Chapter 6: Mei Ying, Please Be More Mindful

Huo Hongming was panting heavily, finally giving up and tossing the whole sheep onto the ground.
“A man can’t admit to being weak, don’t you know that?”
Le Xi thought: Oh, look at that, he’s triggered. Seems like he really is weak.
Le Xi was carrying a bucket in one hand filled with neatly butchered cuts of lamb. She didn’t even bother to set the bucket down. With her other hand, she effortlessly hoisted the whole gutted sheep that Huo Hongming had just thrown aside onto her shoulder, and turned to the dumbfounded Huo Hongming.
“Watch carefully. This is what strength really looks like.”
She strode ahead, leaving Huo Hongming far behind.
Once again, Huo Hongming could only marvel: Is she really a woman?
“Hey, give it to me, let me carry it.”
He simply couldn’t accept being called weak. Yet every time Le Xi handed it over, he’d be gasping for breath after just a few steps, needing a ten-minute break for every five steps he took.
[Hahaha, Huo Hongming, you really are weak. Just admit it already.]
[He’s not only bad at this, but he still wants to save face.]
[Is this Le Xi really that wealthy lady from a rich family? She’s as strong as an ox. Maybe she wasn’t the lady of the house after all, maybe she was the housekeeper. But even a housekeeper isn’t usually this strong. It’s terrifying.]
[Exactly! Could it be her husband isn’t even from a real wealthy family? A rich lady shouldn’t even be able to open a bottle cap.]
Le Xi and Huo Hongming were the last group to arrive at the parking area. At first, the others were a bit disgruntled, hunger gnawing at them—they just wanted to get to town, sell their goods, and buy something to eat.
But when they saw Le Xi and Huo Hongming carrying the freshly butchered lamb, especially the one Huo Hongming held, still dripping blood from its hooves, everyone was first shocked: So much meat.
Then came the disgust: How filthy.
And finally, the sense of unfairness, especially from Gu Xiaomo, who also intended to sell her sheep but lost her composure entirely.
“How come you guys got help butchering your sheep? Why didn’t anyone tell me? Where did you get it done? My sheep needs butchering too!”
Le Xi thought: The act is slipping. Seems I praised her acting skills too soon; she still needs more practice.
Le Xi replied,
“There is someone who knows how to butcher sheep, but there’s no one here to help others with it.”
This is a competition—helping others? What are you thinking?
“What do you mean by that?”
Gu Linghao turned to Huo Hongming,
“Hongming, you know how to butcher a sheep?”
Huo Hongming, wearing a “don’t ask me” expression, climbed into the car. The fact that not a single woman here was weaker than him was already humiliating enough.
Le Xi answered,
“It’s me.”
Everyone gasped in amazement. Gu Xiaomo was unconvinced.
“That’s impossible. How could you know how? I’m your best friend—if you knew how to do this, I’d know. Xi Xi, we have to be honest. You can’t just fake things to build a persona.”
Le Xi scoffed,
“You don’t even know I can butcher a sheep? Please, stop calling yourself my best friend. We do have to be honest, so don’t just try to create a fake on-screen partnership with me just because it’s popular now.”
“You—”
Gu Xiaomo, angry as she was, still refused to believe it.
When they reached the town, everyone scattered to find a spot to sell their goods.
Huo Hongming said,
“Let’s go to the supermarket entrance; there’s a lot of foot traffic there.”
Le Xi ignored him. She noticed a pork stall with only a little meat on display, but complete with a loudspeaker, cutting board, and slicer. She walked over.
Huo Hongming called out,
“What are you doing? You’re not thinking of selling lamb to a pork vendor, are you? Don’t even think about it, I’m telling you.”
Le Xi couldn’t be bothered,
“Boss, I’ll give you two jin of lamb. Can I use your spot and your tools to sell the rest? You don’t have to do anything, just let me borrow your space and equipment.”
The reason Le Xi had split one sheep and kept the other whole was that a whole carcass looked fresher, and the knives given by the production team were useless—her hands almost gave out after butchering just one sheep.
A butcher can tell at a glance if meat is fresh. A sniff, a look at the color, and they know if it’s good or not.
As long as it’s not questionable meat, there’s no problem.
Business was slow at the moment, so the pork seller figured it was better to get two jin of lamb to eat than let the spot go unused.
A jin of lamb cost forty yuan; two jin would be eighty.
Most importantly, the pork stall owner noticed the cameras.
“You’re filming a show? Will I be on TV?”
Le Xi replied,
“This is a live broadcast. Right now, you’re being watched by countless viewers online.”
“Deal, deal!”
Who doesn’t have a dream of stardom? If the shop was featured on the show, it would become an internet-famous spot. Only a fool would refuse.
Le Xi beckoned to Huo Hongming,
“Bring your lamb over.”
[This boss is just begging for attention—look how happy he is.]
[Le Xi is clever, but her commanding tone is really grating.]

Le Xi and Huo Hongming hung up the whole sheep, arranged the cut meat, then took down the loudspeaker and thrust it toward Huo Hongming’s mouth, telling him to repeat after her,
“Freshly slaughtered lamb, only twenty-five per jin, lamb bones only thirty-five per jin, lamb…”
Huo Hongming protested,
“Why me? Wouldn’t a woman’s voice attract more customers?”
“For most things, maybe, but when it comes to fresh slaughter, most people think that’s a man’s job. If a woman’s voice calls out, they’ll assume it’s from cold storage, not freshly butchered.”
Le Xi continued,
“You’re a professional actor. With lines this short, you should be able to memorize them after one listen. Now give it some strength and say it loud.”
Huo Hongming squirmed, thinking it was too embarrassing for a professional actor to hawk meat.
Unexpectedly, the pork stall owner was eager to help,
“I can do it! I’m not a professional actor, but my voice is powerful from years of butchering pigs.”
Having been bested in both strength and profession, Huo Hongming couldn’t stand it anymore.
“I’ll do it! We’re a team.”
Le Xi pressed the record button: Afraid of comparisons, huh? Now she understood.
“Isn’t that Mei Ying? Cui Meiying, I’m your fan!”
Cui Meiying hadn’t even found a place to sell her flowers yet, but suddenly the crowd surged toward her—thick-necked, big-bellied middle-aged men, as if the show had called in a bunch of stooges.
As soon as Cui Meiying nodded,
“I’ll buy! I’ll buy! How many do you have? I’ll take them all. If I buy some, can I take a photo with you?”
She agreed, and the queue immediately blocked the whole market road.
[My goodness, Meiying’s fans are all the same—well-off middle-aged men, every last one of them.]
[A bouquet of nine flowers for a hundred yuan is expensive for ordinary people, but for fans? What a deal! A hundred yuan gets you flowers and a photo with your goddess? Those big spenders online who send virtual gifts and don’t even get their names read must be crying in the bathroom.]
[Meiying, stop smiling and be careful. Look at those restless hands. They’re not here for the flowers…]
The appeal of freshly slaughtered meat was undeniable, and on top of that, it was cheaper than the stuff from cold storage.
Le Xi’s business was booming; she sold out completely in just a few hours.
She counted the money: a total of one thousand eight hundred and twenty-five yuan.
As soon as she finished, Huo Hongming’s hand reached over,
“I’m starving. Let’s go have a feast.”