Just like the previous two evenings, the guests from the other four families first went home to get their ingredients, and then gradually gathered at the home of Xuan Zhixia and Shang Shuji, who were in charge of cooking tonight.
The first to arrive were Mu Zhijun and her family of three, who lived closest to the house. As soon as they reached the door, they saw the scene inside the main room—
Xuan Zhixia lay leisurely on the recliner, while his two children, Shang Jingqi and Shang Jingshu, sat beside him, reading a book to him.
After all, they are only four or five years old and still in kindergarten. They haven’t been trained from a very young age. At this age, Shang Jingqi and Shang Jingshu still don’t know many characters, so they stumble a bit when reading the books that Xuan Zhixia usually reads.
The two children each read a paragraph, and when they encountered unfamiliar words, they would hesitate and guess at them, so the sentences often turned out strange and odd.
Xuan Zhixia didn’t interrupt, listening with his mind somewhat blank.
This situation surprised Mu Zhijun and her family of three.
Mu Zhijun spoke first in a clear voice: “Hello, Uncle Xuan! Qiqi, Shushu, what are you doing?”
Xuan Zhixia snapped out of his reverie, sat up, and nodded slightly to Mu Zhijun and her family of three: “Hello.”
Mu Xi and Fang Yuejun returned the greeting.
Then, Shang Jingshu answered Mu Zhijun’s question, saying, “We are reading to our uncle!”
Shang Jingqi said, “Originally, we wanted to tell Uncle fairy tales, but he didn’t want to listen, so he asked us to read to him instead.”
”Is it fun?” Mu Zhijun asked.
Shang Jingqi and Shang Jingshu nodded: “Fun!”
Mu Zhijun leaned closer and asked, “Can I join you guys and play too?”
Shang Jingqi and Shang Jingshu looked at Xuan Zhixia: “Uncle, is it okay?”
Xuan Zhixia smiled indifferently: “Do as you please.”
Then he pointed towards the kitchen and said to Mu Xi and Fang Yuejun, “That’s the kitchen over there. Mr. Shang is inside.”
”Okay, let’s go in and take a look. We can also put down the ingredients we brought.” Fang Yueyun nodded.
Shang Jingshu stood up and found a small stool for Mu Zhijun. Then the scene changed to three children sitting next to Xuan Zhixia, each reading a passage from the book.
Finally, all the family guests arrived, and the number of children around Xuan Zhixia increased from three to six…
One side of the recliner is against the wall, and if the six children sit side by side on the other side, the “line” would be a bit long and would take up a lot of space, so the six children spontaneously sat in two rows, one in front of the other.
There weren’t enough small stools in the second row, so they moved a taller bench over to sit together.
Xuan Zhixia’s book was passed around among the six children, each taking turns reading a paragraph. Each child knew a different number of words, and their reading intonation varied, with their volume sometimes high, sometimes low, sometimes sharp, sometimes slow. Out of the corner of their eye, they could always see the book “running around”…
Xuan Zhixia was getting annoyed and didn’t want to continue being a spectator in the children’s game.
He reached for his book and took it back, saying, “I need some quiet. You guys go somewhere else to play.”
Shang Jingqi and Shang Jingshu were stunned for a moment, then nodded obediently with regret.
The children had all gone outside to play, and the main room finally quieted down.
Xuan Zhixia read quietly, occasionally hearing the sudden commotion of children outside or the conversations of adults coming from the kitchen.
As dinner was prepared and everyone sat down to eat, someone inquired about Xuan Zhixia’s sprained ankle.
Xuan Zhixia smiled slightly and replied gently, “I’m fine now. I walked a few steps just now and I don’t feel any pain.”
”That’s good.”
When it comes to cooking, Shang Jingqi and Shang Jingshu said that Shang Shuji has improved very quickly, but it’s not entirely just a child’s biased view of their father.
Shang Shuji’s cooking skills are indeed improving, but cooking here requires burning firewood and controlling the fire, which is not as convenient as a natural gas stove. So even at noon today, the dishes Shang Shuji cooked were still burnt, but they were much better than yesterday’s lunch.
The dinner in front of them, cooked by Shang Shuji with the help of the other guests, looked to be a step up in quality, probably due to both Shang Shuji’s improvement and the help of the other guests.
After the meal, the guests from the other four families left one after another, and the house returned to silence.
