Chapter 38
“Xiao Wei, aren’t you tired grinding so fast?” Wen Qiming, who had just finished his turn, leaned back in his bamboo chair, his face flushed and slightly breathless. He fanned himself with his straw hat, looking at Wei Chengli, who was pushing the stone mill so fast it almost took flight. “These physical tasks really require young blood, I’m too old for this.”
“Don’t say that, Brother Wen, your age is perfect. You have the knowledge and the experience, we still have much to learn from you,” Cheng Feiying chimed in, then turned to Wei Chengli with a smile. “Xiao Wei, you’re really pushing yourself, how are you so driven every day?”
Wen Qiming waved his hand at Cheng Feiying. “No, no, this old man concedes defeat, you can excuse me from the next two rounds.” Then he called out to Wei Chengli, “Xiao Wei, keep it up, I’m rooting for you!”
Wei Chengli, his hands gripping the lever, bent over, gritting his teeth and pushing the stone mill with determined steps, making it spin rapidly. He didn’t have the breath to speak, only managing a quick smile as a response. However, perhaps because he was exerting himself so much, the forced smile appeared somewhat ferocious.
“Pfft…” Shen Jianghe, who was drinking water, happened to see Wei Chengli’s smile and spat out the water, wiping his mouth hastily. “Director Wei, stop smiling, it’s a bit creepy!”
“Good job, Director Wei, you’re aiming for first place in this round. There are two more rounds, let’s have a good competition!” Wang Qingchuan, seeing that Wei Chengli was about to grind more beans than him in the first round, regretted holding back during his turn. But they had to grind the beans for three rounds, and the total amount from all three rounds determined the final score, so he could still catch up.
As they were talking, Wei Chengli’s turn ended.
“Hey, I’m not doing this for competition.” Wei Chengli hurried to the side, grabbed the water offered by the staff, and gulped it down. After finishing half the bottle and catching his breath, he continued, “It’s all because of the little ancestor at home, I need to earn more Daddy Coins to appease her.”
“For yesterday’s mush at noon, or for the ginger feast last night?” Shen Jianghe teased.
“For the egg yolk this morning.” Wei Chengli smiled wryly.
When the egg yolk had fallen onto the little chubby foot this morning, Wei Chengli immediately picked it up and used tissues to wipe her foot repeatedly. He saw the little chubby dumpling puffing up with anger, then suddenly calming down, just because he… coaxed her by saying her foot smelled good?
Wei Chengli could still clearly recall how the little balloon of anger had deflated instantly after he said those words. She had even looked down at her feet with an adorable, hesitant expression and asked, “Really good?”
At that time, he was also caught up in the moment and had leaned down, taking a deep breath of her foot and declaring, “Really good!”
And that was how the egg yolk incident was over? The little rascal wasn’t angry at all anymore.
Honestly, Wei Chengli, who had plenty of experience in coaxing children, didn’t believe it one bit.
He thought carefully, although the little rascal was very vain, how could she forgive him so easily just because of his exaggerated performance? Definitely! She was plotting something!
Coincidentally, this morning’s bean grinding task rewarded Daddy Coins. He had to earn more before the little rascal could carry out her evil plan, to appease her!
The other dads were unaware of Wei Chengli’s struggles.
Just as Shen Jianghe was curiously inquiring about the egg yolk story, Wang Qingchuan turned to the person who had been rather quiet all day and said, “Wen Xiang, you’re next, do you want to stretch and prepare?”
Wen Xiang listlessly moved his limbs, his movements completely different from what Wang Qingchuan had taught them earlier.
The weather was good this morning. Shi Dingshan didn’t stay in the monitoring room but wandered out and squatted outside the mill where the dads were doing their task, along with a group of staff.
However, he hadn’t been squatting there for long, only watching Wen Qiming and Wei Chengli grind the beans for the first round, before Wen Xiang’s turn, when Zeng Huanian gestured for him to come aside.
