 5,000 jin of potatoes.

Xu An sniffed, not daring to inhale too deeply, as it stung his eyes.

"Master."

Xu An turned his head and looked at his grandfather, who was practicing Tai Chi in the yard (actually, he was just making random gestures).

"What do we do?"

"This scallion is taller than me! Just peeling it will take us until the beginning of spring next year, won't it?"

Grandpa finished his stance; although his steps were a little unsteady, his aura was still strong.

"What's the panic?"

"Where there's a will, there's a way; where there's a will, there's a way."

"Start broadcasting right away."

"You left so many people hanging there last night, weren't you afraid of losing followers?"

Xu An sighed.

He pulled out the Huawei Extraordinary Master, which was wrapped in tape, from his pocket.

There are several mud marks on the screen; those were from when I was unloading potatoes yesterday.

If Director Wang saw this, he'd probably be heartbroken.

"that……"

Xu An opened the live streaming app, and the camera was pointed directly at the wall of green onions.

Good morning, family.

"How did you sleep last night?"

"I didn't sleep well."

"I dreamt all night that this scallion came to life and wrapped me in a big pancake."

It had only been less than a minute since the broadcast started.

The number of online users jumped to over 5 instantly.

This is the lingering resentment left by yesterday's "lightning-fast end to the broadcast." These people probably set alarms to wait for the broadcast.

[ID Night Owl Champion]: Hey, isn't this the streamer who "can't sleep properly"? Up so early?

[ID wants to see boxing]: I want to see the replay! Did he kick off the covers yesterday or not?

[ID Shandong Dahan]: Blogger, how's the scallion? Is it strong enough?

Xu An zoomed in, giving the scallion a close-up.

That's awesome.

That's awesome!

"My current worry is about these two thousand kilograms of scallions and five thousand kilograms of potatoes."

"Plus the thousand catties of pork we bought last night."

"How many dumplings would that take?"

"My grandpa, my fifth aunt, and I, even if we scrubbed our hands raw, we still couldn't finish the job."

Xu An was just telling the truth.

This project is even more daunting than building a cafeteria.

The canteen has an excavator, but dumplings can only be made by hand.

Just then.

A cloud of dust rose from the dirt road at the village entrance.

Xu An squinted and glanced at it.

Good guy.

Dozens of people, wearing brightly colored windbreakers and carrying hiking backpacks.

The leader was holding a selfie stick and shouting at the screen.

"Family members! This is Xujia Village!"

"See that? That pile of green onions is the landmark!"

These are either tourists who stayed yesterday, or new fans who rushed here overnight.

They didn't go hiking or see the scenery.

We headed straight for this pile of green onions.

Xu An was startled and instinctively wanted to run away.

His social anxiety instincts told him that being surrounded by so many people was more dangerous than slaughtering a pig.

But the leading tourist had sharp eyes and spotted Xu An squatting in the pile of scallions at a glance.

"There!"

"That's Teacher Xu!"

"That's the real Teacher Xu!"

A group of people swarmed around them.

Xu An had nowhere to retreat, with that 1.8-meter-tall scallion pressing against his back.

"That...that one."

Good morning.

Have you eaten?

After holding it in for a long time, Xu An finally managed to utter this classic piece of nonsense.

The leader of the tourists was a young woman wearing a woolen hat. Her face was red from the cold, but her eyes were very bright.

"I haven't eaten yet!"

"Teacher Xu, I heard we're making dumplings today?"

"We're here to help!"

Xu An was stunned.

help?

These days, aren't all tourists treated like royalty?

Why are there people so eager to work here?

"This...this isn't a good idea."

"You've come from afar, you're guests."

"These scallions are so spicy they're making my eyes water, and the potatoes are all mush."

"Dirty".

The girl rolled up her sleeves, revealing a fleece-lined sweatshirt underneath.

"What's there to be afraid of about being dirty!"

"We're constantly being choked by the empty promises our bosses make at work."

"I really want to try these authentic scallion and pork dumplings today!"

"Sisters! Grab your weapons!"

The girl gave the order.

These dozens of people really didn't hold back.

Some threw their bags on the ground, while others simply pulled out their Swiss Army knives from their pockets.

There was even a guy who took a folding stool out of the trunk and plopped down in front of the pile of scallions.

"Stop talking nonsense!"

"Let's get started!"

