Chapter Eighty-Three: As one side draws to a close, the other reaches its final scene.

"Over here, Axing."

Feng Gang walked toward Lin Xing with a smile. "Hurry and get in the car. I’m afraid the place will be swarming with people in a minute."

"Director Feng," Lin Xing said with a smile of his own, "I’d actually planned to come a few days early and give you a surprise, but a business job came up in a hurry, so I was delayed for a few days."

"Not late at all. Just right. It’s actually a day earlier than agreed." Feng Gang waved it off lightly. "For this final installment, I’m still planning to shoot it as three parts, beginning, middle, and end. Since this is the closing season, we might as well film more."

Lin Xing said, "Director Feng, I’ll cooperate however you want it shot."

"Good." Feng Gang let out a long breath in relief. He knew Lin Xing would cooperate, but he had still been a little worried.

After all, Lin Xing’s popularity and reputation had both surged by more than a notch.

On the way to the "Farm Life" crew, Feng Gang and Lin Xing chatted about the filming of "Black Sweep Frenzy," and once again Lin Xing expressed his gratitude to Feng Gang.

These past twenty-odd days on "Black Sweep Frenzy" had benefited him enormously.

"Hey, that’s all your own ability. I don’t have that much clout," Feng Gang said with a smile and a shake of the head. "Enough about that. Let me tell you about the shoot ahead. In a while, when we’re almost there, we’ll start recording..."

The basic plan was that Lin Xing would return, and that evening they would hold a barbecue to comfort everyone.

Grilled lamb ribs were a must.

Besides that, there would be all kinds of skewers, many of which could be bought ready-made in the market:

Lamb skewers.

Pork belly.

Grilled chicken gizzards.

Meat and cartilage skewers.

Fish tofu.

And so on.

An hour later, filming officially began. Following the camera, Lin Xing smiled at the lens and said, "We won’t be buying seafood today. Tonight’s main event is barbecue."

Barbecue with beer.

Besides that, Lin Xing had also bought boiled peanuts, tofu skin, cucumbers, and the like. He planned to go back and make a cold mixed dish; where they came from, that dish was called a vegetarian platter, and it was a standard cold side for barbecue.

After that, Lin Xing bought a batch of pre-skewered items and some other ingredients as well.

Then he rode the Dima electric tricycle to the filming residence of "Farm Life."

Lin Xing was now the spokesperson for Dima, so on the show he had to ride the Dima electric tricycle all the more.

Ten minutes later, at the "Farm Life" residence:

"Brother Xing is here!"

"Axing!"

The two minor stars who had not quite made it yet both called out with visible delight at his arrival.

"Hurry up and help me unload," Lin Xing said with a grin. "I’m doing barbecue tonight."

At his words, the two hurried over to help carry things.

Though they were still little-known, compared with before the filming of "Farm Life," things were already much better.

At the very least, they now had a small group of fans on social media.

The slightly handsomer one was named Fu Bo, and the darker-skinned one was Song Zhuo.

"Where are the others?" Lin Xing asked after they had finished unloading. "Are they all out in the fields?"

"Yes," Fu Bo said quickly. "The combine harvester is still only driven by Duan Hai. The others are helping gather corn and send it to the plant."

"Then I’ll go take a look in the fields," Lin Xing said with a smile. "For now, trouble you two to sort this out. When I get back, we’ll get to work."

With that, Lin Xing turned and headed for the fields.

The camera hurried after him.

"Teacher Lin, for now only Duan Hai is operating the combine in the cornfield, but we’ll have all our corn harvested in the next two days..." the assistant director, Guo Biao, said as he walked alongside Lin Xing.

Guo Biao had accompanied Lin Xing through the very first filming of "Farm Life," and this time was no different.

In another sense, it was a fitting beginning and end.

In the cornfield, Duan Hai was operating the combine harvester alone, while the others were responsible for collecting the corn.

"Axing!"

"Brother Xing, you’re here already?"

"Brother Xing, long time no see."

"I feel like Brother Xing hasn’t been gone for many days at all."

"Brother Xing is here, so Xiao Hai can take a break."

...

Guan Peng, Wang Dongxing, Hong Fei, and the others all greeted Lin Xing one after another.

Times had changed.

By now, Guan Peng had just finished filming the drama "School Dad, School Mom," and he was receiving quite a few variety show invitations. Hong Fei had also just wrapped up his role as the second male lead in "Ready to Fish."

As for Duan Hai, he was the one among this group of lesser-known rising talents who had benefited the most; he had already begun to pick up some mid- and small-scale variety shows one after another.

