CH 135

It was almost dinner time, so Guo Bing looked around and asked, "Where is Huo Cheng?"

"He went to the temple of the Queen Mother." Di Xingchen said.

"You go and call him back, it's time to eat." Guo Bing said.

"I'll go." Pei Xu said and stood up.

Yan Zhi is staring at the dishes on the table.

The food at the mayor's house smelled so good, and although there was no plating, it looked full of colour and flavour.

They had really put in a big effort on this climb and he was really hungry.

But he looked at the chopsticks on the table, which had been divided, and his bamboo chopsticks looked old.

He was not discriminating against or looking down on country people, but he couldn't stand the cleanliness thing, which was really out of his control, and he was looking at it when he suddenly saw Di Xingchen take his chopsticks and hand him his own.

Those chopsticks look much newer, the bamboo chopsticks are still white.

He then glanced towards Di Xingchen.

"We have simpler conditions in the countryside, and a home-cooked meal is not a good way to entertain people." The village chief said with a smile.

Guo Bing says: "It's more than enough."

There were more than a dozen of them in the group, and it took two tables before they could barely sit down.

The temple is at the entrance of the village, a bit far from the village head's house, and Pei Xu took a long detour to get there. As we approached, we saw Huo Cheng sitting alone on the stairs in front of the temple.

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" Brother Huo ."

Huo Cheng looks back.

Pei Xu walks past, with a great view of the valley, the Li family village and the Zhang family village, both of which can be seen in the breeze.

"It's really good." Pei Xu said.

He stood there for a while in the breeze and said, "Come on, the food is ready, just waiting for you."

Huo Cheng stood up and patted the dust on his buttocks, while Pei Xu glanced back towards the temple, which was in a state of disrepair and looked exceptionally sacred and solemn, but was clean inside, with the statue of the god looking down on them with gentle compassion.

The two of them were walking back when Huo Cheng suddenly gave Pei Xu a firm pat on the back. When Pei Xu looked back and saw Huo Cheng's serious expression, he asked, "Have you solved your company's problems?"

Huo Cheng says: "It's not a big deal."

Pei Xu said, "I told you, you were asking about money management the day before yesterday, there shouldn't be any major problems with the company."

There were many local villagers with bowls of food, watching the two of them curiously as they ate. Huo Cheng smelt the faint scent of mint on Pei Xu, who was wearing only a black T-shirt, with a tall back and long, fair arms.

Di Xingchen They were all already seated. When Guo Bing saw them both coming into the courtyard, he smiled and asked, "You didn't go to the temple of the Queen Mother to make a wish, did you?"

The village chief smiled and said, "Have you made a promise? The temple in our village has been there since the Song Dynasty, it's very spiritual and all the villages around here come to offer incense!"

"Is it that spiritual?" Huo Cheng smiled and said, "Then I'm going to make a wish after dinner later."

There were two other empty seats at their table, between the village chief and Di Xingchen. Pei Xu sat down next to Di Xingchen, who then sat down next to the village chief.

The village chief asked Huo Cheng, "You can drink, can't you?" Huo Cheng said, "Not bad."

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The village headman sniffed and immediately poured him a glass as well.

After pouring for Huo Cheng, the village chief wanted to pour for Pei Xu, but Di Xingchen said, "He can't drink, he's too weak, we'll have to carry him down the hill if he drinks."

"I'll just have tea." Pei Xu says with a smile.

Huo Cheng looked at Yan Zhi with a smile on his face and asked, "Is Yan Zhi not drinking either?"

Yan Zhi smiled and said, "I'm a bit sick, so I'm not going to drink."

He is now using one less cup if he can.

"Come, village chief, I'll drink with you." Huo Cheng said.

After three rounds of drinks, the conversation picked up and when the conversation got to their professions, the village headman looked at Huo Cheng with surprise and said, "I didn't realise they were big bosses then."

Huo Cheng smiles and says, "A bit rough isn't it? Unlike the three of them, who look like they're all the way, I'm alone all the way."

Huo Cheng had drunk a lot of wine and the colour of the wine was obvious on his face. After the meal, he was still drinking and chatting with the village chief when Pei Xu, seeing that the bottle was about to run out, said, "Brother Huo, you should drink less, you have to go downhill later."

Huo Cheng said, "I was happy to see Uncle today, so I had a few more drinks and nothing happened."

