I Struggle to Survive in a Girl Group [Transmigration] - Chapter 60

Chu Ning’s team barely made it on time to submit their task, but their completion rate was quite high, smoothly earning them forty dollars.

However, since none of them had eaten breakfast, each spent two dollars to buy some food from Xu Die, leaving them with thirty-two dollars and temporarily putting “Princess” in the lead.

An Qing couldn’t shake the feeling that the expressions on their faces seemed a bit off. Especially Chu Ning, who avoided eye contact and wouldn’t look anyone in the eye.

So she quietly asked Shen Siqi, “What’s going on? Did something unpleasant happen during the task?”

Shen Siqi, usually quite talkative, was unusually brief: “Nope.”

An Qing gave her a puzzled look and couldn’t resist asking further, “How are things between you and Chu Ning, going smoothly?”

She then carefully scrutinized Shen Siqi from head to toe and quickly came to a conclusion.

Not bad she hadn’t been beaten up.

“Oh, An Qing, be a bit more mature and stop dwelling on these things,” Shen Siqi muttered without looking at her, “Let bygones be bygones. Just let it go.”

An Qing: , Who exactly are you saying that to?

Just then, someone wrapped an arm around her shoulder. It was Yu Tingbai, reminding her it was time to leave, which temporarily pushed her doubts to the back of her mind.

The filming location Xu Die mentioned was about a two-hour drive from the hotel. The two teams of young girls boarded the shuttle bus cheerfully and took their seats one by one.

An Qing had woken up too early and, with a full stomach, started feeling drowsy as soon as she got on the bus.

The vehicle moved steadily, and the scenery outside the window flew by. Her eyelids grew heavier and heavier until she could no longer hold on, leaning sideways.

In her drowsy state, An Qing felt a warm hand gently supporting her head, and then she rested on someone’s shoulder.

Hmm, the person beside her naturally, it was Yu Tingbai.

With her last bit of consciousness, An Qing softly called out the other’s name: “Bai Bai?”

Even with her eyes closed, she could feel someone’s gentle gaze from above. Then, a familiar voice sounded beside her ear: “Qing Qing, sleep.”

The sky was bright and clear, with ancient, leafy trees slicing the sunlight into fragments, casting mottled shadows on the yellow earth.

Rustic guesthouses clustered here and there, their white walls and blue tiles looking exceptionally serene beneath the azure sky.

The temperature in the mountains was a few degrees cooler than outside, and everyone stood in the shade of the courtyard trees, feeling no trace of the heat.

“Welcome, everyone, to the beautiful Qingxi Village. We will spend a delightful journey on this rich and fertile land.”

Xu Die, dressed in outdoor gear, smiled energetically at the camera. She briefly introduced the local customs and culture of Qingxi Village before shifting the topic to the game rules.

“As the saying goes, money isn’t everything, but without money, you can’t do anything. In Qingxi Village, everyone will need to earn funds by completing tasks assigned by the program team. The team with the most remaining funds at the end of the shoot will win the final victory.”

An Qing listened with a heavy heart.

She strongly suspected they would be struggling at the subsistence level for the next two days.

An Qing couldn’t help but reflect on herself, why did she always end up participating in variety shows where even eating was a challenge?

Shen Siqi lamented dramatically, “Listen, always talking about money is so vulgar!”

An Qing shot her a sidelong glance, “Silly girl from a wealthy family, you have no right to say such things.”

Xu Die reminded everyone of some safety precautions and then announced, “Alright, let’s begin today’s first round of tasks!”

With that, she gestured for everyone to follow her inside.

Although the guesthouse appeared small and delicate from the outside, the interior was surprisingly spacious.

In the very center stood a large wooden long table, laden with fresh ingredients vegetables, meats, seafood everything one could need.

The ingredients were all arranged on matching white porcelain plates, looking quite appealing and shimmering temptingly under the bright indoor lights. In front of each plate was a small stand with the price of each food item labeled.

An Qing curiously leaned in to look at the stand in front of a head of broccoli. It read: 3 yuan.

Great, she thought. Buy two heads of broccoli, boil them in water, and eat them no chance of starving.

