Chapter 32
After they finished drinking the mushroom soup, the torrential rain still showed no sign of lessening.
In contrast, everyone sat inside the hut, the atmosphere warm and cozy, making anyone watching feel drowsy too.
When Qi Xiu thought about how he would have to start waking up early tomorrow, he felt he should get enough sleep today to make up for it.
“When one is full and warm, one thinks of—thinks of sleep,” he got stuck for a moment. “It would be a waste not to sleep in such good weather. I’m going back to bed.”
But after saying this with a perfectly justified expression, he still subconsciously looked toward Shen Jinfeng, as if asking for permission.
Shen Jinfeng looked at him with a faint smile, but no matter how one looked at that smile, it did not seem like agreement.
Qi Xiu did not know why he was so cowardly.
“Boss, is there still something you need me to do?”
He did not expect Shen Jinfeng to actually nod. “Yes.”
Qi Xiu immediately turned back around and sat down. “Then I won’t sleep.”
Mo Fan, off to the side, looked at him “tenderly,” with the gaze of someone looking at a top student.
Sigh, there was nothing wrong with a child who had just finished the college entrance exam wanting to sleep.
“Boss, Xiao Qi is still a child. If he wants to sleep, why not let him sleep for a while? If something needs doing, I’ll do it for him.”
He glanced at Gu Shengsheng in passing. “Xiao Gu is still a child too.”
Unexpectedly, after he said this, he thought he would receive gratitude,
but Gu Shengsheng and Qi Xiu both looked as if they were holding something back. The others also seemed like they wanted to laugh but were trying not to.
Mo Fan looked confused. “Why are you all looking at me like that?”
Gu Shengsheng pursed his lips. “Brother Mo, you sound like you’re mocking us in a roundabout way.”
“I didn’t.” Mo Fan felt wronged.
Qi Xiu sighed. “Brother Mo, do you usually not surf the internet much?”
“‘He’s still a child’ is a negative phrase in many contexts. It’s used sarcastically toward the person being called a ‘child.’ That ‘child’ usually means a ‘giant baby’ or someone with an unpleasant personality.”
“And we’re all adults already, so we don’t really count as children anymore…”
Mo Fan was a little embarrassed. “Sorry, I didn’t mean it that way. You’ve only just become adults, so to people our age, you’re still children. Even Xiao Qin looks like a child to me.”
Mm. Once he said “child,” the form of address became “Xiao Qin.”
Qin Ye, who was suddenly cued: “…”
Although he also did not know what meme “he’s still a child” was,
that did not prevent him from understanding after Qi Xiu’s explanation that it was not a good phrase.
“What I said does sound a little strange, but you’re eighteen this year. When you look at an eight-year-old child, isn’t that a child?” Mo Fan was still trying to explain.
He Erwang waved his hand. “Brother Mo, we know you meant the literal meaning. Qi Xiu and the others are just explaining the other meaning of the phrase to you. We have to keep up with the times. Like ‘as beautiful as a flower’—isn’t that a good phrase? But the moment you hear it, you think it means ugly, right?”
This time, Mo Fan understood.
But he had a new question. “Then, what does ‘surfing’ mean? Surfing on the sea?”
Shen Jinfeng looked at him a little strangely. “‘Surfing’ means roaming around the online world. It’s usually used to describe someone who knows a lot about internet trends. Brother Mo, wasn’t your previous job programming?”
Gu Shengsheng also looked at him. “Right. How do you know even less than me?”
In his impression, he already counted as someone who rarely went online to look at gossip.
Mo Fan frowned and held his forehead in thought, then explained, “Work was too busy. And after getting home from work, I also practiced my technical skills. I didn’t have time to go online and read other news.”
In reality, both Gu Shengsheng and Mo Fan avoided the internet because searching their own names online brought up overwhelming waves of abuse.
Even if they did not deliberately search, while scrolling through various social platforms, they would still come across those comments, and it was far too damaging to their mental state. Over time, they simply became too lazy to go online.
