Chapter 42
The mush incident, a black mark for life.
The egg yolk incident from this morning had just been forgiven by the little rascal, and now the terrifying mush from yesterday was being brought up again… Wei Chengli didn’t dare to ask where Wang Zhizhi got his newfound interest and confidence, he simply used the excuse of preparing food for the piglet and quickly fled.
At this point, the viewers in the live broadcast room also understood, Director Wei was quite adept at using the “pig escape,” and it was clear where the little chubby bunny learned her “bathroom escape” from.
“Wang Zhizhi is also brave, even Director Wei ran away in fear, hahaha. He must think this kid is crazy, daring to eat anything, even going back for seconds…”
“It seems Wang Zhizhi really wants to join this family.”
“Of course, he was brainwashed by Wang Qingchuan last night, compared to that, Director Wei’s mush probably doesn’t seem so terrible anymore.”
“But Wen Dongdong is the one who’s truly suffering, a perfectly good child, suddenly living a life of frugality. Wen Xiang went out to grind beans this morning and hasn’t been back yet, he still doesn’t know Wen Dongdong only dared to eat half a steamed bun this morning…”
“Truly pitiful, yesterday morning, when they left home to come to the show, Wen Dongdong ate a whole steamed bun, two shrimp dumplings, a boiled egg, two small sausages, and even drank a glass of milk… This morning, from all the buns, eggs, shumai, and meat pies Wen Xiang left for him, he only ate half a red bean bun, and even put the other half in a small bowl.”
“Understood… Half a bun for lunch too.”
“No wonder he’s living so frugally… A few-year-old child, he’s only just seen a tiny fraction of the world. He doesn’t know how to earn money, doesn’t know how to support himself. Not to mention the mountain of debt from all those things ‘borrowed’ in the past years, now every day he wakes up to face increasing expenses and debts… From this perspective, the few hundred Baby Coins Shen Zilin borrowed from the program team are really child’s play.”
“You guys are missing the point, why are you only focusing on the surface suffering? I’d say Yan Yan is the one who’s truly suffering… Eating expired snacks already shocked me, but now it seems she’s probably also eating expired compressed biscuits, I’m speechless.”
“I also don’t understand, yesterday morning, three people, two eggs, Cheng Feiying seemed to favor Yan Yan. Rongrong also likes to cling to her sister… But as I kept watching, something seemed off…”
“Regardless of who’s the problem in the Cheng family, after days of live broadcast, I don’t believe their acting is so good that they can keep it up from beginning to end. — From a 24-hour show observer (self-appointed) who’s currently on summer vacation.”
“Hahaha, I’d say Director Wei is the one who’s truly suffering, okay? Director Wei is a brick, CEO Mao uses him as she pleases… But his retort to Cheng Feiying earlier was a bit impressive. Knowing they’re live and still daring to talk back like that, he’s truly worthy of being the father of our brave bunny!”
“Wow, hahaha, what the hell is ‘father of our brave bunny’! It’s just a variety show, they’re just bantering, look, aren’t they talking again?”
“Tsk tsk, Director Wei is useless, Cheng Feiying just said a couple of things and he’s back to being friendly. Look at our Maomao, she said she wouldn’t play with Rongrong, and she meant it.”
“Hahaha, come on, they can’t really fight in front of so many people on a variety show!”
“Honestly, live broadcast is much more interesting. I can imagine, if it was edited like before and only aired in a dozen episodes, these things would definitely be censored by the families and cut out entirely…”
…
Just as the viewers thought, on the second day of filming, many people already felt the inconvenience of the live broadcast and regretted signing the supplementary agreement for a full live stream.
Among them, Cheng Feiying and Cheng Rongrong were the most regretful.
For Cheng Feiying, Wei Chengli was someone who had pulled strings to join the show at the last minute, a small-time director with little fame, only having won some useless art awards, with no real prospects.
Someone like that wasn’t even on Cheng Feiying’s list of acquaintances.
However, Cheng Feiying didn’t expect that it would be this small-time director’s daughter who would repeatedly get on his nerves, making him lose his composure and directly confront the director.
Cheng Feiying was very angry after being talked back to. But after finishing a bowl of soy milk, he considered the live broadcast and the fact that everyone must have seen the small-time director’s rudeness, and realized that appearing magnanimous and friendly would be more beneficial than detrimental.