The others had also gained good results.

For the closing of this final episode of "Farm Life," everyone’s mood was worlds apart from when filming first began.

Back then, everyone was either past their peak or obscure to the point of invisibility, and they had little confidence in filming "Farm Life."

But then Lin Xing suddenly came to "Farm Life," and suddenly there was buzz, suddenly it broke out of its niche, as though everyone had been granted the halo of a protagonist.

In just over four months, everyone’s lives had undergone earth-shaking change.

Though they were still obscure, still past their peak, at the very least they had begun to find opportunities in the entertainment industry.

That alone left everyone extremely satisfied.

So for this closing shoot, everyone was energized, and there was also a trace of reluctance.

Even while harvesting corn, nobody felt tired.

Duan Hai stopped the combine harvester and called out loudly to Lin Xing, "Brother Xing, it’s fine, I can do it. I’m not tired."

"All right, get down here," Lin Xing said with a smile. "There’s only this one patch of corn left. You’ve got to leave some for me too."

And so Lin Xing took over and started driving the combine harvester.

Though he hadn’t operated one for nearly two months, he was still an old hand.

Once he was in the seat, his movements were smooth and practiced.

Just like that, the last field of corn was harvested by Lin Xing.

From sowing to fertilizing, from breaking through the soil to the seedlings gradually growing taller, then beginning to joint.

From the emergence of the silks, to the tassels appearing at the top, and finally the ears growing larger and ripening.

And then, the harvest.

At this point, the farming portion had officially come to a close, but that did not mean filming was over.

For instance, tonight’s barbecue and evening chat still had to be recorded.

At eight in the evening, the small courtyard had already been arranged.

It had the feel of an outdoor gathering.

Lin Xing mainly grilled the skewers while Guan Peng, Hong Fei, and the others helped on the side.

Half an hour later, everyone was eating skewers and drinking beer, enjoying the rare peace of the evening.

"Why don’t we let Director Feng say a few words first?" Guan Peng said with a smile.

"Right, Director Feng, say a few words. You’ve always been the man behind us, and now we’re coming to the end. Please say a few words."

"Say a few words."

"Director Feng, just say whatever’s on your mind."

...

The others also began urging Feng Gang to speak.

Since they were about to wrap up, it was only right for Feng Gang, the director of "Farm Life," to say a few words.

Feng Gang’s emotions had actually been somewhat unsettled today. Since leaving the provincial television station and coming to Banana Video, he had experienced the warmth and coldness of human relations, and for how much ridicule had he been mocked while making "Farm Life"?

They said Feng Gang was finished, that once he left the platform he was good for nothing.

They said he was outdated.

Everyone seemed to think Feng Gang would become a relic of the past.

Especially when "Farm Life" tried to use a shoot-and-air format to let everyone immerse themselves in farming, the first few episodes were disastrously bleak.

No one cared. Who the hell would watch you farm?

In short, Feng Gang had suffered a double blow, especially when he wanted to invite some top stars, kings, and queens he had once nurtured, only to be refused, ignored, or even blocked.

The realities of the entertainment world were laid bare.

So Feng Gang had no choice but to lower his sights and invite artists of Lin Xing’s level to lend a hand.

Lin Xing had been out of favor for ten years, but even out of favor he still retained a certain popularity. Moreover, he had once been one of the hottest members of the group Radiant Sea, and his face had not aged out of recognition.

For Feng Gang, as long as Lin Xing’s face was still there, the kingdom would still be there.

The key, however, was that at the time Feng Gang had thought Wu Yao would never come, so perhaps Lin Xing might be able to ride on Wu Yao’s popularity.

And yet, life really was full of surprises.

Thank you, Lin Xing.

Thinking of this, Feng Gang picked up his glass and said with a smile, "I won’t say too much, but I propose that we all raise this glass to Teacher Lin, and then let Teacher Lin say a few words. What do you think?"

As soon as he said it, everyone agreed.

Even Guan Peng said, "Yes, we should toast Teacher Lin."

"Come on, let’s toast Teacher Lin."

"To Teacher Lin!"

"To Teacher Lin!"

...

Lin Xing felt that if a suona were added here, it would be especially fitting.

"Director Feng, Brother Guan, don’t be so serious, suddenly calling me Teacher Lin like this," Lin Xing said as he lifted his glass in mock alarm. "I’m still alive, you know. You’re making it sound like you’re sending me off."

That made everyone laugh too.

Feng Gang also laughed and said, "Axing, this glass really is to thank you. Without you, this show would..."

