Chapter 501: Chapter 500 Family (6)
However, what they wanted was precisely the remoteness, the simplicity, and to become one with the locals.
There was no tap water, only a well, right? Perfect, they could rely on themselves. Especially Xia Siyu, who fetched her own water from the well.
Originally, Wei Jingjing and Bo Yan wanted to help her, but Xia Siyu declined. She was there to experience life; what kind of experience would it be if others did everything for her?
She also specifically told Wei Jingjing that she wanted to do everything herself, including drawing water, lighting fires, and gathering firewood. You might think experiencing life was all about going through hardships, but in reality, no matter how effective, when one shot is captured on camera, your body language doesn’t lie.
Before, a popular idol had to play a mute girl from the lower echelons of society, and when throwing out the trash, she was too squeamish and held her little finger up. That gesture in itself was insignificant, but an unsuspecting girl who worked in a restaurant and earned her living by washing dishes and scrubbing pots wouldn’t be afraid of getting dirty, nor would she have time to be squeamish. That one shot instantly severed her from the character she was playing.
And the truly great actors, before playing the role of a rural woman, would spend several months immersing themselves in the locality. Eventually, their postures, the way they ate, the tone of their speech, wouldn’t have half a difference from the local women.
Slacking now would all have to be paid back later.
The two of them and their team, after several hours of exhausting travel by boat and car, cleaned the house, put things away, and by dusk, it was already evening.
The cave dwellings were generally built on south-facing slopes for sunlight, with several dwellings in a row, one layer upon another. Nestled against the mountain, there was a clear space in front. Warm in winter and cool in summer, the interior had it all. At dusk, many elderly people would bring their children to the open space to eat and chat. The children would be playing, and the elders would squat on the side, leisurely puffing on their smoking pipes. Nearby there might be donkeys turning a millstone, maybe one or two trees with birds chirping in them.
The firewood used for cooking at night, the water drunk, the cornmeal eaten, all were the result of Xia Siyu lighting her own fire, fetching her own water, and grinding it herself on the stone mill. Since she wanted to experience it, Bo Yan did not help.
Wei Jingjing felt sympathy watching her struggle and wanted to help, but was stopped by Bo Yan. He just shook his head, standing by, only occasionally helping her out.
Sometimes, letting go appropriately allows her to grow faster on her own.
But after everything was done, and she drank a bowl of the corn porridge she had ground by hand, sitting on the kang and stretching out her tired body from the day’s work, the comfort was indescribable.
After eating and drinking fully and relaxing a bit, it got dark quickly in the mountains, and there wasn’t much in the way of entertainment activities. After taking a bath and changing his clothes, Bo Yan sneaked into her room again.
Ever since Bo Yan was kicked out last time, the effect was significant. Even though they still slept together at night, Bo Yan had been significantly more behaved. Even when his thoughts sometimes ran wild and he wanted to do bad things, unfortunately his body would not cooperate. If he stirred even a little, he would immediately feel pain and jump back, forced into Sage Mode.
Days passed, and Bo Yan remained well-behaved. It was okay when they were in the hotel, but now that they had come out here, staying in someone else’s home—even though the house was only inhabited by their two teams miles around, and even the local elders might not recognize her and Bo Yan—since it wasn’t soundproof. Even though she and Bo Yan had registered in their respective economic teams, it still wouldn’t be good if someone heard or saw something.
In this row of rooms, most of them were interconnected, separated by doors in the middle. When Xia Siyu was ready to sleep, Bo Yan just opened the door and walked in.