The village chief smiled even more happily at his words, "Have you had enough? No, I still have a bottle of Wuliangye hidden at home." With that he turned to his daughter-in-law and said, "Go, bring me the bottle of Wuliangye that I have hidden."

Guo Bing quickly stopped, "Don't drink, don't drink, I think it's going to rain, we'll have to go down the mountain later, or we'll get sleepy."

"What are you afraid of when it rains, we have all the places here for you to sleep." The village chief said.

Huo Cheng, slightly inebriated, blushed and said, "Look, Uncle, keep the Wuliangye, next time I come, I promise to drink it all for you."

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Di Xingchen laughed out loud as he listened.

Of the four of them, Huo Cheng is the only one who gets along with the locals, with his honesty, openness and the righteousness that country people love so much.

Even Yan Zhi could see it, and sitting next to Di Xingchen, he leaned in close and asked, "What's wrong with Brother Huo today?"

"He's had some problems with his company and doesn't seem to be in a good mood." Di Xingchen whispered.

Yan Zhi said, "No wonder."

When Pei Xu saw that Huo Cheng had had enough to drink and had about two taels of wine left, he took his glass and poured most of it into his own glass. Huo Cheng reached for his glass, but Pei Xu raised it, "Here, village chief, I'll drink to you."

Huo Cheng had no choice, so the three of them finally drank a glass of wine. After drinking, Pei Xu immediately poured a bowl of tea for the village chief and Huo Cheng. Huo Cheng held the bowl of tea, gave Pei Xu a silent pat on the shoulder, sighed and sat down to smoke with the village chief.

It was getting darker and darker and the sun was not visible at all. Guo Bing stood on a stone pier in the courtyard looking into the distance and said worriedly, "I thought the weather forecast said it was going to be sunny and cloudy, but it looks like rain to me."

The village chief's daughter-in-law said, "It rains a lot in our mountains and the weather forecast is not even accurate."

"Then we must hurry, if it rains, we will be stuck in the mountains for days."

Hu Ying also called from their side to ask if they had come down yet.

"Shall we go then?" Guo Bing said.

" Can Brother Huo go?" Di Xingchen asked.

Huo Cheng stood up at that, "I'm fine, I'm fine."

Huo Cheng promised to come back next time, and also promised to donate money to the Little Song Temple and also to fund the repair of the temple of the Queen Mother.

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At around 2pm, they waved goodbye to the villagers and walked down the hill with the help of the villagers, and when they were far away, Huo Cheng looked back and saw a village of young and old people standing at the Nyang Nyang Temple to see them off.

"Be careful." Di Xingchen gave Huo Cheng a hand.

Huo Cheng stood firm, smiled and said, "When I see them, I think of our village."

"Is your village like this too?" Yan Zhi asked.

Huo Cheng says: "It's more remote than this, but not as high as this village, and the road was opened the year before last."

"Brother Huo paid for the road." Guo Bing exclaimed from the front.

Di Xingchen says: "To get rich, you have to build roads first, and there is no better way to do this than to relocate the entire Songmiao. It's too much trouble to go up and down, and it traps the elderly and children."

"They have already come out with a relocation policy here, it's just that a lot of the old people in the village don't want to go." Yan Zhi said.

Di Xingchen looked back at the old people up there, and his heart sank, these old people, they might never leave this place for the rest of their lives. But this is such a poor, isolated place, I wonder what their future will be like. He looks at the old people and the children, so excited to see them, their excitement is not from the pork, rice, cooking oil, red packets, but from finally seeing new faces and new things.

"I really want to take you to my old home." Huo Cheng said suddenly.

Di Xingchen froze for a moment and turned his head to look at Huo Cheng, who smiled at him, the smell of alcohol softening his roughness and gangliness, and making him look tired and sentimental instead.

"Maybe we'll all have the chance to visit your old home in the future." Di Xingchen said.

The breeze from the hills makes Huo Cheng's wine smell more and more mellow.

Huo Cheng smiled and said, "You better not be so nice to me, I can still gnash my teeth and hate you in the future, we can both be love rivals."

The crew laughed and Guo Bing turned around and said, "Be careful and watch your step."

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Hu Ying and the others are waiting for them at the entrance of the Zhang family village.

The group didn't stop and went straight down the hill, only half way down when the rain fell.

