Chapter 723: Already Have Different Thoughts

The various attractions in Dali are all in that circle around Erhai Lake, with mountains, water, and forests, and even more regional characteristics of ethnic minorities. The essence is basically all here.

First, get busy playing around; this was decided from the beginning. After the rain cleared, Wang Yan and Xu Hongdou continued their traveling, running around Dali. Taking pictures, eating delicious food, chatting—Xu Hongdou's face was filled with smiles all day long.

Having already revealed her heart, and eating, drinking, and playing together every day, it was impossible for their relationship not to be good; everything was so natural.

Because of Wang Yan's appearance, Xie Zhiyao was pushed to the side. In the original story, he basically grew up beside Xu Hongdou. But now, except for the one time everyone gathered to eat a lively meal together, he didn't appear again. Xie Zhiyao was properly busy, with many things to do. Without a woman hooking him, naturally, he didn't have so much leisure time.

Da Mai was absorbing what Wang Yan wrote for her. From her daily updates, it could be seen that she was trying to change some of her inherent writing habits and writing ideas. The effect couldn't be said to be immediate, but sometimes, in terms of writing, just the application of a verb could make people applaud. Wang Yan looked at Da Mai's novel every day and gave some suggestions on

It was the same for her; Da Mai looked at Wang Yan as if he were a deity. It wasn't that she didn't understand or hadn't practiced, but the guidance Wang Yan gave her made her feel like she had been making rapid progress lately. If Wang Yan were to write it himself, what kind of player would he be?

Except for when she first started writing novels, she had never felt writing was this joyful. In the past, she would always get stuck on the plot, but now, although she still got stuck, it was on the plot itself, not on the visual description of the scenes. The design of the plot was a wild, unconstrained flight of fancy—that was talent—but the visual sense of the writing was a matter of skill. Of course, talent was definitely required, but it hadn't reached such a high requirement yet.

Now, Da Mai no longer had the heart to consider whether she should continue to persist as an online writer; what she was thinking about was how to write a more brilliant and good story. This was a rare transformation.

It was also because of this transformation that Da Mai's mental state improved day by day. She would wake up early, practice the complex version of the True Eight Brocades, eat breakfast with Wang Yan and the others, and afterward, whether in the side room, the courtyard, or on the high platform upstairs where one could see a lot of scenery, she would write, think, and read. She had quite a bit of an otherworldly feeling; to use Ma Qiushan's nonsense, she had entered the Dao.

Although it was nonsense, it was actually correct to a certain extent. After all, Da Mai had found her Dao and was working hard for it. From the perspective of life's progress, she had entered the Dao. Given time, relying on writing for financial freedom, that would be attaining the Dao.

Ma Qiushan no longer sat in meditation or practiced Zen; he would wake up very late in the morning and usually wouldn't come out much, always working on his project plans and researching formulas. Just like in the original drama, after buying all kinds of raw materials, he would find people in the village he was familiar with to make tea drinks for them and ask them to grade him.

This also sparked a new spirit; he was quite motivated.

Hu Youyu had previously said he was going to go viral, but Wang Yan poured cold water on him. However, the next day, when he updated his video again, it really did flop, returning to the level of only a few hundred likes as before. Although he had expectations in his heart, when it really happened, Hu Youyu still felt miserable for two days; the gap was too big.

After adapting to this gap and finishing his self-healing, Hu Youyu then settled down to do live streaming and painstakingly edited videos while pulling at his hair. For the vast majority of people, this was also a matter of long-term accumulation; how many people could actually go viral?

So as time passed, on one hand, he edited videos daily for stable updates, and on the other, he live-streamed singing for over three hours every day. Little by little, he accumulated some fans, mostly female fans. The number of people online in his live broadcast room also broke the hundred mark, and the number of followers was also steadily rising.

This was actually not easy. You have to know that just outside the bar where Hu Youyu sang, by the Erhai Lake, there were piles of people singing, all of them setting up a phone stand, singing and dancing. Let alone making money, if they weren't careful, they would have to pay out of pocket; it was quite miserable.

By comparison, Hu Youyu had a job at the bar, and live streaming was a part-time job, which was already very good. This kind of thing is happiness derived from comparison.

As for Nana, the true internet celebrity whose live stream had six or seven thousand viewers, she still worked at the Wind-Blowing Small Restaurant with peace of mind, day after day...

Finally, after almost touring Dali, a week had passed.

