Chapter 79
[Xiao Mo's mood changes faster than flipping through a book. One second: "The kitten is so cute!" The next second: "What meow? Don't you know I have to get up at 4 am? Hahahaha."]
[Kitten: What does getting up at 4 AM have to do with me? I want to sleep until I naturally wake up.]
Xiao Mo is going to be furious, hahaha.
The thought of having to get up at 4 a.m. tomorrow instantly dampened everyone's spirits. After a quick foot bath, they went back to their rooms. There were cameras in the rooms, and Qi An used a bath towel to cover them, so the live streamers could only hear the sound but not see the image.
Xiao Mo, feeling warm and cozy from soaking her feet, nestled between her parents and chattered on and on about what had happened that day. When she mentioned discovering that Grandpa Niu had fallen, even Du Xiaoruo and Qi An became a little nervous.
Du Xiaoruo patted Xiao Mo's head, "So our little treasure has encountered so many things outside?"
Little Mo nestled her head in her mother's arms, her tiny white feet kicking against her father's lap, her brows furrowed in worry.
"Then let's go visit Grandpa Niu tomorrow."
Qi An held his daughter's little feet, turned to look at the dark sky outside the window, and sighed softly.
"We'll get up at 4 a.m. tomorrow to go hiking. If we make it back alive, we'll go see Grandpa Niu."
When the topic of getting up at 4 a.m. tomorrow came up, the family of three fell silent.
After a while, Du Xiaoruo broke the silence, "Let's not think about these unhappy things anymore, let's call Lele."
Qi An took out his old phone, which was decades old and couldn't even connect to video calls, dialed Lele's number, pressed the speakerphone button, and placed the phone between the three of them.
Because of puberty, Lele's originally clear voice sounded a bit like a duck's quack. As soon as the call connected, the three people on the other end burst into laughter upon hearing Lele's awkward voice during puberty.
"Xiao Le?" Qi An stopped laughing. "I'm your dad. Our phones have been confiscated, so this is the only phone I can use to call you now."
"Oh." Lele paused for a moment. "Dad, where's Mom?"
The enthusiastic viewers in the live stream who could only hear the audio
[Sure enough, everyone answers the phone like, "Dad, where's Mom?" Hahaha...]
[Mom, I'm hungry. Mom, I'm sleepy. Mom, I miss you. Dad, where's Mom?]
Du Xiaoruo leaned closer to the phone and said to the other end, "Xiao Le, Mom is here too."
Upon hearing Du Xiaoruo's voice, Lele became much more talkative, sharing the results of her research project with her mother and recounting some interesting events that occurred during the day.
Du Xiaoruo listened patiently, occasionally giving a gentle "hmm," and only asked a question after Lele had finished speaking.
Are the students in the research group easy to get along with?
Perhaps it's due to her personality, but even after all these years, Lele is still not very good at socializing. She still gets nervous when she's alone in unfamiliar environments. Lele is fine in other aspects when she's out alone, but socializing is Du Xiaoruo's biggest worry.
Lele paused for a moment, then whispered,
"I know all my classmates, I just miss you all a little."
Xiao Mo leaned close to the microphone and loudly confessed to her brother, "Brother, I miss you so much too, a hundred percent."
Lele knew exactly what kind of person her younger sister was; if she said something nice, it meant she was up to no good.
Sure enough, after loudly confessing her love to her brother, Xiao Mo said with a pitiful expression,
"Brother, all my snacks have been confiscated. Could you mail me some? I want rice crackers, milk tea, mochi, potato chips, egg yolk pastries, osmanthus cake, and orange jelly."
Lele sighed and earnestly advised, "Xiao Mo, since you're going to the mountains, you shouldn't eat snacks anymore. Try a healthier lifestyle, okay?"
Xiao Mo wanted to try again, but Lele quickly said, "Mom, I'm hanging up now. I have to get up early tomorrow. Love you."
In the last second before hanging up, Qi An quickly moved closer to the phone and blurted out a sentence.
"Lele, Daddy loves you too."
Before he could finish his last word, the busy signal came from the other end of the line.
In the live stream room,
Judging from this one phone call alone, Mr. Ha's position in the family is precarious.
[It must be because Mr. Ha always teases Xiao Le, so Xiao Le is deliberately trying to annoy him, right?]
After Xiao Le hung up the phone, Qi An's mood visibly dropped.
He gently moved Xiao Mo's feet aside, then snuggled into the blanket and went to sleep, leaving Xiao Ruo with a forlorn silhouette.
Xiaoruo gestured for her daughter to crawl away, then she moved closer, embracing Qi An from behind, resting her chin on his shoulder blade, and whispering words of comfort.
"Lele has told me in private that her favorite person is her dad."
Qi An pulled the blanket over his head, looking like he was saying, "Nothing I say will help; I'm just really hurt."
Xiaoruo was also impressed. The CEO, who was usually decisive and ruthless at the company, acted like a three-and-a-half-year-old at home, always arguing with this person or being jealous of that person.
