Chapter 48 Ornaments "Let's pick out the ordinary ones first."...

Chapter 48 Ornaments "Let's pick out the ordinary ones first."...

The announcement said the bullet train was about to arrive at the station.

Ye Hantao still had a small piece of mousse with pistachio crumbs left uneaten.

She was putting the mousse into the box when she suddenly remembered what Cheng Zhao had said.

If you really can't finish it, give it to him.

"..." Ye Hantao silently took another bite.

Cheng Zhao's voice rang out from above, "Are you afraid of leaving me anything?"

Ye Hantao's almond-shaped eyes widened in shock as she tilted her head back, exclaiming, "You were peeking!"

“No, not really.” Cheng Zhao pointed to the scrolling electronic screen. “I heard we were almost at the station, so I was thinking of taking my suitcase out.”

Cheng Zhao looked down at the unfinished mousse in the box. "Put it back in. I've never tried this flavor before."

Ye Hantao didn't pretend immediately; she used the new fork to pick off the side she had eaten from.

Cheng Zhao watched as Ye Hantao ate the last bit of food she had scraped off.

“I’m not a germaphobe,” he emphasized.

Ye Hantao: "No, I feel something's strange."

Cheng Zhao quickly reached out and snatched the half-scraped mousse from Ye Hantao's hand, then ate it in one bite.

Meeting Ye Hantao's gaze as she followed him, he swallowed his food in a few bites and sincerely commented, "It's quite delicious."

Ye Hantao: "...Your mouth."

Cheng Zhao was puzzled.

"Here at the corner of your mouth," Ye Hantao pointed to one corner of her mouth, "there's cream on it."

As she spoke, she pulled out a tissue and handed it to Cheng Zhao.

After wiping his mouth with a tissue, Cheng Zhao squatted down next to Ye Hantao, his gray-blue eyes reflecting her image.

"Is it clean?" he asked.

Ye Hantao glanced at it, then turned her head to tidy up the small table, "Wipe it again."

Cheng Zhao didn't suspect anything, and wiped his mouth again until he noticed that Ye Hantao was suppressing a laugh.

Cheng Zhao: "..."

After a few seconds, he couldn't help but laugh, "Are you kidding me?"

Ye Hantao then glanced at him again, her eyes still brimming with smiles.

"Now it's clean."

At 9:30, the bullet train finally arrived at the station.

Ye Hantao pulled up the car window curtain and stood up to push her suitcase. Just as she got out of her seat, Cheng Zhao had already pushed both of their suitcases over to her.

I'll give it to you after you get off the bus.

Seeing Cheng Zhao pushing a suitcase in each hand, Ye Hantao decisively stepped aside to make way for the exit.

She made a gesture of invitation, saying, "Kind person, please go ahead."

Cheng Zhao was amused again, and after his laughter subsided a little, he asked, "You didn't forget anything, did you?"

"No." Ye Hantao went back to her seat to check, and also checked Cheng Zhao's seat. "You didn't leave anything on your seat either."

The cameraman happened to come by and carried the camera.

[Ahhhhhh, the live stream is finally smooth!]

I'm speechless. I can't even send a single comment.

[Hey? I see Cheng Zhao and Ye Hantao! Why are they standing together?]

[Even before Katon, Cheng Zhao wouldn't eat the food Ye Hantao shared!]

What exactly are the different types of peaches? I want to buy some to eat!

[Look again, is Cheng Zhao pushing Ye Hantao's suitcase?]

Ye Weizheng immediately sounded the alarm.

The live stream kept buffering, and Tao Tao was slow to send messages, so he and Zhou Ti were dealing with their work while waiting for the stream to recover.

To everyone's surprise, the first thing you see is Cheng Zhao pushing his own Tao Tao's suitcase.

Who gave him permission to push it?!

Ye Weizheng frowned. "Isn't his family based in Beijing? Does the Cheng family have a branch in Yuncheng?"

Given the arranged marriage, Ye Weizheng paid close attention to Cheng Zhao whenever he saw him.

He was worried that Cheng Zhao would recognize Tao Tao, and even more worried that Cheng Zhao would let something slip if he did.

No, even if Cheng Zhao recognized her, he would probably just think that Tao Tao's biological parents' family was just an ordinary one.

