For the first challenge of digging up bamboo worms, the production team gave the guests one hour.
The more bamboo worms dug up within the time limit, the more bait the children would have for the second challenge: fishing for the chickens.
After all, the five little cubs were no older than six. Limited by their development, their physical coordination and reaction speed were relatively weak. Against free-range chickens that spent all day parkouring through the mountains, the disadvantage was obvious.
Flicking out a bamboo pole with a bamboo worm tied to it would likely be a futile attempt. The parents naturally had to prepare extra bamboo worms during the first stage.
As the director, Bai Yong was waiting for the free-range chickens to show off their skills in a back-and-forth with the children, letting the audience watch with great amusement.
The adults all rolled up their sleeves, brimming with fighting spirit, determined to provide enough “ammunition” for their cubs.
For Tiantian’s family, although Weng Kai and Ming Yu had been badly tricked by the production team in the early stages, their actual physical fitness and comprehensive abilities were both very strong. It didn’t matter who went first.
However, considering their daughter Tiantian’s strong resistance to the bamboo worms, and since Xu Chengyi was on-site saying things like “It’s normal for girls to be afraid of bugs,”
although the couple didn’t refute it on the spot, they didn’t want their daughter influenced by such a statement in their hearts.
So after discussing, they decided Ming Yu would dig for worms and collect bee pupae, leading by example to show that fear of bugs had nothing to do with being a girl. As for whether their daughter would continue resisting bamboo worms or want to try touching them like her mother, that would be the child’s own choice.
Ruirui’s parents glanced at each other, and Ruirui’s mother stepped forward very tacitly. She didn’t like these things either, but couldn’t help it because her old man was a fishing addict. He usually looked steady and composed, unflappable, but the moment he saw a fish spot, he practically reverted to an eight-year-old.
As for Kang Feier’s family, Xu Chengyi, dressed in a custom-tailored suit, stood out starkly against the bamboo forest backdrop.
His inner feelings were the same. Frowning, he mentally sorted through the options for a long time before reluctantly choosing fishing. When he spoke, his voice was still gentle and elegant, even with a bit of a vocal fry, “Wife, the mountain spring water is cold. Let me handle the final challenge.”
Kang Feier, holding her child, glanced at him. “Didn’t you say it’s normal for girls to be afraid of bugs? Darling, I’m scared. Why don’t you go catch the bugs?”
Honestly, except for people particularly afraid of bugs, there was really nothing scary about these worms that mostly just wriggled with nearly zero combat ability. Like her daughter, she just found them extremely ugly.
Since Kang Feier said so, Xu Chengyi, the “wife-doting maniac,” had to frown and agree.
Little Fatty Xu Xiaolin rubbed his fists eagerly. “Daddy, catch lots for me! I’ll definitely be the first to catch a big fat chicken!”
Xu Chengyi responded habitually, “Okay, Daddy will dig up many for you. My son is so capable, you’ll definitely be the best!”
Kang Feier held her daughter silently. Although she didn’t agree with her husband’s method of unconditional, exaggerated praise, her stepson was usually raised by her mother-in-law, where she had no authority to interfere. Compared to her mother-in-law, her husband’s praise for his son was already very restrained.
Little dumpling Zhenzhen in her arms hugged her mother’s neck, peeking through the gaps at Ao’ao’s family of three the whole time.
Ji Nuo had already picked up the firewood knife distributed by the program team and chosen a direction to start searching for bamboo worms.
Although the first stage required one person to complete it, lack of interaction wouldn’t be entertaining, so the production team allowed partners and children to search along, as long as the task-doer did the chopping and peeling.
In early August, many bamboo shoots had already shot up quite tall, some even taller than Ao’ao. However, the holes bored by bamboo worms were mostly near the base. The adults needed to crouch down to search, which gave Lu Aotian, who wasn’t even a meter tall, quite an advantage.
The little guy walked at the very front with his hands behind his back. Spotting a wormhole, he would point it out to Ji Nuo, telling him to strike and dig. “This one, this one, and this one, all have holes.”
It took less than a month for a bamboo weevil to grow from a grain-of-rice-sized larva into a palm-width adult beetle. So many shoot roots appeared to have holes, but the bamboo worms inside had actually long since flown away. You had to peel them one by one to see the situation inside.
Ji Nuo’s blade fell swiftly, his movements clean and efficient. But fearing he might chop any bamboo worm potentially inside, he had to rely on manual peeling once chopped to a certain extent. It really took some time and effort.
Ao’ao moved forward very quickly. Ji Nuo, chopping and peeling at the same time, couldn’t quite keep up with his speed. “Ao’ao, slow down a bit. Uncle can’t remember so many spots.”
Hearing this, the little guy stopped about three meters away from the two. He furrowed his little brows and clicked his tongue, sighing inwardly: This family really can’t function without me. These two useless adults can’t even find the treasure when the treasure map is delivered to their hands.
And they still doubted whether he was confident in completing the task? Tsk, absolutely ridiculous!
Lu Aotian raised his little chin, pointing in Han Cheng’s direction. “You, come with me.”
