A Love Letter Written to You - Chapter 34

Chapter 34

 

She sat back down beside Ji Yu and asked, “Upset?”

 

“We didn’t get first place,” Ji Yu was still a little mad, mostly at herself. “I wanted to win first place with you.”

 

Leng Ying smiled, “There’s still a chance. Didn’t I come back early?”

 

She lowered her voice, “Did Ji Youqin sign?”

 

When she came in, she had seen Ji Youqin gnawing on a sweet potato, glaring at her fiercely while chewing.

 

Ji Yu nodded. “Yeah, she signed. Just signed, right after Luo Qing finished roasting the sweet potatoes.”

 

The dish made with bamboo shoots and pork had already been eaten. They’d measured portions carefully while prepping, so the remaining bamboo shoots were unpeeled and would take a lot more effort to prepare.

 

And now it was getting late.

 

The two of them had signed IOUs and only had sweet potatoes to eat.

 

Leng Ying had no intention of judging their behavior and simply continued whispering with Ji Yu. After chatting for a while, Ji Yu’s mood shifted from cloudy to sunny, gradually turning into bright blooming flowers.

 

Especially after Leng Ying promised repeatedly that Ren Meng definitely wouldn’t vote for her today, Ji Yu felt the night sky was beautiful—even without the moon.

 

After the song ended and a few more minutes passed, Ren Meng finally returned.

 

Ji Youqin was still battling her sweet potato. Director Pan, following the script, began the friendship card segment.

 

Once again, without hesitation, Leng Ying and Ji Yu exchanged friendship cards.

 

Qiu Daoyu curiously asked, “Leng Ying laoshi, Ji Yu-jie said just now that she’s never argued with you—is that true?”

 

Leng Ying paused, then nodded affirmatively, “It’s true.”

 

When she spoke of anything related to Ji Yu, her brows and eyes softened with a smile: “I think time spent arguing could be better spent just being together. Besides… there’s really nothing to argue about.”

 

Qiu Daoyu was shocked. “Like, not even a tiny bit of friction?”

 

“Nope.” Leng Ying answered decisively, then added thoughtfully, “She never argues with me.”

 

Ji Yu said, “Can’t bear to.”

 

“Ahhh—” Qiu Daoyu hugged herself. “So sappy! I’m jealous.”

 

Shengjianbao pouted, “I could do that too.”

 

“No, you couldn’t.” Qiu Daoyu pinched her face. “You’re a naughty little bun—”

 

And just like that, the peaceful night was disrupted.

 

All four groups had mutual friendship card selections tonight. Director Pan was a bit disappointed, but also… satisfied. The show’s ratings were thriving.

 

Ren Meng and Bo Xin had also brought in lots of traffic.

 

But most importantly, Ji Youqin and Luo Qing were still trending!

 

…

 

On the way back, Ji Youqin and Luo Qing still looked at each other like their eyebrows and eyes weren’t quite right—pure mutual loathing. Leng Ying was heading in the opposite direction, and Ji Yu commented, “They’re not going to fight again tomorrow, right?”

 

Leng Ying said, “Probably not.”

 

Ji Yu replied, “They argued pretty badly today.”

 

Leng Ying chuckled, “They signed IOUs. What, are they gonna default?”

 

“Oh, right.” Ji Yu nodded, agreeing. After a few seconds, she added, “They might just have that kind of personality though. Maybe they weren’t even serious.”

 

Leng Ying tapped her forehead lightly. “Mhm. Luo Qing was serious.”

 

“…” Ji Yu got jealous again. “You know her so well.”

 

“I know you better.” Leng Ying said, “The air smells a bit sour. Do you smell vinegar?”

 

Ji Yu immediately denied it.

 

Leng Ying smiled indulgently and let her off the hook. Ji Yu, however, got lost in Leng Ying’s soft, luminous gaze under the night sky.

 

…

 

By the third day of filming, the production team didn’t want the groups acting independently anymore. Today’s only task was to cook lunch, and the location was the courtyard from last night. There was a ready-made stove and plenty of indoor space. If anyone wanted to go outside, that was fine too. With all eight people together, the chemistry would be richer.

 

Director Pan started the livestream early in the morning, and the camera remained fixed on the courtyard. Occasionally, a guest would pass through the frame and disappear again.

 

With nothing to do in the morning, Ji Yu dragged Leng Ying around the village, idly playing with cats and dogs. Ji Yu found it a bit suspicious. “Is the production team really being this nice?”

 

On the way, they bumped into a little girl stuck in a tree trying to retrieve a kite. Ji Yu helped get it down, walked her home, and left with a bunch of candied hawthorn as thanks.

 

Smoke was rising from chimneys in the village, scents of sweet, sour, bitter, and spicy dishes drifting through the air.

 

Leng Ying said, “It’s about time to eat.”

 

Ji Yu: “Shall we go back? See what kind of ‘surprise’ the production team has prepared.”

 

“Let’s hope it’s not a scare.” Leng Ying popped a hawthorn into her mouth and lifted one to Ji Yu’s lips. Ji Yu bit down unsuspectingly. “…”

 

Her face scrunched up. “So sour!”

 

Leng Ying calmly retracted her hand. “I think it’s fine.”

 

Ji Yu powered through the sourness and finished the hawthorn. By the end, the tartness had faded, and the candied coating left a lingering sweetness in her mouth. She paused for a second before admitting, “…It is kind of sweet.”