“What’s wrong?” Shi Dingshan stood on the ridge between the fields, habitually reaching into his pocket, only to find it empty. He then remembered that he had quit smoking. Things that were good for his health were really troublesome to keep up with. Shi Dingshan rubbed his empty pocket impatiently.
Zeng Huanian didn’t notice Shi Dingshan’s small gesture. He was frowning, scrolling through his phone screen, and then handed the phone to Shi Dingshan. “Director Shi, Wen Xiang’s fans are getting more and more agitated.”
Shi Dingshan took the phone, glanced at it, scoffed, and shoved it back into Zeng Huanian’s hand.
“Director Shi, take a good look, it’s not just Weibo and forums, they’re even spamming these comments in the live broadcast room now.” Zeng Huanian anxiously handed the phone back, trying to make Shi Dingshan take a closer look.
This time, Shi Dingshan didn’t take it, he just clasped his hands behind his back, gazing at the distant fields and said nonchalantly, “Fans, they’re all like this, they can’t stand seeing their idol portrayed in a bad light. This is a live broadcast show, the contracts are signed, the people are here, how can we stop filming just because they think we’re making Wen Xiang look bad?”
“Of course we can’t stop filming. What I mean is, shouldn’t we add some segments to make Wen Xiang and Wen Dongyu reconcile quickly, after all, this is a parenting reality show, right…” Zeng Huanian said cautiously.
“Reconcile? Didn’t they already stop arguing last night?” Shi Dingshan lowered his head and stepped on the soft soil beneath his feet. “Live broadcast is like this, without editing, it’s much more real. As for the fans, they’ll accept reality if they watch enough.”
“…” Zeng Huanian frowned, his grip on the phone tightening. Finally, he couldn’t help but glance around, making sure no one was paying attention to them, and asked in a low voice, “Director Shi, is this Jin Youliang’s suggestion?”
Shi Dingshan turned and looked at Zeng Huanian, momentarily puzzled by his question.
In that brief pause, Zeng Huanian had already filled in the blanks with his own assumptions.
“Director Shi, do you remember when you asked each assistant director to submit a program proposal? You told me personally that Jin Youliang’s proposal was too opportunistic, focused on marketing and creating personas, prioritizing hype over reputation, not a sustainable approach. Why are you accepting his suggestions now…” Zeng Huanian’s voice was a mixture of confusion, regret, and anxiety.
However, before Zeng Huanian could finish his sentence, Shi Dingshan interrupted him with a laugh.
“Hahaha, you think this development with the Wen family is based on Jin Youliang’s suggestion?” Shi Dingshan shook his head and chuckled.
“Isn’t it? Then it’s… Director Shi, you…” As fellow assistant directors, Zeng Huanian dared to speak frankly about Jin Youliang’s flaws, but he wouldn’t directly question Shi Dingshan.
“Didn’t I just say it? Live broadcast without editing is much more real. Some problems don’t need our guidance, if they exist, they will be seen.” Shi Dingshan’s laughter subsided. “Wen Xiang’s fans are making such a fuss, saying that our show is smearing their idol. Do they really think so? Or do they know where the problem lies but are unwilling to face it?”
“That’s true, but we are a parenting reality show after all. Even if there are conflicts between parents and children, we should help and guide them. We can set up some interactive tasks for them to cooperate or introduce some heartwarming segments…” Zeng Huanian rambled on.
“Haven’t we always been doing parent-child interactions in our show?” Shi Dingshan waved his hand dismissively. “You also said, we’re just a variety show, we don’t have the responsibility to fix their lives. Since we’re using live broadcast, what I want to capture is reality. As for where reality ultimately leads, that’s up to them.”
“But what about Wen Xiang’s fans…” Zeng Huanian looked at the comments on his phone, accusing the program team of deliberately encouraging Wen Dongyu’s rebelliousness and driving a wedge between Wen Xiang and his son, feeling at a loss.
