The Perfect Relationship Ch 59

 🍁 The Perfect Relationship 🍁 by Xi He Qing Ling

Ch 59: The Bath

Several eggs in the basket were indeed broken due to the recent jolting. Shao Junling held the broken eggs with heartache. Yin Chang felt sorry for him.

If he hadn't watched the livestream, Yin Chang would never have imagined that Shao Junling would pick up the broken basket, make straps with hemp rope, and even dig sweet potatoes in the field and pick persimmons from the trees.

Unlike other children, Shao Junling had also found things like brushes and scrolls during the treasure hunt, but had ignored them. In his eyes, food was the most valuable thing. Only children who have suffered from hunger and hardship knew the value of food.

This had nothing to do with IQ. It was Shao Junling's common sense.

But Yin Chang did not believe that he had learned these things at the welfare institution. It was very likely Shao Junling's experience before the age of five.

Moreover, Shao Junling did not leave You Luming behind. He’d carried the weight of three people alone like an adult--although his help to Qin Xifeng was based on mutual benefit, no matter what, Shao Junling's performance was commendable.

Yin Chang wiped off the sweat sliding down his temples and praised him, "You did a great job today. You worked hard."

A slight blush dusted Shao Junling's cheeks. It was rare for him to be so warmly gazed at and praised by Yin Chang, and he felt a little uneasy.

Yin Chang rubbed his sweaty hair and smiled, "You're all sticky. I'll give you a bath after the shoot."

Shao Junling: "......"

A few minutes later, Xue Ziwen finally came back carrying the tree root.

He sweated profusely and hadn't arrived yet, but was already shouting from a distance to Wang Chen, "Uncle! Uncle! Come and help me!"

Wang Chen gritted his teeth and went forward to ask for an explanation, "What is this?"

Xue Ziwen excitedly boasted, "Doesn't it look like the wooden one in our house?"

Wang Chen frowned, "What wooden one?"

Xue Ziwen asked, "The one on the shelf next to the living room TV in our house! Mom said that thing is very expensive!"

It took Wang Chen a long time to link this worthless thing that his brother had picked up on the roadside with the million-dollar cypress wood carving in his home, "That's art! How can you compare it to this junk that you can find on the side of the road?"

Xue Ziwen was so anxious that he jumped up and down, "It's almost the same!"

Wang Chen said, "It's not even close! What you picked up is garbage!"

After a moment of hesitation, Xue Ziwen's eyes turned red and he burst into tears. He was so upset that he had put so much effort into finding this treasure, only to be criticized and mocked by Wang Chen in front of so many people. He cried and shouted, "You're the garbage! You're the garbage!"

Insulted like this, Wang Chen was so angry that his eyes nearly rolled back. "You're calling me garbage?"

Seeing that Wang Chen was getting angrier, Xue Ziwen lay on the ground and started to throw a tantrum, wailing, "Waaah! You're the garbage! Waaah!"

Wang Chen was originally a popular star and couldn't stand being insulted like this, especially by his own nephew. He didn't care about his image anymore and shouted back, "Say that one more time and see what happens!"

The program team intervened and separated the two before they could come to exchanging blows. The other guests could only watch from the sidelines.

However, the day's activities were not yet over. When the situation had stabilized a bit, the host urged them to move on to the next location.

The second activity was learning to make traditional clay oven roasted chicken with the local villagers, which would be their dinner for the night.

The purpose of the activity was mainly to promote local cuisine and traditional cooking methods, so there were only some pop quizzes throughout the process and no rewards or punishments.

Due to the high temperature near the clay oven, the children watched from a designated area, while the older brothers and sisters helped the professionals. After the chicken was roasted, the guests sat around the clay oven and ate the crispy rice and pickled vegetables made by the villagers.

Because Wang Chen and Xue Ziwen had just fought, even with the staff’s intervention, their relationship was tense.

As a celebrity, Wang Chen could still pretend in front of the camera, but Xue Ziwen was still a child. He was sulking, clearly unhappy.

The guests sensed the tension, so during the meal, a few little ones gathered around Xue Ziwen under the urging of their elder siblings, and gave him chicken legs, and chicken wings, to try to cheer him up.

Children were easily influenced by each other, and Xue Ziwen soon regained his smile. However, just because he played with the other children, it didn't mean he had forgiven Wang Chen.

As soon as dinner ended, Xue Ziwen went to find Shao Junling, "Shao Junling, can I sleep at your place tonight?"

The beds in the cave were clay stove beds. These beds were big enough for four people to sleep on.

Shao Junling looked up at Yin Chang, asking for Yin Chang's opinion. But Yin Chang was on the fence, since after all, Wang Chen was Xue Ziwen's guardian. If they were to take Xue Ziwen in, they had to ask Wang Chen first.

Coincidentally, Wang Chen was also paying attention to Xue Ziwen's movements. When he realized Xue Ziwen didn't want to go back with him, he was so angry that his face alternated red and white. He glared at Yin Chang, then turned around and walked away.

The uncle and nephew were both throwing a tantrum, and Yin Chang found himself caught in the middle and feeling overwhelmed.

The camera crew continued to film, and Yin Chang didn't have the heart to refuse Xue Ziwen, so he took the little guy back to their lodging.

It was still early, just after seven, and the summer night was still bright outside.

Yin Chang intended to talk to Xue Ziwen, but since it was still early, he decided to wait and see what happened. Perhaps Xue Ziwen would change his mind on his own, or Wang Chen would come looking for his nephew.

The program rules prohibited electronic devices, so Yin Chang read a book to pass the time.

The two little guys had their own way of getting along. Xue Ziwen was quite the chatterbox, and chatted with Shao Junling. As long as Shao Junling responded, even if it was a single word, Xue Ziwen would excitedly chatter for half a day.

So, Yin Chang was just laying on the bed, reading a book and listening to the two little guys chatter.

"...My favorite hero to play is Sun Wukong. In the early game, he develops slowly, but later on, with his golden cudgel, he's unbeatable," Xue Ziwen seemed to be talking to Shao Junling about a game, "Once, I encountered a Big sister who wanted to stun me and kill me with one shot! But she failed, and I had just a sliver of health left. Ha ha ha, I charged forward with a three-hit combo, and smashed that vixen to the ground!"

Shao Junling gave a thumbs up. "You're really good."

Yin Chang: "…"

Xue Ziwen: "There are even more fun heroes, like Sun Ce. He can drive a boat and knock opponents unconscious by charging at them. He can also swing his hammer 2A2A and axe the opponent to death!"

Shao Junling: "Amazing."

Yin Chang: "??? What was this mess?"

Although he didn't understand what they were talking about, Yin Chang came to a conclusion: Shao Junling's ability to express himself was improving due to Xue Ziwen!

"Is anyone there?" Huang Han's voice sounded from outside the door.

"En."

Because it was scorching hot, and there was no air conditioning in the countryside, the doors were open to ventilate.

Huang Han brought You Luming in and smiled, "Little Luming wanted to play with your brother, so I brought her over to visit."

"Welcome..." Yin Chang sat up on the bed.

As soon as You Luming entered, she let go of Huang Han's hand and ran to Shao Junling's side, calling out sweetly, "Brother Junling!"

Huang Han sat down next to Yin Chang with exaggerated sorrow. "I've fallen out of favor…"

Yin Chang smiled, but he felt a little strange in his heart. He hadn't seen Shao Junling be particularly enthusiastic towards You Luming. Could it really be that this little girl was swayed by a twig? That was too strange.

Just as they finished chatting with Huang Han, another voice sounded outside the door, "Oh, you guys are here too?"

Huang Han looked up and saw that it was the Qin sisters, "Are you guys out for a walk? Come in and sit!"

Qin Xifeng hesitated at the door and was pushed in by her older sister Qin Jingshan, "I’m dropping off my sister," Qin Jingshan pointed outside the door, "Wang Chen is sitting under that tree alone so I'm going to talk to him."

Yin Chang and Huang Han exchanged a glance. They realized Wang Chen was probably not in a good mood, and Qin Jingshan wanted to comfort him.

"I'll go too," Huang Han stood up, "Haha... I'll leave my sister in your care."

Yin Chang: "??? Is this a daycare center?"

After Qin Jingshan and Huang Han left, the little ones started playing a game of tag.

They didn't know who started it, but just like a cat chasing a mouse, once someone started running, someone else would instinctively start chasing. The two little girls had nowhere to hide. They screamed as they clambered onto the bed and sought refuge behind Yin Chang.

Yin Chang had wanted to lie down and continue reading, but he couldn't focus on the book with them making such a ruckus.

Helpless, he blocked Shao Junling, who was staring at them hungrily, "Hey, don't bully girls."

Shao Junling didn't listen, in the world of children's games, there were no boys or girls, only winners and losers.

He focused on Yin Chang and suddenly pounced on his side, reaching out and grabbing Qin Xifeng's wrist.

Shao Junling exclaimed, "Gotcha!" and turned around to run. The rules of the game were simple: you try to catch me. If you do, the roles are reversed, and I have to catch you.

Qin Xifeng laughed and climbed down from the bed to catch Shao Junling. You Lu Ming was still hiding behind Yin Chang, laughing and cheering Qin Xifeng on, "Go, sister, go!"

However, boys always had a natural advantage in this kind of game. Shao Junling was agile and Qin Xifeng couldn't even touch his clothes. Even if she did, he could use his strength to break free and run away.

You Lu Ming became anxious and pulled Yin Chang's arm, dragging him down, "Brother Yin Chang, help us! Help us!"

Yin Chang: "..."

He was an adult, over 1.8 meters tall, how could he play with these children? Wasn't that bullying?

But he couldn't resist You Lu Ming's insistence, so Yin Chang was forced to join the game.

He walked outside and called out, "Come on, everyone."

The kids followed him out, and Yin Chang opened his arms, "You guys hide behind me...Shao Junling, you come catch us!"

Yin Chang changed the game from "you catch me, I escape" to "the eagle catches the chick," which was more fair for the children.

With all this going on, the scene became even more chaotic. The whole yard was filled with the laughter of children, and even the twin brothers who weren't far away came over when they heard the commotion.

"Ah! They're all here!" Lang Chizhi saw them playing games and his eyes lit up, itching to join.

Although the twins had a feud with Shao Junling and Xue Ziwen, Yin Chang wasn't petty. He waved them to join in. Games were the best way to resolve conflicts between children, and after a few rounds, the kids had indeed become good friends.

When Huang Han and the others returned, they saw this scene of harmony.

"Wow! Yin Chang, I didn't know you were so good with kids!" Huang Han exclaimed with delight.

Yin Chang, having played the role of "mother hen" for half a day, was exhausted. Seeing the guardians come back, he stopped, "Alright, that's enough for today!"

It was getting late, and Yin Chang saw Wang Chen behind Huang Han and Qin Jingshan. They had probably talked enough.

But Xue Ziwen saw Wang Chen and immediately hid behind Yin Chang, as if still immersed in the game, and refused to come out.

Yin Chang turned around and asked Xue Ziwen, "Xue Ziwen, you have to go back with your uncle."

