Stop it, the country really can't fit any more bans on the domestic entertainment industry.

Watching the blue truck, which looked like it had its rear end on fire, disappear into the distance, Li Mo'an stood by the dusty roadside and waved away the dust in front of him.

"They run pretty fast."

He muttered something to himself, his expression calm.

Although the family looked rather disheveled as they fled, he didn't think too much about it. After all, in the countryside, everyone has their emergencies sometimes.

He turned away and looked at the village road in front of him, which he had contracted to operate.

This is a typical old-fashioned dirt road, quite long, running directly through this not-so-large village. The road condition is indeed appalling, full of potholes, and haphazardly covered with flagstones and broken bricks.

Some of the stone slabs were warped, while others were sunk into the mud, making them difficult to walk on. No wonder the villagers had a hard time walking on them.

To repair this road, simply filling it with soil won't suffice. We need to dig out all the messy old stone slabs and debris, clean up the roadbed, and then repave it.

This is a big project.

But Li Mo'an didn't complain, nor did she try to gain sympathy on camera.

He simply moved his wrists, adjusted his breathing, and then gripped the wooden handle of the hoe with both hands.

"Let's get started."

He said something in a low voice.

The next second, the hoe was raised high, drawing a powerful arc in the air.

"puff!"

The hoe blade slammed into the soil with a dull thud.

Li Mo'an exerted force from his waist and swung his arms, turning over a large chunk of hardened soil along with gravel.

Then came the second hoe, the third hoe...

His movements were incredibly precise, a power technique ingrained in his muscle memory. It didn't look like he was doing farm work; it was more like he was executing some kind of tactical maneuver. Every swing was accurate, powerful, and incredibly rhythmic.

However, while watching others do road construction might offer a brief moment of novelty, it quickly becomes tedious over time.

There were no dramatic conflicts, nor any funny dialogue.

In the scene, there is only one handsome man, calmly and mechanically repeating the actions of swinging a hoe, digging soil, and clearing.

Ten minutes have passed.

Twenty minutes have passed.

The enthusiasm of the spectators who had stayed to watch the strange moving family quickly waned.

The number of comments in the live stream has visibly decreased.

"After the streamer swung the hoe, I felt tired too."

"That's it? Just digging in the dirt all the time? That's not very interesting."

"Let's move on, what's so interesting about this? It's just a handsome guy playing in the mud."

"I'm leaving too. I'll come back when this place is fixed."

The number of online users began to plummet.

The number of people dropped from several thousand initially to several hundred, and continues to decline.

The rest were mostly female fans who came for Li Mo'an's looks, or office workers who left the live stream running in the background as background noise.

........................................

at the same time.

Teacher Huang and Teacher He are picking corn.

The two chatted and laughed, busy with their work and their mouths, occasionally throwing out jokes that made the audience burst into laughter.

This is what variety shows should be like!

While shredding corn, Teacher Huang glanced discreetly at the monitor tablet placed beside her.

That was placed there by the production team so that the data from each split screen could be seen in real time.

When he saw that the number of online users on Li Mo'an's split screen had dwindled to a thin horizontal line, a smug smile appeared on his lips.

That smile was exactly like that of a cunning old fox who had successfully shrewdly plotted.

That's right.

Teacher Huang felt relieved.

He certainly knew what kind of work road repair was. Not only was it dirty and tiring, but most importantly—it was hopeless.

The worst thing for a variety show is to have no appeal.

If you're digging mud at the village entrance all by yourself, can you dig out flowers? Can you dig out TV ratings?

Obviously not.

"Young man, you're still too green."

Teacher Huang was in a great mood, and her movements became lighter.

He glanced at the comments and, sure enough, found that many people were spamming the screen.

"This side is much more interesting. Li Mo'an's side was practically a hypnotic scene."

"This is what happens when you offend Teacher Huang; you're banished to a no-man's-land."

"Hilarious! I just got back from there, and the streamer is still digging there. There's nobody to talk to. It's so pathetic."

Seeing these comments, Teacher Huang's smile deepened.

This is exactly the effect he wanted.