Shang Jingqi and Shang Jingshu wanted to impress Xuan Zhixia, but they remembered that Xuan Zhixia had said he wanted quiet before the meal, so they obediently sat down next to Xuan Zhixia with smiles on their faces and remained mostly silent.
Two four- or five-year-old children, even if they are both quite cute, staring at someone like that for a long time can have a strangely creepy effect.
Xuan Zhixia: “…Just tell me directly, what exactly do you want?”
Shang Jingqi and Shang Jingshu blinked at each other.
Shang Jingshu spoke first: “We want you to like us, Uncle!”
Shang Jingqi then asked, “Uncle, what kind of children do you like? Can you tell us? Do you like well-behaved children like us?”
Xuan Zhixia fell silent.
Shang Jingqi and Shang Jingshu looked up, their eyes filled with expectation and sincerity.
Xuan Zhixia thought about it carefully and realized that he probably did not possess the skill of “unintentionally casting a spell on someone”.
”Is it because your father carried me that you think you can make your father like you more through me?” Xuan Zhixia asked doubtfully.
Upon hearing this, the two children quickly glanced in the direction of the kitchen and then shook their heads in denial.
“No!”
“Dad said he still dislikes you, so we can’t let him think we like you. Otherwise, he might get angry with us!”
Upon hearing this, Xuan Zhixia nodded slightly: “So, are you trying to say that you like me?”
Shang Jingqi and Shang Jingshu hesitated, then neither denied nor admitted it, only saying, “We want you to like us, so that you will hug Shang Jingqi.”
Xuan Zhixia: “…”
After thinking for a while, Xuan Zhixia suddenly remembered something and asked the two children, “Actually, you still want to borrow my phone to watch your favorite cartoons, right?”
Shang Jingqi and Shang Jingshu tilted their heads.
”No! We just want you to like us!”
”Hmm… but if you like us, Uncle, then you’d be willing to lend us your phone to watch cartoons, right?”
”But we really didn’t want you to like us just because we wanted to watch cartoons!”
”Yes, yes! We want it because…because…it’s because we want fairness! We want to be hugged!”
The two children finished explaining, each offering their own explanation.
Xuan Zhixia exchanged glances with the two of them, then nodded gently: “Oh.”
The more plausible excuse is that I want to borrow his phone to watch cartoons.
…
That evening, the two children took their baths first, followed by Xuan Zhixia, and finally Shang Shuji.
However, when Shang Shuji returned to the bedroom after tidying up, he found that Xuan Zhixia had already consciously lay down on the inside side against the wall, so the two of them no longer needed to discuss the issue of “sleeping on the outside or the inside”.
But at the same time, without this problem, the two of them actually have nothing to talk about.
Shang Shuji glanced at the time, turned off the light, and went to bed.
The following day marked the fourth day of the program’s visit to Liangshan Village.
The original plan for the morning was for the guests to bring the rattan products they had made the previous afternoon and go to the market with the villagers to sell them, taking advantage of the market day.
But yesterday evening, the children caused trouble with the geese, making the already poorly made rattan products even worse. Some baskets couldn’t even stand up properly anymore, and after cleaning them up, very few were in good condition.
It means to put it on the street for sale.
The production team decided to make a last-minute change and not have the guests go out to sell things, but they would still have to go to the market. However, once they arrived, they would just wander around and see if there was anything they were interested in buying.
There will also be vendors selling vegetables and meat at the market. The guests haven’t had much meat in the past few days, so maybe they can buy some today.
As for the rattan products that everyone worked so hard to weave yesterday afternoon, we picked out a few decent rattan baskets for the children to carry around as decorations, so that they wouldn’t go to waste.
In a way, the guests had one less thing to do; they only had to go out on the street as tourists.
If Xuan Zhixia hadn’t twisted his ankle in the goose-related mishap yesterday evening, he would have thought it was a blessing in disguise, allowing him to avoid being lazy for a while.
Fortunately, the sprain wasn’t serious. I didn’t feel anything while eating last night, and I was completely recovered when I woke up this morning.
The market was located on the main street leading into the town, more than 20 minutes’ walk from Liangshan Village. The production team explained that they had arranged several tractors for the guests, considering the limited stamina of the children.
The tractor engine’s sound created a vibration effect, making everyone on the stone-paved road leading to the market shake violently.
Xuan Zhixia was originally leaning against the railing by the tractor, but the shaking made him feel uneasy, and he had no choice but to sit up straight after less than a minute.
