When she heard that the first day’s task was related to bamboo, a trace of delight flashed through Ye Qingyin’s eyes.
Fortunately, before the broadcast began, she had persistently chatted with the director and learned that the first stop would be in a southern mountain village.
Anticipating that there might be farm-related labor, she had already taken Ye Xuxu to experience and practice many tasks in advance.
Digging bamboo shoots was one of them.
The guests had all been pampered since childhood. Soon enough, they would surely “play” more than they worked. But if Xuxu worked seriously, she would definitely stand out and establish a diligent and down-to-earth persona.
With that thought, her mood improved slightly, dispelling the gloom of yesterday’s setback. Even her steps unconsciously became lighter.
A large group of them made their way into the bamboo forest.
By the time the production crew had set up their cameras and found their respective positions, the guests had already familiarized themselves with the area. Holding baskets and hoes, they were eager to begin.
The director walked over to a spot and demonstrated for everyone.
“Do you see this little mound of soil? These are the ones you can dig. But be careful—if you want to dig it out intact, you need to dig down around the shoot from all sides to about the root before pulling it out.”
“Broken ones won’t count!”
When everyone stood together, the children naturally drifted away from the adults and began moving on their own. The closeness of their relationships was immediately apparent.
Gu Mohan stayed close to Ye Xuxu, the two children chatting and laughing happily, making Shang Ruoshui behind them seem like a small shadow.
Lin Qinghe followed beside his father, lips pressed together in silence.
Liu Momo, acting as the manager, tried to start a conversation with him but received no response. Her expression stiffened, and she stood to the side with a cold face.
Xing Rumei’s little face was flushed with excitement. She pointed at the bamboo shoots already poking through the ground, talking nonstop to An Zhe.
As she spoke, she rolled up her sleeves, clearly eager to try.
An Zhe responded with “mm-hmm” while listening to the director, his eyes scanning the surroundings and already marking a few promising soil mounds.
At that moment, Ye Xuxu walked over at some point, and surprisingly, Gu Mohan and Shang Ruoshui were not following behind her.
She was indeed delicate-looking. At this moment, she pressed her lips into a small smile, leaned forward slightly with her little hands behind her back, and secretly took out two pieces of candy, handing them to An Zhe and Xing Rumei.
With a hint of childish cunning in her eyes, she said, “I hid these secretly. I’m sharing them with you.”
Although the program team did not allow outside food, even if it were discovered, a child secretly hiding a few candies—especially without the parents’ knowledge—would only make everyone find her rather cute.
Xing Rumei’s eyes lit up as she accepted it, breaking into a wide smile. “Thank you!”
An Zhe glanced at her, then shook his head and refused. “My tooth hurts. Mom won’t let me eat it.”
Ye Xuxu’s hand paused for a moment, looking slightly at a loss, but she quickly smiled at An Zhe again.
As if completely unbothered, she stepped between An Zhe and Xing Rumei.
An Zhe frowned slightly at being squeezed aside and then heard her say to Xing Rumei, “I don’t blame you for what happened yesterday. Let’s be good friends.”
Something felt off to him, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.
If an adult had been present, they would have understood immediately.
What did she mean by not blaming her?
It wasn’t even a big deal. She had already apologized long ago. Why bring it up again now with such a magnanimous, forgiving attitude?
Xing Rumei was briefly puzzled—what had happened yesterday?
But it didn’t matter. She loved making friends the most!
“Okay, okay!”
Ye Xuxu’s gaze flickered. “Then I’ll tell you a secret…” She leaned close to Xing Rumei’s ear and began whispering.
An Zhe, left to the side, felt a little uncomfortable, but he said nothing.
At that moment, the director began calling out instructions.
Director Li: “Each family will choose their own section of bamboo forest. The competition will last two hours. When you hear the whistle, return here to gather. You may begin!”
Ren Mei called out, “Little Mei, come back! Let’s go find a bamboo grove!”