Just then, the old-fashioned cell phone rang again. Xiaoruo picked it up and saw a text message from Lele.
[Dad, I love you too, I love you so much! Hahahaha, you got pranked, didn't you?]
Du Xiaoruo lifted a corner of the blanket and shoved the text message in front of Qi An.
Three seconds later, Qi An threw back the covers, his handsome brows furrowed in a satisfied smile. He had been utterly dejected just moments before, but now he was stubbornly refusing to admit it.
"Two grown men acting all lovey-dovey, like sissies."
Du Xiaoru rolled her eyes and complained, "When you die, your bones will be burned to ashes, and you'll probably just have your mouth left to keep going."
[Same stubborn man in the world, my dad is like that too. He's secretly overjoyed, but he's always complaining.]
[Help! This family of four is so loving!]
[Lele's advice to Xiao Mo is also quite amusing. Since you're going to the mountains, eat something healthier, hahaha.]
At 4 a.m. sharp, Mu Hua held up a large megaphone and shouted in the courtyard.
"Get up, time for a hike! Get up, time for a hike! Ha Zong, Xiao Ruo, and Xiao Mo, Fan Lei, Tang Tang, and Guan Guan, wake up!!!"
Du Xiaoruo pulled the blanket over her head. It was still the same Mu Hua, the same familiar formula, exactly the same as when they used a loudspeaker to wake them up back at [Beibei Restaurant].
Mu Hua's voice was so powerful that everyone left the room one after another with dark circles under their eyes. Guan Guan, the youngest, was very uncomfortable because she hadn't slept enough and was snuggling in her mother's arms, sobbing.
A few rooster crows came from afar. Little Mo yawned widely, pinched Guan Guan's little face, and sleepily comforted his younger brother.
"Guan Guan, do you think roosters crow in the morning?"
Guan Guan stopped crying, her lips trembling, her little shoulders shaking, "Why...why?"
Xiao Mo sighed.
"A rooster that gets up so early is bound to go crazy. It's normal for it to squawk a few times."
The adults were amused by Xiao Mo, and although Guan Guan didn't understand what Xiao Mo meant, he also laughed along foolishly.
Those netizens who stayed up all night watching the live stream and hadn't had time to go to sleep yet...
【Take our little Mo, for example, her language skills are unbeatable! She's only three years old! When I was three, I couldn't even play with mud properly.】
This is the benefit of a free-range parenting style. Children have a strong learning ability; as long as they are given enough freedom to explore, there will be surprises everywhere.
[I saw an interview with Mr. Ha before, and he said that Xiao Mo has had a private tutor since she was one year old, as well as a dedicated language teacher. It's normal that she's precocious, after all, her annual education fees are probably more than a million.]
After having a simple breakfast prepared by the production team, everyone changed into light clothing suitable for hiking and prepared to set off.
The entrance to the mountain is right next to a wheat field in the village. It was still dark, and the wheat field looked like a huge, dark expanse. The mountain wind howled through the field, which was quite frightening.
Guanguan couldn't walk any further after getting to this point, and because it was dark and he was scared, he lay on the ground and refused to move. Fan Lei had no choice but to pick up his son and continue walking up the mountain.
Little Mo stared wide-eyed at this scene and decided to try to be cheeky like Guan Guan so that he could be carried away.
She paused for a moment, then called out in a sweet, childlike voice,
"Daddy..."
Qi An's back stiffened, knowing there was a trap, but he acted as if he hadn't heard anything and strode forward.
Xiao Mo blinked, turned around, and said, "Mommy..."
"Hey, baby, keep going! You're the best! You can definitely climb the mountain on your own, right?" Xiaoru clenched her fist and gave Xiaomo a thumbs-up.
Xiao Mo was instantly inspired, clenched her little fist, and shouted loudly, "Yes, I am the best, I can definitely climb the mountain!"
After climbing a few steps, Xiao Mo suddenly felt something was off. She turned to look at the camera behind her.
"No, that's not right. I originally wanted a hug."
He looked down at the steps beneath his feet and encouraged himself.
"It's come to this now, hang in there, Xiao Mo!"
Knowing that the guests were going hiking at 4 o'clock, many netizens had already joined the live stream, and they were all laughing their heads off at what they saw.
[Xiao Mo has some intelligence, but not much, hahaha.]
[Has Xiaoruo already become a master of PUA? She nipped Xiaomo's unrealistic fantasies in the bud.]
Mothers all seem to possess a bit of manipulative skill.
How can Xiao Mo climb such a high mountain? Why not mail her over so I can carry her myself?
Xiao Mo started learning Muay Thai under the guidance of a professional coach and his mother when he was two years old. Although he is too young to do much strength training, his physical fitness is much better than that of other children of the same age.
She followed behind the adults and managed to climb halfway up the mountain in one go.
Guan Guan was held in my arms the whole time and is now fast asleep, but Xiao Mo is like an energetic little monkey, unable to stop even when resting, jumping up and down next to me.
