012

In the village, many were excited about the arrival of the celebrities, but some were not big fans of TV programs, especially those acted by young people, like the old man carrying a big basket walking to the fields.

He didn't recognize the two following him as celebrities; he only knew they were stars from their attire and the camera crew trailing them.

If you ask the old man if he is a fan of celebrities? 

The answer is yes, he had been a fan.

From the old version of Journey to the West to ancient martial arts films to old artists who often appear on TV shows to national news anchors on the state TV, he knows many of them. If these people were to come, the old man would gladly invite them over.

But Jasmine and the others were different!

The old man looked at the two celebrities following him and felt no excitement; he was only worried about his peanuts and sesame seeds in the fields, fearing they might be ruined by the hands of the two stars.

Jasmine asked him, "What are we doing today?"

"Digging peanuts, have you done it before? Just don't mess things up for me," he replied.

When he heard they were going to harvest peanuts, the male celebrity paired with Jasmine relaxed, thinking it would be easy to bring the peanuts back from the fields. Jasmine was even more confident than her temporary partner and boasted to the old man, "You still don't understand my skills."

The camera crew gave the old man a close-up shot, his expression showing total indifference—

"I don't understand you, and I don't want to. You're annoying."

This variety show had done many episodes, and based on past experiences, if the villagers were unwelcoming but the celebrities insisted on meddling, the outcome would be mediocre, and the audience would criticize it. The cameraman felt Miss Jasmine was too young; even if she wanted more screentime, she shouldn't push it to the edge of failure.

But he was just a camera guy and couldn't control what the big stars did.

He followed them to the location, first giving a comprehensive close-up of the old man's peanut field. Then the old man put down the basket and started working, while Jasmine found a tool to replace the shovel and joined in the work, leaving her temporary partner looking puzzled.

No tools provided?

No on-the-spot guidance?

How was this going to work?

...

The old man had no expectations from them and hoped the celebrities would realize it was too difficult and return to the village to help others feed the pigs and chickens. After digging a small area, he looked over to see if the two had given up. 

what he saw on the other side of the peanut field dumbfounded him.

The young girl was digging peanuts faster and more skillfully than him, a farmer of fifty years. Her movements were precise and efficient, stunning everyone with her work speed.

The old man was left speechless, and the male celebrities and the camera crew were also in awe.

She wasn't bragging at all.

Was she really a professional farmer before becoming an actress???

Because he was so surprised, the old man stared for a while, then received a smug look from Jasmine: "I told you, didn't I? The king of the vegetable patch is not just a name. Old man, take your time, if you get tired, just sit by the side, I'll dig up this whole patch for you."

The old man, who had just felt ashamed of judging people by appearances, saw the little girl acting so nonchalantly and thought it was time to leave: "I just warmed up earlier, haven't shown my true strength yet."

Jasmine: "Oh."

The old man: "Don't doubt me, I've been farming since my teens, over fifty years, something you young people can't compare to."

Jasmine: "Oh."

The old man: "..."

Feeling frustrated!

With the camera filming, it seemed he had to show some real skill today.

The old man had only used about fifty to sixty percent of his strength just now, farming doesn't require too much effort. Because of Jasmine, after he bent down again, his movements were noticeably faster, bending down and digging for a while. The old man remembered and glanced at Jasmine again.

Thinking she must have fallen behind, he never expected her to be ahead.

In just a few glances, Jasmine dug out a small pile again. The old man saw her eyes change and looked confused at the cameraman next to him, asking, "Is this girl a TV drama star?"

While the cameraman focused on the fifty-year-old farmer who doubt him-self's life, he confirmed that she had just finished a popular drama and gained fame online.

"Is it the kind of drama about educated youth going to the countryside to farm?"

Cameraman: ...

Jasmine paused from digging peanuts, looked up at the old man, and said, "It's an idol drama, I play a professional fish farmer."

"You know how to farm fish too?"

Jasmine waved her hand, "Not really, all the fish died while I was raising them, it was a total loss."

The kind old man comforted her, saying, "Listen to me, don't do fish farming in the future. You should grow vegetables in a greenhouse and become a vegetable vendor, it suits you better. Your techniques are almost as good as mine, you must have farmed a lot."

The farmer suggested the female star switch to being a vegetable vendor, which was clever, nearly causing a few people to burst into laughter.

Jasmine didn't laugh, she argued with the old man, "Clearly, I dug more."

"That's because I let you, I'm serious now!"

After an hour of hard work, the old man lost.

This was all for a variety show, should a fifty-year-old farmer lose face?

The old man requested a rematch, but Jasmine said she had already dug up all the peanuts.

"I still have a sesame field."

Jasmine: ... I suspect you're trying to trick me into helping you harvest sesame seeds, and you have proof.

The old man said, "Digging peanuts requires no skill, harvesting sesame seeds is the real challenge."

"And how do you explain losing again?"

"It's impossible. If I really lose, you can take all the vegetables you want, and I'll even give you the catfish in the water tank."

"Okay! Let's take the peanuts back to the village first, then come back with sickles to harvest sesame seeds!"