Xue Ziwen puffed out his cheeks, "I don't want to!"

Yin Chang squatted down and patiently persuaded him, "You came to participate in the program, so you should know the rules of the program. You and your uncle are a team. Do you know what it means to be a team?"

This was an English word taught in first grade, and Xue Ziwen naturally knew it. De International School also often emphasized the importance of teamwork.

Yin Chang said, "You have to work together. Your uncle didn't mean to hurt you. He has to take the wood you collected to the market tomorrow and sell it. If he can't get a good price, you'll have to suffer with him, so he's feeling pressure."

Xue Ziwen clenched his fists and insisted, "It will sell for a good price!"

Yin Chang smiled, "Then you'll get to feel justified tomorrow, won't you?"

Xue Ziwen was persuaded. He stole a glance at Wang Chen, who was waiting for him outside. But when he thought of Wang Chen's attitude, he still felt very wronged.

At this time, Shao Junling spoke up, "Just give in to him"

Xue Ziwen protested, "He's the adult. Why should I have to give in to him?"

Shao Junling said earnestly, "Sometimes adults can be stupid too."

Xue Ziwen was receptive to Shao Junling's advice. He looked at the wise Shao Junling and then glanced at the nearby cameraman. He nodded, "Okay! I want the whole country to see how magnanimous I am!"

Yin Chang: "..."

With everyone's "unity and cooperation," Xue Ziwen finally went back with Wang Chen.

Afterwards, Yin Chang breathed a sigh of relief and took Shao Junling back to the room to wash up.

For Yin Chang, giving Shao Junling a bath was troublesome. The little guy was too restless, dodging and weaving around like a slippery eel. Despite this, Shao Junling really enjoyed being "waited on" by Yin Chang. Yin Chang discovered this after helping him take wash after their fight last time. Furthermore, Yin Chang believed this kind of interaction could strengthen their brotherly bond. After their last shower, Shao Junling had clung to him like a kitten, curling up in his arms when they went to sleep.

So this afternoon, Yin Chang used this as a "reward" for Shao Junling.

While showering, Yin Chang thought of Shao Junling's words to persuade Xue Ziwen and curiously asked, "Did you really think you gave into me before you came to participate in the program?"

"Yep," Shao Junling replied.

"What do you mean 'yep'?" Yin Chang laughed so hard he used a bit too much force while scrubbing, "So tell me, when have you given in to me?"

"In so many ways" Shao Junling counted them off on his fingers, "You're wasteful, too kind, have a bad memory... and you don't give me face^[1]."

Yin Chang was speechless as he listened, and his movements stopped.

Shao Junling looked into Yin Chang's beautiful eyes that were so close to him and blushed, "I give in to you."

🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁

🍁 Vignette

Yin Chang: "I'll give you a bath after the shoot."

(Internal thoughts) Ah, it's a bit of a hassle, but I have to find some way to reward him.

Shao Junling: "Although I'm really shy, if my brother wants to... you can wash me." (/ω＼)

🍁 Translator’s Notes:

1: face = pride. Losing face means losing pride so being in an embarrassing or shameful situation. Not giving someone face is not letting them escape an embarrassing situation, or putting someone in an embarrassing situation.

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The Perfect Relationship Ch 58

🍁 The Perfect Relationship 🍁 by Xi He Qing Ling

Ch 58: Two Branches

For the second episode, the production team did not do another surprise shoot at their homes. Instead, they had each group of guests fly to the central city mentioned by Huang Han with their agents. Then they all took a bus to the filming location.

Familiar with each other from the last shoot, the guests spontaneously formed cliques. Xue Ziwen insisted on sitting with Shao Junling, leaving his uncle behind. You Luming and Qin Xifeng, the two little girls, played together. Huang Han found Yin Chang and Wang Chen found Qin Jing Shan. Except for the twins, the other eight people were reorganized.

During the ride, the staff interviewed them: "Looking forward to this shoot?"

Everyone spoke at once, conveying their lack of excitement. Afterwards, they burst into laughter, as if mocking the production team had become a shared pleasure.

The staff asked again, "What did you do after the last shoot ended?"

Wang Chen replied, "What else can we do? Of course, eat and sleep..."

Lang Chizhi chimed in, "Me too! I ate three bowls of rice in one go when I got home! Then slept for a day and night!"

The staff asked, "Did you feel fortunate to have a meal that filled you up?"

"YES!" Xue Ziwen and Shao Junling confidently shouted from the front row

The staff couldn't help but look at Shao Junling who was silent next to him, "What about Junling? Did anything change for you after going back?"

Shao Junling replied, "No."

The staff asked again, "Nothing?"

Shao Junling confirmed, "No."

Except for sleeping better and eating more on the first day, he spent the rest of the days doing homework and going to the martial arts gym. There really wasn't anything different.

Seeing Shao Junling's expression didn't change, the staff was speechless.

The filming location for the second episode was in a mud-brick village in Shanxi. This time, the crew didn't blindfold them. It took about three hours by car from the airport to the destination, and everyone watched as they drove from a modern city all the way to a barren mountain.

"Wow, what kind of place are we heading... all we can see is yellow soil!"

"Could it be that we're going to the Loess Plateau?"

"My family lives on the Loess Plateau! Fierce winds blow down the slopes there..!”

"Whether it was a northwest wind or a southeast wind, it was my song, my song…^[1]”

"Hahaha..."

After arriving at their destination and getting off the bus, they saw the original host they haven’t seen in a while, Lao Luo, who once again demanded that they surrender their phones and food. However, having had the experience before, no one struggled needlessly this time. They were arranged to stay in iconic local earth cave dwellings. Except for their varying location, the indoor layout and conditions of each cave were more or less the same.

After settling down and having lunch, the host summoned everyone to begin the formal activities.

The afternoon's theme was called "Treasure Hunt." Unlike previous guests who were grouped by family, this time the program team required older and younger siblings to separate and complete tasks. With the guidance of the staff, all the young children in the families could go alone or in groups to search for "valuable things" throughout the village, and then hand them over to their respective older siblings to sell at the town's market the next morning. The money earned could be used to purchase food or gifts as they pleased.

Upon hearing that they had to be separated from their older siblings, the reactions of the children wildly varied. The youngest, You Luming, "took the lead" and directly hugged Huang Han's leg, crying loudly in protest. The outgoing Xue Ziwen was eager to leave his uncle alone and go into the wilderness by himself. Guo Yiheng was the oldest of all the children, and had no problem going out alone for the task. The gentle Qin Xifeng was initially timid, but with the encouragement of Qin Jing Shan, was able to bravely go forth.

What surprised the staff the most was Shao Junling. They thought this independent-minded little guy would be the least afraid to separate from Yin Chang, but after hearing the rules, he instinctively grabbed Yin Chang's clothes - a clear sign that he did not want to be separated from him.

But Yin Chang didn't notice. He was focused on Huang Han’s sister next to him. Seeing You Luming heartbreakingly cry, Yin Chang felt sympathetic. He asked Shao Junling, "When you go out later to search for treasure, can you take special care of her?" Huang Han also pleaded, "Junling, can you please look after You Luming?"

Shao Junling looked at Yin Chang, then at Huang Han, and slowly let go of Yin Chang's clothes, nodding his head. Huang Han coaxed You Luming, "Be a good girl and follow Brother Junling to find some treasures. That way, Brother can use the treasures to buy you delicious food tomorrow!"

While the youngest, You Luming, resisted, the other three had already set off. Shao Junling anxiously circled around You Luming twice and urged her, "Let's go."

Surprisingly, these two words were more effective than Huang Han's begging and coaxing. You Luming abruptly stopped crying. Huang Han took the opportunity to turn her towards Shao Junling and gently pushed her.

After the kids left, host Lao Luo interviewed the remaining people, "How are you feeling?”

Wang Chen seemed relieved and content as he exclaimed, "Finally, we're free!"

Lang Chizhi pumped a fist towards the camera, "Big Brother Heng, it’s all up to you!"

"Big Brother Heng" was Lang Chizhi's nickname for his younger brother. The twins didn't care much about who was older or younger and often swapped seniority.

Qin Jing Shan's answer also held the calm demeanor of an elder sister, "I hope my sister can stay strong and perform well."

Huang Han sighed and looked worriedly towards where he’d last seen You Luming and Shao Junling. "I'm a bit worried..."

Lao Luo asked, "Are you worried that Shao Junling won't take good care of your sister?"

Huang Han shook his head, "No, no, Shao Junling is reliable. I'm just worried that Luming will be too troublesome and slow down Yin Chang and the others."

Lao Luo turned to Yin Chang. "Are you worried?"

Yin Chang smiled and replied, "I'm the opposite of Huang Han. I'm more worried that Junling will get impatient and leave Luming behind."

Huang Han was speechless. Indeed, everyone knew Shao Junling's personality. 

Although he was intelligent, he was also a ruthless character who even refused to help the sister goddesses.

When Yin Chang asked him to take care of You Luming earlier, the staff had all gasped. The coldest boy paired with the most crybaby and clingy little girl? This combination spelled trouble!

Yin Chang patted Huang Han on the back and reassured him, "There should be staff members following them. Don't worry..."

Lao Luo said to everyone, "You don't have to worry. We will now be going to watch your siblings' performance together!"

The group didn't know what the show team was up to until Lao Luo led them to a makeshift shed with a large TV inside. It dawned on them that the show team wanted them to watch their siblings' actions together.

Lao Luo pointed to the camera on the TV, "This segment will allow you to observe your siblings' performance when they are acting alone. Of course, we'll also film your real-time reactions to the live broadcast... so enjoy yourselves."

Wang Chen laughed, "Haha, they're running outside while we're sitting here watching. So comfortable."

Everyone gathered around the TV and sat down. Lang Chizhi raised his hand, "What kind of treasures are there? Did you guys plant them in advance?"

Lao Luo explained, "Some of them were planted in advance by the program team, but the 'treasure hunt' activity is not limited to these things. We don't know what they will find."

At first, Wang Chen looked relaxed, but after hearing this, he became a bit uneasy, "I hope Xue Ziwen doesn't pick up garbage..."

Everyone laughed a couple of times and eagerly watched the live broadcast.

The program team took turns broadcasting the situation of the five children. The first to appear was Guo Yiheng.

Guo Yiheng was the first to set off after receiving the task, possibly because he was the oldest. He had broad cognitive scope and high task efficiency compared to the other children. By now, he had picked up two "treasures," a string of antique bronze wind chimes and a folding fan, both of which looked like they could sell for a good price.

He tied the wind chimes to his waist, making tinkling sounds as he walked. He looked very suave with the folding fan in one hand.

"Big Brother Heng is amazing!" exclaimed Lang Chizhi proudly.

Next up were Xue Ziwen and Qin Xifeng, who walked closely. Xue Ziwen seemed to want to tag along with Qin Xifeng, chattering excessively as they searched for treasure. "What kind of treasure could there be in this dump?... How come I haven't found anything?... Qin Xifeng, have you found anything?... Could it be that everything has been picked up by that Guo guy?... We need to hurry up! Otherwise, he'll grab all the treasure!"

