The More Tragic I Act, the Stronger I Get — My Fans Beg Me to Stop Killing Off My Roles-Chapter 218: Mr. Jiang’s Hidden Talent

The mission was announced, and the production team issued each of the three a brand-new hoe and a bamboo-woven basket.

Luo Yu didn't say a word, picked up his hoe, and headed straight for the back hill.

Although his movements weren't particularly skilled, his earnest demeanor made it clear he was genuinely prepared to put in the effort.

Su Qingying stared at the farming tool in her hand, her entire body frozen stiff.

The hoe was made of iron, still carrying a faint smell of lubricating oil.

The basket was woven from bamboo, its edges dotted with tiny, prickly splinters.

The mere thought of having to use her hands later to dig through damp soil and touch the bamboo shoots hidden within made her feel intensely uncomfortable all over.

Her germaphobia was a long-standing issue, a kind of physiological aversion.

Jiang Ci, however, presented a completely different picture.

He picked up his hoe, hefted it in his hand to feel its weight and balance.

Then, he looked around and quickly spotted an old whetstone in the corner of the yard, used for sharpening knives.

He walked over, rolled up his sleeves, pressed the hoe's blade against the stone surface at a precise angle, and began sharpening it.

"Scrape—scrape—"

The sound of metal grinding against stone was rhythmic and clear.

His movements were fluid and seamless, without the slightest hint of hesitation, leaving the nearby cameraman and Huang Yulei momentarily stunned.

This level of proficiency couldn't be faked.

Huang Yulei finally couldn't contain his curiosity and walked over.

"Xiao Jiang, you know how to do this too?"

Jiang Ci didn't even look up, his hands continuing their work, meticulously sharpening every part of the blade.

"My grandmother's family used to live in the countryside."

His reply was simple and direct.

"I spent every summer vacation as a kid helping her with chores, digging, chopping firewood, I did it all."

A few sentences explained everything.

An actor who on screen portrayed melancholic, shattered, tragic roles was, in private, actually skilled at farm work.

This contrast made Huang Yulei and He Jiongjiong exchange a glance, both seeing pleasant surprise reflected in the other's reaction.

Soon, the hoe was sharpened.

Jiang Ci gently tested the sharpness of the blade with his finger, nodded in satisfaction, then hoisted the hoe onto his shoulder and strode purposefully towards the bamboo grove.

Arriving at the bamboo grove.

Luo Yu had already chosen a spot and was digging away with sheer brute force.

The hoe thudded into the earth again and again with dull thumps, but aside from churning up piles of dirt, he hadn't dug up anything, only managing to work up a sweat.

Su Qingying stood far off on a patch of ground that looked relatively clean.

She held her hoe, miming digging motions in the air for a long time, but couldn't bring herself to actually strike the ground.

Jiang Ci entered the bamboo grove but didn't rush to start working.

His gaze swept quickly through the forest, observing the color of the bamboo, the density of the leaves, and the dryness or dampness of the soil on the ground.

Soon, he had locked onto several targets.

He walked to one of them, where the ground had only an extremely faint, hairline crack.

A layperson would never notice such a spot.

Jiang Ci stood firm, aiming at a point beside the crack.

He swung the hoe, clean and efficient, in two or three strokes.

The first stroke broke through the surface hardpan.

The second stroke cut diagonally deep into the soil layer.

The third stroke, a gentle pry.

A winter bamboo shoot, wrapped in soil but plump and beautifully formed, was dug out completely intact from the earth.

The cut at the root of the shoot was neat and smooth, almost undamaged.

Luo Yu stopped his own work, staring dumbfounded in this direction.

Su Qingying was also stunned.

The cameraman got excited and immediately zoomed in, giving Jiang Ci's hoe and the freshly unearthed bamboo shoot a big close-up.

Jiang Ci remained oblivious to the reactions around him.

He tossed that shoot into his basket, then moved to the next spot. As he dug, he didn't forget to impart some experience to the other two "newbies."

"When digging for bamboo shoots, you have to look for cracks in the ground."

His voice was clear in the quiet bamboo grove.

"Look for the 'one-line sky' kind to dig, a straight, thin crack. Those shoots are the tenderest and strongest."

He easily pried out another one.

"The hoe should go in at an angle, pry along the direction the shoot is growing. Don't just chop straight down. That's likely to break the shoot's tip, ruins the presentation."

Su Qingying stood not far away, holding the hoe that felt like a thousand pounds to her, completely stunned.

She looked at Jiang Ci.

At that face which, in films, was always filled with sorrow, despair, and endurance.

Right now, that face wore an expression of keen interest, earnestly explaining how to distinguish soil, how to wield the hoe, how to dig out a perfect bamboo shoot.

A powerful sense of dissonance and unreality assaulted her perception.

That Ye Chen under the Divine Tree, with shattered eyes, who would flinch warily even from a touch.

That Ye Chen in the Demonic Array, trampled underfoot, covered in blood yet refusing to bow his head.

And this Jiang Ci before her eyes, hoisting a hoe, skillfully dealing with the earth...

Were they the same person?

The character and the actor were, in this moment, completely stripped apart.

This separation didn't make Su Qingying feel any disappointment. Instead, it gave rise to a strange sense of relief.

In less than half an hour, the basket on Jiang Ci's back was already more than half full.

He glanced at Luo Yu, who was still struggling with one patch of land, walked over, and with a few deft strokes, helped him dig out several large, plump shoots.

Luo Yu looked at the land he had been digging fruitlessly for so long, which in Jiang Ci's hands had effortlessly "borne fruit," and fell into a brief silence.

Finally, Jiang Ci walked up to Su Qingying, who was still rooted in place, conflicted, without having dug up a single shoot.

He looked at her impeccably clean hands, then at the completely undisturbed patch of ground at her feet.

He didn't offer any grand lectures or try to persuade her to overcome her aversion.

He simply took off the heavy basket from his own back and held it out in front of her.

"Teacher Su."

"You carry this."

"I'll do the digging. It'll be faster this way."

Back at the Mushroom Cottage.

Huang Yulei looked at the basket full of fresh, tender bamboo shoots, most bearing the beautiful 'one-line sky' cracks, and couldn't stop praising Jiang Ci.

"Xiao Jiang, your skills are incredible! We're in for a treat tonight!"

He Jiongjiong also walked up with a smile, holding a mission card from the production team.

"Congratulations, everyone, for exceeding the mission quota!"

He clapped his hands first, then his tone shifted, and he blinked mysteriously.

"Now, announcing the hidden rule for this mission."

Everyone's attention was drawn to him.

He Jiongjiong cleared his throat and read the content on the card word by word.

"The hidden rule is..."

"The person who dug the most bamboo shoots in this mission will receive a special honor—"

He deliberately paused, building the suspense.

"That is, to be in charge of the head chef duties for tonight's dinner!"

The simple, honest smile of "labor is most glorious" on Jiang Ci's face froze.