By linking my account to the check-in system, I became a leisurely traveler.

Chapter 39 Showing Off Culinary Skills Again
To make work more convenient and to save costs, Xie Lin rented a house outside of Hengdian Town. After all, it's easily accessible by high-speed rail and subway. Given his limited options, he only considered price when renting a place.

The two of them arrived from Dongyang City by subway. Li Younan's car was still at the hotel in Dongyang City, so there was no rush to drive it. They took the subway and then a bus back to Xie Lin's house.

On the way, Xie Lin talked about his girlfriend: "My girlfriend has the same surname as you, Li. Her name is a bit rustic, Li Juhong, because she was born in autumn. She is three years younger than me, only twenty-two."

Li Younan asked, "How long have you been together?"

Xie Lin looked out the window; they were almost at their stop. He stood up, grabbed the handrail, and said, "We've been together for over two years. She has a great job; she works as a waitress at a hotel restaurant near our apartment. Although she doesn't earn as much as I do, it's close to where we live. We're planning to get married at the end of the year." He grinned and then asked, "What about you, bro?"

Li Younan paused for a moment, seemingly quite happy regardless of material conditions, and said, "I might wait a few years."

Sherlin nodded: "But that makes sense, you're so handsome, there's no rush."

At this moment, the bus arrived at the stop, and Xie Lin patted Li Younan and said, "Come on, we have to get off."

After getting off the bus, the two walked for more than 20 minutes and arrived at Xie Lin's rented house. It was a not-so-new neighborhood, but the environment looked quite nice.

Xie Lin laughed and said, "The place I lived in before was pretty bad. Last year, I discussed it with Ju Hong and we moved here. The rent is about 6000 yuan a year, but I think it's worth it."

Li Younan glanced at Xie Lin's expression. Ever since he met Xie Lin today, the guy had been smiling the whole time. But his smile wasn't meant to please anyone; you could sense that every time he smiled, it was out of satisfaction with life.

Li Younan had a strange feeling that the most important thing in life is emotional pleasure. The joy of completing a project worth tens of millions is not necessarily greater than the joy of people from the lower class moving to a better neighborhood.

Li Juhong is a petite girl who came from a rural area in northern China to work. When they reached the bottom of the apartment building, Li Juhong was carrying the groceries she had bought and was about to go upstairs. Xie Lin called out to Li Juhong, and the group went upstairs together.

Although Xie Lin had already introduced Li Younan to Li Juhong over the phone, Li Juhong was still very shy in front of Li Younan, her gaze darting away, not daring to look at Li Younan's face. Li Younan would tease the two of them from time to time, and she would hide beside Xie Lin, just laughing.

Xie Lin said, "Ju Hong is a little shy, please don't mind her."

Although that's what Xie Lin said, Li Younan had no doubt that if he really showed any concern, this guy would turn on him in a heartbeat.

The apartment that Sherlin and her partner rented was small, a two-bedroom unit, but fully furnished. The two of them shared one bedroom, with the other room used for miscellaneous items.

Xie Lin showed Li Younan around the empty room, which was mostly filled with things used during filming.

Xie Lin explained, "Although the production team provides costumes and props, let's put it this way: the armor, clothes, and boots were all brought over by the truckload. Apart from you being new, nothing else was new. Starting from the third year, I bought my own official boots, straw sandals, and ancient cloth clothes. After all, you never know what the previous costume designer was like."

Li Younan asked, "By the way, you extras are also divided into categories, right? Could you explain that to me?"

When talking about his old profession, Sherlin became excited and nodded, saying, "That's right. Outsiders think that extras are just extras, but in fact, there are different levels of extras."

"There are mainly three categories. The most basic is the background extras like us. There are no requirements; anyone, regardless of height or weight, can participate. But the income is also the lowest, around 100 to 200 yuan a day. A slightly better one is called a 'front-profile' extra, who has to appear on screen. There are requirements for height and appearance; men need to be over 1 meters tall, and women over 78 meters tall. This type of actor earns more, about twice as much as the background extras. The best type has lines and requires an audition. They are called 'feature actors.' Some film or opera students come to audition, and they can earn 1 to 6 yuan a day!"