An Zhe immediately forgot his slight discomfort and called toward An Shijiu, “Mom, come quickly! Let’s choose that spot!”
He pointed precisely to the area he had already observed, where there were quite a few soil mounds.
Film Emperor Shen, who had not been called, naturally followed behind the mother and son with an air of casual composure.
The cameraman continuously adjusted his position and angles, striving to capture the three members of the An family from their best sides.
At the same time, he kept a close eye on the shifting trends in the live-stream comments.
After the first day’s broadcast, the An Shijiu–An Zhe mother-son pair, who had initially drawn negative attention, had already begun to see a reversal in public opinion.
Following Shen Yanjing’s sudden change of stance yesterday, most viewers had shifted their attitudes regarding An Shijiu’s revelation of An Zhe’s identity.
From “Ridiculous, she’s just clinging for attention” to “Why do I feel like it might actually be true?”
Although Shen Yanjing had not explicitly confirmed it, anyone perceptive could analyze that there was no other explanation except that An Zhe was indeed his biological son.
However, that was the stance of the general audience. Passersby would not become fans of the An family just because An Zhe was Shen Yanjing’s son.
Meanwhile, Shen Yanjing’s fans remained stubborn as steel. They had previously favored Ye Qingyin and looked down on An Shijiu, so they instinctively resisted.
In addition, An Shijiu’s past behavior as an internet celebrity had been rather low-class. Thus, although the An family had high discussion volume and even gained a few memorable moments on video platforms, it was all superficial buzz.
With years of experience, the cameraman could tell at a glance that the An family still did not have as many supportive fans as the Ye family, who maintained a more positive image.
A reversal in reputation required not only clearing scandals and creating highlights, but also demonstrating admirable qualities. If they worked diligently in this bamboo shoot digging task, they would surely earn some praise.
But An Shijiu had previously marketed herself as a refined lady who never touched household chores. She would probably just slack off!
Although her sense of direction last night had surprised him, that was entirely different from actual farm labor.
Later, the camera language should focus on amplifying An Shijiu’s awkwardness.
After all, even criticism generated attention.
None of the three members of the An family knew what the cameraman was thinking.
An Zhe had never even been to a park growing up. Even for kindergarten-organized spring outings, his mother had never allowed him to participate.
No matter how independent and composed he had been since childhood, the sight of the lush greenery before him still brought a look of excitement to his face. Brimming with enthusiasm, he ran toward the soil mounds he had selected.
Shen Yanjing scanned the surroundings. Seeing no sharp branches or broken bamboo, he simply reminded, “Be careful not to hurt your feet when using the hoe.”
Then he let him go.
An Shijiu’s gaze swept through the gaps between the bamboo.
No ambush. Safe.
—The An family is a bit slow. The Ye family has already started digging, and both mother and daughter are very skilled. Ye Qingyin said she often takes her child to the countryside to experience rural life. She really understands education.
—If you want to watch proper bamboo digging, don’t stay here. An Shijiu once gathered a bunch of friends to pool money just to rent a yacht and maintain a rich-lady image. Expecting her to dig bamboo shoots is a dream!
—If she doesn’t work, how will they earn money? What will the An family eat and drink later? Won’t they have to rely on our brother? It’s really tough for him to be the manager of the An family. So why did he abandon Ye and choose An?!
—Ji Qingyu from the Ye family is very proactive. Look at Film Emperor Shen—he seems indifferent. He’s probably regretting it too. Even if he doesn’t manage the An family well later, just based on popularity, the other four families would probably be willing to pay a 50% compensation fee to switch for him at the next stop.
—Just a passerby here, no need for stereotypes. The An family has been quite good along the way. An Shijiu isn’t like what you all say, and An Zhe is good-looking, polite, and talented. He’s my favorite child.
—Heh, go watch An Shijiu’s early internet celebrity streams. Low quality is still low quality!