Fang Miaomiao was unaware that her actions had once again sparked dissatisfaction among some people online.
At this moment, she was holding a shoulder pole, eager to try.
"Miaomiao, let me go first," Cui Mantong said, watching Fang Miaomiao, who had grabbed the pole first and was trying to hook the buckets with the rope, feeling a little worried.
She was afraid Fang Miaomiao would really strain her back.
"It's okay, I'll do it, I can," Fang Miaomiao said.
Fang Miaomiao found a suitable angle, placed her hands on the rope of the shoulder pole, one before the other, and exerted upward force.
Steady.
Wen Yan'an breathed a sigh of relief when he saw her stand firm. "Mom."
"Good son, don't talk to Mom right now."
Fang Miaomiao adjusted her breathing.
Good heavens, it had been a long time since she had done farm work. Carrying water was truly strenuous labor.
"Brother Zhajie, don't just stand there, please lead the way."
Zhajie, who was lost in thought, reacted. Had this young girl really managed to carry these two calf-high buckets of water?
"Oh, oh, okay, I'll lead the way, follow me."
Under Zhajie's guidance, the group walked towards the tree-planting area.
One step at a time.
Fang Miaomiao's footprints were noticeably deeper than others'.
The cameraman couldn't help but focus the camera on Fang Miaomiao's feet when he saw this.
Chen Tianming stared at the scene on the screen, momentarily stunned. "I really didn't expect Fang Miaomiao to diligently carry water."
He had thought Fang Miaomiao would, as usual, look for loopholes in the rules, although there were no loopholes in this particular rule.
"I also really didn't expect Fang Miaomiao to be able to carry water," Assistant Director Yang exclaimed. "Director, Fang Miaomiao's reputation is once again severely polarized."
Chen Tianming looked at Assistant Director Yang. "What's going on?"
"Some people say Fang Miaomiao can endure hardship, her movements clearly indicating she's used to carrying a shoulder pole since childhood. Others say Fang Miaomiao is putting on a show. After all, she's lived a wealthy life for over twenty years, how could she possibly do the kind of work that only rural people do?"
Chen Tianming's tone was displeased. "What do you mean, 'the kind of work that only rural people do'?"
"Director, you know how those keyboard warriors online are, they have nothing to do all day and their mouths are incredibly venomous."
Chen Tianming shook his head. "Don't worry about this. The administrator will go online later and kick out all these haters."
He took several large gulps of water. "I think the administrator position for the live stream is excellent. Should we arrange a few in other live streams as well?"
Assistant Director Yang hesitated for a moment. "It might not be necessary. The other three live streams, even Chen Huan's live stream, don't have this many haters. One or two are clamoring for Chen Huan to marry them."
Hearing this, Chen Tianming's mouth twitched. "This little girl, why is she still so likable?"
"Because she's cool."
"Alright, alright, whether she's cool or not, I know better than anyone. Hurry up and get back to what you were doing. As for Fang Miaomiao, stick to the old rules. As long as it's not a massive influx of bots, you don't need to pay attention."
After speaking, Chen Tianming took a sip of tea, leaned back in his chair, and watched the scene on the screen with pleasure.
"Miaomiao, you've been walking for so long, why don't you put it down and let me carry it for a bit?" Cui Mantong said, looking with concern at Fang Miaomiao, whose cheeks were flushed and breathing slightly ragged.
"You want to carry it?"
Cui Mantong nodded.
"Alright."
Fang Miaomiao carefully crouched down and set down the shoulder pole.
After unloading the weight from her shoulders, she felt like she had come back to life.
"You're really good, not like those city people on TV at all."
"Thank you for the compliment," Fang Miaomiao smiled calmly. "Perhaps I inherited the skill of carrying a shoulder pole from a past life?"
"Mom."
"Good boy, I'm fine."
Fang Miaomiao bent her waist and lowered her head, allowing Wen Yan'an to wipe the sweat from her face.
"Aunt Miaomiao, you're so amazing."
"Just average, third in the world."
"Miaomiao, you're always bragging about yourself."
Cui Mantong said, imitating Fang Miaomiao's previous movements. "Stop boasting and quickly see how my posture is."
"Perfect," Fang Miaomiao gave a thumbs-up. "Use your waist, and be careful when you stand up."
Cui Mantong made an "ok" gesture, grabbed the ropes with both hands, gritted her teeth, and exerted force.
To be honest, it really hurt.
It felt like something was pressing down on her shoulders.
"Let's go."
Zhajie continued to lead the way.
"Mom, are we almost there?" Wen Yan'an asked happily, noticing the increased greenery around them.
"Soon," Zhajie nodded. "You're observing very closely, little one. In about ten minutes, we'll reach the tree-planting area."
"Uncle Zhajie, have you been planting trees here all along?" Cui Yongsi asked, puzzled.
"Yes," Zhajie nodded, his face radiating a passionate, longing smile. "My mother told me what this place used to look like, so I want to see my mother's hometown."
"It must have been beautiful."
"Yes, it must have been beautiful."
He looked into the distance, smiling and revealing eight white teeth.
[Seeing Zhajie like this, I suddenly feel like crying. What's going on? I declare, my favorite person this season is Zhajie. This is so touching.]
[I remember the introduction said Zhajie's mother has passed away, right? His desire to see the village his mother described is more about fulfilling his mother's dream. My Zhajie, though smiling, I feel such sorrow. Zhajie, you will definitely see a green hometown, you definitely will.]
[Chen Tianming, you're so wicked. Are you planning to go with a tragic storyline this season? Can't we just happily conclude the second season? Ahhh, Chen Tianming, you're too wicked.]
"Uncle Zhajie, you have a really nice smile."
Zhajie ruffled the heads of the two children with his large palms. "You two are also very cute."
Along the way, they could see tree saplings growing tenaciously in the desert. The further they walked, the more saplings there were on the desert.
Some were no higher than their calves, others were just a single leaf swaying.
The only constant was that they were fearless of the harsh environment, swaying their forms stubbornly in the wind.
"An'an gege, Si Si gege," Ye Nan was the first to spot Fang Miaomiao and the others, waving the shovel in his hand excitedly.
"Mom."
"Go ahead."
As Fang Miaomiao gave the word, the two children bolted like wild horses, galloping towards their friends.
"Miaomiao," Cui Mantong gritted her teeth, feeling like she couldn't hold on any longer.
"I'll take it," Fang Miaomiao quickly offered her help. "Be careful, move slowly."
After the weight was removed from her shoulders, Cui Mantong pursed her lips weakly. "It's too difficult, I feel like my shoulders can't even be lifted."
"Rest for a bit before drinking water," Fang Miaomiao said, looking at her somewhat pale face.
"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing," Cui Mantong nodded. "Miaomiao, you send it over first, I'll rest for a while and then come over."
"Okay."