Xu Hongdou had almost adapted to her current life. Coupled with walking long distances every day, although her body was still sub-healthy, it had some vitality. Moreover, she started practicing the True Eight Brocades with Da Mai in the morning. Overall, her body had improved somewhat, and her mental state was also very good; she went to bed early and got up early every day.

After practicing it once with Da Mai, swaying and swinging her arms and kicking her legs, she washed her face and then washed two cucumbers, giving one to Da Mai. The two of them started eating them with a crunch.

She leaned against the kitchen island watching Wang Yan making a Western-style breakfast. She had had enough of steamed buns, fried dough sticks, noodles, and wontons for a while, so Wang Yan wanted to change the flavor. Yesterday, he bought fruit, oatmeal, bread slices, beef, and so on, and started making it this morning.

"How come you know how to do everything?" Before Wang Yan could answer, Xu Hongdou continued, "I know, you're going to say that having many skills is no burden."

"Look, you're already snatching the answer."

Looking at Xu Hongdou's feigned reproachful gaze, Wang Yan said with a chuckle, "I told you before, the most important thing in life is just eating and drinking. I have always been particular about food and meticulous in preparation. After eating a lot, I study it myself when I have nothing to do. From not knowing to becoming proficient, it's a period of discomfort for a lifetime of happiness."

"You're amazing, you're amazing. Compared to you, I'm a useless person; I can't even understand eating." Xu Hongdou sighed and groaned without cause.

Da Mai nodded vigorously: "Me too, me too. Wang Laoshi, knowing you is the happiest thing that has happened to me since I've been alive."

Hmm?

Xu Hongdou silently glanced at the silly girl who was eating a cucumber and giggling, heartless and lungless, and then cast her gaze back onto Wang Yan.

How could her actions escape the discerning eyes of Mr. Wang? This performance, without a doubt, meant the past half-month hadn't been spent in vain; clearly, she already had different thoughts.

Wang Yan shook his head and smiled: "The way you put it, you have many happy things. Scoring double hundreds on exams when you were a child, getting praise from teachers, your parents buying you clothes you liked, getting red envelopes during the New Year, the little joys of a secret crush, your first boyfriend—there are too many. Your happiness at that time was also incomparable. If I had to describe it, then those things were also 'the happiest things that have happened to you since you've been alive'."

Da Mai thought about it seriously for a while, as if she were really recalling the joy of those scenes from the past. She nodded: "Wang Laoshi, you're right."

Xu Hongdou then laughed out loud: "Da Mai is just straightforward. You're not like this when you write novels, are you?"

"It's different. Writing novels involves words I've painstakingly thought out, and as for the reactions of others after hearing them, however I write them, that's how they are. As long as it's not too detached from reality and is logical, then there's no problem. But reality is different; interpersonal communication is too complex, really too complex." Da Mai ate her cucumber painfully.

"Actually, it's not bad; the people in our small courtyard are all quite good." Xu Hongdou said, then turned to ask Wang Yan, "Wang Laoshi, what are you going to do today?"

"Filming a promotional video for Yunmiao Village. It's something I promised before. Boss Xie has long since refunded my room fees, and we've all eaten the ham, mushrooms, beef, and so on. Dali can be considered almost toured, so it's time to do some work for them, isn't it? What, don't know what to do?"

"A... little bit?"

Xu Hongdou ate her cucumber bit by bit, her toes tapping the ground. She said: "For this past half-month, we've been going out to play every day, and every day has been so fulfilling, and we've been tired enough. Now that you suddenly say there's nothing to do, I really don't know what to do."

"I remember when we first met, you said you just wanted to find a place where no one knew you, lie there, not thinking about anything, and not doing anything. Now your wish has come true. The platform at the entrance of your room is very nice, and today the weather is sunny and the sunlight is just right. Sunbathing like this, blowing in the cool breeze, and enjoying the beautiful scenery—how nice that is."

Xu Hongdou rolled her eyes and didn't speak.

Wang Yan smiled: "Why don't you go sit at the Wind-Blowing Small Restaurant? Or be a guinea pig for Master Ma and taste the tea drinks he developed? If not, why don't you come with me to film the video?"

"With you? Won't I disturb you?"

"What kind of disturbance is that? It's just a bit boring, going back and forth looking for angles, lighting, and framing, and it's all scenery we've already seen; there's nothing interesting about it."

"I wasn't doing anything interesting anyway, and I'm afraid it'll be even less interesting? Shall I go take a look with you?"

"Go ahead." Wang Yan looked with a chuckle at Nana, who walked in while yawning, and greeted her, "Alright, rest is about enough. Let's eat, let's eat."

