Taking Liu Yifei back to Northeast China for the Chinese New Year has sent the entire internet into

a few days later.

Huairou, a suburb of Beijing.

In a vast film and television base, an antique-style building that is usually quiet is unusually lively today.

This area is not open to tourists.

It is mainly used for filming period dramas and urban dramas, and occasionally for entertaining friends in the industry.

In front of the small building is a spacious courtyard, with bluestone slabs on the ground and several old trees growing in the corner.

On one side of the courtyard, seven or eight earthen stoves were neatly built.

The firewood piled up next to them looked like a small mountain.

A large iron wok, cutting board, long-handled spatula, and enamel basin are all available.

Just by looking at this setup, you can tell that today's meal is definitely going to be big.

In the center of the courtyard, several people were already seated around a heavy wooden table.

Chen Daoming.

He Zheng.

Zhou Yuanshan.

Qi Wenhai.

Shen Weimin.

Pick any one of them, and you'll find someone you wouldn't normally be able to get invited.

Today, however, it is rare for us all to gather together.

The group, all dressed casually, sat around a table drinking tea and chatting, without the formalities of a press conference or the restraint of a formal dinner.

The atmosphere was quite relaxed.

What truly surprised them was the owner of the place.

Zhou Zheng, the chief director of "Going Home for the New Year".

At that moment, Zhou Zheng was carrying a teapot and personally serving tea to the group.

"Teacher Chen, please try some."

"This is a tea that a friend gave me a few days ago. It's not particularly expensive, but it tastes good."

Chen Daoming picked up his teacup, took a sip, and nodded.

"The location is quite nice."

"Quiet and bright, it's really perfect for that kid Fang Yu to cause trouble."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Zheng's smile widened.

"Teacher Chen, you're right."

"I usually just use this place for filming and entertaining a few old friends."

"When Fang Yu said he wanted to borrow a place to hold a banquet, I agreed without hesitation."

Zhou Zheng knew exactly what was going on.

He truly benefited from Fang Yu's presence at today's dinner.

Chen Daoming, He Zheng, Shen Weimin, Qi Wenhai, Zhou Yuanshan...

Getting all these people together in one courtyard is something that no ordinary dinner party can achieve.

Even if an ordinary person in the industry sends out invitations half a month in advance, they might not be able to gather enough people.

But when Fang Yu made one phone call, everyone came.

The extent of this influence is self-evident.

of course.

Zhou Zheng's willingness to lend out this "secret base," which is not usually open to the public, was not merely for the purpose of building connections.

He was genuinely craving Fang Yu's food.

When recording the final episode of "Going Home for the New Year" in Mohe, Fang Yu took the guests on a mountain run on the outskirts of the Greater Khingan Mountains.

In the video, a group of people are gathered on the snow, eating steaming hot red sausage instant noodles.

As the chief director, he could only sit in the van at the foot of the mountain, eating self-heating rice while watching the monitor.

Watching others eat.

I can't get a single bite.

The aroma, even through the screen, made him so hungry he almost rushed up the mountain.

From that day on, eating a meal cooked by Fang Yu became an obsession for Zhou Zheng.

This time, when Fang Yu called, he didn't even hesitate and immediately vacated the space.

Of course, more importantly.

Zhou Zheng also wanted to take this opportunity to take his relationship with Fang Yu a step further.

Why did "Going Home for the New Year" become such a hit?

Other guests also contributed, of course.

But everyone knows who truly carried the season's popularity and memorable moments.

When others make variety shows, the production team racks their brains to design segments, and then the guests go in to complete them.

Fang Yu is different.

Just throw him in front of the camera, and he can create a whole season's worth of content for the show on his own.

And it's the kind that no one can copy.

Zhou Zheng has to maintain a good relationship with such a variety show prodigy no matter what.

Do you still want to make hit variety shows in the future?

If you want to, then you have to cling to Fang Yu, this golden thigh.

……

At the other end of the courtyard.

Compared to the elegant tea gathering in front, the kitchen was a completely different world.

Several earthen stoves were burning brightly, the dry firewood crackling in the firebox, and the flames leaping and licking the blackened bottom of the pots.

