Chapter 54
Wei Chengli felt that today was a day to tread carefully, after all, this new day began with being kicked twice by the little stinky dumpling…
Such a tiny little thing, but with such a strong morning grumpiness.
“Get up and wash your face, brush your teeth.” Wei Chengli swatted the little chubby foot that had kicked him, then deftly dodged the third wave of attacks. He then saw the little stinky dumpling, as if she hadn’t heard anything, burrowing deeper into the blanket with her eyes closed.
Wei Chengli grabbed the chubby foot that hadn’t fully retreated into the blanket and tried to drag the little chubby dumpling out. He suddenly missed Cheng Tingyan. Sigh, why didn’t she come over this morning…
Of course, Wei Chengli wasn’t the only one pondering this question.
Under Wei Chengli’s persistence, Wei Maomao finally opened her eyes and was reunited with this cruel world.
As expected, a night’s sleep hadn’t solved any problems!
Yawn, yawn, yawn after yawn…
From the moment Wei Maomao opened her eyes, to washing up and heading out, to arriving at the village square, the gathering spot for breakfast, the yawning didn’t stop.
Poor Wei Chengli, who had slept well last night and was full of energy this morning, his vigor was instantly drained the moment the little stinky dumpling woke up.
“Baby, you went to bed so early yesterday, why are you yawning so much?” Wei Chengli, unable to resist being infected by her yawns, wiped the tears from the corner of his eyes after yawning and asked suspiciously, “Don’t tell me you were pretending to sleep again yesterday?”
Wei Maomao, leaning on Wei Chengli’s shoulder, yawned listlessly, ignoring his unfriendly accusation.
How could she say she was pretending to sleep? She was just trying hard to fall asleep and ignored him. Thankfully, she had tried very hard yesterday, otherwise, she would be yawning twice as much now!
Today’s breakfast was kindly provided by the program team, the gathering spot was still the village square.
Because it was quite difficult to wake up the little chubby dumpling this morning, Wei Chengli rushed to arrive on time. Although they weren’t late, they were the last of the six families to arrive.
When they reached the square, Wei Chengli realized that the yawns he had been infected with along the way were no big deal. Because in this square, the contagious yawns from those who hadn’t slept well were far more numerous than on the road.
Cheng Tingyan, Shen Zilin, Wei Chengli instinctively looked at those two first upon arriving, and as a result, they were instantly infected with two yawns. Then Wang Qingchuan and Wen Xiang…
“Baby, it seems you’re not the only one who didn’t sleep well.” Wei Chengli lowered his voice and bounced the little chubby dumpling in his arms.
In the next second, he was rewarded with a chubby paw pressing on his face and a cute little yawn.
Wei Maomao secretly glanced at Cheng Tingyan and Shen Zilin. She had decided to applaud and support Cheng Tingyan’s new friendship, to be a generous old friend. But seeing them so sleepy, she couldn’t help but wonder if they had played until very late last night.
Ah, this wasn’t good, not good.
Wei Maomao shook her head.
Thankfully, the host appeared in time, diverting Wei Maomao’s attention.
Following the host, two staff members carried a large board onto the stage.
The board was divided into six sections, each section, based on the visible words, corresponding to a family.
Wei Maomao saw her and Wei Chengli’s names written on the board, with a piece of paper that looked like it could be torn off behind each name.
Okay, it seemed there was free breakfast, but probably not on this show.
The host greeted them with a good morning, rubbed his hands together, and quickly got to the point. “Yesterday afternoon, our dads and babies worked together to complete the relay race. Last night, we asked the dads and babies to rate each other’s performance during the relay race. The highest score is five stars, the lowest is one star. Last night, our staff forgot to mention, this rating is directly related to our breakfast today.”
The host paused, a meaningful, mysterious smile appearing on his face.
Okay, whether it was forgotten or intentional, everyone knew…
“Baby, how many stars did you give me?” Wei Chengli gently poked the little chubby dumpling’s waist.
She was sitting upright, staring at the board, ignoring him.
Hmph, hmph, Wei Chengli, thinking about the five stars he had given her without hesitation, proudly straightened his back.