At her wit’s end, Qin Xifeng said, "Xue Ziwen, let's...split up."

"What? Why? Can't we look for things together?" Xue Ziwen was confused.

Qin Xifeng lowered her head, "If we look for things together and find something, it won't be easy to divide it..."

To adults, it was obviously just an excuse, but Xue Ziwen didn't doubt her at all. "Oh, you're right! Then you should do your best alone!" He turned around and parted ways at the intersection.

The camera caught Qin Xifeng visibly relieved after Xue Ziwen left.

Wang Chen commented, "Xue Ziwen is such a chatterbox. How could Qin Xifeng not be annoyed by him?"

Qin Jingshan couldn't help but smile, "Don't say that, they're still just kids."

Next up were the last to depart, Shao Junling and You Luming.

Huang Han exclaimed, "They're still together!"

Luckily, Yin Chang's worries didn't come true. Not only did Shao Junling not leave You Luming behind, but he also stopped every few steps to wait for her.

Huang Han and Yin Chang both revealed relieved expressions like that were old fathers.

Although Shao Junling was forced to slow down because he brought a "dragging oil bottle" with him, his eyes vigilantly scanned everything around him.

This road had just been walked by Xue Ziwen and Qin Xifeng. Everyone originally thought he wouldn't find anything, but Shao Junling picked up a broken basket on the side of the road.

Seeing this scene, Wang Chen burst out laughing: "Does Shao Junling think that has value?"

Not far from the broken basket was an old hemp rope, which Shao Junling also picked up. He threaded the rope through the basket to make a strap to tie onto his back. Then, he found a short tree. He climbed up, broke off a branch, removed its leaves, and used it as a cane.

When he returned and Shao Junling looked at You Luming with an expression that said, "?"

You Luming replied with an expression of her own, "!"

Shao Junling turned around and prepared a slightly thinner branch for her.

After receiving the branch, You Luming's eyes widened.

Equipped with these "tools," Shao Junling's demeanor changed. He seemed like a skilled "junk king," searching every inch of the ground. You Luming also waved her thin branch around and followed Shao Junling, learning from him.

The two kids didn't talk, and they rarely even made eye contact, but they were like a pair of perfectly coordinated partners.

The people watching the TV were all stunned.

Qin Jingshan: "They look so... professional."

Lang Chizhi joked, "Professional trash pickers?"

But indeed, that tool of Shao Junling's... was a bit...

Wang Chen rubbed his chin and, unusually level-headed, observed, "Come to think of it, don't they need some sort of bag or backpack to carry things?"

Lang Chizhi was taken aback. Maybe Shao Junling had found that broken basket so easily because no one else wanted it, so hadn’t paid it much attention.

Huang Han didn’t care about the basket. He looked at Yin Chang with admiration, "I didn't expect your brother to conquer my sister with just a tree branch! He's amazing!"

Yin Chang: "..."

Guo Yiheng appeared on the screen again. After a while, he found two more things: an inkstone and a landscape painting with a frame. The painting was a bit big, so he stuck the folding fan in his pocket, carried the frame above his head, and rested the inkstone on top of it, shading himself from the sun.

Xue Ziwen and Qin Xifeng, who had gone their separate ways, found a wooden jewelry box and an embroidered handkerchief respectively.

Next were Shao Junling and You Luming. The cameraman fast-forwarded through their journey and showed everyone their findings: a few mushrooms, a bag of red dates, and eight sweet potatoes.

The red dates were scavenged, the sweet potatoes were dug up by Shao Junling, and the mushrooms were picked by You Luming by the side of the road.

Lang Chizhi laughed, "Hahaha, they only picked up useless things!"

Wang Chen said, "Looks like they're finished, hahaha!"

Qin Jingshan smiled, "Those things can't be worth much, can they?"

Yin Chang said anxiously, "If worse comes to worst, I can perform something tomorrow."

Huang Han was also worried. "You can sing songs, but I can't do anything. We're done for..."

Yin Chang said, "You can ask Wang Chen for help; he's good at singing."

Wang Chen said, "???"

An hour passed, and Guo Yiheng had collected so much that he could no longer hold it all. He piled all the small odds and ends he had picked up on top of the painting, and walked shakily, about to tip over at any moment. Everyone watched nervously.

Then, he noticed a basket of eggs on a nearby stone bench. Guo Yiheng walked around the basket of eggs and asked the cameraman for help, "Can you help me grab that?"

The cameraman refused mercilessly, "You have to figure it out yourself."

Just then, Shao Junling arrived with You Luming and Guo Yiheng.

Guo Yiheng saw the basket behind Shao Junling and his eyes lit up, "Where did you get that basket?"

The cameraman replied, "He probably picked it up."

Guo Yiheng looked around and asked, "Where did you pick it up? Are there any more?"

The cameraman shook his head, "Not sure."

Watching the program in the studio, Wang Chen asked the staff next to him, "Are there any other bags we can use?"

The staff revealed, "The program only prepared one basket."

Lang Chizhi realized too late, "Ah? You guys put that broken basket there?"

The staff laughed, "Don't underestimate that basket, it's actually quite sturdy."

Everyone: "..." Who could have thought of this!

From five meters away, Shao Junling and Guo Yiheng faced each other. Guo Yiheng held the painting frame on top of his head with one hand and the basket of eggs with the other, afraid that Shao Junling would snatch them away.

But Shao Junling didn't approach him. He looked at Guo Yiheng for two seconds and then turned his gaze away, carrying the only basket in the entire group, and walking past him with You Luming.

In theory, Shao Junling should be more anxious than Guo Yiheng because he saw that the other had found so many things, while he only had a few sweet potatoes and mushrooms in his basket. But he seemed confident, as if he knew that he was carrying the only basket provided by the production team.

After taking a while, Shao Junling and You Luming ran into Qin Xifeng. Qin Xifeng faced the same problem as Guo Yiheng. She didn't have as many things as Guo Yiheng, but as an eight-year-old girl, she had little strength and couldn't carry both the bolt of silk she found and the empty water tank.

When the three of them passed, You Luming called out "Sister!”. The two girls knew each other and had whispered all the way to the village. Qin Xifeng didn't resist Shao Junling like Guo Yiheng did. When she saw the basket on Shao Junling's back, she had a burst of inspiration. "Shao Junling, I found a bolt of cloth here that I can't carry. Can you help me carry it? When my sister sells it tomorrow, I'll give half to your brother."

The audience watching the live broadcast were all amazed.

"Qin Jing Shan, your sister is quite clever!" Wang Chen exclaimed.

Lang Chizhi said, "Shao Junling is really lucky!"

"She was able to come up with this solution...," Qin Jing Shan said with a smile. She then glanced secretly at Yin Chang, since her sister's negotiation with Shao Junling also concerned Yin Chang and herself. She wanted to see Yin Chang's reaction.

But Yin Chang was frowning, seemingly worried about something.

Shao Junling walked to the water tank, glanced inside and at all the things Qin Xifeng was carrying and spit out one sentence, "I want all of it."

Qin Xifeng: "Huh?"

Shao Junling pointed to the handkerchief, wooden comb, and the bag of rice in her hand, "Split everything in half."

Everyone was stunned... Just a moment ago, everyone thought that Shao Junling would not refuse Qin Xifeng's proposal, but they never expected that Shao Junling would dare raise the conditions!

Lang Chizhi was furious, "Damn! Shao Junling is taking advantage of the situation, this is too much!"

"Tsk tsk tsk," Wang Chen gloated with an adult tone, "Not even sparing the beauty, I think Shao Junling is going to be in trouble with little beauty Qin!"

"Hehe..." Qin Jing Shan's face also looked unpleasant. She recalled her own brush with Shao Junling during the previous round.

Only Huang Han laughed so hard his shoulders shook. He said to Yin Chang, "Your little brother is a really good businessman."

Yin Chang sighed, "I knew that little guy wouldn't be so generous."

On the screen, Qin Xifeng seemed to hesitate, while Qin Jingshan clenched his fist and prayed silently that her sister wouldn't agree.

But obviously, Qin Xifeng didn't hear her sister's prayer. She gazed at innocent You Luming and then at the extremely serious Shao Junling, and compromised, "Okay."

Qin Jingshan nearly coughed up blood.

Then, everyone watched in amazement as Qin Xifeng presented several precious items she had worked hard to find to Shao Junling. Shao Junling grabbed the silk from the water tank and put it in his basket, carrying it effortlessly on his back.

Qin Xifeng followed along with a worried expression.

Huang Han: "Little Beauty Qin doesn't seem to be very happy."

Wang Chen: "Can she be happy when she was lowballed by Shao Junling like that?"

Indeed, Qin Xifeng looked a bit troubled.

But then, everyone proceeded to see Shao Junling find a tree and break off a branch for Qin Xifeng.

You Lu ming, who was next to them, waved her small branch and shouted in a childish voice, "Sister Xifeng, let's go!"

Qin Xifeng held the branch and her knitted forehead relaxed. She waved the branch happily and caught up with the other two.

Huang Han laughed heartily and gave a thumbs-up to Yin Chang. "Your little brother is really talented!" Then he turned to Qin Jingshan and said, "He not only conquered my sister with one branch, but also conquered your sister with one!"

Qin Jingshan: "..."

Yin Chang: "..."

The scene shifted back to Xue Ziwen. Xue Ziwen circled around an object, muttering to himself, "Wow, this thing is definitely a treasure! What do you guys think? But I can't carry any more… what should I do? No, I have to figure out a way to bring it back! This thing can sell for a lot of money!"

"What's he doing?" Wang Chen stared at the screen and wondered, "What is this thing?"

"Looks like a tree root?" Yin Chang said.

"I know it's a tree root. I'm just curious why he's circling around it," Wang Chen furrowed his brow deeper and deeper.

"Maybe he thinks the tree root is valuable?" Huang Han suggested.

"He's not going to bring this thing back, is he?" Wang Chen said.

Ten seconds later, Xue Ziwen made Wang Chen scream in despair with his actions. He not only picked up the tree root, he also abandoned all the other treasures he’d found earlier just to carry this tree root.

Perhaps the scene was too cruel, the director switched to following Guo Yiheng.

In the end, Guo Yiheng abandoned the basket of eggs. For a city kid like him, he probably thought eggs were too cheap.

Throughout the treasure hunt, Guo Yiheng kept replacing his "treasures" because he couldn't carry them all. He had to leave behind items he deemed less valuable and only keep the ones he thought were the most valuable. All these items were collected one by one by the trio of Shao Junling and his lackeys.

As the ending time drew near, the kids returned one by one under the guidance of the staff. Guo Yiheng was still the first to arrive, and he had the most individual gains among everyone.

Next came the trio. Shao Junling carried a basket full of wild fruits, sweet potatoes, red dates, fabric, and eggs. He came back loaded with treasures.

You Luming and Qin Xifeng picked some wildflowers on their way back. They saw their older siblings and rushed over, expressing their affection with hugs and cheers.

