Chapter 95
The program team was truly evil… He had only been mentally calculating the possibilities, hadn’t even put it into action, and the shortcut was already blocked. Shen Zilin smoothed his clothes, trying to hide his disappointment.
The lunch options redeemable with the points earned by the new parents from their piecework were divided into four categories: [Survival Lunch], [Ordinary Lunch], [Abundant Lunch], and [Surprise Deluxe Lunch], ranked from lowest to highest points required.
To motivate the babies, the program team even included pictures of each lunch option on the redemption board.
[Survival Lunch]: Two bowls of porridge, two steamed buns, two pieces of fermented tofu, and a plate of pickled mustard greens.
[Ordinary Lunch]: Two lunchboxes, each with one meat dish, one vegetable dish, and rice.
[Abundant Lunch]: Two rice bowls, each with two meat dishes, one vegetable dish, unlimited rice, and seaweed and egg drop soup.
[Surprise Deluxe Lunch]: Braised fish, sweet and sour pork, roasted chicken wings, stir-fried tomato with eggs, stir-fried loofah with edamame, and pork rib soup with winter melon. Five dishes and one soup, unlimited rice, a choice of sour plum juice or watermelon juice, and pudding for dessert. Plus an extra surprise, to be revealed on the spot.
And to encourage the babies to balance work and rest, the program team even opened the door to the break room, letting the babies peek inside.
They were in for a shock.
The break room was even better than the host had described.
As soon as the door opened, the cool air from the air conditioner rushed out, instantly dispelling most of the heat from the babies crowding at the door. The break room was even bigger than an ordinary living room, with a giant screen playing cartoons, surrounded by a circle of soft sofas, piled with cute plushies.
Looking past the sofas, the coffee table was laden with snacks and drinks, even large boxes of fried chicken and pizza, the whole room was filled with the aroma of food.
And on the floor next to the sofas were piles of pillows and toys…
It was truly a place that held immense appeal for the little babies.
The babies, having just seen the room’s setup, were ushered back by the host.
The door closed, the aroma of food was cut off, the cool air disappeared, and a wave of heat washed over them.
Wei Maomao smacked her lips, sighing inwardly, the program team was truly going all out to hinder the little babies.
But was it really necessary…
Earlier, when passing by the large boxes, Wei Maomao had glanced at the items inside. Based on the points earned per item for each task and her estimated time to complete one item, she felt that even if the program team hadn’t made the break room so appealing, earning enough points for the third-tier [Abundant Lunch] probably wouldn’t be easy.
After explaining the task, it was time for the babies to work.
It was 8:42 AM, the babies could start working and taking breaks freely until 11:30 AM. The points earned from their piecework during this period would be used to redeem their family’s lunch. Of course, because of the special situations of the Cheng and Wang families, as in the previous day, the Cheng family’s redeemable points would be the average of Cheng Tingyan and Cheng Rongrong’s points. And for the Wang family, regardless of the lunch set Wang Zhizhi redeemed, the content of the set would be multiplied by 1.5.
Wei Maomao calculated, less than three hours, even without taking breaks, time was tight.
“Are we still cooperating today?” Wen Dongyu asked the other babies as soon as the program team announced the start of the task.
“What do you guys think?” Shen Zilin also looked at the others. “Which tier do you want to get?”
Cheng Rongrong smiled. “I want the [Surprise Deluxe Lunch], but I don’t know if I can make enough.”
After saying that, Cheng Rongrong looked at Cheng Tingyan.
“It’s useless for me to think about it…” Cheng Tingyan glanced at the redemption board. “I’ll just get whatever I can make.”
“I’ll also get whatever I can make.” Wen Jiangyue echoed.
“Deluxe.” Wang Zhizhi said concisely, walking towards the boxes. “I’m going to start working.”
“Maomao?” Shen Zilin looked at Wei Maomao.
