The Domineering Cultivator Farmer

Chapter 39: A Visit from the Provincial TV Station

“Fang Yun, hurry out and greet the guests—someone from the provincial TV station has come specifically to interview you.” Fang Yun rolled her eyes. Why did her uncle always call her that whenever someone was looking for her? Honestly, it really did spark the imagination. Two days had passed since the Ma Gan family came seeking medical help. That night, when the three who’d returned from the market learned what had happened, they cradled their precious little Nuonuo and showered her with affection. Under the family’s loving care, Nuonuo had finally regained her lively and cheerful personality, and the whole family breathed a sigh of relief. Fang Yun stepped outside and saw—wow—a huge crowd gathered around Fang Zhong and several reporters carrying cameras and microphones, all excitedly discussing something. There were villagers and tourists alike. The last time the city TV station came to film, the villagers and tourists present were thrilled just to get a few seconds of airtime. Now that the provincial TV station had come for an exclusive interview, everyone was even more excited. Although the interview was focused on Fang Yun, they were still hoping to snag a few seconds as background extras—after all, how often does an ordinary person get to appear on provincial TV? Fang Yun hurried over to greet them. “Welcome, everyone, to Qiaotou Village.” A man in his thirties shook Fang Yun’s hand and said, “I’m Ke Jiafu, host of the provincial TV station’s program *Into the Folk*. We’ve come specifically to conduct an exclusive interview with you.” Fang Yun had watched *Into the Folk* before; the show featured the local customs and traditions, as well as extraordinary people and events from all over the province, and was very popular among the locals. He just never imagined that one day he’d be on the show himself. It turned out that yesterday, a young member of the production team had suddenly let out a startled “Whoa!” in the office, startling everyone. He’d seen a video uploaded by a tourist showing a giant python and a white eagle, and upon seeing such enormous creatures, he couldn’t help but cry out in amazement. Ke Jiafu, who had walked over intending to scold him, caught a glimpse of the video and was immediately captivated—any thoughts of reprimanding the young man vanished instantly. When he saw that the video had been filmed in a small mountain village in their province, he grew even more excited, patted the young man on the shoulder, and showered him with praise, insisting he would give him credit for the find. When he reached the end of the video and discovered that the owner of these amazing animals was Fang Yun, Ke Jiafu decided to seek out Fang Yun for an exclusive interview—such extraordinary people and events were exactly the kind of content his production team had always focused on. He immediately discussed it with the station, and the very next day, he rushed to Qiaotou Village to find the village chief, asking him to lead his team to interview Fang Yun. “Where are the giant python and the white eagle from the video?” After explaining the purpose of his visit to Fang Yun, Ke Jiafu looked around, hoping to catch a glimpse of the animals featured in the video. “Oh, my daughter and her mom went to the reservoir to play with the waterfowl, and a whole group of animals followed them. Shall I go call them back?” Fang Yun said with a smile. “No need, no need. Let’s just film at the reservoir—there’s plenty of space there, and the scenery is beautiful.” Ke Jiafu had just been wondering where to conduct the exclusive interview with Fang Yun. First, the location needed to be spacious enough—after all, the animals were quite large, and they wanted to include some bystanders in the shots as well. Second, the surrounding scenery had to be beautiful; since the show was filmed outdoors, they couldn’t rely on interior decor or props to set the scene like they could indoors. “Then let’s all grab a bite to eat before heading to the reservoir,” Fang Yun quickly invited the group to dinner. Ke Jiafu waved his hand and said, “There’s no rush to eat—we can always eat after the interview. We’re really looking forward to this one. But could you ask some villagers to join us as the show’s live audience?” Seeing how enthusiastic they were about the work, Fang Yun agreed to go along with their plan and eat after the interview was finished. He went inside and told his parents, who were shelling peanuts, that the provincial TV station had asked him for an interview and that they were