Perhaps influenced by the two pairs of siblings around them, Yin Chang also stretched out his arms towards Shao Junling from a distance.

Shao Junling hesitated for a moment, then his pace quickened slightly, and then faster and faster... until he was almost running towards Yin Chang. However, when he was only one meter away from Yin Chang, he suddenly stopped. His hands tightly grasped the hemp strap of the basket, and his whole body was stiff.

Yin Chang stood there, not knowing what was wrong with him.

Shao Junling put down the basket, turned his head, and looked nervous. "The eggs broke," he said.

Yin Chang: "..."

🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁

🍁 Vignette

Shao Junling: There is nothing that can't be solved with a tree branch, little sister. If there is, get another one.

🍁 Translator’s Notes:

1: referencing this song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUS7zdm6690

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The Perfect Relationship Ch 57

  🍁 The Perfect Relationship 🍁 by Xi He Qing Ling

Ch 57: Fight Between Brothers

Yin Chang stared back at Shao Junling who was bristling. Calmly he said, "You still want to fight?...Come on then, hit me."

Shao Junling was stunned when he heard this. Yin Chang's tone said he wasn’t joking. He was serious, and he couldn't tell if he was angry.

"I'll fight you," Yin Chang repeated. He stood up and beckoned him with his hand.

Shao Junling's gaze flickered uncertainly.

Yin Chang reassured him, "Don't worry, you can't hurt me."

Maybe it was Yin Chang's attitude that made Shao Junling feel demeaned, or maybe it was something else, but he gritted his teeth and swung his fist.

But he still had some reservations and only used half his strength.

Yin Chang raised his palm and blocked the punch with a loud "smack." He raised his eyebrows at Shao Junling, "That’s it? Is that all you’ve got?"

Shao Junling felt insulted and became furious. He used all his strength to swing another punch.

Just like before, Yin Chang used his palm to block directly, but timed pulling back to cushion the force of Shao Junling’s blow.

Dissolving his punches so easily made ShaoJunling's pupils contract. He continued to throw punches, but Yin Chang either easily dodged or blocked them. At one point, Yin Chang even wrapped his palm around Shao Junling's fist and pulled it towards himself, causing Shao Junling to nearly fall into his arms.

Shao Junling stumbled back into his taekwondo attack stance, with fierce eyes and an imposing manner.

He spun, jumped, and kicked. Yin Chang sidestepped the kick and grabbed his ankle, causing Shao Junling to lose his balance and fall forward again!

The little guy panicked and opened his mouth, but just as he was about to fall, Yin Chang caught his waist, and gently helped him stand firmly.

"Again," Yin Chang beckoned.

Shao Junling's face was red. He yelled "Ah!" and charged towards Yin Chang like a small rocket.

Yin Chang narrowed his eyes and gave it his all to respond.

To any bystander, it would’ve been clear that Yin Chang was bearing the brunt of Shao Junling's attacks head-on, whether he blocked with his arms or palms. He let Shao Junling viciously hit him all over, acting as a human sandbag for him to vent his frustrations.

However, from start to finish, Yin Chang didn't even furrow his brow, as if he felt nothing from Shao Junling's strikes.

Shao Junling became increasingly anxious, losing all sense of decorum.

He pulled everything out of his arsenal like tripping and clawing to relentlessly attack Yin Chang.

"Hey, why’re you resorting to tricks..." Yin Chang finally felt a little uneasy. He put up with it for a bit with a frown. He then grabbed Shao Junling's neck from behind, pushed him to the ground, and held him down with his body.

Despite how it seemed to Shao Junling, Yin Chang wasn't made of iron. It’d been ten minutes since the little guy had started swinging his fist, and Yin Chang was starting to feel a little out of breath.

Yinchang held Shao Juling down with one hand pressing down his neck and didn’t let him get up. Shao Junling refused to admit defeat. He struggled on the ground like a little turtle trying to flip over and fight again.

Yin Chang looked at him flailing around and couldn't help but chuckle.

Hearing this laughter, Shao Junling stopped struggling.

Just when Yin Chang thought Shao Junling had surrendered, he heard a faint sob.

Yin Chang's heart tightened as he quickly flipped Shao Junling over, only to see his eyes were red and tears streaming down his face.

"What's wrong with you?" Yin Chang asked.

Shao Junling wiped his eyes fiercely with his arm.

Yin Chang pulled him into a hug, exasperated. "I let you hit me for so long, and you still haven’t vented enough?"

Shao Junling had been holding back his tears, but Yin Chang's words hit a nerve, and his tears burst forth uncontrollably.

He cried and sobbed like a small animal whose paw had been caught in a trap, both aggrieved and angry. "I, I can't beat you! Taekwondo is useless!"

Yin Chang was stunned by Shao Junling's thought process. He burst into laughter. "Hahaha..."

Shao Junling was furious. "Why are you laughing!!!"

Yin Chang laughed so hard that he was trembling. "Do you even realize how young you are?"

This guy... Did he really think he could beat him?

Shao Junling was furious and started struggling again, but Yin Chang grabbed his wrists and soothingly said, "Alright, alright, I'll stop teasing..."

Shao Junling couldn't escape or avoid him, he could only curl up on Yin Chang's body and weep in humiliation.

Yin Chang calmed down and gently stroked his back, "Right now, you can't beat me, but that doesn't matter. The door is closed. This is just between us brothers. Even if you lose, I won't look down on you. But have you ever considered, if you start a fight to help Xuezi but lose? When the show airs, you'll be embarrassed in front of the whole country."

Shao Junling choked up. He puffed out his cheeks. "I won't lose!"

Yin Chang remembered what Shao Junling's taekwondo coach had said to him on the phone. Shao Junling must have fought against opponents who were a few years older than him and that's why he was so confident.

But so what...

"Do you really think you can beat anyone just because you've been learning taekwondo for a few months?" Yin Chang chuckled.

Shao Junling was angry, "Even if I can't beat them now! I won't give up!"

Yin Chang raised his eyebrow... why was this kid so stubborn?

"How can you be so certain that you won't lose? Lang Chizhi and his friend are already fourteen years old, and a whole head taller than you and Xue Ziwen. Plus there are two of them," Yin Chang wanted to teach Shao Junling to learn to assess the situation properly and act accordingly.

Moreover, learning martial arts was for self-defense and staying fit, not for starting fights.

But Shao Junling replied firmly, "My literature teacher taught us a man can be destroyed, but not defeated!"

Yin Chang: "............"

Yin Chang was amused by this kid again, and jokingly asked, "So I beat you today – does that mean every day and night you’ll only be thinking of beating me?"

Shao Junling looked up, his wet eyes flickered with confusion. Finally, he lowered his head and muttered, "No."

Yin Chang breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness it was a "No." If this kid had answered "Yes." he would have been angry enough to break the brat's arms.

After crying and venting his anger, Shao Junling was now like a piece of soft candy, lying quietly on Yin Chang's without making a fuss.

Seeing that he’d calmed down, Yin Chang asked, "Feeling better now?"

Shao Junling tightened his hug and made a low "mmm" sound.

Yin Chang patted him on the back, "Alright, get up and go take a shower, you’re so stinky."

Shao Junling: "..."

After fighting, naturally both of them were sweaty. They helped each other wash and cool off.

After lying down again for bed, Yin Chang pinched Shao Junling's ear and whispered, "Shao Junling, let me say a few things. Listen carefully."

Shao Junling: "...?"

These words had been in the back of his mind since Yin Chang initially invited him to spar. After confirming some thoughts, Yin Chang decided to tell him.

"I told you before, if there's anything that bothers you, you should tell me... Do you remember?"

"Uh-huh..."

Yin Chang gazed at Shao Junling and suddenly said, "I'm sorry, it's my fault."

Shao Junling stared back in confusion, not knowing why his brother was apologizing to him.

Yin Chang explained, "There was another time before, the night before we decided to participate in this program. You were also very angry, weren't you?... At that time, I didn't realize that you might not even know what you were angry about."

Yes, he now realized that children sometimes couldn't understand their own emotions.

Yin Chang remembered that he used to be stubborn for a while when he was a child, especially when Yin Dong was about to go out of town for a business triip. He would cry and throw tantrums.

But Yin Dong said something to him back then, and he couldn't remember exactly what it was. He only remembered that he later went abroad and took a course on emotional management in school, which was similar to what Yin Dong had said.

In Yin Chang's eyes, Yin Dong was a person who was perfect in emotional management. He was polite to everyone and never got angry in front of loved ones. He handled everything calmly and seemed to have no problem that couldn't be solved.

Through that course, Yin Chang gradually grew from a child who couldn't understand his father and was always sulking by himself to a person with emotional stability, 

He didn't know if he was influenced more by his father's words or by the course. But he couldn't deny that the lessons helped him a lot.

He learned step by step to understand his own emotional state, to express himself clearly, and to gradually resolve pain and achieve inner peace.

As Yin Chang recalled, he said to Shao Junling, "In the future, if you feel unhappy but can't express it well, you can go for a run, scream in a place where no one is around, or come to me to fight. You can also hide in your blanket and cry alone."

Seeing Shao Junling look uneasy and lower his eyes, Yin Chang smiled, "You're still young, there's nothing to be embarrassed about."

Actually during the last couple of days, Yin Chang had noticed that Shao Junling would at times express some frustration. But possibly because he held onto Yin Chang's advice to behave on the program he’d tried his best to endure it...

But a person's endurance was limited, let alone Shao Junling, who was still a child. He must have been really upset after being stopped from fighting tonight.

That's why Yin Chang just asked him to fight with him. He wanted to allow Shao Junling to vent his emotions in this way.

Yin Chang continued, "But after venting and calming down, can you think about why you were angry just now? If you encounter the same situation again, can you be a little calmer than this time and use a better method to deal with it?"

Shao Junling listened attentively, as if trying to understand the meaning behind Yin Chang's words.

After a long time, the little guy slowly said "Mm".

Yin Chang rubbed his head with satisfaction and encouraged him, "You've been doing well these past few days. Hold on a little longer and we can go home tomorrow afternoon. When we get back, tell Fiona what you want to eat and she'll make it for you."

Shao Junling snuggled up to him and buried his head in his arms, murmuring, "I want to eat little cakes..."

Yin Chang was stunned. "Do you want me to make them?"

Shao Junling replied with an "Mmm."

Yin Chang chuckled, "Alright, I'll make it for you when we get back."

The next day, Yin Chang went to the designated location to pick up breakfast as instructed by the staff.

He bumped into Wang Chen and was a little surprised. Wang Chen's face was dirty, his hair disheveled, and he looked very haggard. The past two days had been rough, and taking care of his nephew was a higher priority than his appearance.

"I'll have two bowls of porridge, six buns, four tea eggs... oh, and youtiao too? Give me two more youtiao..." Wang Chen yawned sleepily.

Yin Chang greeted him, "Morning, uncle."

