"At this rate, the money we make from selling these oranges won’t even cover a single meal," Gu Ye crouched down, eyeing the oranges in Jiang Mo’s basket—she had picked far more than him.
"Your idea of a meal’s cost could probably buy half this orchard," Jiang Mo retorted. Before chatting with her roommates, she had actually looked up the current market price for oranges online, and let’s just say it was disappointingly low.
She pulled out a plump, round orange from her basket, peeled it, and handed half to Gu Ye. Taking a bite herself, her eyes lit up. "Mmm, this is really good. So sweet."
"Is it that good?" Gu Ye skeptically tried the piece she offered. It was juicy, with no trace of sourness—decent, at best.
Wearing a straw hat, he lingered under the tree, dragging his feet to extend his break.
Spotting Gu Baotian approaching from a distance, he quickly stood up and resumed picking.
"Is this all you’ve picked? Didn’t eat enough for breakfast?" Gu Baotian inspected their haul, shooting Gu Ye a disapproving look.
Well, he hadn’t eaten much that morning.
"Grandpa," Gu Ye said, "I’m a city boy who’s never lifted a finger at home, let alone held a broom. This is my first time doing manual labor—I’d say I’m doing pretty well."
Gu Baotian paused. The kid had grown up spoiled, barely doing any chores.
He clasped his hands behind his back. "At least you’re self-aware. You’re out of shape—more of this work would do you good."
"Grandpa, you’re just watching us work. Aren’t you gonna pitch in?" Gu Ye adjusted his hat, which was blocking his view.
Jiang Mo listened nearby, thinking Gu Ye was pushing his luck. The old man was nearly eighty—what if he got hurt?
Gu Baotian tsked. "I’m old and frail, and you’re asking me to work? What a filial grandson you are."
"Old? You’re not old at all! This is the age to keep thriving," Gu Ye said, sidestepping away from his grandfather.
Then he went for the kill. "Besides, I’ve seen you still have plenty of energy—getting cozy with others and all."
As the saying goes, play with fire, and you’ll get burned.
Jiang Mo wanted to intervene, but it was too late.
Gu Baotian lunged forward, chasing Gu Ye through the orchard.
"Come here, you little brat!" echoed among the trees.
Once the two had worn themselves out, Jiang Mo hurried to mediate. "Grandpa Gu, have some water. Take a seat." She fetched a small stool for him.
Gu Ye had vanished. Gu Baotian took a sip of water and grumbled, "That boy’s nothing but trouble. Why did I have to end up with three grandsons?"
Su Yunjin, far away in Jiangcheng and unintentionally dragged into this: She would’ve loved a sweet, gentle granddaughter. Blame your son for not delivering.
Jiang Mo tactfully avoided agreeing and changed the subject. "Grandpa Gu, these oranges are delicious, by the way."
"After we pick them, will buyers come to collect them?"
"Haven’t found any yet. This year’s harvest is too abundant, and the middlemen are offering peanuts," Gu Baotian said. "Earlier, I sent a photo to Grandma Wang. She posted it online, hoping to attract buyers."
"And then this rascal had to go and stir the pot."
People usually spread rumors about their enemies—not their own grandfather.
Oranges weren’t selling for much, and the elderly were reluctant to spend money hiring help to pick them, so they mostly did the work themselves. Gu Baotian figured he had two free laborers at hand—perfect for getting the job done. So, he dragged the two of them along.
After a busy morning, Wang Cuifen prepared a lavish lunch and warmly invited everyone to eat at her home. There was freshly slaughtered goose, cured pork, pickled fish, and more.
Jiang Mo was starving by then. As she ate, she whispered to Gu Ye, "Eat up. We’ve got more work to do this afternoon."
Gu Ye nodded while shoveling rice into his mouth. "You eat up too."
Now that they were in the countryside, there was no room for fussiness. They had to fill their stomachs properly—after all, there was no takeout to order if they got hungry later.
When you eat someone’s food, you owe them effort.
Slacking off wasn’t an option.
After lunch, they headed back to the orchard. Once the baskets were nearly full of oranges, they had to carry them out and load them onto the electric tricycle parked outside, which would then transport the fruit back home.
Gu Ye hoisted a basket onto his back and let out a grunt.
Jiang Mo teased, "Hey, big guy, you okay? You seem a little weak there."
A man could never admit to weakness.
Gu Ye forced a smile. "Of course I’m fine."
Just wait till I get back and hit the gym—I’ll train until I have a twelve-pack to blind you with.
When Gu Ye returned with the empty basket, Jiang Mo updated him on the orchard situation and shared her idea.
"I was thinking—maybe we could help sell the fruit online? It’s pretty trendy now, with lots of people promoting their own orchard produce."
"Sure, that’s easy," Gu Ye said, waving his phone. "I’ll just post a video on Douyin and add a purchase link."
