Chapter 209 (Combined with 2092) (with comments)

209:

After selling out, Mu Shaowu registered his earnings with the host and then left the stall with Ye Qingxi to browse the market.

Tao Tao and the others watched, and couldn't help but feel envious: they also wanted to go shopping.

Thinking of this, Tao Tao started shouting his wares again.

Mu Shaowu was born and raised in the city and had never been to a market like this before. He found the things in the market quite novel.

"What do you want?" he asked Ye Qingxi.

Ye Qingxi looked around and suddenly saw a stall making dough figurines. He quickly pulled Mu Shaowu over.

The old man who sculpts dough figurines has very skillful hands; in no time, a new dough figurine is born from his hands.

Ye Qingxi found it cute, so she asked the old man in front of her, "Grandpa, how much is this?"

"Ten yuan for a small one, twenty yuan for a large one, and thirty yuan for a custom-made one tailored to your specifications," the old man said readily.

Ye Qingxi: !!

"You can even sculpt like me?!"

The old man said smugly, "Of course, if you and your father both want them, I'll give you a discount, fifty for both."

Ye Qingxi: !!

Ye Qingxi looked up at Mu Shaowu, "Daddy, shall we pinch it?"

"Squeeze." Mu Shaowu didn't hesitate; at this price, it wasn't a bad deal to squeeze it.

"Then you'd better make it look more like the real thing," Mu Shaowu said with a smile.

"No problem," the old man said with a smile, looking at them. "It doesn't seem like you don't want the money."

Live stream viewers: ? ? ?

[Such arrogance!]

We'll be watching!

Mu Shaowu and Ye Qingxi then started reading as well.

The old man was clearly prepared. He first shaped a head, then took out his tools and slowly began to carve it.

He pinched and shaped the eyes, eyebrows, and mouth while looking at Ye Qingxi, then chose different colored dough, made different shapes, and stuck them on little by little.

His hands moved incredibly fast. In no time, he had sculpted Ye Qingxi's facial features and hair, and then began to sculpt his body.

Ye Qingxi looked at her clay figure, which only had a head, and was somewhat surprised; it really did resemble the head.

"Wow, that's impressive!" exclaimed viewers in the live stream. "Sir, you've got some skills!"

It does look quite similar, and it's quite cute.

Soon, the body of the dough figurine was finished, and the old man began to "dress" it up.

Ye Qingxi watched him put on his short-sleeved shirt, then his shoes, and found it all quite novel.

"Here you go." The old man handed him the dough figurine he had made.

Ye Qingxi took it, and Mu Shaowu immediately came over. The two of them admired the dough figurine in Ye Qingxi's hand together.

After being dressed, the clay figure looked even more like Ye Qingxi herself.

Ye Qingxi twirled the dough figurine in her hand, thoroughly enjoying it.

"So cute!"

"That's mainly because you're cute," Mu Shaowu said.

While pinching Mu Shaowu's face, the old man didn't forget to say, "That's right, I've been here for so many years and I've never seen a cuter child than your son."

[Haha, this old man is quite the talker!]

[Upon hearing this, Mu Shaowu couldn't help but smile.]

[You're good at both sculpting dough figurines and giving compliments; no wonder you're making so much money, sir!]

[The main thing is that the old man's skills are really good; if I came across one, I'd like to buy one too.]

That's right, that's why they say true masters are often found among ordinary people.

After waiting a while longer, Mu Shaowu's was ready too.

Mu Shaowu took it, and Ye Qingxi immediately held it up, placing it next to his clay figurine, as if the two of them were standing side by side.

“I like it,” Ye Qingxi said.

“Then Dad likes it too.” Mu Shaowu said without hesitation.

"I like it too." The viewers in the live stream smiled.

"Haha, I like it too," the old man said.

Upon hearing this, Mu Shaowu took out some money and handed it to him, saying, "Thank you."

"No need, no need. You can come back to make whatever you want later."

