The Domineering Cultivator Farmer

Chapter 40: The Show Is Underway

Everyone sat on the ground by the reservoir according to the production team’s arrangements. The front few rows were filled with children, ensuring that those in the back wouldn’t have their view blocked. Originally, Fang Zhong had wanted everyone to go back and bring out tables and chairs so they could sit comfortably sipping tea while watching the show—isn’t that how it’s always done on TV? However, Ke Jiafu put a stop to that. Setting up a large array of tables and chairs in this beautiful mountain scenery would look out of place no matter how you looked at it; it would be much more harmonious to simply sit directly on the lush green grass. They only set up a few chairs at the very front for interviews. “Ladies and gentlemen, this is Fang Yun, the star of this episode of ‘A Glimpse into Folk Life,’ along with his family.” As the program began, Ke Jiafu introduced Fang Yun’s family. Once the Fang family had taken their seats, Ke Jiafu greeted everyone and began asking Fang Yun questions. At first, Fang Yun was quite nervous, but Ke Jiafu, with his wealth of hosting experience, was exceptionally skilled at guiding the conversation. As Ke Jiafu steered the conversation, Fang Yun gradually relaxed. “What do you do for a living, Mr. Fang?” After a bit of small talk, seeing that Fang Yun had relaxed enough for the interview to begin, Ke Jiafu asked. “I’ve taken over a mountain near my home to offer herbal baths to visitors.” “Oh, herbal baths—I wonder how effective they are.” Ke Jiafu hadn’t expected that his offhand question would actually yield some interesting information. Fang Yun replied with a touch of pride, “It would be a bit like the vendor praising her own melons if I were to say how effective they are myself. Why don’t you ask the visitors who’ve tried them, Mr. Ke?” “Good, very good, excellent.” “The herbal baths are unbeatable—one word: fantastic.” “We old-timers have soaked a few times, and our health has improved beyond measure. Now we’re all planning to settle down in the village for good.” “You wouldn’t believe it, but several retired former national leaders have come here specifically for Fang Yun’s herbal baths to recuperate.” Seeing the tourists raving about the herbal bath—and even hearing someone say that retired high-ranking government officials come here for recuperation—Ke Jiafu’s eyes lit up. This was big news. He really had made the right decision to come this time. About ten minutes into the program, Ke Jiafu moved on to today’s main topic: “A video has recently been circulating online showing a massive python and a majestic white eagle. I hear you’re the owner, Mr. Fang, is that correct?” “Actually, I’m not their owner. The python and the white eagle both followed me out of the mountains on my last trip,” Fang Yun hurriedly explained. These animals aren’t something private individuals can just keep as pets; someone might use this as an excuse to cause him trouble. Although he wasn’t afraid, he didn’t want to invite trouble unnecessarily. “Oh, Mr. Fang, could you tell us in detail how you came across these amazing animals?” “Let my wife and daughter tell you all about it. I’m not very good with words.” Glancing at Feng Xiu’er and Niuniu, who were looking at him expectantly, Fang Yun handed the floor over to them. Feng Xiu’er was truly eloquent; she turned an ordinary trip into the mountains into an extraordinarily thrilling tale, drawing gasps of surprise from the crowd every now and then, while Niuniu’s innocent and adorable remarks had everyone bursting into laughter. A century-old Chinese giant salamander, a stubborn family of wild boars, and the battle between snakes and eagles in Snake Valley—all of it stirred a sense of longing in everyone’s hearts. It wasn’t until Fang Yun heard Niuniu mention the Chinese giant salamander that he realized he hadn’t given it a second thought since releasing it into the reservoir. He wondered how it was doing now. “There really is nothing you won’t find in these mountains. And now, please welcome today’s two special guests to the stage.” After the mother and daughter finished recounting their mountain adventure, Ke Jiafu paused to reflect for a moment before making the announcement. As soon as Ke Jiafu finished speaking, Niuniu—who had left earlier—made a grand entrance with the python and the white eagle. But the way she entered took everyone by surprise: the little girl was standing steadily atop the python, its head held high, and she couldn’t stop grinning from ear to ear. When they reached the audience, the python pressed its head against the ground, allowing Niuniu to slide down its head. This remarkably docile behavior instantly left everyone marveling. “This python won’t hurt anyone, will it? With a build like mine, it could swallow me whole in one gulp.” Although Fang Yun assured everyone the python wouldn’t harm anyone, the sheer size of such a massive python was truly overwhelming, and Ke Jiafu felt a bit uneasy. “Uncle, the python is very well-behaved and won’t bite. If you don’t believe me, just watch,” Niuniu said quickly, turning her head toward the python and commanding, “Lie down.” The python immediately coiled its body. “Sit up straight.” The python quickly raised its head. “Shake my hand.” The python… was at a loss. This little girl was training the python like a puppy. “Hahaha…” Niuniu and the python’s performance had everyone in stitches, greatly easing the fear in Ke Jiafu and the others’ hearts. “From what we understand, the python in front of you is 15 meters long and weighs nearly a thousand jin. The white eagle stands nearly two meters tall with a wingspan of four meters. These two animals are likely the world’s largest python and eagle, respectively.” Before coming to the village, the production team had done their homework, downloading and carefully studying every video about these two animals available online. Toward the end of the show, it turned into a full-fledged solo performance by Niuniu. Surrounded by flocks of birds, she rode the python and walked the eagle; later, she even coaxed out the Chinese giant salamander that had been hiding in the reservoir the whole time. Niuniu had originally planned to perform a swim across the reservoir while riding the salamander, but after Feng Xiu’er gave her a couple of 50-mao coins on her little bottom, she pouted and gave up. Niu Niu’s performance blew the production crew away; they couldn’t stop raving about how thrilling it was. After the show wrapped up, the production crew returned to Fang Yun’s home for dinner, where Fang Changsheng pulled out all the stops to prepare a table full of dishes. “Thank you all for your hard work today. Let me propose a toast to everyone.” At the dinner table, Fang Yun raised his glass to toast the production crew. Ke Jiafu quickly raised his glass. “This toast should be from me to your whole family. This interview really opened our eyes.” The meal drew nothing but praise from everyone; in all their years of traveling for the show, they had never tasted such delicious food. Seeing how much everyone enjoyed it, Fang Yun immediately offered to give each of them a bag of homegrown vegetables and some local mountain specialties when they left, which made them even happier. Although the station had rules prohibiting the acceptance of red envelopes while on location, receiving vegetables and local specialties was still allowed. As they were leaving, Ke Jiafu told Fang Yun that as soon as they returned, they would work through the night to edit the recorded program and aim to air it on the provincial station the following evening, asking him to be sure to tune in. Even without Ke Jiafu’s prompting, the villagers and tourists were over the moon when Fang Yun came out to announce that the program they’d participated in would air on the provincial station the following evening. They rushed to call their friends and family, urging them to tune in to *Walking Among the People* that night to admire their own heroic figures on TV. They were all quite full of themselves. Fang Yun watched the excited crowd with amusement, shook his head, and returned home. He found that his parents and Feng Xiu’er were all on the phone, each calling friends and family to let them know they had to tune in to *Walking Among the People* the following night. Even Niuniu was so excited that she hugged Fang Yun’s phone—which he’d left in his room for the recording—and was telling her friends in the provincial capital that she was going to be on TV.