Revealing the real reason would be rather comical, so Shang Shuji didn’t intend to tell.
But the more he acted this way, the stranger Xuan Zhixia found it.
“I want to sleep on the outside because it’s convenient to get a cup of water if I get thirsty in the middle of the night. If Mr. Shang doesn’t mind me waking you up to get me water, I can sleep on the inside… But don’t you think your behavior is a bit strange right now?”
”I don’t think so,” Shang Shuji said without changing his expression. “It’s rather strange that you’re occupying the outer side and refusing to give it up.”
Xuan Zhixia: “…”
Adhering to the idea that “a small act of impatience can ruin a great plan,” Xuan Zhixia, who did not want to do the work of boiling water and then clean the bathroom after taking a shower, began to move his quilt to the inside of the bed, and also moved Shang Shuji’s quilt, which was blocking his way, to the outside.
Once Xuan Zhixia had settled back into a seat against the headboard, Shang Shuji finally got into bed with satisfaction and composure.
”Excuse me, Mr. Shang, do you have some kind of phobia about sitting against a wall?” Xuan Zhixia asked leisurely. “Were you punished by being forced to stand facing the wall too many times when you were a child?”
Shang Shuji calmly retorted, “Are you now trying to find out about me indirectly, trying to understand me?”
Xuan Zhixia: “…Although I don’t have a heart condition, you’d better not tell such terrifying ghost stories next time.”
Shang Shuji gave a dismissive smile.
Shang Jingqi and Shang Jingshu, sitting at the foot of the bed, looked completely bewildered.
”Have you started telling the story yet?”
”Weren’t you asking us to tell a story?”
”Dad didn’t tell a story, did he? But why did Uncle say Dad told a ghost story?”
”Dad, Uncle, please stop arguing. Actually… well, sleeping on the inside against the wall is the best! You are both good people who want to sacrifice yourself for others!”
”Mmm! It’s easy to fall off the bed if you sleep outside! And the bed here is very high, and there are no blankets on the floor, so it will hurt a lot if you fall!”
”It’s still safest to sleep inside!”
Upon hearing this, both Shang Shuji and Xuan Zhixia remained silent.
Inside the live stream—
[Hahaha, Qiqi and Shushu are so cute!]
[Two kids, don’t force them to compromise, hahaha]
[But Mr. Shang is really acting strangely. Why does he insist on sleeping on the outer side?]
[I have a bold hypothesis!]
[Hehe, is President Shang worried that Xuan Zhixia will get sick again tonight? Last night, Xuan Zhixia slept on the outside, and President Shang noticed that he had a fever quite late.]
[It’s absurd, but it seems like this is the only way it makes sense…]
[Also, sleeping on the outer side makes it easier to get in and out of bed, and to take care of others, etc.]
[What the heck? Did I miss something? Why is it suddenly so great?]
[No, the conversation between Shang Shuji and Xuan Zhixia still has that fake couple vibe.]
[To be honest, judging from their looks alone, President Shang and Xuan Zhixia have a lot of chemistry; their personalities match so well!]
Shang Jingqi told Cinderella and Little Red Riding Hood, while Shang Jingshu told Snow White and The Little Mermaid. After the four fairy tales were finished, the two children, wide awake, skipped and hopped back to their own rooms.
The cameraman and camera lens outside the window were also moved away.
Shang Shuji got out of bed, closed the window, drew the curtains, and was about to turn off the light when he found that Xuan Zhixia had already calmly lay down with his eyes closed, as if these pre-sleep tasks had nothing to do with him.
Shang Shuji: “…”
Shang Jingqi and Shang Jingshu returned to their room and climbed into bed, still buzzing with excitement.
”We actually told Dad a fairy tale! And we even sat with him!”
”Yes, yes! Although Dad didn’t clap for us, Uncle did! He clapped three times after each story, which was really helpful!”
”Uncle is so kind! We almost made him fall today, but he wasn’t angry at all!”
”I wish it could always be like this. I feel that when Dad and Uncle are together, they talk more and have more expressions than before. Anyway, it’s just… great!”
The two children whispered to each other late at night, and eventually fell asleep.
…
The following day marked the third day of the program’s visit to Liangshan Village.
In the afternoon, the guests chatted while completing their tasks and decided that it would be Shang Shuji and Xuan Zhixia’s turn to be the head chef and in charge of dinner that evening.
”By the way, Mr. Shang and Ms. Xuan, how did you arrange the cooking the other day?” Shang Bishu suddenly asked. “I was just curious. It seems like Mr. Shang doesn’t have time to cook for himself. He probably has never cooked before. Ms. Xuan is in poor health and can’t stand the smell of cooking oil. He had to stay outside the kitchen the other night. It must have been quite tiring for him.”
Hearing Shang Bishu’s friendly tone, Shang Jingqi and Shang Jingshu tilted their heads in confusion.
Because they still remembered that on their first day here, Gao Shang’s parents were not friendly to their Uncle Xuan at all. When they had dinner at Meng Xiang’s house, they complained in a strange tone that Uncle Xuan was not helping in the kitchen.
But starting yesterday afternoon, Gao Shang’s parents changed; they suddenly became different… Shang Jingqi and Shang Jingshu couldn’t understand it.
Although they went from disliking their uncle to not disliking him, they discovered their mistakes during their interactions with him. They admitted their mistakes, apologized to their uncle, and were forgiven. They did not repeat the same mistakes, nor did they pretend that the past had never happened.
But Gao Shang’s parents were different. They changed very suddenly. They weren’t familiar with each other and didn’t apologize for what happened before, but they just talked as if they were very close to his family…
Shang Shuji remained indifferent as always, showing no intention of responding to Shang Bishu.
Xuan Zhixia was working on the rattan in his hands, slowly and deliberately, and didn’t speak immediately.
Shang Jingshu looked at her two parents and felt that this “responsibility” should be borne by the smart and sensible child!
“Uncle doesn’t know how to cook with firewood and gets tired easily, so of course Dad should cook,” Shang Jingshu said to Shang Bishu.
Shang Jingqi added, “Dad didn’t know how to cook before, but Uncle did, so Uncle taught Dad how to cook lunch on the first day.”
Shang Jingshu: “Dad learns very quickly, so he made lunch himself yesterday and today. But Uncle also helps out; he’s in charge of cooking rice, and Dad stir-fries the dishes.”
Although Dad hasn’t been cooking very well these past few days, it’s okay. Children have to save face for their parents in public! This kind of trivial matter goes without saying! Shang Jingqi and Shang Jingshu thought in unison.
Shang Jingqi then remarked with feigned admiration, “Uncle’s rice is especially delicious! Dad’s cooking has also improved remarkably quickly. After all, Dad didn’t know how to cook before, but he’s already quite good at it now. He’ll be even better after a few more days!”
Xuan Zhixia: “…”
Shang Shuji: “…”
That’s it. On this show, their “family’s” social interactions with the outside world mainly rely on their two children, Shang Jingqi and Shang Jingshu.
If they don’t want to speak, then lower your expectations and let the two kids say whatever they want.
In response to the two children’s answers, Shang Bishu, who had asked the question, praised them, saying, “Oh, I see. Your family has a very harmonious division of labor, that’s great! Qiqi and Shushu are so smart and cute. They know how to be considerate of adults at such a young age. They are much more sensible than your brother Gaoshang.”
”Qiqi, Shushu, why don’t you play with Brother Gaoshang more? Let him learn from you and become as smart and sensible as you,” Gao Feng continued.
Upon hearing this, Gao Shang was furious. He immediately threw the vine he was playing with on the ground, stood up, and put his hands on his hips: “I don’t want to learn from them! They’re not as smart as me! They don’t even understand the fun of adult relationships! I’m the smartest!”
The other adults were puzzled as to why the word “fun of adult” had suddenly appeared.
Only Xuan Zhixia, who was close to the children yesterday evening, knew the whole story. When he heard Gao Shang shouting loudly, he immediately felt helpless.
Shang Jingqi retorted loudly, unconvinced, “We don’t want to play with you either! You’re talking nonsense! We asked Uncle yesterday, and he said no! He didn’t play games with Dad!”
Shang Jingshu retorted forcefully, “That’s right! You’re just talking nonsense! Humph!”