Wang Chen was shocked when he saw Yin Chang, who was immaculate. He took a step back and couldn't believe his eyes. How could he still be so fair and handsome after being exposed to the sun for two days? It wasn’t scientific!

After two seconds of confusion, he finally realized that Yin Chang had just greeted him. He felt a flash of annoyance as he thought to himself, "What the hell, man!"

Yin Chang asked Wang Chen while the staff helped him carry the breakfast, "Did you know Xue Zi was bullied yesterday?"

Wang Chen asked, "Huh? Bullied by whom?"

"Those twins. I heard from my younger brother that they shoved him and caused his head to hit something."

Wang Chen recalled the incident and said helplessly, "Oh, that. He kept complaining to me about it yesterday. It's just a small bump, what does he want?"

Yin Chang remained silent.

Wang Chen said, "My sister said to bring him here to suffer a bit, don't bother with him." After that, he prepared to leave with his breakfast.

Seeing him like this, Yin Chang had nothing more to say.

On the last day of the shoot, the production team finally stopped tormenting them.

They probably didn't want to go too far and scare off these young masters and misses from coming back for the next episode. The production team let them freely team up and help the villagers deliver some agricultural products to their families in the morning. At noon, the villagers gathered together and made them a big pot of rice, which moved them to tears and stirred up some emotions.

After lunch, everyone packed up and prepared to leave.

The shooting location for this episode was the closest to Haicheng, so Yin Chang and Wang Chen could take a car back, while the other guests went directly to the nearest airport.

The shooting for the next episode would take place on July 16th, and the location was still unknown. Everyone made plans to meet up again in a week and then returned to their own homes.

Back at home, Yin Chang and Shao Junling slept comfortably in an air-conditioned room that night. In the following days, Yin Chang had other work to do, but he still kept his promise and took half a day to personally bake a bunch of little cakes for Shao Junling.

Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, it was the shooting day for the second episode of "Superstar Life".

The day they were scheduled to depart, the guests of the show who hadn’t chatted in the group suddenly became lively.

Wang Chen messaged “Ah, we're going to suffer again!” He even added a "life is hopeless" expression.

Huang Han: “My sister has been hiding in her room since last night... [sigh]”

Yin Chang: "Do you guys know where we're going this time?"

Huang Han: "I saw the flight that the production team booked for us. It's a city in the central region, probably nearby?"

Wang Chen:"It's probably some small rural village in the middle of nowhere where you can't even leave without a car. It doesn't matter if we know or not."

Qin Jing Shan: "I really want to stay at home and enjoy the air conditioning. [sigh]"

Lang Chizhi: "Although I also want to stay at home with air conditioning, I'm also looking forward to seeing Sister Jing Shan... [shy]"

Qin Jing Shan: "[giggling]"

Qin Jing Shan: "What about your little brother?"

Lang Chizhi: "He's not in this group, only the adults are. [grinning]"

Huang Han: "You two are clearly the same age..."

Qin Jing Shan: "Why don't we create a group with everyone? A few of the younger ones must have WeChat, my sister does."

Huang Han: "My sister doesn't count. She only knows how to play Candy Crush on her phone."

Qin Jing Shan's proposal was supported by many people, and they quickly created a new group chat, dragging the younger siblings with WeChat accounts into it.

In the friend's list, Yin Chang found Shao Junling's profile picture and hesitated for a moment before adding him to the group.

"Hey, whose cute cake avatar is this?" Qin Jing Shan asked.

"My younger brother's..." Yin Chang replied.

Everyone was shocked, unable to connect the adorable avatar with the cold, poker-faced little boy. This avatar was just changed by Shao Junling. He took a photo of the little cake Yin Chang made for him a couple of days ago. His previous avatar was...Yin Chang didn't say anything, and he didn't know what Shao Junling was thinking.

🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁

🍁 Vignette

The door of the dilapidated house where Shao Junling and Yin Chang lived was full of gaps. When the two were fighting inside, the staff of the program were all lying outside, peeking in.

"Ah, what should we do? They're fighting!"

"Who's fighting who? Is Yin Chang getting beaten up? Can you hear their conversation?"

"It's Shao Junling who's hitting his brother..."

"Wow, Yin Chang is letting him beat him up..."

"I feel like Yin Chang is teasing a kitten..."

"Oh no, the little brother can't beat him and is crying."

"Hehehehehe..."

"Yin Chang is hugging and comforting him, so gentle."

"They're coming out! Shh... let's get out of here!"

...

"It's a pity that Yin Chang didn't let us film this scene. It's so loving."

🍁 Vignette 2

Shao Junling: I don't want to beat my brother. I want to work hard to make myself stronger, so that I can protect and love him... (/ω＼)

🍁 Author’s Note: “A man can be destroyed, but not defeated.” Is from The Old Man and the Sea by Hemingway

🍁 Translator’s Note: Sorry to be late! I was drawing Shao Junling and Yin Chang last night and forgot to post! 

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The Perfect Relationship Ch 56

 🍁 The Perfect Relationship 🍁 by Xi He Qing Ling

Ch 56: Donning the Tae Kwon Do Uniform

That evening, the staff set up long tables on the square and prepared kitchen utensils and seasoning for the guests to freely cook.

The five groups of guests returned to the square with the vegetables and fruits they picked. It was up to them to decide who would cook, who would stir-fry, and who would assist. The only requirement from the program team was that everyone had to participate in this process, and no one could just stand by and do nothing.

At this point, they needed a leader to take charge of planning and arranging tasks for each person. Typically, the oldest member of a group might be selected as team leader.

Based on age, Qin Jingshan and Huang Han were the oldest at nineteen, but in terms of seniority, Wang Chen, who was called "uncle" by Xuezi, seemed the oldest. So everyone urged and pushed Wang Chen, who was a bit confused, to become the team leader.

"I'm in charge?" Wang Chen was bewildered. "But I don't know how to cook! Does anyone know how to cook?"

The little ones in the group could definitely not be counted on. Wang Chen looked at Qin Jingshan. Qin Jingshan helplessly shrugged, as she was also not good at cooking.

Suddenly, Wang Chen thought of something and excitedly pointed to Yin Chang. "You, you, you! Do you know how to cook?"

Yin Chang replied, "No..."

Wang Chen: "Really? I saw your interview, and you clearly said you could make small cakes!"

Yin Chang did not deny it: "I can make cakes."

Qin Jingshan was surprised to hear this and asked: "You can make cakes?"

Yin Chang explained, "Um, I've studied baking and pastry making..."

Wang Chen was puzzled: "Then why can't you cook? Isn't it similar?"

"Cooking and baking are two different things..." Yin Chang didn't know how to explain it to him. If he could cook, he wouldn't have had to order takeout with Shao Junling every day before Fiona had arrived at Haicheng. Furthermore, he only used the oven to make some cakes and pastries. But at the moment, they didn’t have access to any baking ingredients nor modern appliances like ovens.

Everyone looked at the pile of ingredients in despair. Were they going to eat cold raw vegetables tonight?

Yin Chang said, "I can boil things… like boiling eggs, boiling corn..."

At this point, Huang Han raised his hand weakly and said, "Um, I can make egg fried rice... I don't know if that counts as cooking."

Everyone looked at him eagerly, their eyes shining: "It counts!!!"

Huang Han, who knew how to make egg fried rice, was immediately revered as the only chef among them.

As it wasn't safe for the small children to handle knives, Yin Chang volunteered to chop the vegetables. Qin Jing Shan also bravely offered to wash the rice and cook it. As for the little ones, they were assigned by Wang Chen to fetch water, wash vegetables, and assist.

After the division of labor was completed, everyone immediately got to work. The entire group felt rather excited to try cooking for the first time by themselves.

Although Wang Chen didn't have a specified task, as the team leader, he was called back and forth by the little ones until he was exhausted. Moreover, following Xue Ziwen’s lead, everyone unconsciously started to call him "Uncle".

"Uncle! Where should I put the washed onions?"

"Uncle! I've beaten the eggs, what should I do next?"

"Uncle! There are bugs in the vegetables, ahhh..."

At first, Wang Chen felt quite pleased, but when Qin Jing Shan started to call him Uncle too, he cried out in despair, "Ah, my seniority isn't that high, please don't all call me Uncle!"

Everyone: "Hahaha..."

🍁

Before preparing the vegetables, Huang Han humbly said, "Don't blame me if it doesn't taste good. The last time I made fried rice was five years ago."

Several adults reassured him, including Yin Chang, who cheered him on while holding his knife, "You can do it!"

Huang Han: "C-Can you not stand next to me with a knife? It's making me nervous..."

Yin Chang: "Oh, sorry."

With a sizzling sound, the vegetables were added to the pan, and the aroma of the food wafted through the air.

A group of children gathered excitedly, exclaiming how delicious it smelled.

While chopping vegetables, Yin Chang also kept an eye on Shao Junling's movements.

She saw Shao Junling and Xue Ziwen squatting together, washing cucumbers and whispering something to each other. Being classmates and of similar age, it seemed like the two of them had plenty of common topics to chat about, and Yin Chang was relieved.

Unbeknownst to him, the staff monitoring the conversations through his earpiece looked nervous and called the director...

Everyone worked hard for over an hour, and in the end, they managed to cook up a table full of decent-looking dishes.

Although some of the dishes tasted off, everyone enjoyed the meal because they had made it themselves. Laughter and chatter of the children filled the square, and even You Luming, who had seemed the most pampered at the beginning, fit in.

After the meal, the day's filming was almost over.

The guests returned to their respective houses to rest, and Yin Chang took Shao Junling back to their straw hut.

After running in the morning and getting caught in the rain in the afternoon, both of them were covered in sweat and mud. Yin Chang remembered that Shao Junling went to bed without washing up last night, so he urged him to wash up first.

Although there was no shower here, there was a ladle in the water tank next door, which could be used for a simple rinse.

"You go first," Shao Junling said, looking hesitant.

Yin Chang gave Shao Junling a strange look. What difference did it make who went first or second? Why was he dragging this out?

Yin Chang instructed Shao Junling to pull out his clean clothes and went to shower. However, when he came out after washing up, he found that Shao Junling was nowhere to be seen.

Shao Junling's suitcase was open, and the clothes he wore today were lying on the side... Did that guy take off his clothes and run away? But where did he go?

Yin Chang walked out while drying his hair and wanted to ask the crew, but he saw that there were only two cameramen outside, and the crew's expression was a bit strange.

"Where's my brother?" Yin Chang felt nervous.

He suddenly realized something and hurried back to the room to take a look in the suitcase - Shao Junling's taekwondo uniform was missing!

...Damn it, why did Shao Junling go out in his martial arts uniform!?

Yin Chang threw down the towel and ran after him.

"Shao Junling! Shao Junling!" He shouted his name loudly.

It was now close to 7 pm, and night had fallen. The sky was dim.

Seeing how anxious Yin Chang was, the staff behind him couldn't help but tell him: "Your brother went to the entrance of the village. He and Xue Ziwen arranged to fight the twins..."

Yin Chang: "???"

When did this happen!? Why would they fight!? Weren't they getting along well!?

