Chapter 28
In the end, it took Xia Anran another long explanation before Ji Minghui reluctantly believed her. Then, full of anticipation, he asked a question that none of them had ever thought of.
“What do aliens actually look like?”
Everyone: “…”
We’re the ones streaming to the interstellar era, not the other way around!
But now that he had mentioned it, they realized they had never thought to ask about what was, for ordinary people, the most curious thing about aliens: their appearance.
Xia Anran could only answer honestly, “I don’t know. I’ve never seen them.”
Perhaps because they had only ever communicated with the interstellar viewers through text comments, and because they used Hua nation characters and spoke the Hua language, she had naturally imagined them to be ordinary humans, just like themselves.
Ji Minghui was a little disappointed. Aliens had always been a popular subject in film and television. He had been hoping to see what real aliens looked like to get some inspiration for his future creations.
Xia Anran asked tentatively, “Aren’t you more interested in the fact that the Earth is going to be destroyed in a few decades?” It was very likely they would witness this event with their own eyes.
“Hmm… I’m sorry, I don’t think I can solve that problem.”
“…”
Seeing Xia Anran’s baffled expression, Ji Minghui asked sincerely, “Is there anything I can do to help?”
Xia Anran: “…”
She got it now. Ji Minghui was a blockhead! He didn’t look like one, though.
The others, who were old acquaintances of Ji Minghui, were already used to it. Sister Wang quietly whispered to Xia Anran, “Little Ji is just like that. But it’s because of his personality that he has so many imaginative ideas when he’s filming. His style is very romantic.”
Xia Anran decided she would watch one of Director Ji’s masterpieces tonight to experience this romantic blockhead director for herself.
…
The next morning, the first thing Xia Anran did upon waking was to check the sales link function on the app. As expected, the function was grayed out. When she tapped it, a prompt informed her there was a six-day cooldown period.
She knew this app was stingy. The sales link could only be used once a week.
Xia Anran’s house couldn’t accommodate the dozen or so members of the production team. Coincidentally, since Ji Minghui was Uncle Li’s grandson, he had taken some of them to stay at Uncle Li’s house.
Waking up in her own bed, Xia Anran couldn’t help but laze around for a while longer. She finally dragged herself out of bed just as Sister Wang was about to come up and rip her covers off.
When she went downstairs, everyone was already gathered in the living room, discussing today’s livestream content.
Director Huang and the others were already accustomed to Xia Anran’s habit of sleeping in. Only Master Guo came over with her breakfast, reminding her, “Your breakfast is a bit cold. Get up earlier next time. I had to fight to save this for you.”
“Not even Master Guo’s breakfast can wake you up now. Your ability to sleep in has reached a new level,” Little Yan said, coming over to fix her hair.
Xia Anran giggled and started eating her sesame pancake.
Master Guo sat beside her, making small talk. “Anran, how do you usually buy groceries here in Yanshan Village?”
When he had entered the kitchen this morning to prepare breakfast, he had found Xia Anran’s kitchen to be practically bare. The only thing in the fridge was a bag of eggs. Fortunately, the people from Ji Minghui’s side had come over early and had thoughtfully brought some vegetables and meat from Uncle Li’s house. Ji Minghui explained that it had been his grandmother’s idea. Auntie Li knew Xia Anran’s living habits like the back of her hand. She rarely cooked, and when she did, it was usually just instant food like dumplings or ramen. With more than a dozen people to feed, they wouldn’t have had any ingredients. So, she had prepared two large bags of food early in the morning for him to bring over. Yanshan Village didn’t have any large supermarkets, only a small one that sold daily necessities, and the only food items were eggs and steamed buns.
“We have a mountain market every two weeks, on the mountain behind us. We usually buy enough for two weeks then. Otherwise, we have to drive to the supermarket in town.”
Master Guo was quite interested in this mountain market. “A mountain market? Is it like a regular market?”
“It’s livelier than a regular market. They sell all sorts of things, and you can hike while you shop. There’s also a temple on the mountain. My parents said it’s very old. It’s not big, but it’s said to be very accurate.”
Ji Minghui, who was passing by, overheard and stopped. “I heard my grandmother say this morning that she was going to the mountain market. It must be this, right?”
“Is it a mountain market day today?” Xia Anran was pleasantly surprised. Talk of the devil. What a coincidence. She ran out like a gust of wind, leaned over the wall to confirm with Auntie Li, and was overjoyed to get an affirmative answer.
“After the livestream today, we can all go to the mountain market together! It’s so lively and interesting! Auntie Li said that since it’s the full moon, there will be a dragon dance and everything.”