Ye Qingxi actually wanted to make one for each of his family members, but Mu Shaowu's phone had already been handed over, so he couldn't show the photos to his grandfather.

Therefore, Ye Qingxi could only leave the dough figurine stall with regret.

He browsed the other stalls in the market and bought some snacks he had never seen before but which tasted pretty good. However, he kept thinking about the dough figurine stall.

When Ye Qingxi and her group had finished shopping, the other fathers and babies had also sold all their fruit and started browsing the market.

The production team gave everyone plenty of time, so everyone bought what they wanted and got on the bus within the allotted time.

The host stood on the vehicle and announced the rankings of the fruit sellers.

Ye Qingxi and Mu Shaowu remained in first place, while He Lei and He Yao came in last place because they sold less fruit and therefore earned less money.

"The last dad and baby will need to help the orchard owner guard the orchard tonight, and they won't be able to go home until the next morning," the host announced loudly.

He Yao:! ! !

He Yao was shocked. Why was there another punishment this time?!

He Lei was also somewhat surprised.

She couldn't help but hook her fingers together, regretting that she hadn't eaten the fruit from the basket with her father last night.

【Ahhhhh, how could this happen?】He Lei's fans cried, heartbroken. 【It's all He Yao's fault. If he hadn't eaten Lei Lei's fruit last night, there wouldn't have been so little fruit, and she wouldn't have sold it for so little money.】

[Exactly, if He Yao had been more proactive when selling fruit, would Lei Lei have ended up in last place again?]

"Try to think positively," other fans advised He Lei's "mommy fan" during the live stream, "Actually, the orchard is quite good. You'll have a house if you go to guard the orchard, so don't worry."

When I was little, I had a lot of fun helping my dad guard the melon shed. Seriously, we even ate a lot of watermelon together, haha.

And you can see the starry sky just by looking up, it's so beautiful!

[But it seems like Leilei doesn't really want to go either. She's been wringing her fingers ever since the host mentioned the punishment, so she doesn't seem very willing to go with He Yao.]

Ye Qingxi noticed this as well. He had seen the watchman's hut in the orchard; it wasn't big, and he guessed there was only one bed inside. Someone like He Yao certainly wouldn't give up the whole bed to He Lei, especially after the cameras were turned off. He would most likely sleep in the bed with He Lei, leaving some space between them, each sleeping separately.

However, He Lei was not close to He Yao, and they were not father and daughter. Sleeping with an adult person she was not close to would definitely make He Lei feel awkward and uncomfortable.

Thinking of this, Ye Qingxi turned to Mu Shaowu and asked, "Dad, would you like to come with me to guard the orchard?"

Mu Shaowu: ? ? ?

Live stream chat: !!!

【No way! Xiaoxi, you can't be serious!】

【Oh my god, Xiaoxi, you're not what I thought, are you?!】

[Baby, you're so kind!]

[Who understands, family members? There really are kind-hearted gods in this world, even though he's only five years old.]

Mu Shaowu immediately understood his meaning upon hearing his words.

He certainly felt that it might not be good for He Lei to go and guard the melon shed with He Yao.

However, He Lei is not his daughter after all. He is willing to help her when he can, but he is unwilling to make his son suffer in helping her.

“Xiao Xi, I’m touched that you want to help Lei Lei, but I don’t want you to always be thinking about helping others,” Mu Shaowu said to him.

“Dad hopes you think more about yourself. It’s summer now, and there will definitely be mosquitoes in the orchard. I don’t want you to get bitten by mosquitoes. I’m happy to help Leilei, but if the price is that you get bitten by mosquitoes, then I’m not willing to do it. Do you understand?”

Mu Shaowu turned off his microphone, leaned close to his ear, and whispered.

Ye Qingxi was taken aback, not expecting him to answer like that.

He nodded, feeling somewhat happy.

only……

"It's not for Leilei." Ye Qingxi simply turned off her microphone and whispered to him, "It's my own idea to go."

