After Transmigrating into a Cannon Fodder Submissive, I Became Popular by Foraging on the Beach - Chapter 21

Shen Qiu went to a nearby farmhouse. The cameraman, holding the camera, filmed from a distance, feeling a little uneasy in his heart.

Not long after, Shen Qiu came out with a large pile of items.

“What are you doing? Plastic bucket, rubber boots, gloves, net bag, fishing rod…” Jiang Wei tallied the items.

“I borrowed them from the farmer. Of course, we’re going fishing,” Shen Qiu said as he baited the hook.

Jiang Wei was confused: “Where is there a fish pond?”

“Not a fish pond. I checked before I came. There’s a specialty here called Rice-Paddy Fish.”

Rice-paddy fish are raised in rice fields. There are quite a few rice fields nearby.

Jiang Wei’s eyes lit up: “That’s right! Why didn’t I think of that? Fish counts as a meat dish.”

The cameraman heard the director’s wailing through the earpiece: “…This, this won’t do, right?”

“We are following the mission rules!” Shen Qiu winked at the camera.

The two quickly grabbed their gear and went down into the rice field.

The cameraman had no choice but to follow.

The director stared, dumbfounded, at the unexpected turn of events.

What kind of genius is Shen Qiu?!

The production team hadn’t even thought of this. He was exploiting every loophole!

They had intended to thoroughly grind the guests down and squeeze their labor.

The NPCs who would offer low prices for vegetables and high prices for meat were all arranged!

Good heavens, Shen Qiu went straight for a one-step solution.

He was going to catch his own fish for the meat dish.

Shen Qiu set up the fishing rod and waded into the water with his rubber boots and net bag.

Jiang Wei felt embarrassed just watching, so she followed him into the water.

“These fish are fat.”

The water in the rice field wasn’t deep, and the fish leisurely swimming around were easily visible.

Jiang Wei gestured, swallowing: “They’re almost as thick as my arm.”

Over there, Shen Qiu was already quick and nimble, scooping one up.

“Quick, quick, put it in the bucket!”

Looking at the fish, Jiang Wei started having beautiful visions: “Let’s catch a few more so we can exchange them for other things to eat.”

She concentrated on catching fish.

Shen Qiu also wandered around the rice field, walking along the edge of the field.

Suddenly, he squatted down and felt around with both hands for a while.

He mysteriously presented something to Jiang Wei: “Look!”

Jiang Wei looked closely: “There are duck eggs! Are there ducks here?”

Shen Qiu shook his head: “They’re probably eggs laid by the farmer’s duck that wandered over. What should we do?”

Jiang Wei had more variety show experience than Shen Qiu: “The production team must have already negotiated to rent this area. We can just take them back and scramble them.”

Shen Qiu gave a thumbs-up.

Director: Don’t Q me. Actually, we didn’t negotiate. I didn’t expect you to run off to the fields to catch fish…

The rice-paddy fish were all plump and slow-moving, and even Jiang Wei managed to catch several.

“Ah, look what I found!” Shen Qiu exclaimed, pulling his hand back, gripping a small crawfish.

“Why is there everything in this field?” Jiang Wei laughed wryly. “How do you manage to catch everything, Shen Qiu?”

She was also an active forager: “There are no breathing holes here.”

Shen Qiu spread his hands innocently: “I just happened to see it. Maybe I’m used to sea foraging. When I see mud, I can’t help but guess if there’s something inside.”

The two caught three or four fish. Feeling it was enough, they packed up and got out of the water.

Jiang Wei looked at the bucket of fish with satisfaction.

“Strange, why hasn’t You Yilian returned yet?” Jiang Wei was puzzled. Their endeavor had taken nearly two hours.

Speak of the devil.

You Yilian leisurely strolled back from the market.

He definitely didn’t want to work in the field. It was tiring and offered few camera opportunities.

He took the chance to wander around the village with his cameraman, calling it showing the audience the beautiful scenery of the village.

Let Shen Qiu and the others be busy.

