I'm a web novelist, and you want me to work in the entertainment industry?

【????nice one????】

[Grandpa, you made someone work for you all morning, and you only treat them to instant noodles for lunch?!]

[You're offering yourself up as free labor, sir? How can you be so shameless?]

[I'm not kidding, but there's hardly any proper food in the old man's fridge. Does he eat instant noodles every day?]

[The Real Living Standard of an Elderly Person Living Alone (by bike)]

"Come on, come on, pick for yourself, don't be shy." The old man waved his hand with great enthusiasm, his tone as if he were serving up a Manchu Han Imperial Feast.

Looking at the three buckets of instant noodles on the grass—one with braised beef, one with spicy beef, and one with pickled cabbage—Cheng Che's expression was slightly subtle.

He had no problem with eating instant noodles, and even thought they were pretty good, but what he was more worried about was... that the old man would probably get a lot of flak online after doing this.

And, as a female celebrity, is it really possible for Oda to eat this kind of thing?

The thought had barely crossed his mind when he noticed Tian Xiwei squatting down and picking up the bucket of spicy beef noodles.

"Can I eat this?" She turned to look at Cheng Che.

There wasn't a trace of disappointment in his eyes, only excitement and anticipation at the prospect of eating instant noodles.

As a female celebrity who needs to strictly manage her figure, her agent would never allow her to eat instant noodles.

She couldn't even remember the last time she had eaten instant noodles!

It's rare that her manager isn't here for the show, and this old man actually treated her to instant noodles! This is just...so heartwarming!

"...Then I'll have braised beef."

Cheng Che was a little confused, but since Tian Xiwei had no objections, he naturally had nothing to worry about.

"Okay, you two wait here, I'll go boil some water." After saying that, the old man went to the simple wooden house next to the orchard.

A few minutes later, he came over carrying a water bottle.

After emptying Tian Xiwei's pot, the old man poured out Cheng Che's, then his own, until the pot was completely full and just finished.

"Um, Xiao Tian, ​​right?" The old man noticed that Tian Xiwei's instant noodles didn't have a braised egg and immediately spoke up, "Why didn't you add a braised egg?"

"This instant noodles with braised egg is so delicious!" the old man said earnestly.

"Grandpa is allergic to egg yolks," Cheng Che explained on behalf of Tian Xiwei.

Tian Xiwei glanced at Cheng Che, said nothing, and quickly looked away.

"Oh, I see." The old man suddenly realized.

"That's the gist of it." Cheng Che nodded. "Sir, why don't you eat the extra braised egg for her?"

"After all, sixty-eight is the age when one is still growing," he said.

Tian Xiwei and Grandpa Xie both laughed when they heard this.

[I didn't expect Cheng Che to be so thoughtful! Xiao Tian mentioned it to him briefly before, and he remembered it!]

[What the hell? Sixty-eight years old is the age when one is still growing... How come I don't feel offended saying that?]

How can the fact that the little demon pill spoke to the old demon pill be considered offensive?

"Then I won't stand on ceremony with you two." The old man lifted the lid of the instant noodles and added the braised egg. "Adding a couple of eggs to instant noodles is such a wonderful thing!"

"Sir, you're very skilled at this!" Cheng Che said casually.

"Of course," the old man said without looking up. "I eat instant noodles every day. I'm an instant noodle expert!"

"Grandpa, do you eat instant noodles every day?" Tian Xiwei was taken aback and asked.

"No, not really. I like to change things up sometimes." The old man thought for a moment. "Sometimes I'll have fresh shrimp and fish cake."

Tian Xiwei: ...

"Then you've successfully achieved the life that elementary school students all over the world dream of," Cheng Che added from the side.

"That's for sure." The old man grinned crookedly, even speaking in his Northeastern accent.

"Let me tell you, my house is very popular with kids. Every day after school, the children in the village run to my house, and I treat them to drinks, snacks, and instant noodles." He said proudly.

"Then I guess you must be quite unpopular with adults, sir," Cheng Che said.

"..." The old man scratched his head, his pride gradually fading.

Tian Xiwei was curious, and she raised her hand: "Why is that?"

"After you finish this bowl of instant noodles, are you going to eat anything for lunch later?" Cheng Che asked back.

"I'm not eating it. Isn't this instant noodles lunch?" Tian Xiwei said matter-of-factly.

"Yeah, if you, a big kid, think like that, then little kids must think the same way!" Cheng Che, the little bear, shrugged.

[Hahaha, these three should team up and perform stand-up comedy! It's hilarious!]

[The old man and Cheng Che will be the lead comedians, and Xiao Tian will be the straight man; I think it'll work!]

I'm so envious! Why didn't we have an old man like this in my village when I was a kid?!

[This old man often treats all the children in the village to instant noodles... he must be quite wealthy.]

Tian Xiwei glanced at him, wrinkled her nose, and didn't say anything more.

Her instant noodles were ready, so she happily went to eat them.

……

After lunch, the three packed up the instant noodle containers and packaging bags, slung their baskets over their shoulders, and prepared to return home.

They returned to the old man's house, unloaded their baskets, washed their hands and faces in the yard, and then went into the main room.

The old man went to the refrigerator and took out four more bottles of drinks. He gave one to Cheng Che, Tian Xiwei, and the photographer, and kept one for himself.

The four of them each took a few sips of their drinks and felt like they had recovered.

Cheng Che screwed the bottle cap on, glanced at the three baskets of figs piled together, and asked, "Grandpa, we've picked so many figs, are you going to sell them?"

Surely all these figs couldn't have been eaten by the old man alone?

Grandpa Xie leaned back on the sofa, crossed his legs, and said, "I'm not selling. It's too much trouble, and I wouldn't make much money anyway."

"In previous years, I delivered them to each household. There are so many families in the village, and if I gave a little to each family, it would be gone."

He paused for a moment, then straightened up: "How about you two run this errand for me again?"

"Distribute the fruit this afternoon, and I'll treat you to a big meal tonight!"

I admit the old man was very generous... but was it really a lavish meal?

[666 Scam! They're asking for help, so why not just help them? Xiao Tian and Cheng Che are here to help anyway, there's no need for this fancy meal.]

[Don't be so quick to criticize! What if the old man treated you to instant noodles for lunch because he's planning a big meal for dinner?]

【But you need ingredients! You can't expect the old man to cook a grand meal from instant noodles, snacks, and figs at home!】

Tian Xiwei and Cheng Che exchanged a glance and nodded: "Of course, no problem."

They didn't have any particular feelings about the "feast" the old man mentioned; as long as they were full, that was fine.

"Alright then." The old man nodded. "Let's rest for a while and go out when the sun isn't so strong."

"I'll take you to the east side of the village, and you two will take you to the west side."

"If you finish early and are interested, you can go to the beach to go beachcombing around four or five o'clock," the old man said.

"Okay," they both replied in unison.