Shang Shuji also kept his brows furrowed the whole time; this was the first time in his life he had ever ridden in such a “vehicle”.
Children are naturally curious, and as long as they find something interesting, they can overlook many uncomfortable aspects. They might even find the noisy engine or the constantly shaking carriage fascinating.
The tractor didn’t actually travel very fast; it took the tractor about fifteen or sixteen minutes to reach the street, a journey that would have taken nearly half an hour on foot.
Finally, the tractor stopped. Xuan Zhixia got off the tractor, holding onto the railing. He thought weakly that this was the first time he felt that walking was more comfortable than riding. He decided to walk back on his own later.
Otherwise, if he takes another trip like this, he’ll really fall apart.
Because it was market day, the main street was bustling with people, except for a slightly quieter area at the end of the street.
The group consisted of five families, along with the cameraman and other crew members. With so many people, it wasn’t very convenient for them to move around together on the street.
So after discussing it, everyone decided that each family would have their own activities and explore on their own, and agreed to meet at the drop-off point at 10:30.
The guests from the other four families set off one after another to visit the market.
Xuan Zhixia was still holding onto the tractor, standing by it. His face and lips were not very rosy, and he looked even weaker than usual.
”Uncle, are you alright?” Shang Jingqi asked worriedly.
Shang Jingshu expressed the same concern: “Uncle, the tractor isn’t moving now, would you like to go back up and sit down to rest?”
Xuan Zhixia shook his head slightly.
Shang Jingqi and Shang Jingshu each carried a wicker basket, with two bottles of mineral water inside, in case they got thirsty.
Xuan Zhixia’s gaze fell on the water. Just as he was about to speak, Shang Shuji reached out and took a bottle of water, unscrewed it, and handed it to Xuan Zhixia.
Xuan Zhixia glanced at Shang Shuji, took the water, slowly drank a few sips, and then handed the water bottle back to Shang Shuji, since the bottle cap was still in his hand.
”Thank you,” Xuan Zhixia said softly.
Shang Shuji remained silent, quietly screwed the bottle cap back on, and then placed the opened bottle of water on the edge of the tractor in front of Xuan Zhixia.
Then, Shang Shuji asked unhurriedly, “Do you want to rest here, or would you like to go to the market together?”
Xuan Zhixia glanced at the bustling street not far away and shook his head: “I’ll rest here, you guys go ahead and shop. Oh, and Mr. Shang, don’t forget to buy some fresh meat when you go grocery shopping.”
Although there had been cured meat a few days ago, putting aside Shang Shuji’s cooking skills, Xuan Zhixia himself does not eat smoked products, so even the normal cured meat that Lin Zhaoshui’s family made on the first night, Xuan Zhixia did not eat.
However, Xuan Zhixia only ate a light diet with little meat; he did not abstain from meat. His body simply could not withstand the implementation of vegetarianism.
Upon hearing Xuan Zhixia’s reminder, Shang Shuji instinctively wanted to retort, but after glancing at his pale face, he paused and then let it go.
Shang Shuji thought that constantly provoking Xuan Zhixia with his words made him seem petty and calculative, which was unnecessary.
”Uncle, are you going to stay here alone?”
”How about one of us stay and keep Uncle company?”
Shang Jingqi and Shang Jingshu suddenly spoke.
Xuan Zhixia shook his head and refused: “No need, I like to be alone, you guys go have fun.”
Shang Jingqi and Shang Jingshu hesitated for a moment, then remembered reading to Xuan Zhixia before dinner yesterday, and Xuan Zhixia’s personality and habits these past few days… So the two children stopped dwelling on the issue and simply advised Xuan Zhixia to go back to the tractor and rest.
Xuan Zhixia nodded and said gently, “I understand. You may go.”
The two children followed Shang Shuji, turning back every few steps.
But they returned not long after.
Shang Jingqi and Shang Jingshu jogged ahead, while Shang Shuji followed behind carrying the vegetables and meat they had just bought.
Shang Shuji’s expression was as serious and aloof as ever, completely out of place with the meat, vegetables, and plastic bags in his hands, and with the entire street.
”Uncle, we’re back!”
“Are you feeling any better?”
Xuan Zhixia had already sat back on the tractor, and the two children were climbing up while asking Xuan Zhixia questions.
Xuan Zhixia nodded lazily: “I’m feeling better. You bought groceries and came back right away? Didn’t you want to wander around a bit more?”