"Director Feng."

This time Lin Xing cut him off directly. "Even without me, this variety show would still keep getting better. It was only a matter of time. Look at all these later episodes: I wasn’t in them, and didn’t the show still turn out just fine?"

He said it seriously, but to everyone else it still felt as though today would never have come without Lin Xing.

Still, no one argued.

It was all in the wine.

After the first glass was finished, the conversation turned casual.

But the focus still revolved around Lin Xing.

After all, Lin Xing still had plenty of attention on him.

The bonus from "Waiting Only for You" and Du Fei was still there.

The sales of "Fashionable Men" had let everyone see the purchasing power of Lin Xing’s fans.

Not to mention the image Lin Xing had shown just yesterday, before and after the new episode of "Comedy Must Be Funny" aired.

"Brother Xing, do you think the lobby manager in 'Anti-Fraud Bank' is easier to play, or Du Fei in 'Waiting Only for You' is easier to play?"

Song Zhuo asked Lin Xing.

Lin Xing took a bite of fish tofu. Besides lamb skewers, fish tofu was the thing he liked most on the grill.

"I think Du Fei is easier to play," Lin Xing said while eating.

"Huh? I would have thought you’d say the lobby manager was easier," Song Zhuo said in surprise.

Lin Xing looked at him and laughed. "Comedy is harder to act. If you don’t believe me, ask Brother Guan. His role in 'School Dad, School Mom' has a slight comedic element. Ask him whether that’s easier to play or the roles he did before."

After hearing Lin Xing’s words, Guan Peng said, "Comedy really is harder to act. Because you have to make the audience laugh, but if you overdo it even a little, it can turn into farce. At the same time, you still have to give the audience something to hold on to..."

Hong Fei also nodded lightly. "Yes. For someone like us, martial arts actors, if one move doesn’t work, we just do another. The danger is all out in the open, but for comedy actors, most of it has to happen inside."

Truly good comedy actors were too few.

Naturally, the reason was that it was simply too difficult.

"Since we just mentioned 'Anti-Fraud Bank,' I want to say this again here: please remember to download the Anti-Fraud App. Any time money or property is involved, be cautious..."

All at once, Lin Xing launched into a properly solemn advertisement.

After that, everyone chatted a bit about scams.

It counted as a small insertion of public-service advertising.

By 9:20, everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, and today’s recording was finished.

The next day, the closing continued, this time filming the animals.

In other words, the animals were getting their own finale.

Duan Hai, Hong Fei, Guan Peng, and the others were raising chickens, ducks, pigs, and the like.

As for Lin Xing, he had chosen rabbits.

Before leaving, Lin Xing had entrusted his animals to Ding Yi.

But in Ding Yi’s view, rabbits were too hard to raise.

First, they reproduced too quickly; think about it, they could give you twelve litters a year.

Second, they were far too prone to illness. A minor sickness could wipe out an entire batch.

"Brother Xing, this is the batch of rabbits we’re raising. They really do breed fast. They say one litter a month, but in just this one month, so many rabbits have already given birth..." Ding Yi said, pointing at several meat rabbits inside. "Those few there are growing pretty fast."

"Mm, looks good," Lin Xing said, looking at the meat rabbits inside and thinking it over. "Then today we’ll have rabbit hotpot."

Rabbit meat is generally known as a health food. Its fat and cholesterol content are lower than in other kinds of meat, and regular consumption can strengthen the body without making one gain weight.

...

These details would all be added later as a kind of explanatory note.

After seeing the rabbits, they went to look at the chickens, ducks, pigs, and the rest that Guan Peng and Hong Fei were raising.

That evening, Lin Xing made a rabbit hotpot.

Then everyone ate hotpot and sang songs, marking the official end.

"We’ve wrapped!" everyone shouted at the camera, raising their glasses.

At that moment, everyone felt a little reluctant to part.

The next day, Lin Xing was driven to the high-speed rail station in a commercial vehicle.

Before leaving, the show still recorded a farewell.

"Goodbye!"

Lin Xing shook hands with everyone and said his goodbyes one by one.

And so, the first season of "Farm Life" officially came to a close.

On the high-speed train, Lin Xing was somewhat surprised to receive a call from Bai Yan.

"Axing, are you free to talk?"

Bai Yan asked him.

Lin Xing said, "Brother Bai, go ahead."

"Here’s the thing. At the end of this month, 'Black Sweep Frenzy' will wrap, and when that happens, you’ll need to make time to come back for a bit."

Lin Xing was stunned by what Bai Yan said.