Chapter 4: Small Village

Gong Nanbei finally encountered another person! It was a kind-hearted farmer uncle who informed him that his village was not far away and could be reached in a ten-minute walk.

Judging from the uncle's accent, it should be in the Lu Province. People in the Lu Province were warm and hospitable. When they learned that Gong Nanbei had walked alone from Yanjing, they were amazed and insisted on treating him to a meal.

Of course, Gong Nanbei didn't refuse.

"Not bad, kid," the uncle said, watching Gong Nanbei effortlessly pulling the cart. He admired him and walked up beside Gong Nanbei, patting him on the shoulder and back.

It felt like he was selecting a big livestock.

Gong Nanbei chuckled and scratched his head. This shy appearance made the kind-hearted uncle like him even more. The uncle laughed heartily and said that they must have a good drink at noon!

Gong Nanbei repeatedly said that he couldn't drink, but the uncle looked at him up and down and refused to believe him.

The village was indeed close by, a peaceful little village with about two hundred households. Perhaps because it was noon, smoke rose from every house, and the sounds of birds chirping and dogs barking filled the air. It was tranquil.

The uncle looked at Gong Nanbei and noticed that he was still messing around with his phone while pulling the cart. He couldn't help but laugh and say, "You brat, don't just look at your phone while pulling the cart. Look at the road too, or you might fall into a ditch."

This sentence instantly made many viewers of the livestream burst into laughter, marveling at the simple and honest hearts of the people in the Lu Province.

Gong Nanbei hurriedly explained, "No, Uncle, I'm livestreaming. There are tens of thousands of people watching right now!"

Gong Nanbei was embellishing the truth. In reality, there were just over ten thousand people watching.

The uncle was taken aback and pointed at Gong Nanbei's phone, saying in disbelief, "Tens of thousands of people watching?"

Gong Nanbei nodded and said, "Yes." Hearing this, the uncle hurriedly adjusted his appearance, lightly coughed, and said, "With so many people watching you, kid, are you a big star?"

Gong Nanbei quickly waved his hands and said, "No, no, I'm just a small livestreamer, dreaming of becoming an entertainer."

The uncle was puzzled, not understanding the difference between an entertainer and a star. But when he thought of tens of thousands of people watching Gong Nanbei, he couldn't show that he didn't understand. He coughed lightly again, pretending to be deep and nodded.

While they were chatting, they had already arrived at the uncle's house, a typical northern farmhouse with a spacious courtyard and three large tile-roofed houses inside. There was a pile of firewood in the yard.

A Chinese countryside dog that was tied up in the corner wagged its tail excitedly when it saw its owner returning.

But when it saw Gong Nanbei's unfamiliar face, it started barking incessantly. The barking of the dog startled the nearby hens, and they hurriedly ran away from it.

"Go away! What are you barking at?!" the uncle's voice was loud, and it hurt Gong Nanbei's ears. When they reached the house, the uncle helped Gong Nanbei put the small cart next to the dog house and said, "Don't worry, kid. Blackie, my dog, will watch your cart. It won't get lost!"

Gong Nanbei smiled and nodded. The uncle continued to shout, "Hey! We have guests! Hurry up and slaughter a chicken!"

Gong Nanbei quickly waved his hands and said, "No need, Uncle. Just a simple meal will do. I can't accept your kindness."

Before the uncle could say anything, the main door of the house opened, and a slightly plump aunt walked out. When she saw the uncle, she shouted, "Who's making a fuss? Who's here?"

The uncle felt a little embarrassed and quickly signaled to the aunt. The aunt glanced at Gong Nanbei and immediately changed her tone seamlessly, "Ah, Lao Zuo, who is this kid? I've never seen him before."

Uncle Lao Zuo straightened his chest and smiled, "This kid is extraordinary. He's a big star, and tens of thousands of people watch him."

After speaking, he pointed at Gong Nanbei's phone and laughed, "This kid walked all the way from Yanjing pulling a cart. Who knows how much hardship he has endured."

Before Uncle Lao Zuo finished his words, the aunt went back into the house and closed the door.

Gong Nanbei and Uncle Lao Zuo were stunned, and even Blackie, who was guarding the cart, was stunned.

Before the two could react, the door was opened again, and the aunt had even put on light makeup! It hadn't even been five seconds!

It seemed like she hadn't heard the last sentence but only heard that tens of thousands of people were watching.

Gong Nanbei saw that everything was settled and quickly went over to greet her, saying, "Auntie, hello, I'm Gong Nanbei, a livestreamer who walked here from Yanjing."

The aunt warmly held Gong Nanbei's hand and said, "Child, you must have endured a lot of hardships on this journey. Come inside quickly. It's cold outside. Auntie will stew a chicken for you."

Gong Nanbei repeatedly refused, but in the end, he couldn't resist the hospitality of the two.

Uncle Lao Zuo warmly led him into the house and sat him on the warm heated kang. The aunt went out to choose a chicken with a knife in hand.

Not long after, the chaotic sounds of chickens and ducks outside could be heard, followed by the sound of a chicken's cry.

The barrage in the livestream room went crazy.

"There it is, mooching off food and drink!"

"See? That's how enthusiastic and hospitable we people from the Lu Province are!"

"I love the Lu Province the most!"

"Passing by XX City~"

Uncle Lao Zuo held Gong Nanbei with a sigh and asked, "Kid, how long have you been walking?"

Gong Nanbei smiled and said, "Not even two months yet." Uncle Lao Zuo was taken aback and looked down at Gong Nanbei's shoes. Only then did he notice that his shoes were already worn out.

Following his line of sight, Gong Nanbei looked over and saw him staring at his shoes. He laughed and said, "The quality of these shoes is not bad. I usually have to change shoes every ten days or so, but I've been wearing this pair for half a month, and they're still not broken!"

Uncle Lao Zuo was moved and asked, "Kid! How did you endure it?"

Gong Nanbei was taken aback and asked, "Endure what?"

Uncle Lao Zuo nodded, "Walking so far while pulling a cart on such cold days, why did you do it?"

Gong Nanbei smiled and said, "I told you before, didn't I? I want to become an entertainer! The kind that acts and sings! So I plan to go to Hengdian!"

Uncle Lao Zuo was puzzled and asked, "Then why didn't you buy a plane ticket? Or if you don't have money, you could take a train."

Gong Nanbei certainly couldn't say that it was a task from the system. He could only make up a lie and said, "I promised someone before that I would walk to Hengdian."

Uncle Lao Zuo instantly showed an expression that said, "I understand, no need for further explanation."

The barrage in the livestream room was flying.

"I'm really curious! Who is that mean person! Hurt my husband's heart! Ah, how envious of her!"

"This has happened several times!"

"Ah, when I watched the livestream, I already knew that Old Gong left Yanjing and went to Hengdian for a certain woman."

"Mean person! Pah! My husband won't be sad, he still has me!"

Gong Nanbei didn't have time to look at his phone, nor did he have such a woman, or rather, there was no such woman in this world.

The woman he mentioned in the livestream was his girlfriend in his previous life. No, his ex-girlfriend.

She was the one he personally gave up on after learning about his muscular dystrophy.