However, the result turned out to be completely different from what the netizens had guessed.
In a corner that no one paid attention to, the Shang family’s performance was astonishing.
Two large and one small baskets were carried up and placed on the table in front of Director Li.
“The Shang family dug a total of 21 bamboo shoots this time, currently ranking last.”
—Wow, how could they be this weak?
—Judging from the situation, they probably don’t even have a fraction of the Ye family’s total. How does he even have the nerve to pursue her?
Looking at the sparse bamboo shoots, although the guests had different expressions, they all tried hard not to laugh out loud.
Shang He’s face immediately became stiff. Crossing his arms, he pretended to look puzzled. “Hiss~ how could that be? I’ve been digging the whole time.”
What did that mean? He had been digging the whole time, yet the Shang family only had this little output—so was everyone else slacking off?
The Shang family group consisted only of Shang He, Shang Ruoshui, and He Yun’er. It was impossible to blame the child, so the implication was far too obvious.
He Yun’er frowned tightly and lowered her head without speaking.
Shang He had clearly been slacking off the entire time, all fake motions.
More than half of these bamboo shoots had been dug by her, and even Shang Ruoshui had helped quite a bit.
And now he was making sarcastic remarks?
She thought to herself that the program clearly intended for the guests to rely on themselves. With Shang He’s personality, this stage would probably be difficult for her.
—The Shang family only has Shang He as their main labor force. What kind of work can a female idol do? She probably dragged them down.
—Even though the Shang family isn’t popular, people are still watching, okay? Stop talking nonsense here. It’s obvious Shang He was doing 108 fake moves per second, not working and constantly disturbing Yun’er!
—Exactly, you can tell Shang He really wanted to create interactions on camera, hahaha.
—Poor our sister, as an idol she’s so thin she’s just bones. Her face is pale, her hands never stop. She’s always worked hard in dancing and acting, and now she’s just as dedicated in variety shows!
Director Li observed the direction of public opinion and thought to himself that if Shang He didn’t start performing properly, he might soon become the only guest among the six families with purely negative reviews.
“Keep it up! Let’s continue!”
Next came the Lin family with 63, the Gu family with 80, and the Xing family with 84.
Most netizens had guessed the rankings of these families correctly, and there was little controversy.
For some reason, Xing Rumei looked a bit dejected. Normally, she would chatter endlessly, practically clinging to An Zhe, but now even when An Zhe turned to talk to her, she did not respond.
Ren Mei deliberately tried to coax her into speaking more. “Only An Zhe and Xuxu’s families are left. Little Mei, guess whose bamboo shoots will be brought up first?”
Given Xing Rumei’s usual personality, she should have cheerfully made a guess by now. Instead, she buried herself in Ren Mei’s arms and muttered, “Don’t let Ye Xuxu be first. She’s a liar.”
“What?” Ren Mei didn’t hear clearly, and Xing Rumei refused to speak again.
Director Li waved his hand. “Bring them up!”
Four staff members strained as they carried up two large black baskets. Other families couldn’t even fill one, yet this time there were two?
The guests were stunned. Which family was this? It was just a variety show—was it necessary to work this hard?
They all knew that digging bamboo shoots was no easy task. It probably required working nonstop from beginning to end!
Whose could this be?
Ren Mei tried to comfort Xing Rumei for a long time without success, so she grabbed the little chubby girl under the arms, lifted her up entirely from her embrace, and handed her over to Xing Qingze.
Curious about which of the Ye or An families had dug more, she tugged at An Shijiu’s sleeve beside her. “Sister, who do you think will get first place—you or Ye Qingyin?”
Qi Xin, the Xing family’s manager, was sitting behind Ren Mei. Hearing such a direct question, she almost failed to control her expression.
As expected of an ordinary person—she spoke very bluntly.
But she did not expect that An Shijiu, an internet celebrity, would be even more straightforward.
“Me. I dug a lot.”
An Shijiu answered calmly.
An Zhe looked up at his mother and nodded vigorously in agreement.
The child was also honest. Having attended kindergarten, he already had a sense of quantity. He pointed sincerely at the two baskets. “We dug more than that!”
Shen Yanjing had spent many years in the entertainment industry and was long accustomed to avoiding any statements that could be criticized. If An Shijiu and An Zhe had been artists under his company, speaking like this would have already gotten them dragged off by an agent for one-on-one emotional intelligence training.
But at this moment, he thought that since it was simply the truth, such straightforward expression was rather endearing.
So he merely sat there idly and did not deny their words.
Ren Mei believed them immediately and gave a thumbs-up. “Not bad at all!”
The voices here were not loud, but everyone could hear them.
Ye Qingyin remained calm on the surface, but secretly clenched her teeth.
She had a rough idea of how much her family had dug. Looking at those two baskets, she unconsciously tightened her fists.
Shang He, completely lacking awareness, leaned over and said with a smile, “Qingyin, you’re the least likely to slack off, and Xuxu is hardworking too. Don’t worry, this must be the An family’s output.”
Ye Qingyin concealed the impatience in her eyes and revealed a gentle smile. “It’s all labor. Everyone worked hard. It doesn’t matter who has more or less.”
Shang He immediately looked full of admiration and began praising her enthusiastically.
Everything before had been a buildup. Now was the moment that truly drew everyone’s attention, because the final decision lay between the Ye and An families.
Director Li said, “Audience in front of the screen, take a guess—whose harvest are these two baskets?”
An audience member named 【Little Angel Xuxu】 was once again at the forefront of the barrage.
—An Shijiu isn’t afraid of biting her tongue talking like that. Ye Qingyin enjoys farm work, and Xuxu actively helps. Not to mention Ji Qingyu—after being praised by our Sister Qingyin, he practically turned into a nuclear-powered donkey. The Ye family must be first!!
She had stayed in the Ye family’s livestream room throughout the entire competition and firmly believed they would take first place.
After sending this comment, she expected many to agree, but instead found that most people also believed the two baskets belonged to the Ye family.
There was even one comment: “It’s already good if the Ye family gets second. The An family is too strong—there’s no comparison.”
Seeing the heated discussion, Director Li nodded in satisfaction. “I announce!”
Ye Qingyin unconsciously straightened her back, staring intently at the director.
“The Ye family, with a total of 165, ranks second. Congratulations!”
The staff took the lead in applauding, and the guests followed suit.
Ye Qingyin’s expression twisted for a brief moment before she quickly returned to a gentle smile. She stood up and gave a slight bow. “Thank you for the applause. When the An family’s harvest is brought up later, everyone’s hands will probably turn red from clapping!”
By openly acknowledging the result and adding a light joke, the atmosphere relaxed, and everyone cooperated by laughing.
—Sister getting second place is already great. It can’t be helped—An Shijiu’s bamboo digging skills are indeed terrifying.
—My sister has always been graceful. When others say “I dug a lot,” she says “everyone worked hard, it doesn’t matter who has more.” She already wins in terms of mindset.
—So the real first place isn’t allowed to say they’re first? Ridiculous!