“Deluxe.” Wei Maomao turned and shouted at Wang Zhizhi, who was already walking away. “Wang Zhizhi, try each task first, ask the brother who helped us calculate the soccer goals yesterday to calculate which one is best for you.”
Wang Zhizhi stopped, making an “OK” gesture at Wei Maomao.
“Then let’s all start individually, we’ll learn how to do them first, then see if we want to cooperate.” Shen Zilin patted Wen Dongyu.
There were four types of piecework, each with a dedicated instructor, and after the babies finished, there would be a dedicated inspector, only the items that passed inspection would count towards their points.
Screwing screws: A board with several holes of different sizes, they needed to place screws on top, nuts on the bottom, then tighten them with a small wrench. Placing the wrong screw or not tightening it properly would be considered defective.
Attaching tags: Three cardboard pieces, a small transparent bag with two buttons, thread them onto the tag string in order, then fasten them. Wrong order or not fastened properly would be considered defective.
Assembling matchboxes: Fold the flat matchbox into a three-dimensional shape along the crease lines, then glue it together. Folded incorrectly or not glued properly would be considered defective.
Braiding ropes: Braid the colorful ropes into a long strip of a specific length, threading beads into it according to the pattern while braiding. Insufficient length, wrong pattern, braided too loosely compared to the sample, beads placed in the wrong position, would all be considered defective.
Defective items, if identified during the work period, could be reworked. If they passed inspection after rework, they would still count towards their points. If identified after 11:30 AM, they wouldn’t count towards their points, and each defective item would deduct one point.
These tasks… Wei Maomao truly suspected that the program team had gone to a factory and taken a section of their production line. And that rope braiding… Couldn’t it be subcontracted work from a bracelet-making place? After braiding, all that was left was to tie the ends together and it would be a bracelet.
Because of Wei Maomao’s reminder, each baby tried all four tasks, figuring out their proficiency, then, after Wang Zhizhi finished using Li Mu, they borrowed him to calculate the relationship between speed and points.
Soon, the babies received their assigned tasks, went into the main hall, sat at the arranged long tables, and started working.
Shen Zilin and Wen Dongyu chose screwing screws, they planned to work together, one person placing the screws according to the hole sizes, then handing the board to the other person to add the nuts and tighten them. After all, the program team only said they couldn’t ask the village children for help, they didn’t say these new parents couldn’t cooperate and split the points. Shen Zilin remembered that the factories in the documentaries all divided the work into different processes. Since those people had built such large factories, and so many factories were doing it this way, there must be a reason, it was worth imitating.
Sadly, Shen Zilin overlooked the importance of scientific planning. A mature assembly line must be planned, calculated, and adjusted to ensure each process runs smoothly.
After trying a few times, Shen Zilin and Wen Dongyu discovered the flaws in their plan. Placing the screws was fast, matching the nuts and tightening them was slow, the boards with screws were placed on the table, waiting, and when they were picked up, the screws would often fall out or become misaligned, needing to be adjusted. Their cooperation didn’t make things faster, it actually slowed them down. So Shen Zilin decisively abandoned the plan, they worked individually.
But Cheng Tingyan and Wen Jiangyue, who chose assembling matchboxes, one was fast at folding, the other was good at gluing, after working together for a while, they had established an assembly line.
Cheng Rongrong, watching from the tag-attaching table across from them, felt a bit envious, she tried to discuss cooperation with Wang Zhizhi, who had chosen the same task.
But Wang Zhizhi, after glancing at the five tags he had already completed and the one Cheng Rongrong was still working on, decisively refused.
Only Wei Maomao chose braiding ropes. To be precise… the only ones who fully learned this task were her and Cheng Tingyan. The others, after trying it halfway, realized that although the points for rope braiding were high, many times higher than the other tasks, even without calculating, their fingers were already cramping, they knew this task definitely wasn’t worth it. Although Cheng Tingyan learned the whole task, Wei Maomao could tell that she was just accompanying her, she could do it, but in terms of efficiency, before becoming proficient, it wasn’t worth it.