Therefore, when Mo Fan heard Shen Jinfeng’s question, his mind blanked for a moment, and he also felt he was somewhat ridiculous.
But when he thought of his usual work intensity, he felt relieved again.
Shen Jinfeng withdrew his gaze and did not ask further.
He did not force Qi Xiu not to sleep, nor did he refute Mo Fan. He simply explained patiently, “We didn’t sleep late yesterday. By the time Qi Xiu woke up today, he had already slept more than eight hours, nearly nine. Sleeping more isn’t good for the body.”
Anyone who had slept too long would know that unless they had pulled all-nighters several days in a row, sleeping for too long would not make them feel well-rested or recharged. It would only make them sleepier, with sore, weak limbs.
Qi Xiu said solemnly, “I won’t sleep anymore.”
“My master once told me, why sleep long while alive? After death, one naturally sleeps forever. I must use my limited life to do infinitely meaningful things!”
Qin Ye glanced sideways at him.
He found that this kid truly deserved to have fortune-telling as a side job. He was eloquent and could speak without blushing. Qin Ye felt that poaching him to Qin Corporation as a sales manager would be more than enough.
The bullet comments were amused by Qi Xiu’s two faces.
Sun Xinping, who was watching the livestream, looked at the righteous-looking young man on the screen and suddenly remembered his first meeting with Qi Xiu.
The young man had looked obedient, his face full of pity, his whole person carrying a depressed, dispirited air that longed to be saved. The gaze he used to look at Sun Xinping made it seem as if he were looking at a lifesaving straw.
Damn it, now that he thought back, could that have been acting?
Why had Qi Xiu come looking for him back then?
Oh, it was to buy a burial plot for his master and hold a funeral.
That was why Sun Xinping had felt pity.
Wait, buying a burial plot for his master and holding a funeral?
Sun Xinping suddenly realized something. Qi Xiu’s master had already passed away.
But when he stuffed Qi Xiu into the production team, for the sake of convenience, he had directly covered Qi Xiu’s recent memories.
Qi Xiu seemed to think his master was still alive?
Just from the livestream alone, he had mentioned “Master” several times.
It could be seen that his relationship with his master being good was real.
Upon realizing this, Sun Xinping suddenly froze.
His mood, which had originally been complaining about Qi Xiu’s acting, instantly turned into a rare guilt.
This, this child had thought of his master so many times on the show, his expectations drawn so full. How painful would it be when he came out?
But this guilty conscience only lasted a few seconds.
Sun Xinping convinced himself in his heart: when signing the contract, could Qi Xiu not have known the nature of the show?
He paid money, Qi Xiu joined the show. It was perfectly justified. No matter how one looked at it, he had shown kindness to Qi Xiu.
Moreover, looking at the current trend, Qi Xiu was clearly about to become popular because of his show.
It was only a small misunderstanding. After Qi Xiu came out, he probably would not, would not come settle accounts with him, right?
Inside the variety show, after hearing Qi Xiu say this, Mo Fan also gave up on volunteering to help in his place.
“Boss has a point too. You’re young, exactly at the age when you should be active and moving around. You need to be a little more energetic. Thinking about sleeping all day won’t do.”
Qi Xiu: “…”
Bullet comments: […]
[Mo Fan, do you have to be this real? If you hadn’t changed so fast, I almost would’ve believed your nonsense.]
[I’m dying of laughter. One second: if the child wants to sleep, let him sleep. Next second: sleep what sleep? Once Big Shot Shen gives an order, it is completely correct and must be obeyed!]
[Just like when I’m in math class. Even if I don’t understand, I copy the steps first hahaha.]
[Damn it, it’s like when I was little, it was still joyful learning, and I played so happily after school every day. Ever since my mom listened to parenting experts saying parenting and learning should start from the womb, my younger sister started studying while still in her belly hahahahahaha.]
