Chapter Eight: Beyond Expectations

On Earth, Lin Xing was a native of Yanzhao, and every year around June 6th, during the Grain in Ear season, he would help his parents harvest the wheat. Back then, everything was reaped by hand with sickles. After cutting, the wheat was bundled and loaded onto carts drawn by donkeys to be taken to the threshing ground.

At first, there were no tractors, so they had to use donkeys to drag a heavy stone roller in circles over the wheat to separate the grains from the ears. Once the threshing was done, it was time to collect the grain using pitchforks and rakes.

Later, as life improved, tractors and combine harvesters arrived. For Lin Xing, harvesting wheat as a child held little interest; whenever he looked back, all he remembered was how exhausting it was. Especially when reaping with a sickle—he would always come home with his back aching terribly.

These memories belonged to another era for Lin Xing; even though he still recalled how to cut wheat, when it came to actually doing it, he was inevitably a bit rusty. It was like a newcomer who has read countless manuals, but when it’s time to act, can’t even find the door.

So Lin Xing took his time to get reacquainted. There are three things to remember when harvesting wheat: steadiness, precision, and decisiveness.

After a few minutes, Lin Xing gradually found his rhythm. He bent low, his sickle swishing through the stalks, and a dense patch of golden wheat fell to the ground. His body curved gracefully, wrist moving deftly side to side, and bundles of wheat fell in neat sheaves, quickly gathered and tied.

"Hey? Why does it look so easy for Teacher Lin?"

"Seriously, has Teacher Lin practiced this before?"

"Come on, where would he even get the chance? Who still reaps wheat by hand these days?"

Everyone’s eyes were fixed on Lin Xing, each one exclaiming in surprise. Even the instructor on the ground gave a small nod, "This young man knows what he's doing."

Lin Xing, however, paid no mind to what others thought. Since he had agreed to participate in “Farming Together,” he was determined to give it his all. This was simply a reflection of his personality as a former career coach back on Earth.

Being a celebrity is a job like any other. And as with any job, you give it your best. Harvesting wheat is both physical and technical labor. Under the scorching sun, many people are prone to heatstroke, and the constant bending is physically draining. As for the technical side, it’s self-evident.

Just look at the young, inexperienced celebrities like Duan Hai—their wheat cutting was more like a battle. Even someone like Guan Haipeng was left panting after a few swings of the sickle.

As Sister Dao had just observed, this episode was meant to highlight chaos and confusion. This was exactly what Feng Gang had originally intended.

From the outset, he wanted to capture the stars’ transformation from clumsy beginners to capable farmhands, thereby drawing attention to the show. The appeal of “celebrities farming” lay in its authenticity.

Unfortunately, not to mention the A-listers—even second- and third-tier artists refused to come. Why would they? They could easily make hundreds of thousands for a week of leisure on other variety shows. Here, not only was there little pay, but they also had to labor under the scorching sun. Were they crazy?

As a result, Feng Gang couldn’t invite anyone famous and had to settle for little-known or has-been celebrities. But without well-known names, there was no buzz, and without buzz, the show was doomed to flop.

Now, after much effort, Feng Gang had finally managed to invite Lin Xing—a former member of the once-popular Fire Group who, though past his prime, still held a place in the entertainment world. Most importantly, Lin Xing had recently shot to the top of the trending searches.

Feng Gang was beside himself with excitement. Whatever else happened, at least the show finally had some attention thanks to Lin Xing.

This episode, therefore, was particularly important to Feng Gang. Even when Sister Dao voiced concerns about Lin Xing’s ability to work for long under the sun—after all, his looks were his livelihood, and what if he got sunburned?—let alone that she insisted Lin Xing didn’t know how to harvest wheat, Feng Gang agreed without objection and even rewrote the script at the last minute.

Yet now, watching Lin Xing at work in the fields, Feng Gang was stunned.

Sister Dao, seeing the bewildered look on Feng Gang’s face and the way he turned to her for answers, found herself at a loss for words. Lin Xing had surprised her as well. In recent years, whether it was charity work or poverty alleviation, Lin Xing had always gone alone. She didn’t even know how he'd managed it. Even the recent trending story of Lin Xing’s heroic deed had been unknown to her—otherwise, she would certainly have publicized it.

What a positive role model he was!

“Camera, camera, give Teacher Lin a close-up.”

“Cameras 2 and 3, focus on Guan Peng and the others.”

“Camera 4, shoot Master Guo and the other two instructors.”

Suddenly, Feng Gang exclaimed in astonishment, and the rest of the crew sprang into action. All eyes were now on Lin Xing.

Under the scorching sun, a handsome young man in a breathable work uniform wielded a long sickle, cutting through the wheat. Most importantly, this was no act. With practiced rhythm, he brought the blade down on the wheat stalks, gathering sheaf after sheaf. The swing of the sickle grew faster, the wheat dwindled, and golden stalks collapsed onto the ground.

If it were just a farmer harvesting the wheat, no one would have noticed. But a celebrity doing it? That was a headline in itself.

Ten minutes later, Lin Xing finally stopped.

“Whew, harvesting wheat really is exhausting,” he said, tying the last bundle and turning to Lin Miaoyin nearby. “Miaoyin, be careful when you’re cutting. I find it really takes a lot of effort.”

Everyone: “???”

Sister Dao, meanwhile, turned to Feng Gang. “Director Feng, our Xingxing has done enough, right? Can he stop now?”

“Mm,” Feng Gang nodded, then called out, “Old Guo, let Teacher Lin take a break. The others can keep going.”

Guo Biao hurried over to Lin Xing, smiling as he handed him a bottle of water. “Teacher Lin, have a drink and rest a bit. You’ve worked hard.”

Lin Xing took the water and drank deeply—he was indeed thirsty. Then, a little surprised, he asked, “We’re not filming for the rest of the morning?”

“No, we’re still filming! It’s only eleven, and there’s an hour before lunch,” Guo Biao replied quickly. “But we don’t want you to—”

“Director Guo, I understand. Let’s keep filming,” Lin Xing interrupted. “I’m here to do the same as everyone else. There’s no need for special treatment.”

“But Teacher Lin…” Guo Biao wanted to say more, but Lin Xing waved him off. “I understand. Go tell my manager—it’s my decision.”

With that, Lin Xing prepared to return to work. Seeing this, Guo Biao didn’t try to persuade him further and quickly went to report to Feng Gang.

“What do you think—?” Feng Gang turned to Sister Dao.

She could only offer a helpless smile. “If Xingxing insists, so be it. But under no circumstances should he be sent into the fields again this afternoon.”

“That won’t be a problem,” Feng Gang replied, picking up his walkie-talkie. “Resume filming!”

Although he tried to maintain a serious expression, his heart was soaring. The episode had barely begun and already exceeded his expectations. Lin Xing had truly given him a tremendous surprise.