It didn’t occur to her to livestream the market directly. There would be too many people, and it would be very inconvenient for their group to film with all their cameras. The viewing experience wouldn’t be very good either.
Director Huang, however, was tempted. He said it was a rare opportunity and a pity not to film it. This kind of folk culture was hard to come by.
Ji Minghui, who had been quietly thinking on the side, proposed a compromise. They could split today’s livestream into two parts. The first half would proceed as planned, and for the remaining time, they could go out and film the grand spectacle of the mountain market.
The group immediately went into work mode, discussing how to smoothly transition between the two parts. Xia Anran couldn’t help, so she just sat on the side, eating and listening. Before long, her phone suddenly rang.
She took it out and saw it was the top leader. Not wanting to disturb the enthusiastic discussion of the production team, she went out into the yard to answer.
The moment the call connected, the top leader got straight to the point. The gift for the United Star System was ready and would be delivered to her house by a dedicated team shortly. All she had to do was put the items in the box and send it.
Xia Anran’s heart skipped a beat. She hadn’t expected the higher-ups to move so quickly. Everything was ready in less than a day, and she hadn’t even told the villagers about pre-ordering the fruit yet! After all, fresh fruit was best. Although fifty pounds of cherries and fifty pounds of lychees wasn’t a lot, she was suddenly in a bit of a rush. The moment she hung up, she ran to Uncle Li’s house next door. Uncle Li and Auntie Li were having breakfast and were surprised to see her run over, out of breath.
“Anran, what’s wrong? Did something happen to that boy Minghui?” Auntie Li asked anxiously.
Xia Anran waved her hand. “No, I just wanted to buy fifty pounds of cherries and fifty pounds of lychees from you and Uncle.”
“Hah, is that all? You ran all this way for something so small?” Auntie Li was relieved. “When do you need it? Your uncle and I can go pick it after we finish eating.”
“It’s quite urgent. I need it this morning,” Xia Anran said.
Hearing this, Uncle Li immediately put down his bowl. “Alright! I’ll go pick it for you right now. I’ll be back in half an hour.”
Xia Anran felt a little embarrassed. Auntie Li pushed her out the door and got her tools ready with Uncle Li, preparing to go up the mountain. “Alright, it’s no big deal. You just wait at home.”
…
Uncle Li and his wife were very efficient. In less than half an hour, they returned with the freshly picked fruit. As they turned into the alley, they saw two very expensive-looking cars parked in front of Xia Anran’s house. Before entering, Uncle Li glanced at the license plate: 00001.
This was a big deal. The old couple suddenly didn’t dare to go in. They peeked their heads in from the gate and saw three or four young men in suits holding some gift boxes. Further in, a middle-aged man was shaking hands and talking with Director Huang and Xia Anran. Their grandson, Ji Minghui, was also standing by their side.
“I’ve seen that man on TV before. Isn’t he a top leader from our province?” Auntie Li whispered.
“Nonsense! Didn’t you see the car parked at the gate?!”
Inside the small courtyard, the group was exchanging pleasantries.
“Director Huang, I didn’t expect we’d meet again in less than a day,” the provincial top official said with a smile. “I received the order from the capital this morning and had the items prepared. I brought them over myself.”
The items were secondary. The call had come from the top leader in the capital himself, with many specific instructions. After thinking it over, he still wasn’t at ease and had come to oversee the handover in person. Especially this Little Xia, who was a person of note in the top leader’s eyes. Although he didn’t know who she was exactly, besides Director Huang, she was the only one the top leader had mentioned on the phone this morning. The provincial official was a veteran administrator and had been a subordinate of the top leader when he was in the capital. The two were very familiar. From his tone, he knew this matter was not simple, but since the leader hadn’t said anything, he wouldn’t ask.
Seeing Uncle Li and Auntie Li at the gate, Xia Anran quickly greeted them and went to help carry the fruit in.
It was the first time the old couple had met such a high-ranking leader, so they were inevitably a bit reserved. The provincial official was very kind and amiable, shaking hands with each of them and praising their fruit.
“Leader, you’re too kind. If you think it’s good, I’ll have you take some home to try later.”
The official quickly refused. “We cannot take a single needle or thread from the masses. We can buy it, but we can’t accept it as a gift.”
“Also, the fruit the crew is using today will be reimbursed by the government. This is for public use. In a couple of days, someone from the government will come to your village to discuss a partnership. In the future, all the fruit the government needs will be purchased from Yanshan Village. Don’t worry, we will pay the market price. We will absolutely not let you suffer a loss.”
The old couple was stunned. The government wanted to buy their fruit?!
