“Uncle, can I sell bread?”
The uncle and niece, sporting matching outfits, stood out like two winter peaches among the waiting crowd at the airport.
“Mom, Dad, over here!”
Yan Xingli held the child’s hand and waved vigorously at a fashionably dressed couple.
The woman, wearing knee-high black leather boots and an off-white coat, took off her sunglasses, revealing a face strikingly similar to Yan Xingli’s. She had phoenix eyes, a straight nose, and lips shaped like cherries; the faint traces of time at the corners of her eyes did nothing to diminish her beauty.
“Xiao Xing.” Yan Yuanqing opened her arms and hugged Yan Xingli. “Did you miss Mommy?”
Yan Xingli, over 1.8 meters tall, was lifted clear off the ground like a newborn chick by Yan Yuanqing.
Right in front of the camera, Yan Xingli’s face turned bright red.
“Mom, Mom, Mom! Put me down first!”
His father, Su Yu, cleared his throat softly and said to his wife in a voice only the family could hear: “Yuan Yuan, the child is grown up now and needs to save face. There are outsiders watching.”
Hearing this, Yan Yuanqing belatedly noticed the cameraman filming them intently.
She quickly put her son down and straightened her clothes and hair.
“Mom was just so happy to see you.”
Though Yan Yuanqing looked like a gentle southern belle, she had been a member of the national women’s weightlifting team in her youth. She was muscular, and her grip strength was no joke.
Qi Youyu clutched Yan Xingli’s clothes, hiding behind him with half her body peeking out. Her dark, curious eyes observed the scene.
“Oh my!”
Yan Yuanqing’s eyes lit up.
At her height of 1.9 meters, she finally noticed the little peanut on the ground. She crouched down with a beaming smile. “Yuyu, I’m your grandmother. Hello there!”
Qi Youyu looked at this giant grandmother, who was even taller than her uncle, swallowed instinctively, and greeted her obediently.
“Hello, Grandmother. Hello, Grandfather.”
Su Yu said, “Yuan Yuan, look at this child. She’s so beautiful!”
Yan Yuanqing immediately slipped the gold bracelet off her wrist and handed it to the child. “Here, this is a welcome gift from Grandma.”
Qi Youyu visually compared the size of the gold bracelet and shook her head honestly. “Thank you, Grandma, but I can’t wear it.”
“That’s okay. Just toss it around and play with it!”
Netizens were shocked by Yan Yuanqing’s apparent wealth.
“No one ever told me Yan Xingli came from a rich family…”
“That gold bracelet looks heavy. It must be at least 100 grams. Checked today’s gold price – 1010. I’m so jealous.”
“I’d crown the gold bracelet as the most flattering and luxurious fashion accessory. I want one so badly.”
“I’ve booked a hotel. Let me take you there first to drop off your luggage.”
“Why stay at a hotel? Your father and I rarely get to visit, and you want to push us away?” Yan Yuanqing said, playfully punching her son’s arm without holding back.
Yan Xingli grunted.
Su Yu shot his son a gleeful glance and shoved the luggage into his hands. “Lead the way, then.”
Yan Xingli drove. Qi Youyu sat sandwiched between her grandparents like a little cookie, constantly being stared at.
Her round little head was practically rubbed smooth by Yan Yuanqing’s eager hands.
Even a socially outgoing baby couldn’t handle such enthusiasm.
“Grandmother, Grandfather, please stop touching me!” The child shielded her head with her hands, her chubby face scrunching up. “My head says it’s getting numb!”
Hearing this, Yan Yuanqing cackled even more joyfully.
As soon as they entered the house, they were greeted by Xiao Hua, dressed in a black tuxedo.
“Grandma Yuyu, Grandpa Yuyu, you must be tired from your journey. Please come in and rest.”
Yan Yuanqing and Su Yu froze for a moment, then quickly accepted the bouquet from Xiao Hua with smiles. Before they could even say “thank you,” a disinfectant spray descended upon them.
Xiao Hua made a pleased beeping sound.
“Congratulations! Based on the examination, you are both very healthy, surpassing 90% of your peers!
Yan Xingli frowned. “Are you sure about that?”
“Mom has high blood pressure, and Dad has heart problems. They’ve both been on medication for five or six years.”
Yan Yuanqing and Su Yu’s breath caught. They exchanged a glance, and Su Yu, understanding his wife’s intent, spoke with a stern face.
“We know our own bodies.” He spoke a bit quickly. “Alright, just show your mother and me to our rooms.”
