Chapter 30
The Baby Coin digging field wasn’t far from the village entrance. After walking back for a short while, the convenience store, stocked with a variety of delicious treats, appeared before the children.
However, at this moment, the convenience store held no allure for them…
After opening the treasure boxes and dividing the items, Wen Dongyu had eagerly asked Yang Ning if they could go to the convenience store and exchange for snacks on their way back.
But the convenience store had strict business hours: 9 am to 5 pm. Even though the “shopkeeper” was right there, there were no exceptions.
Wei Maomao sighed softly, looking at the approaching convenience store. For a convenience store, it had a more regular schedule than the average worker.
“Why are you sighing, Maomao?” Wen Jiangyue reached out and stroked the little chubby girl’s head. Her soft hair made her squint her eyes with pleasure, she felt like a cat at her grandmother’s house.
Cheng Tingyan, walking on Wei Maomao’s other side, tilted her head slightly, glancing at Wen Jiangyue’s hand, which was stroking Maomao’s hair repeatedly. She had only lightly touched that soft bunny fur once before… Cheng Tingyan pursed her lips, restraining herself from looking again. Her other hand, which wasn’t holding the little chubby paw, slowly clenched.
“The convenience store is closed.” Wei Maomao pointed at the locked store, now very close, answering Wen Jiangyue.
“We can go tomorrow morning.” Wen Jiangyue offered comfort, then rubbed the little chubby girl’s head again. After a pause, she said, “Maomao, can I give you my ‘Daddy’s Kiss Card’ too?”
Wei Maomao turned to her in confusion.
Wen Jiang yue smiled shyly. “I’m five and a half years old now, I’m a big girl, I’d be embarrassed if Daddy kissed me. You’re only three, still a baby, can you be kissed by your daddy one more time?”
Wei Maomao: “But…”
“I know, you said that even when babies grow up, they are still Daddy’s little babies and can be kissed.” Wen Jiangyue interrupted. “But I’m really embarrassed, my daddy hasn’t kissed me for a very, very long time.”
Wei Maomao: “Wait…”
“Please help me, Maomao…” Wen Jiangyue gently tugged at Wei Maomao’s hand, pleading softly.
“I wanted to say…” Wei Maomao pressed her hand over Wen Jiangyue’s hand, which was reaching for the card. “You don’t have to use the ‘Daddy’s Kiss Card’ even if you have it. I’m not using mine.”
???
Wen Jiangyue, who had been taking out the card while walking, stopped abruptly.
“You can do that?” Wen Jiangyue asked in shock.
“We can choose whether to use the things we dug up.” Cheng Tingyan said softly.
Wei Maomao happily swung their clasped hands, as expected of the friend she had gotten along so well with in her previous life, even at six years old, they were on the same wavelength.
Wen Jiangyue pondered for a moment, realizing there was nothing wrong with it, and her face brightened.
This was how the world worked, some were happy, some were worried. Wei Maomao and Cheng Tingyan’s simple words cleared the clouds for Wen Jiangyue but made Shi Dingshan so angry he almost fell out of his chair.
“Maomao is really…” In the village, Shi Dingshan leaned back heavily, his gaze fixed on the screen displaying Wei Maomao’s second camera feed. He said, both exasperated and amused, “How can she stir things up wherever she goes? Now that she’s said that, haven’t I wasted my effort arranging those cards?”
“Director Shi, did you want to say she’s like a…” The staff member beside him laughed.
But before she could finish her sentence, Shi Dingshan quickly interrupted, “You can’t say that about a little baby! Even if she likes to stir things up, she’s still a cute little baby!”
The staff member quickly agreed, but couldn’t help but complain inwardly about Shi Dingshan’s mood swings lately.
Not only had his emotions been erratic recently, but the show’s content was also constantly changing at his whims. That convenience store… It was almost time for filming, and they only had a few days to set up, stock the goods, and get everything ready. And those Daddy Coins and Baby Coins, just choosing the designs and finding a place to mint them was enough to keep people working around the clock. After they were made, they still had to bury them…
It would have been fine if they had followed the normal procedures, but these were all Shi Dingshan’s last-minute ideas. With such tight deadlines, it took double the effort.
Compared to those painstakingly created things, the few “Daddy’s Kiss Cards” that Wei Maomao had just rendered useless were nothing.
Unfortunately, this was just wishful thinking on the part of the staff, Shi Dingshan didn’t see it that way.
As for Yang Ning, after all the unexpected twists and turns at the treasure hunt location, seeing the closed convenience store approaching, she thought that all she had to do was bring these little ancestors here and she could clock out and eat. Thinking of this, she couldn’t help but smile with relief.