[Pfft, your sister is so pitiful. What about you?]
[Silence… Don’t mention it. Do you know how much scheming and fighting with my mom it took for me to watch the livestream right now?]
…
Hearing Mo Fan’s change, Qi Xiu curled his lips and said nothing.
Actually, he was not sleepy anyway.
“Boss, what are we doing?” Because Shen Jinfeng had specifically stopped him and not allowed him to sleep because there was work to do, he even felt he was a little important.
Shen Jinfeng pointed toward the military knives placed together in the corner. “Come with me to dig some soil. Today we’ll fire some clay jars.”
Fire clay jars?
Mo Fan’s eyes lit up. He had found his area of usefulness again.
“Boss, I know how to do this! My grandfather used to make clay jars to sell for a living. I learned a little from him. Although I’m not that proficient, I can handle the basic steps.” He felt his sense of existence had never been stronger.
He Erwang asked, “Is it like making pottery? I tried it at a pottery shop before.”
Shen Jinfeng nodded. “A little similar.”
He looked at the wooden bowls, which still looked shabby even after being washed clean. The only two that looked somewhat decent were the enamel bowls Mo Fan had brought, which had not been washed away by the waves.
Because the enamel bowls were quite large, they had been used as pots before.
Today was their third day after waking up.
On the first day, they had adapted to the environment and hurriedly solved the problem of hunger.
On the second day, they had predicted the rain, so their main energy went into storing food and building the house.
Today, now that they had time, the first thing to do was settle the tools for cooking.
“With clay jars, the seafood we cook will taste better.”
Hearing Shen Jinfeng’s words, everyone’s eyes lit up one after another. They became full of urgency and anticipation toward making clay jars.
On a stormy day when they could not go out, what else could they think about besides eating, drinking, and sleeping?
Being able to focus wholeheartedly on food was also a kind of happiness.
Shen Jinfeng glanced at the heavy rain still pouring outside.
What he did not say was that after the rain, many animals would inevitably come out to forage.
Before, eating seafood and boiled wild vegetables in a shabby way was one thing.
How could wild animal meat be cooked that shabbily?
Using clay jars to stew meat would greatly improve the taste!
If the wild animals knew what he was thinking, they would probably say: Oh, so you’re noble?
You want to eat my meat and still need to make tools first.
Everyone stood up and took the military knives, walking outside, including Gu Shengsheng, who woke up today feeling that his wind-cold had already mostly recovered.
Because Mo Fan said he knew how to do it,
Shen Jinfeng lazily folded his arms to the side, planning to watch first and only give a few verbal instructions.
Inside the wooden hut, the roof blocked the wind and rain.
But once they went outside, even under the shelter of the eaves, slanted threads of rain still blew in. The muddy ground beneath their feet was visibly softer and wetter.
They circled the house once. Mo Fan led them to a place he believed had the most suitable moisture level.
“Boss, how is the soil here?” He directly squatted down, not minding the dirt, grabbed a handful with his bare hand, and showed it to Shen Jinfeng.
Shen Jinfeng did not mind either. He directly reached out and rubbed the soil Mo Fan had picked up a few times, then judged that it was indeed usable.
“This works. Let’s use the soil from this area.”
He clapped his hands and shook the soil back onto the ground. Then he stretched his dirty hand outward a short distance. Under the curtain of rain, it was rinsed clean again in two seconds.
After receiving approval, Mo Fan felt the responsibility on him grow even greater. He even began directing the others. “Come on. Let’s dig up the soil from this area and bring it back.”
He circled an area with his hand and instructed the others to start working.
Qi Xiu humbly asked, “Brother Mo, why this soil? The soil over there earlier was softer.”
Mo Fan explained to them, “Soil selected for making clay jars is not better the softer it is. It needs stickiness and plasticity. Look, when you knead this soil in your hand, you can feel its density and the stickiness as it passes between your fingers.”
