The sudden noise startled all four of them, especially when they saw that the person who had arrived was Xiao Mo, whom they had just been discussing. Qiao Peipei was particularly frightened, clutching Qiao Yan's clothes tightly, as Xiao Mo's image in her mind was now not far from that of a deranged killer.
"Sorry to scare you. What are you all doing here?"
"It's okay, no worries. Zhijing found a cat, and we're making something for it to eat."
"Alright then, carry on. I was just using the restroom and saw some activity over here, so I came to check."
After Xiao Mo left and they saw him walk away from the window, everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"He didn't hear us talking, did he?" Qiao Peipei suddenly felt a chill down her spine.
"Don't worry, he definitely didn't hear anything. I was watching outside the whole time. You guys really need to work on your nerves, gossiping about someone behind their back like that," Qiao Yan chided, brushing his sister's hand away.
"Oh, really! I don't know who was screaming the loudest just now."
"Quick, check on the fish, it might dry out," Qiao Yan changed the subject, refusing to admit that he was the one who had been screaming.
They only made fish soup, fearing the bones in the fish flesh.
"We'll give the fish flesh to the villagers to feed their pigs tomorrow."
Nian Suian and Qiao Peipei then followed Gu Zhijing and Qiao Yan to their room, watching the cat drink the fish soup before heading back.
There were no cardboard boxes in the room, so Qiao Yan emptied his travel bag to use as a makeshift bed for the cat to sleep in overnight.
When they returned to their room, Xiao Yan and Xiao Zheng were still awake, playing on their phones.
"Nian Suian, Peipei, what took you so long?" Xiao Yan asked curiously.
"Oh, Zhijing found a cat, and we were making some food for it."
"A cat! How big? Where did you find it?" Xiao Yan, clearly a cat lover, was visibly excited, and even the usually quiet Xiao Zheng's eyes lit up.
"Just outside our front door," Nian Suian said, deliberately not mentioning the back hill.
"That's great. Can I see it tomorrow?"
"Of course, just talk to Zhijing about it tomorrow."
"That's wonderful, sister!" Xiao Yan excitedly shook Xiao Zheng's arm, thrilled about the cat, even though their mother was allergic to cat fur and they couldn't keep one at home.
...
Nian Suian suspected that the production team would stir up some trouble the next day, but she didn't expect it to start with a knock on the door at six in the morning, waking everyone up.
"Director, why so early? The audience isn't even awake yet!" Pei Sheng complained.
The others didn't speak, but they all felt the same way. The most energetic person there was probably Ren Man's son, Zhuang Zhuang. Kids probably go to bed early and wake up early too, and he was already buzzing with energy, more so than his mother.
The director smiled slightly, "We gave everyone a whole day to rest yesterday, so I believe you've all had enough rest. From today onwards, this will be your schedule. You need to wake up at six in the morning and complete your tasks."
Indeed, there were very few people in the live broadcast at that time, but there were still some.
"The director is indeed causing a stir; those who've been lagging behind now have the pleasure of watching it live just by switching on their TV,"
"I didn't expect the live broadcast to start so early; they're all makeup-free now aren't they! Good thing I haven't gone to sleep yet, otherwise, I would have missed it,"
"Wooow, my idol, even without makeup, is so handsome!"
"Why are you just staring? Take screenshots!"
Nian Suian had always been quite particular about her bed, and maybe it had much to do with the unfamiliar surroundings, she had a restless night filled with dreams. Now, she was on the verge of passing out from exhaustion. Similar was the case with Qiao Peipei; they were barely managing to stay upright, relying on each other.
The director was secretly laughing, thinking to himself, 'I gave no assignments yesterday, and also went to bed at nine. This moment was worth waiting for!'
"So, what's our task?" queried Yue Qingchi.
"Today, you six households will team up in pairs to complete the task."
On hearing about teaming up, Qiao Peipei opened her eyes to speak, only to be interrupted by the director.
"Note that the teams will be formed randomly! You can't pick your own teammates."
...Qiao Peipei shut her eyes again.
"Your task is to locate elderly people, more than 60 years old, in the village, teach them to use a mobile phone, and have them follow your live broadcast room. The team that gets more people to do so wins."
"What an interesting task; haven't heard of this before."
"Teaching seniors how to use a mobile phone, what kind of task is that?"
"Am I the only one who finds this task great? There's indeed a number of elderly folks in rural areas who can't use smartphones, they find it inconvenient. If they learned, it'd be a source of entertainment for them, plus they could video chat with their kids."
"No, I agree! I taught my grandparents to use a smartphone when I visited them for the New Year, now I video chat them whenever I have time."
The director clapped his hands, "All right, wake up, everyone! We're going to start sorting out the groups."
"Nian Suian, Gu Zhijing, and Pei brothers form one group."
"Hold up, director, didn't you mention random selection? Why are we predefined?" asked Pei Sheng, considering random selection usually involved drawing lots.
"Random, yes, randomly selected in my head.” The director spoke proudly. After announcing the groups, "Ren Man, Zhuang Zhuang, Yue Qingchi, and Fang Min form one group. The Xiao siblings and Qiao siblings team up. That's it." With a sweep of his hand the director exclaimed, "By the way, the cell phones have been sponsored by our program, the program is gifting them to our villagers. From here on, schedule your time accordingly, goodbye!"
Leaving them behind the director went on his way, leaving behind only a box of cell phones, a testament to their presence.
"Dope. The director's team is too cool. Such a unique and unconventional program."
"The director knows how to form groups."
"I reasonably suspect the director just wanted Ren and Yue in a team, quite bluntly put together."
"I think the same!"
"Is it just me or are the director and his team wealthy? Giving away so many phones."
Even the most seasoned professional would not have encountered such a kind of program group. For a while, they were all in a daze.
"Oh dear, no rush. We have an entire day to get the task done. Let's have breakfast first," Fang Min said while patting her son. "Off we go, to get the stove lit in the kitchen".
"Right right right, my mom is correct. As the saying goes, people regard food as their prime want. Eating is of utmost importance. Let's have our meal first!"
"Hold on! We forgot to ask the director; what's the reward for winning and what's the penalty for losing?" Nian Suian slapped his forehead, surprised he'd forgotten such an important thing.
"Could it be that if we lose, we won't get any food?" Xiao Yan whispered, "That's usually the case in many variety shows I've seen."
"Should we secretly stash some food then? Just in case we lose!" Qiao Peipei suggested.
"Ugh! Without even starting the competition, you're already assuming we'll lose?" Qiao Yan retorted, "Why do you have such little faith in yourself?"
"I'm just preparing for the worst okay! If we lose and don't get any food, I'll eat you!"
"Be my guest, if you have the guts."
Seeing the sibling rivalry between the Qiao siblings, Xiao Zheng's eyes slightly dimmed.