Cheng Feiying knew how to adapt. Seeing the director asking the staff for a large basin, he wiped his mouth and approached him.
Unlike Cheng Feiying, who had been navigating the entertainment industry for years, Cheng Rongrong, who was poking at the tofu pudding in her bowl, couldn’t bring herself to approach Wei Maomao again.
Wei Maomao’s relentless, pointed words earlier made Cheng Rongrong realize that the annoying three-year-old was completely on Cheng Tingyan’s side.
Those previous times, when the annoying brat ruined her plans, it probably wasn’t a coincidence or some random act of justice, she was fighting for Cheng Tingyan…
Cheng Rongrong, thinking about the two additional family profiles they received a few days ago, angrily stirred the tofu pudding in her bowl.
Heh, as expected of the female lead from the original story, even a three-year-old brainless fan would support her.
She wanted to see what a three-year-old brat, besides talking big, could actually do!
Cheng Rongrong picked up her bowl and finished the mashed tofu pudding in one gulp.
Since this brat had ruined her plan of isolating Cheng Tingyan, then… she would just isolate both of them!
Cheng Rongrong strengthened her resolve and stopped Shen Zilin as he passed by.
“Brother Shen, I overheard the staff saying you took out a loan to buy the piglet this morning. The pig socks are six Baby Coins a pair. That piglet… must have cost much, much more than twenty Baby Coins, right?” Cheng Rongrong pulled down the money pouch from her waist and offered it. “Use this for now.”
“I gave Wen Xixi to Maomao, what do I need your Baby Coins for?” Shen Zilin was puzzled, instinctively taking a step back with his hands behind his back.
“But I heard them say that if you can’t repay the piglet money, you have to pay them an extra ten Baby Coins every day…” Cheng Rongrong didn’t retract her hand offering the money pouch. “Brother Shen, use mine first, you can return it to me when you have more, you don’t have to pay extra interest. It’s okay even if you can’t repay it, I don’t need them anyway.”
A helping hand offered in times of need would become a precious memory. It was just a few Baby Coins, Cheng Rongrong wasn’t interested in those snacks anyway, so she felt good about giving them away. The reason was also valid, she should appear as a very considerate little sister on camera, right?
However, Cheng Rongrong’s well-intentioned plan didn’t go as expected.
“Thank you, but no need.” Shen Zilin took two more steps back with his hands behind his back. “I can repay it myself.”
Without waiting for Cheng Rongrong to say anything else, Shen Zilin turned and ran, much faster than his leisurely stroll earlier, his back looking a bit awkward, as if he was fleeing in a panic.
Cheng Rongrong: “… “ The business tycoon from the original story, this was his vision and intelligence as a child? When asked about investment and cooperation, he said “when we grow up,” offered interest-free loans but preferred high-interest ones… So his future business empire was all built by hired professional managers, right!
The first attempt to divide and conquer had failed against Shen Zilin… Cheng Rongrong turned her gaze to Wen Jiangyue.
Speaking of which, Shen Zilin ran quite fast, quickly crossing the courtyard and reaching the table where Wei Maomao and the others were. But he didn’t speak right away. Shen Zilin cautiously glanced back, seeing that Cheng Rongrong was talking to Wen Jiangyue on the other side of the courtyard and wasn’t paying attention to him, he patted his chest and caught his breath.
“What’s wrong? Wen Xixi is still here, what are you running from?” Wen Dongyu, squatting on the ground, drinking soy milk and petting the pig, looked up at Shen Zilin in confusion.
“It’s nothing.” Shen Zilin secretly glanced at Wang Zhizhi, then pointed at the table in front of Wei Maomao and beckoned. “Come here.”
“Finish this mouthful first.” Cheng Tingyan had just blown on a spoonful of soy milk and was about to feed it to the little chubby bunny. She waved her hand. “Go ahead.”
Wei Maomao had been watching Shen Zilin talking to Cheng Rongrong across the courtyard. How should she put it, she was quite interested in her enemy’s movements, so she let Shen Zilin lead her to a secluded spot near the courtyard gate.
At first, Wei Maomao didn’t think it was necessary to go so far… After all, their microphones were still on, what secrets could they possibly share?
But as they stood side by side, Shen Zilin stretched out his hand. Looking at the single Baby Coin in his hand, Wei Maomao suddenly understood why he had secretly glanced at Wang Zhizhi and then called her over alone.