The host didn’t pause for long, just giving the cameramen time to capture close-ups, then reached for the board.
He touched it, but didn’t immediately tear off the paper. He just pretended to do it, then waved his hand, signaling the staff to bring out the food.
Four staff members pushed carts forward. The host opened the lids, introducing the food one by one. “This time, we’ve prepared four types of breakfast based on the ratings. This B set is the Chinese breakfast we prepared the most of, it includes preserved egg and lean meat congee, youtiao, steamed buns, and soy milk. The C set is a bit simpler than the B set, it’s plain congee, steamed buns, and youtiao. The D set is the simplest, but it’s still filling, it’s boiled water and steamed buns. So, what’s our most luxurious A set…”
The host paused, looking at the families below, then dramatically lifted the lid of the last cart. “Our A set is a combination of Chinese and Western breakfast, not only does it include everything from the Chinese breakfast B set, but it also has hamburgers, sunny-side-up eggs, a mini cake platter, and a rich meat platter! Look at these roasted chicken legs, fried bacon, fried prawns, and mini sausages, aren’t they adorable!”
To let everyone have a clearer look, the host even pushed the fourth cart quickly in front of each family before covering it again and returning to the board.
“Okay, the food will get cold if we leave it out for too long, so without further ado, let’s reveal the family that will receive our B set breakfast!” The host reached out, this time it wasn’t a feint, he quickly tore off the papers behind three families. “The Wen Qiming family, Wen Qiming received five stars, Wen Jiangyue received four stars, a total of nine stars. The Shen Jianghe family, Shen Jianghe received four stars, Shen Zilin received five stars, a total of nine stars. The Cheng Feiying family, both of your daughters gave you five stars, Cheng Rongrong received five stars, Cheng Tingyan received three stars, averaging nine stars. Congratulations to these three families, you’ll receive our Chinese breakfast B set!”
With a wave of the host’s hand, three food carts stopped in front of these three families.
But at this point, did it even matter what they ate… Of course not!
“Daddy, why did I get four stars?” Wen Jiangyue looked at her star rating on the board in disbelief. “Did I do something wrong yesterday?”
“Yueyue, you did very well yesterday. But Daddy thinks, getting full marks will make you complacent, one less star is to give you more room for improvement…” Wen Qiming rubbed his nose awkwardly, he really didn’t expect the program team to make such a big deal out of it, announcing it publicly and even ranking the breakfast sets.
He wasn’t lying, that was what he had genuinely thought when he gave the rating yesterday. But now, looking at the five stars next to his own name, his explanation, although reasonable, seemed a bit weak.
Wen Jiangyue: …
While some dads felt guilty, some dads were completely unapologetic.
“Explain to me, how did I get four stars?” Shen Jianghe pressed down on Shen Zilin’s shoulders, his voice heavy.
Shen Zilin answered without hesitation, “You didn’t do well at the ‘Transportation’ and ‘Oil’ stages yesterday, so I deducted one star.”
“You made me eat natto and stinky tofu at the ‘Food’ stage, changed the colors several times at the ‘Housing’ stage, kept missing the target at the ‘Transportation’ stage, and shelled peanuts so slowly at the ‘Oil’ stage… I still gave you five stars.” Shen Jianghe lowered his voice. “My friend, sometimes you have to know the situation, when to be fair internally, and when to be united against external forces, you have to see clearly.”
Shen Zilin: …
Compared to the Wen and Shen families, where there were questions, explanations, and even teachings, the Cheng family was silent.
No one asked why, no one offered any explanation, the three of them didn’t even exchange glances.
But even if they didn’t speak, there were plenty of people in the live broadcast room who wanted to speak for them.
“Is Cheng Feiying brain-dead! How could he even give Yan Yan three stars? Just him… If it weren’t for Yan Yan, he would have died from exhaustion moving water jars at the ‘Firewood’ stage!”
“I’m dying of laughter, Yan Yan worked so hard, he gave her three stars, what did Cheng Rongrong do to deserve five stars?”
“Is it possible that he gave them three stars and five stars respectively because at the ‘Clothing’ stage, Yan Yan stopped carrying silkworms after twenty, while Rongrong kept going until the end?”