But her happiness was short-lived.
Listening to the voice coming through her earpiece, her smile vanished, and her brows furrowed, her head suddenly felt twice as heavy.
Secretly working her jaw, Yang Ning turned to face the children, wearing a professional, kind smile. No one knew that at this moment, she was silently praying that Maomao wouldn’t start with “My daddy says…” and throw her off course again.
“Everyone, stop here, babies, stop here, look over here, look at Sister Yang Yang.” Yang Ning stopped, and when the children gathered around, she pointed at the convenience store behind her. “We’ve said before, the convenience store is open from 9 am to 5 pm, during this time, you can all come and exchange your Baby Coins for things.”
Yang Ning looked at the children, their gazes were filled with innocent confusion, as if asking why she was repeating this…
“But the prerequisite for exchanging is that you have enough Baby Coins, right?” Yang Ning, who had been questioned too many times by the little ones, carefully laid the groundwork, then continued kindly, “Now, we have a new task where you can earn Baby Coins.”
“I want to do the task!” Wen Dongyu was the first to show his support, rushing forward with his hand raised high.
Yang Ning smiled with relief, but she didn’t dare to relax, quickly continuing, “This task is open to any little baby who has the ‘Daddy’s Kiss Card’ that you dug up earlier. The task is to use the ‘Daddy’s Kiss Card’ before our dinner starts at 6:30 pm, and you can earn fifty Baby Coins! You can get a kiss from Daddy and earn more Baby Coins, isn’t that great!”
“That’s great!” Wen Dongyu took out his card, holding it up and waving it excitedly. “I have one! I can get fifty Baby Coins!”
Yang Ning observed that apart from the overly excited Wen Dongyu, the other children had lukewarm reactions, especially Wei Maomao… Did she just twitch the corner of her mouth? She couldn’t be dissatisfied, could she… Yang Ning felt a bit uneasy, after all, she had only told them the good part!
Of course, Wei Maomao was dissatisfied. Just after telling Wen Jiangyue that they didn’t have to use the cards, the program team gave them a reason to use them… Wei Maomao didn’t even have to think, this was most likely Shi Dingshan’s doing.
“But, Daddy’s kiss isn’t so easy to get~~” Yang Ning braced herself, trying to sound lively, interesting, and kind while reading the prompt from her earpiece. “Love is mutual, it requires giving from both sides. Before you use the card on your dads, they will ask you for a small favor. Only if you agree to do it and let Daddy feel your love can you use the ‘Daddy’s Kiss Card,’ get a kiss from Daddy, and finally get the reward of fifty Baby Coins~~”
Silence… Quiet… Even Wen Dongyu sensed the strange atmosphere, looking left and right, and lowered his raised arm.
Yang Ning: “…”
Well, she had said her piece, it was time to clock out~~~
Shi Dingshan, watching the little ones through the screen, his gaze fixed on Wei Maomao, who was no longer as happy as before, couldn’t help but smile. “Hmph, little one, you have your brilliant plan, and I have my ladder to climb over the wall.”
The happy worker clocked out, leaving behind the frowning little ones.
“Why aren’t you happy? Fifty Baby Coins! I only have ten! If I have fifty more, I’ll have a lot! I can eat lollipops, shrimp crackers, and buy beef jerky with you…” Wen Dongyu muttered, swaying in front of the others.
Shen Zilin, relaxed because he didn’t have a Daddy Card, laughed at Wen Dongyu’s silliness. “To get the Baby Coins, you have to agree to your dad’s request first. What if your dad asks you to never ask him to get back your airplane and Charizard again?”
“Ah?” Wen Dongyu’s jaw dropped, his happiness vanished.
Fifty Baby Coins, or his Charizard… Wen Dongyu frowned, conflicted.
“Maybe your dad won’t ask that, let’s go back and see.” Wen Jiangyue, feeling a bit sorry for him, tried to console him.
“We exchanged ten Baby Coins for your card, it’s fifty now.” Wei Maomao said to Wen Jiangyue.
“That was supposed to be yours anyway, we agreed to split everything we find fifty-fifty.” Wen Jiangyue clutched her coin purse protectively and moved away from Wei Maomao.
Wei Maomao: “…” A deal was a deal, but she had given up on sharing when she saw it was a Daddy Card, and later, she had only exchanged for one as an act of kindness.
Forget it… She would figure it out later, it was impossible to keep track so precisely anyway.
“Then, are you going to use the card on your dads?” Wang Zhizhi suddenly spoke.
