Love Finds Its Time - Chapter 30

The first night staying in the farmhouse went by without much trouble. Before bed, they sprayed some floral water to keep the mosquitoes away.

Everyone there was used to flying all over the country, so naturally, there were no problems like being unable to sleep in a new bed. Wen Qinghan also occasionally went on business trips, so she easily adapted to the situation.

The next morning, five cameramen took their positions outside each group’s door, ready to begin the day’s filming. By the time Shi Qingqiu finished tidying herself up, Wen Qinghan was already seated by the window, reading for a while. The production crew hadn’t forced her to hand in her books—after all, they were all law books, completely unrelated to the show—so they allowed her to keep them.

While tying her long hair, Shi Qingqiu asked, “Qinghan, are you ready? Should I open the door?”

Without lifting her head, Wen Qinghan turned a page with her right hand and softly replied, “Mm, I’m fine.”

Shi Qingqiu went to open the door. The waiting host and cameraman entered one after the other. The host rubbed his hands together and grinned. “Qingqiu, Lawyer Wen, good morning. How did you sleep last night? Compared to that king-sized bed at home, how did it feel? Please share your after-sleep thoughts.”

Wen Qinghan closed her book, placed it on the nightstand, then stood up to face the host and camera, a faint smile at her lips. “Good morning.”

Shi Qingqiu tucked a few loose strands of hair behind her ear, then sat on the bed pretending to think deeply. “Rather than sleep impressions, I’d like to share my thoughts about today’s activity. If we can’t make dishes to repay the villagers, doesn’t that mean we ourselves won’t have food to eat?”

The host clapped his hands with exaggerated expression. “Of course! The villagers have kept their stomachs empty for tonight’s meal. So, do you two already have a plan?”

Shi Qingqiu nodded. “Yes. Hurry along to the next group, we’re about to head out.”

The host stared at her in surprise, then gave her a cheering gesture. “Excellent! Not only is Goddess Shi a box office queen, but she’s also quick at coming up with strategies. Then we’ll look forward to your results.”

He said this while backing out of the room, leaving the cameraman behind at Shi Qingqiu’s door, then went to knock on the next group’s room.

Shi Qingqiu turned to look at Wen Qinghan, who had her eyes slightly narrowed, a hint of amusement flickering within them.

“What are you laughing at? Let’s go.” Shi Qingqiu reached for Wen Qinghan’s hand, and the two of them walked out together—just in time to run into Qin Wang, who was stretching in the courtyard.

“Hey, you two! Qingqiu’s wife!” Qin Wang hurried over, with a cameraman following behind him.

Shi Qingqiu pointed helplessly at his messy hair. “What’s the rush?”

“What’s your plan? Are you eating vegetarian tonight or meat?” Qin Wang’s main concern, of course, was whether someone would go up the mountain with him to catch wild chickens—right now, that seemed the most promising idea to him.

“We haven’t decided yet, so I don’t know.” Shi Qingqiu shrugged. She truly hadn’t made any plans yet, only wanted to first follow Wen Qinghan’s suggestion to walk around and see.

“Hey, come on, that’s not fair.” Qin Wang’s expression suddenly shifted from sycophantic curiosity to mock accusation. “You already have a plan but won’t tell me, is that it? Shi Qingqiu, are you really ditching your friends for love, huh?”

Shi Qingqiu was left speechless by his “ditching friends for love” jab. Was Qin Wang overacting? Even if this was just for a show, that was a bit much.

Clearing her throat, Shi Qingqiu shifted her gaze behind him and hissed. “Look, Little Lan’s out.”

Startled, Qin Wang spun around—only to hear Shi Qingqiu’s voice drifting away. “We’re going first, see you on the mountain~”

By the time he turned back, all that remained was the sight of Shi Qingqiu and Wen Qinghan’s backs as the cameraman followed after them.

***

The village roads weren’t as smooth as in the city. It was simply an uneven yellow earth, every few steps a stone to step on.

The cameraman trailed a few meters behind. Shi Qingqiu glanced around and shifted the hand holding Wen Qinghan’s slightly. “Qinghan, are we going up the mountain?”

Instead of answering, Wen Qinghan asked, “Do you want to eat vegetarian or meat?”

“I’m fine with either. But meat dishes will probably score higher—out of ten points, they could at least get seven or eight.” Shi Qingqiu answered without thinking, then realized—wait, was this really for her to decide?

Just as she was about to ask, Wen Qinghan quietly reminded her, “Qingqiu, look ahead.”

Shi Qingqiu turned her head forward. Not far away, coming from another path, were Yu Shushen and Du Lingmeng. 

Mother and daughter both wore smiles, not at all troubled by today’s challenge. They seemed to be chatting about last night. A faint sentence from Yu Shushen drifted over. “You know, when you were young, I should have sent you to the countryside to experience life.”

As they drew closer, Shi Qingqiu greeted them, “Shushen-jie, Lingmeng, out so early?”

Du Lingmeng smiled. “Yes, thought we’d take a look around early—maybe get some ideas.”

Yu Shushen nodded warmly. “I’m older now, can’t sleep too long. Might as well walk as morning exercise, and think about what to cook tonight.” She paused, then looked at Wen Qinghan and asked, “Qinghan, do you have any ideas?”

Since she wasn’t familiar with the actors, Wen Qinghan stayed polite and reserved, always greeting others with a mild smile. Now that her marriage with Shi Qingqiu was public, any misstep wouldn’t bring criticism on her, but on Shi Qingqiu instead. So, hearing Yu Shushen’s question, she deflected gently, “What ideas does Shushen-jie have?”

