Lin An got up early and joined the villagers in the fields, busy with both fieldwork and recording the growth of the plants.
In the morning, he drove a tractor at a surprisingly fast speed, barely covering two-thirds of the farm's area.
During lunch, he visited a fellow villager's home for a meal, buying some fresh pork and beef from the market.
Vegetables were easy to come by, as Lin An picked a variety from the fields. Looking at the vast expanse of fields, the fatigue and helplessness that had accumulated in Lin An's heart in the past few days disappeared, replaced by a sense of joy filling his chest.
However, the farm's profits were currently in the negative, and the invested money would take some time to recover. Fortunately, Boss He managed the online store well, ensuring Lin An had some income every month, preventing him from suffering major losses.
Lin An did have a considerable amount of money in his account, so he wasn't worried. However, this money was clearly not enough to buy a house in a prime location in Jiangshi City.
Of course, Lin An's goal was to build his own villa, so there was still a long way to go. But for someone with supernatural abilities, what they lacked was not opportunities but the ability to seize them.
At the moment, the most important thing was to quickly prepare the hot pot and welcome the arrival of his brothers and sisters!
Surprisingly, the first to arrive was not Nian Wenran but Lu Ruifeng. As Lu Ruifeng entered Lin An's small house, his first question was about whether there was anything delicious to eat.
"How long has it been since you've had a decent meal?" Lin An was really frightened by Lu Ruifeng's crazy eating look.
"Forget it, bro. You have no idea what I've been eating these past few months. It's not fit for human consumption." Lu Ruifeng said while stuffing a piece of freshly fried crispy meat pastry into his mouth, "My manager is like a 24/7 surveillance camera. She knows everything I eat, even if it's just a little extra."
"You're eating like you've been starving for days." Lin An laughed, "By the way, why didn't you come with your Sister Dao?"
Lin An knew that these two, ever since confirming their relationship, had been sticking together like glue. It's no exaggeration to say they were inseparable.
Although Lu Ruifeng was much more popular than Lin An, when it came to work, he indeed didn't have as much as Lin An. It should be said that in this past year, Lin An's workload exceeded two-thirds of the entertainment industry.
The other one-third naturally comprised stars who were not only more popular than Lin An but also worked even harder than him.
"She went to pick up Old Wen and the others."
"Okay, then help me move some tables while I go pick up my Nian Nian." Lin An glanced at the clock and smiled, "I'll be back soon."
"Brother Lin, you!"
Before Lu Ruifeng could finish his sentence, Lin An rushed out like a gust of wind, leaving Lu Ruifeng speechless in the courtyard.
He finally understood what it felt like to witness others showing affection.
Lin An arrived at the village entrance, waiting for Nian Wenran. It didn't take long for him to see Nian Wenran getting out of the car with a small suitcase.
"What's this?" Lin An pointed at the suitcase, a bold guess forming in his mind.
"Grandpa was worried about my safety coming home late every day, so he agreed to let me stay with you." Nian Wenran happily explained, throwing herself into Lin An's arms.
Lin An gently embraced Nian Wenran's waist with his left hand and lifted the suitcase with the other. "That's good then. It saves me from worrying every night when you go home."
However, did Grandfather Nian really trust him so much?
"Why does everyone seem so worried?" Nian Wenran was a bit puzzled. After all, she wasn't getting into a stranger's car.
Lin An looked at Nian Wenran's face and said seriously, "After all, I have such a beautiful girlfriend, and Grandfather Nian has such a lovely granddaughter. It would be strange not to worry."
"I'm only a bit younger than you!" Nian Wenran protested with a pout.
"Okay, little Nian Wenran." Lin An responded amiably, "But there's only one room for you to stay in."
"Really? Didn't the house you rented have many rooms?" Nian Wenran began to doubt if she had misremembered something.
"The others are storage rooms, hard to tidy up." Lin An earnestly deceived Nian Wenran.
"Oh no, what should I do then?" Nian Wenran looked a bit distressed, then a bright idea struck her, "I'll sleep on the floor in the living room!"
Lin An lightly tapped Nian Wenran's head, "Why would I let my girlfriend sleep on the floor? Just kidding, there are plenty of rooms, and I've already cleaned one up for you."
"Why do you always like to tap my head?" Nian Wenran strongly expressed her condemnation of Lin An's behavior!
Well, that's because I like you~
But Lin An didn't say this out loud; after all, he felt like he was acting like a mischievous little boy who likes to tease the girl he fancies.
However, Lin An clearly understood why Grandfather Nian could trust him – they wouldn't be sharing a room.
When the two entered the house, Lu Ruifeng had already arranged the tables and chairs.
"Brother, Nian Nian," Lu Ruifeng greeted and then continued to focus on his meal.
Lin An and Nian Wenran exchanged glances and smiled at each other.
Lu Ruifeng's enthusiasm for eating had not changed a bit.
Lin An brought out the hot pot and set it up, while Lu Ruifeng and Nian Wenran helped carry out plates of vegetables and meat.