Besides working as an extra himself, Schelling is also gradually transitioning into becoming an extra leader.

After listening to Xie Lin's introduction, Li Younan had a general understanding of the upcoming system tasks, which meant that he would experience a day in the life of each of these three minor characters.

After touring Sherlin's storage room, the two went to the living room. Sherlin poured Li Younan a cup of hot tea, while Li Juhong was busy in the kitchen. Li Younan asked, "If I want to experience being an extra, what should I do?"

Xie Lin's expression turned somewhat strange. To be honest, being an extra wasn't an easy job. However, after so many years here, he had gotten to know quite a few people, built up some connections, and was slowly transitioning into a lead actor. He had experienced everything that came with being an extra and was long since adapted to the life of an extra. But a college student like Li Younan might not be able to endure such hardship. It was understandable that he wanted to experience it; the pursuit of novelty is human nature.

Xie Lin thought for a moment and said, "If you're an ordinary person, it's actually quite simple. You just need to go to Hengdian to get an actor's certificate, join a group, and wait for the group leader to post announcements looking for actors. It's a bit more troublesome if you're a supporting actor or a featured actor." But Xie Lin smiled and said, "But if you want to experience it, I can introduce you to a film crew. You're so handsome, getting a supporting role shouldn't be a problem."

Li Younan nodded. Just then, he heard the sound of vegetables being washed coming from the kitchen. He stood up and went into the kitchen. Li Juhong was carefully washing a tomato.

Just then, Li Juhong received a phone call. Knowing it was impolite to eavesdrop on someone's phone call, Li Younan tactfully retreated to the living room.

After a while, Li Juhong came out somewhat flustered and said, "Something came up at the hotel, I'll be right there." She hesitated for a moment, glanced in the direction of the kitchen, and then said to Xie Lin, "The ingredients are all prepared, I'll cook them when I get back."

Sherlin's expression turned serious, and he asked with concern, "Is everything alright?"

Li Juhong smiled and said, "It's no problem, it will be done in half an hour at most."

After Li Juhong left, Li Younan asked Xie Lin, "Does your girlfriend often work overtime?"

Xie Lin smiled nonchalantly: "It's alright. She works in the hotel restaurant, and her work schedule is very regular. She only works overtime occasionally." After a moment's hesitation, Xie Lin said somewhat apologetically, "But dinner will have to wait a little longer."

Li Younan seemed thoughtful and said, "Don't you usually cook for yourself?"

Xie Lin chuckled: "My cooking isn't very good. I usually just make myself some instant noodles. But today, I want you to try my girlfriend's cooking. After all, she works in a restaurant and has learned a lot from the chefs!"

Li Younan stood up and walked into the kitchen. He glanced at the ingredients: tomatoes, beef brisket, green peppers, pork belly, cabbage, and eggs. He could tell at a glance that Xie Lin's girlfriend was going to make scrambled eggs with tomatoes, beef with green peppers, and stir-fried cabbage.

Li Younan tied on an apron.

Sherlin, who followed in, looked stunned: "Wait, buddy, what are you doing?"

Li Younan pointed to the cutting board and said, "Your girlfriend has worked so hard, let me cook this meal!"

Sherlin immediately refused: "How can you? You are a guest, how can a guest cook?"

Li Younan walked to the cutting board, picked up a green pepper, and calmly glanced at Xie Lin: "Do you really distinguish between host and guest so clearly?"

These words left Xie Lin speechless, as if refusing Li Younan meant he didn't consider her a friend. He himself wasn't good at refusing people, so he could only give an awkward smile: "That's not what I meant, but... do you know how to do this?"

Li Younan chuckled and slammed the green pepper onto the cutting board, followed by a rapid and rhythmic "thump thump thump thump thump" sound.

The green peppers were turned into neat strips.

After showing off his swordsmanship, Li Younan gently blew on his bangs: "Go outside and sit down."

(End of this chapter)