When You Yilian returned, he feigned disappointment: “I asked around. They all grow their own vegetables, so there’s practically nothing to exchange…”

He looked up and saw the two carrying a bucket of fish.

He was instantly dumbfounded.

“…You, you already exchanged for this?”

Where did the fish come from?

How did it feel like he had missed a century!

As he spoke, Shen Qiu pulled out two duck eggs and put them in his pocket.

Duck eggs too?!

Jiang Wei didn’t mention his prolonged absence, just smiled brightly: “Shen Qiu led me to catch these rice-paddy fish! I heard they’re delicious. We were busy for two hours.”

Shen Qiu’s eyes darted around: “I wonder if duck eggs count as a meat dish.”

The director, who had been closely monitoring the situation, immediately shouted into the earpiece.

“No! They don’t count! You have to find another meat dish!”

They can’t be allowed to complete the task so easily!

The cameraman relayed the message verbatim. Shen Qiu could only shrug helplessly.

You Yilian still couldn’t believe Shen Qiu had completed most of the task so quickly.

His thoughts turned to jealousy.

Now, most of their group’s high-light camera moments were on Shen Qiu.

He said with a fake smile: “Shen Qiu is so amazing. Then let me take you to the market. I happen to know where it is.”

The others had no objection, and they set off together to find people to barter with.

You Yilian had made up his mind not to let Shen Qiu steal the spotlight again.

At the market, Shen Qiu and the others were still looking around.

You Yilian quickly stepped ahead, walking up to the elderly woman selling chickens and ducks.

“We want to exchange some fish for chicken meat. Is that possible?”

The auntie looked at him, then at the fish: “Nng@&ah#%bu’de la.”

She spoke a lot of garbled words.

You Yilian was speechless: “What are you saying? Can we exchange it?”

Why is the dialect so strong here!!!

The auntie gesticulated for a long time, then finally shook her head, a look of disdain on her face.

You Yilian tried hard for a long time but really couldn’t communicate with the auntie. He returned empty-handed.

You Yilian returned, trying to save face: “She probably thinks we have too little fish, and the auntie is unwilling to exchange for chicken.”

Jiang Wei: “It’s fine! Shen Qiu already discussed it with the grandpa!”

“Huh?!!”

It’s Shen Qiu again.

You Yilian couldn’t maintain his smile: “What did he do this time? How is he so fast?”

Jiang Wei: “Well, Shen Qiu said we could help the grandpa cook and then eat dinner with his family.”

You Yilian looked over and saw Shen Qiu chatting animatedly with the grandpa in the local dialect.

Shen Qiu picked up a fish: “So that rice field belongs to your family. No wonder the fish are so big and fat; they look delicious.”

“They’re so shiny. You can tell they’re different from the fake rice-paddy fish that eat feed outside!”

The grandpa smiled proudly: “That’s right. Our fish have been raised for over half a year. They really eat the rice flowers, kept for our own family consumption. We haven’t fed them any messy stuff.”

“You, young man, have sharp eyes! You know good food.”

“Shen Qiu knows the local dialect, haha, very impressive.”

You Yilian was secretly rolling his eyes to the heavens.

He cursed inwardly.

How utterly low-class, a hick.

No wonder he knows the dialect.

Shen Qiu talked for a long time, then walked over, smiling: “Let’s go. We’ll help the grandpa cook, and then we can have dinner with them.”

You Yilian was inwardly resentful, but since everyone was leaving, he could only follow.

When did Shen Qiu become so clever? He used to be a dullard.

He secretly gritted his teeth, watching Shen Qiu at the forefront.

Once, twice, it was always him, stealing all the attention.

At the grandpa’s house, Shen Qiu volunteered to help process the fish.

The grandpa was also very hospitable. Despite the cameras, he enthusiastically greeted everyone in his broken Mandarin.

The grandpa went to the backyard and caught a chicken.

Shen Qiu quickly stopped him: “No need, no need. Just stir-fry some meat is fine.”

“It must be done. It’s customary. Guests, we must butcher a chicken.” The grandpa insisted. “I’ll do it!”