Xuan Zhixia: “…”
The other adults then looked at Xuan Zhixia and Shang Shuji, their eyes filled with strange expressions, some surprised, some teasing, and some confused.
Shang Shuji also looked at Xuan Zhixia.
The word “fun” combined with “adults”… when shouted out by a child in public, carries a weight that a child of that age doesn’t yet understand. Even if they claim to be sophisticated and knowledgeable, they don’t actually grasp the specific meaning behind it.
This scene had the viewers in the live stream absolutely thrilled!
[Hahahaha, thank goodness there was a live stream recording, otherwise Xuan Zhixia wouldn’t be able to explain himself clearly.]
[Hilarious! It’s one thing for others to look, but Mr. Shang, why are you also looking at your wife with such a questioning gaze!]
[Help! This is so embarrassing!]
”Don’t look at me like that,” Xuan Zhixia said helplessly. “It’s not that I said anything strange to the children.”
“Yesterday, Mr. Shang and I went to a villager’s house to buy vegetables and met some children from the village. Because Mr. Shang didn’t say anything, one of the children asked him if he was the boss. The child thought that when people are out and about, the boss has to act mysterious and doesn’t like to talk, while the workers are the ones who talk.”
”Mr. Shang didn’t answer at the time, and I didn’t take it seriously. I just jokingly told the child that Mr. Shang was the boss and I was carrying his bag.”
”However, judging from the result, Mr. Shang didn’t like the joke very much and silently remembered it. Later, when the ‘hide-and-seek’ game ended, Jingqi and Jingshu ran over. I lost my balance, and Mr. Shang helped me up and returned the words to me, telling me not to scam the boss and let the children hear it.”
Xuan Zhixia calmly explained the situation, and when he got to this point, those who were nearby and paying attention to them remembered that such a thing had happened.
Xuan Zhixia continued slowly, “Jingqi and Jingshu were curious and later asked me why Mr. Shang said that. I was too lazy to explain at the time, so I just said I didn’t know and told them to ask Mr. Shang.”
”But they didn’t dare to ask. Later, when they were playing with other children, they mentioned it by chance. Then Gao Shang guessed from his experience of watching TV dramas that it was just like children playing games. Jingqi and Jingshu came to ask me if that was true. I denied it and told them that it was only because Mr. Shang and I had a very bad relationship.”
”I thought that would be the end of it.” Xuan Zhixia explained helplessly, then picked up the water he had brought and took a couple of sips to moisten his throat.
The other adults couldn’t help but chuckle after hearing this, but before they could say anything, Gao Shang shouted again, “I didn’t say anything wrong! I…”
With quick reflexes, Shang Bishu pressed Gao Shang, who had just stood up, back down and signaled Gao Feng to cover Gao Shang’s mouth to stop him from shouting.
Then Shang Bishu said with a smile, “Oh, I see! Hey! Gao Shang is usually taken care of by his grandparents at home, right? The old folks like to watch family dramas and stuff, and Gao Shang watches them with them all the time. He likes to jot down random things and then show off how much he knows. Teacher Xuan, President Shang, please don’t mind him.”
This minor matter was thus dropped.
As for Xuan Zhixia’s last statement, “My relationship with Mr. Shang is very bad,” the other families present pretended not to hear it and did not show any further curiosity.
The guests continued to weave baskets and crates from rattan.
This is also their task for this afternoon.
The production team hired someone in the village to teach the guests how to weave things. They finished weaving this afternoon and will take them to sell at the market tomorrow morning.
Originally, they were supposed to weave bamboo baskets and hampers, as woven vines are unlikely to sell. However, the program’s arrangement wasn’t focused on whether or not they could be sold.
None of the guests had any prior experience with bamboo weaving, and learning it in a short time wouldn’t yield any significant results. Moreover, bamboo strips could easily injure others or themselves, especially since there were children present. If any guest were to get injured, it would be a greater loss than gain. It would be better to use the more harmless vines.
The villagers invited by the production team to teach the program left after an hour, leaving the guests to continue making things up on their own.
The children are initially intrigued, but after a while they don’t get anything out of it, and their novelty wears off quickly, so they start to get restless. It’s easy to soothe one restless child, but when several children are together, you can only let them play as they please.