Xia Anran also hadn’t expected the government to want to sign a contract with Yanshan Village to buy fruit. After the initial shock, Uncle Li and Auntie Li were beaming with joy, repeatedly expressing their gratitude.
“Don’t thank me, don’t thank me. It was this Comrade Xia who vouched for you, saying the quality of your Yanshan Village’s fruit is top-notch,” the official said with a smile.
Xia Anran scratched her head. She had indeed mentioned this when chatting with the top leader, but at the time, she had only been thinking that they could prioritize Yanshan Village’s fruit for the supply to the interstellar era. She never thought the government would step in to negotiate a partnership. She suddenly realized that the current transfer limit was only a hundred pounds once a week. The top leader must have heard her say that yesterday and realized that the amount of fruit needed would be too small to truly help Yanshan Village. That’s why he had contacted the provincial government.
Uncle Li and Auntie Li also realized that there must be an influential person behind the province’s sudden notice of their small village. They praised Xia Anran a few more times before she sent them off to tell the village chief the news.
After delivering the items, the official didn’t linger and quickly left.
Only then did Xia Anran have a chance to open the gift boxes and see what was inside. She had to send the items before the livestream.
.
Uncle Li and his wife were very efficient. In less than half an hour, they returned with the freshly picked fruit. As they turned into the alley, they saw two very expensive-looking cars parked in front of Xia Anran’s house. Before entering, Uncle Li glanced at the license plate: 00001.
This was a big deal. The old couple suddenly didn’t dare to go in. They peeked their heads in from the gate and saw three or four young men in suits holding some gift boxes. Further in, a middle-aged man was shaking hands and talking with Director Huang and Xia Anran. Their grandson, Ji Minghui, was also standing by their side.
“I’ve seen that man on TV before. Isn’t he a top leader from our province?” Auntie Li whispered.
“Nonsense! Didn’t you see the car parked at the gate?!”
Inside the small courtyard, the group was exchanging pleasantries.
“Director Huang, I didn’t expect we’d meet again in less than a day,” the provincial top official said with a smile. “I received the order from the capital this morning and had the items prepared. I brought them over myself.”
The items were secondary. The call had come from the top leader in the capital himself, with many specific instructions. After thinking it over, he still wasn’t at ease and had come to oversee the handover in person. Especially this Little Xia, who was a person of note in the top leader’s eyes. Although he didn’t know who she was exactly, besides Director Huang, she was the only one the top leader had mentioned on the phone this morning. The provincial official was a veteran administrator and had been a subordinate of the top leader when he was in the capital. The two were very familiar. From his tone, he knew this matter was not simple, but since the leader hadn’t said anything, he wouldn’t ask.
Seeing Uncle Li and Auntie Li at the gate, Xia Anran quickly greeted them and went to help carry the fruit in.
It was the first time the old couple had met such a high-ranking leader, so they were inevitably a bit reserved. The provincial official was very kind and amiable, shaking hands with each of them and praising their fruit.
“Leader, you’re too kind. If you think it’s good, I’ll have you take some home to try later.”
The official quickly refused. “We cannot take a single needle or thread from the masses. We can buy it, but we can’t accept it as a gift.”
“Also, the fruit the crew is using today will be reimbursed by the government. This is for public use. In a couple of days, someone from the government will come to your village to discuss a partnership. In the future, all the fruit the government needs will be purchased from Yanshan Village. Don’t worry, we will pay the market price. We will absolutely not let you suffer a loss.”
The old couple was stunned. The government wanted to buy their fruit?!
Xia Anran also hadn’t expected the government to want to sign a contract with Yanshan Village to buy fruit. After the initial shock, Uncle Li and Auntie Li were beaming with joy, repeatedly expressing their gratitude.
“Don’t thank me, don’t thank me. It was this Comrade Xia who vouched for you, saying the quality of your Yanshan Village’s fruit is top-notch,” the official said with a smile.
Xia Anran scratched her head. She had indeed mentioned this when chatting with the top leader, but at the time, she had only been thinking that they could prioritize Yanshan Village’s fruit for the supply to the interstellar era. She never thought the government would step in to negotiate a partnership. She suddenly realized that the current transfer limit was only a hundred pounds once a week. The top leader must have heard her say that yesterday and realized that the amount of fruit needed would be too small to truly help Yanshan Village. That’s why he had contacted the provincial government.
Uncle Li and Auntie Li also realized that there must be an influential person behind the province’s sudden notice of their small village. They praised Xia Anran a few more times before she sent them off to tell the village chief the news.
After delivering the items, the official didn’t linger and quickly left.
Only then did Xia Anran have a chance to open the gift boxes and see what was inside. She had to send the items before the livestream.