Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Original Intention for Joining the Show

Although the journey was chaotic and full of unexpected situations, the children managed to herd the eight piglets near the pigsty. Since the pen was not yet repaired, the piglets could not "move in" just yet. Zhao Rui immediately made a prompt decision, arranging for Sun Tingting and Lin Qisan to stand on either side of a small alley near the pigsty to block the eight piglets. Meanwhile, the energetic Zhou Zhihao set off again with Xiao Yao and Zhao Rui to find the remaining two.

The second wave of luck was not as good as the first. The trio searched for a long time without finding the last two piglets. It was only when Zhou Zhihao impulsively ducked into a small grove that he finally discovered them hiding inside. This time, Zhou Zhihao remembered Zhao Rui’s instructions; instead of rushing forward and scaring the piglets into scattering, he called for Zhao Rui and Xiao Yao. The three worked together to herd the two piglets back.

By the time they returned with the last two, the fathers had nearly finished fixing the pigsty. They "invited" the final two into their new home and retrieved the other eight from the alley to reunite them with their brothers, successfully completing the mission.

Though the five fathers had worked hard hauling stones, it was far less exhausting than the previous day’s ordeal in the mud pond. Chen Lei happily announced that dinner would be a group hot pot feast, with no further tasks, which naturally drew cheers from everyone.

Chen Lei reminded them to bring the vegetables the children had purchased that morning for the hot pot and notified them that the feast would be at six o’clock in the evening behind the village ancestral hall, before dismissing them to enjoy some free time.

Since there were no cooking chores for the evening, everyone enjoyed a rare moment of relaxation. Lin Shaohua, in high spirits, took his SLR camera to snap photos around the village, only to end up arguing with his son over who got to use the camera—a development that provided the production crew with some rare, quality material.

At six o’clock, when the excited fathers and children arrived at the ancestral hall with their vegetables, they were disheartened to realize they had been played by the production crew once again.

They had expected a prepared hot pot feast, thinking they were only bringing extra ingredients. Instead, while the kitchenware was well-stocked and a pot of fragrant hot pot broth was simmering, there was no other food to be found.

Chen Lei confirmed their suspicions with a mischievous grin: "Tonight’s hot pot is made from the vegetables the children bought. I hope you all enjoy your meal."

"How is this enough to feed ten people?" the fathers exclaimed. The children’s shopping trip had been mostly for fun. Xiao Yao, who had bought the most, had only purchased enough for a meal of four—two adults and two children. Feeding five adults and five children with no staple food—only vegetables—was impossible.

Watching Chen Lei step aside with the air of someone enjoying a show, the fathers began to brainstorm.

"Forget about the hot pot for a moment; if anyone has food at home, bring it over so we can fill everyone’s stomachs," said Sun Zhihao, who, when it came to cooking, was naturally the most authoritative voice. "Does anyone have any leftovers from lunch?"

Everyone shook their heads. Suddenly, Zhou Lixing raised his hand and said, "I think I have a bag of flour."

"That works! That works!" Sun Zhihao said happily. "Go get the flour. I’ll knead it and make hand-pulled noodles. That will be our staple. Everyone else can throw all the vegetables into the pot for a big stew. We’ll eat noodles with the vegetables, and that should be enough."

Zhou Lixing did not hesitate and immediately returned to his house to retrieve the bag of flour.

Sun Zhihao took a basin and began kneading the dough, while the others cleaned the vegetables. Although Xiao Siqi was a novice in the kitchen, he was capable of washing and chopping vegetables, so he participated enthusiastically in the communal meal, busy and happy alongside the other fathers.

Seeing Sun Zhihao’s hand-pulled noodles go into the pot, Chen Lei realized that his plan to stump the fathers had effectively failed. He waved toward the outside of the ancestral hall, and a group of villagers entered, carrying various dishes.

Chen Lei smiled and said, "How could I let you have a meager final meal? The villagers have prepared their own homemade dishes to send to you all."

"Oh!" the fathers cheered happily and hurried to welcome the villagers.

Despite the fathers' warm invitations to stay, the villagers placed the dishes down and politely took their leave, leaving the joyful gathering to the group.