Tang Tang hurriedly asked Xiao Ruo for parenting advice, "Xiao Ruo, what do you usually feed Xiao Mo? She has so much energy!"
When it comes to Xiao Mo's daily diet, Xiao Ruo is a little embarrassed.
The children in their circle all have dedicated nutritionists who generally limit their intake of high-oil and high-salt snacks and feed them natural and healthy foods.
But Xiao Mo is different. She has her own pediatric nutritionist and eats nutritious meals. But this child also eats everything else—all kinds of street food, strange snacks from supermarkets, things that fly in the sky and swim in the water—she'll take a bite of anything edible.
Seeing Tang Tang's burning gaze, Xiao Ruo carefully considered her words to save face for her daughter.
"Hmm...she eats a more balanced diet."
Tang Tang nodded in agreement, "I know, it's all about a balanced diet, right? My Guan Guan is a bit of a picky eater, no wonder he doesn't have as much energy as Xiao Mo."
Du Xiaoru smiled awkwardly but politely, "Mm."
Fortunately, everyone had rested enough and continued climbing the mountain. Tang Tang didn't press further, otherwise Xiao Ruo was afraid that her daughter's foodie nature would be exposed.
As they approached the summit, they encountered a man carrying buckets of water down the mountain. Half of his hair was white, but his steps were still brisk due to years of farm work.
The group, along with the camera crew, marched up the mountain in a grand procession, crowding the already narrow mountain path. The man carrying water had to step aside under a large tree to wait for them to pass first.
As she brushed past the man, Xiao Mo stopped, bowed obediently, and called out.
Hello, Uncle.
The man hurriedly put down the load on his shoulder, gesturing excitedly with his hands in front of him, and making incoherent noises.
Everyone stopped and looked at each other, knowing in their hearts that the man was deaf and mute.
He gestured for a while, but no one could understand what he meant.
Fortunately, Mu Hua, who was with the film crew, came forward and communicated with the man using simple sign language. Mu Hua had spent more than half a year on the mountain and had interacted with this deaf-mute man quite a bit, learning some simple sign language.
Mu Hua told everyone,
"This is Brother Guan who lives in the mountains. He heard about Xiao Mo saving Grandpa Niu yesterday and was very grateful. He told you to wait at his house for breakfast."
The adults all declined, knowing how hard it was for Brother Guan to cook a meal, since he had to go down the mountain to fetch water. How could they possibly have the nerve to eat at his house?
From everyone's actions, Brother Guan guessed that they didn't want to eat at his house, mistakenly thinking that the city people were looking down on him, and a look of disappointment appeared on his face.
Little Mo blinked her big eyes as she watched the adults exchange pleasantries, then suddenly ran up, grabbed Brother Guan's hand, and exclaimed loudly,
"Thank you, Uncle Guan. We'll go eat after watching the sunrise. Please be careful when you go down the mountain to fetch water, and don't fall."
Mu Hua translated Xiao Mo's meaning to Brother Guan using sign language. Brother Guan immediately put on a bright smile and gave Xiao Mo a thumbs-up, nodding repeatedly.
In the live stream room,
[My goodness, living so high up and having to go down the mountain to fetch water, that must be so hard!]
[Little Mo is such a clever little devil! It really gets disappointing when someone in the countryside refuses your invitation to dinner, but luckily our Little Mo has high emotional intelligence.]
[Daily Question: How exactly do Mr. and Mrs. Ha raise their child? Which deity would be most effective in raising such a smart, independent, and emotionally intelligent child?]
After saying goodbye to Brother Guan, everyone continued to climb the mountain. When they reached the top, the eastern sky looked as if a painter's paint had been spilled, painted with strokes of rich and brilliant crimson.
Standing on the mountain and looking down, a translucent bright moon hangs high in the valley. As the sun's rays grow stronger, the moon becomes more and more transparent, until finally only a sparse patch of transparent color remains.
The beautiful scenery before them stunned everyone. Fan Lei shook the jar in his arms to wake it up.
Guanguan opened its sleepy eyes and saw a bright, blazing sun suddenly appear between the mountains, its light and shadows shimmering in its eyes as it looked directly into the sunlight.
Everyone took out their sunglasses and put them on, watching the golden light bathe the mountaintop. The breathtaking scenery instantly dispelled the fatigue of getting up at 4 a.m.
Qi An squatted down, picked up Xiao Mo with one hand, and put his other arm around his wife's shoulder. His heart was filled with immense happiness, not because the sunrise was so beautiful, but because he was watching the sunrise with the person he loved.
Xiaoruo rested her head on Qi An's shoulder, raised her eyelids to look at Xiao Mo,
"Momo, the sunrise is so beautiful, isn't it?"
Xiao Mo was stunned by the beauty. Her large blue eyes behind her sunglasses stared intently at the rising sun, and she stretched out her short arms as if trying to grasp the beautiful scene before her.
"Mom, the sun looks like an egg yolk. Can I have a fried egg later?"
Du, speechless, Xiaoruo, “…”
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