“For meals, a balance of meat and vegetables is best.” Yu Shushen lifted her chin slightly, gesturing toward the fields in the distance. “I’m better at vegetarian dishes. Why don’t we split the work and see whose cooking wins out tonight?”

Yu Shushen always spoke with the gentle air of an elder, but without any condescension, which made her very pleasant to interact with.

Her words happened to align with what Wen Qinghan was thinking, and earlier Shi Qingqiu had also said she leaned toward making meat dishes.

Wen Qinghan squeezed Shi Qingqiu’s hand and stepped aside politely, smiling. “Alright, then see you tonight.”

“I’ll be looking forward to it.” Yu Shushen nodded with a smile, and she and Du Lingmeng walked off in their own direction.

From her demeanor, Yu Shushen seemed to have a good impression of Wen Qinghan. Shi Qingqiu originally wanted to remind Wen Qinghan about it, but on second thought, since Wen Qinghan wasn’t the warm, talkative type—and with a cameraman following them—it was better left unsaid.

Still, they needed a clear goal, especially since Wen Qinghan had just agreed to make meat dishes. Curious, Shi Qingqiu asked, “Qinghan, what ingredients do you plan to find?”

The corners of Wen Qinghan’s lips curved slightly, carrying a hint of mystery. “Yesterday, when we arrived, I noticed a fish pond near the village entrance—and someone was fishing there.”

When they first came into the village, Wen Qinghan had been paying close attention to the landmarks. A large fish pond was naturally not something she’d overlook.

The moment the host had announced the rules of today’s activity, that fish pond had already come to her mind.

Shi Qingqiu laughed, exhaling softly, and gave Wen Qinghan’s hand a playful shake. “Why didn’t you say so earlier? You almost had me thinking you really wanted to go catch wild chickens.”

Wen Qinghan was momentarily startled, then the smile at her lips deepened. “Fishing suits my image better. If it’s catching pheasants, I’d rather stand aside and watch you do it.” 

Her voice was soft and light, like gentle music playing at one’s ear. She often spoke this way, though her usual cool expression dulled the warmth in her tone. Now, with a faint smile accompanying her words, she was especially captivating.

“Hey, so you care about your image but I don’t?” Shi Qingqiu pretended to be annoyed, laughing as she countered Wen Qinghan.

As they walked and talked, one of the cameramen behind them balanced the equipment on his shoulder, freeing a hand to slip out his phone. A few snapshots of Shi Qingqiu and Wen Qinghan turning toward each other with smiles ended up saved on his screen.

Not far from the village entrance, Wen Qinghan borrowed a fishing rod and a bucket from a household, then took Shi Qingqiu with her to the pond they had seen yesterday. Sure enough, someone was still there fishing.

The man wore a straw hat, with a bucket of bait on one side and a bucket for fish on the other, leisurely seated at the pond’s edge.

Wen Qinghan glanced over the water, its surface smooth as glass. Yet from the faint rippling of the duckweed along the banks, it was clear that plenty of fish were stirring below.

“Uncle, hello—”

“Shh…”

Shi Qingqiu had barely started her greeting when the man swiftly raised a hand, wagged his finger, and hushed her with a soft sound.

Wen Qinghan patted Shi Qingqiu’s hand and whispered, “He must be about to catch one. Let’s wait.”

A moment later, the man jerked his rod back sharply, tightening the line. A fat catfish thrashed its tail wildly, lifted from the water in one swift motion. He slowly unhooked it, tossing it into his bucket.

“You two youngsters, if you’ve got something to say, say it quick. Don’t disturb the fish biting,” the man turned toward them. He looked about fifty, his words blunt but his face kindly, carrying the simple warmth of the countryside.

“Uncle, here’s the thing,” said Wen Qinghan, letting go of Shi Qingqiu and stepping forward with an open, earnest posture, like a diligent student. “We’d like to catch a few fish to make dishes tonight for the villagers, but we don’t really know how to fish. Could you give us some pointers?”

The man chuckled, fanning himself with his straw hat. Narrowing his eyes at them, he said, “You think fish are easy to catch? I’ve been at it for decades and still get fooled by them. You think you’ll catch some in a day or two?”

It was true. Neither of them had ever fished before, and even if they picked up a little now, catching anything smoothly would hardly be easy. But if they thought carefully, this still seemed the most practical way to secure food.

Wen Qinghan’s lips curved as she propped the rod vertically against the step at her feet, one hand behind her back, calmly meeting the man’s gaze. “Catching fish or not is just the result. What matters is the process. If I learn it now, I may not catch one this time, but next time I just might. Don’t you agree, Uncle?”

His eyes shifted from scrutiny to faint admiration. Scooting aside, he patted the space in front of him. “Just for those words, I’ll teach you today. But whether you catch anything, that’s not on me. If you do catch one, though, I’ll want to taste your cooking tonight.”

“Of course,” Wen Qinghan replied calmly, sitting down at once.

Shi Qingqiu slipped closer, watching as Wen Qinghan’s careful but clumsy movements earned her a tap from the man, correcting her mistakes. He showed her how to hold the rod properly, baited the hook himself, and lowered the line gently into the water.

He pointed to the bell tied at the rod’s end. “Watch that. Just biting the bait isn’t enough. Once it bites the hook, that bell will shake. Got it?”

Shi Qingqiu saw Wen Qinghan press her lips together and nod slightly, answering softly, “Got it.” She focused intently on the water’s surface, her profile graceful, her composed stillness like a painting in itself.

Without realizing it, Shi Qingqiu reached for her pocket, wanting to take out her phone and capture the moment. Only when her fingers touched emptiness did she remember—they’d surrendered their phones. She froze briefly, then let her hand fall back to her side.