Yin Chang rushed to the village entrance as quick as possible and sure enough, he saw the four kids facing off in the sunset. Shao Junling wearing his white martial arts uniform!

The group of program cameramen was hiding behind the trees nearby, and the kids were completely unaware.

Shao Junling eased into his fighting stance, and the older twin also assumed a defensive posture...

Yin Chang took a sharp breath and flew towards Shao Junling at lightning speed. Just in time, he grabbed the back of his collar and lifted him up from behind!

At that time, all of Shao Junling's strength was on his right leg, ready to kick, but suddenly he was lifted up! He lost his balance in an instant.

He didn't know who had grabbed him. Shao Junling struggled in the air, vexed, "Let me go!"

But Yin Chang dared not let go. If he had been even a tad late, this kid would have caused trouble.

"What are you trying to do?" Yin Chang's cold voice sounded behind him, full of anger.

Shao Junling stiffened immediately. He struggled twice but dared not move.

Lang Chizhi and Guo Yiheng had been gleeful at first, seeing that Shao Junling was being controlled, but as soon as Yin Chang directed his glare at them, they abruptly stopped laughing.

His glare was very powerful. Facing adults like Yin Chang who could pick up Shao Junling like that, they couldn't help but feel intimidated, especially since he was currently so cold and full of murderous intent.

Yin Chang let Shao Junling down but still held him by the back of his collar.

"Today's shoot is over. What are you all doing here?" Yin Chang asked them coldly.

Lang Chizhi and Guo Yiheng took a step back instinctively, stammering, "N-nothing."

"If there's nothing, then go back and rest early." Although he spoke those words, the expression and tone of voice that Yin Chang used showed no trace of his usual gentleness. Instead, it dripped fierce danger.

The twin brothers looked at him with complicated expressions. They turned and left.

Yin Chang then turned to ask Xue Ziwen, "Does your uncle know that you came out by yourself?"

Xue Ziwen was scared stiff by Yin Chang, who had suddenly flown over, and only reacted when asked. He stumbled and ran away.

The upcoming farce was interrupted thanks to Yin Chang's timely intervention.

Suppressing his anger, Yin Chang took the dejected Shao Junling back to the thatched hut.

He had already tried to calm himself down on the way there, and tell himself not to get angry with Shao Junling, as there were still many staff members of the production team here...

However, as soon as he walked through the door, Yin Chang felt the fire in his heart surging. He took a few deep breaths to calm his emotions down. He wanted to first understand Shao Junling’s perspective.

"You tell me clearly what happened." Yin Chang wiped his face.

Shao Junling anxiously said, "They bullied me first!"

Yin Chang raised his eyebrows. "How did they bully you?"

Shao Junling replied, "They pushed Xue Ziwen and even knocked over his melon!"

Although he was anxious, Shao Junling spoke without stuttering or stumbling.

Yin Chang was taken aback. This afternoon, they did go to the melon fields with the guidance of local farmers. At that time, the program group also had them play a small game, letting them find a melon within ten minutes. Whichever group found the biggest melon could bring it back to eat.

It was the twin brothers who had found the biggest melon, but instead of keeping it to themselves, had brought the melon to the dining area and shared it with everyone.

Shao Junling had been with him the whole afternoon, and hadn’t shown any conflict with the twin brothers.

Yin Chang asked in confusion, "So, you're standing up for Xue Ziwen?"

"Of course!" Shao Junling replied.

Previously during the treasure chest incident, the twin brothers had already rubbed him the wrong way. So today, when Xue Ziwen complained to him, he was unable to bear it any longer.

Yin Chang frowned, "If Xue Ziwen was bullied, why didn't he go to his uncle?"

"He did, but his uncle ignored him," Shao Junling replied.

Yin Chang couldn't believe this little guy was so loyal...

This part of the story had surely been filmed by the production team, and when the program aired, he would understand the specifics. Knowing that it wasn't Shao Junling who had provoked the incident, Yin Chang felt relieved and his emotions stabilized.

"Okay, I won't blame you for this," Yin Chang calmed down and patiently advised him, "but next time you encounter something like this, you have to discuss it with me first. You can't be so impulsive... We are shooting a program – do you realize that your every action is being recorded?"

Yin Chang's words had an unexpected effect on Shao Junling. He suddenly jumped up from the ground, his face flushed, glaring at him.

"What... what’s the matter?" Yin Chang looked at him strangely, wondering why he was suddenly so angry.

Shao Junling clenched his fists, embarrassed. "Y-you..."

He started stuttering again...

"What about me?" Yin Chang asked.

Shao Junling struggled to find the right words but couldn't speak. He looked at Yin Chang, his eyes red, feeling like he was going to cry again.

🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁

🍁 Vignette

Shao Junling changed into his taekwondo uniform.

[System]: Outfit change successful, combat power +100.

Once upon a time, he was a king of the battlefield.

But before the show even began, he was whisked away by his brother.

Shao Junling: "..." This is a disgrace! I already have a green-blue belt, how come I’m so weak!

Yin Chang admonished him: "Don't be so impulsive next time. Every move you make is being recorded."

Shao Junling (exploding with anger): "So you know that too! Yet you treat me like this! Making me lose face!"

🍁 Vignette 2

Seeing Yin Chang appear, everyone's reaction was:

Lang Chizhi (admiringly): This big brother... he's so cool!

Guo Yiheng (admiringly): This, this is a truly strong person!

Xue Ziwen (terrified): I thought Shao Junling was the strongest, but I didn't expect his brother to be even stronger! Trembling in fear...

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The Perfect Relationship Ch 55

🍁 The Perfect Relationship 🍁 by Xi He Qing Ling

Ch 55: Rejecting To Assist

Yin Chang approached the door and confirmed that it was Grandpa Liu's house. Grandpa Liu welcomed them into his backyard and asked the two boys to help him collect twenty eggs from the chicken coop.

The task sounded simple, but for city-raised kids like Yin Chang, it was a bit challenging. For instance, while Yin Chang knew that chickens laid eggs, he had never seen how they did it or where they usually laid their eggs. Thus, once inside the chicken coop, he was a bit disoriented.

On the other hand, Shao Junling appeared to know what he was doing. He quickly located twenty eggs inside a row of straw nests.

Yin Chang's only job was to hold the basket, and in less than five minutes, the basket was filled to the brim.

Grandpa Liu rewarded the boys with a food card and a new mission card. This new mission required them to deliver the twenty eggs undamaged to Grandpa Liu's sister's house, and the location hint on the card was "grass cart." Shao Junling studied the card for a bit and then led the way.

Because they had to ensure the eggs' integrity, they could not run as fast as before. Nevertheless, Shao Junling led the group and quickly found the house where the grass cart was parked.

If Shao Junling's first successful attempt to find Grandpa Liu's house could be attributed to luck, this time, all the staff members believed that Shao Junling had a map of the entire village in his head. Even more incredible, he remembered the unique features of every house and could quickly recall the shortest route to their destination, leaving everyone in awe.

After completing two tasks in a row, Yin Chang and Shao Junling ran into Huang Han and Huang Mei, who were wandering aimlessly and had yet to find the first task location.

Huang Han approached with a frown, "Ah, Yin Chang, have you guys seen a house with a banner that says 'Happy Family' at the entrance?"

Yin Chang didn't have much of an impression and asked Shao Junling, "Do you know where it is?"

Shao Junling, however, stared at Huang Han and his sister. He looked extremely unwilling to reveal anything.

Yin Chang poked Shao Junling's shoulder, "Come on, tell me."

Shao Junling hesitated for a moment before finally saying, "Go straight ahead, turn right at the second intersection."

Huang Han gratefully said "Thank you" and led You Luming away.

But just as they had helped Huang Han and his sister, someone called out to them from behind. Yin Chang turned around and saw it was the Qin sisters.

They had only arrived late last night and hadn't participated in the treasure hunt task, so they were still unfamiliar with the village. But the production team didn't give them any slack and had them participate in the task with the other guests. Like Huang Han and his sister, they still hadn't found the first task location.

Having just seen Yin Chang and Shao Junling help Huang Han, Qin Jingshan took the initiative to walk up to them with her sister.

"Sorry to bother you..."

Qin Jingshan smiled at Yin Chang and then crouched down, showing the task card to Shao Junling and softly asked, "Little brother, do you know where this place is? Can you tell big sis?"

It had to be said that Qin Jingshan was a clever girl.

Perhaps because she was very confident in her own charm, Qin Jingshan rarely hesitated to ask for help from others. Since childhood, whenever she took the initiative to speak, almost no male could refuse her. Just now, she had observed that it wasn't Yin Chang who could answer her question, but Shao Junling, so she went straight to him.

When she asked, she naturally brushed her hair aside, revealing her smooth forehead and flawless face. With a faint smile on her face, her whole body seemed to exude a heavenly radiance...

The cameramen all subconsciously aimed their lenses at her face for a close-up.

Standing beside her was Qin Xifeng, her younger sister. Although not as beautiful as her sister, she had a slender figure and a slight frown on her brow, giving her extra charm.

Faced with these two beauties, everyone thought that Shao Junling would offer his help without hesitation.

But to everyone's surprise, this little guy looked at them coldly, "I don't know."

Qin Jingshan's expression stiffened for a moment. She was disappointed but figured Shao Junling might really not know, so prepared to get up.

Just then, Yin Chang raised his hand and lightly tapped Shao Junling on the back of the head. He frowned, "Do you really not know or are you pretending not to know?"

Shao Junling: "..."

Yin Chang said seriously, "If you know, just say it."

Shao Junling felt like he was being backed into a corner and reluctantly said, "Go straight ahead, pass three intersections, turn left, and then pass one more intersection..."

Everyone was speechless.

Qin Jingshan's face alternated between embarrassment and awkwardness, "Th-thank you..."

Yin Chang waved his hand, urging them to hurry and complete the task. Only then did Qin Jingshan pull her sister away as if they had been granted amnesty.

After the two sisters left, Shao Junling was still pouting.

Yin Chang found it funny and pinched his ear, saying, "Why are you so petty? This is just a game, don't take it so seriously."

But inwardly, Yin Chang was quite proud when he saw that Shao Junling was able to tell them the location of those two houses.

He couldn't help but stoke the back of Shao Junling's head, advising, "Relationships come first, competing comes second...think about it, we have the advantage now, but what about later? There will be different tasks in the future. You helped them now, and when we need help in the future, they can also help us."

Shao Junling: "..."

They easily completed four tasks less than two hours since they started. Yin Chang and Shao Junling already obtained six food cards. At this rate, they could get another seven or eight cards before lunchtime.

If one food card could be exchanged for a dish or a bowl of rice, they estimated they would have a feast.

Thinking of this, Yinchang and Shao Junling unconsciously slowed down their pace and stopped rushing.

At ten in the morning, the scorching midsummer sun was high in the sky, and the ground temperature gradually rose.  Everyone had been running around the village for two hours, and felt hot and thirsty. Yinchang couldn't help but ask the staff around him where they could find water to drink.