Humans could read the room; robots couldn’t.
Especially not Xiao Hua, a robot who doted on the young. Feeling his test results doubted, he immediately defended them.
“I am equipped with the most advanced medical system. I can detect three thousand diseases, five hundred terminal illnesses, and twenty thousand viruses within one second.”
“Based on your mental state, gait, body temperature, hair, complexion, fingernails, tongue coating, teeth, saliva taste, and eye condition, the accuracy rate for judging you both as healthy is 99.9%.”
Qi Youyu nodded, hands behind her back. “That’s right! Xiao Hua is a professional.”
“What an exaggeration… I don’t even know where to start criticizing.”
The couple hadn’t expected their carefully crafted “frail and ill” persona to be so thoroughly exposed here.
Yan Xingli’s face was like a spilled paint palette. “Mom, Dad, you’ve deceived me all these years!”
Yan Yuanqing and Su Yu turned their heads away, feigning selective deafness.
“The rooms are right ahead, right? Let’s go, let’s go take a look.”
Lunch was meticulously prepared by Xiao Hua: eight dishes and a soup, all substantial, followed by small desserts.
Yan Xingli’s notice had been short; Yuyu hadn’t been able to prepare welcome gifts for her uncle’s parents and felt bad about it.
So she decided to sacrifice herself and let Grandma and Grandfather pet her to their hearts’ content.
Yuyu had interacted with elderly people before; her own grandmother was 120 years old. She knew older folks liked playing with kids.
So when they’d had their fill of petting, she took them for a walk.
Winter sunsets came early. It was pitch black outside just after five.
The four of them walked along the tree-lined path in the neighborhood, surrounded by the crisscrossing shadows of branches. Yuyu patted Yan Yuanqing’s hand.
She pointed at a forked shadow on the wall. “Grandma, don’t be scared! The big tree is making a peace sign, asking if you’ve eaten yet!”
Yan Yuanqing looked in that direction, and the crow’s feet around her eyes crinkled with amusement.
“With Yuyu here, Grandma isn’t scared. If it weren’t for Yuyu, Grandma wouldn’t even know it was greeting me!”
The little one by her feet was so small. Watching her, Yan Yuanqing felt as if she were seeing her own two children as toddlers.
It was nostalgic.
An idea struck her. She bent down, eyes gleaming. “Yuyu, want to get on Grandma’s back for a ride?”
“No way!” Yan Xingli interjected. “You have high blood pressure, and Dad has heart problems. You’re not suited for high-intensity activities like carrying kids on your back.”
Yan Yuanqing’s smile faltered. The brat was still holding a grudge.
After that, any suggestion from Su Yu about giving Yuyu a piggyback ride or from Yan Yuanqing about showing off on the horizontal bar was shot down by their “dutiful son.”
The couple was grinding their teeth in frustration.
However, Yan Yuanqing did end up carrying Yuyu on her back for a short while.
Qi Youyu looked out from the higher vantage point, her eyes full of longing. “Grandma, can I grow up to be as tall as you?”
“Of course you can!” Yan Yuanqing said cheerfully. “Your uncle and… your mother aren’t short.”
As soon as the live stream ended that night, Yan Yuanqing immediately pulled Yan Xingli aside.
“Xiao Xing, tell me the truth. Where did you find this child? She looks so much like our family.”
Yan Xingli was evasive. “The production company found her. I don’t know.”
After just one day together, Yan Yuanqing was already reluctant to leave.
“Why don’t you have your sister adopt Yuyu as her goddaughter after the show ends?”
She couldn’t fight for custody with a stranger, but surely they could co-parent? Yan Yuanqing thought this was a good compromise.
The words “goddaughter” triggered Yan Xingli’s sensitive nerves.
His parents lacked imagination. They had no idea that the goddaughter they were dreaming of had already appeared in Yan Shanyi’s household registration book.
Yan Xingli brushed off Yan Yuanqing’s suggestion.
Looking at his evasive demeanor, she couldn’t help but start nagging about the marriage prospects of her two children.
“I wonder if there’s something wrong with our family’s ancestral graves. How did we end up with two children who won’t fall in love?”
“Your father and I are retired, and we still haven’t held a granddaughter.”
Yan Yuanqing’s face was full of worry, but Yan Xingli was indifferent, even adding fuel to the fire:
“Isn’t that good? You and Dad can travel the world and enjoy your time together. You might even have a third child.”
Yan Yuanqing glared at him; the righteous slap was late but not forgotten.