He stood up and hurried a few steps away, taking a handful of mud from the other area Qi Xiu had mentioned. “Although this mud is wetter, it’s clearly looser. It may be due to the deep geological layer. Choosing good soil can save us a lot of effort later.”
“Come, Xiao Qi, feel it?”
“Xiao Gu, come on, don’t just watch. Come take a look too!”
[Holy crap, Mo Fan actually looks kind of professional!]
[Nonsense. This is a blind cat running into a dead mouse. It’s said that before he entered the entertainment industry, he sold clay jars. A talent scout spotted him at a clay jar stall.]
[No wonder… When I think of making clay jars, the impression in my mind is that elegant activity in pottery shops. Even if there’s a little mud, it adds a bit of charm… I’ve really never seen this kind of making do with local materials. It looks a little dirty.]
[No, the mud in pottery shops isn’t dirty, but this real mud is dirty? Isn’t this not a mud problem, but a problem with your mentality?]
[Exactly, it is a problem with my mentality. If it’s this dirty, let’s see if those big celebrities will touch it.]
But as soon as this arrogant netizen’s words landed, they were slapped in the face.
Qi Xiu enthusiastically reached out and accepted the two clumps of mud, kneading them carefully. “Eh, it really is true!”
He casually handed the mud to Gu Shengsheng beside him. “Gu Shengsheng, try it.”
Gu Shengsheng froze for a moment. After hesitating for only one second, he accepted the mud and began playing with it. “This piece really is stickier and very compact. It feels like it could be piled into a castle.”
Hearing this, He Erwang’s eyes suddenly lit up. “Piled into a castle?”
“If we really pile it into a castle, can it be fired too? Fired into a castle made of clay.”
He asked Mo Fan beside him.
Mo Fan got stuck. This, this he had never tried.
So the group looked toward Shen Jinfeng again. “Boss, how about I pile a castle for you?”
The bullet comments that had confidently said the others would find mud dirty and not want to touch it: […]
[Little purple-hair, how old are you? You still want to pile a castle? What, why don’t you just pile an Ultraman while you’re at it?]
[Please, piling a castle wasn’t suggested by little purple-hair. It was Gu Shengsheng who suggested it. Gu Shengsheng has only just become an adult, so isn’t he allowed to still have childlike innocence? Our little purple-hair is just following the trend, cough cough, that’s right. He’s only following the trend. He definitely doesn’t want to play himself.]
[All right, even if he wants to play himself, it’s not a big deal. Who didn’t like playing with mud as a kid? Boys fought mud-water battles, girls played house, and once they grow up, suddenly everyone despises mud as dirty? When I was little, I even bathed with mud.]
[Exactly. Who decided that respectable adults can’t play with mud?! A few nights ago, I went downtown to watch the fountain. You know those little floor fountains that are fenced off? A group of kids were stepping on the water outlets, their clothes completely soaked. Around them stood layer upon layer of neatly dressed adults, but not a single one stopped them. I laughed to death. A whole group of people was so envious, clearly wanting to go play too.]
[The main point is, didn’t they go to get mud to make clay jars? How did the focus shift to piling castles? I’m guessing Big Shot Shen will touch He Erwang’s purple hair and give him a little loving encoura—slap.]
Who would have thought that Shen Jinfeng on the screen would fall silent for two seconds, then actually nod seriously. “Logically speaking, this idea of yours is feasible.”
“You’re making one for me?”
Gu Shengsheng became anxious. This was an idea he had come up with!
“Boss, you made clothes for me yesterday. I want to make a castle for you to repay you.”
He Erwang curled his lips. “Tch. Boss, I’ll make you a clay version identical to this wooden hut you built. After we get out, you can keep it as a souvenir.”
Qi Xiu began competing from the side. “What’s so amazing about that? I’ll directly make the shape of this deserted island for Boss, all right?”
Mo Fan stared from the side, dumbfounded. “It’s very difficult. It’s not that simple.”