Usually, Wei Maomao would be happy to braid ropes with Cheng Tingyan, but with the average of Yan Yan and Cheng Rongrong’s points being used for redemption, they had to choose something Yan Yan was good at.
As for Wei Maomao, to get the [Surprise Deluxe Lunch], she couldn’t choose assembling matchboxes with Yan Yan, she had to choose the most profitable option, braiding ropes.
The night before, Cheng Tingyan had agreed that Wei Maomao could mention the Cheng family’s situation to Wei Chengli when there were no cameras or microphones. Having an adult’s help would make things smoother. And even if he couldn’t help… at least Wei Chengli wouldn’t be an obstacle, going out and blabbing to Cheng Feiying. When discussing this with Cheng Tingyan last night, Wei Maomao had been a bit nervous, after all, Wei Chengli was just an adult they had known for a few days. But… things went smoothly again. Wei Maomao was a bit confused, how could everything be so smooth? It was like Yan Yan would agree to anything she suggested…
Wei Maomao hadn’t planned on talking to Wei Chengli tonight. But since Wei Chengli had主动ly requested a serious conversation tonight, then… they would talk.
Asking for a favor, she had to treat him to a good meal, make him happy.
Braiding ropes and braiding hair were quite similar, Wei Maomao tried two ropes and felt that as long as she didn’t waste time in the break room, she should be able to get the [Surprise Deluxe Lunch]. She had already given him the highest tier for lunch, so if he refused tonight, it wouldn’t be easy for him to say no.
After getting a sense of her rope-braiding speed and feeling confident, Wei Maomao carried a large box of rope-braiding materials to the empty table next to Cheng Tingyan, she didn’t start working immediately, but went to the break room set up by the program team.
“Maomao, are you taking a break?” The host, who was fanning himself among the staff, quickly rushed to the door and enthusiastically opened the break room door for Wei Maomao.
“I’m just taking a look.” Wei Maomao stepped over the threshold with her short legs.
Earlier, when they were outside, they could only see a part of the coffee table through the gaps between the sofas, now, after walking inside, Wei Maomao saw the full picture.
“If you want to eat the fried chicken and pizza, we can heat them up for you. Hot and fresh, crispy and fragrant, do you want to sit here, watch some cartoons, and wait? They’ll be ready soon.” The host said in a tempting voice.
Wei Maomao walked around the coffee table, after looking at everything, she looked up at the host and blinked innocently. “Uncle, are all these for us to eat? Can we eat whatever we want?”
“Of course, they’re all prepared for you. But you can only eat them while you’re resting and playing here, you can’t take them out.” The host said with the kindest smile.
“Can we come and eat anytime?” Wei Maomao tilted her head.
The chubby baby tilted her head and smiled! So cute!
The host clutched his chest, he was almost tricked into nodding.
“Mmm… No… You can only come and rest and eat during your work time. Which is from now until 11:30 AM today.” The host said cautiously.
He had to be cautious, after the little babies completely shattered the rules of the “intelligence” and “strength” tasks yesterday, they were instructed to be meticulous.
“Then as long as it’s before 11:30 AM, we can come and eat, these things won’t secretly disappear, right?” Wei Maomao confirmed one last time.
“Mmm?” The host felt something was wrong, she was already here, shouldn’t she sit down and start eating?
“Right?” Wei Maomao didn’t give the host more time to think.
Well, according to the rules, it was indeed like that. The host nodded. “Yes.”
Wei Maomao, under the host’s confused gaze, ran off.
“There’s a lot of food in the break room, enough for us to eat until we’re full. After we earn enough points for one lunch set, we’ll ask Brother Li Mu to calculate if we have enough time to earn points for the next set. If we don’t, we can stop working and go eat inside.” Wei Maomao stood in front of the babies’ table, pointing at the break room door. “We’ll eat until we’re full here, and our dads can have our vegetables.”
