I Awakened to a Farming TALENT

## Chapter 49: Click to Watch Celebrities Grind at the Mill

By the afternoon, Zhang Xinzi's smile was starting to c***k.

She hadn't expected that "taking in the scenery by hiking" actually meant she had to climb the mountain herself.

Fenghuang Mountain wasn't tall, but there were almost no flat sections—just stone steps going all the way up. It was quite strenuous, and there was no cable car. No way to cheat.

The cameramen were seasoned pros. They followed behind, their cameras still steady.

Halfway up, Zhang Xinzi couldn't care anymore about the camera behind her.

She didn't even want to maintain her diva image. She plopped down on a rock and declared she wasn't climbing any further. She'd rather pay the penalty. If she kept going, she'd die.

Even though the hottest days had passed, the temperature was still high. In the afternoon, even with shade trees on both sides, climbing a mountain was not something a delicate flower like her could handle.

She regretted agreeing to this show so quickly, lured by the chance to be on TV and the "positive energy" angle.

The production team was a bit unhappy, but they agreed to let her stop. They were also afraid something might actually happen.

Cheng Yuanqi, on the other hand, trained in dancing and singing all the time, so he had great stamina. Halfway up, he wasn't even out of breath.

So the crew split up: some took Zhang Xinzi back down to rest, while the rest of the cameramen continued up the mountain with Cheng Yuanqi.

Once Zhang Xinzi left, Cheng Yuanqi actually breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, he could show off.

When she was there, he had to control his pace, and he had to keep including her in the conversation. Coming up with topics was exhausting.

Now that he was alone, he was full of energy. He introduced the history and origins of Fenghuang Mountain as he climbed.

A handsome guy followed by several cameramen attracted a lot of attention. Soon, people recognized him as Cheng Yuanqi.

Strangers didn't dare approach, but they took plenty of photos from a distance and posted them on Weibo. Cheng Yuanqi had a huge fan base, and the internet exploded.

*【What's going on? What event is bro attending?】*

*【Yuanbao (fan nickname for Cheng Yuanqi) is so handsome! That sweat is dripping right into my heart!】*

*【No way, I recognize this—it's Fenghuang Mountain! Just some crappy mountain near my house!!!】*

*【???? So what exactly is Cheng Yuanqi doing there?】*

These days, a celebrity wearing a hat or long johns could trend. Cheng Yuanqi climbing a mountain quickly became a hot topic on Weibo.

The production team seized the moment and released a teaser.

---

**【Fenghuang Mountain Film Studio V: #Exploring the Most Beautiful Rural Area# #Beautiful Fenghuang#. Exploring the most beautiful rural area—Fenghuang Town. @ZhangXinzi @StrawberrySweetheart-ChengYuanqi have assembled! Tonight at 17:00, welcome to the live stream to enjoy Fenghuang's delicious food and beautiful scenery! Full video next Thursday at 20:00, stay tuned!】**

---

As soon as the post went up, fans from all sides flooded the comments.

*【LMAO, is Cheng Yuanqi broke? Going to the countryside to cash in? Can the aunties and uncles there understand his singing and dancing?】*

*【Zhang Xinzi again? When is the entertainment industry going to cancel her already?】*

*【Always supporting Cheng Yuanqi! There are stars in his eyes!】*

*【#BestZhangXinzi# Supporting Zhang Xinzi, hope Zizi has fun at Fenghuang Mountain!】*

The benefit of being controversy-prone was that haters and true fans immediately started fighting, and the engagement skyrocketed.

By the time the Weibo post hit the trending page, the comments were completely controlled by fans. Everyone was happy.

...

After the Fenghuang Mountain leg was done,

Cheng Yuanqi and Zhang Xinzi quickly changed into new outfits, preparing for the evening's live stream.

Zhang Xinzi rested for a while and barely felt recovered, though there was still a faint tightness in her chest.

Luckily, the live stream had a dedicated host, Da Mi. The two of them just had to follow the**.

The three of them arrived directly at the backyard of Qionghua Eatery. "Backyard" was really just a large patch of private land fenced in with wicker. Even though the vegetables were lush and abundant, it was still a muddy field.

The host, Da Mi, started with some pleasantries, then got straight to business, introducing the audience to the production process of Fenghuang tofu.

The live stream chat immediately exploded.

*【Where is this? Why are all three of them standing in a field?】*

*【Why is the host rambling so much? Get to the interaction already!】*

*【If I didn't see Cheng Yuanqi and Zhang Xinzi standing there looking dead inside, I'd think I clicked into some farming show.】*

*【Still confused—isn't this a food tasting live stream? Why haven't they eaten yet?】*

*【So why are they standing in a field for a food live stream? LOL, so mismatched.】*

Cheng Yuanqi's lips twitched. The contract had said they'd need to cooperate in grinding tofu, wrapping wontons, and then tasting the food.

But he assumed it would be done in a proper studio set. He never imagined they'd be taken to the muddy backyard of a farmhouse???

He was wearing a flashy punk-style outfit and a pair of limited-edition sneakers—and felt his feet sinking into the mud. He could only comfort himself: "Making money isn't shameful."

After Da Mi finished introducing Fenghuang tofu, the camera turned.

Everyone saw a giant stone mill.

Da Mi announced in a strong, resonant voice: "Next! We have invited Chef Jiang, who has several years of tofu-making experience, to guide our two celebrities through the first step of tofu production—grinding soybeans!"

Jiang Tingyun's ears turned red. Damn it. "Several years of tofu-making experience"? She'd only opened her farmhouse restaurant this year. Who was making up all this extra stuff for her?

But her face didn't show it. She stepped forward carrying a bucket of soaked soybeans.

"Hello, everyone. Today I'll be leading you in grinding soybeans. After the beans are ground, we boil the slurry, then add gypsum to set it, and that's how we make our local Fenghuang tofu."

Jiang Tingyun gave a rough overview of the production process and special techniques of local tofu.

As she spoke, she skillfully scooped a spoonful of soybeans into the hole on the top stone of the mill.

Then she started turning the mill. That thing—wherever the crew had found it—was huge and heavy.

Jiang Tingyun seriously suspected it had originally been meant for a donkey. Who on earth could push a mill this big?

Fortunately, she had become incredibly strong after awakening. She pushed it around several times with relative ease. The wet soybeans were crushed between the two round stones, and thick slurry slowly flowed out, blocked by the rim and collected in the groove.

Da Mi quickly interacted with the audience: "You can see, it's not easy to get this tofu. You have to put in the labor first. Thank you, Chef Jiang, for the demonstration. Now, which of our two teachers would like to give it a try?"

No way.

Cheng Yuanqi and Zhang Xinzi were screaming and shaking their heads inside.

Are you kidding? A mill this big?

They thought it would be one of those cute little manual mills you could put on a table, the kind you buy online. This thing was way too huge.