Xu Die explained, “Our first task is for both teams to select and purchase ingredients from this table to prepare a lunch.”

An Qing asked, “Can we make any dish we want?”

Xu Die nodded. “Yes, but you must put your heart into it. Six children from the village will also be joining us for this lunch.”

“So lucky?” Shen Siqi looked at her pitifully. “This role would actually suit me quite well.”

Xu Die smiled warmly. “The village children will rate the dishes from both teams. The winning team will receive fifty yuan, while the other team will get a twenty-yuan subsidy.”

Hearing about the prize money, everyone suddenly became more motivated. Their current cash reserves were already low, and after preparing this meal, they would be even more strapped, leaving them feeling insecure.

They had all checked the ingredient prices earlier. To prepare a balanced meal for four people with both meat and vegetables, it would cost at least twenty-something yuan. Even a twenty-yuan subsidy would significantly ease their current financial strain.

Yu Tingbai thought for a moment and asked Xu Die, “How old are these children you mentioned? Do they have any dietary restrictions?”

If they were too young, they probably couldn’t handle spicy or strongly flavored foods, and she wanted to avoid that. After all, the children would decide the outcome. More important than making the food delicious was making sure it suited their tastes.

“They’re all around ten years old,” Xu Die replied, picking up on her intention and giving her an approving glance. “No dietary restrictions, and they’re not picky eaters.”

Shen Siqi fell into deep thought. “I really am suited for this job let me join the children!”

An Qing teased her on purpose, “You don’t need to join; you’re practically one of them already.”

Shen Siqi turned away, pretending not to hear.

The production team had allotted two hours for cooking. Once the rules were confirmed, both teams gathered around the long table to discuss what dishes to prepare.

Green onions, ginger, garlic, and seasonings were all free, and rice was unlimited. They only needed to purchase the main ingredients after deciding on the menu.

Wen Ling didn’t hesitate and directly assigned tasks. “The portions of ingredients are generous. Let’s make four dishes that should be enough for everyone, including the children. Each of you, pick a dish you’re good at.”

Yu Tingbai picked up a head of cabbage, her movements uncharacteristically awkward.

She asked An Qing, “What would you like to eat, Qingqing?”

An Qing hadn’t cooked all that often and only knew how to make a few dishes. Since she wanted to impress her fiancée, she naturally chose the one she was best at.

She pulled over a plate of vibrant green chili peppers, picked up the minced meat, and looked up to seek her fiancée’s opinion.

“I’m thinking of making stuffed chili peppers. Do you like them?”

Stuffed chili peppers were a perfect dish to pair with rice. The minced meat, marinated with various seasonings, was stuffed into hollowed-out chili peppers, briefly fried in a pan, and then simmered slowly with water. It was delicious and easy to make her signature dish.

Yu Tingbai said, “I like it.”

She paused, then added, “I love everything Qingqing makes. Could you pick another dish for me?”

An Qing didn’t think much of it. She and Yu Tingbai had very similar tastes both were meat lovers. However, Yu Tingbai was always worried about gaining weight and tended to eat more moderately than she did.

By then, Wen Ling and Yi Zhuo had already chosen their dishes: garlic broccoli and scrambled eggs with tomatoes.

An Qing thought for a moment while looking at the remaining ingredients and finally settled on curry chicken wings, a dish kids would love. Two meat dishes and two vegetable dishes just perfect.

The prices set by the production team were quite reasonable. The ingredients they bought cost only 28 yuan, leaving their team with just 12 yuan in funds.

But it didn’t matter. As long as they won the competition, they would earn another 50 yuan a hefty sum.

There were stoves on both sides of the room, each with three burners, allowing multiple dishes to be cooked simultaneously to save time.

Wen Ling said, “Let’s divide the tasks first. What does everyone want to do?”

She pursed her lips, looking a bit hesitant. “But, I don’t know how to cook.”

Yu Tingbai remained silent for a few seconds before saying, “I don’t know how to cook either.”

An Qing was surprised. “Neither of you knows how?”

In her mind, Wen Ling and Yu Tingbai were larger-than-life figures, practically superhumans capable of anything. It never occurred to her that even superhumans had their limitations.