Shen Zilin’s hand, which was tightening a nut, froze, the nut he had just placed fell onto the table with a clink.
Wei Maomao looked at Shen Zilin in confusion.
“Maomao, borrow money from me! Now!” Shen Zilin said, clutching his head in despair. Maomao was so smart, he really wanted an employee like her! He really wanted her! Sob, sob!
Wei Maomao: “… “
“Right! If I eat until I’m full here, my dad’s lunch will automatically be upgraded!” Wen Jiangyue said excitedly, looking at her hands covered in glue. “Maomao, I love you!”
Cheng Tingyan, who had been looking at the adorable little chubby bunny, turned to look at Wen Jiangyue.
She was so loud… While she…
Cheng Tingyan pursed her lips, she couldn’t bring herself to say such things like Wen Jiangyue.
While Cheng Tingyan was hesitating, the little chubby bunny had already returned to the table next to them, picking up the ropes.
“Maomao.” Cheng Tingyan said, scooting closer to Wei Maomao while folding the matchboxes in her hand.
“Mmm?” Wei Maomao started braiding quickly, but her gaze was on Cheng Tingyan.
“Maomao is amazing!” Cheng Tingyan said, although she couldn’t say those words like Wen Jiangyue, the little chubby bunny was truly amazing.
The little girl, folding matchboxes, looking like a child laborer, her eyes were so bright.
Wei Maomao saw herself, seemingly also shining, in Cheng Tingyan’s eyes, being clearly and unambiguously adored.
They had actually come this far, it was like a dream.
“I like Yan Yan the most!” Wei Maomao suppressed the mixed emotions in her heart, but she couldn’t help but blurt out those words.
The little child laborer blushed and buried her head in her work, seemingly immersed in the grand task of folding matchboxes.
The six-year-old Yan Yan was truly easily embarrassed, truly adorable!
Wei Maomao took a deep breath, calming herself down, compared the length of the braided rope in her hand, then picked up the first bead.
At this moment, a soft voice came from beside her, “I like Maomao the most…”
The bead slipped from her hand and fell back into the box.
Wei Maomao turned to look and saw the little child laborer practically burying her head on the table, she wasn’t immersed in the grand task of folding matchboxes, she was practically folding herself into a matchbox.
Ahhh~ How could she stay calm!
Staying calm was impossible, and the viewers in the live broadcast room also couldn’t stay calm.
“Why is Yan Yan so cute! So cute that I’m crying!”
“How can she be so shy and so hardworking, hahaha! Even hiding under the table to tell CEO Mao she likes her!”
“CEO Mao deserves it! She just upgraded the dads’ lunch, all the dads should thank you, Lunch Hero!”
“Hahaha, upgrading or not is one thing, the key is, by calculating, they don’t have to do unnecessary work. Otherwise, what if they accumulate a lot of points, only to find they’re stuck between two tiers, not enough for the higher tier, but too much for the lower tier? All the extra work would benefit the capitalists (program team).”
“Children are truly smart. The babies cooperated during the ‘intelligence’ task yesterday, and then the ‘strength’ task had a supplementary rule, it’s too mean to be so serious with the little babies. CEO Mao learned her lesson today, she asked and confirmed everything before proposing it to the other babies. Otherwise, if she had just said it, the program team might have taken away the food, at least the filling ones.”
“Hahaha, Little CEO Shen truly, truly wants to lend money to CEO Mao! Not to mention anything else, just his eagerness to recruit anyone he deems capable, if he doesn’t get rich in the future, who will!”
“Speaking of, let’s buy some Shen Corp. stock, it’s been rising quite well these past two days, but I think it can still go higher!”
“I feel like this task for the babies is a bit like the watermelon carrying task for the dads the day before yesterday? But this one isn’t as tiring, so the program team added the temptation room, they still want to see how far the babies will go.”
