She bumped into Lu Jin who had finished his breakfast, and they walked together. They then came across He Xingzhou, who was still running around aimlessly.
“You haven’t found anything yet?” Yun Xiangxiang resigned as she looked at him wandering aimlessly.
“Both of my guesses were wrong. If I make one more mistake, I’ll have to starve,” he didn’t dare to make any choices easily.
“There’s a dumpling shop right up there. Their dumplings are fines,” said Lu Jin all of a sudden.
“Dumplings aren’t…,” He Xingzhou understood what Lu Jin was saying. The dumplings might not be the local specialty, but something else in the shop must be.
He rushed over to the shop. They sold simple things, most of which He Xingzhou knew. Save for the rice roll. He Xingzhou didn’t care anymore. He chose this one and was finally correct. He could also answer the card’s question.
After an hour of trudging around, he finally had his breakfast. It was hard-earned and bittersweet.
Yun Xiangxiang gave Lu Jin the thumbs up. She too saw the dumpling shop selling rice rolls.
Lu Jin didn’t break the rules. He didn’t reveal the name of the local specialties.
Yun Xiangxiang and Lu Jin went back to the gathering spot first and were taken to get some makeup on. They needed to show themselves as the film’s characters.
It was nearly ten o’clock when they gathered again.
“As a historical epic on wars, the battles in “The King’s Plan” are its highlights. Which is going to be related to the game today. It’s called “Conquest,” Shen Yitang said to the actors.
He took out a fan-shaped bi, “It is said that King Wen of Chu made Mr. He’s jade to signify the emperor’s rule. We have split the jade into twenty little pieces, and these pieces are put in different places around town. The one who finds more pieces will possess more land.”
“The actor with more land can enjoy all the food within it for lunch. “Conquest” is also related to the next game. Do your best everyone.”
“Hold up, if we can’t even find one piece, does that mean no lunch for us?” He Xingzhou was traumatized by his starvation earlier.
“That’s right. If you have no land, or if your land has no restaurant on it, then no lunch for you,” Shen Yitang answered,
“The program team’s trying to skimp, aren’t they?” He Xingzhou protested.
Shen Yitang said seriously. “Since there’s some manual labor involved, we are going to form teams here. You guys will draw lots to see who is your partner. One of you will be fighting alone.”
“I have a bad feeling about this…,” He Xingzhou mumbled to himself.
The result of the draw was surprising. The film’s husband and wife, Hou Cang and Sunqiluo, were a team. The rivals in love, Lu Jin and He Xingzhou, were in another. Yun Xiangxiang would be going alone.
King Wen of Chu and the marquis of Hou looked at each other with disgust.
“I feel sorry for Xiangxiang. I want to be in a team with her,” He Xingzhou immediately said.
“That’s my wife.”
“The wife you snatched away from me.”
“Because you’re useless.”
“No, you were being unreasonable…”
“I’m willing to be a team by myself,” when she looked at the pair, she thought she would be better off alone.
“I think even the heavens know that King Wen of Chu snatched Madam Xi because he couldn’t get his hands on the marquis of Xi. Madam Xi was just a cover,” Sun Qiluo the fujoshi [1] said excitedly.
“Pfft,” Yun Xiangxiang chuckled. “I should stay away from the lovely couple. Don’t want to be the third wheel.”
“You have two hours to finish this game. Tempus fugit, people, or no lunch for you,” Shen Yitang quickly changed the topic back.
The three teams went in three different directions. The jade was made by the program team. Not to mention the old town wasn’t small either, and they had a lot of jade shops. It was no easy task to find any piece.
He Xingzhou and Lu Jin saw one of the pieces first. A toddler was holding it.
He Xingzhou walked up and smiled warmly at the boy, “Hey, little man, can you give that thing you’re holding to me?”
The superstar’s gaze did not faze the little boy. He glanced at him and went back to playing with the jade.
Lu Jin took an accessory and handed it to the boy, “Why don’t we make an exchange?”
The boy took the accessory, but he didn’t look like he wanted to give them the jade.
He seemed to be saying, “Only three-year-olds make choices. I’m four now. I want all of them!” [2]
The two men tried their best to get the jade from the child but to no avail.
Suddenly, the announcer said, “Yun Xiangxiang has gotten three pieces of jade.”
“Let’s give this up, we have to find some, fast.” He Xingzhou gave up the jade the child was holding.
Lu Jin followed him in the search.
Yun Xiangxiang found three pieces in a jade shop. The program team pulled a quick one on them. The jade shop sold a lot of ring-shaped accessories. They had merged three pieces into a ring-shaped accessory and put it on display. Yun Xiangxiang missed it when she walked past them the first time.
It wasn’t until she saw a big dog wearing a similarly shaped piece did she think that it was familiar. Thanks to that, she rushed back to the shop and took all three pieces.
She didn’t remember everything too clearly during Shen Yitang’s briefing. The variety of similar accessories in the display section also hindered her search.
Yun Xiangxiang, who now had three pieces, looked at the big dog before her. “You guys are crazy. What if it bites me?”
“You can give it up,” the crew answered.
Yun Xiangxiang wasn’t going to do that. From the place where the dog was chained, she went inside a shop and saw an old man. She immediately stopped the program team, “Don’t follow me, you guys.”
The program team extended the camera into the courtyard, and it showed Yun Xiangxiang walking to the old man’s side. She nicely called him, “Sir.”
But the old man couldn’t hear her. Yun Xiangxiang then stood before him. The old man looked at her in bewilderment. He pointed to his ears and mouth, saying that he was deaf and mute.
The old man was sweeping the courtyard’s grounds. It would be awkward to just leave right after she came in. Noticing an extra broom at the side, she picked it up and helped him sweep. When she was leaving after she finished helping out, the old man stopped her.
He asked her to wait. The old man went into the house, stuffing some soft rice cakes into a box and tried to give it to Yun Xiangxiang.
Yun Xiangxiang refused, but the old man insisted. She then took the old man to the gates and pointed at the jade hanging on the dog’s neck.
The old man understood what she was saying. It was easier for him to get the jade.
He might not be the one who put it there, but his family did. Their family had kept the dog for a long time now. Naturally, he took the jade down easily.
Yun Xiangxiang put her hands together to thank the old man. Even after that, he still wanted to give the rice cakes to Yun Xiangxiang.
Yun Xiangxiang accepted it. She ate it as she strolled around town. After a while, she bumped into the duo of Hou Cang and Sun Qiluo.
“You can even buy food here?” Sun Qiluo’s mouth watered when she saw Yun Xiangxiang’s rice cakes.
They gave all their money and their phone to the crew for safekeeping.
“It’s a gift. Not something bought by the program team,” Yun Xiangxiang finished the last bite.
Sun Qiluo then looked at the four pieces of jade she head, “Aren’t you going a bit too fast?”
“Don’t be discouraged. Do your best,” Yun Xiangxiang smugly waved her jade pieces at them.