The longed-for village system

Chapter 5 Visiting the Mushroom House

"Clap clap clap!" Huang Shi immediately clapped and cheered after regaining his senses, praising, "Amazing, Xiao Chen, your singing is incredible!"

"The lyrics are also very well written and fit the theme of our program perfectly. It's a very complete and high-quality song," He Jiong praised.

Off-camera, the show's director, Lao Wang, shared the same feelings as He Jiong after listening to the song. Of course, countless netizens also highly praised the song. Looking at the comments on the screen, Lao Wang immediately made a decision.

They haven't decided on a theme song for this season's show yet. Since there's a song that everyone thinks is suitable and that they think is good, why not buy it and use it as the theme song for their show?

Of course, this matter still needs to be discussed privately with the landlord, including the price, recording details, and other aspects.

Wang Dao's thoughts were naturally unknown to He Jiong, Huang Shi, and the others. At this moment, the two people in charge of the Mushroom House were extending an invitation to Chen Qing, hoping that he would come to the Mushroom House for dinner that evening.

If it were anyone else, the two of them wouldn't have invited them so casually. However, Chen Qing's status was different; he was the landlord of their Mushroom House. Strictly speaking, tonight was the first time the Mushroom House had cooked a meal, and as the new landlord, Chen Qing should be present. This was the main reason why the two of them extended the invitation.

"This..." Chen Qing hesitated for a moment, "Won't this affect your filming? Actually, I'm fine with it."

Huang Shi, knowing Chen Qing's concerns, put his arm around Chen Qing's shoulder and replied, "How could that be? It's more lively with more people! Besides, you're the owner of the Mushroom House, how could you not be there tonight when the Mushroom House is having a feast!"

"Teacher Huang is right. Xiao Chen, you're not only the owner of the Mushroom House but also our neighbor. With these two identities, who else should we invite if not you? Don't be shy, let's have a meal together!" Teacher He chimed in.

"Alright then! Sorry to bother you."

Chen Qing didn't refuse anymore; the reasons the two gave were too good to be true, and refusing again would only seem pretentious.

After closing the door, everyone returned to the Mushroom House, and Huang Shi began preparing dinner for everyone. Of course, before that, they started their usual bargaining session.

"Mr. Wang, come out here. How much do we want for a pound of pork and a chicken?"

"One pound of pork is worth ten bundles of bananas, and one chicken is also worth ten bundles of bananas. How about this: we'll deliver the ingredients, and we'll charge you twenty bundles."

"How many?"

Huang Shi stared in shock at Director Wang, who was making outrageous demands. Teacher He, who had been entertaining Chen Qing, also caught up with Peng Peng and his sister. Bargaining required a show of force.

Seeing this, Chen Qing naturally got up and followed. According to his memories from his previous life, the director of the show was quite stingy. He would never stop until the guests were exhausted. The so-called "Longing for Life" was nothing more than showing the audience how celebrities were being tortured.

"Teacher Huang, how about we skip the chicken? Making some noodles would be fine too."

He had originally planned to have some poached chicken, but the production team was still so greedy, demanding ten bundles of bananas. Having lived there for over a month, he knew exactly how heavy a bundle of bananas was, let alone cutting them from the tree and transporting them back intact. Twenty bundles would be impossible for the group to complete in less than half a day. "It's alright, Lao Wang isn't stingy," Huang Shi smiled at Chen Qing, then turned to the production team and began negotiating, "Mr. Wang, ten bundles like this, our production team can't let them think we're stingy when we're treating them to a meal."

Perhaps feeling that Huang Shi's words made some sense, Lao Wang began to soften his stance, saying, "Eighteen bundles, that's the lowest price."

Watching Teacher Huang, Teacher He, and the others engage in heated bargaining with the production team of "Longing for Life," Chen Qing smiled and remarked that these people were still too weak. Indeed, celebrities are still somewhat different from ordinary people in this regard.

"May I say something?" Chen Qing interrupted after the two groups had quieted down briefly. After receiving approval from the others, he said to the production team, "Today is the auspicious day for the Mushroom House to start cooking. In China, we always look for good luck in this regard. What do you think?"

Old Wang nodded, but for some reason, he felt a little flustered when he saw Chen Qing's calm smile. He soon realized where this fluster came from.

"First of all, let's choose an auspicious number. A 20% discount for 20 bundles isn't unreasonable, right? But 16 sounds similar to 'death' and is considered unlucky. So why not give us a 40% discount? The number 12 is perfect."

奥林匹斯十二主神、巨人族泰坦有12位、希腊神话海格力斯完成了12项英雄伟绩、亚瑟王12圆桌骑士、以及耶稣的12门徒，这些都是以12为重要数字的。”

Huang Shi, Teacher He, and the others inwardly gave Chen Qing a thumbs up. They never expected that bargaining could be done like this, with mythological literature and history all involved.

Old Wang was also shocked by Chen Qing's bargaining remarks, but for the sake of the show, he could only defend him to the death and shook his head in refusal, "No, we are recording a show in China, and we must follow the rules here in China."

Chen Qing had anticipated Lao Wang's rebuttal; otherwise, they wouldn't have been voted the most stingy production team by netizens in his previous life. Huang Shi and Teacher He, seeing Chen Qing's still calm expression, gestured for him to continue performing.

"Alright! Since you don't recognize foreign things, let me talk about our Chinese things. In ancient times, girls were called 'Golden Hairpin Age' at the age of twelve. The Zhou Dynasty emperor's crown had twelve tassels, and the emperor's clothes had twelve patterns. Qin Shi Huang cast twelve golden statues, Yue Fei had twelve gold tablets, and even our mobile phone buttons are numbered twelve. It can be seen how important the number twelve is."

Everyone was convinced of Chen Qing's extensive knowledge, even Huang Shi, who was known for his high IQ, praised Chen Qing's knowledge.

Peng Peng looked at Chen Qing with an expression of admiration. If the camera hadn't been broadcasting live, he would have shouted, "Awesome! 666!" Such a simple bargaining game had revealed so much knowledge.

"Who told me I'm uncultured? All I can say is 'Wow!' This amateur landlord is awesome!"

"I've learned something new today. I never thought there was such a way to bargain. I'll learn it and try it tomorrow."

"Could he be a top student from that prestigious university? His knowledge is terrifying!"

Chen Qing couldn't see the comments from netizens. Looking at the dumbfounded Lao Wang in front of him, he asked casually, "So, 12 bundles are no problem, right?"

(End of this chapter)