1990s: Spring Water Family

Chapter 101 The boy my cousin likes...

"I hope so."

Wu Meng looked expectant: "I guess this is my only chance to be on TV. I'll just be able to show my face on camera. I don't dare to hope for more."

Does your well have a name?

Director Du overheard the two girls talking about him and looked over with a smile.

"No."

Wu Meng felt a bit of awe towards Director Du and quickly suppressed her smile.

What do you usually use this water for?

Director Du couldn't stop talking about his profession; he was trying to find some more attention-grabbing gimmicks.

"Do laundry, cook."

Wu Meng failed to grasp his deeper meaning.

“Wasting resources from nature”.

The assistant director felt it was a great pity: "This is spring water. It's such a waste to use it for washing clothes and cooking. At least it could be used to make tea or something."

"Drinking tea is a must."

Wu Meng was a little naive: "Before we got running water in the yard, we definitely used this water to make tea."

Director Du smiled and remarked, "Don't you think tea brewed with this water tastes better than tap water?"

"My dad said it tastes good."

Wu Meng nodded: "When Grandpa was alive, he also liked to use well water to make tea."

"This is it."

Director Du clapped his hands and smiled proudly: "Using spring water to brew tea is a specialty of our old Jinan courtyard houses. It not only brews tea, but also integrates spring water culture, the charm of springs, the charm of water, and the charm of food into one, and combines it with beautiful scenery, delicious food, and beautiful colors to create a unique culinary delight of old Jinan."

"Wow, Director Du is amazing."

Wu Meng was full of admiration: "How did you come up with that? You speak so eloquently, one sentence after another, I couldn't come up with anything like that even if I racked my brains."

"Otherwise, I'd be the director."

Director Du got a little carried away by the young girl's praise: "Do you think I've been wasting my life all these decades? To be a director, you have to have real talent and skills."

"Director Du is absolutely right."

The assistant director quickly offered his flattery.

I'm saying this specifically for you.

Director Du immediately frowned and glared at him with disdain.

"Cough cough."

The assistant director blushed and coughed awkwardly twice.

"Pfft."

Wu Meng couldn't help but burst out laughing.

-

As expected of a master chef, Mr. Wu prepared a variety of delicious dishes, including sweet and sour carp, braised pork intestines, stir-fried pork kidneys, and braised fish slices. Every time a plate of these dishes was brought out of the kitchen, a chorus of praise would erupt in the courtyard.

Are they all born in the year of the frog?

Director Du laughed and shooed them away: "What are you babbling about here? Hurry up and set up the table, get ready to film."

In order to capture the unique flavors of old Jinan cuisine that he described as a combination of springs, water, food, beautiful scenery, delicious food, and stunning colors.

The production team specifically chose Qushuiting Street as the filming location.

Qushuiting Street is the most beautiful street in the old city, and it is connected to Xigengdao Street.

On one side are old houses with blue bricks and broken tiles, and on the other side is a crystal clear stream. People living by the water wash rice and do laundry here, perfectly embodying the spring city scenery described by Lao She: every household has a spring and every household has weeping willows.

The crew set up a table by the stream and laid out delicious food.

The algae swayed in the breeze, and the willows grew green.

The famous dishes looked even better when photographed against the backdrop of beautiful scenery.

The cameraman kept switching lenses, taking pictures of the dishes from all angles.

Whenever he gets closer, you can hear the sound of him swallowing behind him.

"Alright, stop standing around, come over here, one for each of you, have a taste."

After filming was completed, Director Du gave the order, and enthusiastic cheers erupted by the stream.

The crew rushed forward, scrambling to grab the chopsticks.

The cameraman, being rather cunning, didn't turn off the camera and secretly filmed his colleagues eating.

In the short time it took Lin Xiyu to pick up her chopsticks, a plate of stir-fried pork kidneys was gone.

She was just about to move on to pick up the braised pork intestines when a male staff member bumped her with his elbow, causing her to stumble and drop her chopsticks.

"Hahaha, the essence of grabbing vegetables: fast, ruthless, and accurate."

The assistant director snatched the last piece of braised pork intestines and proudly stuffed it into his mouth right in front of her.

Lin Xiyu rolled her eyes inwardly, silently turned away, and didn't want to support him.

"Who are these people? They're moving way too fast! Now I know what it means to sweep away everything in a flash."

Wu Meng also failed to get any braised pork intestines, and angrily picked up a piece of stir-fried liver tip and put it in her mouth, chewing it vigorously.

"The sweet and sour carp tastes good."

Gu Bin used his chopsticks to pick up a piece of sweet and sour carp and held it out to Lin Xiyu.

