Are you trying to force me to become a star?

Chapter 100 The Story of Chopping Wood

Spring is still chilly, and the weather is unpredictable, with sudden warm spells followed by cold spells.

Xu Jinyan, wearing a light-colored trench coat, pushed open the courtyard gate while dragging her suitcase. She did not look bulky at all; on the contrary, she appeared to have a well-proportioned and upright figure.

Today, he came to record "Mushroom House" again.

"Teacher He, it's been a long time."

Xu Jinyan was the first to see He Jiong, who came out to greet her warmly.

He Jiong happily stepped forward to hug Jinyan, "Welcome back to the Mushroom House! You've finally come back."

Huang Lei also came out to greet them, exchanging warm greetings.

After all, things are different now. Xu Jinyan's status in the music industry is now higher than his status in the film and television industry.

Peng Yuchang also came over to greet her: "Teacher Xu, let me help you with your luggage."

Xu Jinyan smiled and waved her hand: "Oh, Teacher Peng, why are you being so polite? I can do it myself."

"No, no, no, you're a teacher."

Teacher He watched this scene with a smile, thinking to himself: Jin Yan is really a good person; it seems he has grasped himself.

He pretended to scold, "Peng Peng, why are you treating Jin Yan like an outsider? He acts like he's home when he comes to the Mushroom House."

Peng Yuchang felt embarrassed, thinking that it wouldn't be wrong to call him "teacher" first.

A group of people walked into the house. At this moment, a dog ran over and barked around Xu Jinyan.

He Jiong introduced, "Jinyan, this is our new family member this season, its name is Xiao Ba."

Xu Jinyan squatted down and stroked the dog's head, not thinking much of it. Ever since "Hachiko: A Dog's Tale" came out, there are too many dogs named Hachiko.

"Little Hachi, Little Hachi, don't rush, another dog is coming soon."

"Hahaha……"

"Woof woof~" Hachiko was very excited.

……

……

"I bet he's talking bad about me right now."

Sitting in the car, Lin Gengxin heard from the PD that Xu Jinyan had arrived first, and then complained to Wang Yanlin next to him.

Wang Yanlin asked curiously, "Are you that hated?"

Lin Gengxin: "...It's not that I'm hated, you just don't know how bad he is."

Wang Yanlin was taken aback, and the image of himself acting crazy while drunk flashed through his mind. He agreed, "He really is... pretty bad."

Lin Gengxin looked at his fellow Northeasterner and asked in surprise, "You know him?"

"...a life-or-death friendship." Although it was his life that was in their hands.

Lin Gengxin could tell from his expression that this guy had been tricked by Xu Jinyan before: "How about we take care of him today?"

Wang Yanlin felt something about to burst forth from his body, and his expression shifted: "...Okay, open your window over there."

"Why open the window in this freezing weather?" Lin Gengxin remained unmoved.

Ten seconds later.

"Holy crap! You pooped in your pants?" Lin Gengxin hurriedly opened the car window.

Wang Yanlin laughed heartily: "I told you to drive, but you wouldn't!"

Lin Gengxin: "Why don't you open your window?"

"I think...it's just that it's cold!"

Lin Gengxin: "Damn it!"

……

……

By the afternoon, all the guests had arrived.

The four cast members—Zhao Liying, Meng Ziyi, Lin Gengxin, and Wang Yanlin—plus Xu Jinyan, make up the entire guest lineup for this episode.

Under a clear sky, the eight people sat in the courtyard and chatted for a while before starting their work for the day.

This season of "Mushroom House" features a recurring activity: chopping wood. Almost every guest gets to try it out.

So, Xu Jinyan, Lin Gengxin, and Wang Yanlin, the three men, excitedly began to line up.

Wang Yanlin was the first to arrive. Looking at the stack of firewood piled high, he asked, "Is this enough firewood to chop?"

At this moment, the man's competitive spirit flared up, especially with two beautiful girls beside him. He chopped down with all his might.

"Bang!"

The axe got stuck in the wooden stake, and Lin Gengxin laughed unrestrainedly from the side.

"Snap"

The second time, I hit the target, but the firewood fell to the ground.

Lin Gengxin exclaimed, "If it doesn't work, let's find someone else. You've wasted so much effort on just one piece of firewood."

