I'm in Wuha, and the whole internet is shipping me and Song Yuqi as a couple.

Song Yuqi blinked twice, the bamboo skewer spun halfway in her palm, and then she grabbed it again.

"Am I the main character?"

"Then what kind of story are you going to write? If you portray me as too stupid, I won't accept it."

Jiang Che pulled out a bamboo chair next to him and sat down, handing her a fine carving knife with the handle facing outwards.

"Write about a gluttonous shopkeeper who spends his days searching for delicious food throughout the ancient town."

"In the end, he was kidnapped by a passing musician with a box of three cannons."

Song Yuqi raised her foot and touched the tip of his shoe, but couldn't suppress the smile on her lips.

"Who got lured away by the Three Cannons? You were the one who forced them on me."

Jin Chen hugged his arms tightly, took two steps back, and his back pressed against the wooden pillar of the shadow puppet stage.

"Gentlemen, this is a program about the preservation of intangible cultural heritage, not a dating reality show."

"Could you please consider the feelings of the single person next to you?"

"I'm getting goosebumps all over."

Jiang Che pretended not to hear, picked up a piece of softened cowhide, and used a carving knife to press it against the edge.

The rustling sound spread along the tabletop.

The blade tip swept across the leather, turned, and swiftly finished, without the slightest hesitation.

The old craftsman initially leaned back in the bamboo chair, but after examining the knife a few times, he slowly straightened up and finally nodded twice to Jiang Che.

Song Yuqi moved closer, her shoulder touching his arm, her gaze following the gradually taking shape.

"You can even carve shadow puppets?"

"What else are you hiding from the world?"

Jiang Che didn't look up; the carving knife circled the figure's clothes again.

"I learned a little acrobatics from my grandfather when I was a child, but I wouldn't say I was an expert."

"It's more than enough to carve just one of you."

Song Yuqi gripped the edge of the table and deliberately brought her face closer.

"Then carve it nicely."

"I won't act if I'm ugly."

Before long, the two shadow puppets landed side by side on the table, their joints and outlines neatly arranged.

The female figure had her hair in a bun and was holding a candied hawthorn stick in her hand.

The male figure carried a long zither on his back, with the hem of his robe hanging down to his feet.

Jin Chen leaned closer to examine it for a few moments, then immediately clapped his hands.

"Amazing, those eyes and mouth are practically a miniature version of Yuqi's."

"Brother Che, if you lose your job with this skill, you could make a fortune setting up a stall on the overpass."

Song Yuqi picked up her little shadow puppet and flicked the control lever with her finger.

The shadow figure raised his arm, casting a shadow on the white cloth, and the candied hawthorn in his hand swayed as well.

She turned her face away, the bamboo skewer still between her fingers.

"We have the script and the props, but what about the lyrics?"

"Shadow puppetry requires singing, but I can't sing traditional Sichuan opera."

Jiang Che took the brush, and with a stroke, wrote several lines on the Xuan paper.

"You don't need to sing traditional opera. I've changed the tune. You just need to repeat after me."

Jin Chen peered over the area, then immediately pressed his hand to his chest.

"Oh my god, all the flavors of life in this mortal world cannot compare to a single glance from your eyes."

"This isn't a shadow puppet show script; it's a public love letter!"

Song Yuqi reached out to snatch the Xuan paper, her movements so fast she almost knocked over the inkstone.

"Sister Jin Chen, please don't read it aloud!"

Jiang Che lifted the Xuan paper, avoiding her hand.

Song Yuqi missed her target, glared at him, and then reached out to snatch it again.

The tables and chairs in the courtyard creaked from being bumped by the two of them. Jin Chen simply turned around and raised his clapper to cover his eyes.

Meanwhile, the East Street Food God Hall was filled with thick smoke.

Chen He stood by the stove, holding a spatula, tears streaming down his face from the smoke.

"Brother Chao! The heat is too high! The caramel is going to burn!"

Deng Chao rushed over with a water ladle, but before he could even stand up straight, half a ladle of cold water had already been poured onto the stove.

With a hiss, white smoke shot up.

The photographer who was closest to the camera covered his mouth and took several steps back, his lens tilting to the corner of the wall.

