CH 23.2

Soon, the other guests finished their makeup, and the production crew asked them to gather outside in the courtyard.

When they arrived outside, the crew had already set up the equipment, and the assistant director was sitting at the front with a megaphone.

“Today, we’re putting on these clothes to let everyone truly experience the customs and traditions of Wangjing Village.”

“You might not know, but today is the annual ‘Worship Day’ in Wangjing Village.”

“Worship Day? What’s that?”

The assistant director said, “Worship Day is the day when the villagers of Wangjing Village worship the Well God. Unmarried men and women in the village will express their feelings to their beloved ones in front of the Well God. If the other party accepts their feelings, the Well God will protect them for their whole life, and they will live together until old age. According to legend, it is because of a pair of lovers. The man died in a foreign land while fighting, and the woman died of illness at home after learning about his death. On the day of her death, the well, which had been dry for decades in the mountains, suddenly gushed sweet water. People say that the woman turned into the Well God after her death, blessing all the lovers in the mountains to live a peaceful life together.”

“Aiya, I should have brought my boyfriend with me,” said Han Songxue.

Su Chengyang asked in confusion, “You have a boyfriend?”

Jiang Shanqi also looked puzzled and said, “You actually managed to find a boyfriend?”

Song Mingan hesitated for a moment and said, “You speak in such an unpleasant way. Is there really a man who likes you?”

Han Songxue said, “…”

She pouted and then threw herself onto Tan Qi, complaining, “Sister Tan Qi, you see, they always bully me.”

Tan Qi was slightly older than them and was like an older sister among the guests. She smiled and patted Han Songxue’s shoulder, comforting her, “It’s okay. After the filming is over, you can bring your boyfriend here.”

Han Songxue pouted, her eyes filled with tears. “But I don’t even know what my boyfriend looks like.”

Tan Qi: “…”

Su Chengyang was silent for a moment and then asked, “Do you not know how old your boyfriend is?”

“Yeah.”

“I haven’t seen him since I was born. When do you think he will find me?” Han Songxue sighed.

Jiang Shanqi rolled her eyes at her. “Maybe he’ll never find you in this lifetime.”

“Oh my god! You’re so cruel!”

The ignored assistant director held up his megaphone, feeling speechless. He wondered what was wrong with these people. Just one topic could divert their attention completely.

“Anyway, today we will participate in Worship Day with the villagers.”

“Okay!”

After speaking, the staff led them to the place where the well was located.

Along the way, all the villagers in the mountains walked in the same direction with them.

Everyone was dressed up, with women looking beautiful and men looking powerful. At first glance, their young faces were beaming with brilliant smiles.

The clothes they wore were similar to those of the Miao ethnic group1, but with some subtle differences, which seemed to be full of exotic charm.

Soon, they arrived at the place where the well was located.

There was a towering tree next to it, with many red silks hanging on it. It was said that these were the corners of the clothes of every newlywed couple, which were sewn together with needles and then tied to the tree. This way, they would never be separated, even if they drank the Soup of Forgetfulness and crossed the Naihe Bridge2The Naihe Bridge, also known as the Bridge of Forgetfulness is a mythological bridge in Chinese mythology and folklore that is said to lead to the underworld. According to legend, after a person dies, their soul must cross the Naihe Bridge to reach the afterlife. The bridge is guarded by the underworld’s officials, who judge the souls based on their deeds in life. It is said that the souls must drink the Soup of Forgetfulness before crossing the bridge, so that they can start their new lives without any attachment to their past. Those who cannot drink the soup or fail to cross the bridge are believed to be reincarnated as animals or ghosts.. They would still meet each other in the next life.

This tree seemed to have been around for some time, with countless red silks fluttering in the wind.

“Everyone, look back at the ancient well behind you,” the assistant director said through a megaphone.

Everyone turned around, and the well was slightly larger than the average well, with a stone tablet in front of it that described the origin of the well in small red letters.

