The sky had not yet fully brightened.
Inside the large room of the stone house, snow-white sheets were spread across the bed. A head of orange-pink long hair lay sprawled freely over them.
A porcelain-white little face was buried within it. Long lashes like tiny fans slowly opened, revealing deep brown pupils that were dull and unfocused.
Clearly, their owner had not yet fully awakened.
Only after a few minutes did they gradually contract, gaining a trace of clarity.
An Shijiu got out of bed briskly, found a comb, and in just a few swift motions tied her hair into a bun atop her head.
Then she climbed back onto the bed, sat cross-legged, and began circulating her internal energy.
This body had already been mostly restored. After one full cycle, her dantian felt slightly warm, and her mind became much clearer.
She got down from the bed and walked to the door. Seeing the chair there, she tilted her head in puzzlement.
With one hand, she lifted it aside, set it to the side, and pushed the door open.
A vast sky stretched overhead, with green mountains and fields beyond.
She stretched lazily, then assumed her stance and began practicing her拳.
Taking a deep breath, she moved with each inhale and exhale, executing her techniques as internal energy flowed through her meridians and circulated throughout her body.
When she finished, she slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air.
At some point, the vj had appeared at the doorway, his hair messy like a bird’s nest, holding a camera and filming her.
The system said: 【A perfect time to engage—say hello.】
To change An Zhe’s growth environment, it had to start with the mother.
An Shijiu looked at the vj and waved. “Good morning.” A healthy flush colored her face.
— Good morning, sister. Wuwu, the way she practices boxing feels so good. I didn’t even finish elementary school, I don’t know how to describe it.
— Damn, Shen Yanjing is out! Ahhhh, he’s so tall—he has to tilt his head against the doorframe. That lazy aura is killing me.
— Holy—those legs are so long… but he’s been staring at An Shijiu the whole time!
— That gaze is so creepy (heavily censored)
— These days even scandal-ridden internet celebrities have fans? Jiufen, stop fantasizing. Brother just wants to see what tricks she’ll pull to get more screen time.
— Oh wow, you sure know everything. Are you a worm in Shen Yanjing’s stomach?
An Shijiu also noticed Shen Yanjing standing at the door. Seeing his strange expression as he stared straight at her—
As an assassin of the covert school, she disliked being watched like this.
She shot him a warning glare.
Shen Yanjing was snapped out of it by that round-eyed glare. He subconsciously touched his face.
It felt like being slapped by a cat’s soft paw.
When he realized he had once again unconsciously fixed his gaze on An Shijiu, he frowned irritably.
He truly did not have a good impression of An Shijiu.
Yet he could not help repeatedly overlaying her face with that woman from his dreams.
Just now, watching her practice boxing, it had actually matched some fragments of his dreams, and he couldn’t stop himself from staring.
This was insane.
After finishing her routine, An Shijiu began scooping water to wash her face.
Shen Yanjing frowned. “Yesterday was rushed, fine. But today you’re still using cold water to wash your face?” As he spoke, he reached out and snatched the gourd ladle from her hand.
An Shijiu’s brows lifted as she stared at him, her eyes full of displeasure at having her item taken.
The system, believing it understood its host somewhat, warned: 【You’re not allowed to hit him—the cameraman is filming the whole time!】
An Shijiu became even more displeased.
Unless facing an attack or an enemy, she would not harm others without reason.
And hiring her to make a move required a high price!
Shen Yanjing switched the ladle to his other hand, slipping the hand that had just touched hers into his pocket, curling it slightly in an unnatural manner.
Avoiding her gaze, he said coolly, “I’ll boil some water.”
He found a clean clay pot in the courtyard, filled it with water, then lit the stove and began heating it.
Seeing this, An Shijiu knew he would not return the ladle. She let out a heavy sigh.
She quickly walked to the corner where a gourd vine grew and picked an old gourd.
Holding it with both hands, she gently snapped it apart. The gourd split cleanly in two, and she casually cleaned out the inside.
The vj had been filming Film Emperor Shen boiling water. Seeing An Shijiu run off, he hesitated over whether to follow her.
After all, her actions were sometimes quite unexpected—there might be a highlight.
Before he could decide, he saw her return holding half a gourd.
The edge of it was extremely irregular, as if it had been… torn apart by hand.
Split a gourd with bare hands?? That was some real skill!
He felt a wave of regret. If only he had followed her to film it!
Shen Yanjing was focused on the fire when he suddenly heard the sound of splashing water.
Turning his head, he saw An Shijiu squatting on the ground, scooping water and splashing it onto her face.
The flush on her face faded into a light pink. Crystal-clear droplets slid down her cheeks and gathered at the tip of her delicate nose.
Plop—they fell into the basin, sending ripples outward.