He said, "I've never lived in an orchard before."

“Dad,” Ye Qingxi said softly, “when we came out of the treasure cave last night, I looked up and saw a lot of stars, so I want to go again tonight and see the stars again.”

Mu Shaowu listened to his words and looked down at him.

Ye Qingxi's eyes were bright, and light flowed in, making his pupils appear clear and sparkling.

That's true, Mu Shaowu thought. Children always yearn for novel things they haven't experienced. Although Ye Qingxi's hometown is in the countryside, he was born and raised in the city. He has never spent the night in an orchard, so he is curious and wants to try it.

In particular, this attempt not only satisfied his own curiosity but also saved his newly acquainted friend from punishment.

Mu Shaowu looked into his bright eyes and slowly nodded.

Seeing that he nodded, Ye Qingxi asked worriedly, "Dad, are you really willing? If you don't want to go, I don't have to go either. I just want to experience it, but it's not something I absolutely have to do."

"It's okay." Mu Shaowu hugged him and said, "One of a father's responsibilities in life is to accompany his children to experience things they've never experienced before and to take them to see a more wonderful world."

"So if you really want to go, I really want to go too, because for me, your happiness and joy at this moment is the most important thing."

Ye Qingxi couldn't help but smile at his words.

He looked at his father, then felt a little embarrassed and hurriedly turned to look out the window.

The transparent glass reflected his and Mu Shaowu's figures in a blurry way. Ye Qingxi looked at Mu Shaowu's face in the glass, which was so faint that it was almost impossible to see. This was his father.

His father in this life.

The best dad!

Mu Shaowu and Ye Qingxi had discussed it and then turned on their microphones, allowing Ye Qingxi to raise her hand.

"What's wrong?" the host asked Ye Qingxi. "Xiaoxi, is there something you need?"

"I've never guarded an orchard before. Could I switch places with my dad and Uncle Leilei so that the two of us can guard the orchard?"

host:! ! !

He Lei: !!!

He Yao:! ! !

He Yao almost instinctively retorted, "No need."

He doesn't need Mu Shaowu's help!

Ye Qingxi tilted her head and looked at He Yao, "Why, Uncle He? Don't you want Leilei to go home and rest properly?"

He Yao:......

He Yao tried to find an excuse, saying, "Since we lost, we will accept the punishment."

Ye Qingxi blinked. "But you didn't even ask Leilei if she wanted to switch with me?"

He Yao:......

He Yao could only say, "I think Lei Lei is definitely a good girl who is willing to accept defeat."

"So if Leilei is willing to switch with me, she's not a good child?" Ye Qingxi asked, puzzled.

He Yao:......

That's not what I meant.

“Then let’s switch, Leilei.” Ye Qingxi said happily. “You go home, and I’ll go to the orchard. Uncle He doesn’t have to go home if he doesn’t want to. He can continue to guard the orchard. When I went there the other day, I saw two wooden houses. Perfect, one for me and one for my dad, and one for Uncle He.”

He Yao:! ! !

Upon hearing this, Yang Shu said, "Then Leilei can sleep at my house and sleep with me."

Hearing this, He Lei nodded quickly.

She really didn't want to go to the orchard. She had seen the house there; it was so small. She knew she would have to sleep in the same room as Mr. He, but she didn't want to.

“Then Leilei will go to Sister Yang Shu’s house, and Dad and I will go to the orchard. Uncle He will also go to the orchard. Yay!” Ye Qingxi said happily.

Viewers in the live stream: !!!

[You can do that!]

[It really is great! Leilei felt much happier immediately.]

[Waaaa, thank you Xiaoxi, thank you Mu Shaowu, you two are simply our Leilei's guardian angels!]

Xiaoxi is so wonderful, so wonderful!

[Thank you Yang Shu too, Shu Shu is such a wonderful girl.]

So, was Mu Shaowu discussing going to the orchard with Xiao Xi just now?