*

As mentioned before, the village head's house had three people left, the other four split into two groups to try their luck. Another group had helped the village's housewife with some chores, received two onions and four eggs as gifts, and had already returned. After meeting with the three who stayed behind, they waited and waited... but didn't see Jasmine and the others.

"Why is it taking so long? Did something happen?"

"It shouldn't, if there was a problem, wouldn't the cameraman contact the director?"

"That's true..."

"Why haven't they come back yet? It's almost mealtime."

Just then, a familiar figure appeared in their view, and two minutes later, the male star who was with Jasmine came back carrying a basket of vegetables. The variety in the basket was truly rich, with vegetables like spinach, cucumbers, winter melon, tomatoes, corn, and more.

The group of five who had been discussing rushed over.

"So many??? These weren't gifts from fans, right???"

The male star was panting heavily, he placed the basket on the ground and said, "Of course not a gift, we earned all these through our hard work."

The village chief came over to take a look and asked him where he came from.

"I was walking on the village road with Jasmine when we ran into an old man. He said he was going to harvest peanuts, so we helped him harvest the peanuts. After we finished, we helped him bring them back home, and he gave us this."

The group of five cheered for the old man enthusiastically.

"He gave so many peanuts just for digging a few? What a kind old man!"

"Yes, after recording so many episodes, it's the first time we've met such a kind old man."

As they spoke, they glanced meaningfully at the village chief. The village chief never expected that despite his repeated warnings.

Someone would go all out to give gifts upon seeing a celebrity. He wanted to find out which generous old man it was, but then someone noticed something was wrong: "Where is Jasmine? Why hasn't she returned?"

...

This question hit the nail on the head.

The male star scratched his head, feeling embarrassed as he said, "Sis Jasmine has something to attend to, so she asked me to bring the things back first, cook, and then go call her from the field."

The director and other celebrities: "???"

Not to mention calling a young girl 'Sister' when you're almost thirty, but letting her work in the field while you return carrying the basket yourself, isn't that a bit out of line?

"What is she doing in the field?"

"Is she helping others with their work again?"

"She already has so many vegetables, yet she's still working so hard. Did we just gain a workaholic lady in this episode?"

"The point is not this, why did you return and leave her in the vegetable field? Isn't it inappropriate for a grown man to run off and leave a girl to work? If this gets aired, you'll trend."

"We have footage! #Ji Chun's lazy nature exposed#, #Ji Chun oppressing female star#, #Heart aching for Jasmine#..."

The male star who returned early—— Ji Chun—— looked sorrowful, "You guys don't know what I just went through."

That's true...

The village chief's group couldn't imagine what he had been through to have such a pitiful expression, seeming like his dignity was trampled on and his body was violated. They all waited to hear his story, but Ji Chun just couldn't bring himself to say it. How could he tell them that he accidentally discovered Jasmine's true self, that she wasn't the soft and delicate kitten-like girl they thought she was? She had just battled a fifty-year-old farmer in the peanut field and emerged victorious, can you believe it?

The past hour was torture for Ji Chun.

Jasmine was fine, too busy working to pay him much attention.

The old man gave him countless looks of disappointment, as if he couldn't believe that this grown man couldn't even compare to a girl who came out to record a show.

After the peanuts were dug out, Ji Chun wanted to show off and insisted on carrying them. He tried his best but couldn't lift them...

Because while he couldn't do anything, after returning the peanuts, the old man and Jasmine grabbed sickles and headed to the sesame field. Ji Chun was about to follow when both of them directly told him there was no need and asked him to take the vegetables back to the village chief's house.

The disdain was obvious, and Ji Chun, feeling ashamed, couldn't even defend himself. This episode, he had indeed lost face.

However but, Ji Chun believed that the viewers wouldn't be too harsh on him; it was all because Jasmine was too out of line.

The rumor was that Jasmine, who had good relations with the wealthy and elite, could transform into a skilled farmer in the vegetable field. Ji Chun even thought her technique was more precise and efficient than the old man's.

Is this the most popular female star lately?

The entertainment circle is truly full of talent; the reservoir of talent is so extensive.

Ji Chun sighed deeply and said, "If Jasmine ever gets tired of filming modern urban dramas, I think she could play a female educated youth sent to the countryside in a period drama."

The director& companions& village chief: "???"

Everyone was curious, and even during cooking, they asked Ji Chun. He said he would give them a surprise and told them to wait for the episode to air, then they would naturally find out.

In reality, before the episode aired, after the battle in the sesame field ended, the old man once again took Jasmine to his house, looking perplexed as he handed her a plastic bucket filled with catfish.

Jasmine squatted by the side to wash her hands and turned around to see an old man with a solemn face. She asked him, "Are you so reluctant?"

The old man stubbornly replied, "I said you can take it if you want, this old man can afford to lose."

"...I didn't say I won't take it."

"You, this girl!"

"What's wrong with me? I helped you harvest crops from two plots of land, and you feel heartbroken over giving me a fish? You are being a bit stingy."

"I'm not worried about the fish, I'm worried about myself, my image as a fifty-year-old farmer is collapsing."

"You even care about your image, you are really fashionable."

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