"I refuse to believe it. If I can't handle the client's needs, can't I handle a single onion?"

The atmosphere in the live stream instantly changed.

[ID: I'm slacking off at my workstation]: Holy crap? They're already at it?

【ID Wants to Go to Xujia Village】: Wait! Hey bro in that Arc'teryx jacket, are you using a 5,000 yuan shirt to wipe potatoes?

[ID: Rich Woman Happy Onion]: This is what you call an immersive experience! I want to go too! I want to peel garlic!

More and more people gathered.

From a few dozen at the beginning, to several hundred later.

There were college students who slept in the air-raid shelter last night.

There are some self-driving enthusiasts who park their cars at roadside RV campgrounds.

Even a few construction workers wearing reflective vests came over during their break.

The once deserted threshing ground.

It instantly transformed into a massive open-air processing plant.

Xu An wasn't idle either.

Since we can't stop them, let's join them.

But he found that he couldn't get involved at all.

The line to peel onions stretched for a long stretch, and the sink for washing potatoes was crowded with people.

Even in front of the chopping board where the pork hadn't been chopped yet, there were seven or eight burly men standing there, gesturing and showing off how to cut it.

"This piece of meat has a nice texture; it's suitable for making filling."

"That cut must be ruthless, it must sever the fascia."

These burly men clearly work out at the gym; the chopping board screamed as they chopped the meat.

Holding his phone, Xu An wandered through the crowd like an idle overseer.

But he soon discovered a problem.

These scallions are really spicy!

Especially when two thousand kilograms of scallions are peeled and cut into sections by hundreds of hands at the same time.

The smell that permeated the air.

It's comparable to a biological weapon.

"Cough cough cough..."

"I... Waaah... I'm okay."

The girl who was leading the group earlier is now chopping scallions while shedding tears.

His eyes were swollen like walnuts, and he was crying and sniffling.

But the knife in his hand didn't stop.

"This scallion...it's too strong...waaaaah..."

The guy next to me was in an even worse situation.

I thought wearing sunglasses would protect me from the spiciness, but instead, tears streamed down the temples of the sunglasses.

"brother."

"This isn't chopping scallions."

"This is like a review of my fucked-up first half of life."

"The more I cut, the more I want to cry."

Xu An couldn't help but laugh at the sight.

"that……"

"Everyone, move upwind."

"Don't try to tough it out."

"These Shandong scallions have a fiery temper; they're good at getting back at anyone who dares to challenge them."

The chat room was filled with laughter.

[ID members are all crying]: Hahahaha! Is this the legendary "pain and pleasure at the same time"?

【ID I also want to cry】: Actually, it's pretty good. Usually, I have to find a reason to cry, but now I can cry openly and honestly.

[ID Ophthalmologist]: A friendly reminder: holding a mouthful of water in your mouth while chopping onions can relieve tearing.

[The person upstairs is lying]: I tried it and almost choked to death, don't believe it!

Just then.

The village loudspeaker came on.

That was Xu An's grandfather's voice, full of energy.

"Feed him/her?"

"Attention everyone!"

"Those kids from the city are making dumplings for us at the threshing floor."

"That skill... I doubt it."

"The dumpling wrappers were rolled out like shoe insoles, and they only came out as thin soup."

"If the women in each household don't have any work to do..."

"Bring your rolling pins."

"Go and provide support."

"Don't let the kids ruin the flour from our Xujia Village."

This shout was broadcast over the loudspeaker.

All the dozens of households in Xujia Village were mobilized.

Second Uncle's aunt, Third Grandmother, and Fifth Aunt.

These elderly ladies, who usually walk slowly, are now all full of energy.

Holding a rolling pin and a work surface.

They looked like a female army going to the front lines to provide support.

"Get out of the way! Get out of the way!"

Fifth Aunt took the lead, wearing that dark blue smock, exuding an aura of immense power.

She walked up to the girl who was rolling out dough.

Looking at the dough, which was uneven in thickness and shaped like a map.

His brows furrowed into the shape of the Chinese character "川" (river).

"Is this a dumpling wrapper?"

"This is too thick even to use for tire repair!"

The girl blushed to the roots of her neck from the scolding, holding a rolling pin and looking completely lost.

"Teacher...I...I didn't do it."

Fifth Aunt rolled her eyes at her, but didn't stop what she was doing.

They simply pushed the girl aside.