"Good morning, Wang Laoshi, sponging off breakfast again. Ah, we're really having a Western-style breakfast today. Wang Laoshi is amazing." Nana said in a string of words as she walked.

"You've been saying this for a week; change to some fresh words tomorrow." Wang Yan waved his hand, telling them to take things to the table.

One vegetable sandwich per person, a piece of steak, a bowl of oatmeal, and a cup of banana milk; he himself had a double portion.

"The most sincere gratitude is silent, but if I don't say it out loud, I'm afraid you won't be able to feel it." Nana laughed out loud, picked up the steak with chopsticks, took a bite, and nodded vigorously, "Delicious, Wang Laoshi, it's much better than the Western pastries in the city. If you opened a Western restaurant, they definitely wouldn't have any business."

Nana is from Shanghai, and she's an internet celebrity, a rich person who makes tens of thousands a day, so it's inevitable that she prefers Western food...

Wang Yan waved his hand: "Alright, it's not like I wasn't paid. Speaking of which, the food I eat is still paid for by you."

They are all particular people. Eating the breakfast Wang Yan brings every day, and occasionally eating the snacks Wang Yan brings back, they all feel embarrassed, so the money they give is always more. Even for this breakfast today, Ma Qiushan and Hu Youyu, who hadn't woken up yet, also paid. Basically, it's equivalent to Wang Yan being the cook and providing the food...

This is also something that can't be helped. Being able to buy steamed buns, fried dough sticks, tofu pudding, and so on here in Yunmiao Village is already very good; after all, every household makes their own breakfast.

However, Wang Yan is also lazy. He doesn't like making Chinese breakfast because it's more time-consuming. He estimates that boiling porridge or cooking noodles is easier, while others are more laborious, as many are exquisite pastry tasks. In this regard, the advantages of Western food are reflected: simple, convenient, and fast...

After praising Master Wang's good skills, Nana asked: "What's your schedule for today?"

"Wang Yan is going to film the promotional video for Yunmiao Village for Boss Xie. I have nothing interesting to do either, so I'll go take a look with him."

Nana looked at Hongdou, thought for a moment, and said: "If you have nothing interesting to do, why not go to the small restaurant? It's actually quite fulfilling there. Look at me, don't I enjoy working there? And, I can teach you how to grind coffee by hand, teach you how to make all kinds of fruit juices, and we can also develop new desserts together; it's very interesting."

Xu Hongdou laughed: "You really don't hide it at all, don't you just want me to do manual labor and work for free?"

"How could I let you work in vain? I'll provide the meals. How about it, are you going or not? Anyway, you're just staying there. One or two days is fine, but you'll go crazy in ten or eight days, believe me."

Regarding this, Nana has fairly rich experience. After all, she was blacklisted by the entire internet before, and she was locked up at home for a long time; the whole person was almost ruined.

Xu Hongdou thought for a moment, glanced at Wang Yan beside her who didn't express anything, nodded, and said: "We'll talk about it in two days; anyway, I'm not in a hurry to leave."

Halfway through the meal, Xie Zhiyao walked in: "Eating, comrades."

"Have you eaten, Boss Xie? There are two more portions there."

"I've eaten. Whoa, it's really sumptuous, and it's Western food. I don't need to guess; this was made by Wang Laoshi, right?"

Nana nodded: "Definitely. Before Wang Laoshi and Hongdou came, when did we ever eat a decent breakfast? Really not eating? Wang Laoshi's skills are especially good, very authentic."

"I really can't eat anymore, I had a whole big bowl of rice noodles." Xie Zhiyao gestured the size of the bowl, looked at Wang Yan, and said, "Wang Laoshi, when shall we start? Regarding the filming, we still have some ideas we want to tell you."

"We can start after eating."

"It's 7:30 now, we start work at 8:00. Alright, Wang Laoshi, then I won't disturb you anymore. After you finish eating, go directly to the horse farm, and we'll confirm the filming plan together then."

"Alright." Wang Yan nodded and said, "I heard your younger brother ran away from home? Have you found him?"

"Hey, a little kid who isn't independent, where could he run to? I have it all under control. I'm leaving, Wang Laoshi, see you at the horse farm." Xie Zhiyao came suddenly and left decisively.

In the morning, Wang Yan actually sent a message to Xie Zhiyao but didn't receive a reply. He didn't expect Xie Zhiyao to come over directly; he probably hadn't eaten breakfast.

