Showbiz Scandal: The Official Announcement of My Ex and Myself-Chapter 293: Idyllic Country Couple Life

Xie Qingci obediently ate another slice.

This time, he ate it willingly, and logically, once his mouth was closed, no more juice should seep out.

But as he was eating, a thin, blood-colored line of juice appeared again at the corner of his mouth, which he quickly licked away with the tip of his tongue, leaving his lips with a moist trace.

"Finished," he said.

Only then did Yu Xia pick up the last slice and pop it into her mouth.

So sweet, smack.

After finishing the blood orange, the two of them rested for a few minutes before continuing down the path.

The closer they got to the flat ground at the foot of the mountain, the more they saw fields that were neatly cultivated. Soon, they saw the village.

Both of them smiled and quickened their pace to run forward.

It was a different kind of settlement compared to the villages they had seen before, with sparse households spaced far apart. The houses had tiled roofs and the walls were made of large stones mixed with pebbles and mud, maintaining a rather outdated architectural style.

And as they got closer, they realized the village was very quiet, without the noise of children they had imagined.

"Why does this feel a bit like the setting of a ghost movie?" Yu Xia rubbed her arms, sensing an eerie feeling in the place that even the scorching sun couldn’t dispel.

Xie Qingci also hesitated a bit, "Could it be that no one lives here? The land on the mountain has been barren for a long time, maybe the villagers have left."

Under what circumstances would a village become so desolate? Where there is no vitality? Vitality comes from what? Young people, children.

"It could also be that only a few elderly people are left."

Standing next to a house with door panels nearly rotting, Yu Xia looked into the distance, recalling her experience in filming, saying:

"I once filmed a crime detective series in a place somewhat like this. The young adults went out to work, the children went to the city for education, even the able elderly followed to enjoy life, but those who didn’t want to leave the ancestral homes stayed behind. Over time, only a few elderly remained in the village, and once they passed away, the village would truly become deserted."

Empty-nesters and left-behind children are special products derived from the country’s rapid development, which have largely increased since the late 20th century. Cities embrace young dreamers, while the countryside is left with people who yearn for the past and are forgotten.

She pursed her lips slightly and, seeing a relatively tidy clay house, said to Xie Qingci, "That house probably still has someone living in it, let’s take a look."

"Okay."

Walking up a small path, they found that indeed there was someone. An old woman sat under the eaves made of large stones near the threshold, chopping vegetables.

In the clay courtyard were a few chickens, a dog, and a cat lying by the old woman’s feet.

"Hello," Yu Xia called out, raising a smile, "Granny, we are here for a filming program, passing through. Could we borrow some fire to cook a dish?"

Saying this, she naturally fished out the remaining over two hundred yuan from her pocket from the last episode, counted fifty yuan, and handed it over.

The old woman couldn’t hear well, so she moved a little closer and repeated it louder.

"No need, no need," the old woman was very enthusiastic, immediately putting down the vegetable basket and standing up to head towards the kitchen, "There are plenty of vegetables in the countryside, I don’t need your money!"

Yu Xia followed along with a sweet smile, persistently chatting loudly and insisting on giving her the money.

"We also want some water, and to borrow a bowl..."

Xie Qingci followed behind, watching her act so friendly and coquettish. As he bent down to put his backpack away, a gentle curve appeared at the corner of his mouth.

Who knows what she said, but soon the old woman’s laughter came from the kitchen, and then she poked her head out from behind the crooked kitchen door to call him:

"Xie Qingci, follow Granny inside to cut a piece of preserved meat, a small piece."

"Okay." He responded and followed the old woman into the main room, where wooden rods hung from the high beams and strips of darkened bacon and sausages dangled from the walls.

He obediently cut only a small piece, refusing to take more despite the old woman’s urging. When he brought the bacon into the kitchen, Yu Xia was rolling up her sleeves, preparing to scrub the pot.

"You want to cook?" He asked with a frown.

Looking around, the kitchen was small and dark, probably because the old woman couldn’t see clearly. The stove was covered in layers of soot that hadn’t been cleaned, easy to accidentally smudge on clothes.

And Yu Xia’s hands, fine and fair with pink-tinted, polished nails, looked out of place here.

He took two steps forward, "Let me do it."

Holding a bamboo brush, Yu Xia evaded his hand, raising her chin to indicate the outside, "It’s not like I can’t cook; you still have a task. I think that door is about to collapse; ask the granny how to fix it. Do you know how?"

Xie Qingci still hesitated a bit. She directly nudged him out with her elbow, "Go check it out. The granny will help with the fire later. What do you want to eat?"

It was a bit like a wife asking her husband. Xie Qingci smiled and said:

"Fern fried with bacon is good, no need for any seasoning. After blanching the fern, don’t use oil, slice the bacon and put it in, then add the blanched fern..."

He even described the cooking process thoroughly, fearing she wouldn’t understand.

Yu Xia nodded perfunctorily. After he finished, she said, "We don’t have that dish, I’ll just improvise."

"..." Xie Qingci was pushed out of the kitchen and sighed as he went to fix the door.

Yu Xia decided to make porridge using dandelion, and then make vegetarian shepherd’s purse dumplings. She even bought some flour from the granny’s house to make bacon buns.

Though she didn’t know how to do any of it, the thought of being able to pull out buns from her bag during the upcoming journey, unlike the other guests who would be so hungry they could eat a person, filled her with energy. She eagerly learned from the granny.

And so, while other teams were still struggling with hunger and thirst, their team was already enjoying a wonderful rural life. One was repairing door panels and cupboards, while the other was kneading dough and learning to cook.

The once silent old house now resounded with voices and laughter, white smokey aromas wafted from the chimney, and the once dreary place finally had a bit more vitality.

Xie Qingci, under the eaves outside, listened to the bursts of laughter and Yu Xia’s voice, which was clearly two tones higher than usual, coming from the kitchen, smiled and shook his head slightly, continuing to hammer the nails one by one.

In the main room, an ancient clock ticked, although possibly not very accurate. Without a watch to compare, Xie Qingci couldn’t confirm if it was precise, but give or take, it should be almost four o’clock now.

Having run around half the day without eating, his stomach felt hollow. As he reached up to nail a piece at the top of the door panel, his shirt rode up, revealing a taut and flat abdomen with faint V-lines that led down into his waistband.

Yu Xia walked in with the food and was met with a brief glimpse of his surprisingly fit waist, almost losing her grip on the dishes she was holding.

"Time to eat, are you done?" she asked after placing the dishes on the table.

Xie Qingci: "Almost, I just need to tighten this light bulb above."

"Oh, hurry up then. I made buns and two steamed ones, the steamed ones are for you, they’re really tasty, lucky you!"