Looking at the earnest Zeng Huanian, Shi Dingshan finally sighed helplessly. “Actually, we don’t have to pay attention to them, they can’t affect our filming. If you’re really worried and uncomfortable, just have someone spread some seemingly true rumors, like saying that the program team is considering consulting with a psychologist to help the guests further establish good family relationships.”
“That’s right, I was looking through the information from the second season earlier, and it seems the program team did have contact with a child psychologist named Qian. But I didn’t see that part when I watched the second season, was that expert working behind the scenes? Are we going to hire her again this time?” Zeng Huanian’s frown eased, his voice filled with excitement.
“…” Shi Dingshan laughed in exasperation and patted Zeng Huanian’s shoulder. “Xiao Zeng, you’re meticulous, hardworking, and eager to learn, everything is good, but there’s one thing you really can’t compare to Jin Youliang.”
Zeng Huanian froze.
“You’re… too kind.” Shi Dingshan shook his head, chuckling. “What I just said was ‘seemingly true rumors.’ In other words, fake news, just to appease them for now, who will bother verifying it after the hype dies down? I also said before, we’re just making a variety show, not fixing their lives. Even if, even if, do you really think what they need is a child psychologist?”
Zeng Huanian struggled. “But, Director Shi, you filmed the second season so well, every family had so much fun, from the beginning to the end, their parent-child relationships improved a lot… Why this time…”
“People’s thoughts change.” Shi Dingshan rubbed his head, shaking off the fleeting thought of his own family troubles. “This is your first time filming a reality show, and you didn’t work on the second season. What you saw was all edited content. Let me be honest with you, what did you think of Zhao Tong’s family last season? Tell me what you saw their father and daughter relationship was like.”
Zeng Huanian thought for a moment and said, “Zhao Tong was very sensible, the most well-behaved child last season, just a bit timid, maybe. She liked to cling to her dad, asking him about everything before daring to do anything. Zhao Jianbing was very patient with her, he never got annoyed no matter what she asked, he was willing to explain everything to her in detail, he was considered the most patient dad last season. Later, when the moms came for those two days, Zhao Tong’s mom seemed quite nice too, just a bit particular about cleanliness. She reprimanded Zhao Tong a couple of times because of the placement of something or something like that. But Zhao Tong’s mom taught her properly, she wasn’t harsh, and Zhao Tong also learned from her mistakes. Besides that small incident, their family was always happy.”
“Just like that?” Shi Dingshan asked.
Zeng Huanian nodded, a smile appearing on his face. “Every family was quite good last season. I liked Zhao Tong’s family a lot, I wonder if she’s less timid now. At the beginning, when the dads and babies were doing tasks separately, it was quite funny seeing Zhao Tong crying and going to her dad to ask if she could do the task before actually doing it.”
“Funny?” Shi Dingshan scoffed lightly. “Zhao Tong is indeed timid, that’s because both her parents are control freaks. What she should and shouldn’t do, whether the basin should be placed on the first or second shelf, whether the towel should be hung folded or unfolded, how many pieces of meat she could eat before she wasn’t allowed to eat anymore… They have a lot of rules at home. What you saw was Zhao Tong relying on her dad, clinging to her dad, but in reality, it’s because she had been reprimanded so much at home that she was afraid, it’s better to ask first and then do it. You saw Zhao Jianbing explaining everything in detail, that was his first time explaining that matter, after that, Zhao Tong had to follow that rule. And what you saw, the part where Zhao Tong’s mom came and got angry wasn’t just a small incident. It’s just that the editing cut out the intense, unseen part in the middle, directly jumping from the beginning of the argument to the reconciliation.”
“But… but… I saw they had a good attitude, they spoke so calmly…” Zeng Huanian felt his head buzzing.
