Chapter 209: Chapter 208: The Last Task

Xu Ying snapped a bone, examining the cross-section, “In three months, it can gnaw the bone into a beehive.”

“The traditional Mongolian herders believe that bones covered by its mycelium can treat arthritis. There were reports of Mongolian doctors using them to treat fractures.”

“Until a patient’s bones were eaten through, it was stopped.”

“The most incredible part is…”

She breathed on the bone, “The spores of the bone-eating fungus can lie dormant in the desert for half a century until an unlucky person, like Teacher Yao, digs them up and they come to life in water.”

Xu Ying’s strange facts sent shivers down everyone’s spines.

[This isn’t just a weird fact, it’s like a ghost story!]

[Whoa, this fungus is really hard to kill!]

[These guests, day in and day out, don’t complete the proper tasks but keep coming up with all sorts of strange stunts.]

Yao Yingzhe’s basket, in addition to such peculiar fungi, contained 132 grams of delicious Chinese mushrooms, scoring 13.2 points.

Ming Xueying’s basket was extremely light.

grams, scoring 8.7 points.

She pressed her lips together, occasionally glancing at Jia Yao’s direction, seemingly seeking some consolation from others.

Ming Xueying now dared not make any small moves, just wishing to finish the show quietly, get her money and return to the city without ruining her public persona further.

She had worked hard for a year and a half crafting her image, only to see it crumble in just a day and a half. The “Desert Survival Law” program truly taught her a lesson.

Finally, there was Jia Yao.

His basket contained two withered little mushrooms, totaling less than 30 grams.

“29 grams.” Xu Ying announced the figure calmly, “Totaling 2.9 points.”

Jia Yao’s face was as deflated as the mushrooms.

[Pfft, Jia Yao still owes 2.1 points.]

[When will he ever repay this debt? And there’s Little Xu Station Chief’s personal debt too!]

[Little Xu Station Chief’s arm was almost cut off, it’s a wonder he hasn’t fired this rebellious employee yet.]

The mushroom-picking session came to an end, and the five miserable employee-guests could finally use their points to get a meal.

The scorching sun hung high, but the program crew’s white tent provided a rare patch of shade on the Gobi Desert.

Point-rich Jiang Mo spent 20 points for a big plate chicken meal.

The golden chicken shone with oil, the flatbread soaked in broth, and three roasted buns stacked on the side, adorned with a few black sesame seeds.

Yao Yingzhe spent 15 points on hand-grasped rice, the grains distinct, dotted with carrots and raisins, accompanied by a chilled beer with condensation on the cup’s wall.

He sipped his beer with exclamations, intending to share some life lessons but fell silent and focused on eating after catching Xu Ying’s eyes.

Ming Xueying spent 10 points on a hefty portion of fried meat noodles, covered with green and red peppers and slices of lamb, spicy enough to make her wipe sweat while stuffing her mouth.

Ye Jie used all her points in the last round for three marinated chicken drumsticks to fill her stomach, she didn’t expect her efforts in this round to go totally unrewarded despite an hour’s toil.

She watched her fellow guests enjoy their meals with longing eyes.

But she wasn’t alone, both Jia Yao and she had empty tables in front of them, which made Ye Jie feel somewhat better, cheering herself up: “At least I’m not in debt!”

“I just ate two and a half small drumsticks, so I’m not particularly hungry either.”

The already extremely hungry Jia Yao gave her an exasperated glance.

Just then, the tent flap was lifted, and staff brought plate after plate of mushroom dishes to the table.

The aroma of mushrooms was simply enchanting.

The assistant director took a megaphone and said, “This is the result of everyone’s hard work this morning. The program invited a local chef to create a mushroom feast for everyone!”

“Everyone gets a share!”

All the guests, especially Ye Jie and Jia Yao, had their eyes shining.

Even Xu Ying, who had already had a boxed meal, joined in the anticipation. Although she had been working in the desert for nearly half a year, she hadn’t tasted the delicious Chinese mushrooms yet.

Steam rose from several pots of mushroom delicacies placed on the long table.

The cream of mushroom soup was fragrant, its pearl-white color dotting with golden mushroom bits; the wild scallion stir-fried mushrooms sizzled, with slices crispy and aromatic, mixing with the spicy sand onions.

The most peculiar dish is the stone-baked mushrooms brought into the tent, grilled on hot stone slabs, sprinkled with coarse salt to lock in the juicy tenderness, making mouths water.

The five guests stared intently, and the assistant director had the staff first bring utensils to Xu Ying: “Let’s have Boss Xu try first!”

“Thanks to Boss Xu for leading the way, carrying the whole session!”

Everyone in the tent applauded.

Xu Ying smiled awkwardly, tasted a bit of each dish, then couldn’t stop her chopsticks. It truly lived up to the name “delicious Chinese”!

As fresh as early spring rain, as smooth as coagulated juice.

The umami was distinct, with a pinewood smoke base, high heat stir-frying bringing out nut and meaty flavors, ending with a hint of honey sweetness.

The ultimate flavor came with that wok aroma: garlic and chili sizzled in hot oil, the mushrooms absorbed the oil’s essence, intensifying the umami with a sizzling burst, even the teeth could taste the wild notes of pine needles sun-dried.

Everyone watched Xu Ying’s rapidly moving chopsticks and said, “Boss Xu, save some for us employees!”

Ye Jie squatted to the side, holding her face and watching eagerly: “We employees still have to make a living this afternoon.”

——”Okay, okay, one last bite!”

Lunch ended amid delicious food and laughter, and two in the afternoon marked the hottest part of the day. The program crew allowed the guests to rest.

They waited for the sun’s intensity to fade.

Boss Xu beat a gong to wake the five laborers from their slumber.

“Come on, get up, get up, today’s final task!”

The guests sat up immediately upon hearing it was the last task.

Ye Jie’s eyes brimmed with innocent curiosity: “Once this task is done, can we call it a day?”

Jia Yao seemed suspicious: “It’s only 4:30 in the afternoon, are you sure it’s the last task? Are you really not lying?”

Xu Ying wiggled her index finger: “I’m an honest person, how could I lie?”

This statement left everyone silent.

The bullet comments couldn’t help but laugh:

[The honest person tamed the five star guests thoroughly.]

[A newcomer’s effect in the show is unmatched. Couldn’t hope for the same with other star guests as bosses.]

[Little Xu Station Chief genuinely treats people like employees, letting stars experience our working class fatigue.]

“Moreover, this task has a perk, you’ll have the chance to interact with the ear foxes, and maybe even establish deep revolutionary friendships~”

Ye Jie’s eyes instantly brightened: “Wow, really?”

The cuteness of the ear foxes is known through Xu Ying’s videos, deeply recognized, even the usually indifferent Jiang Mo was intrigued by this benefit.

“Two months ago, our animal rescuers teamed up with the police to raid a fur farm, rescuing a batch of chubby animals being fed fattening drugs.”

“Over these past two months, we’ve been committed to helping these overly obese animals lose weight, ensuring their safety.”

“And I’m in charge of leading the overly fat ear fox family in losing weight.”

“In these two months, the weight loss has been quite effective, although there were always some rebellious little ones that slimmed down quite slowly.”

Xu Ying clapped her hands, a sly smile on her face: “Today, your task is to help these ear foxes with their diet plans, lead six stubbornly obese foxes through their training programs today!”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep