Chapter 118p1
The stage by the small square in the village was set up.
For the performance tomorrow night to go smoothly, after dinner, the babies and dads would have their first official rehearsal on stage.
During this nearly week-long filming period, the villagers had been very cooperative. Under the organization of the village committee, they lived their lives as usual, basically treating these outsiders as ordinary villagers, there were no gatherings or crowds, providing great convenience for the live broadcast.
However, setting up a stage in the village for an anti-fraud gala was a novelty. Even though the villagers remembered to maintain a normal mindset, their feet couldn’t help but wander towards the small square.
The village committee had to set up ropes, cordoning off the stage and the surrounding empty space. They even assigned someone to guard the entrance, only allowing the villagers participating in the rehearsal tonight and the program team staff to enter.
While Wei Chengli was waiting for the rope to be opened, Wei Maomao and Cheng Tingyan were much more agile, one ducking her head, the other bending down, they easily slipped under the low rope.
Wei Maomao, pulling Cheng Tingyan, walked around the stage, which was several steps higher than the ground, and said seriously, “Yan Yan, don’t walk to the edge of the stage, there are no railings, it’s not safe. Let’s just walk in the middle.”
Cheng Tingyan glanced at the serious, chubby face and smiled slightly, nodding in agreement.
But Wei Maomao never expected that just after taking a look around the stage, Wei Chengli, at the other end of the open space, would give her a “surprise.”
The evening breeze carried a sweet, buttery aroma.
Wei Maomao smelled the familiar scent before even getting close.
So…
Why…
Wei Maomao looked at the things in Shen Zilin, Wen Jiangyue, and Wen Dongyu’s hands, her eyes widened, her messy little head slowly turned to look at Wei Chengli.
Wei Chengli, beaming, didn’t even notice his little chubby dumpling’s expression, he just leaned closer to Wen Dongyu and said with a chuckle, “How is it? Delicious, right? It’s Maomao’s first time baking, and she did such a good job!”
“Super good!” Wen Dongyu said, stuffing the remaining half of the bunny cookie in his hand into his mouth, he gave Wei Maomao a thumbs up. “Boss, you’re the best!”
Wei Maomao: “… “
Handmade cookies wouldn’t taste good after being left overnight. They had only eaten half a baking tray before, they gave one plate to the staff in the courtyard, and Wei Chengli said he would eat the remaining plate himself? Ahhh, so how many people would end up eating these failed cookies!
“It’s a pity the program team was so stingy, they only gave us a little bit of ingredients. Just enough for you guys to try. Not enough for the dads.” Wei Chengli said, satisfied, rubbing Wen Dongyu’s head.
“Right… They gave us very little. We only made a small bowl of jelly.” Shen Zilin said with an awkward smile. “Dad and I each had a bite, and we finished it all, we didn’t even bring any for you guys… We’ll make more for you next time when we have more ingredients. But our jelly wasn’t as delicious as your cookies.”
“Forget about ours. The tapioca pearls we made… They dissolved in the milk tea, it turned into milk tea porridge. We won’t be able to make it next time either.” Wen Jiangyue said, touching the bunny cookie in her hand, she smiled awkwardly but politely.
“Hahaha, milk tea porridge!” Wen Dongyu said, laughing impolitely and slapping his leg, then pointed at Wen Xiang in the distance. “We didn’t make anything either. The steamed cake my dad made, it almost broke our teeth, it was so hard!”
“Right, Uncle Wei and Maomao are amazing.” Wen Jiangyue said, looking at the bunny cookie, she couldn’t bring herself to bite into it, but it smelled so good, and Uncle Wei said it wouldn’t taste as good tomorrow. After thinking for a moment, Wen Jiangyue closed her eyes and stuffed the entire bunny into her mouth.
Chew, chew, chew~~~
“It’s delicious~~~” Wen Jiangyue said, opening her eyes, her face full of wonder.
Wei Maomao: “… “ Okay, compared to milk tea porridge and hard steamed cake, these cookies weren’t that bad.
“Hehe, they all say it’s delicious.” Wei Chengli said, quickly reaching out, picking up the little chubby dumpling, and swaying her back and forth.
Wei Maomao pressed her hand against Wei Chengli’s face, her expression cold. “This baby, please be mindful of your role! Put your parent down!”
“Oh, still angry?” Wei Chengli whispered, leaning closer to the little chubby dumpling. “Didn’t you forgive me? Do you want me to ask Yan Yan to persuade you again?”
“Hmph.” Wei Maomao pressed her hand against Wei Chengli’s face twice, she wasn’t a baby who could be easily manipulated!
“How about it?” Wei Chengli asked with a smile.
“No need!” Wei Maomao said, struggling to get down, she pulled Cheng Tingyan and ran a few steps away.
This Wei Chengli, he was truly too evil.
Yan Yan was too kind, she didn’t want to make things difficult for her, and she was too embarrassed to refuse Wei Chengli. How could Wei Maomao watch Yan Yan suffer? She had already forgiven him so easily at home before. Hmph! Glaring at him, glaring at him, glaring at him!
Wei Chengli, looking at the angry little chubby dumpling a few steps away, chuckled. One thing conquers another, he understood!
The Cheng and Wang families arrived a bit later, but they soon entered as well.
Wei Chengli, as usual, gave Cheng Rongrong and Wang Zhizhi a cookie each.
The butter cookies truly smelled… very fragrant…
Cheng Rongrong, torn between her disgust for the baker and her desire to eat, shamelessly chose the latter, she stuffed the cookie into her mouth.
It tasted very fragrant too.
But soon, it wasn’t fragrant anymore.
A soft “crack” sound came from beside her, Cheng Rongrong, chewing on the cookie, turned her head and saw Wang Zhizhi breaking the cookie in his hand in half and giving one half to… Jiang Heye?