 

Leng Ying laughed. “Told you I wasn’t lying.”

 

“…Yeah.”

 

Back in the courtyard, Director Pan handed out today’s task.

 

Each pair was to tie one of their arms together and complete eight dishes—rice was provided by the production team.

 

As for the actual dishes… the crew gave them a list of places to pick vegetables.

 

Leng Ying took note of the locations but immediately felt it was a trap. She told Qiu Daoyu and Shengjianbao, who were already there, “We still have leftover ingredients in our fridge from the other day. Let’s use those. I saw Bo Xin and Ren Meng fishing when we came over.”

 

“I saw that too!” Qiu Daoyu nodded vigorously. “I even looked in their bucket—they caught quite a few fish!”

 

Tied together, two people had to function as one. Leng Ying figured this task would be fine for her and Ji Yu. As long as they worked together, even if their cooking skills weren’t amazing, the task would get done. But she had no faith in Ji Youqin—she’d already heard her yelling at Luo Qing again this morning like it was some kind of daily requirement.

 

The ingredients left over from the barbecue had already been prepped—meat could go straight into the pan, veggies could just be boiled. Simple and easy.

 

As for the gardens suggested by the production team… they could check those out in their free time, chat with the locals, and stock up on some backup ingredients.

 

With that decided, Leng Ying and Ji Yu casually headed back to their house with the box of hawthorn—since two teams hadn’t shown up yet, they clearly weren’t in a rush.

 

By the time they returned, the hawthorn was mysteriously all gone.

 

But four more people had appeared in the courtyard.

 

It was the other two teams.

 

Ren Meng and Bo Xin had followed the rules and tied their arms. But on the other side…

 

Ji Youqin was tied to Shengjianbao, Qiu Daoyu was tied to Luo Qing, and Luo Qing was tied to Shengjianbao. They had forcibly turned four people into one unit!

 

Leng Ying: “?”

 

She backed out with Ji Yu, then walked back in again.

 

Nothing changed.

 

Leng Ying was baffled. “…What are you doing?”

 

Qiu Daoyu looked dead inside. “Teacher Leng Ying, we’re playing a ‘loving family’ scenario.”

 

Leng Ying: “…No thanks.”

 

She turned to the slightly more normal Ren Meng and Bo Xin and asked with a glance.

 

Bo Xin replied simply: “Ji Youqin didn’t want to team with Luo Qing, so she tied herself to Shengjianbao.”

 

“Okay…” Leng Ying asked, “Then why is Shengjianbao also tied to Luo Qing?”

 

“She says she has social anxiety and can’t be alone with someone she doesn’t know well.”

 

Leng Ying: “…”

 

Ji Yu: “…”

 

A little ridiculous.

 

But believable from them.

 

Ji Yu raised the official rule: “You can’t let arguments interfere with tasks. Can the four of you even cook eight dishes?”

 

“Who do you think we are!” Ji Youqin huffed. “Piece of cake!”

 

Bo Xin added coolly, “What we should really worry about is whether there’ll be anything hot left to eat.”

 

Leng Ying agreed completely and asked the crew, “Can we start eating once we finish cooking?”

 

Production team: “…”

 

Crew mercilessly replied, “Nope. You’re one big happy family—everyone eats together~”

 

Ji Yu: “So passive-aggressive, Director Pan.”

 

Crew: “…I’m not Director Pan, he’s on a call.”

 

Ji Yu realized—since they all wore the same hats and similar outfits—she’d mistaken him for someone else.

 

Leng Ying put their ingredients on the table. “Prepped foods are quicker to handle.” Then she tied their arms together and even tied a giant bow with Ji Yu’s arm.

 

“Pretty cute.” Leng Ying admired it.

 

Ji Yu got distracted and eagerly agreed, “Yeah! So cute!”

 

And it was time to start cooking.

 

Once they started, they realized how hard it was to function with one arm. Leng Ying had tied up her dominant right hand. Having trained in the past, she was ambidextrous, so she let Ji Yu use her own dominant hand instead.

 

The clumsiness led to frequent physical collisions.

 

Some even intentional.

 

After the eighth accidental bump while peeling, Leng Ying blinked ever so slightly and decided to take the initiative.

 

Ji Yu: “…”

 

She stopped misbehaving.

 

But Leng Ying didn’t stop, creating occasional “accidental” contact.

 

Ji Yu turned her head and silently pleaded with her eyes.

 

Leng Ying just smiled and kept cooking seriously.

 

All eight dishes had to be completed before they could eat. Though split into pairs, the teams weren’t fully independent. Those who finished early had to help those falling behind.

 

Director Pan returned from his call, deeply moved. “Helping others finish—that’s exactly the kind of positive energy our show is about!”

 

His off-screen narration triggered laughter across the livestream chat. Then viewers began microscopically analyzing the eight guests’ expressions and body language.

 

Everything could be interpreted for ship fuel.

 

Eventually, the eight dishes were finally done. The earlier ones were reheated and laid out on the table. As they untied their arms, everyone looked at each other—limbs a bit stiff—and shared a subtle bond of shared struggle.

 

Leng Ying calmly scooped rice for herself and Ji Yu and started eating. She even prompted the others, “Come on, eat up before it gets cold again.”

 

Ji Youqin found her words reasonable and promptly filled a big bowl with rice.