“??? Is this rating based on just one stage? It’s supposed to be based on the entire relay race! And the silkworms in both basins finished the mulberry leaves at about the same time! I wanted to say this yesterday, many of the tasks were easier at the beginning and harder at the end, Cheng Rongrong usually volunteered to do the first half, if she gets five stars, Yan Yan deserves ten stars!”
“Yes, like at the ‘Housing’ stage, those who went in first could memorize the larger areas of color, and at the ‘Firewood’ stage, if it was a regular searching task, those who went in first would definitely find more things faster. Yan Yan never asked to go first, it was always arranged by them, then she silently cleaned up the mess.”
“And ‘Transportation’! The more tired Cheng Feiying got, the worse his temper became. If it weren’t for CEO Mao figuring out the pattern, and Yan Yan’s skills, not missing a single target, I think Cheng Feiying would have definitely yelled at Yan Yan!”
“Our Yan Yan, she’s truly so kind, even after Cheng Feiying was so fierce yesterday, she still gave him five stars… Sigh, really.”
“Yan Yan is truly a good girl! My poor little Yan Yan, she must be very sad now, she gave her dad five stars, but he only gave her three… And! He gave her sister five stars! This favoritism is too much!”
“Those who said Cheng Feiying treats both daughters equally, even favors Yan Yan, open your eyes and see clearly. Verbal favoritism is nothing, the mushrooms in the pot, his darkened face, the stars on the board, that’s the harsh reality!”
…
This harsh reality, Cheng Rongrong also felt it keenly.
Last night, the dads and babies were separated for their individual interviews and ratings. She had a feeling it might not go well, but she couldn’t find an opportunity to leave. After the interview, she went back and asked, and well… five stars for her, three stars for Cheng Tingyan. Cheng Rongrong truly didn’t understand what Cheng Feiying was thinking, didn’t they agree to favor Cheng Tingyan on the show to highlight her selfishness and indifference? How come it fell apart after less than two days? Was this the legendary uncontrollable middle-aged man?
Thankfully, Cheng Tingyan had refused to continue carrying silkworms at the “Clothing” stage yesterday, giving him an excuse to deduct two stars. But would she be so lucky next time?
No one knew, all three were silent, Cheng Feiying was indifferent, Cheng Tingyan didn’t care, but Cheng Rongrong was already racking her brains.
“Now, let’s see which family will receive our C set breakfast…” After the families below finished their brief discussions, the host continued, reaching for the board again. “Congratulations to the Wen Dongyu family, Wen Xiang received four stars, Wen Dongyu received three stars, a total of seven stars, you’ll receive our plain congee, steamed buns, and youtiao C set!”
Wen Xiang glanced at Wen Dongyu, who was squatting on the ground, quietly holding the pig, his head down.
“Cough.” Wen Xiang cleared his throat. “The C set seems to have a lot of food, I’ll give some to your pig later.”
Wen Dongyu: …
Wen Xiang rubbed his temples in frustration.
If he had known this would happen, he would have at least given him four stars.
And… he hadn’t expected that after arguing several times yesterday, his son still gave him four stars, this was truly…
Wen Xiang’s awkwardness, regret, and helplessness were so obvious that the viewers in the live broadcast room couldn’t help but sigh.
“I’ve noticed that the babies this season are truly forgiving, Cheng Feiying was about to explode during the tasks, and Yan Yan and Rongrong still gave him five stars. Wen Xiang too, he forfeited at the ‘Food’ stage, rested several times at the ‘Transportation’ and ‘Oil’ stages, and Dongdong still gave him four stars. But Dongdong only got three stars… Poor Dongdong.”
“Mmm… Actually, Dongdong, with his pig, is quite a burden, his three stars are more realistic than Yan Yan’s three stars. Yan Yan’s was truly undeserved.”
“Wen Xiang must be regretting it, Dongdong gave him four stars. He only gave Dongdong three stars, and even argued with him late at night…”
“Hahaha, honestly, Wen Xiang might regret giving him three stars. But I don’t think he regrets arguing with him late at night. After all, who can stand sleeping in the same room with a pig that keeps farting!”