Lin Xiyu ate with relish, and her poor little heart finally received some comfort.

Under the guidance of the assistant director, the "Clean Plate Campaign" was implemented thoroughly.

A male staff member picked up the plate and poured all the syrup from the sweet and sour carp into it.

Director Du couldn't bear to watch and turned his head away in disgust.

He refused to acknowledge this good-for-nothing as his subordinate.

"Hahaha."

Mr. Wu was delighted, patting his round belly and laughing heartily.

With the support of his audience, his chef achievement was maxed out, and he experienced the glory of being a culinary master.

-

"Xi Yu, let's make a dress together."

After filming the food, Li Yan had her own little plan: she wanted to take advantage of the interview to have Wu's mother make her a few suitable outfits.

"I'm not doing it anymore. Her family uses high-quality materials, and it's not cheap to make a whole outfit like that."

Lin Xiyu was reluctant to spend the money, so she casually replied, "My cousin sells clothes. I'll just get two pairs from her and wear them casually."

"Your cousin sells clothes?"

Li Yan's eyes lit up, and she perked up again: "Why didn't you say so sooner? This is perfect material for filming!"

"Uh."

Lin Xiyu didn't expect her to be so dedicated, just like Director Du, she couldn't stop talking about her profession.

"Stop taking pictures, the night market is crowded and chaotic."

She hesitated, fearing that, like the last time those women caused trouble, it might attract some malicious people who would ruin her cousin's business.

What's wrong with the night market?

Li Yan didn't know her true thoughts and mistakenly thought that she felt ashamed to set up a stall at the night market and was embarrassed to publicize it.

“Our program is all about the real lives of ordinary people. Your cousin works during the day and runs a stall at night. She works hard in all kinds of weather to make a living. Such an inspiring story must be filmed.”

"Cough cough."

Lin Xiyu felt ashamed for her cousin: "Actually, she's not as inspiring as you say."

"I think this is feasible."

Li Yan's eyes lit up as she thought about it: "We can dig deeper into your cousin's strengths, such as her romantic history, why she is so inspiring, what her goals are, and what motivates her to do so?"

"Cough cough."

Lin Xiyu coughed twice guiltily.

My cousin's desire to make money wasn't solely due to the shock of my maternal grandmother's family selling beds; it was merely an excuse.

The boy she liked had a disabled father, a deceased mother, and a mentally unstable grandmother.

My cousin often delivers things to his family, giving them all the money she earns from her salary.

My aunt was very angry about this and strictly forbade her from seeing that boy again.

My cousin outwardly agreed but inwardly continued to do as she pleased.

Of the family, only Lin Xiyu knew the truth. But she was too afraid to tell anyone!
What she feared even more was that if Li Yan continued to dig deeper, it would attract the aunt's pursuit.

At that time, I'm afraid not only will my cousin be tortured to death by my aunt, but she, who knew about it but didn't report it, will also lose her life.

-

"Xi Yu, do you have any concerns?"

Seeing her furrowed brows, Li Yan wondered, "If it's about saving face, there's no need for that. We ordinary people earn money through our own hard work, and there's nothing shameful about it."

"I don't feel ashamed."

Lin Xiyu couldn't say it outright, and she was so anxious that she broke out in a cold sweat.

"Sister Yan, I have a request."

Wu Meng, true to her best friend, sensed something was wrong and stepped in to help her out: "Could you guys film some scenes of my mom making clothes? We can promote it on TV and help her get some business."

"What's wrong with that?"

Li Yan was indeed distracted by her words and readily agreed: "I was just saying that I wanted to ask your mother to make a dress with Xi Yu, but this girl is making all sorts of excuses. I don't know what she's worried about."

"go a head."

Gu Bin had been keeping an eye on the three girls' movements. Upon hearing this, he tugged at Lin Xiyu's sleeve from behind and said, "I'll give you the money as a graduation gift."

"Tsk, tsk."

Li Yan said with a hint of bitterness, "Look at how different it is for people with boyfriends. Unlike us, we have no one to care for us or love us. We even have to pay for our own clothes."

"If someone wants to give you money, you have to accept it."

The cameraman reacted quickly and promptly chimed in.

"Forget it."

Li Yan rolled her eyes at him disdainfully: "You don't even earn as much as I do. Save up for your future wife."

"I want to save too."

The cameraman, with a shameless grin, leaned closer and said, "You need to have a wife first, how about you marry me?"

"What are you thinking? Even in broad daylight, you wouldn't dream like that."

Li Yan stretched out a finger and pressed it against his forehead, pushing his large face, which was close to hers, back down.

"Ugh."