Fortunately, it was only a light rain, with a few intermittent bursts. By the time everyone was back on the main road at the bottom of the hill, the rain had stopped and it was not as dark as before, but the wind was stronger and blew on the wet clothes, which made it quite cold.

"Get in the car." Guo Bing said, "Don't catch a cold."

Huo Cheng was the first to get into the car and collapsed into the seat. Hu Ying sat down next to him and asked, "How much have you had to drink?"

" Pei Xu and Yan Zhi didn't drink, I drank a little, mainly Brother Huo drank a lot." Di Xingchen said, "How did you guys eat?"

"We ate the noodles." Hu Ying said, "I wasn't even full."

They were just about to return to their accommodation when the rain suddenly fell, still pouring down. Guo Bing kept saying thankfully, "I'm glad we got down early, it was so close."

Huo Cheng opened his eyes at the sound of rain on the car window and stared out with his face pressed against the window in awe.

Di Xingchen glanced at him and was a little worried. When they got back to their accommodation, they all went to shower and change, and after that it was dark. The programme team did not prepare dinner for them tonight, so they had to make it themselves, with Di Xingchen cooking and Duan Yihua helping out. Di Xingchen noticed that Huo Cheng hadn't shown up, so he asked Pei Xu, "Where's Brother Huo, he hasn't come down?"

"He took a shower and went to bed." Pei Xu said.

"Too much to drink, right?" Wen Nuo said.

"I'm so tired today, Brother Huo carrying so much stuff again." Di Xingchen said and pursed his lips.

Huo Cheng came down just as dinner was being prepared.

"Still drinking?" Hu Ying asked Huo Cheng with a smile. Hu Ying smiles and asks Huo Cheng.

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Huo Cheng said, "Drink up."

"Don't drink it." Di Xingchen said, "Drink more porridge."

"I just want to drink today." Huo Cheng asked Hu Ying, "Are you drinking? If so, I'll go to the programme and ask for a bottle."

Hu Ying said, "Come on, a rainy day is perfect for drinking. We can have a drinking night again!"

"You ask them if they have any wine!" Duan Yihua shouted.

Lin Qingning smiled and said, "What's going on here, all wanting a drink."

"The show also wants us to drink, how good were the ratings for the episode where we drank in South City." Hu Ying said, "Should we play Truth or Dare? It's the third leg."

In previous seasons of Red and Blue Signals, the third leg of the Truth or Dare was a screaming bonanza!

"The seven of you can play." Di Xingchen says, "Truth is too exciting for me to handle."

Hu Ying laughed at that.

Soon after Huo Cheng came over with two bottles of wine, one white and one red.

"I didn't make a downer, so we'll just make do." Di Xingchen said.

Huo Cheng unscrews the cap and asks, "Is there anyone who doesn't drink?"

"Let's all have some, it's fun to drink together." Hu Ying says.

" Does Pei Xu drink?" Huo Cheng asks.

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Pei Xu said, "Have a drink."

The crew had set up a pergola in the courtyard on the ground floor and they ate dinner underneath it, with a bunch of cameras set up next to them and the light from the crew, so it wasn't cold, it was hot. Huo Cheng said to Wen Nuo, who was next to him, "Switch seats with Pei Xu."

Wen Nuo then got up and changed seats with Pei Xu.

The atmosphere was extremely lively, cordial and full of laughter as everyone chatted and drank.

After they had finished eating, the night was late and the wind was getting colder, so Duan Yihua went in and brought some blankets over and they sat wrapped up in them watching Hu Ying and Huo Cheng and their friends drink. Duan Yihua turned his head to look at the rain outside, which seemed to have gotten heavier, and the water dripping from the corner of the pergola was forming a line.

" Is Brother Huo going to drink Pei Xu down today?" Lin Qingning asks with a smile.

When Duan Yihua heard this, he turned around and saw Huo Cheng clinking glasses with Pei Xu.

Pei Xu's face is full of wine and his neck is red through and through.

Hu Ying said, "Come on, Brother Huo, I'll have a drink with you."

Pei Xu got up to go to the toilet and on his way back stopped by the kitchen.

Di Xingchen was cooking soup in the kitchen when Pei Xu came in.

Pei Xu is all red and his eyes are a little confused, but he looks at him more straightforward than usual, even a little horny and gangly.

"How much have you had to drink?" Di Xingchen asked. Pei Xu said, "An estimate of ...... two taels? It seems like I can drink more than usual today."