“Tsk tsk, then the dads who get to eat the [Surprise Deluxe Lunch] today will be showing off… The current candidates are Wang Qingchuan, Wang Qingbei, Cheng Feiying, and Wei Chengli, let’s see how many of them will get it, and if there will be any dark horses!”
“Hahaha, I’m dying of laughter, let’s give Director Wei one, he’s been writing essays all morning.”
…
Yes, essays.
No… Not just essays.
If Wei Chengli had a chance, he would shout at his past self from the night before, “Don’t answer those questions so seriously, the program team’s questions are all traps! Especially don’t answer that one, ‘What does the baby usually do at home?’!”
Sadly, there were no ifs, no second chances.
Wei Chengli still remembered his amused and happy mood when he wrote down the answer: [Lying on the sofa, eating yogurt melts, watching the first season of ‘Where’s Baby Going,’ watching strange cartoons, and engaging in deep thinking and discussion].
What amusement!
What laughter!
Wei Chengli, sitting on the sofa, numbly stuffed one yogurt melt after another into his mouth, his gaze unfocused as he looked at the two screens in front of him.
The smaller screen was playing the first season of “Where’s Baby Going.”
And the larger screen…
So, during the days they were filming the show, “Tutu Adventures” had released several new episodes.
He had finished watching them before the little rascal even got to see them, hehehe…
So why did he write “strange cartoons,” and the program team had to pinpoint it to “Tutu Adventures”! This demonic art style, this bizarre plot, why couldn’t he escape it even in a variety show without internet access?
And…
Why did [engaging in deep thinking and discussion] become [Please watch three episodes of ‘Tutu Adventures’ and write at least a 600-word review for each episode]?
A cartoon that was less than two minutes long, a few lines bouncing around, and he had to write a 600-word review, what kind of grudge did they have against him…
Wei Chengli sighed, stuffed a handful of yogurt melts into his mouth, picked up the remote control, and replayed the episode he had just watched. Sigh, it was too short, he didn’t even see anything, it was over, he could only watch it again.
Speaking of which, the babies had three options for arranging their dads’ lives. They both chose [Let the new baby do the things you usually do at home], but how come Shen Jianghe next to him was so relaxed… He just had to read books and watch documentaries about business, no need to write reviews. Ah, why did he have to add that phrase [engaging in deep thinking and discussion]!
Wei Chengli glanced at Shen Jianghe, who was watching him with a smug smile.
Ah, caught red-handed, Shen Jianghe rubbed the glass in his hand, cleared his throat, and said, “Director Wei, keep it up! You’re almost done with the two 600-word reviews!”
Wei Chengli: “… “ How thoughtful of him, he even knew this.
“You still have yogurt melts to eat, it’s not that bad.” Shen Jianghe comforted him. “Maomao is good to you, just eat, watch, and write, writing is your forte, and look at…”
Shen Jianghe pointed his chin towards Wen Qiming, who was facing away from them.
Wei Chengli followed his gaze, oh, right, compared to reciting scriptures, writing cartoon reviews was indeed a much easier task.
Yes, reciting scriptures, not poems.
Wen Jiangyue also chose [Let the new baby do the things you usually do at home] for Wen Qiming. The program team, based on Wen Qiming’s answer of [reciting ancient poems], was supposed to find some poems for him to recite, but Wen Qiming loved reading and reciting these things, it was difficult for them to find any poems he hadn’t seen or memorized before. To comply with Wen Jiangyue’s choice and Wen Qiming’s answer, the program team found him a Buddhist scripture, this he definitely hadn’t memorized before.
You scratch my back, and I’ll scratch yours, since the program team had already portrayed Wen Qiming as a learned scholar, he could only accept it with a smile, even if he didn’t want to.
That back, reciting scriptures… Wei Chengli observed carefully, it seemed he had been frozen in that position for a long time…
Happiness was relative. After watching Wen Qiming, Wei Chengli picked up his pen again, he felt motivated!
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