After getting hit, Yan Xingli quieted down.
“What’s good about it? Your grandmother asks me every day why you two don’t have partners yet. If you don’t have children soon, the Yan family line will end with you!”
The next day, when the live stream started, viewers heard Yan Xingli being pressured about marriage and children. Hearing the older couple talk so much about continuing the family line, netizens who had been happily listening a moment ago were instantly displeased.
The bullet comments were indignant: “What era is this? Still on about carrying on the family line? Do you not understand freedom of marriage?”
“Exactly! They look like an intellectual family, but their thinking is still so feudal. Disgusting.”
Su Yu also glared at his son. “You two siblings shoulder the important responsibility of carrying on your mother’s family line. This is a big deal. Your mother has it hard. Don’t make her worry.”
“Wait, carrying on the “mother’s” family line??”
The tone of the bullet comments shifted abruptly.
“Yan Xingli is so inconsiderate! Carrying on the family line is such an important matter; how can he not take it seriously?!”
“Carrying on the mother’s family line! That “is” really important!!”
The couple stayed at Yan Xingli’s for a total of three days.
During this time, they used their own connections to try to contact Yuyu’s family, hoping to gauge their stance.
The results surprised them.
Yuyu seemed to be a child who had appeared out of nowhere. They couldn’t find any information about her.
Coupled with Yan Xingli’s evasive, stammering behavior, the wily old fox Yan Yuanqing sensed something was wrong.
Without revealing their suspicions, the couple made an excuse that they had to leave for a few days due to sudden matters.
After seeing off the two powerful figures, Yan Xingli straightened up again.
Given that Yan Xingli had performed well in the previous tasks, the production team generously offered to send the duo to a concert by a famous superstar.
Yan Xingli was happy to receive the news. But reading further, he saw the catch.
Earn 2,000 points through your own efforts to exchange for two concert tickets for you and the little one.
Yan Xingli’s smile froze. He skimmed through the fine print quickly.
One point equaled one dollar. So they had to pay for it themselves.
The production team highlighted at the end: Borrowing money from fans, passersby, friends, or using your own funds is prohibited.
Yan Xingli subtly rolled his eyes behind the camera. “What kind of reward is this? It’s just another task.”
Fortunately, he had extensive work experience. He’d been a waiter, a flyer distributor, a barista, a print model, etc. Excluding the basic waiter and flyer jobs, print modeling paid the highest daily rate.
However, the cunning production team restricted Yan Xingli from using his star power. Taking jobs as an extra or model would be considered opportunistic, and the points would be invalid.
Furthermore, they emphasized that the uncle and niece must work together.
After thinking it over, Yan Xingli concluded their only options were busking or setting up a stall to sell unused items.
His rough plan: he’d sing out front, Yuyu could dance behind him, just bouncing around a bit. Buskers relied on their own skills to make money, which didn’t violate the rules.
Upon learning Yan Xingli’s plan, Yuyu had her own idea.
“I don’t want to dance! I want to do ‘Three, two, one, link’s up!”
Yan Xingli asked, “You want to do a livestream sales pitch?”
Having watched countless such streams on her tablet, the child was itching to try it herself.
“Yes! I have lots of things I can sell!”
Yan Xingli grew wary. “What do you want to sell?”
“Sell emotion crystals!”
Her uncle’s brief “work” yesterday had gathered another batch of energy. “We can put the emotion crystals in cars! Then the cars won’t smell bad, and they’ll save fuel too!”
Qi Youyu had never felt motion sickness in cars on the Cang Ai planet. All vehicles there, regardless of size, were stable, and there were no unpleasant smells inside.
Yuyu had plenty of energy-storing crystals, so supply wouldn’t be an issue.
Yan Xingli said, “No.”
“Why not?”
Yan Xingli subtly shifted to block the camera. “Did you forget what you promised me before coming to work with me?”
No displaying technology from the Cang Ai planet during the live stream.
Qi Youyu scratched her face sheepishly. “Okay, I remember.”
After a little while, she quietly asked, “Uncle, can I sell bread instead?”
“To sell bread, we’d need to buy ingredients first. We don’t have start-up capital.”
“We can make it ourselves!”
“You know how?”
“I do,” Yuyu said. “Xiao Hua knows how to bake. I can learn from him.”
Yan Xingli looked to Xiao Hua for confirmation.
Xiao Hua said, “Lady Yuyu is not lying. She is the most talented human offspring at making bread that I have ever seen.”
Yan Xingli retorted dryly, “…Like you’ve seen many.”