Qin Ye, off to the side, was also amused by these living treasures before him, his eyes full of laughter.
He had already decided what he wanted to make, but for some reason, he felt a little embarrassed and did not say it.
Shen Jinfeng did not dampen their enthusiasm. He only casually replied, “Sure. Today, each of you first fire two clay jars for me. Only those who pass will qualify for the next step.”
Qi Xiu and the others answered loudly, “Okay!”
Following Mo Fan’s explanations, they personally squatted down without minding the tiredness and conducted research on the soil surrounding the wooden hut in a full 360-degree range. Mm, to put it simply, they kneaded it all with their hands.
Although Qin Ye did not compete with the others verbally, he also did not put on airs. He went with them to inspect and collect clay, sand, and stones.
Shen Jinfeng thought for a moment and simply acted like a director of studies. With his arms folded, he casually chose one person to stand behind and watch for a while, giving a few pointers, then changed to stand behind another person.
After the clay was collected, Mo Fan had experience and skill, and he still remembered the mixing ratio in his mind.
Without needing Shen Jinfeng to step in, he poured out everything he knew all at once.
Shen Jinfeng only slightly corrected a few students whose mixing was not quite right.
While the students focused on mixing the clay and purifying and sieving it, Mo Fan fully exercised subjective initiative and made a turntable himself.
Shen Jinfeng had originally thought he would still need to work today, but unexpectedly, there was no place for him to use his skills.
Sieving soil was delicate work.
After watching for a while, he did not idle either. Instead, he walked to the side and poured out the various leaves and flowers he had collected, beginning to mix glaze colors.
Everyone had their own tasks and found their own joy.
Led by Qi Xiu and He Erwang, whose mouths could not stay idle, the wooden hut surprisingly never quieted down.
Chattering, babbling, everyone talking at once—the few of them created the momentum of dozens of people.
[This is fun. It really looks like a kindergarten teacher taking children on a spring outing. Shen Jinfeng is the teacher, Mo Fan is the class monitor who jumped out, and the others are the children hahahahaha.]
[Pfft, children? Qi Xiu and Gu Shengsheng, sure. But He Erwang has said he’s a pure man. Ye God—Ye God would want to hit you if he heard that. I’m dying of laughter.]
[Do these people think each other is pretty childish, so they just let themselves go? When little purple-hair asked Big Shot Shen earlier, I thought he would get an eye roll. I didn’t expect Big Shot Shen to be the kind of parent who never ruins the mood!]
[I agree he never ruins the mood, but parent? Hm?]
[The atmosphere is so good. No crisis, no hardship, no arguments or tearing each other apart, no script. Just this plain and ordinary scene is so nice to watch! I feel like I could watch a hundred episodes. This picture has a kind of beauty that calms my heart and mind!]
If they were only making clay jars, after solving the raw materials and tools, it was still quite fast.
Mo Fan’s craftsmanship could not be called excellent, but making clay jars was more than enough.
Shen Jinfeng was not a perfectionist and was too lazy to nitpick.
So he watched from the side, occasionally praising them.
Ah, work where he did not have to do anything and only needed to move his mouth was too comfortable.
But because he often spoke up at key points, hitting the nail on the head and saving products that were about to fail,
the other members of the team were still extremely grateful to him.
When the clay blanks were done and set aside to dry,
He Erwang looked at Shen Jinfeng with full admiration. “Boss, how do you understand everything? You’re so good to us.”
Shen Jinfeng: “?”
The bullet comments were also confused.
[Although there’s nothing wrong with what little purple-hair said, why did he suddenly sigh like this? Where did this come from today?]
[Today, Big Shot Shen finally got to relax and didn’t have to personally do the work. Although he always looks very relaxed when working too…]
[Exactly, little purple-hair. Today, another big contributor is Mo Fan. We need to understand social etiquette!]
He Erwang continued, “Giving someone fish is not as good as teaching them how to fish. Boss, you’re training our ability to be self-reliant.”