Hold the dough ball in your left hand and the rolling pin in your right.

I didn't even see how it happened.

The rolling pin spun like a whirlwind on the board.

"Swish swish swish—"

One by one, round dumpling wrappers, thick in the middle and thin at the edges, flew out as if by magic.

"See that?"

"Use your wrist."

"Keep your mind calm."

"Making dumplings is like being a person; you have to have both substance and appearance."

The girl was stunned.

The surrounding tourists were also dumbfounded.

"Holy crap! Is this the speed of intangible cultural heritage workers?"

"This old lady's cooking is amazing!"

"I suddenly feel like a piece of trash."

Fifth Aunt may have a sharp tongue, but she has a soft heart.

Seeing the girl's admiring look, he handed her the rolling pin.

"Take it."

"Learn by following along."

Don't be afraid of looking ugly.

"Who doesn't start from knowing nothing and then learn?"

This moment.

A strange scene unfolded on the threshing floor.

Young city dwellers wearing Arc'teryx and The North Face, carrying the latest mobile phones.

He was clumsily learning to roll out dough from a group of elderly rural women wearing cotton-padded jackets and with wrinkled faces.

Every now and then, bursts of laughter could be heard.

Or it could be the sound of old ladies scolding their children for not living up to their potential.

"Oh dear! That's filling, not bricks! Put less of it!"

"Pinch it tight! Otherwise it'll fall apart when you put it in the pot!"

Xu An stood to the side, holding up his phone.

Looking at this scene.

Suddenly, I realized that the pungent smell of scallions didn't seem so strong anymore.

Instead, it has a...sweet taste.

The number of viewers in the live stream has unknowingly exceeded 50.

The comments section was no longer filled with uniform "hahahaha".

【ID Missing Grandma】: My grandma used to teach me how to make dumplings like this, but sadly she's gone.

[ID Culture Inheritance]: This is the best kind of communication, a million times better than those seminars held in meeting rooms.

[ID: Human Fireworks]: I got hungry while watching it, not in my stomach, but in my heart.

"Teacher Xu!"

Li Daguo's loud voice rang out again.

He was wearing a safety helmet and holding a large colander, standing in front of the cooking pot.

"The water's boiling!"

"Can we put it in the first batch?"

Xu An glanced at the mountain of dumplings.

Although they come in different shapes.

Some look like gold ingots, some like mice, and some even like steamed buns.

But those were all made by hundreds of hands, one by one.

"Down!"

"Dismount!"

"This pot, let's serve it first to our construction team brothers, and those sisters who cried the most just now!"

Xu An shouted.

But the sound was quickly drowned out by cheers.

"Dumplings are in the pot!"

Plump, white dumplings jump into boiling water.

It looked like thousands of little white geese flapping their wings.

Steam rose up, blurring the lens and Xu An's face.

He wiped his face.

I don't know if it's from the heat or from the spiciness of the scallions.

My eyes are a little wet.

"that……"

"Family members."

"The dumplings need to cook for a while longer."

"I just saw someone in the comments say that this is just a waste of time and money to suffer."

Xu An paused for a moment.

Looking at the girl who was learning so enthusiastically from Aunt Wu.

I watched the man wearing sunglasses peeling garlic while crying.

Actually...

"I think this is what life is all about."

"Normally in the city, they always put on airs and act high and mighty."

"Only when you get here, in front of that pile of mud and green onions."

"Nobody cares whether you're a CEO or a PowerPoint presenter."

"Here."

"Whose dumplings don't leak out?"

"That's who it is!"

Xu An gave a thumbs up.

Just then.

The familiar black sedan, belonging to Wang Xingbang, the director of the Culture and Tourism Bureau, quietly stopped under the shade of a tree at the entrance of the village.

The car window rolled down a crack.

Director Wang watched the bustling scene and the barrage of comments praising the simple and honest folk customs of Huixian County.

Her eyes were a little red.

He took out his phone and made a call to the power company.

The voice was kept very low.

"Hey, Lao Zhang."

"I think the transformer in Xujia Village is under a lot of load."

"Send a generator truck over here, and keep it ready at the back of the village."

"Don't enter the village, and don't make a big fuss."

"Just say it's... line maintenance."

I hung up the phone.

Director Wang glanced again at Xu An, who was standing in the crowd, grinning like a fool, and a smile also appeared on his lips.