The Salted Fish And Protagonist A Ended Up Together - Chapter 11

Song Xue’s expression froze, turning exceptionally grim. Wasn’t this a romance reality show? Why did they have to do farm work?!

Zhang Yunxi, Su Shiqiu, and Wang Mo’s expressions didn’t change much, though they looked a bit bitter. Gu Man remained silent, her features as cold as a painting, her long fingers resting lightly on the table.

The live stream audience was used to this and immediately went looking for Wen Mian.

【Where’s Wen Mian? I want to see her reaction!】

【Plus one! Currently, only Wen Mian can make me laugh while I’m bitterly working!】

【Haha, does Wen Mian know she serves this purpose?】

【Whatever, being able to serve this “old slave” is her honor!】

【Hahaha, “old slave,” you’ve clearly been a corporate drone for too long.】

Attention shifted to Wen Mian. She was holding a spoon, scooping rice porridge. Hearing Wang Qiang’s words, her slightly open mouth widened, and then she swallowed the porridge in one big gulp.

Scared me to death, I almost thought there’d be no food. Since there’s work to do, eating until full is the most important thing!

With that thought, Wen Mian ate even faster, finishing her bowl of porridge in no time.

After washing the dishes, the others rushed back to their rooms to apply sunscreen. Only Wen Mian and Gu Man remained in the hall. Wen Mian sat on the sofa in silence, waiting for the others to come downstairs. A faint scent of sandalwood lingered in the air, making one feel drowsy.

Gu Man stared straight ahead and suddenly spoke softly, “Aren’t you going to prepare?”

Wen Mian’s half-closed eyes widened slightly. Her narrow fox-like eyes turned toward Gu Man, and she shook her head gently. “No need. But what about you… are you okay?”

Wen Mian wasn’t just asking randomly. Given Gu Man’s status, her beauty was surely important, certainly more so than Wen Mian’s own.

Gu Man replied curtly, “It’s fine.”

For a moment, the atmosphere froze. Feeling awkward, Wen Mian said, “I’ll go upstairs for a moment.” Without waiting for a reply, she ran up.

Taking a thermos out of her “ever-changing” suitcase, Wen Mian chuckled, a mischievous glint in her eyes. The noisy live stream was instantly piqued with curiosity.

【What is she doing?】

【I don’t get it. Isn’t a thermos for water? What else can it do?】

Wen Mian casually tossed a few items inside, poured in some cola, closed the lid, and shook it. She smiled, “That’s it!”

Running back downstairs, she found Zhang Yunxi and Su Shiqiu already waiting. Wen Mian walked over to them, intentionally putting distance between herself and Gu Man.

After a while, Song Xue came down fully armed, wearing a sun hat and a suffocatingly airtight sun-protection suit. Wen Mian looked at her curiously, wondering: Won’t she get heatstroke like that?

Once everyone gathered, Wang Qiang waved his hand and announced: “Next, we officially begin the task. It will still be pairs, decided by drawing lots!”

Xiao Meng brought over a worn-out box and stood before Gu Man first. Gu Man reached out with her pale pink fingers and pulled out a slip of paper. Xiao Meng then moved to Zhang Yunxi and Wang Mo, who also quickly drew their slips.

The camera focused on Gu Man. She slowly opened the paper, which had two words written on it: Wen Mian.

A hint of surprise crossed Gu Man’s face. The corners of her eyes curved slightly, and the beauty mark there was striking. She parted her lips and said, “My partner is Wen Mian.”

Her voice was husky and slightly drawn out, carrying an indescribable sense of intimacy.

Wen Mian looked up in surprise, her eyes meeting Gu Man’s. Wait, weren’t we supposed to keep our distance? This ‘avoiding’ seems a bit too close, doesn’t it? Aren’t you afraid of the ‘pursuing the wife at the crematorium’ trope?

Wang Qiang flashed his big teeth and pushed Wen Mian toward Gu Man’s side, announcing with a laugh: “Excellent! Let’s congratulate this pair!”

The fans were shocked. The fans were silent. The fans almost collapsed!

【Why is it Wen Mian again?! Is she going to pester our Manman again?】

【Even though I admit Wen Mian’s performance these last two days hasn’t been bad, it doesn’t mean I’ve forgiven her!】

【Wen Mian, listen up, don’t you dare act crazy and cling to Gu Man!】

【Everyone’s being too tense, right? Based on my view of Wen Mian lately, she’s not that tactless.】

【I hope…】

Pushed next to Gu Man, Wen Mian felt uncomfortable. She shook her body slightly and quietly took two steps back, observing Gu Man’s expression as she retreated. Then she saw Gu Man’s brow furrow. Wen Mian’s heart skipped a beat, she looked away at the sky and ground, trying to sit upright and behave.

The remaining pairs were Zhang Yunxi and Song Xue (two Betas), and Wang Mo and Su Shiqiu (one Alpha, one Omega).

Arriving at the vegetable garden, Wang Qiang had chosen a task that wasn’t too grueling, considering they were celebrities. To Wen Mian, it felt more like a “pick your own” agritourism experience.

The garden was about an acre and a half, divided into sections with different crops. A local woman carrying a basket of seedlings walked over from the rows, smiling. “Today, we’re mainly planting eggplants. Sorry to trouble you all.”

Wen Mian waved her hand and replied warmly, “No trouble at all.”