[It should be, but they both had their microphones off, so we couldn't hear it.]

[They couldn't even hear each other; they were practically whispering in each other's ears. Even a lip-reading expert would be amazed.]

What a cautious father and son!

[This is good enough as it is, host, please agree soon, don't let everyone down!]

[Exactly! How could a little girl like Leilei really sleep in the same bed as He Yao!]

[Ye Qingxi has already come up with a perfect solution. This way, the loser is punished, and the rules aren't completely disregarded. I think that's sufficient.]

I think so too!

He Yao:? ? ?

He Yao simply couldn't understand how things had turned out this way!

Why are Ye Qingxi and Mu Shaowu going?!

How did he end up all alone?

It's clear that the culprit who caused us to sell the least amount of fruit today wasn't him, but He Lei, who picked too little fruit at the orchard yesterday.

However, no matter how dissatisfied he was, there was nothing he could do. He couldn't very well say in front of the camera that He Lei had to go with him, or the audience would definitely use that as an excuse to cause trouble.

Therefore, He Yao could only turn his attention to the host and wait for his decision.

host:……

The host really didn't expect this to happen.

But he still remembered what the director and station manager had said: don't let Ye Qingxi feel wronged.

So the host smiled and said, "Since our Xiaoxi is so willing to help his friend, then of course Uncle can't refuse. Leilei, remember that Xiaoxi helped you this time, and you should help him too if he encounters difficulties in the future!"

"Mmm." He Lei nodded. "I remember, Brother Xiaoxi has helped me so many times~ I remember every single one~ I like Brother Xiaoxi the most~"

Ye Qingxi: ...The last sentence is unnecessary.

"Thank you, Brother Xiaoxi~" He Lei turned to look at Ye Qingxi, then at Yang Shu, "Thank you too, Sister Shushu~"

"You're welcome," Ye Qingxi and Yang Shu said.

He Yao:......

He Yao was surprised that the host would agree, so he could only tell He Lei, "Be good when you go to Yang Shu's house, okay?"

"Okay." He Lei nodded obediently. "Don't worry, Daddy He, I'll definitely be a good girl!"

"I believe that!" a viewer in the live stream taunted. "Leilei is much more well-behaved than you!"

Stop worrying about our Leilei. What, you're upset because Leilei doesn't have to go?

[That's him! Xiaoxi just said he didn't ask Leilei if she wanted to go, and he even said he believed Leilei was a good girl who would accept a bet. Isn't that just a way of saying he wants Leilei to go with him?!]

[Exactly! If Xiaoxi hadn't been so clever as to ask him if Leilei wouldn't be a good child if they switched places, he definitely would have dragged Leilei along!]

The devout woman vows to abstain from meat for three days, praying that He Yao will be covered in mosquito bites tonight.

[Hahaha, you've added me for three days!]

They arrived at the village without any problems. Ye Qingxi and Mu Shaowu got out of the car, collected today's ingredients, and headed back.

Everyone had taken two round trips and sold fruit, so they were all tired. Tao Rui didn't bother Mu Shaowu with Tao Tao, saying that their two families wouldn't be dining together for the time being.

Mu Shaowu readily agreed.

He cooked some vegetables and steamed some rice, had lunch with Ye Qingxi, and then went to the bedroom to sleep.

After waking up, Mu Shaowu pondered and began packing his luggage.

Today is the last day of recording, and we have to go back tomorrow morning. Mu Shaowu originally wanted to pack in the evening, but with the added task of guarding the orchard at night, packing his luggage naturally had to be done earlier.

Seeing this, Ye Qingxi helped him tidy up.

"Dad, what should we bring to the orchard tonight?"

"Of course!" Mu Shaowu said without hesitation. "Mosquito repellent spray, mosquito repellent patches, mosquito repellent bracelets, I need to bring all of these! I brought them all, now they'll all come in handy."