!
Why didn’t she think of that!
This scheming Wang Zhizhi! He was actually trying to win over Jiang Heye at every opportunity! She was furious!
Anger affected her taste buds, Cheng Rongrong swallowed the cookie, which had lost all its flavor.
“What, seeing others sharing, you realize it’s not as good eating alone?” Cheng Feiying asked, looking at Cheng Rongrong, whose eyes were glued to Wang Zhizhi. “It’s okay, Dad doesn’t want any.”
Cheng Rongrong: “… “ Why didn’t she realize Cheng Feiying was so good at assuming things before? What did it have to do with him? He didn’t even help make the mochi, and now he wanted to share a cookie!
Was this what they called “difficult times reveal a person’s true nature”? Before, when the house was full of snacks, there was a nanny to do the housework, they had enough money, and there were no conflicts, she truly thought Cheng Feiying was a good dad. Now… Hehe, she wanted to give him to Cheng Tingyan.
Speaking of Cheng Tingyan…
Cheng Rongrong looked at Wei Maomao and Cheng Tingyan in the distance, holding hands, walking around the edge of the stage, like two wanderers.
So annoying!
As more and more families arrived, the number of villagers watching from outside the rope cordon also increased.
Although it was just a rehearsal tonight, not the official performance, as long as it was lively, they loved watching.
And not just watching, they also loved commenting.
“What are they even acting? A pregnant woman, a child, a blind person, an elderly person… So many scammers asking for help. I’ve never encountered any of this.” A skinny old man, his neck craned, squinting at the stage where the rehearsal was taking place, said with disdain.
“Right, I’ve never encountered it either, there aren’t that many bad people.” A chubby old man chuckled. “They’re making things up. My wife is taking it quite seriously, she even wants to participate in the performance. I’ll see what she comes up with.”
“You old fool!”
A sharp voice rang out, a hand pushed aside a few old men gathered together and grabbed the chubby old man’s ear with precision.
“You’re supposed to be washing dishes at home, what are you doing here, blabbering!” Wang Guihua said, her grip tightening. “Good for you, saying you support me at home, then criticizing me outside!”
“Hey, you can talk, no need to pull his ear.” The skinny old man said, reaching out his hand in friendship. “Besides, he wasn’t wrong, what are they even acting? Where do these things even happen?”
Wang Guihua swatted the skinny old man’s hand away and sneered. “What, just because you haven’t encountered it, haven’t seen it, it doesn’t exist? Who are you? God? Is your little world the entire world? Instead of gossiping in the village all day, go and watch the news, open your eyes. Why don’t these scammers target you? Think about why, a sixty-year-old man, who would buy you? No one would even take you for free.”
The skinny old man: “How can you say that… Why wouldn’t anyone buy me?”
“What would they buy you for? To farm? With your strength, they might as well buy a cow. You can’t be sold whole, even your kidneys are too old for harvesting, which scammer would waste their time on you?” Wang Guihua said, she hated this guy the most, he was always idling around in the village, gossiping, even dragging her husband along, she naturally wouldn’t be polite to him.
“Guihua, Guihua, let go of my ear and talk.” The chubby old man said weakly.
“And you!” Wang Guihua tightened her grip. “What use are you! You said you would wash the dishes, and you ran off to watch the fun. It would have been better if I had asked you to deliver eggs! I had to run back and forth, my legs are sore! Do you think scammers would buy you and treat you like a king? Look at your fat, even if they sold you in pieces, your kidneys are too fatty!”
Hearing this, the surrounding villagers couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
A younger woman chuckled and stepped forward. “Auntie Guihua is right. Those scammers, they take such a big risk, they want to make money, who would waste their time on an old man? Those scammers who drug people and sell them, they usually target women and children, old men are hard to sell.”
“Right, old men are hard to sell, but I suggest you old men still watch, what if someone likes old kidneys, right? They mostly sell women and children, then young and strong men, for kidney harvesting. Look at them, pregnant women, children, blind people, elderly people, they’re all vulnerable groups, they encounter kind-hearted people like us, who are easily sympathetic towards the weak, they just ask for directions, invite them to a noodle shop for a bowl of noodles, walk them home… These seemingly small acts of kindness, we soften our hearts and help them. But then they’re dragged into a van in a secluded area or an underground parking lot, kidnapped from a shady shop, walking them home is basically delivering them to their doorstep…” Wang Guihua said, then suddenly covered her mouth, embarrassed. “Oh my, I just heard them say these things, I can’t stop talking, I’ve already spoiled the show, I won’t say anymore, I’m late, I have to go in.”
The surrounding villagers chuckled and made way for Wang Guihua to enter the cordoned area.
Wang Guihua took two steps, then couldn’t help but turn back and glance at the younger woman who had agreed with her earlier, her gaze sweeping over the faces of a few other young women. “One more thing, I’ve learned something from listening to them rehearsing these past two days. No matter what happens, protecting yourself is the priority, then call the police. Don’t try to handle it yourself just because it seems like a small matter, sometimes it’s truly not possible. Just call the police.”
“Good!”
A voice from the crowd of villagers shouted “Good!”, then applause erupted. From scattered claps to a thunderous roar, someone even shouted, “Auntie, good luck with your performance! You’re the best!”
Wang Guihua blushed and hurried away.
After she left, the chubby old man, rubbing his ear, grumbled, he huddled with the skinny old man again and complained.
“What’s there to see? This won’t happen to us.”
“Right, saying we’re too old to be sold, why are they showing us this, wasting our time.”
“Helping people is wrong? If they act like this, who would dare to help others in the future? Wouldn’t this discourage people from doing good deeds? It’s ridiculous, does this even make sense?”
…
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