Jiang Wei quickly said: “Then I’ll help too.”

Seeing everyone busy, You Yilian looked around: “I’ll help too…”

Shen Qiu was processing the fish, covered in a fishy smell; Jiang Wei was helping with the chicken, surrounded by feathers.

“…I’ll just help you wash the vegetables.”

The rural area still used a wood-burning stove. The production team was initially worried the guests wouldn’t know how to use it, but Shen Qiu skillfully lit the kindling and started the fire for cooking.

The director… the director was already used to it.

Shen Qiu first pan-fried the rice-paddy fish and set it aside, then added ginger, minced garlic, and green peppers to stir-fry until fragrant.

After the aroma was released, he added freshly picked zizania latifolia (water bamboo shoots).

He added salt, arranged the greens, and finally placed the fish on top.

He poured some water and simmered it for a short time. The delicious dish was served.

Even the two duck eggs were not wasted. He sliced chili peppers and mixed them together to make scrambled duck eggs with chili.

Several people worked together, moving quickly. Dinner was ready before dark.

Shen Qiu, the other guests, and the grandpa’s family gathered around the dining table.

Shen Qiu brought out the rice-paddy fish he made. The fragrance of fish and the fresh sweetness of the water bamboo filled the air.

“It smells so good…” someone whispered in praise.

You Yilian withdrew his gaze, dismissive.

The grandpa took a bite. The fish meat was tender and fresh, without any earthy or fishy taste.

The light preparation perfectly preserved the original flavor of the fish.

Upon careful tasting, there genuinely seemed to be a faint floral scent of rice blossoms.

His eyes lit up, and he gave a thumbs-up: “This is truly delicious!”

“It’s rare to see a young person who can cook so well.”

Shen Qiu was modest: “That’s because your family’s fish is good. With such high-quality, fresh rice-paddy fish, anyone could make it taste good.”

Jiang Wei was already eating without looking up: “Don’t be modest, great food blogger.”

“Hahaha, I don’t deserve the title, I don’t deserve the title.”

The happier the others ate, the less You Yilian could eat.

If it weren’t for the camera still being on, he would have left the table.

He only knows how to win people over with sweet talk and petty tricks.

In the end, he was full from sheer anger.

Shen Qiu waved his hand, signaling the cameraman to record: “Do we have enough two meat and two vegetable dishes?”

It was more than just two meat and two vegetable dishes. The table was full of food, including cold appetizers, pickles, and soup—more than enough for everyone.

“Hehe, the director only required a dining standard, and this is also the result of our labor!”

Jiang Wei chimed in: “Exactly, exactly. Thanks to Shen Qiu’s ingenuity.”

The director was left speechless and could only count the task as completed.

While they were happily eating, Shen Qiu finally had a chance to look at his phone.

He checked the group chat for the status of the other two groups.

They were not as lucky as Shen Qiu.

Wang Xiaobai: Help! The production team is setting traps! We’ve been competing with the kids all day, playing jump rope and marbles, and we lost everything!!!

Wang Xiaobai: We couldn’t sell enough at the convenience store. We can’t even afford bread. We can only fill our stomachs with candy [crying.jpg]

Watermelon Group: Don’t even mention it. We had to help the orchard pick fruit to supply the buyers. The three of us picked hundreds of pounds, carried and transported the fruit all afternoon. Now our legs are trembling from exhaustion.

Watermelon Group: Fortunately, the orchard provided boxed meals, sigh.

Shen Qiu happily finished his last bite of food. His conscience struck him, and he felt that the others were truly too miserable.

He looked up and asked the grandpa. The grandpa, upon hearing, actively stuffed several steamed buns into his hands.

Fearing it wouldn’t be enough, he kept trying to pack dishes for him.

Shen Qiu: We’re still eating here. Should I pack some for you?

Wang Xiaobai: Yes!!! Stuff the leftovers in my mouth!

Wang Xiaobai: Brother Shen, are you missing a leg accessory? Please take me with you