"Dad, you're so amazing!" Ye Qingxi exclaimed in praise.

Mu Shaowu smiled and said, "Here, let me put this bracelet on you first."

Ye Qingxi said "Oh" and obediently handed over his hand, but soon he couldn't be obedient anymore.

"Dad, we're going to the orchard, not to sell bracelets."

Goodness, he now has at least three mosquito repellent bracelets on each of his hands, left and right!

“Who told you to sell these kinds of bracelets? Come on, sit on the bed, and Dad will put a few on your feet too.”

Ye Qingxi: ? ? ? !!!

Why didn't you put it around my neck?!

Mu Shaowu: "Isn't it too small? I can't wear it."

Ye Qingxi: ? ? ? So you're actually planning to put it on me now that you're older?!

The viewers in the live stream burst into laughter: [This is way too exaggerated!]

[Mu Shaowu, can you please stop being so ridiculous!]

[What do you know? This is fatherly love. It's clear that Shaowu really doesn't want little Xi to get bitten.]

【I don't want my little Xi to get bitten either, wear them! Everyone wear them!】

"Shaowu, why don't we wear a few ourselves?"

I think Mu Shaowu didn't intend to wear it himself at all; he planned to give it all to Xiao Xi.

[Hilarious! They actually put them on their feet!]

Ye Qingxi: ...Don't ask, it's just fatherly love!

Meanwhile, on the other side, the production crew was spraying mosquito and insect repellent outside the wooden house in the orchard.

"Are you sure there are fewer mosquitoes here than there?" Director Wang asked anxiously.

The orchard owner nodded, "That's right, I've lived in both places, how could I not know?"

"That's good," Director Wang breathed a sigh of relief, and continued to watch them spray the insect repellent.

There's no way around it, Ye Qingxi is going home tomorrow. If he gets home and Chairman Mu sees him covered in bruises or says he was bitten by some kind of insect, then he'll be in big trouble.

So for Ye Qingxi's sake, for his sake, and for everyone's sake, let's be more cautious about mosquitoes.

So, when Ye Qingxi and Mu Shaowu arrived at the cabin where they were staying for the night watch, led by the staff, they found that the cabin was already prepared with daily necessities, as well as yogurt and bottled water with the labels torn off.

Looking at the cramped wooden house and the only bed inside, Mu Shaowu thought to himself, "Indeed, it's better if He Lei doesn't come."

He had Ye Qingxi sit on the bed while he began spraying mosquito repellent.

Staff: ...There's no need for you to thank Teacher Mu. We've already sprayed a lot and applied a lot of medicine. If even one mosquito manages to bite Young Master Ye's delicate skin tonight, our Director Wang probably won't dare to sleep.

"Then, Teacher Mu, I'll be going now." The staff member looked at the two of them, "Sweet dreams to you and Xiaoxi."

"Okay," Mu Shaowu said.

Ye Qingxi also raised his hand, which was covered in mosquito repellent bracelets, and said, "Goodbye~"

Staff: ...

The staff looked at the bracelet on his wrist that made a sound from being bumped, and knew it was for repelling mosquitoes. They probably thought he was wearing some kind of children's bracelet.

The staff member sighed silently, and when he looked down, he discovered that there were not only bracelets, but also anklets.

Ah... well... maybe we should just keep criticizing. Given how much importance Mu Shaowu attaches to this, she's starting to worry that some mosquitoes might slip through the net!

The staff left, and so did the director and cameraman who were following them, leaving only the cameras inside the house to film their life in the cabin.

Mu Shaowu held the mosquito repellent and sprayed it here and there, "pfft—" "pfft—".

Ye Qingxi followed behind him, wearing his fatherly mosquito repellent bracelet.

The night was deep and all was quiet. Ye Qingxi looked up and saw the stars shining as brightly as they had the night before.

As he was watching, Mu Shaowu finally finished spitting out his words.

"Alright, that should be fine," Mu Shaowu said.