Su Nuo and her group also sent a message informing Lin An that they had arrived. Lin An went to the village entrance to pick them up.
When Lin An arrived at the village entrance, he found that everyone had gathered, even Suo Guanshan and Xia Jubai were present. However, the atmosphere between these two was a bit off.
To be precise, everyone's atmosphere seemed a bit awkward. After all, the people in the villa knew that it was Xia Jubai's work that poured dirty water on Lin An.
It must be said that the director's arrangement was to satisfy the audience, but it made the people in the villa feel uncomfortable.
However, everyone maintained a good appearance on the surface.
"Lin An, over here."
Su Nuo waved her hand.
After Lin An walked over, greeted everyone, he led them back to the house.
Along the way, he listened to Su Nuo and Wen Jiusi talking about the interesting things they encountered during their trip, making the journey quite enjoyable.
In the courtyard, Nian Wenran and Lu Ruifeng had already started cooking some dishes over the fire, and when Lin An and the others returned, they were ready to eat.
Nian Wenran frowned slightly when she saw Xia Jubai. Following Lin An into the kitchen, she asked in a low voice, "Why is she here? Invited by the director?"
Lin An nodded, "Yes, the director said it's material for the first episode, to give the audience a surprise."
In the kitchen, without surveillance, Nian Wenran was visibly annoyed, "Why is the director like this? He knows what Xia Jubai did to you. So annoying!"
This was the first time Lin An had seen Nian Wenran so angry. Last time, even when he angered her, she didn't look as irritated as the pufferfish she appeared to be now.
Lin An lightly tapped Nian Wenran's forehead with his finger, attempting to smooth out her furrowed brows.
"Aren't you angry?" Nian Wenran was still annoyed, but Lin An's playful actions had lessened her anger.
"Of course, how could I not be angry?" Lin An casually ran his fingers through Nian Wenran's hair, "But this is a show after all. We should cooperate, and besides, the appearance fee from the director is quite good. Enduring it for the sake of money's face is still bearable."
Nian Wenran looked at Lin An with some surprise, "I thought you didn't care about making money."
After all, in the long time she had known Lin An, he always had a very laid-back attitude, and after gaining fame, he retired from the entertainment industry, occasionally venting about it.
Nian Wenran once thought that Lin An truly didn't care about making money.
"But now I'm different. I'm going to be someone's husband in the future. If I don't earn some money, I won't be able to afford the dowry," Lin An smiled and stared at Nian Wenran.
Upon hearing this, Nian Wenran blushed instantly, stuttering, "Wh-who... who said I would be your wife!"
"Hey~ I didn't say who the future wife would be, did I?"
"You still want to marry someone else?!"
Nian Wenran stood with her hands on her hips.
"No, no, I was wrong, I was wrong, it hurts." Lin An quickly apologized, holding his ear, which had just been pinched.
Girls in love really could become quite fierce!
The two brought some sodas from the kitchen and went outside. The people in the courtyard were chatting happily, and the atmosphere was quite pleasant.
After finishing the meal, Xia Jubai took the initiative to tell everyone that she had something to attend to and needed to leave early. No one insisted on keeping her; they simply nodded in understanding. Everyone bid her farewell with a casual "take care."
Suo Guanshan followed her out, probably having something to discuss.
The six people in the courtyard initially thought of going out for a walk after dinner, but they enjoyed the meal so much that by the time they were full and satisfied, the sky had already darkened.
Lin An initially thought of playing mahjong for entertainment, but Lu Ruifeng didn't know how to play, and with six people, it was too crowded. In the end, everyone turned to their phones and played a face-to-face real-life version of Werewolf.
Around ten o'clock, everyone was getting tired of playing. Both couples were planning to stay overnight here. The small courtyard Lin An rented wasn't too big or too small, but having one room per person was still a bit tight.
However, Lin An had already arranged in advance to rent nearby vacant rooms from the villagers for the night.
Early the next morning, Lin An went door-to-door, waking everyone up for breakfast. Originally, he thought since they were staying at people's houses, paying a little for meals would suffice.
But the two couples insisted on having breakfast made by him for that program-like ceremonial feeling. Of course, such a feeling required a bit of a cost, such as getting up early.
After finishing the meal, the group wanted to experience the feeling of hand-picking vegetables, so Lin An took them to the mature area and gave each person a small basket.
Lin An himself leisurely strolled around the field with his girlfriend. He watched as Nian Wenran picked vegetables, finding it delightful.
Of course, Lin An, not participating in the harvesting experience, played the role of a photographer once again. Using photography skills he had learned from shooting magazine photos, he took pictures to capture the memories for everyone.
After a day of enjoyment, everyone had beautiful photos and a collection of vegetables and fruits. The four of them planned to head back home tonight.
Su Nuo and Wen Jiusi still had to continue on the travel route they had set.
Upon hearing their plans, Lin An asked Nian Wenran, "Nian Nian, do you want to go on a trip too?"