Since this kid tasted the full spectrum of life yesterday, let him experience the feeling of being ignored today. This is also a lesson for the newcomer, letting him know that in the entertainment industry, sometimes choices are more important than hard work.

However, Teacher Huang is also a meticulous person.

He still has the same plan.

A slap followed by a sweet treat.

He was thinking to himself that he would leave the kid hanging for the day and let him toughen up. Tomorrow, he would give him an easier job, like going fishing with Peng Peng or having him help him out. He would give him a few close-up shots, which would be more than enough.

Thinking about this, Teacher Huang felt that the time was almost right.

Now that viewers have returned, it's the perfect time to solidify ratings and generate new buzz.

He put down the corn in his hand, patted the silks off his hands, and cleared his throat.

"Hey, Teacher He."

Teacher Huang deliberately raised his voice, a mysterious expression on his face, "I see that everyone worked very hard today, especially Mo An, who was repairing the road at the village entrance all by himself, he really put in the effort."

Teacher He immediately understood and chimed in, "Yes, that's really hard work. So, Teacher Huang is planning to treat everyone?"

"That's a must!"

Teacher Huang stood up, put her hands on her hips, faced the camera, and announced in an extremely solemn tone:

"To reward everyone for their hard work, and also to let our new friends feel the warmth of the Mushroom House."

"Tonight, I've decided to cook one of my signature dishes for everyone—"

He deliberately drew out his words, keeping everyone in suspense.

All the cameras were pointed at him.

Teacher Huang raised an eyebrow and uttered four words in a clear and resonant voice:

"Dry-fried beans and green beans!"

The room fell silent for a second after those words were spoken.

Immediately afterwards, Teacher He couldn't hold back and burst out laughing.

Outside, staff members could be heard asking, "Teacher Huang, are these... are these green beans ripe?"

"Go away! What nonsense are you talking about!" Teacher Huang glared at Peng Peng, feigning anger. "This time I promise I'll cook it thoroughly! I absolutely won't let you see the little one dancing!"

The chat room exploded with comments at that moment.

If the previous moments were merely lively, now they are practically boiling over.

"Hahaha! Stir-fried green beans! Teacher Huang is playing with fire!"

"Teacher Song Dandan carried the train away overnight!"

"Chef Huang: Where you fall, you'll poison others there!"

"This is absolutely grueling! Li Mo'an is making pig intestines, and Teacher Huang is making green beans. Is this Mushroom House going to turn into a biochemistry lab?"

"They're all villains! I can't wait!"

"That's top-notch variety show sense! I give Teacher Huang a perfect score for his self-deprecating humor!"

Teacher Huang nodded in satisfaction at the explosive effect of the show.

That's the kind of control he has as a cunning old fox.

Just by throwing out a joke, you can stir up the audience's emotions and keep the traffic firmly locked in the main live stream room.

As for the newcomer digging mud at the village entrance...

Who will remember?

........................................

At the village entrance, on the dirt road.

The air here is unusually quiet.

There was no laughter, no trending jokes, only cicadas chirping listlessly in the trees.

In Li Mo'an's personal live stream, the number of viewers has plummeted to rock bottom.

The screen was deserted, with hardly a single comment appearing for ages. Occasionally, two comments would appear, but they were mostly discussing the green bean joke on Teacher Huang's side.

"They said they're making dry-fried green beans, it's hilarious."

"This guy is still digging? He's really patient."

"To be honest, his profile is really handsome. I'm a sucker for good looks, so I'll admire it first."

Li Mo'an knew nothing about any of this.

He remained calm.

The sun was scorching, and sweat trickled down his angular jawline, dripping into the soil beneath his feet.

He didn't feel bored or neglected.

In his world, a task is a task. Since he accepted the task of building the road, he had to build it well.

This is the principle.

He took a step forward and came to a protrusion in the middle of the road.

It looks like a large rock buried deep, with only a pointed corner covered in mud showing. The surrounding soil is somewhat loose, as if it had been disturbed before.

Li Mo'an didn't think much of it.

He gripped the hoe handles tightly with both hands, adjusted his posture, and stared intently at the mound of dirt.

The muscles in both arms are taut, and power is being poured into them.

call--

The hoe whistled through the air as it was raised high above the head.