“You should be able to see that even after hundreds of years, the well water has not dried up and is still very clear. It is said that the taste is also very refreshing and sweet. Do you know the purpose of the totem and flower on your face?”

“I don’t know,” replied someone.

Su Chengyang had heard from Xingxiu before and answered, “It is said to be a custom. Unmarried men would draw a totem on their faces related to their name, while unmarried women would put a flower petal on their forehead. On their wedding day, the husband will wash off the flower ornament with well water.”

The assistant director nodded and said, “That’s right.”

“How romantic! Would it be possible to hold a wedding here if we were not the villagers of Wangjing Village?”

“Of course you can. Wangjing Village welcomes everyone to experience the customs here,” said the assistant director.

The old village chief spoke up at the right time, “Couples who have tied the corners of their clothes together and witnessed by the Well God in the village have almost never quarreled for decades. Wangjing Village warmly welcomes everyone’s visit.”

“Next, let the villagers lead us through the process of the Worship Day.”

As soon as the assistant director finished speaking, several villagers came out, including one person that Su Chengyang had met before, Xingxiu.

Seeing this, Han Songxue whispered in Su Chengyang’s ear, “The handsome guy is here too.”

Su Chengyang smiled and didn’t say anything.

Xingxiu walked directly past the crowd to Su Chengyang and extended a hand towards her, saying “Miss Su”.

His bright eyes stared at Su Chengyang, with a clear smile in his eyes and no other emotions.

Since it was arranged by the program group, Su Chengyang naturally couldn’t refuse. She smiled at Xingxiu and placed her hand in his big palm.

Xingxiu’s figure was just enough to completely cover Su Chengyang, and his hand easily wrapped around Su Chengyang’s hand.

His palm was warm, perhaps due to years of holding knives and other similar objects, there was a thick layer of calluses that made people feel very secure.

When Su Chengyang placed her hand in his palm, he closed his fingers, loosely holding Su Chengyang’s hand without applying too much pressure to make her uncomfortable.

“Click—”

At that moment, Su Chengyang heard the sound of a camera shutter next to her. She turned her head subconsciously and saw the photographer who had just taken photos of her holding a camera and fiercely snapping pictures of her and Xingxiu.

The director stood behind the photographer, smiling like a fox as he watched the two of them.

Su Chengyang reluctantly lowered her eyelids and turned her head back. In the corner of her eye, she saw a figure standing on her right. She looked over and saw that it was Lin Yu standing not far away, his gaze falling on her and Xingxiu’s joined hands.

Sensing Su Chengyang’s gaze, he raised his eyes and politely smiled at her before turning and leaving.

Su Chengyang knew that although Lin Yu did not want her to have any love rumors during the contract period, he would not care about work-related matters.

Xingxiu probably noticed that she was absent-minded and said with a smile, “Miss Su, let’s go.”

Su Chengyang came back to her senses, looked at the man in front of her, and nodded, “Okay.”

The other guests also followed the villagers to the well.

The village chief said a few words, then handed them a water dipper. They took turns scooping up a dipper of well water and drinking it under the guidance of the villagers.

When it was Su Chengyang’s turn, she heard Xingxiu whisper in her ear, “Drink from the well and pray to the well god. If two lovers drink a dipper of well water, the well god will know if they truly love each other.”

Su Chengyang nodded.

The water dipper was passed to Xingxiu, who held her hand and leaned over to scoop up a dipper of water from the well. He took a sip first, then passed the other side to Su Chengyang’s lips. She drank the remaining water with his help, and then it was the next person’s turn.

“Thank you for helping us fetch water,” Su Chengyang whispered in a low voice.

Xingxiu smiled and said, “No need to thank me. I understand that you may not be used to living here. If you need any help, don’t hesitate to ask.”

Su Chengyang could guess that Xingxiu had some feelings for her, but she attributed his interest to novelty and rarity. His village was isolated from the outside world, and they rarely communicated with outsiders, so Xingxiu was curious about their group of visitors.

