A song from Chengdu revived a closed-down pub.

Xia Ping nodded thoughtfully.

Su Fan continued, "Moreover, everyone has been running around outside during this period, and the production team hasn't really had a break. With the end of the year approaching, Han Tang Entertainment also has a lot of things to deal with. We can take this opportunity to review the previous live broadcasts and see what needs to be adjusted."

He Xiaoxiao looked at him suspiciously: "You're suddenly in such a hurry to go back, is there something you're hiding from us?"

Upon hearing this, everyone turned to look at Su Fan.

Su Fan said naturally, "There is something, but it's nothing serious."

Xia Ping didn't press further, but instead steered the conversation back to the show: "If the next stop is the final stop before the end of the year, the promotional methods and content arrangements will have to be adjusted in advance. At least we need to let the audience know that we are only pausing temporarily, not that the show is suddenly ending."

Su Fan nodded: "The new students for the next stop have been confirmed. Dianping can announce the news and make it clear that this is the last stop before the end of the year. As for the route and rules after the new year, we will redesign them during our break."

Xia Ping asked, "Should we also confirm the return date after the New Year in advance?"

Su Fan pondered for a moment: "Not for now. There's still some time before the New Year, and there might be new arrangements later. Let everyone know that we will continue after the New Year, and we will announce the specific time later."

Xia Ping asked, "What should we do if the cultural and tourism departments of other provinces call to inquire?"

Su Fan replied, "Let's keep the same story: the program is undergoing a phase of adjustment and will be restarted after the New Year. The direction of the show will still be decided by the netizens."

Xia Ping noted all of this down and finally nodded: "Okay, then let's prepare for the next stop with the same level of preparation as the year-end closing ceremony."

After the matter was settled, everyone left one after another.

Soon after, Han Tang Entertainment's official Weibo account posted a message.

"Starting from Shaanxi Province, we traveled through Ningxia, Inner Mongolia and Gansu Provinces, saw ancient cities, grasslands and deserts, and heard the voices of different places."

"Next, the production team will travel to Singapore to complete the last stop of the live broadcast before the Lunar New Year."

"After the new provincial leg concludes, the program will take a break. After the New Year, we will set off again with the revised content and continue to travel to more places."

"Taking a break now is so we can go further."

"New Province, our last stop before the new year, see you there!"

Below the message was also a brand new promotional poster.

In the picture, a highway stretches straight into the distance.

On one side of the road are snow-capped mountains, and on the other side is a vast wilderness.

At the very center of the poster, there is only one line of eye-catching text.

"A final trip before the New Year – Xinjiang Province".

After the message was sent out, netizens who were already used to following the show's crew on their travels immediately flooded the comment section.

"New Zealand is so big, is it really possible to see it all in one stop? Are the production team planning to spend the Lunar New Year there?"

"I suggest extending the live stream by a month; the new province deserves its own season!"

"The Kashgar Old City tour is a must. I want to see how much more Su Fan can say this time!"

"Why is it being suspended after the new province's broadcast? I rely on this livestream to eat every meal!"

"This is the last stop before the New Year; I have to catch the whole thing, not a single day can be missed!"

……

The production crew packed up and headed to Xinjiang Province.

After entering the new province, the production team headed south along the route selected by netizens.

Finally, we arrived in Kashgar.

After spending two days in Kashgar Old City, the group drove to a poplar forest outside the city.

However, it is now winter, and the most beautiful season for poplar trees has long passed.

Looking around, almost all the leaves on the branches have fallen, leaving only sturdy tree trunks standing silently on the wasteland.

The staff member responsible for accompanying them looked at the scene before them with some regret.

Originally, they wanted to show the audience the golden poplar forest stretching as far as the eye could see.

But now, there are neither golden leaves nor the magnificent sight of the forests ablaze with color that I had imagined.

The staff member said apologetically, "You've come a bit late. If you had come two months earlier, the scenery here would have been much more beautiful. At that time, the entire poplar forest would have been golden, and every photo you took would have been wallpaper-worthy."

Su Fan wasn't disappointed: "The poplars in autumn are splendid, but the poplars in winter are just bare bones."

The accompanying staff member paused slightly, then smiled and said, "Yes, this is the most authentic appearance of the poplar tree. After the leaves have all fallen, although it has lost some of its color, it makes it easier to see why it can stand in the wind and sand for hundreds of years."

He Xiaoxiao circled the poplar tree and asked curiously, "How old is this tree?"

The staff member said, "We can't say for sure the exact age of the trees, but there are quite a few poplars that are over a hundred years old in this forest, and there are even more ancient ones further in."

At that moment, a slightly aged voice came from behind the group: "This tree is over 180 years old."

Everyone turned around and saw an old man with dark skin standing not far away.

The old man was wearing a faded old coat, a leather hat, and carrying tools for clearing away dead branches.

The accompanying staff quickly introduced, "This is Uncle Aihemaiti, who is also the forest ranger of this poplar forest. He has been here for decades and knows every single tree very well."

Aihmaiti nodded to everyone as a greeting.

The group followed Aihemaiti further in.

The old man was not talkative; he would only stop and say a few words when he needed to explain something.

After walking for about ten minutes, two adjacent poplar trees appeared ahead.

The two trees are very close together, their roots intertwined.

The upward-growing branches intertwine with each other amidst the constant wind and sand.

One of them has only half of its crown remaining.

Another poplar tree's branch stretched out horizontally, and from a distance, it looked as if it were being embraced.

The area around the two trees was very clean.

The dead branches on the ground had obviously been cleared away, and there were several stones of similar size pressed down next to the tree roots.

Xie Siyu asked curiously, "Why was this place cleaned so thoroughly?"

Aihemaiti stopped and looked at the two poplar trees. After a moment, he said, "Because someone asked me to take care of them for him."

He Xiaoxiao asked instinctively, "Who is it?"

The old man did not answer immediately.

He walked to the tree, bent down, picked up a fallen twig, and put it into the bamboo basket behind him.

After doing all this, he began to tell a story that happened many years ago in a very calm tone.

Back then, there was a family nearby who had a daughter who loved to sing.

The girl had known a boy since she was a child.

They grew up together and often came to play in this poplar forest.

Later, the boy had to leave his hometown and go to work in a faraway place with a construction team.

Before leaving, the two said goodbye under these two poplar trees.

They agreed that once the boy returned, they would formally propose marriage.

Hearing this, He Xiaoxiao couldn't help but ask, "And then? Did he come back?"

Aihmaiti was silent for a moment: "I'm back, but I'm too late."