Of course, in the end, these snacks were not given out either. Firstly, Tingting said that there were too many for her to finish by herself, and if she brought them back her grandmother would confiscate them.
Secondly, it was naturally due to the intervention of the program team. Worried that the child would get a stomachache after eating so many snacks, they suggested going to the girl's home to take a look.
In the end, using the excuse that the children liked Tingting, the program team invited the little girl to participate in the later recordings as well, though she would not actually appear much on camera.
It was simply to give this family a bit of remuneration, to serve as payment for the next few days when the child would be on camera.
Upon hearing that she could earn money by appearing on camera, the old woman was overjoyed, and almost asked whether meals would be provided.
Yet unexpectedly, the program team said that unfortunately the child was dressed quite shabbily, her clothes tattered and worn, and she was skinny and did not look at all well. Otherwise, they should have been able to pay more.
This greatly distressed the old woman, who immediately took the child back home to spruce up. It was certain that in a short period of time, the child's standard of living could be guaranteed. As for what would happen afterwards...
The program team found the village branch secretary and told him that after the live broadcast, this village might receive some attention, with no telling whether online fans might come in groups to check in.
They were all adults, so they understood what needed to be done without anything more being said.
The branch secretary told the program team not to worry, saying that previously when some villagers had not been able to bear watching, they had said something, but after all it was that family's personal affairs, and others could not intervene. Now things were different, since they had this great banner of issues related to the development of the village. Naturally they would be able to handle things to some extent.
Tingting's situation seemed to have been resolved, but it still left a shadow in the minds of several children who had been living quite well.
Mao Ziqing even asked her father whether in the future, if she had a younger sibling, her parents would no longer like her as much.
Mao Zhu smiled wryly and immediately began coaxing his daughter.
Unlike her, Geng Zhenzhen did not ask anything, but rather became even more sensible and well-behaved.
The other two little boys energetically told their fathers about how pitiful Tingting was.
That day, the appetites of the other four children had increased somewhat, and they made an effort to finish all the rice that had been ladled into their bowls.
As for Ji Ruochu...she had always been one to leave food uneaten on her plate, so there was no noticeable difference.
On the other hand, after learning about this matter, Ji Mochen immediately said to his well-behaved daughter:
“Don't worry Ruochu, Daddy and Mommy will only have you as our one precious daughter in our lifetime, we won't have any younger brothers or sisters for you. Mommy and I will always love you the most!”
And afraid his daughter would not believe it, he fussed around her all evening.
Having been nagged for a whole evening by her silly old father, Ji Ruochu thought...Hey, if you can have more kids then have a few more, your married couple's love really feels a bit heavy.
Time slowly flowed by, the children played boisterously every day, the daddy chefs worked in the fields then went home to wash clothes and cook for their children; life proceeded in an orderly fashion.
In the blink of an eye, it was the day the edited version of the show would air. The directing team gave all the families a morning off and organized the five families to watch TV together.
The first episode only edited together footage from the first two days of the live broadcast, but even so there was a huge amount of footage, especially of the Ji father and daughter duo - they had so many funny moments.
Considering the status of each of the families, the main program could of course not play favorites, and strived to give them all equal screen time. As for any extra footage, it would all be put into bonus episodes to be aired the next day.
Soon, the families gathered at the village chief's house. The five little ones carried small stools and sat down in a row in front of the sofa, while the busy daddy chefs could finally relax for a bit.
The main program began shortly after. First the directing team took some peaceful scenic shots of the village, making this small village seem like an idyllic paradise. Only after did they point the camera towards the nanny van slowly approaching.
“Brother Fan Jin!”
“It’s Ziqing!”
“Uncle Mao!”
Seeing their little friends on TV was a novel sensory experience for the children, instantly getting them excited. But as they kept watching, something felt off.
“Sister Ziqing and Sister Zhenzhen, why do you look different from the ones above?” Lin Xindi looked at the TV, then at the two young ladies in front of him, rather puzzled.
Different?
The gaze of the daddy chefs was also drawn over for a comparison.
Indeed there were some differences. After playing wildly for a few days, the children's complexions had darkened a bit, and they seemed to have gained some weight as well. With the limited food ingredients, and the children happily feasting on rice recently, it was only natural they would become more rounded.