“Yes, the edited version you saw is indeed like that. But in reality, besides that one time, they seemed quite normal throughout the show. But have you heard of conditioned reflex? As long as the parenting at home is done well, you can get a child who acts according to the rules through conditioned reflex.” Shi Dingshan felt suffocated as he spoke, reaching into his pocket, only to remember again… that he had quit smoking. He could only sigh heavily and continued, “You should know from looking at the information from the second season, right? Zhao Tong has an older sister who is four years older than her.”
Zeng Huanian, who was already feeling uneasy, nodded numbly. “Yes, the information mentioned that she was also supposed to come with her mother for those two days, but she didn’t because she was too busy with her studies.”
“She held a knife to her wrist and said she didn’t want to participate in this hypocritical show of filial piety with her parents.” Shi Dingshan dug through his empty pocket irritably, then looked up at Zeng Huanian. “Do you have a cigarette?”
“Ah?” Zeng Huanian was stunned for a moment, then shook his head. “No, I don’t smoke.”
Shi Dingshan took a deep breath, pretending to inhale. “I heard that the two daughters’ rooms in their house don’t have door locks. It’s not that they can’t be locked, it’s that the locks were removed. Two round holes, they usually close the door with a wooden clip and stuff a cloth in the gap to block the wind. When the children are inside, they would even secretly remove the cloth and peek through the lock hole to see what the children are doing, whether they are studying diligently or playing.”
“… Fuck.” Zeng Huanian cursed.
“Anyway, home is a private space. If you’re being mistreated at work, you can at least speak up. But once the problem occurs at home, becomes a family matter, behind closed doors, how can anyone interfere? We’re only filming a reality show for a dozen days, can those deeply ingrained issues be resolved with a few segments and a bit of emotional manipulation?” Shi Dingshan took a deep breath, looking at the distant mountains, his voice becoming distant. “The child psychologist you mentioned is named Qian Mu, I contacted her privately, it had nothing to do with the filming of the second season. It was probably a misunderstanding by the staff who compiled the information back then.”
“Was she hired for Zhao Tong… no, for her sister? But wasn’t the problem…” Zeng Huanian mumbled.
“Do you think they would be willing to take their daughter, who held a knife to her wrist, to see a psychologist, or would they go see one themselves?” Shi Dingshan scoffed.
“So the second season, all that happiness, that fulfillment, was all… edited?” Zeng Huanian was feeling unwell, he genuinely thought the second season was fantastic, that’s why he had begged the station to let him participate in the filming of the third season.
“What else? Does every family want to air their dirty laundry?” Shi Dingshan chuckled.
Zeng Huanian thought for a moment, still feeling something was wrong. “Then why is the third season like this if the second season was so successful? Adding two families at the last minute, changing so many segments, and even doing live broadcast… It really wasn’t Jin Youliang…”
“Xiao Zeng, you’ve also read Jin Youliang’s proposal, what he wants to do is ‘create,’ create conflicts, create topics, create hype. But what do you think this is now?” Shi Dingshan narrowed his eyes.
Zeng Huanian hesitated for a moment, then tentatively said, “It’s… real?”
Shi Dingshan nodded in satisfaction. “Yes, what I want is real. Real people, real events, truly opening the doors to their homes.”
“But…” Zeng Huanian felt it made sense, but it also seemed wrong.
“No buts… They are all adults, don’t they know what they’re doing? Since they think they’re right, we’ll just watch.” Shi Dingshan turned and looked at the distant mill.
He also wanted to see what the real parent-child relationships in other families were actually like.
“Hey… Director Shi, Director Shi.” Seeing Shi Dingshan turn to leave, Zeng Huanian hurriedly chased after him for two steps, stammering, “Did Zhao Tong’s family, did they take their children to see a psychologist in the end?”
“Qian Mu is a famous child psychologist. She also has a husband who is an even more famous adult psychologist.” Shi Dingshan paused, then his voice lowered as if he was talking to himself. “Back then, I still knew that the problem had to be addressed with the adults. Heh, I knew it back then…”
With that, Shi Dingshan shook his head and walked away.