"Crackling"

It took three tries to barely break a piece of firewood.

Wang Yanlin raised his eyebrows triumphantly: "Come on, you try, let me see how many times you can succeed."

Lin Gengxin spat into his fist, took the axe, and brandished it a couple of times.

"Bang!"

Seeing the stuck axe, Wang Yanlin burst into laughter: "Who taught you this axe-wielding technique? Pangu, perhaps?!"

"piu~"

Wang Yanlin picked up a piece of wood from the ground. "Are you peeling the bark off firewood?"

"piu~"

With the third axe stroke, another piece of skin was peeled off.

"At this rate, we could be cutting for a year."

Lin Gengxin was so angry he laughed at himself: "Why is it so difficult?"

When it was Xu Jinyan's turn, he neither made any promises nor spat into his hand; he simply stepped forward and took the axe.

"Crackling"

Wow, that's amazing!

Mencius, standing to the side, provided a great deal of emotional value.

Seeing the firewood split in two, Xu Jinyan silently breathed a sigh of relief.

He initially thought it would be easy to chop, but the two guys in front of him also thought it would be easy, and the way they ended up chopping it made him a little insecure.

Now that I've tried it myself, it really is easy to chop.

"Crackling"

"Crackling"

Seeing their second and third successes, Wang Yanlin and Lin Gengxin were incredulous: Is there really such a big difference between people?

Then Xu Jinyan looked at the two of them with an incomprehensible expression, saying nothing, but as if she had said everything.

At this moment, Meng Ziyi excitedly took the axe: "Let me try it, let me try it."

Then, the two men breathed a sigh of relief when they saw that Meng Ziyi's chopping was not as good as theirs.

"That's all the ambition you two have."

Both of them felt a little embarrassed after hearing Zhao Liying's complaints.

She walked up to Xu Jinyan and said, "Wow, how come you chopped so well?"

"That's what I majored in in college."

Zhao Liying covered her mouth: "Hahaha...you studied crosstalk in college, right?"

"...Crosstalk is my second degree."

The two were chatting and laughing, but on Meng Ziyi's side...

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

The group saw that Meng Ziyi had already chopped at the stake five or six times, but each time he sank into the stake.

Xu Jinyan watched for a while, then whispered, "Is this someone from your company? She's quite clever... How come she always misses, but always manages to land in the same spot?"

Sister Zhao rolled her eyes.

Mencius was still persevering in his attempts.

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

After failing several more times, she stood there, looking utterly exasperated by her own stupidity: "Oh dear, how could I be so clumsy!"

Seeing that she was about to break through the defense, everyone advised her to stop.

Xu Jinyan pointed to the wood-chopping tool next to him and said, "Use this, it works well."

The so-called wood-splitting artifact is actually just a round iron frame with an upward-facing steel wedge fixed in the middle. A hammer is used to smash the wood into the wedge.

Mencius was willing to listen to advice.

Undeterred, Wang Yanlin picked up his long axe and continued chopping wood, while Zhao Liying went to help elsewhere.

Lin Gengxin and Xu Jinyan chose to help the disheartened Meng Ziyi regain her confidence.

"Bang bang bang"

Seeing Lin Gengxin demonstrate how a piece of firewood was fixed to a wedge and then slowly split, Meng Ziyi also tried it out.

She held the firewood steady with one hand and picked up a wooden mallet with the other.

"Bang"

"Aww!"

The hammer and chisel are on my hands!

Xu Jinyan and Lin Gengxin quickly lowered their heads, trembling all over, desperately trying to suppress their laughter.

Meng Ziyi was almost in tears! She looked at the two boys opposite her, seeking comfort and encouragement.

With a "pfft," it was Lin Gengxin.

"You're making fun of me!" Meng Ziyi said, feeling wronged.

"No, no," Lin Gengxin quickly shook his head, his expression serious. "I just remembered something happy—my wife gave birth."

Another "pfft" sound came from Xu Jinyan.

Seeing Meng Ziyi looking over, he pursed his lips and offered an explanation: "...My wife also gave birth."

"Pfft, hahaha..."

Lin Gengxin couldn't stand Xu Jinyan's words any longer, and ran away laughing.

Only Meng Ziyi, looking aggrieved, and Xu Jinyan, looking sincere, remained on the spot.