Shang Jingshu shook her head: “We already looked around when we went grocery shopping, it wasn’t very interesting, and besides, Uncle, you’re still here.”
“That’s right, we definitely have to come back early, otherwise what if you get bored by yourself, Uncle?” Shang Jingqi nodded and continued to share, “Uncle, you don’t know, there are so many people on the street, especially on the road where we buy groceries. Dad looked even more serious because of the crowd!”
Shang Jingshu: “We held on to Dad’s clothes tightly so we wouldn’t get separated! Luckily you didn’t go, Uncle, otherwise what if you had gotten hurt?”
At this moment, Shang Shuji returned to the carriage and placed the vegetables and meat he was carrying into the carriage. Only when he got closer and put them down did Xuan Zhixia realize that Shang Shuji had also bought fruit.
Xuan Zhixia glanced at Shang Shuji’s expression again and felt that he seemed a bit colder than usual.
Thus concludes their market trip for the “family of four” today.
After sharing their initial feelings about being jostled by the crowd, Shang Jingqi and Shang Jingshu quietly quieted down, playing with each other’s wicker baskets, occasionally exchanging a few words, and asking Xuan Zhixia if they were bothered by the noise.
The viewers in the live stream observed and discussed simultaneously.
[Clearly, Qiqi and Shushu have been completely won over.]
[How to capture: Self-guided strategy, hahaha]
[There are also two kids who are secretly trying to win each other over, haha]
[However, Xuan Zhixia still suspected they wanted to borrow his phone~]
[I have a feeling President Shang is probably just about at his limit, too….]
[I still can’t figure out why President Shang volunteered to carry Xuan Zhixia on his back yesterday.]
[Clearly, even Xuan Zhixia himself didn’t understand, hahaha]
[Waaaaah, my wife can’t ride a tractor! Honey, wait for me, I’ll buy an electric scooter and come pick you up!]
…
Around 10:30, the guests from the other four families also returned to the meeting point, each carrying something, mostly vegetables, fruits, and meat.
Mu Zhijun and her family of three were the last to return to the meeting point.
What’s a bit surprising is that Mu Zhijun, the most composed of the children these past few days, came home in a huff. She walked ahead of her father, Mu Xi, and mother, Fang Yuejun, with a long face and puffed-out cheeks, clearly looking resentful.
When the children saw Mu Zhijun’s expression, they all asked her what was wrong. Gao Shang also asked her in a bad tone if her parents had hit her.
Shang Bishu slapped her son Gao Shang on the back and scolded, “What nonsense are you talking about?”
Then, looking at Mu Zhijun, Shang Bishu asked, “Oh dear, what’s wrong with Junjun?”
Mu Xi and Fang Yueyun put the things they bought on the tractor they were riding on, explaining with helpless expressions.
The story goes that just now, the three of them were strolling through the market when Mu Zhijun was suddenly stopped by someone who asked her if she would be willing to sell her hair.
Although Mu Zhijun is not yet six years old, she has had long hair since she was a child. Her hair is also of good quality, and she looks good no matter how she ties it up in a ponytail or braids. She also cherishes her long hair.
So when Mu Zhijun encountered a hair dealer, although she didn’t understand why anyone would buy hair, she refused without hesitation.
But the hair seller was too persuasive and quickly convinced the curious Mu Zhijun with the reason, “You’ve grown your hair so long, why don’t you try a fresher short hairstyle?”
Mu Xi and Fang Yueyun originally thought that their daughter was opinionated and that it would be good for her to communicate with others more, since they would be watching from the sidelines and it wouldn’t matter.
But to their surprise, Mu Zhijun was persuaded. Mu Xi and Fang Yuejun quickly spoke up to stop them, saying that they would not sell their hair.
However, Mu Zhijun had already been persuaded to look forward to short hair, and the hair seller who wanted to buy her hair was adding fuel to the fire… In the end, although Mu Zhijun listened and did not sell her long hair to change her hairstyle, the child became unhappy and did not speak to her parents on the way back to the meeting point.
”Zhijun thinks that we just like our child’s long hair, so we don’t let her change her hairstyle…”
”We were also at fault. We didn’t think before we spoke, saying things like ‘girls look better with long hair, short hair makes them look like boys’… But we just apologized to her and promised to take her to get a haircut after the show is over, but she’s still angry and won’t believe us…”
Mu Xi and Fang Yueyun said somewhat embarrassedly.