It was his signature tone—that kind of unbridled arrogance, as if ready to direct the world’s affairs at any moment. In an adult, it would be pure cerebral thrombosis, but in a little dumpling, it was just right.
Han Cheng’s eye twitched upon hearing this. Listening to Ji Nuo’s fake cough turn into a real one from trying to suppress laughter, his own eyes also held a hint of mirth. “I’ll go see what instructions our family leader has. Go easy on your strength, don’t hurt your hand.”
The way Ji Nuo swung the firewood knife was truly somewhat frightening. The force seemed like if it accidentally hit a hand, it would mean immediate amputation.
Ji Nuo tucked his slightly long, soft hair behind his ear. He nodded obediently, replying softly and gently, “I’ll be careful.”
The moment Han Cheng walked away, Ji Nuo swung his arm in a full circle, hacking at the thick bamboo shoot base. One chop felled it, two chops split it open, and the third knife cut upwards along the wormhole to separate the layers. Using the principle of leverage, he easily pried the multi-layered bamboo shoot apart. The rest was peeled by hand, and soon, he dug out the fattest, whitest bamboo worm deep inside.
Seeing Ji Nuo’s efficiency visibly increase after Han Cheng left, a large swath of question marks scrolled through the danmaku:
[Cook Ding… Cook Ding dissecting bamboo? Holy crap, awesome!]
[This is your definition of ‘going easy on your strength’?]
[Laughing so hard, I suspect Han Cheng doesn’t know how fierce his wife’s real strength is, always telling Nuonuo to be careful.]
[It’s just chopping a bamboo shoot, not old bamboo, what’s so impressive about that…]
On the other side, Lu Aotian had already started assigning tasks to Han Cheng. “I’ll find them. You remember them. He digs them.”
After speaking, he narrowed his eyes at Han Cheng. “OK?”
Han Cheng looked completely at ease. “OK.”
If it weren’t for Han Cheng’s inherent bearing, this really would look like a mob boss and his newly recruited underling.
The mom fans in the live stream were absolutely charmed by the little dumpling, especially seeing two such similar faces together, the comedic effect doubled:
[Aaaah, isn’t there really a script like ‘After the Soul Swap Between My Son and I’ for Teacher Han and the cub to film together!]
[Hahaha, I want to see it too! The cub is so naturally arrogant, he’s perfect for playing a domineering CEO 2333…]
Compared to Lu Aotian’s lucky, emperor-level speed, pinpointing almost every one, the other two families weren’t as successful. Perhaps the direction of the bamboo forest they chose also mattered. Ji Nuo had already cleared a floorful of bamboo shoot skins, while Ruirui’s family hadn’t even opened for business yet.
When time was up, the positioning, alarm, and timer 3-in-1 devices on the guests all sounded simultaneously. Xu Chengyi, carrying a container with eleven fat grubs, led his wife and son back, brimming with confidence.
Little Fatty was jumping around, wanting to play with the bugs. He felt that since everyone else was scared but he wasn’t, he was just amazing, and he needed everyone to know he was the best.
So upon reaching the initial meeting point, Little Fatty grabbed the fattest bug and ran around everywhere. “See the big bugs my daddy got for me? Do you have any?”
“Do you dare catch bugs with your hands?”
“You’re the same age as me, right? How can you be so timid? And you’re a boy…” This was directed at Ruirui, who was indeed quite afraid of these wriggling fat grubs.
Lu Aotian’s group of three had gone the farthest. By the time the reminder rang and they returned, they were the last. As soon as Little Fatty saw someone he hadn’t shown off to yet, he immediately rushed over. “Why are you so late? Couldn’t find any bamboo worms and too embarrassed? Look at the big bugs my daddy caught! We caught eleven!”
Lu Aotian was utterly sick of him. But no matter what, he couldn’t be bothered to argue with a real child; it would damage the Long Aotian’s style. Lu Aotian just turned away to avoid him.
Xu Chengyi only came to stop his son after he felt the showing off was sufficient. “Alright, Linlin, not everyone is as lucky as us to catch a full box.” His gaze drifted to the bamboo joint box in Ji Nuo’s hand, clearly not as full as theirs.
Normally, someone else would definitely play along and offer a few compliments. After all, Xu Chengyi had caught quite a lot, and on a live variety show, you wouldn’t want to make things too awkward.
But Ji Nuo was now completely unburdened by such concerns. He casually pulled out a longer bamboo joint from behind his waist, placed both boxes together, and smiled lightly. “Got lucky, caught over twenty.”
Then he glanced at the bamboo joints in Xu Chengyi’s hand. “Why didn’t you catch some bigger ones? The small ones are hard for the kids to tie onto the bamboo poles.”
Xu Chengyi’s expression stiffened. His tone, however, was unreadable. “Then you really chose the right spot. I wanted to go to the west side initially too.”
Ji Nuo didn’t stand on ceremony upon hearing this. “Is that so? Then you were too slow to react.”
A row of question marks floated across the danmaku:
[Is there something wrong with this Xu Chengyi… and his son?]
[+1, that statement makes it sound like Ji Nuo stole his spot, lol. Does he not know how shocking Ji Nuo’s hand speed is? The firewood knife was practically swinging at Mach speed.]