The staff smiled mysteriously at him and explained, "Go forward, and you'll find it."

As the two walked forward, they did indeed find a beverage truck not far ahead. The host had changed into traditional small merchant clothing and was standing in front of the cart shouting, "Come, come, don't miss out on chilled bayberry juice, heat-relieving mint water, refreshing watermelon juice... two handsome guys, do you want a cup?"

Yinchang was about to marvel at the show's ingenuity when he heard the host continue, "Just one food card, and you can choose any cold drink! With just one food card, you can enjoy the perfect summer treat!"

Yin Chang: "..." Well, that was a rip-off.

With plenty of cards, Yin Chang didn't think much about it and directly asked Shao Junling, "Do you want a drink?"

Shao Junling swallowed his dry spit nodding. He was clearly very thirsty.

Yin Chang went to the beverage cart, exchanged meal cards for a cup of bayberry juice and a cup of mint water. He sat with Shao Junling on a stone bench, drinking and resting in the shade.

At this moment, Wang Chen and Xue Ziwen also came over. Seeing Yin Chang and Shao Junling sitting under the shade of a tree drinking, with the beverage cart next to them, both of them lit up with excitement and ran over.

"Ah ah ah uncle! There's something to drink!!" Xue Ziwen's face was trembled with excitement.

From a distance, Wang Chen held up two fingers and rushed up to the host, "We want two! Two cups!!"

The host smiled and reached out, "Two food cards please."

...The uncle-nephew pair was instantly petrified.

"What? We need a card to exchange for drinks too?"

The host nonchalantly waved his fan, "Of course, it's considered food too."

Wang Chen looked at the three food cards he had in his hand. If he exchanged them for two drinks, he would only have one left. He looked at Yin Chang suspiciously. Yin Chang smiled, reaching out to show him the four food cards he still had.

Wang Chen was suddenly filled with intense jealousy...no! How could they be so rich! This was not logical!

Xue Ziwen was still stomping his feet and urging, "Uncle, I want the bayberry juice that Shao Junling has! I also want to drink watermelon juice!"

"You..." Wang Chen was in a dilemma, but Shao Junling had already finished the bayberry juice.

Yin Chang asked Shao Junling in front of Wang Chen, "Do you want more?"

Shao Junling patted his full stomach and shook his head. One cup of beverage was five hundred milliliters. It was quite filling.

Xue Ziwen was about to cry out of thirst, "Uncle, I'm so thirsty! Please exchange it!"

Helpless, Wang Chen had to painfully take out a card and exchange it for a cup of beverage. The uncle and nephew shared it and continued to rush off to find the next task location while squabbling over the drink.

Shortly after, two more people came, this time the twin sisters. They only had four food cards in their hands, so they also exchanged for a cup of beverage and ran off with their camera crew.

The previously exhausted cameramen following Shao Junling now felt refreshed and happy seeing their colleagues from other teams panting like cows.

After the morning task, Yin Chang and Shao Junling had a total of seven food cards, making them in first place.

The twin brothers came in second with five cards, while Wang Chen and Xue Ziwen had four, and the Qin sisters and Huang Han siblings each had three.

The staff had prepared food at the designated location. They were ready for them to exchange for their cards.

Upon arriving, Yin Chang saw that each portion of food was generous and muttered, "There's so much...". If they really exchanged all seven cards, they wouldn't be able to finish it all.

The staff winked at him and suggested with a smile, "If you can't finish, you can share with others."

Upon hearing this, Yin Chang quietly pulled Shao Junling to the side and asked him, "How about we share the food we get with Huang Han and his sister? They only have three cards."

Shao Junling stared at Yin Chang for a few seconds, then nodded quietly.

Yin Chang patted him on the head affectionately, "Good boy."

With Shao Junling's consent, Yin Chang invited Huang Han and his sister to join them for the meal.

Huang Han was moved to tears. "Yin Chang, you guys are too kind!"

In fact, the purpose of this activity was to test whether they could get along harmoniously with their partners and whether they were willing to help others.

After the program was broadcasted, their every move was scrutinized by the audience, so their behavior had to set a positive example. If someone like Shao Junling took winning and losing too seriously, even if he won first place every time, he would still be criticized by the audience for being selfish... All of this was explained to him by Lu Lingjuan before he came here.

After taking their seats, Huang Han couldn't help but whisper, "Why don't you invite Qin Jing Shan and her sister to eat with us too?"

Yin Chang glanced at the table next to them and saw Qin Jing Shan looking at him, so he smiled at her.

Although the Qin sisters also only had three cards, but there were so many people buzzing around them, trying to please them. He didn't want to join in on the charade.

After lunch, the program group gave the guests two and a half hours for a nap.

At three o'clock in the afternoon, it wasn't so hot outside anymore, and everyone gathered again in the square.

The afternoon activity was to learn about crops in the fields with the help of the villagers. After recognizing them, everyone could pick some vegetables and fruits according to their preference and cook together. This was to test their ability to work with their hands and cooperate.

🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁

🍁 Vignette

Shao Junling: I said I would let my brother win.

Gotta hold myself back. (Q︿Q)

I have to hold back. o(QヘQo)

🍁 Vignette 2

Qin Jing Shan: That little guy actually deflected my charm!

*Twitching mouth*

No, I have to keep smiling.

I am a goddess, my character cannot collapse.

I must maintain my smile. o(∩_∩)o

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The Perfect Relationship Ch 54

 🍁 The Perfect Relationship 🍁 by Xi He Qing Ling

Ch 54: Helping Villagers With Tasks

Last night, Yin Chang slept early, so he naturally woke up as the sky brightened. He opened his eyes and saw that Shao Junling was still sleeping soundly next to him. Yin Chang got up first and went to wash up.

As he turned his head, he noticed that there were about ten ears of corn arranged neatly beside him. Where did they come from? Did someone come into their room in the middle of the night?

Yin Chang looked puzzled as he picked up an ear of corn and went outside. He happened to see the camera crew having breakfast in a makeshift tent. When the cameraman saw him, he immediately put down his food and started filming.

Yin Chang said "good morning" to them and held up the ear of corn, "Did you guys give us this?"

The two of them smiled strangely at him, and one of the crew members gestured with his finger on his mouth, shaking his head, meaning he couldn't say anything.

Yin Chang knew that they couldn't reveal anything about the show to the guests, so he didn't press them. However, he still wanted to confirm, "It's not some prop or something for today's task, is it?"

This time, the crew member answered him, "No, you can eat it."

"Eat it?" Yin Chang peeled the corn husk off and looked at it. How do you eat this raw?

Wait a minute... Yin Chang had a sudden realization. Could this be a test of their ability to survive by the production team?

Yin Chang smiled knowingly and asked the crew member in a low voice, "Where can we cook corn nearby?"

The crew member hesitated for a moment, "If I remember correctly, Huang Han next door has a gas stove and a pot."

"Thanks." Yin Chang thought he had figured out the secret of the production team, so he went back. He carried all the corn out and went next door quietly.

But when he got to the door, he hesitated a bit and asked the cameraman who was following him like an NPC, "It's so early... Huang Han is probably still sleeping?"

The cameraman didn't answer. Their role was equivalent to an NPC, responsible only for recording the actions of the guests, not for answering questions.

Yin Chang looked at the time and was about to come back later, but the door in front of him opened – Huang Han came out.

Seeing Yin Chang standing in front of their "home," Huang Han was also surprised, but he noticed the corn in Yin Chang's arms and exclaimed happily, "Are you here to share breakfast?"

"Uh, no," Yin Chang said awkwardly. "I found these in the morning, and I thought maybe the program group gave them to us. Don't you have any?"

Huang Han shook his head in confusion. "No."

Yin Chang was also puzzled and turned to look at the cameraman. Did only he and Shao Junling have these corns?

The cameraman, who had been strictly instructed to keep the secret, remained indifferent.

Huang Han smiled enviously, "Maybe it's compensation from the program group for letting you guys stay in that broken house."

...This explanation made sense, Yin Chang believed.

He explained his purpose to Huang Han, who, upon learning that he was there to borrow the kitchen, warmly let him in.

Yin Chang saw that Huang Han looked haggard and asked, "How was your rest last night?"

"Ugh, don't mention it," Huang Han sighed as he searched for a pot. "My little sister kept crying for our mom and didn't sleep until midnight. And this insane program group made us do a task after dinner. We only found a sandwich and a bag of compressed biscuits last night. To be honest, I woke up because of hunger."

No wonder Huang Han's eyes lit up when he saw the corn. Yin Chang smiled and said, "When the corn is cooked, I'll give you half."

Huang Han was happy to hear that but tried to be polite, "Um, that's..."

Yin Chang was generous and said, "No problem, my brother and I can't finish all this corn."

"Thank you so much!" Huang Han clasped his hands together and looked at the pot, as if he couldn't wait to eat.

Cooking corn required no extra steps, so the two chatted while waiting for it to boil.

"How about you guys? Did you sleep well?" Huang Han asked.

"We...were okay." Yin Chang had actually slept all night, and Shao Junling was still sleeping so probably was sleeping well.

"You guys are pretty resilient. Your house is so dilapidated, and the bed is just a pile of straw. I wouldn't be able to sleep at all. I'm picky about my bed." Huang Han said.

"When I was a kid, during vacation my dad took me to participate in a wilderness survival program specifically designed to train children's independence. The conditions were much harsher than this." Yin Chang's independence and maturity were not innate, but were trained bit by bit by his father, who took him to experience extreme sports and survival programs around the world during his rare breaks.

"Your dad..." Huang Han was about to chat with Yin Chang about his "dad," but suddenly realized that Yin Chang's father had passed away, and the topic fizzled to an end.

After an awkward silence, Yin Chang calmly said, "Just say what you want to say, it's okay."

Huang Han hesitated before speaking, "Actually, I was just going to say that your dad was really great..."

Yin Chang was taken aback and began to think about Huang Han's background.

Before coming here, he had done some research on each of the guests, just like he did for the previous "Idol Face-to-Face" show.

Huang Han's mother, Meng Qing, was a well-known scandalous figure in the early years of Hongcheng. There were many rumors about her online, and most of them were about her love life.

It was said that Huang Han was the illegitimate child of Meng Qing and another famous male movie star in Hongcheng before she became famous. However, from the time Huang Han was born until now, his father has never officially acknowledged him. Therefore, Huang Han grew up without a father. It was only many years later when Meng Qing met her current husband, You Junxi, also an actor, that Huang Han finally had a stepfather.

However, You Junxi was very young, only ten years older than Huang Han. Huang Han at that time had been younger than Huang Han's younger sister You Luming.

After Huang Han finished speaking, he quickly added, "Of course, Brother Jun has been really good to me too..."

The "Brother Jun" he referred to was his stepfather, You Junxi. The term of address may have sounded a bit confusing in terms of generation, but it actually reflected the harmony in Meng Qing's reconstituted family. Otherwise, the father and son would not have addressed each other as if they were brothers.

Yin Chang glanced at Huang Han, and Huang Han happened to be looking at him too. In that one glance, the two seemed to have shared many feelings.