Before Wen Ling could respond, Yi Zhuo spoke up first. “It’s fine. I can handle it on my own.”

An Qing quickly chimed in, “I can help too!”

Truth be told, she wasn’t particularly skilled more of a half-amateur. But compared to Yu Tingbai and Wen Ling, who had zero experience, she felt quite confident.

Yi Zhuo raised an eyebrow and looked at her in surprise. “You?”

In her mind, An Qing was a wealthy young lady who had never lifted a finger for household chores.

An Qing nodded confidently. “I’m pretty good at it. Trust me.”

“Alright then,” Yi Zhuo said, though still skeptical. Time was tight, and there was no room for further hesitation.

She quickly made a decision. “Then the two of us will handle the cooking. The captain and Tingbai can take care of lighting the fire and assisting us.”

No one objected, and soon everyone threw themselves into the tasks with great enthusiasm.

They quickly washed and chopped the ingredients, arranging them neatly on white porcelain plates. The colorful array looked quite appealing.

Now it was An Qing and Yi Zhuo’s time to shine. Seizing this rare opportunity to showcase a skill Yu Tingbai lacked, An Qing rolled up her sleeves, determined to impress her fiancée.

Yi Zhuo placed thin wood shavings on the firewood as kindling, expertly lit them, and gently fanned the flames a few times. Soon, red flames curled upward, engulfing the firewood.

The firelight reflected in her narrow eyes, casting a warm glow on her porcelain-like skin. She looked up and called out to Wen Ling, who was standing nearby, “Captain, come keep an eye on the fire. Don’t let it go out.”

Wen Ling didn’t move, seemingly lost in thought.

“Captain?” Yi Zhuo called again, her tone tinged with helplessness. “Are you listening?”

Wen Ling snapped back to reality and quickly took a few steps forward, crouching beside Yi Zhuo in front of the stove.

Yi Zhuo asked, “What were you thinking about?”

The crackling sound of burning reached her ears, with dark red sparks flying up only to quickly vanish into the air.

“I was thinking,” Wen Ling tossed two more logs into the stove and said calmly, “You look really good when you start a fire.”

Yi Zhuo was caught off guard: ?

The captain’s taste is truly unique.

She couldn’t resist asking, “Only when starting a fire? Do I not look good normally?”

This time, Wen Ling didn’t answer. Instead, she gave her a gentle push and said, “Light the other two stoves as well.”

Yi Zhuo shook her head with a smile, stood up, and said, “Got it.”

Above the stove, An Qing, who had already poured oil into the pan, overheard the entire exchange. She quickly seized the opportunity to learn from the advanced experience and, imitating what she’d just heard, called out to Yu Tingbai, who was diligently washing vegetables nearby, “Bai Bai, do I look good when I cook?”

Yu Tingbai looked at the girl who was fully armed from head to toe, with only two watery blue eyes visible, and fell into thought. “You look good, but is all this really necessary?”

An Qing tossed the chopped scallions and ginger into the pan with a spatula, then quickly jumped back two steps, maintaining a safe distance from the stove.

The room was crowded and noisy, making it hard to hear Yu Tingbai’s words clearly.

Stretching her arm out carefully to stir-fry, An Qing explained loudly to Yu Tingbai, “This is an advanced cooking technique it prevents oil splatters. Once you’ve cooked more, you’ll master it too.”

Her chef’s hat was a bit too big, and as she moved, it slipped down, covering half of one eye. An Qing reached up to adjust the brim and proudly boasted to her fiancée, “Also, I added a little salt to the oil earlier that also helps prevent hot oil from splattering. See? Not a single splash.”

As she said this, she suddenly felt something wasn’t quite right, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. Besides, the hat kept slipping down, seriously obstructing her vision.

Oh well, Yu Tingbai wouldn’t know the difference anyway. She’d just have to tough it out and keep going.

Yu Tingbai:

She may not know how to cook, but she had a feeling something was off.

Suspicious, Yu Tingbai walked closer to the pan and peered inside. Then she circled around to the back of the stove to check.

A few seconds later, she looked up and sighed.

“Qing Qing, you haven’t lit the stove yet.”