Once the hand-pulled noodles were cooked, the feast began with the villagers' dishes and the big pot of hot pot stew. Adults and children alike dug in. Xiao Yao did not do anything out of the ordinary, focusing entirely on eating; he didn't even need to deliver food to the production crew as he had the night before.

Xiangnan, where the filming took place, was famous for its spicy food. Whether it was the noodle broth, the hot pot base, or the dishes from the villagers, everything was heavily spiced. Lin Shaohua and his son Lin Qisan were from Donghai; while Lin Shaohua was used to traveling and eating out, Lin Qisan could not handle the spice. The thoughtful Sun Zhihao noticed this and used the remaining dough to fry up some flatbreads for the boy.

The production crew ate in the ancestral hall alongside the guests. Having heard of Sun Zhihao’s reputation as a "Little Chef" from the previous night when Xiao Yao and Sun Tingting had shared food, the crew had been eyeing the flatbreads hungrily.

Seeing the glint in everyone’s eyes, Sun Zhihao found it amusing and decided to fry up the rest of the dough. Sun Tingting, a clever and well-behaved child, did not need instructions; following the example she had set the night before, she began delivering the flatbreads to the crew once the fathers and children had had their fill. Seeing everyone praise her father’s craft, her face beamed with joy.

The guests and the crew bonded. The production crew, having enjoyed the meal, felt obligated to contribute and shared five cans of beer they had on hand to liven up the atmosphere. The scene became even more animated.

As the hero of the hour, Sun Zhihao received the most attention. Encouraged by their fathers, the children took turns feeding the "Little Chef" who had been busy at the stove all night, making the hardest-working person the happiest one as well.

Because the crew and the guests were mingling, and with filming nearing its end, the upcoming separation made everyone sentimental. The dinner lasted until nearly nine o’clock.

Although the village was only an hour’s drive from Changsha, the capital of Xiangnan Province where the TV station was located, the production team decided to postpone the return trip due to the late hour. They arranged for everyone to stay one more night and regroup the next morning to travel to Changsha for the studio interviews.

Although it was a last-minute addition, the production team diligently followed each family back to their respective lodgings. They did not film the pre-sleep segments, however, leaving the houses once the families were settled and relying only on the installed cameras to capture whatever might happen.

Xiao Siqi had a can of beer that evening, but it hadn't made him the least bit tipsy; instead, the alcohol had left him feeling too stimulated to sleep. Xiao Yao had not exerted much energy that day—what little he had spent shopping and herding pigs was negligible for him, and having taken a nap after lunch, he felt no drowsiness at all even past nine o'clock.

The energetic father and son looked at each other, realizing neither was ready for bed, and began to consider what to do.

Other families could help the villagers they were staying with, but they were living in an abandoned house on the edge of the village, so they were at a loss for what to do.

After pacing the room, Xiao Siqi’s gaze fell on his guitar. It hadn't been touched since he brought it, and if he took it back unused, he would look quite foolish. Since they had the time and energy, he decided to play it. They were far enough from the village that they wouldn't disturb the early-rising locals.

"Come on, Dad will play and sing for you. You can request anything you want," Xiao Siqi said enthusiastically as he took out his prized guitar and began to tune it.

"Great!" Xiao Yao replied happily.

Xiao Yao immediately supported the idea. Over the past two days, he had often stolen the spotlight, while Xiao Siqi’s performance had been relatively lackluster. Xiao Yao had joined the show to help boost his father’s fame, not to become a star child himself. Since Xiao Siqi’s performance was average, Xiao Yao’s unexpected actions would inevitably draw attention to his father—after all, no matter how much of a topic Xiao Yao became, the news would always prefix his name with "Xiao Siqi’s son." Even if Xiao Yao became famous, people would still think of him as "Xiao Siqi’s son," which was exactly how he would achieve his goal of increasing his father’s popularity.

Now that Xiao Siqi was in the mood to play, he should let him shine. Even though this episode was theoretically over, the cameras were still rolling. A cool performance, even if only featured in a documentary or a teaser, would improve his image, showing people that while he might be poor at daily life, he was truly excellent in his professional field of music.

And so, in a dilapidated house in a remote mountain village in Xiangnan, a solo concert by Xiao Siqi—with only one audience member and several cameras—was born. It lasted for over an hour, only ending when Xiao Siqi’s throat grew dry and his hands grew tired.