Although they had only known each other for a day and had not even spoken ten sentences to each other, they both lacked a parent and were now each taking care of a much younger sibling... They felt a strong sense of kindred spirit.

During their conversation, Huang Han became much more open.

"My mom actually had a pretty tough time coming here," he volunteered, speaking about his family.

"Yeah..." Yin Chang could imagine the pressure a single mother faced raising a child out of wedlock, especially one who wasn't an ordinary woman.

Meng Qing lived in the cutthroat world of the Hongcheng entertainment industry, where entertainment reporters and onlookers could easily drown her with their criticisms and spit.

But she didn't stay down. Instead, she got back up and, with her own strength, established herself in the industry while raising her child alone.

Yin Chang had heard about a few of Meng Qing's critically acclaimed and commercially successful films.

"Just seeing her happy now is enough," Huang Han said, smiling faintly with a tone that conveyed an uncommon maturity for his age.

Yin Chang patted his shoulder to comfort him.

The water in the pot had been boiling for some time, and the aroma of corn wafted out, waking up the little girl who was sleeping in the bedroom.

"Brother!" You Luming got out of bed and didn't see her brother. She called out loudly, her voice trembling with tears.

"I'm here!" Huang Han immediately responded.

The little girl stumbled out and opened her arms to hug him as soon as she saw him.

Huang Han picked her up and faced Yin Chang, saying, "Greet brother Yin Chang."

"Brother Yin Chang." The little girl shyly glanced at Yin Chang and then quickly buried her face in Huang Han's neck.

Huang Han couldn't help but smile, "Are you shy because he's so handsome?"

"No," You Luming pouted.

Huang Han playfully flicked her nose, "Not yet? Don't lie to me."

"You're making things up," You Luming hugged his neck tightly and complained.

Yin Chang was amused by the affectionate interaction between the siblings.

Huang Han said, "Brother Yin Chang brought us corn, say thank you."

"Thank you, Brother Yin Chang," You Luming blushed and stole a glance at him.

Living up to her nickname, the little girl's eyes were like a doe, pitiful and adorable. Her face was delicate, and when she wasn't crying, she was like a little angel that everyone couldn't help but love.

Yin Chang boiled the corn and rinsed it with water. He left half for the siblings and took the other half back.

Shao Junling was still asleep...

Yin Chang picked up a corn and wanted to tease him by bringing it close to his nose. But as he neared, he saw Shao Junling's hands gripping the thin blanket looked dark... If you didn't know better, you would think he had gone digging in the dirt in the middle of the night.

Thinking of other people's fair and lovely little sisters, and then looking at his own little brother, who looked like a mud monkey, Yin Chang sighed helplessly.

He put down the corn and fetched a wet towel. He came back and grabbed Shao Junling's hand, scolding him as he wiped, "What's wrong with you...you didn't even wash your face and hands before sleeping?"

Shao Junling was awakened by Yin Chang's actions. He smelled the aroma of corn. He sniffed and sat up, his eyes shining as he looked up at Yin Chang.

But when he caught sight of the corn on the plate, he couldn't help but pause, looking left and right.

The room was completely visible, and there was nowhere to hide anything. Shao Junling looked around and got up to run out.

Yin Chang: "...where are you going?"

Shao Junling searched everywhere. He remembered that he brought ten ears of corn back last night, but now there were only five... Did he drop some on the way back?

As soon as he stepped out of the yard, Shao Junling saw Huang Han and You Luming from next door each holding an ear of corn and crouching at the door, gnawing on them.

Shao Junling: "..."

"What are you doing out here?" Yin Chang furrowed his brows and followed him out.

Shao Junling looked at Yin Chang, then at Huang Han and You Luming, with bewilderment.

Yin Chang handed him an ear of corn. "Freshly cooked, do you want to eat it?"

Shao Junling glared at him, looking a bit...angry?

Yin Chang couldn't figure out his thoughts and assumed he was being picky because breakfast only consisted of corn. He couldn't help but say, "It's good to have something to eat, don't be so picky."

Shao Junling: "..."

Camera crew & staff: "..."

Shao Junling lowered his head. He didn't say anything else. He just took the ear of corn silently, and gnawed on it.

Around 7 o'clock, the program group gathered everyone at yesterday's square.

They saw Qin Jingshan and Qin Xifeng who'd been delayed. The two sisters stood under the ancient tree, looking like two fairies from another world, incomparably beautiful. Older sister Qin Jingshan had a pale oval face, big eyes, perfectly sculpted nose, and was a stunning beauty. Younger sister Qin Xifeng was only eight years old and hadn't fully grown yet, but she had long black hair to her waist and also showed signs of becoming a beauty.

The two sisters were introduced to the staff and greeted everyone. Qin Jingshan expressed her apologies to the program group and everyone on the spot for being late. Seeing that they didn't have any airs of being spoiled, everyone had a good impression of them.

Then, the staff gave them breakfast: two buns, a tea egg, and a packet of soy milk each. Although the host had scared them yesterday, saying that all food had to be earned through tasks, they were a group of children after all. The program group wouldn't make things difficult for them with breakfast.

Yin Chang was surprised when he received the breakfast, wondering if the corn from yesterday wasn't breakfast. Thinking about how Huang Han and the others didn't have corn, he figured perhaps it was compensation from the program group specifically for him and Shao Junling, so he didn't mention it.

Of the eight people who had arrived the previous day, seven were boys, and the only non boy was You Luming who as a young child felt a bit gender-neutral. So the group dynamic had been either they were against the program group or competing with each other.

But now that Qin Jingshan and Qin Xifeng had arrived, the atmosphere was noticeably different. Everyone surrounded the two beautiful sisters, chatting with them while eating breakfast, especially the twin brothers. The 14-year-old boys were in the midst of puberty, and when they saw the beautiful elder sister, both of them were eager to impress her.

Wang Chen, who was already an adult, was clearly more competitive than the two of them and was more familiar with how to chat with goddess-level beauties.

Qin Xifeng, Xue Ziwen, and Shao Junling were all about the same age. Xue Ziwen racked his brain to find a topic to engage her, but unfortunately, Qin Xifeng was quite introverted and just clung to her sister's side. She occasionally smiled shyly and didn't talk much.

The cameraman and the staff were surprised to find that among the group, there were still those who stuck out.

This time it wasn't the pair, Yin Chang and Shao Junling, but just Shao Junling.

Since Yin Chang had already gotten to know Huang Han this morning because of sharing corn, he was now chatting with him casually and seemed to be more integrated. But Shao Junling next to him just silently nibbled on his steamed bun and drank soy milk, not looking at the other guests and only scanning the staff... which made everyone a little nervous.

One cameraman couldn't help but complain to the director, "Why does he keep staring at us?"

As soon as he said that, other staff members also started discussing -

"Well... that little guy just doesn't seem to fit in."

"He looks very different from an ordinary child."

"I heard he secretly went to the cornfield to dig up corn for his brother last night?"

The staff had already told the executive producer about this, and many members of the program group heard about it.

Someone asked curiously, "How did he know where the cornfield was?"

"That's not the point. Most kids his age wouldn't even think of going to the cornfield to find corn to eat," another replied.

"Who is this kid anyway?" someone asked.

The executive producer made a "shh" gesture and said, "Don't say anything, Yin Chang doesn't know about this yet."

Everyone nodded.

The executive producer looked with interest at Shao Junling in the distance. "Did you notice that when you were talking about him earlier, he knew? Whoever was speaking, he was looking at them... he's looking at me now."

The first cameraman to speak up asked in amazement, "Can he hear us?"

"He can't hear us, but he is observant," the executive producer said.

Several cameramans were scared and shrunk their heads.

The executive producer laughed, "Just keep shooting and pay attention to his movements... when the program airs, this kid will definitely be the talk of the town."

After breakfast, the host walked up to the group and announced the start of the new day's task.

The theme for this morning was "help villagers with their tasks." The host had a stack of task cards in hand, and the guests drew one at a time according to their pairs. They would then go to the designated villager's home based on the clues on the card and help them with a task. Upon completion, the guests would receive a food card and another task card.

The food card could be used to exchange for lunch, with each card exchanging for a dish or a bowl of rice.

This task could be repeated, and the more they did, the more food cards they could obtain, which meant that they could have a more sumptuous lunch.

However, the villagers' task cards were limited. That meant if they were too slow, for example if they spent two hours on one task, by the time they found the next villager, that person's task card might already be taken.

Therefore, this was a challenge that also tested their efficiency.

After the guests understood the rules, they began drawing task cards. As soon as they saw the words on the cards, they were dumbfounded because there were no explicit instructions to go to a certain address or find someone, nor were there any photos. There were only two or three words.

For example, the task card for the twin brothers had "Red House" and "Auntie Li" written on it, which meant they had to find the red house with Auntie Li before they could complete the task.

But this village had dozens of households. Who knew how many red houses there were? And who among them had an Auntie Li?

Upon learning of the program team's tricks, everyone groaned in despair. 

Everyone was complaining, but Shao Junling had already left the crowd and rushed towards the village like a whirlwind.

When Yin Chang saw him run, he also ran after him... closely followed by the poor cameramen from Shao Junling's group.

Everyone: "????"

Wang Chen: "How can they run so fast? Does he already know where to go?"

Guo Yiheng: "Could it be that they got a really simple task card!?"

Xue Ziwen urged anxiously, "Uncle! Let's go quickly!"

Lang Chizhi also reacted and realized that the speed of executing the task was related to what they would have for lunch, so he pulled his younger brother and ran, shouting, "Go Go Go!!!"

The task card for Yin Chang and Shao Junling had "Rake on the Wall" and "Uncle Liu" written on it.

When Yin Chang saw Shao Junling rushing out so quickly, he originally thought he was in a hurry to find the house with a rake on the wall, but after following him for a while, he was surprised to find that Shao Junling was not searching.

He ran ahead, turning every corner with extreme precision, as if he knew exactly where that house was, heading straight for it.

After running for three or four minutes, Shao Junling suddenly stopped in front of a wall.

Yin Chang looked up and saw a rake hanging on the wall.

Shao Junling pointed to the rake and said to him, "Here."

The cameramen who followed were also shocked...

Yin Chang asked him, "How did you know it was here?"

Shao Junling wiped his mouth and said, "I came here yesterday."

Yin Chang asked, "When did you come?"

Shao Junling replied, "To find the treasure chest."

Suddenly, Yin Chang remembered Shao Junling's amazing memory and was stunned for a moment before asking, "Do you remember the map of this village?"

Shao Junling nodded and said, "Yes, I walked around a few times and remembered it all."

Yin Chang: "..."

Production crew: "..." Suddenly they felt like they were players using cheats in a game!

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🍁 Vignette

The food that he had worked hard to gather was given away by his brother.

He couldn't even eat enough, but still had the leisure to go and share with others.

His brother really didn't understand how difficult life was. (Q︿Q)

Thinking about the responsibility of supporting his brother in the future, Shao Junling felt overwhelmed.

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