Even the six-year-old CEO had his own considerate side.
“Did your dad exchange it for you?” Wei Maomao, understanding the expectation in the six-year-old boy’s eyes, played along and asked knowingly.
“Mmm.” Shen Zilin nodded reservedly. “My dad just told me that loans from formal institutions can be repaid slowly, but money borrowed from friends should be repaid immediately. Otherwise, it will affect our friendship! So he exchanged one for me.”
Our friendship? Wei Maomao was stunned, what friendship did she have with Cheng Rongrong’s right-hand man?
But the six-year-old boy’s eyes sparkled, she didn’t know if that unconcealable joy came from the single Baby Coin his dad had thoughtfully exchanged for him, or from the… friendship he imagined.
“Your dad is great.” Wei Maomao smiled and took the coin. Why bother arguing with a child? After the show, they would go their separate ways, there was no need to say anything to hurt a child’s innocent heart now.
Shen Zilin chuckled, then suddenly covered his mouth and whispered conspiratorially, “I was so scared just now, Cheng Rongrong told me I could use all her money for free, no interest. She even said it’s okay if I can’t repay it.”
“That… What’s scary about that? Why would you be scared to death?” Wei Maomao, learning of the enemy’s movements, couldn’t understand the child’s logic.
“Maomao, you’re still young, you don’t understand.” Shen Zilin retracted his hand, straightened his posture, and tightened his tie. “If it was you, you would have fallen for it!”
Wei Maomao: ???
Shen Zilin waited for a while, as the silence and awkwardness fermented… He couldn’t hold back anymore, his face slightly reddening. “Ask me!”
Wei Maomao tried to cooperate. “I’m asking you…”
“…” Shen Zilin loosened his tie again, and snorted with an inexplicable sense of pride. “My grandpa said, there’s no such thing as a free lunch. There’s no one in the world who would give you money for no reason, and if there is, what they want is definitely much, much more than the money they gave you!”
“… “ Wei Maomao gave him a sincere thumbs up. “Your grandpa is also great!”
Shen Zilin slightly raised his chin, trying to suppress his smugness, but the pride on his face was still evident.
“Are you done? I’m going back to drink my soy milk.” Wei Maomao saw Cheng Tingyan at the table inside the courtyard looking over at them.
“By the way, you’re already three years old, how come you can’t drink soy milk by yourself, you need Yan Yan to feed you?” Shen Zilin followed Wei Maomao’s gaze into the courtyard, coughed twice, and said reluctantly, “Yan Yan must be tired, let me feed you later.”
Shen Zilin felt he should learn more from Yan Yan, look how good Maomao was to her!
However, the little chubby girl in front of him showed no intention of agreeing, instead, she quickly took two steps back and said warily, “There’s no one in the world who would feed me soy milk for no reason, and if there is, what they want is definitely much, much more than the soy milk they’re feeding me!”
Shen Zilin: ??? What was with this familiar gesture and sentence structure?
Before Shen Zilin could react, Wei Maomao couldn’t hold back anymore, her composure breaking as she burst out laughing.
“Ah, you’re copying me!” Shen Zilin’s eyes widened. “No, then why do you let Yan Yan feed you? What does she want? How come you drink it when she feeds you?”
“Yan Yan…” Wei Maomao smiled, her dimples like pools of honey. “Yan Yan is always right, she can do whatever she wants!”
Although it was a bit embarrassing to be fed by a six-year-old, if it was Yan Yan, it was… strangely pleasant? Especially when she looked at her so intently and seriously while feeding her, hahaha, it was kind of cute, like playing house!
Of course, she wouldn’t discuss this with Shen Zilin.
Shen Zilin: …
After teasing the child, Wei Maomao turned to go back to the courtyard.
Shen Zilin hurriedly chased after her for two steps, his face serious, and whispered, “Hey, Wang Zhizhi also took out a loan to buy a drink, does he still owe you money for the popcorn? If he does, don’t tell him I already paid you back!”
“I know.” Wei Maomao looked up at the sun.
It was a beautiful day, even making these young kids seem a bit cute.
Although Wei Chengli had used the “pig escape” to avoid Wang Zhizhi, he still kept his word and returned with a large basin filled with soy milk and tofu.
“Let it cool down a bit before you feed it.” Wei Chengli put the basin on the table, his heart skipping a beat as he saw another person there. “Zilin, do you want some?”