“I’ll think about it.” Wen Dongyu was conflicted.
“I’ll think about it too.” Wen Jiangyue pursed her lips.
“I’ll think about it too.” Cheng Rongrong lowered her eyes, but she was already scheming something else in her heart.
Wang Zhizhi looked at Wei Maomao. “What about you?”
“Oh, I’m using it. Fifty Baby Coins! I can buy so much!” Wei Maomao said resolutely.
Cheng Tingyan, holding Wei Maomao’s hand, tightened her grip.
As they continued walking towards the village entrance, the children gradually spread out. Cheng Tingyan gently pulled Wei Maomao aside and whispered, “Let me use that card…”
Wei Maomao was shocked, she turned to look at Cheng Tingyan, whose face was filled with conflict, rejection, and discomfort, completely unlike the casual tone of her voice.
“No, I’ll use it.” Wei Maomao said firmly. What a joke, if she made Cheng Tingyan use this card on Cheng Feiying for fifty Baby Coins, she might as well bury herself in the ground.
“But…” Cheng Tingyan bit her lip. “What if your dad’s request is for you to keep eating the food you had at lunch?”
“He wouldn’t.” Wei Maomao didn’t think Wei Chengli would go that far, the mush at noon was a genuine mistake, he usually remembered to remove the fishy smell from meat. But to reassure Cheng Tingyan, she added, “Even if he asks me to eat the mush, I have a way!”
Cheng Tingyan looked at the little chubby bunny, who was holding her head high with confidence, and temporarily gave up on the idea of using the card herself.
After all… Cheng Feiying had been very fierce towards her at home, he seemed to have suddenly become much nicer here, but she still didn’t like getting close to him, she was even a bit afraid.
But if Maomao’s dad asked Maomao to eat the food from lunch, she would be willing to let Cheng Feiying kiss her.
The program team’s new task gave the children something to think about on their way back to the village, and they each made their decisions.
The viewers in the live broadcast room were also racking their brains, but they weren’t thinking about whether to use the cards or who should use them, but what requests the dads would make…
“Wen Dongyu is so naive, I also think Wen Xiang will ask him to give up his airplane and Charizard.”
“Then Wen Xiang might as well just ask Wen Dongyu to never ask for anything back after he gives it away, hahaha!”
“Wen Qiming loves to educate his daughter, so what awaits Wen Jiangyue must be reciting one hundred ancient poems, hahaha, I’m dying of laughter.”
“One hundred poems! That’s too much for fifty Baby Coins! The program team is bullying our babies who can’t do math!”
“Looking at Director Wei’s dazed reaction after hearing that Maomao and Yan Yan threw up from his cooking, I don’t think he’ll ask Maomao to keep eating the mush. The most likely scenario is he’ll ask Maomao to throw away the mush in the fridge at home, hahaha!”
“The program team is biased towards the dads! They’re letting Director Wei get away with it! I still want to see Director Wei eat the mush from noon!”
“The test for Maomao is here, does she want to see her dad eat the mush, or get fifty Baby Coins, hahaha.”
“Actually, there’s a bug in this task. They didn’t restrict the transfer of the ‘Daddy’s Kiss Cards.’ What if the babies realize they can just give the card to whichever baby’s dad has the easiest request, and then just wait for the money?”
“??? What did the chosen baby do wrong, hahaha, having to agree to so many requests from their dad for the sake of other babies?”
“The program team is also evil, they must have heard Maomao saying that if you can’t feel the love, there’s none. Now they’ve added a precondition, you have to agree to your dad’s request before you can get a kiss. They’re educating the babies that their dad’s love and kisses are also precious!”
“I disagree, if you’re talking about love, shouldn’t it be unconditional?”
“I just want to point out, when Yan Yan offered to use the ‘Daddy’s Kiss Card’ herself, her expression looked really… uncomfortable.”
“Right! I saw it too! I can’t even describe her expression, but Yan Yan looked really… painful, like she had made a huge decision before saying she would use the card.”
“Damn it, I thought Yan Yan’s expression just now looked familiar, I remember now! It was the same as when she was drinking Director Wei’s mush at lunch! Just that she didn’t throw up this time…”
“??? Seriously? Cheng Feiying seems to be quite good to Cheng Tingyan, sure, the house incident this morning might have hurt her feelings, but he’s her dad, is a kiss from her dad really that repulsive to her? How sad would Cheng Feiying be if he knew!”