Zeng Huanian felt that Shi Dingshan was in a bad state, but he didn’t dare to ask further. After all, there were rumors among the staff these days that Shi Dingshan was going through a divorce.
By the time Shi Dingshan squatted back down by the mill, Wen Xiang had just finished grinding his first batch of beans.
Wen Xiang, who was already fair-skinned and slender, was now covered in a thin layer of sweat after all that physical labor, his skin flushed with a faint pink tinge, clearly showing how much effort he had put in.
He was quite pleasing to the eye, no wonder he had so many fans. Shi Dingshan smacked his lips twice, but his gaze fell on someone else.
They had truly chosen good candidates this season. Wen Xiang’s little tantrum was nothing compared to the hidden depths of certain people.
Unbeknownst to Shi Dingshan, Wen Xiang’s fans were bombarding the program team with criticism.
***
Zhou Wanning sat on the sofa, hugging her knees, watching as lines of comments condemning the program team popped up on her computer screen. She sighed deeply. Wen Xiang’s manager had said that there was no need to restrain the fans, they wanted the program team to see their opinions and remind Wen Xiang, whom they couldn’t contact, and they wanted the public to see their opinions and whitewash Wen Xiang’s outburst last night.
But… she really felt it was inappropriate. Whether it was allowing the fans to attack the program team, or…
Zhou Wanning turned her head. On the sofa next to her were Wen Dongyu’s beloved plane and fire-breathing dragon. In fact… Zhou Wanning’s gaze shifted slightly, there were more in the open storage box next to the sofa.
These had all been returned yesterday. Zhou Wanning’s face had been red all day while receiving them. Initially, it was because her son had embarrassed his parents, neighbors, friends, and even herself on the show. But as she continued to receive these things, filling up almost an entire storage box, Zhou Wanning’s face burned more for herself and Wen Xiang.
How… had they given away so many things? She didn’t even remember seeing some of them at home…
It seemed… they had indeed gone too far… a little.
Zhou Wanning hadn’t slept well last night, worried about her son and her husband.
Wen Xiang had always been naive and sweet, and Wen Dongyu had completely inherited his father’s traits. In the past, the two of them were carefree at home, bickering like two children, neither willing to yield when their tempers flared. But their reconciliation was also childlike. They could be arguing passionately one moment, and when she came back from getting a glass of water, they would be playing together again.
But this time, it seemed different.
Zhou Wanning knew that Wen Xiang’s words about lending the toys last night were said in anger, a slip of the tongue. But Wen Dongyu didn’t know that, he was still a child… How sad he must have felt after hearing those words.
But Wen Xiang didn’t try to appease his son that night, and even after getting up this morning, completing the task, bringing back the ingredients, and making breakfast, he still didn’t try to appease him… Zhou Wanning had a headache watching it. She had hoped to convey a message to the program team… but they referred her to the contract… no contact allowed.
The manager said the fans were also angry, and this was a good opportunity to use their pressure, she had no other choice but to agree.
But she still felt…
Zhou Wanning scrolled through the comments, feeling increasingly uneasy. She grabbed her phone and called Wen Xiang’s manager again.
There were quite a few people who hadn’t slept well last night.
Back in the village, the dads were summoned to grind beans, while the babies, having finished breakfast, were gathered by the staff at the village entrance, ready to head to the convenience store together. A new day began with spending money.
The babies arrived one after another, then gathered… yawning.
Were they really that sleepy? Wei Maomao, infected by their drowsiness, yawned as well, her puzzled gaze flitting between the three sources of contagion.
Wen Jiangyue rubbed her eyes, her curious gaze also falling on the other two.
“Where are your Baby Coins?” Wang Zhizhi glanced at Wen Dongyu’s empty waist, then quickly scanned Cheng Tingyan’s small suitcase. They had clearly put their coins away separately last night, were they already close enough to combine them this morning?
“Didn’t bring them.” Wen Dongyu yawned repeatedly, sleepy.