“I’ve already eaten.” Shen Zilin said politely.
“Good, good…” Wei Chengli breathed a sigh of relief, then glanced at the little chubby dumpling who was being fed soy milk by Cheng Tingyan. He poked her. “What’s going on, can’t you drink soy milk by yourself?”
“It’s hot, I’m blowing on it for her.”
“Maomao said Yan Yan is always right, she can do whatever she wants!”
Before Wei Maomao could even swallow the spoonful of soy milk in her mouth, two voices answered Wei Chengli almost simultaneously.
“Cough, cough, cough…” Wei Maomao choked, glaring at Shen Zilin.
She had indeed said those words, but it was during a casual conversation when Yan Yan wasn’t around… Who would say it right in front of the person involved, her face was burning!
He who repeats a parrot will be repeated by a parrot…
Wei Chengli patted the blushing little chubby dumpling’s back speechlessly, then glanced at Cheng Tingyan, who was slightly flushed and still blowing on the soy milk. He turned to the dumbfounded Shen Zilin and said, “I think you, you should eat something.”
Shen Zilin: “… “
The snack of soy milk and tofu pudding was short-lived. Soon, those who could talk and those who couldn’t, those who were scheming and those who were caught in the schemes, all embarked on their journey back home to make lunch.
Each dad received a bag of ingredients, which, in addition to the dried bean curd sheets and tofu made from the soy milk they had ground that morning, also included other meat and vegetables.
Interestingly, the staff member distributing the ingredients thoughtfully announced that since Wei Chengli was the first-place winner in the bean grinding competition, he received… two recipe cards.
But judging from their unified, friendly smiles, it was tacitly understood whether this was a reward or a rescue mission.
Wei Maomao casually glanced at the recipe cards. The instructions were very detailed, specifying how much of each seasoning to use, even including a small measuring spoon. It was so considerate that… it seemed more like a backdoor opened by Shi Dingshan.
As expected, Cheng Feiying still held the top spot on her list of most annoying uncles.
Wei Chengli knew his own limits. Receiving the recipe cards and the spoon, he felt no embarrassment, only gratitude. On the way back, he even excitedly read the two recipes to the little chubby dumpling.
“Doesn’t it sound delicious!” After finishing reading, Wei Chengli shook the little chubby dumpling in his arms. “Should I make more for lunch? Three blocks of tofu?”
“Daddy…” Wei Maomao firmly pressed her hand on Wei Chengli’s head. “Promise me, you must make it according to the recipe, two blocks of tofu!”
“It’s okay, three blocks of tofu just means multiplying the seasoning amount for two blocks by one point five. Oh, oh, I forgot you don’t know multiplication yet, it means…” Wei Chengli tried to explain.
“Daddy, I can eat a little less. Please follow the recipe!” Wei Maomao pressed her hand down harder.
The chubby little paw on his head, warm and soft, felt very comfortable.
But looking at the serious expression on the little dumpling’s face, Wei Chengli had no doubt that if he didn’t behave, those cute chubby paws would turn into deadly claws in the next second.
“Okay!” Wei Chengli yielded.
The two recipe cards provided by the program team were for minced meat with tofu and stir-fried dried bean curd sheets with sliced pork and green peppers.
Anyway, in Wei Maomao’s opinion, they were both simple and quick dishes.
In the shade of a tree in the courtyard, Wei Maomao lay on a deck chair, sipping the half bottle of drink Wei Chengli had given her, occasionally glancing at Wei Chengli, who was battling the stove in the distance.
As expected, with Wei Chengli… even with recipes, they were slow dishes.
Wei Maomao turned over and yawned. She wondered if Yan Yan had started eating yet.
Earlier, when they were leaving the mill, Wei Maomao had wanted to persuade Cheng Tingyan to come back with them. With the recipe cards, Wei Chengli’s performance had been acceptable this morning, perhaps he would do well for lunch too…
But Cheng Tingyan refused… She said that Cheng Feiying was apparently making braised pork with tofu and a dried bean curd sheet and egg soup for lunch, there weren’t any mushrooms in the ingredient bag, nothing she disliked.
Wei Maomao sipped her drink, thinking about how Cheng Tingyan had lowered her voice and smiled reassuringly when she said that. She felt a bit uneasy.
But there was no reason to force her…
Cheng Feiying’s cooking skills were quite good, while on this side, there was still a chance of disaster.