Seeing that he was gripping the pen tighter, Zhou Ti took the pen from his palm, tapped his furrowed brow with the end of the pen, and gently reminded him, "Tao Tao can accept your claim of accumulating hundreds of thousands in spending at the Jinwan Hotel."

Upon hearing this, Ye Weizheng regained his senses for a second.

"Tao Tao's condition has indeed improved."

"yes."

Zhou Ti gestured for Ye Weizheng to look at the house display pictures on the tablet. "I asked Tao Tao for her opinion a couple of days ago. Tao Tao is quite satisfied with the environment of the community we live in now, and asked if there are any large apartments in the same community that we can exchange for."

“Anyway, there’s no use in you just worrying here,” Zhou Ti suggested. “Let’s pick out a few suitable houses in the next couple of days, and then go choose one when Tao Tao comes back.”

If their own property needs to be downgraded, they may have difficulty choosing from the remaining properties they own.

But there are quite a few options for upgrading from a two-bedroom apartment to a three-bedroom apartment.

They own at least three three-bedroom apartments in the same neighborhood, all of which have a square layout and face south.

Ye Weizheng took the tablet. "Let me see."

While watching, I kept an eye on the live stream, making sure not to miss any shots of Tao Tao captured by the cameraman.

“Besides this neighborhood, the neighborhood we lived in before was also nice. It’s been maintained just like when we lived here,” he said. “Tao Tao can also get used to living there.”

Zhou Ti smiled, thinking that the previous house hadn't actually been sold, "Maybe we can move back in."

In the live broadcast room, the train came to a complete stop, and the doors opened with a hiss.

The morning breeze carried the sweltering air in, and the platform was bustling with people, their footsteps and announcements mingling together.

Ye Hantao squinted slightly from the sunlight.

Cheng Zhao easily lifted two suitcases, his forearm muscles instantly tensing, revealing blue veins in the sunlight.

He stepped out of the car, and a small piece of his wrist bone protruded.

With a soft thud as the black wheels hit the platform, he took both suitcases off the train.

Ye Hantao was so focused on watching his nimble movements that she was a few seconds late in following him and taking the suitcase handle from his hand.

The production team called right on cue.

Ye Hantao asked Cheng Zhao to watch her suitcase, then quickly walked to a quiet corner to make the call, "Director Wan? Yes, okay, I'll contact the driver in a bit."

Cheng Zhao turned his head to look at Ye Hantao's back.

Even the sunlight seemed to favor Ye Hantao, casting beams of light directly down and enveloping her, making her the only radiant figure in the crowd.

Just as I was about to push my two suitcases over, a voice sounded behind me.

Viewers could see that Liao Jiayue's cheeks were flushed and her eyes were full of embarrassment.

"Cheng Zhao, could you please help me with my suitcase too?"

Cheng Zhao turned his head and looked at her as if he had seen a ghost.

How could this person say that to him? Wasn't his attitude when he got on the bus terrible enough?

Liao Jiayue smiled gently back.

If Cheng Zhao agreed, everyone would be happy; if he didn't, the entire live stream audience would see it.

The next second, Cheng Zhao suddenly chuckled.

He lazily raised an eyebrow. "I heard your suitcase is of good quality. Can I just drop it around like that?"

Liao Jiayue: "???"

[Huh? Cheng Zhao rejected him?]

【No, you're being incredibly ungentlemanly for a man!】

But he just helped Ye Hantao carry her suitcase.

[You're focusing on the wrong thing. The suitcase is of good quality; that's what Liao Jiayue said before giving Ye Hantao the suitcase.]

[Is he secretly jealous that Liao Jiayue didn't give him a gift?]

[Pfft, don't rush to ship every guy you see, hahaha.]

He's clearly breaking down! Look at his suitcase, it's covered in scratches and dents, probably several years old.

[Some people had previously speculated that Cheng Zhao's family background was not very good, and that he had a difficult past.]

Liao Jiayue was also looking at Cheng Zhao's suitcase; it was a brand she didn't recognize, but she figured it couldn't be very expensive.

The suitcase had several black scratches on the front, yet I couldn't bear to throw it away.

Cheng Zhao's patience ran out, and he pushed a suitcase in each hand and strode away.