He said as he walked behind Di Xingchen and glanced into the pot, "What's cooking?"

"Sweet soup."

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"Give me a bowl first."

Di Xingchen said, "It's not ready yet."

As he says this, he cranes his head to look at Pei Xu, who has both hands in his trouser pockets and is not leaning over his shoulder, just looking at him and smiling.

"You just drink it." Di Xingchen said.

"Brother Huo is in a bad mood, so I'll have a drink with him." says Pei Xu. Pei Xu says, "I know what I'm doing, I can't get drunk."

When Pei Xu went back outside, Di Xingchen turned off the heat and brought out the sweet soup, and when he came out with it, Duan Yihua and Lin Qingning immediately got up to help him.

A bowl of sweet soup for each person, bubbling away on the table.

"Not after this one cup, ah, soup for everyone." Di Xingchen said.

Huo Cheng took the last drink and suddenly leaned over, put his forehead against Pei Xu's, took him by the neck and slapped him on the back.

Hu Ying said from the side, "You two should be together."

Wen Nuo and the others laughed, but Yan Zhi, looking rather serious, leaned back in his seat and stared.

Huo Cheng let go of Pei Xu and said, "My good brother, seeing that I'm in a bad mood, is drinking with me."

He smiled, probably because he had had too much to drink, but his eyes were a little moist and his smile was silent. Just then, Pei Xu slumps down on the table.

He was drunk.

Wen Nuo and the others were shocked and rushed to help Pei Xu up and move the plate to the side. Pei Xu reached out and said, "It's okay, I'll lie down for a while."

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Wen Nuo wiped the vegetable soup from Pei Xu's sleeve. Huo Cheng reached out and took the tissue from Wen Nuo's hand and wiped Pei Xu's sleeve carefully, looking rather sad. Pei Xu suddenly struggled with his hand, and Huo Cheng said, rather overbearingly, "Don't move."

Duan Yihua smiles and pulls the blanket upwards, and Lin Qingning rests his head on his shoulder.

The rain outside seemed to have lessened a little and finally it all stopped.

After the soup, they both sat very still in their chairs listening to the rain, slightly drunk and damp from the wine.

"You can ask the camera teacher to focus on Pei Xu and Huo Cheng." Writer Liu told Guo Bing.

What looks good in a romance roundup is not always love.

Wen Nuo yawned.

Duan Yihua also yawned, lifted the thin blanket and said, "Are you sleepy? Let's go upstairs."

Everyone got up, except Pei Xu who was a little more drunk than before. Huo Cheng helped Pei Xu upstairs again. Yan Zhi watched the backs of Huo Cheng and Pei Xu from behind, thinking that he would never have such a friendship.

Pei Xu was too drunk to climb up to the top bunk, so Huo Cheng put him on his own bunk and waited for him to get over his drink while he sat down against the wall.

The atmosphere in the room was harmonious and welcoming, with people laughing and talking as they washed up in groups. After Di Xingchen finished washing up, he found Pei Xu sitting up, but still looking a bit confused, while Huo Cheng had fallen asleep and was snoring lightly.

"Are you better?" Di Xingchen asked.

Pei Xu suddenly stood up and said, "I seem to have left something outside."

He touches his pockets drunkenly.

"What is it?" Di Xingchen asked.

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Pei Xu, however, did not answer him and walked out drunkenly.

Wen Nuo sat up from the bed and looked at Di Xingchen, who put on his coat and said, "Looking for something."

He chased them out and went to the stairs, only to see Pei Xu leaning against the wall, smiling at him.

He was standing in the blind spot of the camera.

Pei Xu beckons him over.

Di Xingchen said in a hushed voice, "What are you doing?"

Before he could reach Pei Xu, he saw his fall towards him, and Di Xingchen rushed up to him and caught his in his arms.

Aware of Pei Xu's plot, Di Xingchen tried to back away, but Pei Xu was on his shoulders, as if he had taken cartilage, and his hands were honest enough not to touch him. Di Xingchen held Pei Xu's waist and heard Pei Xu say, "I know what I'm talking about, but I'm drunk again."

Di Xingchen whispered, "Come on, don't be a pussy."

Pei Xu just laughed, sniffed his neck, very sad and warm, and said, "Drunk and feeling more in love with you ...... Di Xingchen, Di Xingchen, Di Xingchen ."

He meditated on his name, his heart hotter than wine.