FWTS **Chapter 143: Devilish Words**

Five dishes were offered for lunch. In the end, Hou Muyun and Huazai, despite having the most "Auspicious Coins," only managed to get one dish. The other two groups each got two dishes, bidding with just one or two coins per dish, in contrast to Huazai's extravagance.

With one coin left, Hou Muyun decided to use it to exchange for props for the afternoon game session.

After lunch, the show crew finally arrived at the main scenic spot, Liu Ji's hometown.

The MCs played around for a while before starting the afternoon recording. The afternoon game involved searching for scattered ingredients within the main scenic area to prepare dinner. The MCs were still divided into three groups, with Hou Muyun and Huazai remaining together.

The afternoon game had no winners or losers; everyone searched for food separately to cook dinner together in the evening.

The food locations were set up with some challenges to obtain the ingredients. During the search, Hou Muyun spent his "Auspicious Coin" because one ingredient was in the middle of a fish pond, requiring a rented boat to reach it. It was a bit of a trap by the production team. However, Hou Muyun soon turned the tables.

The ingredient in the middle of the fish pond was fish, kept in a net cage. After retrieving the fish, Hou Muyun took it out of the cage and started walking around the pond. Before long, he found a wooden stick and some wire used for securing the shelter. In a few moves, he converted the net cage into a fishing net. Then, he started scooping up fish along the pond's edge.

Initially, the crew didn't pay much attention, thinking this method wouldn't catch any fish and that Hou Muyun was just having fun. But soon, they realized something was off.

In no time, Huazai had four big fish in the bucket!

"Xiao Hou, your trick is amazing!" Huazai gave a big thumbs up, full of admiration and excitement. "Let's catch more and have a whole fish feast!"

Hou Muyun laughed, "The fish in this pond are just dumb. If it were a river, this method wouldn't work. I'd have to use a dragnet or a scoop net."

Huazai was curious, "Where did you learn all this?"

Hou Muyun smiled, "You don't need to learn this. As a mischievous kid, I used to play in mountain streams and rivers. We caught fish and crabs with homemade tools. Back then, we didn't have the equipment we have now. Fishing nets and other tools were all DIY. Like this one in my hand, as long as you have a net and some wire, you can make it in minutes. The rods were always available by the river or on the mountain."

"Not just tools, even fish poison could be made. See that tree over there? We call it 'chigu tree.' Its leaves and branches, when mashed into a juice and put in water, can make most fish dizzy and float to the surface for air. You can just pick them up by hand. Afterward, keep the fish in clean water for a while, and they'll recover. It's harmless to humans. If I weren't afraid of the director's wrath, I could make all the fish in this pond float in half an hour."

Hou Muyun turned to the cameraman, "Don't record this part. If you do, don't broadcast it. It's not a good influence."

If it weren't too bloody, Hou Muyun wouldn't even need a net. He could use a sharp stick to spear fish directly. He'd been doing this since he was a kid, and with his current observation skills, speed, and strength, he could definitely catch a fish with each thrust.

Huazai found it both amusing and impressive, "I used to catch fish as a kid too, but not with such variety."

Hou Muyun replied, "Maybe it's because our area had many streams and rivers with plenty of fish, so we came up with more methods... Director? What's up?"

The chief director, who had rushed over, saw the six large fish in Huazai's bucket and laughed and cried, "Xiao Hou, the fish in this pond aren't props prepared by our crew! The ingredients we provided were only these two, bought from a local. The rest of the fish belong to the locals!"

Huazai burst out laughing and then seriously said, "Director, you should have told us earlier. The hint said there were ingredients here, so Xiao Hou and I came over. You must compensate the locals at triple the market price!"

He signaled Hou Muyun, and they quickly made their escape.

Hou Muyun held back his laughter, trying not to cause too much trouble, as it would look bad if such a large crew were caught stealing fish. He explained to the director, "Director, I talked to the owner of the fish pond before I started. Look, that local over there."

Huazai, curious, whispered, "When did you talk to him? I didn't hear anything."

Hou Muyun chuckled, "It's not that you didn't hear, it's that you didn't understand."

Then he turned and spoke rapidly in a local dialect to some villagers watching the recording. The villagers responded with exaggerated reactions, leaving the crew and Huazai completely bewildered.

This confirmed why people called the Wen City dialect the "language of the Eastern devil"! The post-production subtitle team would be stumped!

Wen City dialects vary so much that even locals might not understand each other, hence the nickname. Hou Muyun had an edge because his neighbor, an elderly lady from Wen County, had taught him well enough to mimic the dialect convincingly, enabling basic communication.

The afternoon segment took about three hours to record, with all three teams providing plenty of material, and then they moved on to recording the dinner segment. Cooking was Hou Muyun’s forte, which was a major reason the production team invited him.

...

The next morning, they recorded the breakfast segment smoothly, wrapping up this episode of "Our Seventeen Years." After the final clapboard, Hua Shao, leading the group, suggested a private lunch gathering for everyone except Xiao Zhi, who had another commitment. They all got along well and exchanged contact information.

"Should I transfer your fee to Xiaopang directly?" Hua Shao asked Hou Muyun after the others had left. Despite their friendship, business was business.

Hou Muyun didn't mind. It wasn't Hua Shao's money anyway, and he didn't care to ask about the amount.

"Oh, right!" Hou Muyun suddenly remembered something important. He asked Hua Shao, "Hua Shao, are you free tomorrow?"

Hua Shao replied, "What's up? Tell me first."

Hou Muyun smiled, "A very good friend of mine is getting married tomorrow. I've been traveling a lot recently and haven't been able to help much. He mentioned he wanted me to be the emcee for his wedding. I understand his sentiment—everyone wants their wedding to be grand, and I genuinely want to help. But I've only been on a few shows and don't know much about it. Plus, I'm not formal enough for such an occasion. So, I promised to find a good emcee for him. Naturally, I thought of you. It would be a wonderful surprise for the couple!"


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