“Honestly, Yan Yan has barely interacted with Cheng Feiying on the show, it seems her aversion is real. I can only say, children are really sensitive, if he truly treats her well, she wouldn’t have that expression when it comes to being kissed by her dad. Look at Wang Zhizhi, no matter how much trouble he gives his dad, when it comes to being kissed by his dad, he’s only shy and pretends to be angry.”
“That’s true, Wang Zhizhi is quite, hahaha, what’s it called… tsundere.”
“Anyway, Yan Yan doesn’t have a ‘Daddy’s Kiss Card,’ I just want to know if Director Wei will eat the mush tonight! I’ve been watching the outdoor camera feed, why hasn’t anyone taken the mush out of his fridge! Dinner is almost ready, @program team!”
“Hahaha, what’s with the grudge, you’re watching the outdoor camera feed just to make sure Director Wei eats the mush! You must be a spy sent by the little chubby bunny!”
…
Dinner, a shared meal for all the families, was arranged in the village square.
When the children arrived at the square, the tents, tables, chairs, and benches were all set up, but there were no dads or food in sight.
Wen Dongyu ran around and came back to tell the others that the dads were all locked in the big house on the left side of the square, cooking. They had to hurry and use their “Daddy’s Kiss Cards,” as dinner would start soon.
So the question instantly shifted from “whether to use it” to “who uses it first.”
The children chattered excitedly as they rushed to the house where the dads were cooking, but they were stopped by the staff before they could even enter the courtyard.
Dinner had important segments, so the children couldn’t enter the courtyard and see the dishes the dads were making. If they wanted to use their Daddy Cards, they could only have the staff call their dads out. But they couldn’t all come out together, because someone had to watch the pots, they could only be called out one by one.
Although time was tight, the children still politely offered to go last.
Faced with the situation, even Wen Dongyu, who had been the most eager, shrank back and joined the “you go first, no, you go first” dance.
Wei Maomao and Cheng Tingyan had drunk a lot of water at the treasure hunt location and had used the bathroom when they entered the village, wasting some time, but they hadn’t missed anything…
“Then…” Wei Maomao didn’t care about the order, seeing that they couldn’t decide after all this time, she wanted to say she would go first.
But she was two seconds too late, those who were pushing each other back and forth finally came to a decision.
“I’ll go first then!” Wang Zhizhi, his face flushed, pushed away Wen Dongyu, who was still clinging to his arm, and glared at him. “That’s useless!”
What else could he do, he couldn’t possibly let his pitiful older sisters and younger sisters go first.
Shen Zilin stood aside, watching the show as he popped a vegetable chip into his mouth and munched on it with a crunch. Unsurprisingly, he was glared at by Wang Zhizhi as he passed by.
Wang Qingchuan came out quickly, obviously, the program team had already briefed the dads. He glanced at the card in Wang Zhizhi’s hand and the coin purse at his waist, then smiled, “I heard you had a great harvest from the treasure hunt today. With the fifty Baby Coins from the ‘Daddy’s Kiss Card,’ you’ll have eighty-nine, won’t you? That’s amazing!”
“It’s alright.” Wang Zhizhi straightened his back, his little face flushed. “I also dug up two bags of snacks.”
“You’re so amazing!” Wang Qingchuan reached out and patted Wang Zhizhi’s head. “Are you going to use the ‘Daddy’s Kiss Card’ on me now?”
Wang Zhizhi turned his flushed face away, looking vaguely to the side, but nodded slightly.
“Then I’ll make my request.” Wang Qingchuan smiled and rubbed Wang Zhizhi’s head. “Look how amazing you are on the show, you dug up so many Baby Coins, isn’t it enough that I know how amazing you are? We also have to let Mom and your little sister know, right? So my request, oh no, my hope is, that you can use your Baby Coins to buy some gifts for Mom and your little sister to take back home, wouldn’t that be meaningful? Your sister would be so happy! When she grows up, we can tell her…”
Before Wang Qingchuan could finish his sentence, the head he was rubbing vanished.
“Wang Zhizhi.” Wang Qingchuan looked at Wang Zhizhi, who had suddenly stepped back, looking at him stubbornly. He suppressed his anger, maintaining his smile, but his tone inevitably became a bit sterner. “Aren’t you learning to be a good brother? Bringing gifts for your little sister when you’re out, isn’t this exactly what a good brother should do? Wang Zhizhi, I’m talking to you, are you listening?”
Wang Zhizhi wasn’t listening, he had stopped listening to what Wang Qingchuan was saying a while ago. He just stared blankly at Wang Qingchuan’s moving lips, Wei Maomao’s childish yet assertive voice echoing in his mind…
“If someone loves you, you can definitely feel it. If you can’t feel the love, there’s nothing there.”