On the large cutting board, there were many mountain products from Northeast China that were delivered from Mohe via a proper cold chain.

Plump hazel mushrooms, soaked and frozen wood ear fungus, and plump, thin-shelled, fragrant red pine nuts.

In the food storage container next to it, there were several cleaned farmed forest frogs, belly up, white and clean.

All of these things were arranged by Fang Daqiang.

Upon hearing over the phone that his son was inviting important guests, he didn't hesitate for a moment, grabbed a snakeskin bag, and started running from house to house.

He painstakingly extracted the best-kept secrets from every household in Kaoshantun.

Even though the person didn't come to the capital, all their heart was focused on the ingredients on this cutting board.

now.

Fang Yu, wearing a dark blue apron, stood in front of the largest iron pot.

Hold the edge of the pot with your left hand and grip the long-handled spatula with your right.

He flipped and tossed the pork belly in the pot until the edges were slightly charred and the color was bright red.

Just one look at it is enough to make you swallow your saliva.

"Hey, turn the fire down!"

Fang Yu didn't turn his head, but shouted.

"understood."

A crisp sound came from beside the stove.

Liu Yifei, wearing a floral apron, was squatting in front of the stove, tending the fire.

A streak of black ash smeared on the tip of her nose, and her right cheek was not spared either.

The nation's goddess has temporarily gone offline.

The creature squatting here now looks exactly like a little tabby cat that has just crawled out of the stove.

However, her movements were already quite nimble.

The fire tongs reached inside, clamped onto a burning piece of firewood, and gently pulled it out.

The flames in the stove immediately died down, and the temperature stabilized just at the point Fang Yu wanted.

Having stayed in Kaoshantun for so long, Liu Yifei was no longer the novice who almost burned off her eyebrows while tending the fire.

If this job is handed over to her now, she'll be a sure bet.

Liu Yifei stood up, brushed the dust off her hands, and went to the basin to wash them.

After drying herself, she picked up a bunch of bright green scallions and started chopping them.

The knife fell not fast, but steadily, one stroke at a time.

After making a few cuts, she subconsciously looked up.

Fang Yu was still standing in front of the pot, a thin layer of sweat on his forehead and a few oil stains on his apron.

Meat was stewing in a pot, and firewood was burning under the stove.

Beside her was a small pile of freshly chopped scallions.

All I could hear was the crackling and popping of firewood.

Liu Yifei slowed down her movements.

She couldn't explain why, but she suddenly felt very comfortable at that moment.

No one held up a camera to take pictures of her face, and no one held up a schedule to urge her to rush to the next event.

Even the cell phone was left aside, quiet and silent.

Liu Yifei looked at Fang Yu for a while, then suddenly spoke.

"Fang Yu".

"Um?"

Fang Yu was sprinkling ingredients into the pot when he took a moment to respond.

"I'm thinking..."

She watched his retreating figure, her voice soft.

"Why don't we just give up on this studio thing and open a restaurant instead?"

"You'll be the head chef, and I'll be the proprietress, handling the cash collection and accounting."

She looked down at the chopped scallions on the cutting board.

"Life seems pretty good."

Fang Yu paused for a moment while flipping the wok.

He turned his head, his expression somewhat complicated.

"Fairy Sister, are you alright? You don't have a fever, do you?"

Liu Yifei: "..."

Fang Yu placed the spatula on the edge of the wok and spread his hands.

"Open a restaurant? Do you know how tough it is to run a restaurant?"

"We work from dawn till dusk every day, buying groceries, preparing ingredients, washing pots and pans, clearing tables, and having to put on a smiling face for all kinds of customers."

"Every penny earned was pure, hard-earned money!"

Fang Yu became more and more heartbroken as she spoke.

It was as if Liu Yifei wasn't inviting him to open a restaurant, but rather preparing to send him to Ningguta.

"Making money in the entertainment industry is so easy, it took me a long time to make it big."

"I'm about to marry a beautiful and wealthy woman and reach the pinnacle of my life."

"And now you want me to retire from the entertainment industry and open a restaurant?"

He looked incredulous.

"Why would you drag me into this misery when I could be earning money with my head held high?"