"..." Liao Jiayue gritted her teeth in hatred.

The key issue is that she didn't have the guts to call out to Cheng Zhao and gamble on whether he dared to fall.

Remembering Director Wan's instructions, the cameraman pointed the camera at Ye Hantao from outside the car.

Naturally, Cheng Zhao, who was walking towards Ye Hantao, was also photographed.

Cheng Zhao dragged his scratched suitcase behind him, completely ignoring it.

However, he rarely dragged the silver-white suitcase with colorful stickers that he pushed in front of him with his right hand; he almost carried it suspended in the air the whole way.

【？？？？】

The treatment of your two suitcases is vastly different, isn't it?

【Cheng Zhao, can you hear your box crying? It's crying!!!】

So he's all talk and no action; he actually wouldn't dare to smash someone else's suitcase.

You'll have to pay for it if it gets broken.

He's an international photographer; he must earn a lot.

Some titles sound impressive, but in reality, the earnings are only average.

But he really doesn't look like a poor person!

Is it possible that it was Ye Hantao's suitcase?

After Ye Hantao finished her phone call, she was surprised to see Cheng Zhao walking through the crowd.

"Did the production team just give you a task?"

"He gave me the bus driver's phone number. After we gather, we'll all take the bus to the guesthouse together."

Ye Hantao casually grabbed the handle of the suitcase, and the two of them walked forward together.

There is no dedicated passage for business class at this station; they also have to use the escalator to exit.

The crowds are so dense that you have to queue to get to the escalator.

Cheng Zhao was tall and had long strides.

He took a few steps out of habit, glanced at Ye Hantao beside him, and suddenly slowed down.

“My legs are long too!” Ye Hantao noticed his change in speed, quickened her pace to pass him, and then looked up at him with her chin raised. “I’m no slower than you.”

Cheng Zhao: "..."

He just wanted to walk slower together.

The middle was full of people, and all I could hear was the rumbling of suitcase wheels dragging across the ground.

Ye Hantao tiptoed to look at the train again, "Did you see Jiayue get off the train?"

Cheng Zhao: "I'm logging off."

Since it wasn't time for the official live broadcast yet, apart from a few celebrities, none of the ordinary people were given microphones.

Cheng Zhao turned his head and asked, "Are you two very close?"

"Well..." Ye Hantao pondered for a moment, "...just ordinary classmates."

Cheng Zhao: "How does it compare to Su Yi'ang?"

Ye Hantao: "...?"

If you really want to find examples, look to Sister Shiyue.

"Angang, please."

Although Angang's phone was recently confiscated, the two of them still chat on WeChat when he goes to the computer to train.

Ye Hantao said in a light voice, "Yesterday I recommended a few dishes that I thought were good at the tasting event to him."

Su Yi'ang was full of ambition, saying that after winning the domestic championship, he would persuade the big boss to take them out to eat.

Ye Hantao laughed as she spoke, her eyes crinkling, "Angang said he's determined to give the big boss a good beating."

Cheng Zhao remained silent.

Recalling his speculation after watching the live stream last time, he felt that it was unlikely. How could just anyone know Tao Tao?

As soon as they exited the station, the three of them, along with the cameraman, gathered together.

Liao Jiayue glanced at Ye Hantao and Cheng Zhao with an ambiguous expression.

Then, she walked up to Ye Hantao's suitcase and teased, "Taotao, what did you pack in your suitcase? I just saw Cheng Zhao carrying it all the way to find you, not wanting to push it away."

Ye Hantao didn't see Cheng Zhao carrying his suitcase.

Glancing at the cameraman's camera, she lightly patted the outside of her suitcase, her tone revealing obvious pride, "The things inside are very valuable!"

Off-screen, Ye Weizheng and Zhou Ti, who were initially wary of Cheng Zhao's help, couldn't help but laugh upon hearing Tao Tao's words.

"Pick a glass box to store the crisp cucumbers. If they're really broken, the pickles will definitely spill out inside."

“I asked Tao Tao, and she said it was wrapped in three layers of plastic wrap.”

Just as the couple finished talking, they were caught off guard when they heard Tao Tao's crisp voice in the live stream: "I brought a very expensive ornament from home, no less valuable than the jade rabbit that was auctioned on Sunday."

