Can’t Trash-Talk You to Death, So I’ll Kiss You to Death - Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Yun Duoduo held the iron basin and remained silent. It was her first time meeting someone so insatiable—someone who actually had the nerve to complain that a gift wasn’t generous enough.

Wu Heyue stepped closer, her expression turning even sour. “It’s so small, there’s probably hardly any meat. Are river crabs even good? Is there any flavor?” She looked at Duoduo as if the girl were intentionally trying to swindle her.

Duoduo suppressed her rising temper. “River crabs are only this big. My mom and I only have one each. If you think it’s unfair or you don’t want it, I’ll just take it back.”

“Why is your temper so foul?” Wu Heyue couldn’t cook to save her life, so there was no way she’d let Duoduo take the food back. “I never said I didn’t want it.”

Duoduo didn’t bother arguing. she plopped the crab onto a plate and left immediately. She popped a few cherry tomatoes given to her by Mother Ji to soothe her annoyance. Wu Heyue is truly insufferable!

On her way back, she ran into Ji Zhen and Shi Qingzi, who had also secured two bowls of rice. “We’ll come help you out later,” they promised. Duoduo thanked them with a smile and hurried home to eat.

At the table, Li Qinglian had already peeled the shell off a crab, revealing a tiny bit of golden roe—just enough for one bite. Duoduo gestured for her to eat first. “I cleaned the little crab I was playing with and put it in the steamer; I’ll eat that one later.”

After filling her stomach with two large bowls of rice, Duoduo prepared to head back to the fields. Before she left, Li Qinglian gave her some floral water to apply. “Put this on. There are lots of bugs in the rice paddies. And remember to bring plenty of water.”

…

The harvest was grueling in the heat, and as the sun climbed, it only got worse. When Duoduo returned to her section, she witnessed a ridiculous scene.

The Heiress had spread the technician’s jacket on the ground and was sitting on it. She had the technician working shirtless in the sun, harvesting the rice for her while she whined about the sun damaging her skin.

Duoduo glanced at the director’s camera, then at the cut stalks. She had a plan. “Have you learned how to harvest yet?” she asked the Heiress.

The Heiress shot her a look. “Of course I have!”

“Fine. Go trade for your rice then; your mom is waiting to start the fire.” Duoduo said nothing more and walked to her own area.

Eager to go home and rest, the Heiress grabbed a bundle of rice and ran off. She figured that since they were a team, they would split the food anyway. Since Duoduo loves to show off so much, let her do all the work. I’ll just take half of whatever she gets. Besides, the technician is there to help, right?

After working for two hours and seeing no sign of the Heiress, Duoduo gave the technician a bottle of water. “Uncle, you should go home and eat. The Heiress said she’s learned the ropes, so we can handle it from here. Thank you for your help today.”

The technician nodded. The crew told him he only needed to provide guidance, yet he’d been roped into doing hard labor by the Heiress, leaving his own farm work unfinished. He left gladly.

Once he was gone, Duoduo approached the crew with a firmer tone. “Director, about the teams… we aren’t doing ‘collective distribution,’ are we? Where do we work together and then pool all the grain?”

The crew had actually planned it that way, but Duoduo’s mention of “collective distribution” gave the director pause. In this day and age, that would be mocked by netizens as outdated. He quickly changed his tune: “No, it’s individual. You get exactly what you harvest yourself. As for the Heiress…”

“The Heiress is an adult,” Duoduo cut him off with a bright, toothy grin. “She’s not that thoughtless. I’m sure she’ll be over shortly.”

She went back to work. If the Heiress wanted to come, she’d come. The director knew exactly why they had paired the two: they couldn’t offend the A-lister Ji Zhen or the popular idols, so Duoduo and the Heiress became the designated “drama generators.”

By dusk, Duoduo had finished her plot. Just as she was about to leave, the Heiress finally appeared, looking “apologetic.” “I’m so sorry, something came up. I’m late.”

“It’s fine,” Duoduo smiled. “There are still a few hours of daylight left. I’m almost done with my part, so I’m heading back. Good luck!”

The Heiress froze on the ridge. “Aren’t we working together? To split the food?”

Duoduo wiped the sweat from her brow. “We are in a team, but it’s ‘to each their own’ for the harvest. You didn’t think I was going to give you my food, did you?”

“I—” The Heiress’s eyes widened. To admit she expected a handout would be to admit she was lazy. “Of course I knew that! I was just wondering where the technician went.”

“You said you learned how to do it. Why would you need him? He has his own work to do,” Duoduo replied, then turned to the crew. “I’m ready to trade these.”

…

At the threshing floor, Ji Zhen and Shi Qingzi were also exhausted. Ji Zhen saw Duoduo sitting on a stone roller and asked, “Duoduo, how much did you get? Need a hand?”

“I’m all set! Look, I have enough for a whole sack of rice.”

“I got more than you,” Ji Zhen bragled playfully.

Duoduo handed him her phone. “Brother Ji, can you take some photos of me? I want to send them to a friend.”

“Sure!” Ji Zhen took the phone. Duoduo posed with her straw hat, smiling. “Make sure I look cute! I have to look cute!”

Ji Zhen promised he would, but as soon as she blinked or moved, he snapped a flurry of photos, capturing her in the most hilarious, dorky poses imaginable.

“Haha! You let Brother Ji take your picture?” Shi Qingzi doubled over laughing. “Have you seen the ‘masterpieces’ he posts on his own Weibo?”

Duoduo realized her mistake and scrambled for the phone, but Ji Zhen caught her mid-run in several “action shots” that were pure comedy. “Let me see!” she cried. She wanted to show her “Sister”!

“Look at this one where your eyes are half-closed,” Ji Zhen teased. “Send this to your friend.”

“I can’t!” Duoduo had told the Beautiful Lady she was a super-cute, super-gentle little sister.

“Brother Ji is right,” Shi Qingzi added. “If you send a generic ‘pretty’ photo, she’ll just say ‘nice.’ But if you send these, she’ll be impressed and think you’re genuinely adorable.” He paused. “Is this friend a guy or a girl?”

Duoduo checked for cameras and whispered proudly, “It’s a Sister. She’s wonderful!”

“Even better. Send them,” Ji Zhen urged.

Duoduo wavered. A “pretty” photo might be forgotten in a second, but a funny one would leave an impression. She took a deep breath and hit send.

…

That evening, a staff member arrived with a new mission card. “The next task might be difficult for you, so we wanted to discuss it first. We want you to invite a friend from the industry to come as a guest on the show.”

The crew was worried. As an obscure “18th-tier” actress, Duoduo likely couldn’t pull in a big name. They were prepared to either skip her or assign her a random minor celebrity to boost ratings.

Duoduo clutched her phone. This was a rare chance. She desperately wanted to see the Beautiful Lady, but feared a rejection. “Can I ask her tonight? I’ll give you an answer once she replies.”

The staff member’s gaze turned a bit condescending. “Can you even invite a ‘trending’ star? Forget it, let’s not make it hard for you. Just tell me… can you invite anyone with a name people actually recognize in the entertainment industry?”