Wang Zhizhi was puzzled. “Didn’t you say you wanted to eat lollipops, shrimp crackers, and buy beef jerky with us yesterday?”
“…” Wen Dongyu turned his head away, pretending to yawn a few times to conceal his reddening eyes. “Not eating today.”
Wei Maomao glanced at Wen Dongyu, recalling how he had come to their house this morning but wouldn’t let them get his Baby Coins for him. Her gaze lingered on his increasingly red eyes, then she turned to Wang Zhizhi. “Were you guys called into the little dark room separately yesterday?”
The topic change was a bit abrupt, but clearly, the children didn’t notice.
Soon, they compared their individual interview questions and discovered that they had all been asked the same thing the first night: simple questions about their feelings about being on the show and about their dads raising them alone.
As they chatted, the redness around Wen Dongyu’s eyes gradually faded.
Perhaps stimulated by the conversation, Wen Dongyu stopped yawning, and Wang Zhizhi also yawned less frequently. Only Wen Jiangyue remained…
“Wen Jiangyue, did you not sleep well?” Cheng Tingyan, noticing that Wei Maomao had been glancing at Wen Jiangyue repeatedly, finally couldn’t help but ask.
“Mmm…” Wen Jiangyue smiled sheepishly.
“What’s wrong?” Wei Maomao yawned along with Wen Jiangyue, involuntarily moving closer to Cheng Tingyan. This side was too contagious.
“Yesterday, when we were using the cards, Dad asked me to memorize a Song dynasty poem every day, starting today. Last night, he said, why not start from last night, and I…” Wen Jiangyue glanced at Wei Maomao and said shyly, “I said, Dad, teach me to read the Analects. In the Analects, it says, ‘Zi Xia said, “Give due weight to kinship and to beauty. Exert yourself fully in serving your parents. Give your life in serving your lord. Be true to your word in dealing with your friends. Even if someone said such a person had not learned, I would insist that they had.”’”
Wei Maomao: ??? What are you looking at me for, your dad is the one who taught you that.
“I don’t understand, but it sounds impressive.” Wen Dongyu said blankly.
“It’s just, I told Dad that what you usually teach me is to keep my promises. I usually don’t dare to talk to Dad like that. But Maomao was so amazing yesterday, I also wanted to try using ‘Daddy said.’” Wen Jiangyue’s face gradually turned red. “It’s the first time I used ‘Daddy said’ like that, and I couldn’t sleep last night after saying it, I kept thinking about it.”
Wei Maomao: … Understood, the first time a cultured person throws their dad under the bus, they’re not used to it.
“After using it a few more times, you’ll be able to sleep.” Wei Maomao offered encouraging words.
Wen Jiangyue: “…”
“Why aren’t Cheng Rongrong and Shen Zilin here yet? The convenience store is about to open.” Wang Zhizhi looked towards the distant convenience store, where staff members were already standing by the door. “Don’t business people usually arrive on time?”
“Do you want to eat popcorn again today?” Cheng Tingyan asked the little chubby bunny.
Before Wei Maomao could answer, she heard the sound of hurried footsteps behind her, and in the next second, it seemed like many people were shouting.
What were they shouting?
Something… open?
The sudden change happened in just two seconds.
Just as Wei Maomao was about to turn around, she felt a heavy blow to the back of her knees, forcing her to kneel down involuntarily.
The little chubby dumpling struggled to turn her head, her eyes meeting…
A…
Pig?
The babies had all been facing the direction of the convenience store, the footsteps and shouts from behind had come too suddenly. By the time they reacted, Wei Maomao had already been knocked to her knees by the pig.
It was a pink piglet, chubby, not very big, staring at the kneeling chubby Maomao. They even… looked kind of matching, quite funny.
Normally, such a small pig wouldn’t be scary.
But the problem was…
“Pig! The pig is eating people!” Wen Dongyu, seeing the piglet take Wei Maomao’s left foot in its mouth, shouted in shock.
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