As for Xie Zhiyao's younger brother, because the matter of him pooping his pants in public at school spread in the village, he felt he couldn't face the elders of his hometown, so just like in the original drama, he ran to the city to work.

However, this time, it had nothing to do with Xu Hongdou. Originally, she hadn't had much contact with Xie Zhiyao, nor had she met Xie Zhiyao's grandmother. She hadn't accidentally overheard Xie Zhiyao and his brother talking before, and there would be no subsequent farce of taking Xie Zhiyao's grandmother to the restaurant where Xie Zhiyao's brother, Xie Zhiyuan, was working to catch him.

Wang Yan's arrival made the plot, which originally didn't have many new things, have fewer things, but without a doubt, this was a good thing. After all, those things were all to connect the feelings between Xu Hongdou and Xie Zhiyao.

Besides that, Xie Xiaochun's younger brother also wasn't working at the wood carving workshop anymore and had run to Shanghai. It is very normal for young people to yearn for the glittering world outside and yearn for wealth. Unsurprisingly, he should be getting scammed right now...

After breakfast, Wang Yan returned to the room to get his equipment, took Xu Hongdou to the entrance of the village, drove the car, and headed toward the horse farm in the south of the village.

This place is unreasonably good; the feeling of driving on the grass is still quite nice. Originally, it wasn't a long distance, and no matter how slowly the four wheels drove, they arrived at the place very quickly.

Here, Wang Yan received a warm welcome. Besides Xie Zhiyao's team, Huang Xinxin was also present. Seeing Xu Hongdou, they were still a bit surprised. Xie Zhiyao politely said, "Hongdou is here too, welcome, welcome," while Xu Hongdou said, "I came with Wang Laoshi to see and learn."

After everyone introduced themselves and got to know each other, each with a cup of hot tea, they sat around a table and started the discussion meeting for the promotional video.

As soon as they sat down, Xie Zhiyao got straight to the point: "Wang Laoshi, you can film movies, and you can film wedding videos like movies, so we might want a bit more."

Although they hadn't met many times, he had some understanding of Wang Yan, which was that Wang Yan didn't like pleasantries, so he also said whatever was on his mind.

Wang Yan nodded: "No problem, I told you before, film however you want to film; it's just idling anyway. And there's no great difficulty. Short videos are just long videos cut out, and long videos are countless short videos pieced together; it's not a big problem, continue."

Huang Xinxin followed up and asked: "Wang Laoshi, is it really not troublesome?"

"Why would I lie to you? It mainly depends on what kind of long video you want to film—pure scenery, characteristics, with voice-over later, or something like a Yunmiao Village love story. If it's the former, then it's as I said; if it's the latter, although the materials overlap, most of it still needs to be re-filmed. This photography, filming is one aspect, and editing and rendering are another."

"Then we just want to film normal scenery and characteristic videos, like the documentary *A Bite of China*. If we were to film a story, we thought about it before, but we don't have a good script or actors with enough acting skills. If we really filmed a Yunmiao Village love story, I'm afraid the netizens' spit could drown us."

As Xie Zhiyao spoke, the group of people laughed out loud. They thought of that scene, which must be very eye-stinging.

Wang Yan was also laughing: "Black fame is also fame. The netizens' entertainment spirit is still quite good, and their ability to create memes is also obvious to all; there are always people who want to come and take a look."

"That won't do. We want to build the business card of Yunmiao Village, which is to have a positive image; we can't have that kind of reputation." Xie Zhiyao waved his hands repeatedly and turned to say, "We have already planned what we want to film. This is a PPT we made using some previous photos; the general ideas are all here. As for the specifics, how many videos of different lengths, we don't have an accurate number yet. After all, we don't understand the difficulty of this matter, and you are helping out of friendship, so it's not good to make you too tired."

"Let's put it this way: for a two-hour finished film, we need to film several times that amount of material, so this is a matter of editing; just cut it back and forth in different ways, it's not a big problem. The operation of editing is not difficult, and getting started is fast; it's just that mastering it takes some energy. However, for you, having an entry-level skill is enough. At that time, all the filming materials will be given to you; if you have nothing to do, you can edit them for fun yourselves. That's editing however you want, and you can have as much as you want."

"Then I have it under control. Wang Laoshi, you look at the PPT first, and then we'll discuss it..."

It was obvious that Xie Zhiyao didn't work in investment banking in vain; he did things very methodically. Knowing what is needed first, then solving how to do it, and blowing the east wind when everything is ready is a good habit.

Wang Yan took the computer with a chuckle, huddled together with Xu Hongdou, and looked at their plan...