"Dad, you've worked hard," Ye Qingxi said, making a gesture as if to massage his back.

Mu Shaowu smiled and pulled him into his arms.

"What were you looking at just now?" he asked.

“Stars.” Ye Qingxi looked up and pointed them out to him.

"Is it pretty?" Mu Shaowu also raised his head.

"nice."

Mu Shaowu nodded slightly, "It's prettier than the ones over there."

He hugged Ye Qingxi and asked him, "Did you enjoy recording this show?"

"I'm so happy!" Ye Qingxi said cheerfully, "Dad, are you happy?"

“Dad is also very happy,” Mu Shaowu said. “In the future, Dad can take you out to play once a year. If you think it’s not fun just the two of us, you can also invite Xiao Cheng or Pei Liang to come along.”

No need, Ye Qingxi thought to herself, the two of them are quite fun too.

"Dad, would you like some fruit? There's so much fruit here, I can pick some for you."

"No need," Mu Shaowu said with a smile. "I'm here to guard the orchard, not to be a badger in it."

Ye Qingxi laughed heartily, "That's true!"

Mu Shaowu looked down at him, "Do you know what a 'cha' is?"

“I’ve read ‘Young Runtu’,” Ye Qingxi replied.

Mu Shaowu: "...You've seen a lot."

“Dad has seen a lot too,” Ye Qingxi said.

The evening breeze blew gently, carrying their words to the treetops, through the woods, and above the moon.

Ye Qingxi yawned, rubbed her eyes, and before she knew it, she felt a little sleepy.

Mu Shaowu then picked him up and carried him back into the wooden house.

He turned off the camera and closed the door tightly.

Ye Qingxi changed into his pajamas and lay down in bed. He didn't close his eyes, but left them open, waiting for Mu Shaowu.

Mu Shaowu quickly got into bed and lay down beside him.

There was a glass panel on the wooden house, right above Ye Qingxi's head, so she could see the starry sky without much effort.

Seeing that he liked it, Mu Shaowu said to him, "When we get back, Dad will get you a room with a starry sky, so you can sleep looking at the stars every day."

Ye Qingxi shook her head, "There aren't any stars where we are."

Mu Shaowu: ...Oh, this.

"Then let's find a place with stars, and Dad will get you a room under the stars."

"No need," Ye Qingxi said with a smile. "There are many things that you don't need to see every day."

It's fine as a surprise.

After all, in this life, only a few things truly matter.

So as long as the people who are important to you are by your side, that's enough.

Other things, like the stars in the night sky, are not usually seen, so seeing them brings a sense of surprise.

Ye Qingxi closed her eyes and hugged Mu Shaowu, "Goodnight, Daddy."

"Goodnight." Mu Shaowu hugged him back and gently kissed him on the cheek. "My darling."

The next morning, Mu Shaowu was awakened early by the light falling through the glass of the wooden house.

He shook Ye Qingxi, who groggily opened her eyes and said, "Good morning~"

"Good morning~" Mu Shaowu said with a smile, "Get up."

Ye Qingxi sat up, and as soon as she looked up, she felt the blinding sunlight.

He quickly lowered his head and went to change his clothes on the side where the glass couldn't see.

Mu Shaowu quickly changed his clothes as well.

There are no facilities for washing up here, so if you want to wash up, you have to go back.

Therefore, after changing their clothes, the two went out and prepared to go home.

As soon as they arrived at the orchard, they ran into He Yao, who was waiting on the other side.

When their eyes met, both Mu Shaowu and Ye Qingxi were somewhat surprised.

He Yao had mosquito bites of varying degrees on his arms, legs, and even face, especially on his arms, where there were several large bites.

Mu Shaowu: ? ? ?

Ye Qingxi: ...

He Yao:! ! !

He Yao looked at their bodies, which were completely free of any bite marks, and found it hard to believe.

Why is he the only one covered in bumps and bruises when they both live in orchards?!