I won't go into the price.

If you talk too high, your lips will start to tremble.

Moreover, in terms of transparency alone, Shoushan jade is indeed no less impressive than a jade rabbit.

[Disease progression 80% (critical threshold), current character profile maintained at 10/10.]

[Currently, the character setting is maintained at 10/10 (completed), and the disease progression has been updated.]

Ye Hantao was happy.

[Pfft, Ye Hantao has grown up; she's becoming more and more confident in her lies.]

Why don't you believe me? Maybe I'll pull out a glass-like seed implant tonight and dazzle you!

[As Ye Hantao mentioned during the treasure hunt, haha, she has a Shoushan stone at home that's made of glass.]

[This time, they didn't specify which decorative item they picked up.]

[How could someone who can afford jade ornaments worth millions possibly display a glass Shoushan stone?]

Ye Weizheng: "..."

Zhou Ti: "..."

The two slowly, slowly met each other's gaze.

Ye Weizheng's voice was trembling: "Tao Tao mentioned the ornament?"

Zhou Ti murmured, "Looking at the comments... Tao Tao did say that."

"!!!"

We only have so many decorative items at home! Which one can Tao Tao bring to the show?!

The two souls, which had been separated, instantly returned to their places, and they rushed from the bed to the living room, then to Tao Tao's bedroom door, and pushed it open.

The books, drawing tools, and small cards on the desk are neatly arranged.

The Imperial Green Longevity Mountain ornament has disappeared!

Ye Weizheng gasped, "Why did Tao Tao bring it to the show?!"

Zhou Ti visits her daughter's bedroom frequently and knows the contents of the table very well.

"Not just Shoushan ornaments..."

"What?"

Zhou Ti closed her eyes, her soul rising into the air once more, "That Patek Philippe watch is gone too."

Ye Weizheng: ".

The tablet used for live streaming is still lying on the bed in the living room.

Ye Weizheng slowly sat down at the door of Tao Tao's bedroom.

After a long pause, he spoke softly, "Wife, can we fool Tao Tao this time?"

Zhou Ti was unaware that as she squatted down next to Ye Weizheng, her body suddenly stiffened just before she was about to sit down.

She grabbed Ye Weizheng's arm and spoke quickly, "Tao Tao went out this morning saying she wanted to borrow a bag to take to the recording of the show. I wasn't paying attention on the balcony at the time. Did you see what kind of bag Tao Tao was carrying when you dropped her off?"

Ye Weizheng was still thinking about how to fool them with the Imperial Green and Patek Philippe when he heard this, "No, they're probably in the suitcase."

Zhou Ti ignored him and hurried to the bedroom to open the wardrobe.

"..."

Among the dozen or so bags, only one pink bag was missing.

Hermes bags are said to be limited to six worldwide, but there are actually ten.

Ye Weizheng followed.

He could remember most of Zhou Ti's bags.

Now, Ye Weizheng stood in front of the opened cabinet and immediately noticed that a bag was missing—

Tao Tao mentioned on the show that her pink bag was a size bigger than Jin Shiyue's.

Ye Weizheng & Zhou Ti: "..."

Tao Tao's trip home was definitely worthwhile!

In the live stream, Ye Hantao's car had already arrived at the meeting point.

She spotted Wu Xia and He Qiang in the distance, and further ahead were Yuan Kai and Ji Changtu.

They sat at two separate tables.

He Qiang was wearing a wide-brimmed straw hat, while Wu Xia was still clutching his ever-present large thermos.

Ye Hantao didn't look at the two people behind her. She jumped out of the car, waved vigorously at He Qiang and Wu Xia, and a smile suddenly bloomed on her face, "You've arrived!"

Upon seeing Ye Hantao among the visitors, a look of relief flashed across Wu Xia's face.

Even the pace of her walk was slightly faster than usual.

He and Teacher He Qiang arrived first, and apart from exchanging greetings, they didn't speak to each other again.

That was fine; neither of them spoke and there was no awkwardness. But after Teacher Yuankai and Ji Changtu arrived one after the other, they didn't chat alone in the courtyard like last time. Instead, Teacher Yuankai started asking him questions.

Before this, he had already been questioned by Teacher Yuankai for about ten minutes.