Jiang Mo knew Gu Ye had a massive following, and his fans had strong purchasing power. Plus, fruit wasn’t expensive—anyone could afford it.
"But selling orchard fruit… doesn’t really match your image."
What top influencer casually drops links to sell fruit? His rivals would probably mock him behind his back for it.
And if his fans found out it was her idea, they’d tear her apart online.
"Also, would your agent even allow it? If anything goes wrong, I’m worried it’ll spark backlash and hurt your reputation."
"I have a Douyin account—how about I livestream and help sell them through mine?"
Gu Ye raised an eyebrow. "What’s your account? Do you even have followers?"
Jiang Mo pulled up the food account she’d previously managed for Chef Li. Over time, it had gained nearly 200,000 followers and even earned some ad revenue, which she’d shared with him.
Gu Ye recognized it immediately—the people, the setting—it was all filmed at his place.
"Wow, Jiang Mo, you’ve really made yourself at home in my house, huh?"
Jiang Mo could only grin sheepishly. Good content shouldn’t go to waste.
When she pitched her idea to Gu Baotian, he was all for it.
"That’s what they call ‘new brains work better’—you’ve got the right idea."
Wang Cuifen was thrilled to have someone help sell the oranges. Since she wasn’t tech-savvy, she immediately called her son, daughter-in-law, and school-going granddaughter—who were all working or studying elsewhere—and asked them to come home and assist.
They wasted no time. After researching online sales data and discussing prices with Wang Cuifen, they rode to Taohua Town to check shipping rates at a few courier stations, eventually negotiating a deal.
"So… should we give it a shot? I’m not sure how well online sales will go," Jiang Mo admitted, feeling a little uncertain herself.
Gu Baotian reassured her, "Don't worry, let's give it a try. Even if we can't sell them, it’s no big deal."
Once everything was ready, Jiang Mo wasted no time and set up a simple live-streaming booth right in the orchard.
Early the next morning, she went live.
Jiang Mo didn’t allow Gu Ye to show his face in the stream, so he had no choice but to wander around outside.
Gu Baotian found his pacing annoying and shooed him away. "Go on, get out of here."
Gu Ye thought to himself: I’m not some stray dog—why is everyone chasing me off?
Though he couldn’t appear on camera, he could still help boost sales and increase the livestream’s popularity.
Gu Ye made a grand entrance into the stream, gifting a "Carnival" (a high-value virtual gift) and placing an order for ten boxes of oranges.
Thanks to him, fans quickly caught wind of it, and the livestream’s engagement skyrocketed. A flood of "Little Wild Grasses" poured in.
"Little Wild Grasses" was the name of Gu Ye’s fanbase, symbolizing resilience and vitality, much like wild grass.
Seeing that their idol had bought oranges from this seller, the fans eagerly followed suit, placing orders one after another.
In just over an hour, the entire stock of oranges sold out.
When Gu Baotian heard the news, he praised, "That’s amazing! You really know how to get things done."
Jiang Mo didn’t dare take all the credit. "It’s mostly thanks to Gu Ye—his influence is huge, and his fans bought a lot."
"Alright, my good grandson, you’re impressive too," Gu Baotian conceded.
The follow-up tasks—packaging, shipping, and customer service—were left to Wang Cuifen’s family to handle.
After calculating the orchard’s total sales, they amounted to around thirty thousand yuan.
As a token of gratitude, Wang Cuifen’s family specially brought homemade braised meat, sausages, and a bag of oranges for the Gu family.
After two busy days, Jiang Mo and Gu Ye finally had a chance to sleep in.
Even Gu Baotian didn’t crack his whip early in the morning to wake them up.
Once well-rested, Jiang Mo started a thorough cleaning of the house—dusting, mopping, and changing the bedsheets—to prepare for the arrival of the Gu family the next day.
Meanwhile, in the Gu household in Jiangcheng...
Li Daming had just returned from a business trip with Gu Guofeng. After chatting with Wang Xia for a while, he realized something was off.
"Where’s Jiang Mo? I haven’t seen her around."
"Jiang Mo? She and the second young master went ahead to the old man’s place," Wang Xia explained. "Tomorrow’s Qingming Festival, after all."
Both of them were familiar with the Gu family’s holiday traditions and sometimes joined the trip to the countryside.
Sure enough, that evening, Wang Xia helped Su Yunjin pack her luggage.
With a face mask on, Su Yunjin spoke up, "Wang Ma, come with us to the countryside tomorrow."
"Of course, Madam," Wang Xia agreed readily. With the entire Gu family heading back, she worried Jiang Mo might struggle to handle everything alone.
The next morning, Li Daming drove one car with Gu Guofeng, his wife, and Wang Xia inside.
Gu Xun drove another, and Gu Xuan swiftly climbed into his eldest brother’s car.
There was a noticeable age gap between Gu Xun and Gu Xuan.