[Shh, we dare not say that, or we’ll be attacked as haters of the rich and sour grapes.]
[It’s just a show, no need to be so dramatic. Ji Nuo is also petty, just caught a few extra worms, not magnanimous at all.]
[The person in front?? Your brain isn’t even fit to raise maggots!]
Nearby, seeing Ji Nuo had dug up over twenty bamboo worms, each one bigger than the monster in his hand, Little Fatty’s chubby face instantly crumpled. He had a quick temper, and growing up, others had only ever yielded to him. He’d never lost face like this.
In his anger, he clenched his fist, intending to burst the bamboo worm. Unexpectedly, the bamboo worm could also bite. The fat worm chomped back on his thumb web. Only after he screamed and threw the worm to the ground did it come to light, blood already seeping out.
Little Fatty burst into loud wails. Xu Chengyi grabbed his son’s hand and yelled, “What happened! Where’s the program team’s medical unit?!”
Ji Nuo pulled the big and small figures beside him and quietly retreated, unwilling to listen to the father-son duo’s clamor.
Ji Nuo’s hand had been resting on Han Cheng’s wrist for a while now. Earlier, pressing Han Cheng was to prevent him from getting involved; naturally, he would handle any offending tasks.
Now that this childish contest was over, Ji Nuo belatedly realized that touching Han Cheng like this wasn’t quite appropriate. A hint of embarrassment colored his face as he released him, switching in an instant from his sharp, proactive demeanor back to a soft and docile appearance.
Han Cheng took it all in, momentarily losing focus.
That night, the drunk Ji Nuo had knocked on his door just as meekly.
He had been slightly tipsy too at the time and didn’t think much of it. He only thought the other was too drunk and if left alone, something might happen.
But once the door closed, the moment he turned around to make a call, Ji Nuo had him tied up hand and foot. It was the first time he recognized how astonishing Ji Nuo’s strength was. He unhurriedly… clung to him the entire night…
But before the atmosphere between the two could further develop, it was shattered by a heavy “hmph” from the small figure beside them.
Lu Aotian stomped his foot and pointed at the positioning, alarm, and timer device hanging on Ji Nuo’s chest. “The director said to switch this for me to wear!”
~
Soon, the children were fully geared up and ready to go.
Around their necks hung the positioning, alarm, and timers. On their chests were walkie-talkies connecting them to their parents. At their waists were bamboo joint boxes containing bamboo worms. In their hands they held long bamboo poles, similar to fishing rods. Staff members led them towards positions near the prepared traps.
The parents entered small huts temporarily constructed from foam boards, where they could watch their own child’s chicken-catching live feed separately.
Since Zhenzhen was only three years old, Kang Feier’s group’s chicken-catching task fell onto Xu Xiaolin’s shoulders.
When the production team announced that Xu Xiaolin and Lu Aotian would be in adjacent positions, Xu Chengyi leaned down and whispered a few words into his sobbing son’s ear. Little Fatty’s pouty lips stretched into a grin, his confidence restored. “Of course! I’m definitely the best!”
As Little Fatty followed the staff into the bamboo forest, he even tossed a smug look at Lu Aotian.
Seeing Lu Aotian completely ignore him, he proactively stepped closer. “Just watch, I’ll definitely be the first to catch a chicken. You, little runt, won’t catch a single one!”
Naturally, Lu Aotian felt extreme disdain, but the words “little runt” were extremely grating.
His mind jumped instantly from “I am the magnificent Long Aotian,” “I, the magnanimous one, won’t quibble,” to “You couldn’t find a dung beetle like this in three years of picking through manure!”
Yet, outwardly, he maintained his composure. “Really?”
Lu Aotian slowly lifted his eyelids, mimicking Ji Nuo’s earlier casual indifference. “I don’t believe it.”
Without waiting for Little Fatty to stomp in fury, he darted into his own hunting zone in a few quick steps, ready to show the brat a thing or two first.
~
The production team had fitted the free-range chickens with highly penetrating low-frequency buzzers, making it easy for the children to track their prey’s location at any time.
Staff would release the chicken about two hundred meters from the trap. However, the chicken would wander around randomly after release. If they didn’t want the chicken to run too far and make things even harder, they had to be quick on their feet.
Yet, for these curiosity-filled children, entering the bamboo forest alone to fish for chicken was an extremely novel and thrilling experience.
First, they spent quite a while tying the bait, then they looked east and west, breathing the absolutely parent-free air, their steps light and airy.
Only Lu Aotian went full throttle. Pushing off with his short legs towards the chicken’s crows and the buzzer’s guidance, he scrambled with all his might and soon spotted the free-range chicken’s figure.
In Xu Chengyi’s booth, he could only see his son still chasing butterflies. He reminded his son over the walkie-talkie, “Linlin, don’t you want first place? Did you forget what Daddy said?”
Little Fatty remembered he had a mission. Immediately, he hoisted his bamboo pole and ran towards the chicken-catching location.
At the same time, Lu Aotian, having gotten a clear look at the Chicken King’s appearance, stopped in his tracks, pinching his nose. His delicate little brows furrowed tightly.