Anyway, with the production crew and cameras following the children, there’s no need to worry about safety.
However… the adults who stayed behind did not expect that, although no strangers would actively cause trouble for the children, the children would cause trouble for the strange goose and bring the trouble back with them.
Before leaving, the children had arranged a meeting time with their parents. As the time approached, the children walked back together. Just as they were about fifty meters away from their parents, the children saw several large geese roaming freely by the roadside.
Driven by curiosity and a playful spirit, they wanted to touch the goose’s white wings.
Then, the goose started pecking at people.
Fortunately, some of the six children reacted quickly, while others were lucky; in any case, they managed to withdraw their hands before being pecked.
Then, the goose started chasing after them and pecking at them.
So the children took off running, all the way home to their parents, and along the way they brought back the angry geese.
The geese were determined to get to their goal. Even though the children hid behind their parents and there were more people than geese, they did not give up and continued to flap their wings and charge forward.
Although the number of enemies and ourselves was slightly different, with our side having the advantage in numbers, the enemy was strong and we were weak. At this point, children and adults alike panicked and hid from the geese, and even the cameraman who was diligently filming was forced to join the battle.
Xuan Zhixia was sitting quietly, with no intention of jumping around and fighting with the goose.
Unfortunately, all humans are the same to the geese. They flap their wings here and jump around there, and Xuan Zhixia’s seat was forced to get caught up in it. He could only stand up and hide in a corner.
Suddenly, a large goose landed gracefully in front of Xuan Zhixia in a parabolic arc.
A man and a goose stared at each other.
Xuan Zhixia remained motionless, but the goose still pounced on him, and Xuan Zhixia could only quickly dodge.
But the place wasn’t big, and it was chaotic with people and geese. Xuan Zhixia almost twisted his ankle. Just as he stood up, he was suddenly pulled aside by the back of his collar and then pushed through the crowd. After walking a few more steps, he still couldn’t see what was going on, but at least he finally got out of the “battlefield”.
My ankle hurts a little.
Xuan Zhixia pursed his lips and thanked him first: “Thank you, Mr. Shang.”
Just now, Shang Shuji, who had been indifferent, was also forced into the battle between humans and geese. Shang Jingqi and Shang Jingshu wanted to follow Shang Shuji, but also wanted to be with Xuan Zhixia. As a result, the “family of four” was split into four parts.
A few geese had managed to create this situation, with people coming and going and the geese trampling on many of the rattan products they had woven that afternoon… Shang Shuji found it outrageous, and in this mood, he first “dragged” the two children out of the core area where the geese were, and then brought out Xuan Zhixia, who had failed to lie down this time.
”No need to thank me, it was Jingqi and Jingshu who insisted that I take care of you.” Shang Shuji remained indifferent.
Shang Jingqi and Shang Jingshu both looked up at Xuan Zhixia with concern on their faces.
”Uncle, are you hurt?”
”Actually, before we even talked about it, Dad had already planned to come find you. Don’t feel like Dad is abandoning you, okay? Don’t be sad!”
Shang Shuji: “…”
Xuan Zhixia’s face was pale, and his brows were slightly furrowed because his ankle hurt a little. He smiled faintly: “In any case, thank you for your concern.”
Shang Shuji noticed his expression was off: “Are you really injured, Beauty Lamp?”
Upon hearing this, the two children, Shang Jingqi and Shang Jingshu, tilted their heads, their eyes filled with confusion.
”Is Uncle injured?”
“What is a “beauty lamp”?”
“Is it a kind of lamp? A lantern?”
”Dad…can I ask you this question? We really don’t know…”
”We don’t want to be fooled by Gao Shang anymore…”
”Huh, could a beauty lamp be a kind of boss?”
The two children spoke in their innocent way.
Shang Shuji: “…”
Xuan Zhixia’s ankle hurts a little, and hearing that makes his head hurt too.
“Mr. Shang, that’s why you’re a pragmatist, not good at talking,” Xuan Zhixia sighed. “I know you’re trying to mock my poor physical condition, but the way you’re talking sounds really strange to people who don’t know the situation.”
Shang Shuji was speechless once again.