Chapter 28: "No Need to Be So Polite with Each Other"

“What was that sound?” Zhou Ran suddenly heard a shrill scream coming from inside the room and, filled with curiosity, turned his head to look. He saw a human head peeking out from beside the door.

At first glance, Zhou Ran nearly jumped in fright, thinking it was some ghostly apparition. But after a closer look, he realized the head that had appeared was actually Zhang Xiaofeng’s.

“Hello! My name is Zhou Ran!” Once Zhou Ran recognized her, he greeted Zhang Xiaofeng at the door.

“Hello!” Seeing Zhou Ran greet her, Zhang Xiaofeng hurried over to him, nearly tripping in her haste.

“Whoa, Xiaofeng, slow down! Look at you, all anxious,” Chef Huang called out, worried she might fall as she ran.

“Hello, Teacher Zhou Ran, I’m Zhou Ran!” Zhang Xiaofeng was so excited to stand before Zhou Ran that she bowed slightly.

“Ah, hello, hello!” Zhou Ran, seeing Zhang Xiaofeng bow, bowed in return.

“Hello, hello!”

“Hello, hello!”

The two oddballs, Zhou Ran and Zhang Xiaofeng, immediately began bowing to each other in mutual courtesy.

“Oh, enough, enough, you two don’t need to be so polite,” Teacher He said, barely able to contain his laughter as he pulled them upright.

Meanwhile, Ning Wei, the director of the show, was nearly doubled over with laughter watching the two of them bow. Their antics made for excellent entertainment.

The show “Hello, Life!” had a rule: nothing could be gained without labor, and all material needs had to be earned through their own efforts.

Zhou Ran had just arrived at the Mushroom House and put down his luggage; soon, he would need to work to earn the corn required for dinner.

Teacher He and Chef Huang went ahead to prepare the tools needed for picking corn.

Zhou Ran and Zhang Xiaofeng stayed in the room, waiting for Teacher He and the others to gather everything before setting out.

At that moment, Zhang Xiaofeng’s face was flushed red. “Oh Xiaofeng, what are you doing? How could you embarrass yourself like that? So annoying,” she muttered to herself internally.

“Hello, I’ve watched your movies—they’re wonderful!” The atmosphere suddenly grew quiet, so Zhou Ran spoke up to interact with Zhang Xiaofeng, hoping to avoid an awkward silence.

“Hello, I’ve listened to your songs! They’re truly beautiful!” Hearing Zhou Ran speak to her, Zhang Xiaofeng stopped her wild thoughts.

“Really? Thank you for liking them!” Zhou Ran breathed a sigh of relief at her reply. To be honest, he was afraid Zhang Xiaofeng would keep up the formalities.

“Teacher Zhou Ran, your song ‘Sunny Day’ is really amazing—I listen to it whenever I have the time.” Now that Zhou Ran had initiated conversation, Zhang Xiaofeng’s mood calmed, and the atmosphere grew much more normal.

When Zhang Xiaofeng brought up the song “Sunny Day,” Zhou Ran instantly perked up, all traces of exhaustion gone.

“Haha, thank you…” Zhou Ran and Zhang Xiaofeng launched into a lively discussion about music, sweeping away any awkwardness.

They became so engrossed in their conversation that even when Teacher He and Chef Huang returned with the tools, they didn’t notice, still chatting enthusiastically.

It wasn’t until Teacher He reminded them that Zhou Ran and Zhang Xiaofeng came back to their senses.

The place where they would pick corn belonged to an elderly man.

It was part of the show’s initiative to help seniors; the production team had bought the old man’s field at a price above market value.

The corn would be given back to the old man, since the production team had no use for it.

Zhou Ran, whether in this life or the previous one, had grown up in the countryside, so farm work was quite simple for him.

Once they reached the farmland, Teacher He announced today’s task: the number of corn cobs to be picked. Because Zhou Ran had requested sweet and sour pork, they needed a hundred and fifty corn cobs, plus another hundred for other dishes. After all, four people couldn’t just eat one dish, so extra corn was needed. In total: two hundred and fifty cobs.

Teacher He, understanding, assigned Zhou Ran the task of picking one hundred and fifty cobs, explaining that since he and Chef Huang were older, Zhou Ran and Zhang Xiaofeng needed to look after them.

Teacher He and Chef Huang formed one team, while Zhang Xiaofeng and Zhou Ran formed another.

Looking at the vast expanse of cornfields before him, Zhou Ran felt as if he’d returned to his childhood.

Back then, there was a large cornfield in front of his family’s house. During busy seasons, his parents would call him to help pick corn, though he never wanted to go. Yet his parents always found a way to convince him.

Whenever they brought out his favorite dish—bamboo shoots stir-fried with pork—Zhou Ran would obediently comply. That tactic never failed.

But after Zhou Ran started high school, he never helped out in the fields again—there was school, gaming, and novels to keep him busy, so he had no interest in farm work.

Now, looking back, Zhou Ran found it amusing, though all he could do was reminisce.

Lost in thought, Zhou Ran suddenly felt someone poking his shoulder.

“Teacher Zhou Ran, what are you doing?”

He turned to see Zhang Xiaofeng staring at him blankly.

“Sorry, I was a bit distracted just now.” Zhou Ran, embarrassed by her gaze, scratched his head.

“Let’s go!” Once he had gathered himself, Zhou Ran waited for Zhang Xiaofeng so they could head into the cornfield together.

As soon as Zhou Ran entered the field, he felt like his younger self again, becoming more genuine and even wanting to compete with Zhang Xiaofeng to see who could pick corn faster.

“Sister Xiaofeng, let’s see who can pick corn the fastest!” With that, Zhou Ran dashed off enthusiastically to harvest corn.

“Ah!” Zhang Xiaofeng was amused by Zhou Ran’s behavior.

This Zhou Ran was nothing like the one in her mind—the silent, genius singer, lofty and formidable, as if there was nothing he couldn’t do.

But Zhang Xiaofeng preferred this Zhou Ran, running ahead to pick corn; he seemed so much more real, full of warmth, like an older brother next door.

After thinking it over, Zhang Xiaofeng rushed forward to compete with Zhou Ran—she had no intention of losing to him.

“Wait for me! I won’t lose to you!”