Su Chengyang had no intention of confronting the matter. They would leave tomorrow and would never meet again, so there was no need to expose anything and make things awkward between them.

However…

Looking at the young man’s candid and sunny smile in front of her, Su Chengyang couldn’t help feeling a bit regretful. In her previous life, she had plunged into the entertainment industry before coming of age. She didn’t want to date male celebrities in the entertainment industry, so she had no dating experience to date. She liked Xingxiu’s appearance and personality, and she knew that it wouldn’t be too exhausting to get along with him. Unfortunately, she still had a contract on her hands and didn’t want to date before retiring from the industry.

During the rest of the process, Xingxiu would quietly explain everything to her, even playing a game where he blindfolded himself and had to find her with only touching hands.

The first person to appear is Xingxiu.

He blindfolded himself and walked in front of nine women in turn.

Before Su Chengyang, he almost sensed that they were not Su Chengyang by just touching their hands.

The cheers around him continued, but Xingxiu still insisted on walking to Su Chengyang and shaking her hand. He gently rubbed the base of her palm and then sniffed it at the tip of his nose. The smile on his face kept expanding, and he pulled Su Chengyang out of the line and took off his blindfold.

“Congratulations to the first male guest for successfully recognizing his partner!”

Then Su Chengyang and Xingxiu sat aside and watched the show.

Su Chengyang was a little surprised at how Xingxiu recognized her, and Xingxiu said, “Because your hand is cold, and only the palm has a little warmth.”

Half-believing, Su Chengyang touched her own hand and found that it was indeed as Xingxiu had described.

“Why did you smell it?” Su Chengyang asked.

Xingxiu turned his head and smiled at her. “I wasn’t smelling it. I wanted to kiss it. I’ve seen it on the internet, in some western customs, male partners would kiss the back of the female partner’s hand.”

Su Chengyang was a little surprised that Xingxiu knew even this.

After they successfully found their partners, they began the final process. The village chief brought out a pair of scissors tied with red strings and cut a corner from their clothes. He then tied the two corners together and tied the ends around their wrists. The ceremony was considered officially over.

According to the village tradition, they had to keep the strings tied until the sun went down and the man would then tie the corners to an ancient tree.

After experiencing the whole process, Han Songxue exclaimed, “This ceremony is really romantic. I have an urge to get married instantly.”

Jiang Shanqi said, “Anyway, we’ve gone through the process. You can just consider yourself married.”

Han Songxue shook her head and said, “Marriage should be with someone you love. If my partner were to be replaced by Su Chengyang’s handsome guy, I might consider it.”

After speaking, she leaned towards Su Chengyang and teased him, “So, after experiencing the process with the handsome guy, do you have an urge to get married? Do you have an urge to stay here?”

Su Chengyang glanced at her and said, “No.”

She really hadn’t thought about getting married yet.

“Su Chengyang, you’re too heartless. You weren’t moved at all,” she said.

“What’s the name of that handsome guy?”

“Xingxiu.”

“His name sounds so nice, and he’s not married yet. I wonder if he has any contact information.”

“You can ask him and find out.”

After experiencing the process as a guest, they played around with the villagers until noon. The program group arranged for them to have lunch at the respective villagers’ homes with their partners.

Accompanied by the camera crew, Su Chengyang went to Xingxiu’s house, which was behind Room 1. She thought she could have a big meal, but halfway through, Lin Yu and Xiao Lu suddenly came in and sat nearby drinking tea while they ate.

Su Chengyang remembered her recklessness yesterday and the fact that she was returning to the company tomorrow. She ate conservatively during the meal and didn’t have a chance to talk to Xingxiu.

After the meal, Su Chengyang sat for a moment and said goodbye to everyone before leaving.

After leaving Xingxiu’s house, Su Chengyang thought Lin Yu had something to say to her, but instead, Lin Yu had Xiao Lu accompany her back, and he left alone.

Did he only come to supervise Su Chengyang’s diet in person?