I became a movie star at the age of three; Dilraba and I are childhood sweethearts.

Just kidding. I finally got to record a show, so I can legitimately take a day off.

Now that there's such a "showy bag" eager to make a name for himself, how could he possibly miss this opportunity?

He pulled up Reba, who was still somewhat indignant, and turned to leave.

"Let's go, let's get to work."

Dilraba was taken aback.

"what?"

"What work are you still doing?"

"Didn't he cover everything?"

Xiao Chen rubbed her head, as if soothing a cat with its fur standing on end.

"Silly girl."

"We've planted so many trees these past few days, we've got enough work points."

"Go and exchange with the production team for an electric boat. In the future, when we go to the other side of the river to transport saplings, I won't have to crank it by hand like a laborer."

Dilraba then realized what was going on.

It turns out Brother Chen had planned this all along!

He never intended to compete with Huang Lei for the head chef position; he was just going with the flow to find an excuse to slack off!

Dilraba muttered to herself, but her face lit up with a big smile.

"Brother, you're so mean!"

Xiao Chen looked completely innocent.

"Is there?"

"I'm making reasonable use of the rules to contribute to the sustainable development of Mushroom House."

The two walked side by side toward the room where the production team was located, their shadows stretching long in the sunlight.

It was full of youthful vigor and an unspoken understanding that no one else could penetrate.

In the courtyard, only Huang Lei remained, facing a pile of grills and ingredients, full of ambition.

Jay Chou and JJ Lin hid far away under the eaves, each holding a guitar, pretending to be discussing music.

In reality, he was observing this grand spectacle out of the corner of his eye.

Jay Chou lowered his voice.

"Hey, not bad!"

"Ah Chen's move is brilliant; it's called 'killing with praise'."

JJ Lin adjusted his glasses and nodded in deep agreement.

"To kill without leaving a trace, brilliant, truly brilliant."

"Look at how motivated Teacher Huang is, it's like he's about to get three Michelin stars."

Leslie Cheung and Anita Mui sat at the tea table, with Leslie Cheung elegantly brewing a pot of Pu'er tea.

As Mei Yanfang watched Xiao Chen and Dilraba's departing figures, she couldn't help but laugh and scold them.

"That rascal, he's so clever."

Leslie Cheung pushed a cup of clear, yellow tea toward her and said gently.

"Ah Chen didn't want to make things ugly."

"Some people, the more you argue with them, the more enthusiastic they become."

"We might as well go along with him and let him run into a brick wall on his own."

Mei Yanfang picked up her teacup and blew on it to cool it down.

"I'm afraid he'll knock over our dinner."

Leslie Cheung smiled.

"That's not the case."

"Ah Chen has already processed most of that sheep. As long as it's roasted, it won't taste too bad."

"As for the fish..."

He didn't continue, but just gave Huang Lei, who was busy brushing sauce onto the fish, a meaningful look, and shook his head.

……

Xiao Chen and Reba returned satisfied after taking their brand-new electric boat for a couple of laps around the small river in front of their house.

The courtyard of the Mushroom House is already filled with the aroma of food.

Huang Lei's whole roasted lamb was the first to come out of the oven.

Perhaps it was because Xiao Chen's preparations were so thorough that the lamb was roasted until its skin was golden and glistening.

It was sizzling hot and looked surprisingly appealing.

The fish was grilled and placed on a plate next to it, but it looked a bit darker in color, as if the sauce had been brushed on a bit too thickly.

Huang Lei took off his apron, wiped his hands with a towel, and his face showed undisguised pride and a desire to claim credit.

"Come on, everyone, stop standing around, let's eat!"

He greeted everyone warmly.

"Come and try my cooking!"

He picked up the knife, skillfully sliced ​​off the crispiest piece of lamb leg skin, put it in his mouth first, chewed it a couple of times, and his eyes lit up.

"Mmm! Not bad! That's the taste!"

He was quite satisfied, as if the sheep was his masterpiece from beginning to end.

"Let me tell you, this whole roasted lamb has to be roasted like this, constantly turning it in your hands."

"The heat and the time must be perfect, not even a second off."

He looked around and said with a hint of pride.

"If I hadn't come today, you definitely wouldn't have been able to eat such an authentic and delicious whole roasted lamb."

"Try this fish later, I guarantee you, it'll be absolutely amazing!"

Everyone sat silently around the table, and no one responded to him.

Jay Chou and JJ Lin exchanged a glance and then went to serve themselves rice.

Leslie Cheung and Anita Mui simply sat down quietly, their expressions indifferent.

The entire courtyard was filled with a sumptuous dinner, yet the atmosphere was even more somber than when we ate instant noodles yesterday.

Before Huang Lei arrived, the place was filled with laughter and joy.

Everyone chatted freely about music, movies, and life.

Jay Chou would pull JJ Lin aside for an impromptu song, Xiao Chen would discuss the portrayal of a classic character with Leslie Cheung, and Anita Mui and Dilraba would chatter like sisters.

Today, everyone is silent.

Even Leslie Cheung, who usually loves to chat and liven up the atmosphere, has become noticeably quieter.

He quietly placed a piece of mutton on Mei Yanfang's plate, then lowered his head to drink his tea.

This silence, like an invisible barrier, isolated Huang Lei in his own world.

"Eat up, don't be shy!"

Huang Lei seemed oblivious to the unusual atmosphere, or rather, he selectively ignored it.

As the youngest sister, Dilraba always felt embarrassed to be too disrespectful in such situations.

She glanced at Xiao Chen beside her. Xiao Chen was slowly wiping the chopsticks with a tissue, his face expressionless.

So she reached out her chopsticks and picked up the plate of grilled fish that looked like it had a rich, dark brown color.

After all, this was a masterpiece for which Teacher Huang provided "full guidance" and "personally wrapped up the work."

She picked up a small piece of fish belly meat, which is usually the most tender and has few bones.

She put the fish in her mouth and chewed it once as was her habit.

The next second, she stopped moving.

An indescribable, domineering, and pure salty taste instantly swept through her entire mouth, numbing her from the tip of her tongue all the way to the root.

The taste was as if you weren't eating fish, but rather just salt.

It's even more cloying than salt.

The saltiness of soy sauce, salt, and some other sauce layered upon each other, creating a tidal wave of saltiness that pounded against every inch of her taste buds.

Her little face scrunched up instantly, but then relaxed just as quickly.

There are cameras filming.

She resisted the urge to spit out the fish, swallowed it with difficulty, and then quickly picked up the water glass next to her and took a big gulp.

The whole process took only a few seconds. But she had already put down her chopsticks and had no intention of touching the plate of fish again.

Mui Yim Fong was sitting right across from her and could see her reaction clearly.

From that moment of frozen expression to the sudden gulp of water, and then to putting down the chopsticks, every detail was observed by her.

Mei Yanfang asked curiously.

"What's wrong, Dilraba?"

"Isn't the fish tasty?"

All eyes, including Huang Lei's expectant gaze, were focused on Dilraba.