Shen Yanjing’s throat bobbed. His gaze flickered, and he quickly looked away.
At some point, a new ladle had appeared by the water vat, its edge looking as though it had been gnawed by a dog.
He frowned unconsciously.
This person didn’t even have the patience to wait for hot water…
An Shijiu continued washing her face as if nothing had happened, until the large room door creaked open.
An Zhe stepped out, a tuft of hair sticking up on his head, rubbing his eyes in soft cotton pajamas. “Good morning, Mom.”
The moment An Shijiu saw him, she sprang to her feet.
She suddenly remembered that she had promised to teach him martial arts earlier, yet she had forgotten upon waking…
Guilt made her lower her eyes.
She quickly poured out the water she had used, scooped fresh water, and held it out toward An Zhe. “Hurry and wash your face. I’ve drawn water for you.”
The system saw right through her: 【Alright, stop trying to cover it up~~】
An Zhe was still groggy as he took the water to wash his face.
Shen Yanjing walked over, pressed down his hand, glanced at An Shijiu, and added a ladle of hot water into the basin.
“Wash now.”
— Feels like a family of three, hehe~
— Are you delusional? Our brother just couldn’t stand seeing a kid wash his face with cold water!
— She should really learn from Ye Qingyin. This is a parenting show—the focus should be on the kids. Look how well Ye takes care of hers.
— Ye Family fans are something else. Always coming into others’ livestreams to suffer. Your Film Emperor Shen already rejected you—why are you still sneaking over to spy?
Regardless of the arguments in the livestream, the guests were unaffected. One after another, they finished tidying up and headed to the open space at the village entrance.
Upon arrival, they saw six tables arranged in an alternating pattern like this:
— __— —
The tables were filled with all kinds of breakfast: buns, pancakes, milk, soy milk, bread, corn, eggs, and more.
After everyone sat down, Director Li smiled. “Come, let’s eat breakfast first.”
An Shijiu picked up a slice of bread. It was soft and fragrant. With a sip of milk, she squinted her eyes in satisfaction.
Shen Yanjing picked up a boiled egg and tapped it.
His hands were long and well-defined, the egg appearing smaller in his grasp.
After carefully peeling it clean, he handed it to An Zhe, who sat in the middle. “Want an egg?”
An Zhe looked at him in surprise, then remembered what his mother had said and shook his head. “I’ll peel it myself.”
Shen Yanjing’s hand holding the egg froze midair.
He did not like boiled eggs.
So he turned to An Shijiu, who was eating happily. “Do you want it?”
An Shijiu looked at him blankly. “Me?”
“Yes.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the egg was taken by a slender, fair hand without the slightest hesitation.
“Thank you.”
The system said: 【If you were an NPC, your food攻略 would have a 100% completion rate.】
An Zhe: …Didn’t she say she wouldn’t pay attention to him?
In a calm atmosphere, everyone gradually finished breakfast.
Director Li raised his hand and adjusted his mic. “Uh, let me say this—this table of breakfast costs 30 yuan. Once you earn money today, you’ll need to repay it to the production team.”
— Hahaha, starting the game already in debt. The director really knows how to stir things up.
— The preview said conditions would be tough, but I didn’t expect it to be this tough. A shabby mountain village house, and already 30 yuan in debt before earning anything.
— Hahaha, they didn’t say it before eating! Digging traps everywhere—I love it!
The guests all groaned.
Qi Xin raised her hand. “Director, you’re too ruthless. Can I just throw it up and give it back?”
Everyone burst into laughter.
Qin Yize also raised his hand and asked, “Then how do we make money today?”
“Ah, now that’s the key question.” Director Li clapped. “In the area where Teacher Lin and Lin Qinghe are staying, there’s a bamboo forest. Today’s task will be there.”
There were many bamboo forests in the mountain village, and it was the season for spring bamboo shoots. The village convenience store purchased them in large quantities every year.
Today’s task was: 《Bamboo Shoot Digging Competition》
The bamboo shoots they dug would belong to the guests. From now on, the program would no longer provide meals.
The shoots could either be kept to eat or sold.
The first-place winner, who dug the most, would receive a gold coin, which could be exchanged with the program team for 100 yuan at any time.
“Take note—your money must cover daily expenses and also be saved for travel to the next station. Those who don’t save enough won’t be able to go.”
Director Li revealed a devilish smile.
— This is forcing the guests to work themselves to the bone!! Can’t wait!!
— Stop dreaming. What work can these pampered celebrities do? Variety shows always lower the difficulty. If they can’t finish this, there’ll be an easier task. Everyone will make it to the next station anyway.
— Doesn’t matter—just let me see handsome men, beautiful women, and cute babies digging bamboo shoots with all their might!