Qin Xiao sat on a small stool, fanning himself rapidly with a folding fan. His glasses were fogged up with oil, and he couldn't get them clean even after wiping them twice.

"Gentlemen, what we're making is the intangible cultural heritage of Nine Bowls, not an alchemy furnace exploding."

"At this rate, we'll only be able to serve the judges nine bowls of charcoal by 2 o'clock."

Wearing an apron, Lu Han took out freshly cut pork belly from the steamer, poked around in the bowl with her chopsticks, but couldn't find many pieces of meat.

"Brother He, you put in half a bag of rice flour for the steamed pork, and now we can't find the pork."

Chen He slammed the spatula onto the cutting board and wiped his forehead with his sleeve.

"Low meat intake is a healthy lifestyle, don't you understand?"

"This is a combination of whole grains, which provides a balanced diet."

Qin Xiao pushed his glasses back up, which had slipped down to the tip of his nose, and didn't even bother to wave his folding fan.

"I think I understand now. Jin Chen chose Jiang Che to pursue artistic creation."

"I chose the three of you to participate in a survival battle royale on a deserted island."

Deng Chao pulled up his apron to wipe his hands, but threw the cloth back halfway through.

"Old Qin, don't boost their morale."

"Shadow puppetry is so difficult, what kind of tricks can they come up with in two hours?"

"Our nine bowls may not look the best, but the flavor is definitely substantial."

Lu Han didn't argue, but dipped her chopsticks in the sauce Chen He had prepared.

The moment the sauce entered his mouth, his entire face scrunched up.

"Brother He...did you pour vinegar in instead of soy sauce?"

Chen He didn't move.

Two seconds later, he snatched the bowl, lowered his head, and smelled it again and again.

The next moment, the courtyard was filled with his wails.

Several people gathered around the pot of sauce, some adding sugar, others adding water, and the thick smoke that had just been suppressed started to rise again from the stove.

At 1:50 PM, in the central square of the ancient town.

One hundred townspeople had filled the stands, each holding a small red flower for voting.

Wu Zheng sat in the main seat, the sleeves of his gray mandarin jacket rolled up to his wrists, with a covered teacup placed in front of him.

The assistant director glanced at the watch and leaned closer.

"Director Wu, it's time. Both teams have entered the field."

Wu Zheng took a sip of tea, then left the lid on, stirring the tea leaves, for a long time before putting it back.

"I heard that the kitchen on East Street was almost set on fire just now."

"There are only three people on West Street. Shadow puppetry is not something that can be easily performed clearly."

"Both sides will definitely lose Tongbao coins in today's test."

No sooner had he spoken than the gong on the east side of the square began to ring.

Qin Xiao walked in front, fanning himself with a folding fan, followed by Deng Chao and Chen He carrying a large wooden tray. Lu Han protected the swaying rim of the bowl, reminding them to slow down along the way.

Nine large blue-and-white bowls were arranged on a wooden plate, steaming hot, but each had its own distinct color.

Chen He freed one hand and raised his voice.

"The Nine Bowls of Food God Hall are ready! The aroma wafts for miles!"

The townspeople in the front row all craned their necks to look, and several elderly men began to discuss the bowl of braised pork that had turned black.

Deng Chao placed the wooden tray on the judging table and pushed it towards Wu Zheng.

"Director Wu, come and try it. It's authentic ancient town flavor, handmade."

Wu Zheng picked up a piece of meat, his chopsticks hovering in mid-air, but he hesitated to put it in his mouth.

"Chen He, did you stew this braised pork with ink?"

Chen He straightened his back, with the spatula still tucked behind his back.

"This is a secret-recipe sauce, its essence lies in its flavor; it melts in your mouth!"

Qin Xiao slowly added a sentence.

I don't know if it melts in your mouth or not, but I'll definitely have to drink two pots of tea to cut the saltiness after eating it.

Laughter from the audience immediately followed.

Just as Wu Zheng was about to put down his chopsticks, the curtain on the west side of the square was drawn back.

A white cloth-covered stage stood in the center of the open space, with lights coming on behind it, casting the figures of Song Yuqi and Jiang Che onto the screen.

Jin Chen gripped the clappers tightly, flicked his wrist, and the crisp sound cut off the laughter in the room.

"Once the bamboo clappers are clashed, let's leave the rest aside."