The woman nodded honestly, divided the eggplant seedlings into bundles, and handed them to Wang Qiang.

Wang Qiang said, “This is your morning task, one bundle per team. The first to finish with the highest survival rate gets the most points, allowing you to choose your partner first next time.”

“Also, good news: you don’t have to cook lunch! You’ll have a date at the farmhouse!”

At this, everyone’s spirits lifted, each harboring their own hidden thoughts. Song Xue glanced secretly at Gu Man, vowing to take first place and seize the initiative. Zhang Yunxi caught Su Shiqiu’s eye briefly before looking away. Wang Mo just laughed heartily, oblivious to the undercurrents.

The farm woman demonstrated the planting process. “Dig a hole, not too deep, put the seedling in, cover it with soil, and finally water it… like this…”

Everyone watched intently and nodded.

Afterward, Wen Mian took the basket from Wang Qiang, tucked her thermos inside, and turned to Gu Man. “Shall we?”

Gu Man didn’t nod immediately, her gaze landed on Wen Mian’s fair, slender hands. Wen Mian was puzzled, but following her gaze, she couldn’t help but chuckle. She lifted the basket with a bright smile. “Here, for you.”

Only then did Gu Man nod, taking the basket and following silently behind Wen Mian. She looked up at Wen Mian’s back, her hair swayed, and the sweet scent of strawberries drifted through the air.

For some reason, the scent of sandalwood became richer, drifting away with the breeze, unnoticed.

The live stream fans were speechless for a long time before someone spoke.

【Fine, I admit Wen Mian handled that well…】

【Wen Mian is actually quite pleasant when she’s being rational…】

【I hope she keeps this up and doesn’t go back to her old ways.】

The two were assigned the plot at the very edge. The hum of machinery could be heard in the distance under a sky of soft, floating clouds.

Wen Mian stopped with her hands behind her back and turned around. “This is the spot. Let’s start!”

Gu Man hurriedly looked away, her ear tips flushing slightly, annoyed that she had been staring. “Okay.”

Setting the basket down, Gu Man took the initiative to pick up a tool. “I’ll dig the holes, you plant them. Okay?”

Wen Mian nodded and gave her a smile. “Of course. We’ll water them together at the end.”

Gu Man agreed and bent over to dig. Her movements were fluid and showed no signs of clumsiness. Wen Mian raised an eyebrow, the Movie Queen was actually good at farming, something the novel never mentioned.

Wen Mian also entered work mode quickly. Having been raised by her orphanage director grandmother, she had spent a lot of time helping out, even if she later became a workaholic. Her speed was just as fast, even keeping pace with Gu Man.

Their efficiency was unbelievable. The audience watched with mouths agape.

【Are Wen Mian and Gu Man really this good?】

【I’m stunned. Can someone pinch me and tell me this is real?!】

【I’ll do it (pinches hard). It’s real (angry voice)!】

【Ouch! It really is real. I still can’t believe it!】

【It’s normal for Manman since she grew up in an orphanage, but isn’t Wen Mian supposed to be a rich lady? Rich ladies know how to plant vegetables?】

【I don’t know about rich ladies, but the old Wen Mian definitely didn’t!】

【Then who is planting right now?】

【…This world is too surreal, I’m going crazy!】

【Can I just say, who started the rumor that Wen Mian can’t do anything? They said she pestered Gu Man. I haven’t seen it, said she can’t cook, she can… said she can’t farm…she can…】

【Exactly! Though the pestering Gu Man part was true before, who said the rest? Our Mian-mian is so great!】

【Wuu wuu, my Mian-mian…】

Wen Mian had no idea the fans were currently “weeping” for her. Even if she did, she could only sigh and think: Don’t say that, because those rumors were actually true.

After planting the last eggplant, Wen Mian straightened her back and looked at Gu Man. “Carry the water?”

Gu Man nodded and picked up the bucket. “I’ll go. You wait here.”

The water pipe wasn’t far, just a few steps away. Wen Mian didn’t insist and sat down casually on one of the tools. The live stream erupted again.

【I’m certain now, Wen Mian is really down to earth.】

【Haha, “really”? She’s very down to earth.】

【I’m having flashbacks to my mom. After she finishes chores, she just plops down on a tool exactly like that.】

【My mom too. If there’s no grass, she just sits on the equipment…】

The farm woman saw them and walked over, laughing heartily. “You two are fast!”

Wen Mian looked up at her while hugging her knees, pointing at Gu Man in the distance with a smile in her eyes. “Of course! Doesn’t the saying go: ‘When women work together, the labor isn’t tiring’?”

The woman was amused. “That’s true, but speed isn’t enough. We need quality too!”

Wen Mian raised an eyebrow and spread her hands. “Check it however you like.”

The woman walked around the plot, her smile growing wider with every step. she gave a thumbs up. “Impressive! These are planted well. I didn’t expect you to know your way around a field.”

Wen Mian stood up and brushed off the dust. Her eyes sparkled with light. Her words were humble, but her tone was full of pride. “It’s nothing much, just third best in the world!”

As she spoke, she walked quickly to Gu Man’s side, leaning in to ask, “Are you tired? Want me to carry it?”

Perhaps because she was in a good mood, her voice carried a hint of sweetness. Gu Man shook her head, avoiding her hand, and refused softly, “Not tired.”