The cameraman was speechless at her one-finger Zen skill: "Why is it so hard to find a wife?"

"hehe."

Wu Meng watched the scene in silence, but was amused by the two's amusing interaction.

-

No. 1 Xigengdao Street.

The cameraman set up the camera in a suitable location inside the house and recorded the entire process.

Li Yan flipped through the clothing styles in the catalog and chose the one she liked.

Can all the clothes in the catalog be made?

"They can all be done."

Wu Meng proudly boasted about her mother: "My mother used to be a key business employee at the No. 6 Garment Factory. You can rest assured about her skills; they are absolutely top-notch."

"is it?"

Li Yan smiled and praised, "Aunt Wu looks very skillful and she and Father Wu look like a perfect match."

"hey-hey."

Wu Meng wholeheartedly agreed: "All my relatives and friends say so, which is why I look like them. When my dad takes me out, strangers say I look like him, and when my mom takes me out, they say I look like her. I keep them happy all the time."

"I'll just say it."

Li Yan seized the opportunity to boast a little: "I have a keen eye for people, I can tell them apart very well. If someone looks like a married couple, they really do look like a married couple."

"Just because you have such good eyesight..."

Mother Wu waved her hand generously: "All the fabrics you picked out today will be 20% off."

"That's daring."

Li Yan happily chimed in, "Xi Yu, hurry up and choose! Just for the sake of Aunt Wu's grand occasion, we should make a few more outfits so we can wear them and show our faces on TV."

"Xi Yu has a great figure and fair skin; she'll definitely look good in this dress."

Wu's mother was pleased to hear this, and took off a white dress with orchid patterns from the model and handed it to Lin Xiyu.

"Put them on and try them on."

Wu Meng smiled and encouraged him.

"Was this dress made for someone else?"

Lin Xiyu hesitated for a moment: "Is it inappropriate for me to wear this?"

"fine."

Wu Meng kept winking at her: "This is a sample, you can try it on."

"Ok."

Lin Xiyu understood what she meant; she wanted her to wear it and show it to the viewers in front of the TV to attract business for her mother.

"Go to the inner room to change."

Wu Meng beamed and pushed her into her bedroom.

Lin Xiyu closed the door and took off her clothes.

"Wow, Xiyu, you have a really great figure."

Wu Meng's stunning voice followed: "With your curves, if Gu Bin saw you like this, he'd be completely smitten."

"Shh, keep your voice down."

Lin Xiyu blushed deeply because of her, and even her ears turned pink.

"You look even more beautiful when your face turns red."

Wu Meng's envious gaze remained fixed on her, and she almost drooled.

"Please stop looking at me like that, you infatuated guy?"

Lin Xiyu was speechless: "It's disgusting. Luckily, Qu Peng didn't see you acting like a lovesick fool, or he would have had a heart attack."

"Cut~~"

Wu Meng pouted indignantly: "Why bring him up? I've given up on him a long time ago."

"Have you really given up?"

While she was sighing, Lin Xiyu quickly put on her dress.

"What else can I do if I'm not giving up?"

Wu Meng was heartbroken: "He doesn't care about me at all. I don't want to torture myself anymore. Anyway, it's impossible. It's better to give up as soon as possible."

"It's good that you've given up. Now Li Liang has a chance."

Lin Xiyu straightened her skirt, looked in the mirror, and felt that there were no flaws. She then walked gracefully towards the door.

Why are you bringing him up again?

Wu Meng yelled at her from behind, "I just broke up with my boyfriend, and you're using him to rub salt in my wounds. Can't I even catch my breath?"

What does it mean to be heartbroken? Who has been heartbroken?

Before she could finish speaking, the door opened with a whoosh, and Wu's mother looked directly into the room with a surprised expression.

"No, no, Mom, you must have misheard."

Wu Meng trembled with shock and forced a smile that looked more like a grimace at her mother.

"You dare lie to your own mother!"

The next second, screams of agony filled the room.

"Hey, Mom, listen to me! I'm not lying to you. I haven't been dating anyone, I haven't been messing around, and these two boys have nothing to do with me."

"I never dated Qu Peng; at most, it was just a crush on him."

"Li Liang is even more unreliable. It's all nonsense from Xi Yu. She just wants to provoke me."

"Ouch, stop hitting me! It hurts so much! If you keep hitting me, the feather duster will break."

Li Yan: "."

Cameraman: "."

Is it inappropriate for the two of them to just sit and watch this scene of "motherly love and filial piety"?
"What's going on? Why are you hitting the child?"

Hearing the commotion outside, Mr. Wu was about to come in to check when a figure darted out of the house, nearly knocking him over.

(End of this chapter)