"In this ancient Shu town, there lives a pair of bickering lovers!"

Song Yuqi flipped the control lever, and a female shadow puppet jumped out from a corner of the screen, waving the candied hawthorn in her hand from side to side.

Jiang Che plucked the strings, and a folk tune drifted out from behind the curtain.

The townspeople who were just discussing the Nine Bowls gradually turned around, and Chen He, no longer caring about his braised pork, carried the bowl to the front of the stage.

Song Yuqi gripped the control lever and gracefully delivered her monologue.

"Young musician, you play the zither so well, could you perhaps exchange it for a bowl of sweet noodles?"

Jiang Che caught up with her recitation, and his voice traveled through the microphone to the last row of the audience.

"One bowl isn't enough. As long as you stay in this town, I'll make you sweet noodles for the rest of my life."

Deng Chao turned to look at Chen He.

Chen He still had half a piece of braised pork in his mouth when his chopsticks fell onto the table.

"It's over, our nine bowls have completely become just background scenery."

"This isn't a shadow puppet show; they're handing out wedding candy in front of a hundred villagers!"

Song Yuqi, behind the curtain, heard clearly. She shook the female shadow puppet in her hand twice, but still moved closer to the male shadow puppet.

As the last melody faded, the male figure raised his hand and gently brushed away the fallen petals from her temple.

The figure's hand was still suspended in mid-air when Jiang Che turned his head and his gaze fell on Song Yuqi's face.

Song Yuqi also raised her head.

Their eyes met, and her hand holding the bamboo skewer slowed down by half a beat.

On the screen, two tiny figures stopped at one spot.

Jin Chen glanced at the shadow puppet, then looked back at the two people behind him, and then struck the last note on the clapperboard.

"The show is over, the family is reunited; money can't buy the person right in front of you!"

The lights at the back of the console came on.

The audience seats were empty for two beats before the applause caught up, one row overshadowing the next.

"Great! That was such a lively performance!"

"This folk song is so beautiful, even more captivating than the ones sung in the theater!"

The townspeople stood up one after another, and little red flowers flew past the front row and fell into the bamboo baskets on West Street.

Song Yuqi put down the control lever, pulled Jiang Che out from behind the curtain, and the two bowed to the audience side by side.

After straightening up, she first raised an eyebrow at Chen He.

"Brother He, it seems everyone prefers something a little sweeter."

Chen He clutched his chest, using his other hand to protect his family's braised pork.

"I lost, I lost, I was defeated by genuine feelings."

Wu Zheng glanced at the bamboo baskets on West Street that were almost full, then turned to look at the few scattered flowers at the Food God Hall, and finally struck the gong in his hand.

"The first round of intangible cultural heritage check-ins: West Street Hundred Opera Workshop is a resounding success!"

"According to the rules, the Food God Hall on East Street must pay fifty Shu Tong coins to the Food God Hall on West Street!"

Deng Chao took off the money pouch from his waist, counted one coin, his face stung, and finally pushed all fifty wooden coins in front of Song Yuqi.

"Yuqi, you've emptied out Brother Chao's entire fortune."

Song Yuqi took the money pouch, weighed it in her hand a couple of times, and then stuffed it into Jiang Che's arms.

"Chef Jiang, keep our start-up capital safe."

Jiang Che caught the money bag, flicked his thumb, and tightened the knot.

"Don't worry, Director Wu can't take the money out of my pocket."

Wu Zheng slammed the teacup on the table, and the lid spun half a circle before stopping.

"Don't get too excited, everyone."

"The martial arts banquet tonight is the real highlight of today."

A challenge letter with gold lettering on a black background was pulled from his sleeve.

The seal was still covered with red clay, so Wu Zheng didn't remove it immediately. Instead, he took the challenge letters and checked them off one by one on both sides of the team.

"The losing team has one last chance to turn things around."

"However, tonight's rules... are much crueler than this afternoon's."

Chen He picked up the bowl of meat that he had just put back on the table.

Song Yuqi grabbed Jiang Che's sleeve and looked up, waiting for his reaction.

Jiang Che grabbed her hand and pressed his thumb twice on the back of her hand. His gaze went past the challenge letter and landed on Wu Zheng's face.

"Whatever the rules, we'll just go with it."