Wu Xia had never been so eager for Su Yi'ang to come quickly.

Although Su Yi'ang didn't come, it's good that Tao Tao came!

As Wu Xia approached, Tao Tao asked expectantly, "Wu Xia, did you bring the jujube seed and poria cocos cake you mentioned?"

Cheng Zhao, who was about to get his luggage from the trunk, suddenly stopped.

Sour jujube seed and poria cocos cake?

He looked it up online and found that it was helpful for insomnia, so he packed some in his suitcase beforehand.

The thought had barely formed when Wu Xia's voice came through, "I brought it. It's in my suitcase. I'll give it to you when we get to the guesthouse tonight."

Ye Hantao smiled, her eyes crinkling, "Thank you~"

[The two of them... huh?]

Don't make a fuss. Ye Hantao helped Wu Xia edit two versions of the video, so it's normal for Wu Xia to give her some food as a thank you.

[Seriously, how can someone be so natural and confident in front of the camera?]

A gust of wind blew by, ruffling the stray hairs on her forehead.

Cheng Zhao reached out and slapped down his unruly hair.

"Wu Xia," he suddenly called out, "help me carry this suitcase."

Wu Xia nodded.

He came over hoping to see where he could help, and the thermos he was carrying had already been placed on the table.

Ye Hantao stood in front of the car and said, "Thank you."

As Cheng Zhao and Wu Xia carried out their suitcases, the audience gathered around to watch.

"You two, be gentle, this is a box worth millions!"

[Hahaha, think boldly, this is a box worth tens of millions!]

What did I miss?

Once the group of people gathered, the individual live stream room was shut down.

The viewers in Yuan Kai and Wu Xia's live stream were completely bewildered by the boxes that were being spammed in the chat.

[Ye Hantao's original words: A particularly expensive decorative piece, no less valuable than the jade rabbit auctioned on Sunday.]

[Stop laughing, everyone. Even if Ye Hantao really brought expensive ornaments, you'd all say she borrowed them from someone else.]

I've seen some people point out that Ye Hantao doesn't speak or act like a wealthy person.

[Why doesn't it look like it? Do rich people radiate wealth? Can you imagine my company's CEO, with billions in assets, eating rice noodle rolls on the street?]

[The main problem is that Ye Hantao is really quite ordinary.]

Is Ye Hantao ordinary? Who has Ye Hantao's looks? Who has Ye Hantao's sense of taste? Who has Ye Hantao's tea-brewing skills?

[Wu Xia is also good! She's tied for first place in tea making with Ye Hantao!]

[Hilarious! If Wu Xia and Ye Hantao were paired up for tea, they would completely dominate the game.]

Half an hour later, the same comment appeared in the live stream again.

[Wow? A crushing defeat for Wu Xia and Ye Hantao in the same group?! ???]

"Huh?! Peach, how did you win without even trying?!"

Su Yi'ang's roar startled the chickens and ducks in the guesthouse courtyard, causing them to flutter and fly onto the shelf.

Half an hour ago, the group of ten of them gathered and took a bus to the guesthouse rented by the production team.

The guesthouse is nestled amidst green hills and clear waters.

Outside the bamboo gate were fields, and the yard was planted with scallions and lettuce, and a dozen chickens and ducks were raised.

After the crew members finished moving everyone's suitcases, they lamented that the guests had too little luggage. Even Liao Jiayue, who had the most suitcases, only had two. Then they lined up to receive red envelopes from Director Wan.

You get a 500 yuan red envelope for carrying a suitcase.

It only takes a few minutes to go back and forth; this job is all thanks to their quick hands in the group.

After resting for a while, Ye Hantao and the others took out the grouping props from the house.

A box contains ten balls, two of each of the five colors: red, white, yellow, green, and black. Two people who draw balls of the same color will be paired up to complete a task.

Their first task was just announced: classifying medicinal herbs in blind boxes.

Ye Hantao pinched the small white ball in her hand and touched it to the white ball in Wu Xia's hand, a proud look on her face. "Ah ah, you can only be envious, hahaha, your excellent, smart, and capable classmate is mine now~"

This string of compliments made Wu Xia lower his eyes and his earlobes turn red.

Su Yi'ang retorted, "I'm not necessarily losing to Boss Ji! He's much more knowledgeable and experienced!"