But she still felt uneasy.
Wei Chengli, stir-frying tofu by the stove, looked back at Wei Maomao and saw the little chubby dumpling lying on the deck chair, swinging her little chubby feet, sipping her drink through a straw with a pursed mouth, occasionally sighing, acting like a little boss…
It was truly hilarious.
Wei Chengli suppressed his laughter, plated the minced meat with tofu, then turned around to call the little boss for lunch, only to see a human head and a pig head, one above the other, stuck at the courtyard gate. He almost dropped the plate in his hand.
In the less than two seconds it took him to steady the plate and look up again, the two heads stuck at the gate had vanished…
Even more terrifying!
Wei Chengli quickly put the dish on the table and walked towards the gate, cautiously stepping outside.
He saw a person and a pig squatting on the ground outside the courtyard.
“Dongyu, why are you here, why not come in?” Wei Chengli was startled again by the two heads that lifted up in sync. He tried to steady his voice. “Have you finished lunch? Come, do you want to eat some more?”
“Uncle Wei… can you help me heat this up?” Wen Dongyu held up half a steamed bun.
“… “ Wei Chengli, looking at the bun that had been forcefully retrieved from the pig’s mouth, felt nauseous. “Why are you heating this up? Just give it to the pig.”
“Ah?” Wen Dongyu was stunned. “Give it to who? This is my lunch, Brother Sun Qi said I have to heat it up before I can eat it…”
As he spoke, Wen Dongyu pointed to the cameraman nearby.
Wei Chengli glanced over. He didn’t know Sun Qi, but it sounded like he was a staff member responsible for taking care of the children.
“You can’t eat this anymore.” Wei Chengli took the bun from Wen Dongyu. “I saw the pig biting it earlier. You… did you eat it after the pig bit it?”
Wen Dongyu shook his head.
“Did you have lunch?” Wei Maomao poked her head out from the courtyard.
Wen Dongyu shook his head again.
“Come in.” Wei Maomao said concisely, retracting her head.
“So do you want to go back and eat? Or eat with us? Where’s your dad? Oh, should I feed this to the pig?” Wei Chengli held up the bun.
“Come in and eat.” Wei Maomao’s head popped out again.
Wen Dongyu didn’t move.
“Then eat with us? Together?” Wei Chengli asked tentatively.
Wen Dongyu lowered his head, his shoe scuffing the ground lightly.
“No charge.” Wei Maomao’s voice came from the courtyard.
Wen Dongyu looked up at Wei Chengli.
“… “ Wei Chengli laughed in exasperation. “Do I look like someone who would charge you for a meal? Come in quickly, the food’s getting cold.”
However, the child couldn’t understand such complex sentences. Only after confirming again that it was truly free did Wen Dongyu pull the pig into the courtyard.
Inside, Wei Maomao was struggling to climb onto the stone stool.
“Why didn’t you eat with your dad at home?” Wei Maomao finally climbed up, adjusted her position, and looked down.
“… “ Wen Dongyu lowered his head.
“You talk so much, just eat.” Wei Chengli also sensed that something was wrong with Wen Dongyu. He patted the little chubby dumpling’s arm and said kindly to Wen Dongyu, “Eat, I followed the recipe today, it’s delicious.”
Wen Dongyu froze, his face changing.
He forgot! The ginger dish yesterday was made by Uncle Wei!
“It’s really delicious!” Seeing Wen Dongyu’s reaction, Wei Chengli quickly emphasized.
“Eat some tofu.” Wei Maomao used a clean spoon to scoop a spoonful of minced meat with tofu for Wen Dongyu. Honestly, she thought Wei Chengli must have done something wrong, why was the dish all black… but it tasted alright, did he accidentally switch the light and dark soy sauce?
Wen Dongyu cautiously took a small spoonful of the black mixture, sniffing it tentatively. “It smells good, doesn’t smell like ginger like yesterday.”
“… “ Wei Chengli laughed awkwardly. “There’s no need to mention yesterday. This minced meat with tofu is a bit dark, but it’s delicious, I minced the meat myself, isn’t it very fine?”
“Minced… meat?” Wen Dongyu glanced at the black mixture, his spoon clattering back into the bowl. “What… kind of meat?”
“Pork, a mix of lean and fatty meat, hey… hey… why are you getting down?” Wei Chengli grabbed Wen Dongyu in surprise as he was slipping off the stool.
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