After dinner, Gu Zhijing was about to go with Pei Sheng to the village to find people who could help tomorrow.
Gu Zhijing still remembered what Pei Sheng had said, so as soon as they left, he walked quickly on his own, not waiting for Pei Sheng.
"Why are you walking so fast? Wait for me," Pei Sheng jogged a few steps to catch up with Gu Zhijing.
"Hmph!" Gu Zhijing didn't want to talk to him and directly walked to the other side of the road, keeping far away from Pei Sheng.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said those things," Pei Sheng apologized to Gu Zhijing.
"Oh my, I wouldn't dare! How could a celebrity apologize to an ordinary person like me?" Gu Zhijing wasn't one to forgive easily; if he was angry, he had to let it out, if he was upset, he had to express it.
Pei Sheng knew he was in trouble. He came from an ordinary background and was only noticed because of his looks. There were countless people in the company waiting for their chance to shine. Before coming to participate in this show, his manager had specifically instructed him that Xiao Mo equaled traffic, Xiao Mo equaled exposure, and these were exactly what he desperately needed right now.
He had said those words himself, and there was even a video. He had no room to deny it. The fan base he had painstakingly built up was now mostly gone after this incident. Indeed, what fan could accept that their supposedly kind and sunny boy was actually calculating and mean-spirited?
There weren't many entertainment activities in the village, so after dinner, most people stayed at home. Therefore, it wasn't too difficult to find people to help. Everyone was very enthusiastic when they heard it was for Gu Tao's wedding, and they all said it wouldn't be a problem.
If it was just about finding people, they could have finished in half an hour, but Gu Zhijing and Pei Sheng only returned to the small courtyard after more than an hour. They couldn't help it; every household wanted to invite them in for some food and drinks, and they had to spend quite some time at each house.
On the way back, the two still kept their distance. Pei Sheng didn't try to talk anymore. He had too many worrying things on his mind now, and Gu Zhijing's attitude was the least of his concerns. He was even considering what he could do in the future and sadly realized that he had no real skills.
After returning home, Pei Sheng went to find his sister, Pei Zhi. Ren Man opened the door after he knocked. Of course, Ren Man didn't have a good attitude towards Pei Sheng either. Someone who avoided tasks by using his sister's illness as an excuse couldn't be anything good.
Originally, Pei Zhi was supposed to go to Yuan Yuan's house with them today, but before leaving, Ren Man saw that she looked really unwell, so she let her rest in the room. After all, besides them, Yuan Yuan's girlfriends were there too, so they wouldn't be short-handed.
"Sister Ren Man, I need to talk to my sister about something."
Ren Man didn't say anything, just opened the door and stepped back. Pei Zhi pursed her lips but still stood up and went out.
There wasn't really anywhere to talk in the courtyard, so the two of them went to the kitchen.
"Sis, do you remember? When we were little and still living in the village, we often sat like this too."
"Do you miss it?" Pei Zhi suddenly asked her brother, "Do you miss your childhood?"
Pei Sheng was taken aback for a moment, then nodded.
"I don't miss it at all. I don't like my childhood," Pei Zhi said, giving a faint smile. "Maybe because I was always the one tending the fire, washing the dishes, while you were the one eating the meat."
Talking about this again, there was no resentment or anger in Pei Zhi's eyes. On the contrary, she was very calm.
Her gaze at Pei Sheng was still gentle, and her tone was the same. "Ah Sheng, you need to take good care of yourself in the future."
In the past, she had earned some money through various part-time jobs, and she had already decided to leave home. After all, she had already found an excuse to transfer her household registration.
Actually, this show was really unexpected. As they grew up, her relationship with Pei Sheng wasn't close. Until recently, when Pei Sheng suddenly contacted her, saying he wanted to bring her along to be on the show. However, after learning about the show, she guessed the reason.
To be on the show, their parents definitely wouldn't be presentable, and Pei Sheng, who cared so much about his image, wouldn't choose them either. So he found her.
Pei Zhi agreed, considering it as a way to put a full stop to this family relationship, and she could also get some money. Why not?
Pei Sheng was immersed in his own emotions and didn't realize anything from his sister's words.
"Sis, you probably can guess, right? After I go back this time, I'm definitely finished."
Pei Zhi didn't respond to this. Of course, Pei Sheng wasn't expecting to get any solutions from his sister; he just needed someone to talk to.
"If you don't act anymore, you can still do other things. Ah Sheng, surviving isn't that difficult." It's just that their parents might go crazy. To them, their daughter was a nobody, while their son was a tool.
"Dad said he wants me to buy him a new car," Pei Sheng said, looking up at the ceiling. Pei Sheng thought his dad was very "humorous," asking for a BMW right off the bat, with the reason being that all the bosses in the county drove one.
Pei Zhi didn't say anything and stood up to leave. From now on, the affairs of this family had nothing to do with her.
...
That night, Qiao Peipei came back very late. By then, the other three had already gone to bed, but Qiao Peipei looked very excited.
"Why are you all in bed so early? I brought you some delicious food," Qiao Peipei said, waving several takeout boxes at them.
"Looks like you had quite a harvest today, eating and taking food home," one of them commented.
"Tsk, what do you mean 'eating and taking'? That sounds awful. I was thinking of you guys. Xiao Zheng, Xiao Yan, come and eat!"
"Didn't you bring any for your brother?" Nian Suian asked Qiao Peipei as she picked up a piece of fried lotus root.
"No way, if he knew I brought him braised pig's head meat, he'd braise me instead," Qiao Peipei pointed at one of the boxes. "Trust me, it's super delicious. You must try it!"
In her twenty-something years of life, Qiao Peipei had never eaten this kind of thing before, but today she was conquered after just one bite.
Nian Suian used to eat it often and had no prejudice against pig's head meat. She tasted it and indeed found it quite good. Xiao Zheng was the same, but Xiao Yan was a bit hesitant to try. However, seeing that her sister had eaten it, she closed her eyes and tried a piece.
"It's so delicious!"
"Right? Right? You think so too, don't you?"
Nian Suian thought it was good, but not extraordinarily so. Braised meats all tasted similar to her. But seeing Qiao Peipei and Xiao Yan's reactions, she couldn't help but doubt herself, finally attributing their enthusiasm to novelty. They probably didn't have many chances to eat braised meat, let alone braised pig's head.
"Did you sort out your business?" Nian Suian asked, looking at Qiao Peipei's expression and suspecting that she might have done nothing but eat all day.
"Of course I did. The menu has been arranged."
"You didn't just choose all the things you like to eat, did you?"
"What kind of question is that? Is there anything I don't like to eat?"