But the biggest difference would have to be—
“The hair!” Fan Jin said first. “It looks nice on TV, but now...”
How so?
Mao Ziqing tilted her head curiously, her loose bun swaying about, a few strands falling out. It did look a bit messily beautiful.
But that was the difference. The two girls’ hair when they had first arrived a few days ago - one had been styled into a little flower bud suitable for a princess, even tied with a pink butterfly hair clip; the other had two sections tied into pigtails, the hair accessories all shiny and eye-catching.
Where was that now? The current loose and casual beauty was of an entirely different style.
Seeing this, Mao Zhu and Geng Ming glanced at each other awkwardly. They couldn't help it; the two daddy chefs had never needed to style their daughters' hair before. They had specifically asked Ji Mochen to teach them, and this was already the simplest hairstyle they could manage.
“Little sister Ruochu hasn't changed at all.” Lin Xindi was even more astonished.
Indeed, not only had Ji Ruochu’s hairstyle stayed consistent, even her complexion showed little change - she was still fair as ever.
“Mochen, is sun-proof skin an ancestral trait in your family?” Fan Hongru felt a little sour. He could understand little Ruochu, but Ji Mochen was a grown man - he had worked in the fields for three days without tanning one bit!
“I told you guys to apply more layers of sunscreen, but you just wouldn’t listen.” Ji Mochen looked utterly smug. “Even our little Ruochu knows that when the sun is strong you need to apply sunscreen.”
That’s right. During these days of the live broadcast, Ji Ruochu always carried around a bottle of children’s sunscreen spray wherever she went. Every time she wiped away sweat, she would take out the spray from her little backpack and have a crew member help spray some on.
Not only that, when going out at night she would also have Ji Mochen spray her with mosquito repellant, so among the few children, she was the only one whose little feet had not been bitten by mosquitos.
Ji Ruochu: Don’t ask, it’s just having good maintenance awareness from being on camera.
The group chatted and laughed. The scene then shifted to the families looking for their houses.
“I heard your collar got lost that day?” Lin Yan asked.
“Wasn’t it crazy?” Just recalling what had happened that day made Ji Mochen feel lingering fear. “I carried Ruochu as I walked for so long before going back to the village chief’s place to retrieve the spare collar.”
Right then, the scene on screen also showed Ji father and daughter discovering the missing collar. The production team informed Ji Mochen that he would have to carry his daughter and embark on another long trek.
"Where's the collar?" On screen, Ji Mochen's face was filled with astonishment. A lightning special effect flashed, making him look extremely anguished. The children watching burst into laughter again.
The few little ones watching TV together giggled. “So miserable!”
Ji Ruochu blinked. Well, it wasn’t too bad, she had been sleeping quite soundly anyway.
When Ji Mochen on screen finally carried his daughter back after much difficulty to retrieve a replacement collar from the village chief’s place, he was mocked as “stupid” by Ji Ruochu who had just woken up.
And so, another lightning special effect bolt crashed down onto the screen. But this time, subtitles appeared:
【So? Exactly how was the collar lost? Let’s rewind and look for the truth.】
After the subtitles disappeared, the footage rapidly rewound until it froze at the moment Ji Mochen caught sight of the house.
“We’re here?!” On screen, hearing the crew member notify him, Ji Mochen’s eyes lit up and he immediately turned his head towards the house.
And it was precisely then, due to his tilt, that the Ji Ruochu in his arms suddenly frowned, the little one blearily opening her eyes in confusion.
Perhaps disturbed by the collar around her neck that had been warmed by the sun, she rubbed her eyes with one hand and nimbly removed the collar with the other.
At this point Ji Mochen also noticed. He hurriedly patted the shoulder of his daughter who had fallen back asleep there.
Then, as Ji Mochen continued walking and coaxing the once again slumbering child, her hand that had been resting on her father’s shoulder loosened without her noticing amidst the slight rocking motions.
The collar soundlessly slipped off from the little hand and fell into the grass below.
“Stupid~”
The scene returned to the moment the little girl was pointing at her father disparagingly.
Finally able to clear his name, Ji Mochen: !!!
Ji Ruochu, who had just been proven wrong on site: ......