“We have to thank Director Wei for this, that pot of green bean stew wasn’t cooked in vain, hahaha!”
“Now that four families have received the B and C sets, the remaining two will get either A or D, right? I think I already know who will get the luxurious A set!”
“It’s not hard to guess, after getting one Baby Coin yesterday, Wang Zhizhi slacked off for the rest of the day, doing the tasks half-heartedly, even Wang Qingchuan couldn’t motivate him, how could he possibly give him five stars?”
“Indeed, it’s obvious. Ever since the host mentioned that breakfast would be based on the ratings, Director Wei’s back has been straight, it’s like he’s written ‘I gave five stars, I’m awesome!’ on his face, hahaha…”
“It seems CEO Mao is quite satisfied with Director Wei helping her chase after Yan Yan yesterday, she actually gave him five stars!”
“Hahaha, the person above, why ‘actually’? Although Director Wei’s cooking skills are terrible and he’s the king of exploiting his baby, he worked hard and cooperated during the relay race yesterday, five stars, he deserves it!”
“Ah, I want to shout to Wen Xiang, the pig farts you’re smelling come from this five-star dad, hahahahaha!”
…
“Now we have the A set and the D set left. Let’s see who will receive the A set… Congratulations to the Wei Maomao family, both Daddy and Baby received five stars, a total of ten stars! You’ll receive our luxurious A set!” The host led the applause, then quickly continued, “And the family receiving our D set, with many steamed buns to fill you up… is the Wang Zhizhi family, Wang Qingchuan received one star, Wang Zhizhi received three stars, a total of four stars. Alright, breakfast has been assigned, all dads and babies, eat well!”
The host spoke the last few sentences quickly, not even daring to look in the Wang family’s direction. After finishing, he quickly left the stage.
Wang Zhizhi, looking at the large plate of steamed buns on the cart, picked one up and started eating.
Wang Qingchuan, however, sneered. “You were the one who didn’t do the tasks properly yesterday, and you have the nerve to give me one star?”
“I did them properly.” Wang Zhizhi, taking a bite and discovering it was a meat bun, ate even more happily.
“Where did you do them properly? Besides the first task, which task did you do properly? In the end, we only got one stamp, opened one mystery box, and it was clothes for the pig.” Wang Qingchuan, looking at his nonchalant son, couldn’t help but complain.
“Oh, then what do you think the mystery box should have contained?” Wang Zhizhi felt the bun in his mouth becoming less tasty, he scoffed. “A gift for your daughter?”
Wang Qingchuan frowned. “What do you mean ‘your daughter,’ that’s your sister.”
“Whatever. I don’t need the mystery box anyway.” Wang Zhizhi finished the bun in a few bites, before it became even less tasty.
Just doing one task was enough, he earned one Baby Coin and used it to repay Maomao for the popcorn earlier. As for the eight Baby Coins he had to borrow from the program team to buy the iced drink for his dad, he would slowly repay them later when there were tasks that didn’t involve mystery boxes.
Unlike the tense atmosphere at the Wang family’s table, the Wei family was filled with bubbles of happiness. Of course, the bubbles all came from Wei Chengli.
A cart full of luxurious breakfast was right in front of him, but Wei Chengli’s heart and eyes were only for his adorable chubby baby.
“My little baby gave me five stars, Daddy didn’t spoil you for nothing.”
“You’re so cute, last night, when you came back after the rating, you looked so cool, I thought you gave me one star, I didn’t even dare to ask, I didn’t expect you to give me five stars, hehe.”
“I must have been awesome yesterday, otherwise, you wouldn’t have given me five stars, right?”
“Baby, are you too shy to praise me directly… Mmm mmm… Cough, cough…”
Wei Chengli pulled out the steamed bun the little chubby dumpling had stuffed into his mouth, chuckling foolishly. “Baby, you eat too, no need to pick food for Daddy. Daddy is already full from your five stars!”
“Daddy.” Wei Maomao couldn’t stand it anymore after being praised for so long. She pointed at the board that hadn’t been taken away yet. “Stop talking, or I’ll take one of the stars down!”