Mu Zhijun pouted, her lips so thick they could hold an oil can, and ran away as if trying to get away from her parents. She didn’t run anywhere else, but instead came to the tractor next to Xuan Zhixia and the others.
******
She clung to the tractor railing and complained to Shang Jingshu on the car, “No, that’s not true. Mom and Dad are just trying to appease me. They definitely won’t take me to get a haircut when we get home… It’s not that I’m throwing a tantrum, it’s just that Mom and Dad are being unreasonable.”
Mu Zhijun felt she had thought things through clearly: “If Mom and Dad have already agreed to let me cut my hair short, then why won’t they let me do business with that person who wanted to buy my hair and could also cut it short for me? Shushu, don’t you think so?”
Before Shang Jingshu could answer, Mu Zhijun’s mother, Fang Yueyun, said with a wry smile, “So that’s the reason. Zhijun, you should have told your parents. Your parents didn’t lie to you. If you still want to cut your hair short when you get home, we’ll take you to get a proper haircut.”
”You’d let any random person on the street offer to cut your hair? What if they mess it up?”
Upon hearing this, Mu Zhijun was stunned. Her puffed-out cheeks softened slightly, and her unhappy gaze began to wander.
But she was still a little unconvinced: “But… isn’t that person a professional hair seller? He must have cut hair for a lot of people, from long hair to short hair. How could that person not know how to cut hair?”
Actually, today was the first time Mu Xi and Fang Yuejun had encountered someone asking people on the street if they wanted to sell their hair. They weren’t quite sure what was going on and were stumped for a moment, unable to come up with a reasonable answer for Mu Zhijun.
If you say the other party is a scammer, then who would scam a child who is accompanied by their parents and filmed by a camera a meter or two away?
Muxi and Fang Yueyun also suspected that the person was arranged by the production team.
But it seems that person was initially drawn to Mu Zhijun’s hair, and only noticed the camera after chatting for a while, appearing startled. It didn’t seem like they were faking it. Besides, no matter how much the production team scripts the storyline, it involves cutting hair, so it shouldn’t be that serious…
Among the guests, Lin Zhaoshui, who grew up in the countryside, had happened to see this kind of hair buying and selling before. Seeing that Mu Xi and Fang Yuejun were in a bit of a predicament, he wanted to help persuade Mu Zhijun.
But unexpectedly, Xuan Zhixia spoke up gently at this moment.
He said to Mu Zhijun with certainty, “It’s precisely these kinds of people who would cut their hair.”
Mu Zhijun was taken aback.
“But they don’t cut your hair to make you look good; they cut as much hair as possible, and in such a neat way, that they can resell it for a higher price,” Xuan Zhixia said gently.
”They will cut your hair very short. Even if you say you want it to grow a little longer, they have a way to make it grow out the outer layer longer and thin out the inner layer. That way, your hair will look thick, but you won’t even be able to tie it into a ponytail properly.”
”If you’re unhappy, they don’t care. The hair has already been cut, and it was a mutually agreeable deal.”
”So, Zhijun, if you want a nice hairstyle and don’t mind spending a little money on haircuts, you should go home and get a haircut, or have your parents find you a proper hair salon while the show is being filmed.”
Mu Zhijun’s mouth dropped open.
Xuan Zhixia thought the little girl who loved hair was frightened, but to his surprise, the little girl exclaimed, “Wow, Uncle Xuan, you said so much at once! I thought you didn’t like talking to children!”
Xuan Zhixia: “…”
Everyone couldn’t help but chuckle upon hearing this.
Lin Zhaoshui laughed as well, and couldn’t help but ask curiously, “Zhixia, you speak so eloquently and seem so familiar with this. Have you encountered something like this before?”
Xuan Zhixia nodded slightly, some memories surfacing in his mind. Without much thought, he spoke naturally with a touch of sentimentality: “I was sickly as a child. My parents heard some old sayings and wanted to try raising me as a girl to see if they could keep me. So they let my hair grow long for a while. That’s when we met on the street.”
Upon hearing this, Shang Shuji paused slightly, realizing that something was amiss.
Xuan Zhixia’s…parents?
Wasn’t Xuan Zhixia born posthumously[1]a child is born after the death of at least one of their biological parents jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_2978768_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_2978768_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });, and lost his mother shortly after birth, and was later raised by his maternal grandmother?
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