[Yes, yes, yes. Whatever your boss does is for your own good.]
[I’m dying of laughter. It’s just firing clay blanks, and self-reliance has already come out.]
He Erwang continued, “I feel like with this skill, even if I go bankrupt in the future, I won’t have to worry about making a living.”
[Little purple-hair, you’re so confident… Just relying on this means you won’t worry about making a living? Your master Mo Fan probably wouldn’t even dare say that.]
He Erwang still was not finished. “Although my family can’t possibly go bankrupt.”
He then turned to Mo Fan and said, “Brother Mo, you taught me a livelihood skill. After we get out, I’ll definitely repay you properly. I’ll help you find your next job! My family’s company also needs technical staff.”
[Damn it, there’s no justice!!!!! A day without being sour makes me uncomfortable!]
[My silence has been dried out by the sun… Damn!]
Mo Fan: “…”
The children of rich families really did speak with grandeur.
But when one moved through the world, one had to be thick-skinned. He unceremoniously chuckled twice. “All right, then just recommend me for an interview when the time comes.”
Shen Jinfeng glanced at He Erwang’s clay blank. Even the rim of this clay blank was uneven, full of bumps and pits.
Could he really make a living with this?
But what was this feeling of guilt after being praised?
He looked at He Erwang, who was tilting his head up and looking at him with sparkling eyes, and casually ruffled the purple hair that had been washed clean last night and now felt fluffy and nice to the touch.
“Then should I teach you some techniques to go from barely making a living to earning a little money?” He smiled gently.
When Qi Xiu and the others heard this, they quickly put down their clay blanks and crowded over too.
Even Mo Fan, who already knew how, also came over without hesitation.
And because of his contributions today, he was given the central position.
Shen Jinfeng took out the colors he had just mixed and prepared for firing.
Fresh green, elegant blue, dignified purple, bright red, lively yellow… There were even gradient colors. Just looking at the pigments alone was extremely beautiful.
The eyes of some fellow enthusiasts instantly lit up.
[I want to buy them! These colors are so beautiful!]
Shen Jinfeng first coated the entire clay blank with a pale base color, also as protection.
Then, holding a brush made from branches and leaves, he dipped it into the colors a few times and began working.
With just a few strokes, it resembled fine-line sketching.
He Erwang’s clay blank was painted into the shape of a young eagle.
The young eagle was about to soar into the sky and spread its wings. The missing corner of the clay blank happened to be the tip of its raised foot.
Everyone in the livestream swore that they had not blinked even once throughout the entire process.
Was this magic?
It really was only a few strokes, yet the clay blank itself seemed to transform into the shape of a young eagle.
And after the coloring, for some unknown reason, the three-dimensional effect became even stronger.
If one did not look carefully, it was almost impossible to tell that this was a cylindrical clay jar, and one that was even somewhat uneven in thickness.
From a distance, it was simply an eagle spreading its wings, about to fly!
He Erwang’s eyes widened. “Damn, that’s amazing!”
[As expected, it went from barely making a living to earning a little money! I’m tempted just looking at it. I really want to buy it!]
[This clay jar instantly turned into something I can’t afford… I watched with my own eyes as it became high-end!]
Shen Jinfeng turned and asked He Erwang, “Did you learn it?”
“Ah?” He Erwang froze. “I… I learned myself useless.”
Shen Jinfeng: “…”
[…I also learned myself useless.]
[How could anyone possibly learn that!!! Quick, teach me another hundred million times!]
[My brain learned it, but my hands are useless.]
[What dignity are you trying to preserve upstairs? Is your brain really learned, not useless too?]
[Unfortunately, I have no culture, so one phrase “holy crap” takes me across the world. Holy crap, holy crap, holy crap, damn!!! That was insanely awesome!]
Inside the wooden hut, when Shen Jinfeng looked over, the others also sheepishly said one after another, “I learned myself useless.”