Wei Chengli: …
In the Western breakfast A set, there was a platter of eight mini cakes, two each of mango, strawberry, chocolate, and cheese flavors.
Wei Maomao gave Wei Chengli a chocolate one, then took the plate with the remaining seven, planning to give one to each of the other babies.
Actually, she mainly wanted to give one to Yan Yan.
So Wei Maomao went to the Cheng family first, giving Yan Yan a mango one and Cheng Rongrong a chocolate one. She didn’t know why, but despite it being a normal, friendly gesture, Wei Maomao didn’t dare to look at Cheng Tingyan.
Then she went to the Shen family, giving Shen Zilin a cheese one. Looking at Shen Zilin, she suddenly felt a bit angry. It wasn’t like she was secretly going out to play with a new friend, why didn’t she dare to look at Yan Yan earlier! Wei Maomao decided to make up for those missed glances by staring at Shen Zilin!
“Mmm… Can I have a mango one?” Shen Zilin didn’t take the cheese cake, pointing at the remaining mango one on the plate, a bit embarrassed.
“… “ Wei Maomao was stunned, she put the cheese cake back and gave him the mango one.
Okay, okay, you new friends also have the same taste!
After distributing all the cakes, Wei Maomao hadn’t even eaten her own breakfast yet, but she already felt full!
“Baby, eat this sausage, it’s delicious.” Wei Chengli, seeing the little chubby dumpling return with a puffed-up face, seemingly unhappy, picked up a mini sausage and put it in her bowl.
“Hmph.” Wei Maomao put down the cake plate, picked up the sausage, and took a big bite.
Splat…
Cheng Tingyan, who had just arrived, looked at the sausage juice splattered on her dress and fell silent.
“Ah… That, juicy sausage, juicy sausage… Wipe it, here’s some tissue, quickly wipe it off.” Wei Chengli hurriedly handed a stack of tissues to Cheng Tingyan, then took a few more and nudged the dumbfounded little chubby dumpling. “Quickly, go and help Yan Yan wipe it off.”
Wei Maomao took the sausage out of her mouth and mumbled, “I’m sorry, Yan Yan…”
“It’s okay.” Cheng Tingyan glanced at the sausage, still intact, just with a row of tiny teeth marks, it was actually… quite cute.
Wei Maomao: …
“Ah, Yan Yan, you came just in time, do you want some meat? Or some cake? I still have a chocolate one.” Wei Chengli switched to host mode, he was truly… anxious about the little chubby dumpling’s awkwardness.
Cheng Tingyan shook her head, picked up a mango cake, placed it on the cake plate, and looked at Wei Maomao. “You eat this.”
Wei Maomao: …
“Yan Yan, you don’t like mango cake? Then how about this chocolate one? Or the cheese one…” Wei Chengli secretly poked the little chubby dumpling’s waist.
“I’ll have this cheese one.” Cheng Tingyan reached for it, but her hand was grabbed by a chubby paw.
“You don’t like mango cake?” Wei Maomao didn’t understand, she should love it! Did tastes change so quickly?!
“… “ Cheng Tingyan pursed her lips, facing the seemingly insistent little chubby bunny, she still couldn’t lie. “You seemed, like you also wanted to eat it… earlier?”
“I?” Wei Maomao was stunned.
“Mmm.” Cheng Tingyan nodded, her face slightly flushed. “I saw you hesitate when you gave it to Shen Zilin, I felt like you also wanted to eat it.”
Wei Maomao released her hand. Sigh… Yan Yan was still so kind, not abandoning the old for the new, she really should reflect on herself.
“Are you unhappy?” Cheng Tingyan didn’t understand the little chubby bunny, who seemed to be getting more and more dejected.
“Yan Yan is giving you her favorite cake, smile for her.” Wei Chengli was anxious for the little wooden dumpling. For friends, if you don’t get closer, they’ll drift away. She already had a new friend, if she didn’t put in more effort, what would be left of their friendship?
“No…” Cheng Tingyan hurriedly waved her hand.
“Thank you, Yan Yan.” Wei Maomao smiled.
Wei Maomao thought she had smiled well, but her forced smile made Wei Chengli shiver.
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