Coupled with Gu Xun’s often serious demeanor, Gu Xuan naturally felt closer to his second brother, Gu Ye.
Gu Xun glanced at his younger brother. "What’s the occasion? You never usually ride with me."
"Well, second brother isn’t here," Gu Xuan replied bluntly, his childish honesty striking like an arrow.
Compared to being stuck in the same car as his parents, riding with his eldest brother was the better option—at least he could quietly play mobile games.
"Buckle up," Gu Xun reminded him before starting the car.
The Qingming rain drizzles down without end...
A poem from over a thousand years ago still resonated across time, bearing witness to the turning of seasons.
Outside, a fine mist of rain began to fall.
The highway was packed with people rushing home for the holidays. Traffic moved slowly, and the two cars that had set out in the morning didn’t arrive until after noon.
Though Gu Baotian didn’t say anything, he had paced near the courtyard gate several times already that day.
As soon as the two cars pulled in, filling the small rural yard, the quiet countryside home immediately buzzed with life.
Wang Xia and Li Daming carried their luggage upstairs. Wang Xia asked, “Did you get everything done like I asked?”
“Leave it to me—I’ve got it all handled,” Jiang Mo patted her chest confidently.
Wang Xia inspected the rooms and bathroom. “Hmm, not bad.”
Noticing both her parents had arrived, Jiang Mo asked, “Li Zheng’s coming home for Qingming break, but no one’s there. What’s he gonna do?”
“I told him to stay with your aunt, but he refused. Said he’d rather be alone at home. I let him be—it’s not like he’ll starve.”
Poor kid. With the college entrance exams just around the corner, he’s already stuck at school most of the time, and now he’s coming home to an empty house.
Jiang Mo sent her little brother a hefty red envelope.
Li Zheng instantly popped up in the chat: Sis, are my eyes deceiving me? Did you strike it rich? Or win the lottery? Since when do you send out red envelopes this big?
Jiang Mo: Let’s just say your big sis is officially employed now. This amount? Pocket change.
Li Zheng replied with a tearful, kneeling emoji, clutching an imaginary leg. “Sis, you’re my one and only. I pledge my eternal loyalty—your humble servant forever.”
Jiang Mo was thoroughly pleased. “Since none of us are home for the break, order whatever food you want. Just don’t stay up too late gaming.”
With a thousand-yuan red pocket secured, Li Zheng would’ve agreed to anything she said. If she farted, he’d probably call it perfume.
“Got it, sis. So where are you and Mom and Dad right now?”
“We’re in the countryside near Jiangling,” Jiang Mo added, “You’ve got two months left. Once you’re back at school, hit the books hard. Give it everything you’ve got.”
Li Zheng fired back with a pumped-up emoji: Full speed ahead!
The family didn’t pressure him too much—just do your best. Luckily, the kid had a good head on his shoulders, and his grades were decent.
After wrapping up the chat, Jiang Mo spotted Gu Xun heading upstairs, phone pressed to his ear as he discussed work.
He looked a little more worn out than usual, with a few fresh pimples dotting his face—but still undeniably handsome.
Work spares no one, not even the boss.
After a moment’s thought, Jiang Mo used the coffee machine Wang Xia had brought to brew a cup for Gu Xun, then carried it to his room.
“Boss Gu, made you some coffee. Brought from home,” she clarified, in case he assumed it was instant.
An important partnership deal was in progress, and his entire team had been burning the midnight oil, fueled by caffeine.
“Thanks,” Gu Xun said, surprised she’d noticed.
“No problem. But you should rest more—you don’t look so great. You’ve got a few breakouts too. I’ve got some acne cream if you want to try it?”
Gu Xun usually didn’t fuss over his appearance, but at her mention, he reflexively asked, “Breakouts? Where?”
“Right here.” Jiang Mo’s hand moved faster than her brain.
By the time she realized what she’d done, her finger had already poked his cheek.
Oh no. Oh no no no.
Stupid hand! Did you just touch Boss Gu’s face?!
She swore it was just habit—nothing more.
She definitely wasn’t harassing him.
Gu Xun noticed every little gesture and expression she made.
But after muttering, “I won’t disturb you anymore, please go ahead,” she dashed off.
He glanced at the mirror in his room—sure enough, a few prominent pimples had sprouted on his right cheek.
“Sis, did you do something guilty?” Gu Xuan, who was playing a game in the living room, spotted Jiang Mo sneaking downstairs.
“Not at all,” Jiang Mo replied calmly. “You’re still stuck on this game? Why haven’t you progressed further?”
Gu Xuan shook his head. “This game is seriously hard. You wouldn’t get it if you haven’t played.”
Jiang Mo sat beside him. “Give me your phone.”
“Fine, fine, try it yourself.”
A short while later, she handed the phone back, strutting away with her chin held high. “If you suck, just practice more.”