Ji Changtu clenched his fist and pressed it to his lips, coughed, and cleared his throat. "I only have a very superficial understanding of medicinal herbs; I can't be considered knowledgeable."

This gesture made the jade pendant on his wrist shine even brighter.

Wow, Mr. Ji brought a genuine jade pendant to the show!

[The camera really nailed this shot; it truly lives up to its reputation as a full-green, icy jadeite—the green is so clear and translucent!]

Looking at it this way, he wasn't lying. He might really have been fooled by the old master about the tea.

[You guys are hilarious! Ye Hantao's black card and Maybach were all implicated as being borrowed. Could his jade pendant have been borrowed too?]

Cheng Zhao stared at the black ball in his hand for a few seconds, then tossed it back into the box.

The other person holding the black ball was He Qiang.

Jin Shiyue followed suit and threw the green ball back as well. She then went to wash her hands in a basin of clean water by the well, wearing high heels. What a pair of smelly hands!

Why did I have to draw a color that matched Yuan Kai's?

Of all the people in their group, only Yuan Kai and Ji Changtu were more annoying to her than He Qiang, who was always talking about education.

Yuan Kai put down the green ball he had drawn and sighed, "I heard from Ang Ang last time that Wu Xia's family runs a traditional Chinese medicine clinic, so classifying medicinal herbs shouldn't be a problem for Wu Xia."

Looking at Chen Xiaofeng, who was in the same group as her, Liao Jiayue felt a little relieved of the weight that had been pressing on her heart since the night of the tasting event.

In the original novel, the female protagonist was assigned to the same group as Chen Xiaofeng, which laid the foundation for their collaboration a few years later.

No matter how the details change, the result will always remain the same.

The original story didn't have a tasting event, which is why Ye Hantao got to steal the spotlight.

"Brother Xiaofeng, we can't give up either."

"No, no, no, I've already given up."

Chen Xiaofeng cupped his fists towards Liao Jiayue and said, "I'm really not an expert in this area."

At this moment, Director Wan, as their class teacher, brought up five blind boxes of medicinal herbs. They were square boxes made of pure wood and about 20 centimeters long.

The wooden boxes are marked with five letters, A, B, C, D, and E, representing the five groups.

Director Wan: "There are three different qualities of medicinal herbs inside. Please classify them into common, high quality and special grade within 20 minutes."

"Now—" Director Wan paused for half a second, glanced at Liao Jiayue who was waiting beside him, and then continued to say to everyone, "Each group, send someone up to choose your own herbal medicine blind box."

As soon as she finished speaking, Liao Jiayue picked out blind box A.

Ye Hantao and Wu Xia sat under the eaves, holding a box marked with a "C".

The box was very well sealed; before opening it, Ye Hantao couldn't smell any medicinal herbs at all.

She lifted the lid of the box and saw that it contained medicinal herbs: goji berries, honeysuckle, and dried tangerine peel.

Wu Xia's talent in Chinese medicinal herbs is far inferior to his sister's, but looking at the three different plump goji berries in the box, he can still tell at a glance which is ordinary and which is better.

The medicinal herbs used in their traditional Chinese medicine clinic are graded.

The goji berries in this grid that are too light in color are of ordinary quality and can be used to make soup. The two types next to it have a white frost on their surface, which indicates that they are of better quality.

but--

Wu Xia was still somewhat troubled.

"Wu Xia, I can't distinguish between high-quality and premium."

“…Me too.” So he was in a dilemma.

"Let's pick out the ordinary ones first."

"good."

Thus, Wu Xia watched helplessly as Ye Hantao accurately placed the "Ordinary" label on one of the goji berries.

These goji berries are indeed a bit small and look shriveled, but without exception, they are all covered with a white frost.

Wu Xia: "???"

-----------------------

Author's Note: Wu Xia: It seems... there's a slight (?) discrepancy.

--Randomly dropped small red envelopes--

(The title has been changed! It's now "The Whole Family Pretended to Be Poor, But I Believed It," and I feel this title is more fitting [Let me see]. I can already picture the day when the whole family is exposed, and Tao Tao shouts this line with her hands on her hips [Starry eyes]. The cover won't be changed, in case some of you won't recognize me. Please don't forget me!)