now heading to the reservoir for filming. He explained they wouldn’t be back for dinner until after the shoot was finished, so they should get ready. Little did he know that as soon as Fang Yun finished speaking, Fang Changsheng and Wang Jiu’s eyes lit up, and they asked him, somewhat sheepishly, if they could also appear on TV. Seeing the hopeful looks in his parents’ eyes, Fang Yun thought that if he were being interviewed, he’d probably have to introduce his family anyway. “Then let’s all go together. We’ll take Grandma along too so she can be on TV.” In the end, Grandma didn’t go, saying, “I’m just an old woman—why would I want to be on TV?” Older people tend to be quite conservative in their thinking. He’d thought it would be difficult to find villagers to serve as the audience—after all, it was almost noon, and everyone was busy preparing meals to entertain tourists; who would have time for that? But when Fang Yun found Uncle Da in the crowd and mentioned Ke Jiafu’s request, everyone got excited. They all clamored to be on the show; the most eager ones even rushed home to round up their entire families—young and old—and put on their best clothes. The tourists standing nearby were also clamoring to be on the show, asking Fang Yun and the reporters to let them participate—even if it was just as an extra. After all, they’d be on the provincial TV station, and that would give them something to brag about, wouldn’t it? When Fang Yun relayed the tourists’ requests to Ke Jiafu, he was delighted and agreed immediately. After all, isn’t every show better the more live audience it has? In the end, nearly the entire village and all the tourists showed up, and a procession of several hundred people set off in a grand procession toward the reservoir. “What’s that?!” Just as they were about to set off, Ke Jiafu caught a glimpse of a large red shadow darting beneath the lily pads in the pond. Fang Yun glanced over and replied, “That’s a big red carp—we caught it in the reservoir.” To his surprise, Ke Jiafu took a keen interest in the big red carp and hurriedly asked Fang Yun to lure it out so he could film it. Fang Yun was a bit taken aback—were they really going to film this already? In China, carp symbolize abundance and good fortune. Since ancient times, there has been a saying that “festivals must include fish,” signifying wealth and plenty. Similarly, during the Spring Festival, every household’s dinner table features a fish dish, representing the wish for “abundance year after year”—essentially playing on the homophones for “abundance” and “year.” A red carp as large as the one in Fang Yun’s family pond carries even greater symbolic significance. Unbelievably, they’d captured such a meaningful news story before the interview had even begun. Ke Jiafu couldn’t stop grinning and grew even more excited about the upcoming interview. As soon as they rounded the foot of the mountain, Ke Jiafu and his companions were stunned by the scene before them. Countless water birds were dancing gracefully in a circle. In the center stood a little girl, holding the hand of a woman as she pointed to the white eagle they’d seen in the video and said something to them. Surprisingly, the giant python nearby was covered with water birds, yet it didn’t dare to move a muscle. Predators and prey were coexisting in such harmony. Niu Niu, with her sharp eyes, spotted Fang Yun and her grandparents leading a large group of people toward the reservoir. She called out “Daddy” with delight and ran toward Fang Yun. All the waterbirds in her path parted in a straight line to let her through, without the slightest hint of confusion. It seemed the little girl’s training had paid off once again. Feng Xiu’er followed Niuniu over and asked Fang Yun, somewhat puzzled, “Why are there so many people here? Did something happen?” Fang Yun scooped up Niuniu, who had thrown herself into his arms, and replied, “Oh, the production team from the provincial TV station’s *Into the Folk* program came here to film a segment and interview me.” Feng Xiu’er’s eyes lit up, and she asked eagerly, “Can I be on the show too?” “Niu Niu wants to be on the show, too.” Although Niu Niu didn’t quite understand what being on a show meant, seeing that both her mom and dad were going to be on it, the little girl started clamouring to be on it as well. Fang Yun looked a bit hesitant. “That depends on what Teacher Ke says.” Ke Jiafu waved his hand. “Your whole family will definitely be on the show—we’ll introduce all of you when the time comes.” “Yay, that’s great!” Hearing Ke Jiafu’s words, both mother and daughter cheered.