“Daddy loves you so much, he’s even cooking for you right now, I can’t be out here for long. Do you still want to exchange that ‘Daddy’s Kiss Card’?” Wang Qingchuan took a step forward, holding Wang Zhizhi’s shoulder, trying to soften his tone. “I asked the staff, your convenience store also has things other than food, like hair ties, charms, those things that little girls like, they’re not expensive, just thirty or forty Baby Coins. You can have fifty if you use this card. Fifty, even if you spend forty on a gift for your sister, you still have ten left.”
Wang Qingchuan even helpfully calculated it for Wang Zhizhi, afraid he wouldn’t be able to do the math.
Wang Zhizhi suddenly looked at Wei Maomao.
Wei Maomao was startled by his reddened eyes, she instinctively clenched her hand and saw the tears welling up in his eyes.
Cheng Tingyan, feeling the squeeze, thought Maomao was scared and stepped forward, shielding the little chubby bunny behind her.
“I’m not exchanging it anymore.” Wang Zhizhi struggled free from Wang Qingchuan’s hand on his shoulder and ran towards… Wei Maomao.
“Wang…” Wang Qingchuan’s face darkened, just as he was about to scold his son, he saw Wang Zhizhi stuff the card into Wei Maomao’s hand.
“Here you go. Your dad is right.” Wang Zhizhi clenched his fists, he didn’t cry.
Earlier, when Wang Qingchuan had just started speaking and was acting proud of Wang Zhizhi, Wei Maomao had already guessed what he would say next. In several video clips from her previous life, Wang Qingchuan was always like this, first praising Wang Zhizhi, then saying he loved him, then asking him to love and protect his younger sister…
Looking at Wang Qingchuan, whose face had turned pale with anger, Wei Maomao silently apologized to Wei Chengli. She didn’t refuse the card, under Wang Qingchuan’s gaze, she slowly put Wang Zhizhi’s card into her bag.
Wang Qingchuan, enraged by Wang Zhizhi, returned to the courtyard.
Both the children and the staff were a bit shocked, and the atmosphere turned silent for a moment.
So Wen Dongyu’s voice, whispering into Shen Zilin’s ear, became particularly clear. “What happened to them? Isn’t fifty minus forty ten?”
Shen Zilin grabbed a handful of vegetable chips and stuffed them into Wen Dongyu’s mouth.
Was this the time to talk about math?
Wang Zhizhi’s personal property wasn’t protected!
Why did these dads like to control their children’s possessions so much? Shen Zilin glanced at Cheng Tingyan, then at Wang Zhizhi, and suddenly felt that his own dad, who rarely came home, wasn’t so bad after all.
Inside the courtyard, Wen Xiang saw Wang Qingchuan returning and wanted to ask what had happened, but seeing how dark his expression was, he tiptoed back to his stove in fear.
Curious, but more cowardly.
So when the staff informed him that Wen Dongyu was calling for him, Wen Xiang ran out quickly.
“My request is, you can’t call anyone other than me Daddy!” Wen Xiang thought this was a brilliant request, completely eliminating the possibility of Wen Dongyu using this against him in the future.
Wen Dongyu scratched his head, not agreeing immediately.
“My request is reasonable, right? This is fifty Baby Coins for you!” Wen Xiang said, exasperated. “If you call someone else Daddy outside, Mommy will spank you when we get home!”
Wen Dongyu turned to look at Wei Maomao.
Wei Maomao: ??? Wang Zhizhi was one thing, but what was this guy looking at her for!
“Daddy, if I don’t call anyone else Daddy, will you help me get back my airplane and Charizard?” Wen Dongyu, remembering what Shen Zilin had said earlier, suddenly became a bit smarter.
“Of course, I already promised you.” Wen Xiang suddenly thought of Wang Qingchuan, his expression just now, he couldn’t have made an unreasonable request and been questioned by Wang Zhizhi, could he? Suddenly, he felt like watching some drama.
“Then, will you and Mommy stop giving my things to others in the future?” Wen Dongyu asked again.
“What things do you have? You’re just a little kid with nothing, everything you have is bought by me and your mom, you’re a big boy now, you should be gene…” Wen Xiang instinctively wanted to lecture his son, but before he could finish his sentence about being generous, the little rascal ran away.
“Boss, I’m giving you my card too. Use it together when my daddy comes out.” Wen Dongyu stuffed the card into Wei Maomao’s hand with a calm expression.
???
Wei Maomao even had to think for a moment to figure out who Wen Dongyu was calling “Daddy”.
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